Author's Note: I think it's safe to say that this story might be never-ending lol. But I don't know. I guess I'm just happy I made a new chapter. This one, now, took a lot of effort. A lot of headaches. But I'm happy with it. This is mostly a Mary-Jane chapter and an interesting one at that. Read for yourselves! Enjoy!
Union Episode Eight
"We'll have insurance check for the damages. We have nothing to worry about!" Carlton's partner Roland Treece said as he hurried along keeping up with him.
Pandemonium seemed to be occurring. The question was where. Carlton was on edge.
"My ass! It's not about money. I have people killed here! Check which areas have been unaffected from this attack! Right now...I'm trying to make sure our most valuable asset is still-"
"Not here..." a guard came up to them and trembled in fear. He grew pale. "...it's out!"
Carlton looked concerned now. "What's out?" he wanted to make sure he heard correctly.
"The asset." the guard said horrified. "The attack caused it to go out of containment!"
His worst fear had been realized apparently and so Carlton slumped and finally took a deep breath in.
He gave a slight turn to Roland. "Go...get everyone out of here. I'll deal with this."
"Sir, you'll die!"
"If I die, I'd go down in the one place I put my heart and soul for." Carlton bravely stated before going off.
Alarms sounded and soon shouts of pain were heard albeit muffled and far away. It sounded as if it were happening in one of the other main floors. Finally approaching the source of the havoc, Carlton heard sounds of bones breaking. He went around the corner and at the far end of the hallway was a massacre. Walls were dented and stained red on both sides.
Carlton was busy being astonished as he saw a gruesome scene in which a guard was ripped in two, making for a bloody sight. The tall blood-red creature then turned and faced him.
"Hello!" it grinned its blood red smile at him.
He summoned all the courage he had in his being and approached the monster.
"Mr. Kasady. How are you sir?" Carlton said rather terrified although he tried his hardest not to show it.
"Better...than I've been in a long time!" it said eerily cheerful. "You must be my next victim! I'm flattered!"
Several red strands poked out of his back and shoulders, some even formed slimy tentacles.
"Now do you must treat your saviors as victims, Mr. Kasady?" Carlton said unfazed.
"Hmph! I only care for mayhem. Bloodshed. It is my livelihood! Everyone is the same! Just pure, succulent meat!"
Carlton tried to use the last of his bravery, hoping he would prevail. "Then maybe you should do that outside. How about the one woman who tried to destroy this company?"
"Why should I take orders from you when I can enjoy tearing your head off?"
"Oh, I don't think you should kill me but rather this young woman. You see...she was the one who imprisoned you long ago, remember? And we...we only kept you because we wanted you safe and also to make you powerful than you were before. So please let us help you. Let 'me' help you."
"Hmmm...that's quite a good point but how about I kill you anyway and find her myself?!"
"NO!" Carlton's confidence was gone and found himself getting grabbed by a red strand. Almost immediately, his head got cut off from the creature's hand that had formed into an axe.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh...I missed this!"
Mary-Jane was in a daze. Ever since the drive to the hospital with Eddie alongside, she was unresponsive. It was he that answered most of the questions to the police and paramedics. She hadn't even touched her coffee that she held in her hands. Covered in a long, thick blanket to hide her unusual wear, Mary-Jane was still shivering. Fear. Anger. Sadness. It was too much to bear.
Eddie came back to the waiting area.
"Sorry I took so long. Hardy mentioned something about a tracker. Managed to find it and get it out." Eddie sat down in front of Mary-Jane. "That...strange Negative-loving guy must have planted it on me or one of his men did."
Mary-Jane continued her silence. Her eyes merely focused on the floor.
Eddie sighed and looked away. "You uh...you OK?"
Mary-Jane shook her head wildly and looked away from him.
Eddie shook his head in frustration. The silence was getting to him.
Mary-Jane finally spoke albeit hoarsely at first. "I was trapped in a big black void for what felt like forever. I couldn't feel. It was like a...hell. It's hard to explain. I was me...but I 'was' not me. I wasn't driving. The engine was on but someone else was behind the wheel. It was frightening. I kept trying to get out but I couldn't." Mary-Jane sniffed and wiped away a tear. "Now I'm back and this is what I come back to. More pain and suffering. Peter...he's been through so much! And yet, he still saved me. I remember telling him things happen for a reason and that one should continue fighting but those were just words that would inspire him. To help him. But...I don't know if I still believe in those same words now given what's happened. When is it gonna stop? When?" Mary-Jane hung her head. "Oh, who am I kidding?!" she raised her hands in surrender and scoffed. "...I sound crazy trying to explain and what's worse is that knowing you and what you've done..."
