Closing In

With Laura's tracking skills, it wasn't long before the group managed to close in on Bullseye.

"This way. Bullseye's scent is getting stronger."

"Uh, no offense, sweetie, but I think we can guess where he is now -- all we really need to do is follow the trail of dead bodies," Selina pointed out.

"Ugh... Dex really is a sick bastard," Felicia added.

Laura gave Selina an annoyed glare and growled. "Fair point, Selina. But this only means you need to be sharper than ever. Remember, this is a guy who can kill you with a toothpick from hundreds of yards out..."

"I've actually been kinda curious about that... is it possible Bullseye's a mutant? No ordinary human can throw with that much **** and accuracy," Gwen wondered.

"I doubt it... I'd have figured Cerebro would've picked up on it by now. And Bullseye's done business with the Purifiers in the past... they wouldn't hire him if the suspected he was a mutant. But I guess it's possible," Laura mused.

"Well, if he's not a mutant, I'm really curious to know how he got the ability to -- whoa. My spider-sense is buzzing... something's out there but I can't pinpoint where--"

Felicia looked over at Gwen, slightly worried. "Spider, are you--"

"MOVE, HARDY!" Laura barked, shoving Felicia out of the path of a soaring projectile. It hit the mutant woman in the arm, causing a metallic clank noise as it pierced her skin and struck her adamantium skeleton.

"Laura!" Felicia looked over at Wolverine, worried. She hadn't expected Laura to take the hit for her like that.

Laura pulled a dart out of her arm, grunting as she did -- the wound healed quickly. "I'm fine. Been hit with much worse."

"Oh, uh, OK. Good," Felicia said, relieved. "Glad you're OK. And... thanks."

"Yeah, sure. Just keep your eyes open -- obviously Bullseye knows we're here," Laura grunted.

"He could be anywhere... we better find some cover. Try to come up with a plan," Gwen suggested.

Cassie immediately agreed with her girlfriend as she scanned the area, looking for any sign of Bullseye. "Yeah, we're sitting ducks out here. And Bullseye could be anywhere--"

As if to drive her point home, Cassie threw her wrist up in front of her face, deflecting another projectile as it bounced off of her bracelet with a loud clang.

"Yeah, let's get outta here. But first, we have to lose Dexy," Selina agreed, reaching into a pouch on her belt. "Glad I'm carrying these today. Smoke bombs may seem a little cliche, but there's a reason the Bats use 'em all the time..."

The group disappeared in a cloud of smoke, holing up in a nearby alley.

"OK, that bought us a little time... now what?" Cassie asked. "Bullseye'll probably nail us the second we're out in the open."

"Well, we're all pretty good at dodging projectiles. Or in your case, Cass, deflecting them," Gwen pointed out. "I say we split up."

"Hmm... that's not a bad idea," Laura agreed. "A group's only going to be a bigger target."

"I can use my Spider-sense to stay ahead of whatever he throws at me," Gwen added. "Maybe I can act as a decoy? Keep him busy for the rest of you?"

"I can play decoy too, if you need it," Cassie offered. "You've seen my reflexes -- I'm pretty sure I can deflect anything Bullseye's got."

"All right... Cass and I have got this," Gwen said, sharing a fist bump with her girlfriend. "Felicia -- Selina -- you two think you can sneak up on Bullseye while we distract him?"

"You do remember who you're talking to, don't you, Spider?" Felicia boasted, giving Gwen a smug smirk.

"That's my Black Cat. I wouldn't have expected anything less from you," Gwen smirked back.

"Then I guess I'll have to do something unexpected soon. I don't wanna get too predictable -- gotta keep our relationship exciting," Felicia teased, sensing that Gwen was somehow more responsive to her advances than she'd been in the past.

"Flirting with my girlfriend right in front of me. You really are shameless," Cassie chimed in. "I'm not sure whether I should be pissed at you or impressed with you."

"How about turned on?" Felicia suggested, lightly touching Cassie's upper arm and giving her a seductive smile.

"You really are shameless, huh?" Cassie asked, her slight blush betraying her attempt to keep cool in front of Gwen.

Felicia grinned, now tracing her fingers up and down Cassie's arm "I take that as a compliment. Now, let me ask you a question -- that lasso you have there... you use it in the bedroom, don't you? No need to be embarrassed, Selina & I tie each other up all the time..."

Cassie went from blushing slightly to full tomato. The truth was that she & Gwen had used it -- quite often -- but it was still awkward to discuss with anyone outside of her lovers, even someone as uninhibited as Felicia Hardy.

Gwen noticed the flustered look on Cassie's face, and the smug, teasing grin of Felicia's, and decided to step in. "I can see you're having fun tormenting my girlfriend, but we've got hunters and homicidal hitmen to deal with," she reminded Felicia. "So it's a plan, then -- Cassie & I'll lure Bullseye out into the open, and Felicia & Selina, you two sneak up on him and take him down..."

"...I noticed you didn't have any plans for me," Laura interjected. "Don't think I'm sitting this one out..."

"...I'm not. I figured you would take your own approach," Gwen clarified. "You've never struck me as the type who plays well with others."

Laura had to concede Gwen's point. Like her father, she was a loner, although he'd made a concerted effort to try and get her to open up to others and be more receptive to working as part of a group -- she was an X-Man, after all. "True enough. But Logan's always on my case about being more of a team player. So, like it or not, you're stuck with me. I'll leave it up to you -- I can do stealth, though I prefer a direct approach... My reflexes might not be as good as yours or Cassie's but they're still damn good. And unlike any of you, I can deal with a few dozen stabwounds."

"Oh. Uh, cool. Well, welcome aboard team WonderSpiderCat, then... uh, still workshopping the name," Gwen answered. "So you're sure a direct approach won't kill you?"

Laura was quick to dismiss Gwen's worries. She'd fought much worse than Bullseye, and she recalled some of the father-daughter talks she'd had with Wolverine Sr. "The Hulk once ripped Logan in half, and he survived. You saw me hack off Sabretooth's limbs. My healing factor's just as effective as either of theirs. Pretty sure I can deal with a guy throwing things at me."

Gwen cringed. Laura reminding her of their bloody encounter with Sabretooth was bad enough, but now there was also the mental image of the Hulk tearing Logan in two. So gross. "Ew, ew, ewwwww... OK, fine! Do what you need to do! Just... enough with the gory details."

"Fine by me, Laura said, charging out into the open. Cassie & Gwen quickly followed, splitting up in an attempt to divert Bullseye's attention. It wasn't long before they figured out his location, and once Selina & Felicia received the all clear, they snuck out into the shadows to close in on him.