Public Enemy
A Spectacular Spider-Man Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own Spider-Man
Chapter 10: Revelations and Revenge
A slow, steady grin stretched across Tombstone's face as he listened to his spy on the other end of the line. It appears Anatoly is more skilled than I gave him credit for…I should offer him a pay raise, he thought as his computer dinged, letting the gangster know that Chameleon's video had arrived in his inbox.
As he watched the grainy footage, the Big Man decided that he had no intention of sharing this little secret, at least not yet. Such information was far too valuable to just give away. If loonies like the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus wanted a piece of this pie, they'd have to pay.
The Big Man pressed a buzzer on his desk, and was almost immediately attended by his right-hand man, Hammerhead.
"You need somethin', boss?"
"Yes. I need you to run a background check on this person. Find out everything you can about him."
"Sure, boss. But why're we payin' all this attention to a runt?"
"That's need to know, Hammerhead. Just do it."
"On it, boss," Hammerhead replied as he left the office.
Less than five minutes later, the steel-skulled mobster had returned, holding a manila folder in his beefy hands. Handing it to his employer, the gangster began his report.
"The kid's name is Parker. Peter Parker. Works part-time for that airhead Jameson. He's been living with his Aunt for most of his life. Known associates include Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and Harry Osborne."
"Stacy? As in Captain George Stacy?" the Big Man's voice was intrigued.
"Yeah, she's his daughter, boss. An' if you ask me, I t'ink dose two're sweet on each other, if you get my meaning."
The Big Man drummed his fingers on his desk. "Bring them to me."
"Boss?"
"Bring me the Stacy girl and Parker's aunt. Alive. We'll see how cocky he is when I hold all the cards."
"What'd dis kid do to piss you off boss? You've never even met da guy," Hammerhead said, confused.
"Don't try thinking, Hammehead; you'll hurt yourself. Just bring me the girl and the old hag."
"Yes, boss."
May Parker hummed to herself as she scrubbed the breakfast dishes clean, her scouring sponge making a slight rasping sound as it washed away the remnants of last night's rotisserie chicken dinner. She looked up expectantly as she heard the front door open. "I'm in here, sweetie," she called.
Then May gasped in shock as the stranger entered the room, tracking in dirt on the tile floor she had spent an hour cleaning. The thug smoothly drew a revolver from inside his jacket.
"W-What do you want?" May asked. "Who are you?"
"None o' yer concern miss," the intruder growled.
May reached for her trusty frying pan, but her assailant closed the distance in a few steps and hit her on the side of the head with the unforgiving metal butt of his sidearm. The older woman crumpled to the ground.
The gangster pressed a button on the two-wave radio clipped to his belt.
"This is Bubba. Target one has been acquired."
At the same time…..
Gwen Stacy pulled her jacket a little tighter around her lithe form as the wind began to pick up. As she did so, an unmarked black van pulled to a stop by the sidewalk in front of her. Before poor Gwen knew what was happening, a gloved hand clapped over her mouth, and several scary-looking men with guns threw her roughly into van's metal interior.
The vehicle screeched away as suddenly as it had arrived.
Later…
"Aunt May! I'm ho-o-me!" Peter called as he set his backpack down by the stairs. If I'm lucky, the school hasn't called her about my walking out of class a while ago…
As he stepped into the kitchen, expecting May's familiar warm tones, he found himself surprised that she wasn't there. This was troubling, because cooking was something May always enjoyed, and she seemed to spend all her spare time working on new recipes. Now, the stove and oven lay abandoned, and the dishes were still soaking in the sink.
The phone by the table began to ring.
His spider-sense blaring like an air horn, Peter answered in a guarded tone.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end chilled his blood. Even without names, he knew who it was.
"Hello, Spider-Man."
Peter had to grip the table to maintain his balance. Oh, God…he knows….
"I trust you've already noticed that your Aunt seems to have…stepped out for a bit?"
"What have you done with Aunt May? Where is she?"
"Don't worry, she's perfectly fine. So is your little girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. Of course, whether they'll remain that way is entirely up to you."
"You bastard!" Peter screamed. "This is doesn't concern them!"
He could hear the smile in Tombstone's voice. "Flattery will get you absolutely nowhere, Peter."