Eddie waited and yet continued to listen.
"Yeah!" Mary-Jane continued. "...I remember what you've done! You couldn't possibly care nor understand. What I'm going through."
"I'm not who I used to be. And I know a thing or two about staying captive. Not being able to do anything. Helpless. No hope whatsoever. It happened to me these past couple of weeks. And unlike you...I was dying. Although I didn't know it. You see, the thing is...pain is only temporary and it can only permanent if you let it. Long story short, the thing that kept me going is the same thing you're going through right now. Anger. Anger helps, doesn't it?" Eddie said lighting up a cigarette.
Mary-Jane nodded and then she just remembered something. "The doctors..."
"What about them?" Eddie frowned.
"They can't operate on Peter! If they check his blood, they'll know he-he's..." she stopped for she realized she was about to reveal too much.
"Spider-Man?" Eddie said closing his lighter and placing it in his pocket.
"You know?"
Eddie blew away a puff of smoke. He nodded. "I knew long ago."
"Why haven't you told anyone?" Mary-Jane whispered. There was a hint of disdain in her tone.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know. Maybe because he's...a worthy opponent at times...or maybe because...I see myself in him." he whispered and spoke as if he were speaking to himself.
Someone came into the waiting area. A woman with silver hair. She appeared hesitant to step in.
"Well...this is still getting to be an interesting night." Eddie said looking at the woman, who ignored him and sat down next to the two. Her eyes flared at the sight of Eddie.
"Sable?" Mary-Jane frowned.
"Miss Watson." she stated.
"What are you doing here?" Eddie asked sitting across from her.
"I could say the same to you!" Sable barely managed to keep her voice down.
"Oh, don't I feel special."
"Guys!" Mary-Jane motioned for them to stop. "What are you doing here really?" she waited for Sable to respond.
"Heard what happened. I was concerned. I had to come. Parker...Peter...is a partner of mine."
"Rumor has it that it's more than just partners." Eddie scoffed.
"No..." Sable growled.
"What?! Wait...is that true? What is he implying?" Mary-Jane asked.
Sable focused on Eddie now. "You have no place in this discussion so do not talk about what you don't understand. I assure you me and Peter are just friends." she assured them. She then looked away from Mary-Jane quickly.
"Whatever." Eddie shrugged.
"Just be quiet!"
"All of you be quiet! There's this thing called manners..."
Another visitor had entered. Mary-Jane stood up to see a young woman she recognized. Liz Allan.
"I can tell this is an interesting group by the loud tones." she said sitting down next to Mary-Jane.
"Liz?" Mary-Jane asked.
"I remember you!" Sable said angrily. "The firegirl! Some time ago, you attacked me and Peter!"
"Hey...how are you?" Liz saluted sarcastically. "Yeah. Sorry about that. Was a little nuts in the head but I'm all better now. I mean when it comes to special abilities, it takes us a while for us to regain some sanity afterwards."
"I hear that." Eddie agreed.
"It's fine...I'm fine now. Peter used to be...well...we all went to the same school."
"But you didn't treat him very kindly, Liz." Mary-Jane said without sounding too confrontational.
"Yeah, I um...I bullied him back then. It was wrong." she cleared her throat. "But we're friends now."
"Didn't realize this was a Spider-Man club..." Eddie chuckled.
"Heard what happened." Liz nodded. "I take it nobody knows anything yet?"
"It was Felicia Hardy." Sable answered restlessly.
"Is that true?" Liz asked Mary-Jane who shook with anger.
"Yes...and I'm going to make her pay for what she did...!" Mary-Jane said softly but the menace was still made clear.
A doctor came up to Mary-Jane and Eddie. Mary-Jane appeared desperate for news and hurried over to the man. She clutched the both sides of her blanket tightly.
"What's happening now?" she asked in despair.
"Right now, a doctor just came. He referred to himself as a specialist. He's doing everything he can for him."
"W-w-when can I see him?" she squeaked, still worried.
"Just as soon as he gets out of surgery, he'll be put in intensive care. The doctor is patching him up."
