Archive of Our Own

After a long day of working everyone needs a break. We all know that. And it's not an unfamiliar concept with royalty either. T'Challa has been serving his country Wakanda diligently as any king would for a long time now. So long in fact that he cannot remember when his last break was. However Aneka knew that it was time he had one after the king fell face first into the bowl of oatmeal she brought to him and began to snore. When T'Challa awoke next, faintly smelling hints of sugar and butter coming from his hair, he realized Aneka was driving him to the airport where his private jet awaited him. At first the king protested about being shanghaied, but after the argument from his Dora Milaje captain gave about how a king can't serve his country if he is snoozing in a warm bowl of buttery and sweet rolled oats T'Challa could only hang his head in embarrassed defeat. He often forgets that Aneka is a chess champion and is always three steps ahead – even when against him. So he let himself be hauled into the fancy jet and flown off to who knows where. It was only as they grew closer to their destination that T'Challa realized that he was now in New York.

“Why did you choose here in New York, Aneka, of all places that I should take my vacation?” T'Challa asked through the intercom on his right arm rest.

“I figured that it would be the best place for you to rest up, sire. You always enjoy wide spaces and it doesn't get much wider than New York. Second only to our own Wakanda, of course.” Aneka replied over the intercom.

“Of course. I suppose this would be a nice place to take a vacation then. I'm sure you have already made the hotel arrangements after you kidnapped me.” T'Challa said.

“You mean while you were raving in your sleep about a goat who stole your cookies with oatmeal on your face that I had to wipe off? Yes, I did.” Aneka replied with an undeniable tone of snark.

“...You'll never let me live that down, will you?” T'Challa asked.

“Not in the foreseeable future, no.” Aneka replied and the king could just see her smug grin.

Anyway, the jet landed safely at the airport and T'Challa likewise made it safely to the Ritz Hotel where he will be staying for the duration of his vacation. Aneka told him that his advisers have things covered so he had better not try to sneak back to Africa. Not that he could since the woman had both the jet and car keys as well as had agents stationed in all of the taxi cab companies for miles. Again, her chess skills shined through as she was far out in front of T'Challa was he was struggling behind. But of course he knew that his guard captain meant well. And if he was so tired that he could fall asleep in his own breakfast then he needed the rest. So he figured he may as well enjoy it. Then as he was thinking of how he could enjoy his leisurely time the sight of a woman walking her cat on the street below the penthouse gave him an idea.

“Hm...It has been a long time since I have taken that form. And since this is a concrete jungle there's no better time for the wild cat to stretch his limbs.” T'Challa said as he slowly began to remove his clothing. Not to redress in his Black Panther suit, mind you, but to turn into his other cat suit.

You see one of the many abilities bestowed onto the men and women of the Black Panther Mantle is the ability to shape-shift into a black cat. It starts out as a simple black cat but at some point the current carrier of the mantle will be able to turn into a black panther. So far though how a Black Panther gains the ability to turn into their namesake has never been truly figured out. For some it seemed like they gained the ability after accomplishing a personal trial they didn't know they were going through. And for others it seemed like they gained the ability after doing some selfless act. However they were able to transition from small cat to big cat though it was different every time in some way or another. But T'Challa has still yet to turn into anything other than a sleek domestic black cat.

Little did he know, however, that he wouldn't be that way for very long after today...

“Sire, I have checked the video store for those classic cartoons you enjoy and sadly haven't found that Fantastico movie you wanted to see.” Aneka said as she walked into the room, then took note of the black cat sitting next to the chair with neatly folded men's clothes in it. “Ah. It's been a long time since I've seen you in this cat suit.”

“That's what I was saying.” T'Challa spoke but it came out only in meows, followed by a nod of agreement.

“I suppose this means that you will be taking an afternoon stroll in this form then?” Aneka asked.

Again, T'Challa gave a nod and a simple meow that she knew meant 'Yes'.

“Alright then. But before you go let me put on your identification tags. We don't want you picked up by an old lady and dressed in glittery outfits. Not for a second time, at least.” The bald woman said with a chuckle as she searched through a bag of luggage.

“You certainly seem to enjoy a nice laugh at my expense.” T'Challa spoke in a series of agitated meows.

“Don't get your fur on end, my king. I was only teasing. Now let's get this on you...” Aneka said and knelt down to her cat turned ruler with the collar in her hand.

T'Challa stood patiently and waited for his accessory to be fastened on. When it was he looked into the full body mirror to admire the genuine brown Italian leather collar around his neck. And encrusted on the leather were hundreds of little sapphire gemstones and a solid gold tag with Aneka's contact information written on it along with T'Challa's feline name, “Saberhagen”. When Aneka first asked why he wanted that name he shamelessly admitted how he liked the puppet black cat character from a certain 90's TV show about a teenage witch. The bald woman just shook her head but had the name engraved on the gold tag anyway.

“Excellent. Well, I must be off now. Farewell Aneka.” T'Challa said in another line of meowing and after affectionately rubbing the woman's hand he exited the room through the window and proceeded to walk along the ledges across to the other building.

“Have fun, Your Highness! And please be careful!” Aneka called out.

T'Challa effortlessly walked from one ledge of a penthouse window all the way to the roof of the building just across the street. It has been so long since he's got the chance to stretch his four legs like this. Even though he goes by the name Black Panther it is still rather odd to go running on all fours in his human shape. Especially when he has no tail to provide that natural feel. God, if the king had a coin for every time villains actually asked him why he had no tail he would be richer than his own kingdom. That kind of question always made T'Challa tempted to explain to them that he technically does have a tail but only in this animal form. But of course he can't reveal that to them so he settles for a glare which sends the message that it's none of their business. Even though he tries to put himself above such things, it was still a pet peeve the king has yet to get over...

So caught up in his musings was T'Challa that he didn't notice he was now on the ground of a New York street. And when he realized it he then decided that he, at least for now, could only turn into a domestic black cat. If he was a real panther he would have dozens upon dozens of animal control swat units on his tail then wake up from a tranquilizer shot in a children's zoo playing corny music. Or worse yet, a circus wearing a frilly pink tutu. Plus being a domestic cat did have it's advantages. Where as his human form would have to maneuver past the many people in a cramped space this feline form can easily walk through all of the small spaces. Not to mention his four legs could get him further ahead than if he just had too. And even though turning into a cat wasn't common being one was a far more conspicuous disguise for a royal trying to have a day off without worrying about reporters bothering him.

The feline let out a meow/sigh of content as he went about his stroll. He was actually thankful now that Aneka made him take a break. It wasn't until he got to let his hair down that he realized how badly he needed this vacation. Everything was going off without a hitch and T'Challa's mind was in a peaceful state. That is until the sound of sirens blaring ruined that peaceful state. He stood rigidly while the fur on his hair stood on end. T'Challa moved his head around to see where the noise was coming from until he saw a black truck speed down the road. And soon after three police cars were chasing after it.

“Pull the car over now, Hammerhead!” A policewoman from the second car shouted at the sports car head.

T'Challa watched as a man with a large, squared forehead dressed in a Bespoke suit climbed out the front window and aimed a large machine gun at the police car.

“Pull over this, coppers!” Hammerhead shouted to the police as the firearm began to spit out hundreds of bullets at once at the three police cars.

Every single bullet struck the windows and caused the police cars to swerve out of control. T'Challa at first considered turning into his human form, even though he would be stark naked, to help the officers in the cars. But someone else beat him to it. Three long silvery webs shot out and grabbed onto the cars and pulled them to a stop. Then the slender framed person responsible for the rescue came down to the ground. It was the one and only Spider-Man, friendly web slinging protector of New York. T'Challa's eyes grew in surprise and a bit of admiration. He remembered the young man from when he used to be apart of the Avengers team. However he didn't stay on for every long after a failed attempt to lead a then dysfunctional group of heroes. It wasn't for lack of trying on his part, and Spider-Man really did try his hardest to keep the peace.

Unfortunately his older heroic peers were either too self-centered with themselves or simply had little respect for the young man. And in T'Challa's personal opinion that was not only rude but incredibly insulting. Even though he only had a fleeting acquaintanceship with Spider-Man he could see that the wall-crawler had great potential and bravery despite his young age. Plus the fact that he represents the great Anansi gave him a special charm.

“An alluring charm, one might say...” T'Challa thought to himself as he watched Spider-Man pull each officer out of the cars. While they were understandably shaken up by the experience and two of the five officers had bullet wounds in their upper torsos they were none the worse for wear.

“Are you guys alright?” Spider-Man asked as he used his webs to stop the bleeding on two of the officers with injuries.

“We're fine, Spider-Man. Thanks to you. Sheesh, you'd think Hammerhead was shooting monkeys in a barrel. And we were the monkeys.” Said the policewoman.

“Hammerhead, huh? Figures that he would do this. What happened?” Spider-Man asked.

