Episode Twenty One: Who Am I
"Follow the teachings of God and receive his blessings, and so it shall be, that the seas will again become bountiful, and the raging storms will subside." - Carrie White
Sixteen Years Following
Fury Base, Twenty Five Miles Beneath Portland
"...Now Ben...please...tell me what I'm thinking..." The good doctor kindly asked his patient, while adjusting his glasses. "...I...don't want to do this anymore sir..." Ben shyly admitted, playing with his cords, attached to a large machine reading out his vital information. "Ben, please...just one more...and then we can be done with this...now, what am I thinking?" The Doctor pleaded with young Ben, offering him a kind smile. Ben was tired, more tired than he had been in a long time, all these tests, and challenges; he was exhausted. His thick blonde locks hung down his head, covering his eyes and various features on his face. "...New York City Pizza...your, your thinking of...New York style pizza..." Ben replied tapping his feet. "...Amazing, I do enjoy are time together Ben, you know that..." The Doctor exclaimed happily as he lightly punched Ben's shoulder, in a somewhat awkward yet friendly jester. "...May I, go now...sir?" Ben replied in a shy mumble, just loud enough to be heard.
"Yes of course...thank you Ben...these tests will soon be over son, just give it some more time...I know you hate them but, it's important research..." The Doctor explained before being cut off by his impatient young friend. "I know you've, told me this already...goo-goodnight, Dr Macher..." Ben said with a fake smile across his face as he staggered back through the hallways of the good doctors facility. "Hey, Chin up Ben...Smile...Do not walk through my halls looking all teenagery and shit." Dr Macher suggested tossing his pen at the back of his patients long thick roots, missing by about several feet. "...Whatever you say sir..." Ben replied giving the doctor a lazy wave goodbye.
The young man walked back towards his side of the headquarters. It was a long and pain staking walk, but today was one of those days Ben needed it. Over the last few days, Ben has been, haunted by these, images inside his subconscious. He couldn't escape from them, whenever he closed his eyes he saw them, a young boy, and a young girl; only slightly older than himself. They were his parents, he could feel it, he knew it to be true. But waking up every night in a cold sweat is no where near worth the troubles of seeing the faces of unfamiliar ghosts in his head, every so often; not even close. "...Save Me...Father..." Those words play back and forth inside his head, everyday. They felt so familiar, those words almost felt like memories, like snapshots in his past; it always annoyed Ben how little he knew about himself, how little, they told him about himself. And with his nails firmly lodged into his scalp, he slowly decided to just, drop it, at least for one more day; besides, he had other problems to take care of right now. Like for example, his English assignment.
"BEN!" Missy shrieked out across the hallway, startling Ben's nerves, and causing his heart to violently skip a beat. She quickly fluttered over towards her best-est of friend with a smile on her face that practically lit up like the sunrise. Missy King, one of the few super powered kids other than Ben himself scattered across Fury Base. She wasn't so much a super model type of girl, but she was definitely attractive, in that super cute, super adorably sexy kind of way. Pale skin, blush cheeks, braces, and blonde hair; that was Missy, the one person Ben can always put his faith into; through think and thin. One of the few constants in Ben's life, and he always loved her for that.
"Your-not-trying-to-avoid-me-are-you?" Missy said with slight giggle in her voice as she forcefully rapped her arms around Ben's center, knocking the wind out of him. "...Why would I try and avoid you?" Ben replied wrapping his arm around young Missy's shoulders. "Um, no reason...just-you know...some people around here, they startin to say your gonna try and, you know leave...please tell me your not...gonna try and leave; I know you-you asshole, don't you, fffreaking leave me alone here." Missy demanded, being half serious about the whole thing, punching Ben repeated in the gut. "I'm...not going nowhere..." Ben assured his friend with a sincere smile.
"You better not you bastard...your the only good thing I got in this messed up ass place..." Missy said clenching her fist and staring Ben dead in the eyes. "...Do you remember, when we were younger...I always told you about, those images I would have?" Ben asked pulling her over to the side, away from anyone's sight. "...What so, that's why you've been such a douche recently...cause you been getting those flashes again?" Missy repeated checking around the corner for any possible eavesdroppers. "I thought you stopped having those when you were like...seven or something, wait you haven't told anyone have you?" Missy didn't let up on him, he took a second to release one last deep breathe before continuing with the, apparent interview. "I only tell you my secrets Missy...and besides, I didn't think I wanted them to know about it before...I don't think I want them to know about it now..." Ben replied with a heavy heart.