"Wait...this doctor? Who is he?"
Both doors behind the doctor swung upen, coming out of the room, taking off his mask that had covered his nose and mouth, the doctor revealed himself. It was Doctor Connors. He gave a nod to Mary-Jane and Eddie.
"Hello."
"Doctor Connors!" Mary-Jane gasped.
"Miss Watson."
"You're the specialist?" she asked astounded.
"I am."
"Wait, aren't you the L-" Eddie was about to ask.
"Don't!" Mary-Jane shushed him and focused back to Doctor Connors. "I don't care how fast you got here in time. But...Curtis! How is he?"
"Due to the proximity in which the bullets entered and also taking into account any vital organs like the pulmonary artery-"
"Dude!" Eddie said getting restless. "Yes or no? Is Parker going to make it or not?"
"Yes..." Mary-Jane agreed as well. "...just tell us!"
"He's resting. Bullets have been taken out but..."
Mary-Jane's eyes shook and widened.
"...he's...alive. I'm sorry but...he's in a vegetative state. Probably from the trauma he sustained. He's...in a coma."
That hit her hard in chest. Mary-Jane was about to crumple to the ground when Eddie held her in place. She sobbed into his thick shoulder. Eddie looked a bit uncomfortable and suddenly felt bad, sad rather for Mary-Jane. She had been saying 'no' nonstop. Liz and Sable each had their own expressions of shock and sadness on their faces.
Mary-Jane stopped sobbing and anger was there on her tear-stricken face.
"I'M GONNA KILL HER!" she then made a move to run out but Eddie and Sable held her back as well as Connors.
"No!"
"Calm down!"
"Mary-Jane..." Connors also held her back.
"SHE NEEDS TO DIE!"
"It's not your way, Miss Watson." Sable said holding her right shoulder. "She will pay soon."
"I know how you feel. I've been there before with anger and stuff but Peter's not dead, Mary-Jane." Liz said with tears coming down her own cheeks. "We just have to...hope...pray that he'll be better."
Martin Li along with his guards had opened a door that appeared ramshackle on the outside and once inside, they were treated to a glorious golden room. It was luxurious and glamorous to them she was sure. The room glowed as a palace compared to the rest of the dilapidated looking building. With her arms crossed to her back, Felicia had stood for a full hour seeing the sun come up out the window. She was still trying to take in last night's events. A tear somehow rolled down her cheek. Rolling her eyes, she wiped it away.
"Damn this sun..." she muttered and finally tore her gaze away.
Yet, the uneasiness weighed heavily on her. Although she did not have anything to stress regarding Peter anymore, the thought of him and what she did to him was affecting her somehow. She focused tiredly on the tall Asian man in a suit. Several of his men were there beside him.
"Nice accommodations. A room fit for a queen. But umm...are you feeling alright, Miss Hardy?" Martin asked.
Felicia gave as firm a nod as she could. "Oh I am. I feel like a new woman all over again. Better than I've been in a long time." she sighed in relief. "I feel as if I should have done it a long time ago."
"Nobody knows yet."
"And until the time comes, we shall...keep it that way." she said looking away.
"A great surprise to the underground to be sure. But I agree, we shall keep such a secret between us. Both of us got rid of Spider-Man, Miss Hardy."
Looking away, Felicia appeared contemplative and remained unresponsive.
"Ms. Hardy?"
"Hmm?" she was startled and looked back straight at him. "Yeah...umm...I'm assuming you're still here, giving your best Mr. Miyagi impression, because you want your payment?"
"Yes...I did use Eddie Brock for a reason. Not out of the kindness of my heart. Convincing him that there were factions against you worked wonders. Then luring him to Spider-Man where you can find him and kill him."
Felicia carelessly put a briefcase on a stylized, wooden table in front of her. Opened it revealing bundles of cash inside. Martin Li and his men gazed at the money, counted it while a silent Felicia looked out the window again, still looking forlorn.
"Now get the hell out." she said.
Martin Li nodded to his men to take the briefcase. The men had gone while he remained.
Martin Li gave a weary sigh. "You thought you were free, weren't you?"
Felicia didn't turn around to face Li. She was frozen in place.
"No. Whatever pleasure you may have gotten out of this was short-lived and has since gone. Now you have to deal with the reality, the magnitude of it. Of what you did. You may have gotten rid of the man...but you cannot ever be rid of the one thing that makes someone like Spider-Man truly immortal...his memory. The memory is pain you cannot kill. I suggest you live with it and move on. Have a good day, Ms. Hardy." Martin at long last, left the room.
