3938/The Traditions of the Trade

The Traditions of the Trade
Date of Scene:	25 October 2020
Location:	Blue Crescent Turkish Bath, Brighton Beach, Brooklynn
Synopsis:	Spidey and Punisher fight Ukranian gangsters in a bath house
Cast of Characters:	Leland Owlsley, Peter Parker, Frank Castle

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Leland Owlsley has posed:
The Dyzuba Bratva were amongst the most infamous Ukranian mobs to ever come out of post Cold War Ukraine. These brutal arms dealers and counterfeiters have carved a path of terror throughout Ukraine since the 90s. They arrived in the United States in 2004 and established a stronghold in Brighton Beach, and expanded their activities across the city, not only expanding their arms dealing to smaller criminal gangs, but also taking up the drug, prostitution, and loan sharking game. Their rumored NYC leader, Anton Denysyuk was rumored to be ex-Spetnaz, and was notorius for his brutality and cunning. However, recent rumors in the Underworld suggest that someone even scarier than him was coming to help "elevate the business"

According to the criminal grape vine, the Bratva's Ukranian bosses were starting to grow more and more restless each day due to rumors of the Maggia getting ready to make a move to take over Brighton Beach. As a result of this rumor, the higher-ups pooled money together and reportedly sent one of the most infamous gangsters in Kiev, Boris "The Wolf" Suprun to Brooklynn to help suppliment Anton's forces. Boris' reputation far exceeded him, with rumors of bodies and death follwoing him wherever he went. This was defintley not a guy you wanted on the streets of NYC.

Luckily, rumors stated that tonight, Boris and a bunch of Dyzuba higher-ups were meeting with a group of Turkish gangsters to seal a very lucrative arms deal in the Blue Crescent Turkish Bathhouse, right in Brighton Beach, which they have rented out for the night. The Bathouse itself was a large, one story building that was built to resemble a traditional Turkish building. It appeared to be closed for the night, but one could clearly see lights and shadows underneath the door and crossing the windows

Peter Parker has posed:
Man he hopes this won't mildew the new suit.

Spider-Man checked his map of the building he got from the city's Hall of Records, looking down from his perch across the street. He had three possible locations where the meeting was going to happen. Right now, he was waiting for a sign that the Wolf was there.

The spider-drone was circling the building, staying above eight feet and peeking through windows. Spidey monitored the feed, his facial-recognition app running to pick out faces and attach names to them.

Then he was going to head in and pull the Wolf's fangs.

Frank Castle has posed:
Spider-Man will likely find it difficult to find the Wolf tonight.

On a building nearby, the Punisher is in full regalia (black trenchcoat, skull vest, armored pieces attached and a gear web filled to the gills with ammo and devices, along with an M24 and an M4A1; both custom for his needs). He's already watching the building through the scope of that M24, his eyes mainly on those lights. "Micro, I've got lights, and this is probably the best time for it. Start phase one."

Inside the Bathhouse, a series of pre-placed, hidden, bombs go off, dousing most of the bathouse in sleeping gas... and a couple flash bombs. Nothing lethal. Yet... but it's enough to make it clear that /something/ is going on inside.

Now, to wait.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
As the drone scanned the area, he would see about 15 to 20 gangsters of both Turkish and Ukranian descent roaming around the bathhouse, some fully clothed, others in bathing suits. However, none of the facial scans matched the Wolf, but the results you got defitnley pointed you in the right direction. Almost everyone of these men had a criminal record and were flagged by the database as being suspected by the FBI in being invovled in organized crime, so you knew the Wolf had to be there somewhere. However, once you got to the main bath area, you saw exactly what you were looking for. Gathered around the watery pool were a group of Ukranian and Turkish men, some of them were swimming in the bath waters, others were sitting around, wrapped in towels, obviously they were about to hit the sauna. However, one of the towel clad men stood out the most.

He was a huge, muscular man who towered over all the other gangsters there. He had short white hair, a goatess, fierce blue eyes, and a scar running down across his face. A faccial scan quickly confirmed that this was indeed the Wolf. He appeared to be saying something in Ukranian to the Turkish gangsters, who seemed to be responding in Turkish. Suddenly, one of the Turkish men asked,

"So, when do we get to meet The Owl ourselves?"