"I don't blame you for it Benny...so what are you gonna do then?" Missy repiled nudging his arm. "...My, Little, Ben Parker Jr..." Ben said to himself, confused at the words that had escaped his mouth. "Say what now?" Missy responded with a slight chuckle in her voice. "No just...something that just came to my head I guess..." Ben said awkwardly smiling as he sped down the hall trying to avoid more death stares from his impatient best friend. He turned around a coner, only to be meet face to face with young Missy yet again. "...Did you really think you could run from me?" Missy taunted with a pround smile.
Ben smiled back as he began to feel sudden flashes of images and voices playing out inside his head, like a storm of nightmares inside his subconscious. "Ben...whats-whats wrong?" Missy pleaded with her friend as he doubled over, scream in pain. "MY MOTHER!" Ben adtimted as old memories began to reappear inside his head, memories he never knew he had. "What...what about her?" Missy replied trying to help Ben back to his feet. "...She's, Here..." He stated blankly as his spider sense started buzzing like crazy.
The base began to shake violently, bending and cracking under its own weight, as if something was, ripping it right out of the ground. "BENNY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Missy screamed as ceiling began to collapse around them. "NO IT'S NOT ME IT'S CARRIE..." Ben replied starting to hear the sound of his mothers heart, beating faster and faster by the minute. "...Carrie?" Missy repeated confussed before being struck in the head by a large bolder of cement and steel, killing her instintly.
"MISSY!" Ben shrieked, jumping over to her lifeless body. Blood puddled around her body as warm tears streamed down young Ben's face. "...Missy...Please god don't leave me...MISSY..." Ben pleaded with her corps as he held her tight in his grip. "MR PARKER...YOU NEED TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE, NOW!" an officer called out in a panic before he was, engulfed in flames. Ben could feel death across the base; pain, suffering, and then death. He brokedown inside Missys arms as the large facility was forcefully ripped out of the dirt and slammed down onto the surface, finaly bringing the destruction to an end.
Missy was Ben's rock in a world where he didn't know his place, where he didn't know where he belongs. And while that name, Carrie White, was new to him, it did sound, surprisingly familiar. Flashes of this womens history played out inside his head. He had always wonder about where he came from, who his parents where; but not now, not now that one of them has taken, everything from him. And while this, Carrie White, was the women who gave birth to him, she couldn't be more of a stranger.
"Missy...oh god...I'm..I'm so, so sorry..." Ben mumbled through his sobs as a section of wall was torn away from the the large pile of rubble and fire that once was Fury Base. As the dust cleared and the sunlight shined into the open hole, the shadow of figure quickly appeared, with clenched fists and broken chains attached to handcuffs, hanging from her wrists. Ben looked up, as anger boiled up inside him. His lip quivered and his hands shoke at the sight of, what he could only assume was Carrie White. How could not be. He allowed more tears to flow down his cheeks, as he hesitintly returned to his feet, meeting his Mother, eye to eye
She looked terrible, like she had just escaped from six feet under. Dirt, mud, and blood stained her otherwise old looking orange jumpsuit. Fresh cuts and bruises around her face, burn scars across her body. Who was this women, but he knew who this women was; every detail of her life, everything she had seen, everything she had done, and everthing she keeps to herself; was his now. A look of shock and fear appeared across her face as Missy King, laid dead in her sons arms. "...Look at what you've done Carrie...look at it..." Ben spoke up, with no fear to speak of, none at all. "Peter tried his best with you Mother he tried...and look at what has happened to you...look at what you've turned into..." Ben continued, wiping at his eyes.
The Rage, she looked at her son joy in her eyes, her little Ben Parker Jr, was all grown up now. All grown up, and looking at her with hate in his eyes. Carrie had become reckless again, just like when she was younger, many innocent people had died today, and it was her fualt. After all this time, Rage was just back to her old ways. "I'm...I'm sorry Ben...but we have to go...we have to sweetie..." Carrie assured her son, shyly drapping her arms over Ben's back. "Take...your hands off me Carrie..." Ben demanded, gritting his teeth.
"Ben...I've searched for you...my whole life...my whole life...and now I've found you...I'm, never...never gonna let you go again baby...please...come with me...Missy...Missy was a, victim of a terrible accident, that I caused...please just let me explain..." Carrie pleaded with her son, "You don't have to explain...I know...everthing about you Mother...everything..." Ben replied, staring at Missy's body.
"Carrie I have been, fine...without you in my life his long...I don't need you now...do You, HEAR ME!" Ben said with rage in his heart. "But I need you though...I...need you...My Little Ben Parker Jr...Missy ah...I'm truly sorry...but we have to go...please come with me..." Carrie pleaded with her son. "COME WITH YOU...DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE DONE, DO YOU...STAY AWAY FROM ME MOTHER, JUST STAY AWAY...LOOK AT MISSY, NO LOOK AT HER, YOUR NOT MY MOTHER...YOU'VE BECOME A MONSTER...STAY AWAY FROM ME..."
"CARRIE, LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
To Be Continued