That was when Felicia began gasping. 'No! I...I killed Peter! I shouldn't be feeling like this! I should be happy. I have to be. Why? Why...why did I do...NO! NO! STOP IT! I shouldn't regret this! This should be amazing. Incredible. Something's missing. I need to do something else."
"I know how to kill the pain...I have to kill Mary-Jane Watson." she growled.
She sat near his bed and never stopped looking at him.
The computer beside Peter's bed showed vital signs like several crooked lines. Some of them went up and down slowly. A beeping was also heard every few seconds. Tubes went into Peter's veins in his arms providing him nourishment and medicine.
She kept holding onto Peter's cheek and caressing his forehead, wiping away his messy hair. In a way, he looked peaceful.
A sad Mary-Jane then carefully held Peter's hand with her own hands and ran it to her face and cheek, savoring his touch and warmth. She kissed it as well. She sniffed away several tears.
"Please come back to me, Peter..." she whispered.
The door opened and someone came in. Turning, Mary-Jane saw it was May Parker, Peter's aunt. She was worry-stricken and even more so when she saw Peter on the bed.
"OH...Peter!" she ran toward him.
Respectfully, Mary-Jane allowed herself to pull away from Peter so that May can get to him.
"Oh, why did this happen? Why did this happen?" Aunt May repeated over and over. She put her hands on his face and almost wanted to shake him awake.
"I ask myself that same question..." Mary-Jane said softly.
Aunt May stood back up to face Mary-Jane.
"You're here?"
"Yes."
"You and Peter...?"
"Yes, May...w-we're together now."
Aunt May closed her eyes as if she were taking it in properly, digesting what she heard. Then she gave a smile afterwards. She even patted her shoulder gently. "I'm so...so glad. I always hoped...forgive me, I had hoped, prayed rather, so long for him to be with someone like you. Even when Ben died...I had hoped."
"I umm...I'll give you some time with him." she managed to say. Mary-Jane was clearly taken aback by what May had said.
"Thank you. Yes."
She went back toward Peter.
"Please wake up, Peter...I need you." Mary-Jane whispered in his ear before she gave him a longing kiss on his cheek.
She went out before giving Aunt May a heartfelt nod to her and going out of the room. The hallway had a window so that she could see through Peter once more.
Eddie was still there leaning by the wall in the waiting room by the time she came back out.
"Still nothing?"
Mary-Jane shook his head.
Eddie hesitated a bit before speaking once more. "Look, I know you don't want to believe me given everything that's happened between me and Peter in the past...but I'm-"
"It's fine. You...you helped us. I guess I'm too stubborn to say thank you. But thank you...maybe you're finally becoming an OK guy."
Eddie nodded. His phone rang and cleared his throat before speaking again to Mary-Jane.
"I hardly get any calls so I think I should take it."
"Go and thanks again."
"No problem." he then went off to the other end of the hallway.
"Ms. Watson."
She turned to face Sable Sablinova.
"What do you want?"
"Come with me. We have much to discuss."
Eddie, in his usual black leather jacket and blue jeans looked around the mall food court. He still couldn't believe who had called him. Something told him he had to see him. He had to find out what he wanted. That was when he spotted him right away, seated alone drinking a cup of coffee. He walked toward him and stopped right then and there. Eddie gave a menacing stare at the man.
"My way of acting normal or as normal as can be." he grinned. "My way of anonymity, in other words..." Cletus Kasady extended a hand indicating Eddie sit down.
Eddie sat down rather carefully. He kept up the glare.
"Well, you're not doing a very good job, now are you? You still look like a bonafide psycho."
"Gee..." Cletus pretended to think. "Maybe you can show me how not to be one then. I'm sure you're an expert. Oh wait...that's right...you're not exactly normal yourself." he gave a toothy grin.
"Man...you are slime even without the slime." Eddie said.
"Come on...Brock. Don't take it as an insult. What can 'normal' get you, anyhow? You and I...we're unique." Cletus winked. "Nothing thrills us more than the kill."
"Is that what you think I am? A killer?" Eddie asked unfazed.
"Don't be modest, Brock. Before I came along, you were the one trying to make this city your bitch."