“We got called to respond to a robbery at NY Jewelers. By the time we got there Hammerhead and his crew drove past us. We gave chase but he shot at our windows and we went out of control. Then you showed up.” Explained a policeman.

“Did you manage to see which way they were going before Hammerhead shot your windows?” Spider-Man asked.

“Sorry, Spidey. But we didn't see anything after we got shot” Said one of the injured officers with a sad frown.

“Damn. I wonder if I could find a witness in time to catch up to them.” The wall-crawler said to himself.

At hearing this T'Challa knew immediately how he could help. He saw which Hammerhead and his gang went off into. But he couldn't just change into his naked human self and tell him. So instead he just ran across the street and went up to Spider-Man.

“Spider-Man! I saw where they went!” T'Challa spoke in an urgent meow as he stood up on his hind legs and grabbed onto the hero's long leg to get his attention. At the feeling Spider-Man looked down and saw the handsome black cat looking up at him.

“What, cat? What is it?” Spider-Man asked in confusion.

T'Challa continued to speak, or rather meow to the ears of the humans around him, urgently and gestured where the truck went with his head. Spider-Man narrowed his eyes in thought as he tried to interpret the cat's behavior. As he did his Spider Sense was speaking and telling him to heed the cat's gestures.

Listen!

Follow!

Witness!

“...You're trying to tell me you saw where Hammerhead went, aren't you kitty?” Spider-Man asked.

The cat gave a meow of confirmation and nodded.

“Spider-Man, do you really think that cat saw what happened?” A policeman asked.

“I don't know, but I do know he's the best lead I have. Alright cat lead the way.” Spider-Man said, and as soon as the cat zoomed down the street the wall-crawler shot his webs to a lamppost and proceeded to follow.

T'Challa ran with as much speed as his four legs allowed. Once in a while he would look over his shoulder to make sure that Spider-Man was still following him. T'Challa also made use of his heightened sense of smell to get a whiff of the gasoline from the car. It was very distinctive from all the other scents of gas in the air which allowed him to lock on Hammerhead's trail. With every sharp turn down the corner the black cat took Spider-Man web swung to stay on him. Finally it seemed like they got to the end of the trail because the feline came to a halt. Spider-Man likewise stopped and dropped down gracefully on the gravel. Looking around he realized the cat lead him to an old church left to decay in the elements. Ironic considering Hammerhead wasn't the holiest guy you could name, unless you count how many holes he'll put into you with his machine gun.

“So this is where they went. You sure about this, little friend?” Spider-Man asked the cat.

“Yes, I am positive.” T'Challa spoke even though he knew all the young hero heard was meowing.

“Alright then. Time for the spider to bring in some customers for his parlor. Thanks for the help. I'll take it from here.” Spider-Man said and used his webs to shoot up from the ground to the upper floor where there was an open window.

“I have no doubt you can handle the situation, young Anansi, but I cannot in good faith allow you to venture in there alone.” T'Challa said to himself and went into the broken down church through a hole in the door just large enough for him to squeeze into.

Getting back with Spidey, our friendly neighborhood hero stuck to the ceilings as he listened out for Hammerhead and his crew. After a while he heard the familiar cocky laughter of the old fashioned gangster. Staying on the ceiling Spider-Man wall crawled down two flights of stairs until he reached a hallway with seven rooms, three on either side and one at the end of the hallway. And it was from that room at the end of the hallway where the laughing was getting louder and louder. Silently coming down onto the torn, dusty hallway carpet Spider-Man crept up to the door and peeked in through the broken out glass window to see Hammerhead and at least eight of his goons speaking candidly about their most recent heist.

“That job went as smooth as silk! You're the greatest planner there is, boss.” Said one goon.

“Yeah. Don't no body get better ideas than you.” Said another goon that Peter recognized as Hammerhead's right hand Montana.

“Not even New York's Finest could stop us!” Exclaimed a second crook with a hardy laugh.

“What can I say, boys? When you're hot you're hot. And now we got us a big pile of ice to keep us from burning out.” Hammerhead said, picking up a fist full of small gemstones, bracelets, rings and necklaces then letting them run through his fingers.

“Yeah! And I'll betcha not even that goody-two webs Spider-Man will ever find us.” Said a third goon.

“Ha! It'd take a magic trick for that jerk ta find us.” Hammerhead boasted. Taking that as his que Spider-Man kicked the door down and flipped inside.

“Well bibbidy, bobbidy, boo fellas. Here is your spider godfather. And for my next trick I'll make you all disappear to Rikers Island Prison.” Spider-Man quipped.

“Spider-Man!? But how did you's find us!?” Montana asked in shock as he stood up.

“Let's just say that it wasn't a little birdy but a little kitty who told me where to find you guys. I gotta say though it'd a good thing you picked this old church for your hideout. Now you can repent and finally confess your sins.” Spider-Man said.

“Well here's another sin for the books, Spider!” Hammerhead exclaimed and whipped out his two large machine guns and began to blast at the hero. Luckily he was able to dodge the bullets by leaping up to the ceiling and clinging on to it.

“So much for thou shalt not kill. But I'll tell you what, you can make up for it by giving back those jewels.” Spider-Man said and shot a makeshift bag from his webbing and grabbed the whole pile of stolen goods on the desk then pulled it towards him then ran off.

“Hey, we stole that swag fair and square web head!” Stated on offended goon.

“Don't worry Ox. We'll get it back over his dead body.” Hammerhead said and chased after the web head along with his crew of eight.

Meanwhile Spider-Man was racing down the many flights of stairs until he reached the actual main room of the old church where people used to gather and pray. At the sound of footsteps stomping down towards him Spider-Man decided to set a trap. But first he needed to put away the jewels where the criminals couldn't reach them. So he zipped up to the ceiling and used his web to tie the makeshift bag to the somewhat broken crystal chandelier. Then Spider-Man used his webs to grab a few pieces of furniture and hastily set up a trap. The hero waited for a good minute before he heard the gang of thugs enter the room. He released the web he used to hold up three of the chairs he gathered which hurled them straight at Hammerhead and his creeps. Five of them, including Hammerhead, ducked the flying furniture but three other thugs weren't so quick. The first pair got knocked out from the hit while the third ended up getting pinned down by the chair.

“Shucks, I only got three. Seems like I'll have to do some creative maneuvering for a five pin split.” Spider-Man said as he came down to the ground, taking a fighting stance.

“You'll be the one split up real soon, Spider-Man!” One thug stated and began to shoot off the two Magnums he was holding.

Spider-Man dodged all of the bullets, flipping towards the shooter as he did so, and when he got close enough he kicked the guns out of his opponent's hands. The two engaged in a battle of fists before the wall-crawler decided to play a little mind game to unleash his next trap.

“Do you really want those jewels, buddy?” Spider-Man asked.

“Yer damn right I do! Now hand 'em over!” The man ordered.

“Sure. All you have to do is just pull this rope, and you'll get what's coming to you.” Said the wall-crawler as he gave the thug a rope of web.

“Now that's more like it.” The thug said and pulled on the rope-like web hard, but rather than jewels raining down on him he instead got a heavy vase landing right on his head. While the hit wasn't hard enough to kill it sure left the man with a large bump.

“I knew watching all those classic cartoons would pay off some day.” Spider-Man said.

“Well today is gonna be your last day, Spider-Man!” Stated Montana as he put on his brass knuckles.

“Yeah, you may have been able to take down those jerks but it ain't gonna be easy with us.” Added a second thug who twirled around a heavy chain.

“Let's just see you's try to take on all four of us.” Ox said as he took out a thick club.

“Betcha can't even do it without usin' your webs.” Said another thug as he took out his knife.

“Challenge accepted. Come at me, gentleman.” Spider-Man goaded, making a beckoning gesture with his hands.

The thug with the knife came at the hero first, and Spider-Man bent backwards in an almost unbelievable way to dodge it. Then he turned and grabbed the man's arm then held it tightly which kept him in place. Then Ox charged at him with his hand that was holding the club raised high to whack him in the head. But Spidey was prepared for that as well and turned the thug around to make his hand holding the knife stab into the club which knocked both weapons out of their hands. Spider-Man then kicked Ox in the face, instantly knocking him out, then flipped the thug in his grip over and tossed him into the wall. That left only the thug with the heavy chain and Montana with his brass knuckles. The thug with the chain hurled the line of metal at Spider-Man but he grabbed hold of it and actually lassoed it around the man. Montana then charged with his fist raised to bash in the web head's face in with his brass knuckle. But just as the hero did to his fellow gangster Spider-Man wrapped the remaining chain around his arm then flipped over him, pulling the chain back and making Montana literally hit himself with his own fist. Spider-Man then pulled both men towards each other and made their heads collide with a loud thud and knock them both out.

From where he was hiding among the shadows, T'Challa's feline face curled into a grin.

“He is certainly a capable warrior.” The king thought.

