Spider-Man: End of Days
By Damian Nava
Prologue
The night's darkness
Absolute and never ender
Soft glowing petals rising towards the cold, chilled sky
The embers will shiver tonight
The petals hushed and low
The song being sung among the streets
In perfect harmony floating across the night
Unfaltering
And uncaring
As the city burned
In the middle of December
Promising today you will remember
How it began.
Apache Gunships drifted across the city firing everything they had at unseen enemies. The soldiers in them fired into the broken streets as civilians ran to the idea of safety. A black figure stopped in the middle of the street and snarled at one of the ship in front of him. The gunship steadied and the soldier on the ledge fired burst, the gunship unloaded round after round. The black figure melted to the ground and snaked a little closer, evading the earth shattering explosions. He solidified and screamed as he dug his massive arms into a decimated car and threw it at the helicopter. The vehicle soared across the air but the gunship couldn't evade in time and helplessly spun out to the ground and crashed into death and fire. A large red and black splash broke off a second gunship that followed suite, the black figure's formless shadow abruptly stopped and an Olympian of a man peeled himself from the ground, oily black smothered his body, an elongated white spider tattooed its chest and back, Venom smiled at his own self, his tongue grazing his jagged, protruding teeth. The red and black took a thinner shape with oddly proportioned limbs. Where venom's body had a solid definition, the skin of the red and black parasite seemed to writhe in excitement. It dug through the wreckage to find a delirious survivor.
The soldier screamed, his straps holding him in place as Carnage took him by the arm and slowly pulled, till he felt his arm pop out of its socket and break then could only watch and scream as Carnage's grip slowly sliced through his fatigues and his claws dug deep through flesh muscle and bone. Venom watched the arm tear off from a distance and Carnage taking lustful bites of it. "we must find the Doctor…" he hissed. Carnage turned away from the sobbing man, bloody drool splattering over the wreckage "yes…" he answered. He took slow and obnoxious bites, crushing bone under his demonic jaws. He giggled to himself as he chewed.
Elsewhere
An aged man stood before a smooth fiberglass podium, holographic displays floating about him. As he typed over a projected keyboard, four large cybernetic appendages attached to a harness strapped to his spine quickly worked around the laboratory, assembling a machine. As the arms connected wires and heavy cables, electricity sparked and bled onto the floor, fizzling out into a pool of glowing liquid. The air was thick with a panic being rinsed of calm. In spite of his polarized shield sunglasses, increasing fear and dwindling time betrayed his calm demeanor "Otto… how much longer!" a thick raspy voice called out from the side.
Dr. Otto Octavius glanced over for a moment but continued typing away, a man crouched by a black leather couch. He wore a heavy dark green armored suit, thick in over lapping layers across his back and plated in his chest and abdomen. Upon his back a hump with pistons and Tesla coils, steaming and pulsing energy throughout his suit, housed a long thick armored tail, ending in a wicked stinger. Before him laid a third man, the color from his face was gone while he breathed, his jaw clenched. Scorpion held the man's hand in his gauntlet and placed pressure upon his side, leather and marble floor gradually stained crimson.
"Almost…" he sighed in anger, more to himself than anything else. "Time isn't linear and we don't have the time to strip it down." He typed faster. Scorpion turned to glare at him "I know that Otto! But-". The man on the couch cut him off "Gargan…" Scorpion stopped and listened "yeah?" The man was older, around his fifties or early sixties, but he was strong. His weakened heart pumped pain through him but he smiled and scoffed. "So I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna make it."
"Osborne no…you're gonna be fine"
Osborne smiled a little more and shook his head "ok… I want you to check on The Rhino. Make sure she's here when the time machines ready." Scorpion nodded and turned to run down a hall. Osborne let his head rest upon the cushion as worked. He swallowed hard "Norman…" his voice grating against the silence. "yes Doctor…"
"I'm not going to leave you behind… none of us are."
"I know… we've been through a lot you and I. through all our battles and the lives we've saved? Your friendship has kept me going man." Norman Osborne winced in a sudden pain.
couldn't help but smile and shake his head "shut up Norman you're delirious." His cybernetic arms drilled a cable into a piece of metal and the machine came to life in a spark of liquid energy, a mercury like glob congealed in the middle and grew into a large hovering sphere. "I think I got it…" he laughed. Norman grunted softly, his fingertips lightly trembling with the loss of warmth. "Norman?" the doctor called and pulled away from the podium. "Osborne!" his skin chilled and his metal arms lifted him off the ground to Norman's side. Norman looked at his friend's eyes, the pain making him breather harder in turn hurting him more. "Save Aleksei…" he gasped through the ebbing pain. "get her out of here, she's… the only reason we're still alive." He swallowed dryly his breathing becoming labored "she can change everything…" felt Osborne's grip weaken, Otto's jaw clenching in response "Norman stay with me…" but Norman's eyes closed and he sighed. He whispered with a warm smile and he looked deep into his own eyes, trying to see past Octavius's shades. "Be happy for me Otto…" he exhaled in pain "I'm going to see my son". Osborne smiled at him, all Otto could do was smile back and watch his friend fall asleep for the last time.