"It's still...my city and I will defend it against the webslinger...and you!" Eddie kept his voice as low as possible.
"But you are a killer, admit that..." Cletus grinned.
"I only kill when there's a reason. You however...don't need one. You're unstable and mentally messed up."
Cletus leaned back. "You know the first person I ever killed...was my grandmother. Oh and I had a reason to do so. Not a nice person. She was abusive to me. Interesting nights when she locked me in a freezer. So one day, I threw her down a flight of stairs. Ever since then...I feel every kill has a reason."
"Is this really where I'm supposed to understand and sympathize with you, dude?"
"You're not listening! Every kill...has a reason. Everyone has a reason to die! A man I killed could have done something horribly, horribly wrong at some point in his life. Another man could have been another killer without anyone being the wiser. I eliminate potential problems...just like you."
"Dude...you ain't a hero! You're just a sick dog."
"No...but the good ol' lord or some higher power wanted me to spread carnage and chaos to the world and who am I to not embrace my true self? I can tell now...you have no clue who you really are."
"Why...am I here?" Eddie growled, getting impatient.
"I got this...thing..." he said rubbing his neck as a sign of high anxiety. "...it's killing me. Just like it almost killed you."
Eddie said nothing. But he was amazed that Cletus knew what he had before.
"How? How do you know that?"
"We got a bond Brock. You have yours...I have mine." Cletus referred to the symbiote.
"Cancer?" Eddie said carelessly.
"Maybe...I can tell...you had it before. You beat it. You have to heal me."
"Dude, even if I could do that, I wouldn't want to."
"You do..." Cletus stood up. "Or...what remains of a massacre will happen. Think fast. You got until the end of today. You know how to find me." he added the last sentence calmly and left.
Not that she needed them but two guards were posted on each side of her desk. She let the officers in out of mundane curiosity.
"Well...if it isn't New York's finest coming here unarmed. The peace gatherer approach, I dig it." Felicia said leaning back in her chair. "So something you want? If it is in my power, I will give it to you wholeheartedly."
"How about you being under arrest and going to prison?" Officer Hutchson said.
"Yeah, except that."
The woman officer DeWolff spoke up now. "Obviously, we don't have the strength to take all of you as of this moment, but you do have to be aware that as long as you're avoiding capture, it's only going to get worse for you. We're here to say you don't have enough time left."
"You're just here to prove you're tough which sadly, is not working. You have no reason nor any warrant to make an arrest, but even if you did, doesn't make any ounce of difference. I'm in charge now. I'm untouchable."
"Not forever."
"I have an entire army of Johnny Cochranes that say differently, officer princess."
"They can only help you so far. You keep pulling this upcoming and incoming mayhem, that will only give the entire precinct and precincts, plural, more than enough incentive to come here with everything they got. Even FBI. They just love to help." DeWolff added.
"What else?" Felicia said bored.
"We do have the evidence, witnesses and surveillance which says otherwise. Also the fact that recently you threatened the life of a 10 year-old boy and threw him off a building! "
"Not to mention photos of past mishaps." Hutchson added.
She threw a stack of them on her table.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" DeWolff spat.
"Oh wow...I see what you did right there!" Felicia mocked. She gave the photos back. "Here's me ending this meeting short. In about twenty seconds, you're gonna leave here and never come back. That's where my generosity ends. Now here''s how 'this' meeting ends...you have dirt on me to be sure, but so do I...your family and friends are under my constant watch as of this moment! Your livelihoods and the livelihoods of everyone you've ever met will disappear in the blink of an eye, if you pull crap like this again! That threat fortunately, goes away the moment you turn on around and head on out that door. But if you come back with crap like this...that threat becomes open! Now how about you both disappear or I'll pull an abracadabra and make you both disappear!"
Hutchson looked at DeWolff with a resigned expression. So did she to him. They gave Felicia an angry look and walked out to the door.
"Next time make it a real threat guys..." she told them and then they left.
"So what now?" a crime boss asked her.
"Now we begin the mayhem, I was talking about before we were so rudely interrupted."
"Isn't that a little too much?"
"It probably is but it certainly beats staying down here hiding like cowards! The police don't call the shots and neither does Spider-Man! Now we get ready to seize the target!"
"Isn't that a little risky given the police are onto us?"
"Problem?" Felicia raised an eyebrow.
The gangster slumped. "No, ma'am."