“Alright, Hammer, that's eight down and you to go. It's high time you cut your losses and give up.” Spider-Man said, looking around for the mob leader.

“Oh, don't worry Spider-jerk. I got plans ta cut my losses alright. But givin' up ain't in my vocabulary.” Hammerhead stated, his voice echoing in the large room of the church. It made it difficult to pin point where he was.

“Yeah? Well today I'll add solitary confinement to your vocabulary.” Spider-Man said as he continued looking for his remaining foe.

However T'Challa was able to pin point him. Following the man's scent of expensive cigars and equally expensive cologne, he looked up and saw that He was now on the second floor that overlooked the room below. Hammerhead must have snuck up there while the Anansi was distracted with the henchmen. And from what his sharp eyes could tell the mob leader was getting his two machine guns ready to snipe Spider-Man. But T'Challa wasn't going to allow that. Wasting no time he ran across the room and up the flight of stairs that Hammerhead most likely took to get there. Just as he was about to pull the trigger on his guns T'Challa leaped at him and fiercely hissed.

“What the...?!” Hammerhead exclaimed in shock as he looked up just in time to get a face full of sharp claws. “GAH!!”

Spider-Man turned around to the second floor and gasped when he saw Hammerhead attempting to fight off something that clung to his face. In the midst of the struggle the man didn't realize that his back was now facing the railing of the second floor. And he was also backing into it. Looking for something to break his fall he noticed a tapestry hanging on the wall. He quickly zipped over and pulled the long fabric artwork from the wall then shot over towards Hammerhead. And not a moment too soon for the mob leader had backed into the railing and his heavy frame made him crash through. Fortunately the tapestry caught him just in time. Spider-Man then wrapped Hammerhead up in the long tapestry and tied him off with a web bow.

“That's not exactly how I planned to take you down, but at least now you'll make for a pretty present for the cops.” Spider-Man said. Just then he heard a meow and looked up at the second floor to see the same cat who led him here. “Hey, it's you. Were you the one fighting with old Hammer?”

“I was indeed.” T'Challa spoke/meowed with a clear tone of pride and even puffed out his chest.

“Well kitty, you sure did a good job. Hammerhead may be hard nosed and hard headed but I guess that doesn't mean a thing to cat claws.” Spider-Man said as he looked over the unconscious Hammerhead's scratched up face. Yet somehow it didn't make him look any uglier than if he wasn't scratched at all.

T'Challa walked down the stairs and padded over to Spider-Man, rubbing his leg in a show of affection. This made the young hero look down at him and smile. He then picked up the feline scratched underneath his chin.

“Thanks a lot for the help, little buddy. I wasn't in the market for a sidekick but I think I'll make an exception with you.” Spider-Man said and looked the black cat over, then noticed his collar. “Whoa! Are those jewels real? It's a wonder that you weren't mugged, kitty. Let's see...Saberhagen is your name and you belong to a woman named Aneka. Aw. And here I was hoping I could adopt you.”

“Damn. I forgot the collar.” T'Challa cursed in his head. Somehow he felt disappointed that Peter wouldn't be able to 'adopt' him even though he wasn't truly a pet cat.

“Oh well. I guess we'll just call your owner and tell her she can pick you up. But first let me call the NYPD and tell them that Santa came early.” Spider-Man said and took out a cellphone from his suit then proceeded to call the police.

After taking a few pictures and returning the stolen jewels to the police when they showed up the hero rode his webs back home. T'Challa, or Saberhagen as it were, was wrapped around his shoulders and showed no fear at being up so high. Of course he would never have known that his feline passenger has actually been up heights higher than this. And true to the saying he always landed on both feet. When Spider-Man stopped around a neighborhood in Queens and entered into a cozy brownstone he figured this was where he lived. The hero sat T'Challa down on a comfortable twin bed then stretched out his limbs, no doubt sore from his most recent row with Hammerhead and gang. Then he removed the arachnid themed mask from his head...which revealed none other than a certain photographer T'Challa has met with before. But he still couldn't believe it...!

“Peter Parker!?” T'Challa asked in a shocked voice, which came out like a startled meow.

“Surprised, huh, Saberhagen? Underneath the mask of the strong superhero web head is the college freshman geek Peter Parker. You're one of the few people I've ever told though. So keep this a secret between us.” Peter said, pressing a finger to his lips and winking.

“You have my word, Peter.” T'Challa said and rubbed his head against the young man's hand. In response Peter scratched his ears.

“Aw, thanks Saberhagen. Although I wouldn't mind if you tell a cat buddy or two you trust. After all how many cats can say they took out a big time gangster? Anyway, let's call your owner over here.” Peter said and took out his cellphone again and dialed Aneka's number written on T'Challa's tag.

A short while later, the bald woman came over in more modest civilian style clothes with foundation covering her Dora Milaje marks. She even played the part of a worried pet parent perfectly. A little too perfectly for T'Challa's liking. Naomi Harris she is definitely not.

“Oh thank you so much, Mr. Parker! I was so worried my wittle Saberhagen was gone forever. But now he's in my arms safe and sound.” Aneka said, dabbing a handkerchief on her crocodile tears as she held T'Challa in her free arm.

“And the nominee for Best Actress in a Melodramatic Role is...” T'Challa trailed off sarcastically in his head as he rolled his eyes.

“No problem, Ms. Aneka. I just so happened to be...on assignment when I saw your cat and picked him up. He got into a scrap with a few dogs but he came out on top. He really kicked the big dog's butt.” Peter explained in a half truth. Once again the king found himself impressed by the Anansi's skill, since lying is an art that takes years of practice to master.

“Thank you again, Mr. Parker. I truly appreciate what you did. Now me and wittle Saberhagen have to be on our way. Say bye-bye to the nice man, Saberhagen.” Aneka cooed in a baby voice that just grated T'Challa's nerves. She even had the gull to lift his paw and wave it for him. She was really enjoying this too much.

“Bye, Saberhagen. It was nice meeting you.” Peter said as he waved back. Then just as Aneka was about to turn and exit the front door T'Challa leaped out of her arms and walked up to the young man.

“Saberhagen?” Aneka asked, honestly surprised by the actions of her king turned cat. Then once she saw T'Challa rub against Peter's legs in a show of affection she immediately understood. It was his coded way of saying that he liked Peter and that he could be a great ally.

“I guess he really likes me, Ms. Aneka.” Peter said as he rubbed T'Challa's back which made him purr very loudly.

“So it would seem, Mr. Parker. I'll tell you what; why don't I bring Saberhagen here to spend part of the day with you then I will come back to pick him up?” Aneka suggested.

“Wow, do you really mean it?” Peter asked with a hopeful smile.

“Of course. With you Saberhagen would at least have some company instead of being left all alone while I go out doing my antique shopping. Then when I pick him up he can tell me all about his day. Wouldn't you like that, my wittle darling Saby-Baby?” Aneka asked T'Challa, again cooing in that annoying baby voice.

“Even in cat form, Aneka, I am still king. Do not make me reinstate beheading in Wakanda.” T'Challa warned in his feline voice.

“Sounds like he doesn't care for baby talk.” Peter said with an amused grin and petted T'Challa's head in sympathy. “Don't worry, buddy. I've had to put up with my fair share of baby talk too.”

“Not like the kind I must endure, you haven't, young Anansi.” T'Challa said to himself.

“So what do you say, Peter? Would you like to be Saberhagen's daily playmate?” Aneka asked.

“You bet I would, Ms. Aneka. I'm sure him and me will have all kinds of fun.” Peter assured with a smile.

“I have no doubt you will. I'll drop him off tomorrow at noon. Good day.” And with that Aneka picked up T'Challa and left.

“Bye, Ms. Aneka! And it was nice meeting you, Saberhagen.” Peter called out and then closed the door.

Once Aneka got to the car she opened the back seat to let the black cat inside. Then she entered the driver's side and drove away from the brownstone. As she drove she heard the sound of bones cracking in the back seat. After a while T'Challa's face appeared in her rear view mirror.

“Must you always do that pet parent act when I am in my cat form, Aneka?” T'Challa asked with a glare as he put on the clothes his guard left in the back seat for him. Said guard gave a grin and chuckled at her ruler.

“Well sire, with how serious I usually have to be I think I'm entitled to engage in some humor. Even at your expense.” Aneka replied.

“You have a very cruel sense of humor.” T'Challa spoke in a deadpan tone with an expression to match.

“Thank you. Anyway, I caught onto that signal you were giving about Mr. Parker. Why would you wish to make him an ally?” Aneka asked.

“Because, Mr. Parker is not just a photograph journalist. He is actually Spider-Man.” The king said which made the Dora look at him in the rear view mirror with a double take of shock.

“What?! The American Anansi is Peter Parker?” Aneka asked in surprise.

“He is indeed, and he also has a great warrior's spirit. One that I wish to observe and understand more. For the duration of my vacation I, or at least Saberhagen, will be his aid. A familiar if you will.” T'Challa said.