A young woman sat in her cockpit in the abdomen of her machine, it was massive. The chest was plated with thick metal, chipped and scratched from punishment endured throughout the years. The machine's arms were thick with hydraulic cables for biceps. The forearms and hands also had thick armor that seemed to breathe as it flexed. The young woman had her arms and legs crossed as leaned back against the leather seat. The machine's reinforced Adamantium spine conformed to her posture. She had her hand palming her chin subtly rubbing the skin tight fabric riddled with golden diodes against her lips to comfort herself, trying to keep her heart from beating so hard. The fabric was a mix of black nylon and silk and covered her upper body below her neck like a bathing suit under her plain jeans, olive drab tactical shirt and coffee colored jacket. There was no wind in the room but the chill in the air was piercing her deeply yet her equanimous swagger remained fettered.
Scorpion's heavy footsteps echoed against the halls, his tail swinging in his wake. The young woman felt her heart sink and brought her hand towards her forehead to pull a loose blonde bang behind her ear. "come on Rhino the machines almost ready." The young woman nodded and took hold of her controls, the Rhino Suit turned towards him. A dull thud echoed from the door and the two stopped to look, a second thud made her and the machine flinch. She flexed her muscles and gripped the controls "dammit…" the machine turned and she glanced to Scorpion "we have to get to the portal." She leaned forward and clicked a trigger then pressed a pedal. Thrusters flickered to life, propelling her forward. Scorpion sprinted at her side as a thick black gel began bleeding around the cracks on the door.
They reached the room where Doc Ock worked, his arms swaying across the room independently, tightening various parts of the pulsing machine. Rhino swiveled as she slid into the room and skid to a stop. Scorpion slowed to a trot and stopped by Norman, his jaw clenched and he closed his eyes. Rhino turned to both of them "Venom and Carnage are on their way. Is it ready?" Otto nodded yes "just have to wait a minute to let it calibrate and it'll send us back." Otto nodded towards Scorpion then towards Rhino who was watching the entrance, Scorpion nodded in acknowledgment. Scorpion spoke first "you first Aleksei." Rhino turned to face them "ok…" she pressed a combination on her dashboard and some panels over her chest pulled away like petals on a flower. The Rhino suit suddenly jerked around and caught something out of the air causing her to yell in surprise.
Carnage struggled and shrieked like some demented rabid beast in the Rhino's grip. A sudden rage sparked in Aleksei's spirit and she screamed in abhorrence. She gripped a control with one hand, simultaneously reaching out towards Carnage. The Rhino's arm flexed and squeezed as she did. They both pulled back and crushed him against the marble floor. She glared at Carnage as he frenzied and clawed at the Rhino's armor, cursing her name. "ALEX!" she glanced at Otto who was moving towards her. Scorpion lunged towards her, and she turned back to look past Carnage towards the hall and felt her heart stop. Venom was already in the air hurtling towards her and all she could do was stare.
Scorpion scaled the Rhino's back and launched himself towards the monster faster than she could follow. Scorpion ripped Venom out of the sky and used his ridiculous momentum to turn both of them in the air and slam him to the ground. Venom crashed hard and was immediately stabbed in the chest by Scorpions stinger. The cybernetic appendage pulled him towards venom and with an outstretched claw he dug deep into Venom's throat.
Before Aleksei could react Carnage dug his claws in between the gaps of the Rhino's armor and pulled himself into a liquid state out of her clutches. He lunged off the arm onto the chest and ravaged the Rhino's head and neck. Venom screamed into Scorpion's face and liquefied out from under him and in his wrath tore him from the ground and savagely threw him into a wall. Carnage rabidly clawed at the hydraulic tendons, he drew his arm back and his hand melted into an Axe and came down deep into the Rhino's neck. Aleksei watched the sparks shower them both "fuck!" She tried to reach but was too bulky to grasp him. She gripped her controllers and pushed a few buttons, Rhino flexed and pure energy surged through its body. The generators on its shoulders pulsed and a thick bubble of electricity engulfed them both.
Carnage flailed and shrieked in pain, as his body convulsed a cybernetic tentacle smashed against his body and drove him into the ground. The tentacle pulled away and the claw smacked down on his head and jerked him across the room towards Doc Ock and into the air. He lifted himself into the air and thrashed the symbiote about the room. "ALEX GET TO THE PORTAL!" he screamed. The Rhino stopped to face Doc Ock then turned to the portal in the middle of the machine. Scorpion ran up to Venom and tackled him to the ground before he could deter the Rhino. As they brawled on the ground the Rhino moved towards the portal. She stepped on the platform and was jerked to a stop. The Rhino stumbled back little by little and Aleksei felt her heart skip when her suit toppled to the ground.