"Then let's get going."
"So she's a crime boss now." Mary-Jane asked while she was in Sable's gym, set up in her own building.
"She is 'the' crime boss now, yes. She has most gangs surrender to her will. According to my sources, those that went up against Felicia have been brutally beaten. And then they were well...you know. Before then, Hardy had been gone for some time. Wherever she went, whatever was done to her...she's more deadlier than ever." Sable said.
"I'm still gonna take her down." Mary-Jane said with as much determination.
"Are you? Then let me inspect you. Hmm. You seem to be in great shape." Sable said looking at her up and down.
"Peter and I...well, we're gym nuts. And also because I'm a model. I have to be in great shape. Although I do have to say, recently I'm looking a lot more toned and rock-hard." she frowned looking at her tight abdomen.
"But can you fight, Miss Watson?"
"I...I don't know." MJ slumped. "Peter trained me a couple of times. There were times I was given temporary powers. Some other times I was somehow given some fighting skills. I showed them off a few times. But they go away. It's like a faulty light bulb. These fight skills go off and on."
"Then let's find them..."
Sable threw aside both her katana that she had at her back and tossed away her guns from her holsters as well. She then walked to Mary-Jane where they were a mere foot across from one another. Mary-Jane was rather taken aback by Sable's closeness.
"Hit me..."
Mary-Jane already felt mad enough that she did not need telling twice. She threw a punch but in the blink of an eye, it was easily wiped away and it only earned her a smack to her face, sending her kneeling on the ground and rubbing her cheek. The move was so fast, Mary-Jane felt as if she hadn't initiated anything at all.
"Ah!" she had winced.
Mary-Jane got madder, stood back up quickly and tried to hit Sable again only for her to move her body swiftly to the side, avoiding Mary-Jane's punch in the process with seemingly no effort and kneed her high in the chest with her kneecap, bringing her back down.
"Just as I thought. If you cannot fight, then you will fail! You will die! That is why you must let me handle this!" Sable stated.
"Why you? Why do you care about Peter so much?"
"He's my friend...I told you."
"I don't buy that. I don't buy that one bit. Lemme ask you, what happened between you two when I was gone? I know something did. I saw that look in your eye at the hospital. You refused to look at me. You even blushed."
Sable did not respond and merely looked downward.
"Do you like him?!"
It took a while for Sable to answer. "I do."
Infuriated, Mary-Jane fought her again attempting to hit her again and again with her right and left fists. But Sable remained standing and easily dodged all her punches with one hand. The fight ended when Sable gave a quick jab to Mary-Jane's stomach, sending her to the ground again coughing and rubbing her abdomen. She then got down on one knee and faced Mary-Jane, who tried to catch her breath.
"I did. But he doesn't love me. He made that very clear. He loves you. He really does. You should have seen him worry for you. Thinking it was his fault. I tried to make him move on by helping me with a mission however things got in the way." she said. "It seems you are a good partner for him. You have spirit that matches Peter's. But you rely on your anger and while it is useful, if you cannot harness it correctly, it will get you in trouble."
"I need everything I can if I'm going to defeat Felicia." Mary-Jane said desperately.
"Unfortunately...you've shown me you're not ready. I'm sorry."
"You have to train me then!" Mary-Jane pleaded. "Please! I can learn!"
"Felicia Hardy plans to attack you soon. You do not have the time. Complex styles of fighting takes months, even years to correct and perform. Right now, I think you need to stay safe."
A loud alarm sounded off right then and there.
"Something's happening."
"Something tells 'me' you spoke too soon." Mary-Jane stated. They both ran out of the room.
"Stay close to me." Sable had said to her. The alarm continued to blare. Sable prepared her gun. Mary-Jane was startled when Sable using her enhanced instincts, shot a man coming from out of the corner. Mary-Jane was startled.
"Get behind me." she said and fired off a round to another man running toward them.
It was a warzone and in a building no less. Even judging it from one single hallway was enough to get Mary-Jane tensed up.
'My God! Has Peter gone through this?!' she thought.
The shooting off distance with Sable shooting everyone practically point blank range to any one who popped out of the corner. She had even managed to take down some goons with her impressive skills. One skill involved her giving a spinning kick to a man's head.
"STOP!" Sable cried.
Mary-Jane saw who was up ahead. The white hair gave it away.