“I see. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind for recreational activities. But if it makes you happy, Your Highness, it is fine.” Aneka said.

“I'm glad that we agree. However to be gracious I wouldn't oppose a massage at the hotel spa.” T'Challa said.

“Excellent. And then tomorrow, I'll drop you off at Mr. Parker's home...Wittle Saby-Baby.” Aneka cooed, unable to hide her grin.

“Don't push it, woman.” T'Challa warned.

The next day, Aneka dropped off “Saberhagen” to spend the day with Peter while she did her antique shopping. Peter also recently bought a cat toy for the black cat to enjoy. Though he considered himself a man of strong will T'Challa could not resist the bundle of feathers and bells on the long stick. During the stay he also made quick friends with both Aunt May and Miss Lion. It really took T'Challa by surprise to find that the Pekingese dog was actually a male despite the Miss in his name. When he asked why Aunt May named him that Miss Lion said that the vet made a mistake with his medical record as a puppy and wrote female instead of male on the gender listing. Then he explained that he didn't necessarily mind the name since it's not as cliché as Spot or Fife. Miss Lion further added that it's become a contest now where male dogs in the neighborhood compete to see who has the silliest, most girlish name. Currently the holder of that title is Mrs. Cunningham's male Papillion named Empress Glitter-Heart in the brownstone across the street. T'Challa couldn't help but laugh at this bit of pet gossip.

Anyway, Peter was playing with his new cat friend until he got a call from fellow NY crime fighter Frank Castle aka the Punisher. Just a while ago he got a big tip from his neighbor Spacker Dave he thought the web head would want to know about. Apparently there's talk about a special client an underground criminal arms and weapons dealership had recently. It was a man who used their facilities to create a carbon monoxide bomb which he intended to use at the SCB network to hold everyone in the place for ransom. And based on descriptions it was the resident supercharge villain Shocker. Peter thanked Frank for his tip then turned to T'Challa.

“Sounds like a certain someone is planning to put a bad shock a lot of people's systems at the SCB network, Saberhagen. Don't suppose you'd care to join me to stop 'em?” Peter asked as he pulled out his Spider-Man suit from the closet.

“I would be most honored to, Peter.” T'Challa spoke with a feline smile.

Shortly there after Spider-Man web-zipped from Queens all the way to the East side where the news station was located. T'Challa was once again wrapped around the hero's neck, fearlessly hanging on tight. He has only heard fleetingly about this Shocker character but he knows enough to understand that the man is dangerous. Unlike many of the dimwitted criminals out there Herman Schultz is unfortunately a clever man who uses his talents for all the wrong reasons. He could have easily been a famous engineer or created world changing inventions to help others. But instead he decided being a villain was far more profitable. Well today he was going to learn that crime definitely doesn't pay. Eventually Spider-Man made it onto the scene and found police already surrounding the building. He landed on the ground softly and walked over to one of the officers in charge named Barry McCormick, who was also his inside source and ally.

“Hey Barry. Care to give me the run down?” Spider-Man asked and held out his hand to the officer who shook it.

“Spider-Man! God bless you're here. Things went from five to five hundred real quick. First we get a call from the Raft saying that Schultz busted out. Then as me and my crew are on our way there to process the scene we get a call from dispatch to immediately head to the SCB network about a bomb and hostage ransom situation. Now we're currently on stand by.” Barry explained.

“So I see. Anyone else in there besides Shocker?” Spider-Man asked.

“Not a whole lot. Just three street punks known for causing riots. But they each got some heavy artillery that's enough to blow away a dozen people standing ten feet back. We can't storm the place to free the hostages until they're disarmed.” Barry explained further.

“That can be arranged. Do you know if they're on a specific floor? That'll be helpful for me to take them down.” Spider-Man said.

“Actually yeah. A reporter managed to tell us that much before someone cut the phone line. The three armed guys are on the lobby floor, the second floor and the third floor. Over a thousand hostages were split up and placed on each of those floors. Shocker apparently had them posted low so that he could have the top floor all to himself. He wants to make a big broadcast for all of New York to see.” Barry replied.

“Let me guess; that special broadcast is to show how he's going to kill me, right?” Spider-Man asked.

“Seems like it. But if you can take out those guys from the three floors we can rescue all of the hostages at once. Then we just have to worry about the bomb.” Barry said.

“Sounds like a plan to me. I'll climb in through the six floor and work my way down. That way no one can warn each other after I get the drop on them. After everyone is cleared out, my old buddy Shocker is next.” Spider-Man said.

“Alright, Spidey. I'll tell all my guys to be on stand by while you do your thing. But before you go, I have one question.” Barry said.

“Okay. What is it?” Spider-Man asked.

“Is that a cat around your shoulders?” The officer asked, pointing at T'Challa who meowed in greeting.

“Yes, yes it. Let's just say he's helping me. And we should both get to work. Thanks again, Barry.” And with that Spider-Man leaped over the police barricade and wall crawled all the way up to the sixth floor.

“Why would he have a cat? I always thought spiders were his thing.” Commented one female officer.

“Maybe it can turn into some cat spider hybrid when it's at full power.” Suggested one male officer.

“You've been watching that magic steampunk Kung-Fu cartoon with the mixed up animals way too much Bronson.” Barry deadpanned.

“Says the guy who couldn't know what I was talking about unless he watched it, too.” Bronson snarked.

“...Touche.” Barry was forced to admit.

As he climbed up Spider-Man was lucky enough to find a broken window on the sixth floor, and immediately entered in through it. T'Challa climbed down his back and settled on the floor to look around. The word 'disarray' didn't begin to cover it. The whole place looked like the definition of chaos. Furniture was turned over, there were massive holes in the wall, glass items were shattered into pieces and scattered/crumbled papers on the floor added to the mess. Obviously the people of the station were in the middle of their work day when this happened. T'Challa could only hope that no one tried to be brave and got hurt. The reporter who made the 911 call had already put their life at risk, even if the act was selfless. And anyone else who attempted to be that bold again would surely pay a stiff price.

“We have to hurry, Saberhagen, before anyone gets hurt.” Spider-Man said.

“You read my mind, Spider-Man.” T'Challa replied, voice coming out in an agreeing meow.

“Alright first thing we do is sneak down to the third floor. Being a ways up they won't see it coming. I want you to stick the shadows, Saberhagen. I might need you to turn some bad guys into scratching posts again.” Spider-Man said as he headed towards the stairs with the black cat following close behind.

The two rushed down the first two flights of stairs, going from the sixth floor to the fifth floor in no time. Then as they got to the stairs leading down from the fourth floor to the third floor they went from rushing to sneaking. If the first armed thug heard them he could easily warn the other two down below. As soon as the web head and his feline partner got to the end of the stairs and turned around the corner, they saw at least a thousand or so people huddled up in a corner. And pacing around them like a guard minding prisoners was the first armed thug. From what the hero could tell he had a plasma rifle. Barry wasn't kidding when he said heavy artillery. Even army corporations have to have special permits to use those things. Forget blowing up dozens of people ten feet back, a plasma rifle could blow up a whole tank from five hundred yards back. Obviously Shocker decided to get some toys for his cronies to enjoy while he made that carbon monoxide bomb.

“Don't worry, folks. Soon as that spider creep shows up and the boss aces him on national television and we get the ransom money, you're all free to go. Or we'll kill ya anyways after we get the money. Either or.” The thug said, chuckling maniacally and making several of the hostages whimper in fear.

“We'll see about that, mister. Alright Saberhagen I got a job for you. I know it's risky but I need you to distract that guy while I snatch the plasma rifle. Make him turn away so his back is facing the stairs and then I can get the weapon and knock him down.” Spider-Man explained.

T'Challa nodded in agreement and bounded over to the center of the room, then let out a loud meow to get the thug's attention.

“Huh?” The man asked in surprise as he turned to see the black cat. “The hell? What's a cat doing here?”

“Of course he would ask that. How could he know that I am the prelude to his downfall?” T'Challa asked himself smugly as he swaggered around the room until he got to another position that, when he turned, would have him facing away from the stairs like Peter wanted.

“I don't know why, cat, but there's something about that look in your eye I don't like. And when I don't like something I want to blast it. Now I got the tech to do it.” The man said and turned to aim the plasma rifle at the cat.

While the hostages all gasped in horror, some even turning away, T'Challa stood without worry. With his feline eyes he could see Spider-Man getting ready to shoot a web and snatch the plasma rifle. Then just as the thug was about to pull the trigger a long, white strand grabbed onto the back of it and snatched it away. Before the man could even process the scene Spider-Man leaped at him with a flying kick and struck him hard in the head. With a grunt of pain the man went down, totally unconscious.

“Sorry buddy, but the only money you'll be getting is prison currency.” Spider-Man said then turned to the hostages. “Are you all alright?”

“Y-yes! We're okay! Thank you so much, Spider-Man!” A woman exclaimed in gratitude.