Before you can process this however, explosions rocked the building as sleeping gas filled the areas outside the main bathouse. The frantic gangsters outside swore and began to panic. Those who did not immdiatley get koed or blinded by the flashes made their ways to different corners of the buildings. Meanwhile, the gangsters in the main bathing area began to scatter, and picked up various firearms left inside duffle bags, except for The Wolf, who lumbered over to a nearby walked and picked up the biggest machine gun you have ever seen, and pointed to the main entrance to the bathing area.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man BLINKED. What the Heck was that? He didn't know of any rivals getting involved in this. But then again, he had no record for this "Owl," either.

Well, the natives were getting restless. Time to get involved.
Spider-Man fired a webline as the drone got some distance, swinging towards the most direct route to the main bath and the Wolf. And his "orchestra." He was gonna be BUSY...

Frank Castle has posed:
No one leaving. Both good and bad...

Still he had a good view of the front of the building, and simply moved to adjust towards the front. Setting up his bipod, the Punisher zeroed in on Wolf-wait, is that Spider-Man?

Punisher's eyes glance to the web-head in his suit, and he stares a moment. "Micro, we have a meta in the field. Keep the Van prepped."

He had to focus. He was here for the meeting, not for some self-righteous metahuman.

*Thwip* Silenced rounds are shot off as the Punisher fires at the material around the main doors, trying to break the hinges for a better view inside.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The nearest entrance that Spider-Man could see was a window in the main bathing area. The window, which was located at the very top part of the west facing wall was small, but you could easily fit through it. However, as you crash through the window, you would be greeted by angry yells in Ukranian and Turkish and a hail of bullets coming from most of the gangsters, except for the Wolf, who turns around and glares at you angrily.

Punisher's shots hit their mark most of the time, with a few duds of course. Eventually, the doors fall down, revealing the main lobby of the building, and the dead body of a Turkish gangster wearing a bathing suit who was no doubt struck by one of the bullets

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man lands on the tiled floor, looking up at them, then springs to the left as tiles are chewed up by gunfire.
"Wolf! How ya doin'? Lemme just talk to these guys, and I PROMISE I'll be right with ya!"

Two weblines lash out, unaffected by the high humidity, and impact on the weapons of two of the thugs, de-weaponing them with a hard tug. The guns fly out of their hands and are webbed to a wall before they hit the ground.
Spider-Man lands behind a pillar, then calls out, "Wolf! Call off your dogs, or I'm sending them all to the pound!"

Frank Castle has posed:
As Spider-Man literally charges into a hail of gunfire, the Punisher can only watch from afar.

If he ever smiled or laughed these days... he would be doing so now. Unfortunately, that part of him broke along with everything else a little over a decade ago.

They're not leaving... so it's looking like Frank either has to go in, or wait for Spider-Man to finish and then finish the job when he's gone. The latter means probably dealing with police.

Nothing for it.

A portable anchoring device is taken from the pouch containing it and slammed into the side of the rooftop. Drills bore into the material, and Punisher leaves the M24 on the rooftop, taking the M4 with him as he bungies down the side of the building.

Within moments, he's combat dashing across the street, carbine shouldered and ready to fire once he's at the door.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The Wolf just scowls at Spider-Man angrily. He was obviously not much of a talker. Suddenly, he aims his machine gun at Spidey and begins to fire at the pillar, being joined by the still armed thugs. As this is happening one of the Turkish henchmen, who was clad in a bathing suit, pulls out a nasty looking curved dagger and charges at Spider-Man, slashing in the air as he does.

Once Punisher gets through the front door, he is greeted with the dead body of the man he shot, and a dozen more unconcious bodies. Suddenly, he hears angry Turkish yelling and sees two Turkish gangsters, still clad in their bathing suits, emerge from a Janitor's closet, and began to fire Colt Revolvers at Punisher.

Peter Parker has posed:
The pillar was starting to fragment under the blistering fire, but Spider-Man detected a danger that was more immediate to his left, and oh, look...a guy with a knife. And a Speedo.

It's official. He's the most-dressed person here. And that is an accomplishment.
The guy handles it well. No downward slashes, no wide swings. Holding it close, lunging out with it to pull back quickly. Well-trained.
Then the cloud of webbing catches him and webs him to the floor, and Spidey plucks the knife from his hand.