"Oh hey there you are. Hi, red-head." she then shot her rifle.
Sable and Mary-Jane went around the corner to evade the gunfire. Sable took an opportunity to fire back. She stopped and waited for Felicia to fire back. Just to make sure.
"You're out!" Felicia cried out.
"You too!" Sable shouted. 'Stay here.' she told Mary-Jane.
Each of them came out of their corners.
'It's been a while..." Sable spoke as she proceeded to walk towards her.
"I know right?"
"You made a big mistake coming here." Sable said walking towards her and dropping an empty clip from her gun, eventually throwing the whole weapon aside.
"I'm not just here to steal...I'm here to say hello." Felicia said throwing her guns away.
"I'm here to tell you good-bye..." Sable growled as she ran towards Felicia and so did she, towards her.
Both of them fought in their own styles that seem rather unison. They were fast, strategic and evasive with their fists and feet. For a while, not one of them registered a hit to the other. Sable did manage to punch Felicia in the jaw which made Felicia retreat using backflips.
Mary-Jane, from out of her corner took a peak at the fighting going on.
Sable at some point, got knocked down but turned her head to gaze at Mary-Jane from afar in her hiding spot. 'Go.' she mouthed.
'No!' she wanted to say.
Behind her, Mary-Jane grabbed a gun from the ground, from one of the unconscious thugs.
At some point, Felicia had gotten on top of Sable choking her while Mary-Jane ran toward them. She was about to shoot Felicia once she got a clear shot.
She fired the gun.
"No!" Sable cried out.
But it was too late.
Felicia had quickly rolled her over so that Sable was now on top. The bullet hit her chest, knocking her away.
'Oh no!' thought Mary-Jane.
"Thanks for that." Felicia said standing.
Mary-Jane fired the gun only for it to click and jam.
"Funny how that sometimes happens, huh? In a way, you did me a solid. Our fight begins in a few hours, red-head. Right after we secure the stuff we stole!" Felicia ran behind her and jumped out the window.
Mary-Jane turned to Sable on the ground. She approached her. The hole was made in her platinum breast-plating. She got down and tried to check her. Only for Sable to awake and grasp Mary-Jane by her throat.
"Whoa! Hey, it's me!"
"Sorry." she said breathing hard and let her go. "I need help. The wound is..is not bad. The bulletproof armor did what it could."
"I'll call 911."
"No, I got my own people here. You try and hide."
"I-I..."
"Just go. There's not much more I can do now." she said resting.
Reluctantly, Mary-Jane did what as she was told.
Out of the building, Mary-Jane saw that Felicia was truly gone from the area. She was nowhere in sight. After walking for an hour, Mary-Jane ended up in the alleyway, the one in which Peter got shot in, the very alleyway she came back.
In a daze, she went in and as she got further, she stopped and got on her knees, sobbing.
"What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself.
"You want power."
"Huh?!" she turned to see a man in a long brown robe.
"I can give it to you. Or rather it 'back' to you."
'I ain't nothing like Cletus...' Eddie thought when he got out of the store, having bought a bottle of alcohol. He had not stopped thinking of his encounter with Kasady.
That was when he was met by several grungy looking men, wearing tattoos and long clothing. They were smoking something strong. One of which came up to Eddie.
"You want in on this, big guy?" the man said holding a small bag with unusual looking herbs inside.
Eddie stared long and hard at the substance in the bag.
"No." he muttered gruffly and walked on.
"Hey...it's on sale. It'll make you feel like you're on...Cloud uh...cloud...10." the man wearily said walking with Eddie, puffing the cigarette.
"Wow...it only took you an hour for you to finish that whole sentence." Eddie said trying to ignore his incoming anger.
"Hey, you dissing me?!" the man stopped Eddie and grasped the handle of a gun tucked in his pocket.
"Nah...nah..." Eddie smiled. "Tell you want...I'll give you something."
"Now you're speaking my language, my man."
They went into an alleyway where Eddie transformed, terrifying the drug dealer so much he screamed loud and as quick as it was, it stopped.
Eddie re-emerged from the alleyway by himself, looking content.
"Now, I'm on cloud 10." he said to himself.
"They call me a wizard..."
"You look like a homeless creep who sleeps on the streets with many bottles of Jack Daniels, mister."
The mysterious man went on. "...but I refer to myself as a scientist and a historian. A man of different professions, of two worlds."