“Good to hear, but don't thank me just yet. Other people are still being held hostage. I have to disarm the other creeps next and save them. Then you all can escape. Right now though you need to stay here.” Spider-Man explained.

“Oh trust me, none of us where even thinking of stepping out until the coast was clear.” The woman assured.

With a nod of assurance to the group Spider-Man and T'Challa sneaked down the flight of stairs leading to the second floor. When the hero got a look at thug number two he saw that he had a different weapon. This time it was a flamethrower tank strapped to the man's back with two fire spewing gauntlet extensions. Before those types of machines were used for industrial purposes, like burning garbage or something. However arsonists got their hands on them and caused massive damage in many places. Now they're outlawed in over thirty states. It would be slightly trickier to disarm him since the weapon was attached. After a moment of thinking the wall-crawler finally got an idea.

“Alright Saberhagen, this time I'm going to be the distraction. I'll get up on the roof and confuse him while you cut the cords hooked to the tank on his back to keep him from getting hot under the collar. Can you handle that?” Spider-Man asked.

“ Most definitely, young Anansi. ” T'Challa assured.

“Great. I'm going in.” Spider-Man said and shot a web to the ceiling then zipped up.

Now directly above his target Spider-Man made a small ball of web on a string of his artificial spider silk and lowered it down slowly to tap the man on the shoulder. Doing this would get his attention occupied and give Saberhagen the opening he needed. He was grateful that, even with how long he's been doing this, bad guys never gained the sense to look up.

“I sure hope that Shocker will still let me burn stuff even after we get the ransom pay. There ain't nothing better than a good old fashioned barbecue, whether it's food or just torching people.” The thug said with a twisted grin on his face. Then suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder and whipped around to see who it was, but saw no one. “What? Who tapped me on the shoulder?”

“N-no one, sir. We were all sitting here.” A young man stuttered fearfully.

“Huh. Guess it was just me overthinking things.” The man said then continued to pace around in his guard like manner. Above Spider-Man moved the ball of web to tap him on his left shoulder then swiftly pulled it back up when he turned around again and once more saw no one there. “What in the world!? Alright y'all quit messing with me! Who's playing ding-dong ditch with my shoulder?!”

“We swear, that isn't us! No one got up to do anything.” A middle aged woman stated.

“Yeah, man. Maybe it's just your imagination.” Said another man.

“Imagination...why does that make me think of sponges and rainbows? Anyway! None of you better be lying to me! 'Cause if I find out that one of you is making me look like a fool I'll be madder than a hellcat on fire!” The thug stated.

“And I'll just take that as my que.” T'Challa said to himself and ran straight at the man's back. With a yowl the feline leaped at the tank and sunk his claws into the cords connected to the gauntlets. With a strong yank T'Challa managed to rip both cords and leave two large tears, rendering the bulky weapon useless.

“Gah! What the hell!?” The man asked in shock and looked at the now torn cords that made his flamethrower tank and gauntlets unusable. He then turned his attention to T'Challa and glared. “You damn fuzz ball! I don't know how you got in here but I'm gonna turn you into a violin for that stunt!”

However before the man could reach out and grab the black cat he had a web wrapped around both arms. Then he was pulled up to the ceiling and came face to face with Spider-Man.

“You won't be making it from my little friend, but you'll definitely need a violin for your swan song mac.” And with that the hero webbed the guy's mouth to keep him from calling out to his remaining ally and stuck the strands of webs on his arms to the ceiling, making him dangle above the ground.

“Nice work, Spider-Man! You were awesome!” Exclaimed a grateful hostage.

“Everybody gets one, folks. Are you all okay?” Spider-Man asked.

“Shaken up like hell, but yeah we're otherwise fine.” The middle aged woman replied.

“Good. Let your friends upstairs know that it's clear and tell them to come down and stay with you. I'm going to free the last of the hostages. Then it'll be a clear path for everyone to get out of here.” Spider-Man explained.

“Right, got it. Thanks again Spidey. And thanks to you too, kitty.” Said a young man who walked up and petted T'Challa, who graciously accepted the gesture before following after Peter.

Both arachnid and feline sneaked down the flight of stairs leading to the last thug. Sure enough there was an armed man marching back and forth in front of a group of hostages. Like the two previous lackeys this one had a unique weapon of his own. In his hand was a long whip, but it wasn't any ordinary whip. Spider-Man noticed how it seemed to crackle with static whenever it skated along the carpet. He's seen such equipment used in prisons where corrupt guards utilized electrical whips as an abusive way to keep inmates complacent. As expected such devices have been banned not only in the US but in five other continents after being labeled as instruments of cruel and unusual punishment over the pacification tools they were originally intended to be. This would definitely be the most difficult henchman to disarm. The electricity factor of the whip would allow him to fry any webs Spider-Man would shoot. And the long distance range would make T'Challa unable to get the jump on him. Both arachnid and feline were thinking of the best way to take down this guy, when suddenly their eyes landed on the same thing. A lone water cooler with a full jug of water. This made the pair look at each other with scheming grins.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Saberhagen?” The young hero asked and T'Challa meowed/nodded in reply. “Then let's wash this guy out. And this time I say we double team.”

“You're not going to get away with this, you fiend!” Stated one young woman, which made the goon do a double take and stop to address her.

“Fiend? What sixty's show did you escape from, chick? This is the twenty first century. Nobody says 'fiend' anymore.” The guy said, actually sounding insulted.

“Well what would you say?” The young woman asked in a condescending tone.

“I dunno. Ass hat, bastard or even jerk. But not fiend. It's not like I got you tied to a railroad track and I'm twirling my super long mustache while waiting for the Lone Ranger to show up on his white steed.” The guy said.

“Would you settle for the Lone Spider showing up with his trusty cat?” Asked a new voice and the whole group turned to see Spider-Man with T'Challa standing by his side.

“Spider-Man!? How did you get here? The guys shoulda warned me!” The man exclaimed in shock.

“Let's just say that they were preoccupied. Now how about you make this easy and just surrender?” Spider-Man asked.

“How about you go screw yourself?! Take this!” The man shouted and cracked the whip, static surrounding it as he did so.

Spider-Man and T'Challa leaped out of the way to avoid getting hit and from there it became a game of extreme tag. They would taunt the thug to whip at them then dodge before getting struck down. As expected the taunting was making the man more and more pissed which would make him less away of the surprise to come. So Spider-Man and T'Challa stood in front of the water cooler and gave one last goad.

“You're not very good at this, fella. Maybe your stupidity weighs too much and is making you lose balance.” Spider-Man taunted.

“Or perhaps you are as uncoordinated as you are uncouth.” T'Challa added with a catty laugh/meow.

“That does it, bug! Now I'm really gonna zap ya!” The thug stated and cracked his whip once more.

The two leaped out of the way and as expected the whip smashed the plastic water jug wide open. And the water splashed on it which sent an electric shock from the end of the whip to the man's body and made him shout in pain. However Spider-Man wasn't cruel and used his web to snatch the whip away and toss it to the side. Soon after the man dropped to the ground and fell unconscious. Spider-Man rushed to his side and checked his vital signs.

“Is he...well you know?” An older gentleman slowly asked.

“No, he'll live. Smell like roast beef for a while but he'll live. That takes care of all the thugs. You guys let everyone upstairs know that it's safe to come out now and head out through the lobby. The police are already here and they'll take care of you.” Spider-Man explained.

“Right. Thank you so much, Spider-Man. But you should know that Shocker brought some kind of bomb he made. I think I heard him say he planted it somewhere on the top floor.” The older man said.

“Thanks for the tip. I swear that bomb isn't going off in this building. Now all of you get out of here.” Spider-Man said and let T'Challa climb on his shoulder then exited out a window while all of the hostages went to warn everyone else upstairs and escape.

Once outside Spider-Man climbed up the side of the building once again but this time he climbed all the way up until he got to the top floor. Sure enough he saw Shocker inside the top dog office along with one lone hostage, who Spider-Man recognized to be Aunt May's favorite anchorman Noah Peabody. Even through the glass he could hear his second electric adversary boasting.

“Where's that goody two webs? I'm all set for my close up. And these cameras better get my good side, paperboy.” Shocker stated.

“Of course, Shocks. Can I call you Shocks? Listen, I'm sure that we can settle this easily if you just let me go and...” But Noah's sentence ended with a girlish 'eek' as he ducked to avoid getting hit by a blast from his vibro-smashers.

“Don't go on talking about TV deals you can get for me with your network, paperboy, because I don't care. All I'm interested in is ending that dumb spider.” Shocker stated.

“Oh absolutely. Whatever you say. You're the boss. Say, has anyone ever told you that yellow is your color? Not a lot of guys can pull it off but you own it.” Noah said, giving an over exaggerated laugh as he tried to suck up. At this Shocker groaned and rolled his eyes.