She instinctively depressed the lock on her chest and peeled herself from the seat and climbed onto the cockpit. She crouched and turned towards the hall way. A thick string of web shot out at hit just below her, where she was just sitting. She followed the line back into the darkness of the hall, the web became incredibly taught then suddenly slack. A masked man in a red shirt with a thick dark blue jacket soared through the air at her. She stared as he fell from the air he shot a line at the metal under her and pulled himself out of the sky. He hit the ground without a sound and lunged at her. In mid air he spun in time to parry 's Tentacle. She took the distraction to turn towards the Sphere and run but her foot was webbed to the ground and she hit the floor hard.
The man in the red mask scoffed while he parried, pulled and pushed the arms smoothly out of his way. "Not that it matters hun, but you're not going…" he jumped up and dropped his weight on one of the arms "before me…" lifted himself towards him "Aleksei MOVE!" She hissed and dug her hand into her side pocket and pulled out a diamond edged combat knife. As Otto and the masked man fought, carnage and venom took down scorpion. He slammed his tail against Carnage and crushed him into a wall, while his elbow sliced into Venoms skull, Carnage manically laughed as he clutched at the writhing tail, Scorpion turned to look and venom struck.
His entire hand gripped Scorpions head, the shock made him gasp. Venom snapped his other hand against Scorpion's face and screamed at him. Carnage laughed as he pulled on the tail while Venom lifted all of Scorpion off the ground. He struggled against the sheer strength of the beast, Venom held him out and chuckled to himself as drool dripped from his mouth and his rancid breath filled his lungs. Venom smiled wide when he felt Scorpion's helmet crumple. Scorpion scratched at venoms hands and tried to pry, panic poisoning every fiber of his being, "OTTO!" Otto glanced at Scorpion and gasped as his heart dropped. His arms pulled him towards him but the man in the mask shot a line to his back and pulled him down. Otto smacked his head against the head, blood splattering about. He winced in pain.
Everything was silent and dimmed. The man walked towards and eventually stood over him. He looked down and calmly crouched to be face to face. His mask was crimson… like blood, It had an intricate spider's web design over it. The lenses over his eyes were dark, like smoke from death itself. He spoke softly at him like a friend he hasn't seen in a long time "you and Osborne should have joined me when you had the chance."
"Parker…" he whispered but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Parker grabbed him by the hair and stood, bringing Otto to his feet and off the ground to face Venom as he crushed Scorpion's head. Otto's arms and legs hung lifeless at his sides. "The day of the hero is over Octavius." Background sounds began to register. Aleksei's screams rang in his heart. He watched as Scorpion struggled against Venom, Carnage's brutal strength overcame the suits durability and the tail ripped from its spine. Venom pulled a screaming man away and held him higher, shaking him hard as his grip on Scorpions head suddenly tightened. The appendage writhed on the floor, Carnage laughed and discarded it.
"I won…" Venom lifted him high and flexed. Scorpion's helmet shattered and Venom bathed in death.
"And the name Spider-Man will be feared..." Scorpion's body collapsed against the alabaster marble, bright crimson quickly pooling about his twitching body. As he watched Carnage desecrate Scorpion's body, in his very spirit he has never felt so alone, and had not known what true sadness was until that moment. He wasn't conscious of his tears dripping onto the floor. "And you witnessed it firsthand…" he raised his knife hand to his side and with a heavy heart added "goodbye Otto…"
The scream caught his attention, Spider-Man turned to see Aleksei in the air over him, every muscle in her body concentrated on the blade in her hand aim at his heart. Every death he had caused and all the pain she had suffered at his name, all of it was at the tip of her knife. Vehemence pulsed from her heart and burned through her muscles. She watched the expressionless mask he wore and wanted nothing more than to tear it from his corpse and burn it. She screamed, and with every ounce of strength she possessed swung wide and hard.
Spider-Man scoffed and lazily turned his knife hand and webbed her in the face. Her head jerked back hard and her body flipped in the air. Her head and back slammed hard against the floor. Spider-Man tossed Octavius aside and stared at the girl "heh… you're so silly" he reached down and picked her up by her jacket, high above himself. He grasped the web on her face and ripped it off. She screamed in pain and winced. In a single motioned he let go of her shirt and clutched her throat. He squeezed her tightly and then pulled his arm back to destroy her face.
A metal arm struck a central nerve in his bicep and his arm collapsed.
Aleksei fell…
A second arm slammed against her body while the other struck Spider-Man, the arms pushed them away from each other. laid between them with his last bit of strength leaving him in that last ounce of effort. As she fell into the portal, she watched Spider-Man twist the arm away and pull Otto up and crush his head into the ground with his boot. Her body went cold and she could only whisper his name.
There was a flash and she fell through something. She reached out to grab a ledge but it burned red hot and scalded her palm. She watched the floor rapidly come and she braced herself for the crash, making herself as tight and small as possible and slammed hard against debris. After a moment she sat up from the rubble and breathed heavily, her heart racing. She looked at her trembling hands, her voice breaking uncontrollably "Oh my god…" She closed her fist and cried, harder than she's ever cried before and screamed in rage and despondency, burying her face to her blistering and dirty hand and clutching at her heart.
For now she was not only alone...
But also afraid…
And with an enemy rapidly approaching…
In a world in which she did not belong…