Hoo, boy, the pillar's seen better days. The rising squall of his Spider-Sense tells him now is a good time to move, so he leaps upward and onto the ceiling.

Frank Castle has posed:
He was already dodging into cover as the revolvers fire. Once the cylinders were empty, he simply popped out of place and fired two bursts at the two gangsters, aiming for center mass.

No need to be fancy. He wants intel. The only gangster coming out alive if he has a say is a leader for interrogation.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The webbed up gangsters starts to yell threats and obsenaties in Turkish at Spider-Man as the bullets start to cause the pillar to collapse. Once Spider-Man webs up to the ceiling, the bullets seem to follow. However, one by one, the clicks of empty ammo clips started to echo across the room. Most of the gangsters began to reach into the duffle bags for more ammo, except for Wolf, who continued to fire.

As Punisher made his way to the bath room, it was surprsingly empty in the hallways. It looked like the gas got most of them. Suddenly, a savage war cry filled the air as a sauna door suddenly flew open and a Ukranian gangster in a track suit suddenly leapt out out of the room and lunged towards Punisher, slashing at him with a bowie knife.

Peter Parker has posed:
A heavy machine gun is devastating at full-auto, but it is also hard to control. And gaining the high ground allows hi to jump OVER the Wolf's head, and taking the time to shoot webs at one of the men flanking him, covering his torso and pinning his gun arm to his side, and the other jet of webbing impacting right in the feed slot of the Wolf's weapon, gumming up the works but good.

"Wolfy? Gonna give up now, or am I going to have a little more fun first...?" he says from somewhere above and behind him.

Frank Castle has posed:
The M4 was already being brought up as the gangster brought up the knife to attack him. He was quick enough to parry with it, and the Punisher brought the weapon around to club the man in the head with the weapon stock, the massive force brought to bear being enough to crack a mans skull, if not split it open.

Directing the mans momentum against a wall, the Punisher aims right for the head, and pulls the trigger once, another burst point blank, and the Punisher continues on, firing single shots into knocked out gangsters heads as he goes.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
Wolf looks even more furious as not only his gun is made useless, but one of his own men is now immobilized by the webbing. As the Ukranian gangster struggled against the webs and swore in his native language, The Wolf suddenly dashed towards a nearby bench and, with a surprsingly large amount of strength, picks it up and hurls it at where he thinks Spider-Man is.

Punisher manages to dispatch the charging man quite brutally, not only splitting his skull open, but also blasting his brains all over the wall as wall. As Punisher continues his killing spree he would eventually reach the doors to the main bathing area. Suddenly, Punisher is greeting by Soviet AK47 fire as two Ukranians, obviously twins by their similar facial features and matching track suits, began to open fire at Punisher.

Peter Parker has posed:
Yeah, they're going to have a little INCOMING BENCH!
Spider-Man blinks as the heavy teak bench (a heavy wood good for ever-present moisture) careens towards him. He drops from the ceiling, immobilizing the other bodyguard, but leaving the Wolf unhindered. He steps forward as the bench lands behind him.

He was worried about the gunfire, but tried not to let it show. Shooting was never good news, and it was probably a good idea to conk this guy before some of those bullets addressed to OCCUPANT headed their way...

Frank Castle has posed:
This was getting old.

One round clips the side of his armored vest, taking a bit of leather as the trenchcoat has a hole in it now. He takes cover once more, taking a frag grenade... and tossing it around the corner at the two in a bounce off the far wall, towards them.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The remaining gangsters were about to open fire at Spider-Man once again, but the Wolf suddenly held his hand out, ordering them to stop. He then made a snapping motion with his hands as he appraoched the Spider-Man. Yep, it was quite obvious what he wanted to do to him. When he got close enough, the massive mountain of a man threw a very devistating punch in Spider-Man's direction.

The two gangsters fail to notice the grenade until the last second. They only have time to look on in horror as it explodes, killing them instantly. The door to the bathing area was now clear of any dangers.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sees the punch coming, quite clearly. Straight punch, hard and fast.

So, it is a little disconcerting...when Spider-Man CATCHES it. One-handed, no less. And the fact that he is now holding it in one hand, gazing from it to Wolf's face.