“I knew I shoulda taken that community news reporter hostage instead.” Shocker said. It was then that Spider-Man decided to make himself known and came bursting through the unlocked window.

“No use crying over spilled milk, Shocker. Especially not where you're going.” Spider-Man said.

“Ah, Spider-Man. So glad you could finally join me. And here I was thinking you'd be too camera shy for folks to see your death on live TV.” Shocker said.

“I got no problem standing in front of a camera. I was just busy taking at your thugs and freeing the hostages. But me dying has been canceled and reruns of me kicking your ass will be playing instead.” Spider-Man snarked back.

“Ooh, that's a good one! I have to write that down.” The anchorman suddenly exclaimed and quickly took out his notepad, making the hero and villain turn to glare at him for ruining the face off. “Eh, heh...Sorry.”

“We'll see who's going to get canceled after today, Spider-Man. After all, you haven't forgotten about my bomb did ya? Not only will the explosion bring this whole building down but the carbon monoxide will disperse and spread anyone within a hundred mile radius.” Shocker explained, laughing maliciously at the end of his words.

“Well we can't allow that to happen, can we darling?” Asked a new female voice.

“No, we definitely can't sweetheart.” Replied another new voice which sounded male.

Before Spider-Man or Shocker could even ask who was speaking two figures came crashing down through the skylight, landing between the two men. And it turned out to be none other than Puma and Black Cat. While Spider-Man was happy to see his ally ailuranthropic allies Shocker sure wasn't.

“What the hell!? Who invited you two furries to the party?” Shocker rhetorically asked with a glare.

“I could ask the same thing about why you're not at a fetish convention with those fishnets you're wearing.” Puma replied with a catty grin, which earned a glare from Shocker.

“Well if it isn't my favorite top dollar top cats. What are you guys doing back? I thought you were vacationing in Madrid.” Spider-Man said.

“We were. But it was so peaceful and boring. So we thought we'd come back to see if there was any action. And sure enough we heard about the bomb and hostage situation here.” Black Cat explained.

“We'll take care of this loser. You just find the bomb.” Puma stated as he flexed his claws and took a fighting stance.

“Loser, huh? You seem to forget I'm also the loser with the detonator.” Shocker stated and took out a remote then flicked the switch, then tossed it to the side. “Now let's see if you can find the bomb in under four minutes on this huge floor before there ain't no floor, Spider-Man.”

“Don't let him psyche you out, Spidey. You got this.” Black Cat assured.

“Thanks. Stay on your toes, Black Cat. Come on Saberhagen!” Spider-Man ordered and T'Challa ran down the hallway with him.

“Alright, Shocker, let's see if you got the spark to last against us.” Puma challenged.

“Bring it, Tony the Tiger. I'm not afraid of you or Hello Kitty.” Shocker said, activating his vibro-smashers and balling his fists.

“Not now, but this kitty will teach you to be afraid.” Black Cat stated as she flexed her artificial claws.

Meanwhile Spider-Man was racing down the long hallway, a clock ticking in the back of his head. He had less than three minutes to find that carbon monoxide bomb before it went off. And unfortunately his enemy wasn't kidding, this floor was in fact huge. And there was a chance he may not find it in time. Stopping at a fork in the hallway the hero let out a grunt of frustration.

“Damn! I wish there was some way we could find that bomb. We don't have a lot of time.” Spider-Man said, trying to use his Spider Sense to pin point the weapon.

Before T'Challa could attempt to calm the hero so he could better focus, a strong scent caught his nose. It was a cross between the overwhelming smell of bleach, pepper and copper. Going on a hunch that this could be the smell of the bomb's toxic base T'Challa meowed at Spider-Man to get his attention.

“Spider-Man! This way! I can smell it this way!” T'Challa yowled, gesturing with his head down straight path of the fork in the hallway.

“What is it, Saberhagen?” Spider-Man asked, noticing how antsy the cat was acting. Then it clicked. “Wait, are you trying to tell me where the bomb is?”

“Yes, exactly!” T'Challa exclaimed in an urgent yowl.

“Alright! You lead and I'll follow!” Spider-Man stated and followed after the black cat as he ran down the hallway with T'Challa.

At the same time Puma and Black Cat were still going head to head with Shocker. With every vibro-shock blast Puma and Black Cat would retaliate with a slash of their claws. All the while anchorman Noah was recording the whole scene from his smartphone. After all he was still a newsman and newsmen always get the story. Even if they were in the dangerous middle of it.

“Give it up, Herman. You may be called Shocker but you're no Electro. Your vibro-smashers will run out of charge eventually.” Puma stated.

“Quite true, Puma. Which is why I thought ahead...” Shocker paused and shot a blast at both ailuranthropes to distract them while he darted off and grabbed Noah in a headlock. “...and decided to use what power I got left to blast this guy's head off.”

“Ah, no please! Don't blast my head. At least spare the nose. My cosmetic surgeon won't be able to get me a new one until his probation is over and he gets his license to practice again.” Noah pleaded.

“Let him go, Shocker.” Black Cat ordered.

“Not until I get the money I was promised and the cops let me get outta Dodge.” Shocker stated determinedly.

The two heroes looked from Shocker to each other, realizing they were in a tight spot. If they tried to charge at the villain he would kill Noah. And if they let him go he'll be long gone in South America with his ransom money. However Black Cat soon got an idea and took out several sharp, cat shaped projectiles. Shocker braced himself for an attack but was surprised when he saw the white haired woman toss the projectiles to the left, not even close to where he was standing.

“Um...Not to point out the obvious here but I think you missed.” The anchorman said.

“No she didn't.” Puma replied with a grin.

Looking back Shocker realized that the projectiles didn't just hit the wall. They hit a rope that was tied down, anchoring something. And he soon realized what it was when a noise from above made him look up and see a lighting box descend down on his head. Shocker was, well, so shocked that he let go of Noah to cover his head and tried to move out of the way. But it was too little too late and he was struck by huge hunk of machinery and instantly knocked unconscious.

“How's that for ratings going down?” Black Cat asked with a sassy grin.

“Nice work, Black Cat. Now let's go and try to help Spider-Man. He has less than one minute to find that bomb.” Puma said and started to take the hallway after the younger hero until he skidded to a stop when he saw said web head with a disabled bomb in hand that had ten seconds remaining on the digital screen read-out.

“Thanks, Puma, but I got that problem covered.” Spider-Man assured.

“Wow, talk about a close shave. How did you manage to find it in time?” Black Cat asked.

“It's all thanks to Saberhagen here. He was able to sniff out the carbon monoxide and lead me to one of the dressing rooms where the bomb was just in time.” Spider-Man said, bending down to rub T'Challa's back.

“It was nothing, Peter.” T'Challa spoke in a happy meow.

“Ah, so there's a new black cat in town. Well it's nice to meet you Saberhagen. But just remember that I'll always be the top kitty in black.” The white haired woman said with a grin.

“Worry not, Black Cat. I have no plans to take your title whatsoever.” T'Challa replied with a catty grin of his own.

“Well now that we have that all settled, let's take this guy down to police custody and get going.” Puma said.

“Hold it!” Exclaimed Noah and everyone turned to look at the news anchor. “Before you all go...How about a photo-op?”

The heroes and cat looked at each other for a moment before shrugging, and grouped up for a picture. It would be later that evening on channel nine that Noah Peabody aired the footage of the harrowing experience the station had earlier. Then he showed the group photo Spider-Man took with Puma, Black Cat and 'Saberhagen' which brought a smile to the faces of cat lovers everywhere.

The next day, Aneka dropped off T'Challa as usual. Spider and cat hung out together as usual. Then Peter was informed about some criminal activity by another fellow New York protector. This time it was courtesy of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil. Tombstone has risen from the trenches after lying low for seven months. The reason why the gang banger was inactive for so long was due to an article Robbie Robertson covered on a gang turf war and the subsequent court trial caused by it. This forced Tombstone to go into hiding in order to avoid police. Once things died down he popped up again to cause trouble. Peter asked Matt what the gang leader was up to and the lawyer said that his sources mentioned a fellow gang banger of Tombstone's was being transferred from prison to court for his trial today.

It could be that the man was going to intercept the transfer unit and free his fellow criminal. Peter thanked Matt for the tip, dressed in his suit and left the brownstone with T'Challa wrapped around his shoulders. As Spider-Man the hero kept his eyes and Spider Sense open for any signs of an armored police transfer vehicle. Soon enough he caught sight of one such car and shot down to the roof of an apartment building to settle down and watch as the car made the several turns down the street.