"What do you want?"
"What I want is for you to meet me at the old cathedral in on Whitmore Street at three o'clock. And if you don't come alone, not only will I expose you to the entire city, but I will kill both your Aunt and Gwen…and I'll make you watch."
Peter gripped the table even harder, and the wood started to crack. "Fine, Tombstone. You'll have your meeting."
"I knew you'd see things my way," his enemy chuckled before he hung up.
The old cathedral, 2:45 p.m.
As the Big Man paced impatiently between the rows of crumbling pews, he glanced at his two "guests". He paused in his ruminations, and headed over to them.
"I want you both to know that this isn't anything personal against either of you. This was simply the best way to ensure Spider-Man's cooperation."
Gwen scowled at him from the chair she had been bound to. "Spider-Man will never give in to the likes of you!"
Tombstone smiled, and the sight made her shudder. "You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
His smile grew larger. "Never mind. You'll figure it out soon enough, I'm sure." The Big Man switched his gaze to the shattered stained glass window above. Any minute now…..
Spider-Man struggled to contain his rage as he approached the old church. His mind was racing, his thoughts scrambled. But one thought in particular kept surfacing and resurfacing more and more.
It ends today, Tombstone, he thought furiously as he landed in the musky semi-darkness of St. Agnes' Cathedral.
Like a monster from a child's nightmare, Tombstone stepped from the shadows, his bleach-colored hands folded behind his back. "Glad you could make it," he said courteously, as if he was a host expecting an honored guest.
Peter ignored him; there was only one concern on his mind. "May and Gwen! WHERE ARE THEY?"
The Big Man made a disapproving sound with his tongue. "You don't need to get so worked up; they're right here, see?"
He motioned toward the front of the church. On the dais where the old structure's patrons had once taken Communion, Gwen and May now sat, bound hand and foot.
Tombstone walked over to them, taking a place behind Gwen.
"Take off your mask, Spider-Man."
"What?"
"Your mask. Take. It. Off," his enemy repeated commandingly.
Peter hesitated, until the mobster pulled a Sig Sauer from his coat pocket and put it to Gwen's temple. "I'd hurry if I were you," Tombstone threatened.
Spider-Man knew he had no choice but to comply. Grasping the material that hid his face, he yanked it off without a second thought, revealing the sad face of one Peter Parker.
Gwen's eyes widened, but she couldn't speak on account of the dirty rag her abductors had shoved in her mouth. This the Big Man now removed.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it, my dear?" he said.
Gwen finally recovered her voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Her friend couldn't look her in the eye. "I couldn't. I wanted to prevent something like this from happening, but I guess I didn't do a very good job," he finished bitterly.
Tombstone left the dais and shed his dark blue blazer, before rolling up the sleeves of his white Oxford shirt. "Enough sentimentality," he snarled. "It ends today, Spider-Man!"
Peter put his mask back on and assumed a fighting stance. "For once, Tomby," he growled. "I completely agree with you."
A/N: Coming up in Chapter 11: Spider-Man! Tombstone! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!
And now, of course, I will now take your questions and comments:
To T.S.S.M Fan, einherjar 13, and ledah 13: I am so glad you guys are enjoying my story! Reading your reviews makes it all worthwhile! ^^
To Soulswallows and ledah13 (again! XD): You're right; normally Peter wouldn't exhibit such suspicious behavior, but we have to remember that his nerves are starting to fray, and by this point he isn't thinking as clearly as he should. Otherwise, Chameleon never would have gotten close enough to get that footage. ^^
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque
P.S. Since this is such an angsty fic, I invite you, the reader, to have a hearty laugh at a selection of hee-haw-larious quotes:
"A James Cagney love scene is one where he lets the other guy live."-Bob Hope
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -Charles M. Schulz
"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before." -Mae West
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." -Mark Twain
"I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries."- Stephen King
"I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five."
-Steven Wright
"I distrust camels, and anyone else who can go a week without a drink."
-Joe E. Lewis
"I have a love interest in every one of my films - a gun." -Arnold Schwarzenegger
"I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw that my bath toys were a toaster and a radio." -Joan Rivers
"I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known."-Walt Disney
"In Hollywood a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk." -Rita Rudner
"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is." -Ellen DeGeneres