"Welcome to the most AMUSING fight you are going to lose, pally."

Frank Castle has posed:
Then, the Punisher turns the corner. "I have a present for you all. Catch."

A flash grenade is tossed inside where Spider-Man is having his 'duel', and the Punisher twists back around the corner, waiting for it to go off.

"Or not. That makes it more fun." Comes the voice of the Punisher from just beyond.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The Wolf's eyes widened in horror as Spider-Man not only catches his punch with one hand, but holds it in place like it's nothing. All of this is made worse by the arrival of Punisher, who tosses a grenade. All the gangsters still standing, besides Wolf, turn to try to avoid the blast before it went off.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks at the grenade, and he fires a web at it...but it's already too late, and the best he can do is close his eyes and polarize the lenses. The flash is powerful, leaving after-images and a bad case of the flickering mote-lights in his vision, but it beats being blinded...

Frank Castle has posed:
The Punisher comes back around the corner, and looks to Spider-Man, idling the M4 against his chest. "If you're gonna KO them, stop fooling around and do it."

The Punisher is, surprisingly, *not* shooting the gangsters yet... and did just give Spider-Man a clear opening to deal with the remaining gangsters.

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The Wolf cries out in pain as his eyes are affected by the blast. He blindly swings at Spider-Man while saying in heavily accented English,

"Owl and Parliment will make you suffer for this! They will rip you to shreds before killing you and everyone even associated with you!"

The various other gangsters are affected by the blast as well, with some of them stumbling around blind, other just disorinted. One of the Turkish gangsters then tries to swing a fist at Spider-Man, but misses due to the flash bang.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man ducks under the wild swing, then uppercuts the Wolf, the head rocking back as the fist hit like a freight train.

Spider-Man can control how hard he hits with the use of the Spider-Sense, warning him if he is at risk of hitting too hard.

He spins around, the spin-kick knocked the dazzled gangster back to get webbed to the far wall.

Owl. Parliament. Some things to remember.
Then he glances at the new arrival, and...
Ah, crispy crap. That's FRANK CASTLE. Wearing that skull emblem on his chest. How had that quote run?
"This is not revenge. This is PUNISHMENT."
And his brand of punishment gives no time off, no probation, and the punishment is always the same.

"Mr. Castle..." He can't help it, and he knows he sounds very young right now, but he can't help it. "The guy's out cold. He's no danger to anyone..."

Frank Castle has posed:
"Worse than you have tried." The Punisher responds to the knocked out man. Then, his eyes look to Spider-Man. Those icy, almost dead eyes. Spider-Man can instantly get the solid impression of no mercy from the man. One of the few vigilantes operating 'openly' and actually surviving to tell tales about it.

"Frank Castle is dead." His M4 is slung, and he looks Spider-Man, "call me the Punisher." Then, he's walking up to Wolf, stops, and stares down at the KOed man. "They're /all/ a danger while they're still breathing." Punisher states with icy finality. "Their entire lives are spent making everyone elses miserable for their own profit." He looks back to Spider-Man, "Owl and company are just gonna get em out on bail by next week... and you won't always be around to keep em in check."

His icy demeanor never wavers. Frank HAS to know that he can't defeat Spider-Man in a straight fight... so /something/ has to have him confident. He has to have a trick up his sleeve, so to speak. "I just clean up the trash." He points to Wolf, "This one I need alive. He has answers to some questions."

Leland Owlsley has posed:
The Wolf collapses onto the ground, letting out a pained grunt as the other gangster is webbed to the wall. The rest of the gangster than start trying to flee, going through the previous neglicted fire exit, and are willingly fleeing into the night clad in nothing but towels and bathing suits.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man faced the Punisher.

"Fine. But *I* get to moderate this little Q and A, and if I see you about to use lethal force, you'll join the Wolf's friend on the wall.

He looked back to the Wolf. "START BARKING."

Frank Castle has posed:
"Fine with me. It won't take much to make someone like this talk." Punisher remarks to Spider-Man, "I've got no issue with you, personally. At least you're trying to do somethin'... as naive as you are with your methods."

The Punisher grabs Wolf then, taking him to a bench for some 'two on one' time.