So far so good, there was no trouble with the transfer vehicle and the police escort cars didn't seem suspicious either. However no sooner did Spider-Man think all was well did disaster strike. Suddenly six cars came out of the ally and surrounded both the transfer vehicle and police escort cars. With both the front and back cut off the police officers exited from their cars and demanded for the persons in the cars to come out and surrender. But rather than follow orders the people inside the six cars instead opened their windows and tossed out several bombs that exhausted tear gas. The police officers coughed as they were soon overwhelmed by the heavy, eye tearing smoke. Through his Spider Sense the hero was able to see one person from one of the cars rush up to the driver's seat of the transfer vehicle, force the door open and toss out the driver along with his fellow officer. With the two out the person got in the driver's seat and drove away in a reckless speed with the six cars following close behind.

“Well that sure escalated quickly. I better follow after that car before I lose it. The officers should be okay. Hang on, Saberhagen!” Spider-Man exclaimed before shooting his webs to follow the car from above.

As they followed T'Challa noticed car took many twists and turns down roads that were less traveled. And for good reason, too. This was the part of New York where violent gangsters usually tended to be. It was as rough a neighborhood as you can get and then some. This made it the perfect territory for a man like Tombstone to live in. Eventually the cars led Spider-Man to an old wrecking yard where tens of hundreds of old, unusable cars laid to await their fate of being crushed into metallic blocks. Settling on top of a stack of cars Spider-Man and T'Challa watched as the men leave the six cars that ambushed the police, and then the man who hijacked the transfer vehicle existed said truck. The group all gathered around the back of the truck and used several blunt tools to break off the lock before the doors finally opened up.

“Come on out, Charley! Yer finally free!” Exclaimed one man happily. Soon another man, no older than twenty four but baring tattoos of hardened gangster, wearing an orange jumpsuit stepped out.

“Hey, guys. Thanks for busting me out. I never thought I'd be see the outside so soon.” The gangster, Charley, spoke as he took in a generous amount of fresh air through his nostrils.

“Well those cops never thought that we'd have the jump on 'em. And you can thank the boss for springing you. He made up the plan after all.” Said another thug, gesturing towards a tower of car.

Spider-Man watched as the hulking, monstrous form of the albino gang banger Tombstone stepped out from behind the heap of vehicular scrap. He hasn't changed much in the last seven months. However he did seem to possess more devious air about him. The gang banger walked over to Charley and gave him a hardy pat on the back.

“No problem, man. You kept your mouth shut even when the prosecution gave you a sweet deal. I owe ya a complimentary break out.” Tombstone said.

“So now what'll we do, boss? Got any plans for payback?” One thug asked.

“Oh yeah, boys. Major plans. First we're gonna take out Mr. High & Mighty Robertson. Then we'll move on to the leading officer that's been cracking down on our operation. And then after that, we'll take out the snitches and prosecutor.” Tombstone explained.

“Right on, boss! The Crossbones gang will get some sweet payback!” Exclaimed another thug and everyone soon joined in a shout of cheer.

“Sounds like Tombstone has a very big comeback in store, and everyone is going to know about it. I think we should put the kibosh on their plans. Don't you, Saberhagen?” Spider-Man asked.

“I do indeed, Peter.” T'Challa replied.

“Then let's announce ourselves.” And with that the wall-crawler leaped off the top of the car pile and landed a few feet away from the gang. “Hey boys. I lost my invitation so I hope you don't me crashing the party.”

“Spider-Man!? How the hell did you find us?” Asked one of the gang bangers.

“Well to be honest, you guys led me here. You know if you think ambushing a police transfer unit with tear gas isn't going to get some attention you guys need to reacquaint yourselves with the meaning of subtly.” Spider-Man snarked.

“Damn, we really screwed up! Sorry, Tombstone.” Said one grunt to the albino man.

“Don't worry about it, guys. In fact it's a good thing you led the Spider here. After all he was one of the folks on my own personal hit list. You just saved me the time of tracking him down on my own.” Tombstone stated, cracking his knuckles.

“I wouldn't be too thankful, Lincoln. After today you're going to wish I didn't darken your door.” Spider-Man said, taking a fighting stance.

“I don't think so Spider. Cause after I'm through with you the only door you'll be at is death's door. Alright boys, get 'em!” Tombstone ordered.

And as soon as the command left his mouth the whole gang took out their guns and began to shoot. Spider-Man made several evasions with most of the bullets before he darted off to the side with T'Challa and they both ducked behind an old muscle car. Though the vehicles were legendary for being study they knew it wouldn't provide them with much protection for long.

“I need to disarm them all at once. Snatching a few guns at a time is too risky under this kind of bullet hail.” Spider-Man said.

T'Challa mentally agreed with Peter and looked around for a solution. Then suddenly his cat's eyes landed on an magnetic crane. The perfect way to disarm all of the thugs at once. The feline king tapped Spider-Man on the arm and pointed at the crane.

“Look! Maybe that can help.” T'Challa spoke. Spider-Man looked up at the machine and gave an 'aha'.

“Great thinking, Saberhagen. That should do the trick. Do you think you can turn on the crane while I distract them?” Spider-Man asked.

The cat gave a meow meaning yes and from there they split. While T'Challa went up to the crane Spider-Man was drawing the gunfire away from his little familiar. Fortunately Tombstone and his gang were focused solely on the web head so T'Challa could focus on the crane. Once inside the cockpit T'Challa used both paws to press the power button and was grateful to hear the whirling sounds of the machine turning on, proving it was functional. He then leaned his paws on the lever to make the crane move above the criminals and soon the crane snatched up all of their guns.

“Hey! What gives?!” One thug exclaimed in shock as he looked up to see his uzi-gun ascending to the magnetic crane.

“How did the bug do that?” Asked another thug.

“Forget how he did it, let's just make him pay for doin' it.” Tombstone said, then called out to the hiding hero. “Get this Spider-Man; guns or no guns don't make a bit of difference ta me. I'll still beat you down then string you up!”

“Hey, that's actually a great idea Tombstone! Let's string things up.” Spider-Man called back and leaped from behind his hiding place then shot webs at seven of the dozen thugs then leaped across the wrecking yard to tie them up at the top of a utility pole, leaving them dangling like decorations hung up.

“You ain't gonna get the chance to pull that trick on us, Spidey!” Stated a thug with dreadlocks.

“Oh no, I never repeat the same trick twice. And so for my next act I'm going to display some of my fancy foot work.” Spider-Man said and leaped from the top of the utility pole to land a literal flying kick on one of the gangsters.

Now that the odds were slightly more even, T'Challa left from the crane's cockpit to help Spider-Man. He too made a mighty leap from atop a pile of four door sedans and slashed a gangster across his ugly mug. Though it was an unusual team up it worked for both the hero and his sidekick. They attacked in their own unique ways and still managed to watch one another's backs as they switched from one henchman to the other. However these particular henchman were unfortunately high on stamina and kept coming back up no matter how many times they were knocked down.

All the while Tombstone stood on the side, assessing the situation. Or rather he was assessing the black cat fighting his boys alongside his web slinging enemy. He could honestly say that he wasn't expecting this. Then he remembered something that a guy from Hammerhead's gang mentioned, and likewise did a guy who worked for Shocker, which made the scene make sense. They talked about how Spider-Man had a feisty cat who's been helping him out and making them look like idiots. However Tombstone wasn't an idiot and wasn't going to give the cat the chance to make him look like one. So reaching into his back pocket the albino man slowly pulled out his large handgun.

“Today curiosity really does kill the cat. So long, Sylvester.” Tombstone said with an evil grin and pulled the trigger.

In that instant, everything went in slow motion. Spider-Man had just made a round house kick when his Spider Sense alerted him of a bullet coming. And when he looked up he saw smoke from a gunshot coming from Tombstone's weapon, and a small rounded piece of metal coming. But it wasn't coming towards him. It was coming towards Saberhagen. With a horrified shout of 'No' Spider-Man grabbed the cat and turned, the bullet striking him in the left side. The wall-crawler howled in pain while T'Challa could only mentally gasp as his eyes widened in shock. The scene then seemed to return to normal speed as the hero flopped to his uninjured side while holding onto the side that had been shot to stop the bleeding. T'Challa hurriedly squirmed out of Peter's arms and meowed in worry over him.

“Nice shot, boss!” One thug congratulated.

“Thanks. I was aimin' for the cat, but it figures the web head would take a bullet for a fuzzball. Now to get rid of 'em both.” Tombstone stated and cocked his gun right at T'Challa again.

However just as he was about to pull the trigger two things stopped him. One, the sound of a beastly feline growl from a large cat. And two, the sound of another voice that certainly didn't belong to anyone here.

“We are not the ones finished here, Tombstone.” Said the voice and then the cat slowly turned it's head to glare at the man, then surprising spoke. “...It is you who is finished.”

Peter vaguely heard the somewhat familiar voice speak, but he was in so much pain despite his efforts to heal himself he couldn't find the strength to turn and look to see who it was or listen more. In fact the last thing he remembered hearing was a roar like a crack of thunder. Then he passed out as everything went black.

Shortly after, at least it was shortly for Peter, the young man slowly began to wake up. The sound of his own painful groaning prompted his tired eyes to open up little by little. When they opened up wide he saw that he was in his room back at the brownstone. And in his room was Gwen, Mary Jane and Aunt May who were all turned away and reading magazines. Gwen was the first to notice he woke up and gasped in a tone of relief.

“Guys, it's Peter! He woke up!” Gwen exclaimed which made the other two women rush to his side.

“Oh Peter, thank God! I was so worried.” Aunt May said.

“We were all worried, Pete. Are you okay?” Mary Jane asked.

“I've been better. But that's not to say this is the worst state I've ever been in.” Peter replied as he slowly sat up. “How long was I out for?”

“Only a few hours. It's a good thing you started healing that injury. Your even managed to push the bullet out a little when we stitched you back up.” Mary Jane explained, holding up a small plastic bag with the bullet from Tombstone's gun inside.

“Hm, that's good.” Peter said, looking at the sky that was now pinkish orange as it began to go from late afternoon to early evening.

“You were sure blacked out then. Didn't even twitch when we pulled the bullet out or added the alcohol rub.” Gwen said. Peter nodded absentmindedly, but then a thought occurred to him. Black...Black cat...Saberhagen!

“Oh my God, Saberhagen! Where is he!? What happened!?!” Peter asked in worry as he looked around his room for the cat.

At this, the women all shared awkward looks.

“Yeah, about that...” Mary Jane started.

“Don't tell me that Tombstone shot him too!” Peter exclaimed in horror.

“No, no, no! That's not it Peter. Actually it was thanks to Saberhagen that we were able to find you and come help.” Gwen said.

“What? I don't understand.” Peter said.

“Perhaps it is best if Saberhagen explains himself, Peter.” Said a new voice at the door, which was then pushed open to reveal Aneka and a very large black panther.

“Ms. Aneka?!” Peter asked in shock.

“Yes, Peter. I am sorry for the deception on my part up to now but neither I nor Saberhagen are who we claim to be.” Aneka said.

“Saberhagen? But...” The young man paused, now more confused than anything.

He looked at the giant predator cat, who most definitely wasn't the small domestic cat he's been taking care of and fighting criminals with. But then he looked at his collar. That expensive, genuine brown leather collar with the sapphire gemstones and gold tag that read the name 'Saberhagen'. It was only when Peter looked into his eyes, like really look, did he realize that it really was Saberhagen. Only bigger. A whole lot bigger. Then before he could ask any questions the cat spoke.

“Hello, Peter. How are you doing?” The giant black cat asked.

At this, the young man blinked a few times in shock. He didn't want to believe that he just heard a four hundred pound black panther talk to him. However he knew that he did. Although he was shocked for a moment he soon got over it. This wasn't the first time an animal talked to him and Peter knew it wouldn't be the last.

“Alright, before I start ask the obvious please confirm or deny the following questions. Are you now or have you ever been a demon servant of some emissary of unholy sin, an animal totem brought to life and killing all the other animal totems you deem inferior, a genetically altered intelligent panther seeking to rally all the animals to enslave humanity or a shape-shifting alien looking for a host?” Peter asked.

“None of the above, I am pleased to say.” The black panther replied.

“Don't worry we asked the same thing. They're telling the truth.” Gwen added.

“Whew, alright. One less thing to worry about.” Peter said as he wiped a slight bead of sweat from his brow. Then he took a deep breath and spoke again. “Now I need you to be completely honest with me. Who are you, really?”

“Who I am? Well, that is a trick question with at least three answers. Sometimes I am Saberhagen the black cat. Other times, I am a hero just like you are. But usually I am someone else.” The panther explained.

“And who would that someone else happen to be?” Peter asked.

Rather than reply right away the panther tapped at his collar while looking at Aneka and the woman unfastened the pet accessory. Then, oddly enough, she laid a long robe that Peter just noticed she was holding on top of the big cat. And when she did the panther started to growl but it wasn't in an attacking way. It was like some feline form of mumbling meditating chants. As he growled Peter noticed three things. First, the big cat seemed to be getting smaller than it's previous size. Second, the fur was beginning to look more like skin. And third, the growling was sounding more human like than animal. After about a minute gone was a regal black predator cat on four legs, and now standing was a handsome dark skinned man in a long silk bath robe. Peter has seen enough news reports to recognize who this man was. It was King T'Challa of the African nation Wakanda.

“How....What...When...Why...You...?” Peter asked in broken fragments of shock. T'Challa merely smiled and walked over towards the young man and sat in his desk chair beside him.

“I suppose I have quite a bit of explaining.” T'Challa said.

“That's a pretty fair assessment.” The younger man deadpanned.

“This is obviously going to require hours worth of food. Let's hit the deli and the bakery while they chat, ladies.” Mary Jane said.

“I always wanted to sample the sandwiches your delicatessen shops are well known for.” Aneka said with a smile.

“Well you're in for a treat, dear, because I know all the best delis in New York.” Aunt May boasted.

“I hope you know the best bakeries, too, because MJ is forever banned from picking the sweets after I got sick from the cookies she had me try.” Gwen said, giving the red head a mild glare.

“How was I supposed to know they were expired samples the store didn't throw out? And I said I was sorry!” Mary Jane groaned.

From there T'Challa spent at least two hours explaining everything to Peter. The fact that he was indeed Saberhagen, the reason why he is able to turn into a cat, that he turned into a panther just in time to take down Tombstone and even his identity as the Black Panther. Peter absorbed every single bit of information as the older man spoke. And when Aunt May and the others returned with food a plenty plus clothes for T'Challa the king dressed then take a break to eat with Peter. After all talking for a long time can leave you very hungry.

“Mmm. I don't get to eat mustard with my food often. But it's my favorite condiment.” T'Challa spoke as he happily ate his pastrami sub.

“Imagine that? It's my favorite too.” Peter said with a smile.

“Well, now you know all that I have explained. Any other questions?” T'Challa asked.

“Actually there is one thing I want to ask.” Replied the web head.

“Very well, ask.” T'Challa said.

“Why were you only able to turn into a real panther after Tombstone shot me?” Peter asked.

“I'm honestly not sure. Such a transformation is only granted after accomplishing some sort of task. Either a personal trial or a selfless act. I can only assume that my saving you was one such act.” T'Challa said, giving a slight shrug.

“However it happened I'm still grateful. Thank you very much, Your Majesty.” Peter said.

“Come now, Peter, you scratched my belly and brushed my fur. You may call me by my given name.” T'Challa said.

“Oh yeah. I guess it's going to take some getting used to that you're not the cute little black cat I used to play with anymore.” Peter said.

“Well perhaps I'm not a cat right now...But surely I'm still cute, no?” T'Challa asked. At first Peter laughed, thinking it was a joke, but then the laughter died when he saw the serious expression on the king's face.

“Ah. You were serious. Er...Well...Um, yeah. I mean you're no cat but even in this form you're...attractive.” Peter whispered in a low tone.

“Only attractive?” T'Challa asked, head cocked to the side in a show of feline question. A force of habit that bridged to his human side.

“No, not only. I mean you're obviously strong, adaptable, smart and other stuff. So you're a really cool guy.” Peter replied, hoping that it would satisfy the king. But it didn't.

“I'm glad you hold me in such high regard. Now back to the topic of my looks; do you only find me attractive?” T'Challa asked.

“No. I mean, I wouldn't say only that. You are...handsome.” Peter admitted slowly.

“How handsome?” T'Challa probed further.

“Very handsome. More handsome than a lot of guys I know. In fact I could almost call you...” Peter stopped and looked away, face cherry red.

“Yes?” T'Challa asked in a somewhat teasing voice.

“...y.” Peter muttered.

“Pardon?” T'Challa asked as played like he didn't hear him.

“...xy.” Peter spoke up a bit louder.

“One more time. I couldn't quite hear you.” T'Challa said as he laid a hand against the back of his ear.

“I SAID SEXY ! ” Peter shouted then covered his mouth in embarrassment. However T'Challa looked very happy for his part.

“That's all I needed to hear, little Anansi.” T'Challa said and kissed Peter's forehead. “Perhaps you would care to tell me more tomorrow during my last vacation day. And I will be more than willing to tell you what I think of your appearance.”

It was that little moment that Peter felt very special and he gave a shy smile. Call him a romantic but sweet nothings really warm him up.

“...Sure, I think I'm free then.” Peter said, then looked over at his DVD rack. “Say, have you ever heard of the movie Fantastico? We could watch it together.”

“I adore the film Fantastico, but could never find it. You actually have it!?” T'Challa asked with an excited expression.

“Yeah! And in the double feature version so I have Fantastico 3000 also.” Peter said.

“Peter, I sense that you and I will get along just perfectly. Emphasis on...” T'Challa stopped to nuzzle his bearded face against Peter's own smooth one as he let out a smooth, deep purr which made the fair skinned hero giggle. However the giggling later became cursing after he learned Gwen and MJ were listening outside the door, taking notes for their fanfiction...