A sword and an ax lay on the table. Mary-Jane seemed to remember them.
"Where the hell did you get those?!"
"I recovered these after the night's events before other people took them to exploit them. These were...Red Sonja's."
"Who or what is Red Sonja?"
"The warrior that you were."
"The thing that possessed me? Red Sonja? Red Sonja was me?! How do you know about her? Better yet, how do you know I was her?"
"I see many things." the man shrugged. "I have a third eye that lets me look into the beyond. An amulet that you wore contained her spirit that possessed you. If you wore it again, you'd be her again.""
"Well, I don't want to! Besides, the amulet is destroyed. It's gone."
"That too..." the man opened a rag containing small red broken shards. "...is recovered."
"Oh my God..."
"The amulet chose you. The thing about pieces is that they can eventually come back together. Bottom line, the amulet can be reassembled and we'll have you in full warrior mode once more."
"Do you not hear me?! I'm not going to become that woman again! Being possessed was a nightmare! It was haunting! No way am I going to go through that again!"
"If you refuse this...it will no longer be given to you."
"I don't care! Why are you doing all this? Why are you helping me with Felicia?"
"Because in your current state, you cannot win. Felicia Hardy...is not who you think she is. I know what has happened to her. Some time ago, she too...entered another realm...like you."
"What?" Mary-Jane.
"Unlike you however, she was not possessed. She was trained extensively for over a year in that world by warrior women called Femizons."
"Femizons...?!"
"Her trainers were former associates once of Conan the Barbarian and...of course, Red Sonja. One time was enough for the two of them to properly know this clan. After which, they were banished to another world. They heavily influenced her...warped Hardy's body as well as her mind."
"That's unbelievable...and crazy too."
"Look at your own world...would you say everything and almost everyone is crazy, Miss Watson?"
"Everyone's crazy huh? Let me save you the trouble. I'm not turning into anything. Ever. Again."
"You can have Felicia Hardy on your knees begging for mercy! Wouldn't you rather become Red Sonja again?"
"I was a different person many times before. I'm tired of it. I think I'd rather be myself." Mary-Jane said proudly.
"Very well. But are you really yourself? Do you know who you really are? Are you satisfied with what you currently are? We all go through trials, phases...just like many people who change their careers because they eventually realized what they want and in turn realize who they really are and they stuck to that one special thing they finally found in the end...such is the case with you. You must go through these kinds phases so that in the end...you will know who you really are."
"God...you're so confusing. I'm out of here. What the hell kind of process is that?"
"It's called a destiny, Ms. Watson."
Sable was in her lab where she was being attended to. She sat on the edge of an exam table when Colleen came in. She looked surprised.
"Damn...you got more lives then a..."
Colleen stopped when Sable looked at her with an angry glare.
"Sorry...wrong joke."
"I hoped this would never happen..." Sable said. "...but I was foolish to do so. Hardy knew how this place operates. She used to be one of us!"
"Yep, it's not everyday our own place gets attacked." Colleen said looking at the results of the damage on her tablet.
"They shut down our surveillance, didn't they?" Sable said as she was being patched up.
"Element of surprise." Colleen nodded.
"Our casualties?"
"Some injured. Nothing too serious. We're still the best, don't worry. Our egos are intact."
"It was idiotic for low-level hoodlums to come in here thinking they could best us." Sable muttered.
"Yeah I know. We got a lot of them interrogating them as we speak. Basically asking them what their whole purpose was of trying to break in a mercenary building. So far...they're idiots alright."
"What did Hardy want to steal? She came for something. Did your people get anything?"
"A cardkey. And she got it."
"I must find Felicia Hardy!" Sable growled, standing up now. "I know what she's after!"
"Not yours!" Colleen stopped her and shook her head.
"Who's?" Sable calmed down slightly.
"Your father's."
Sable sat back and thought for a long while.
"Let them have it."
"Ma'am? This is your father's money we're talking about here. He left it as a backup to you. Despite who he was!"
"I know."
On the train, Mary-Jane wore thick sunglasses and a makeshift bonnet to hide her appearance. She already had enough people recognize her from past model photos. She needed to be inconspicuous for a reason.
'There's a crazy chick out there who wants to kill me.'
She leaned her head on the window. She kept thinking about Peter. 'Peter's fighting for his life in a bed. How can my life get any worse?
She began to drift off and sleep when someone sat next to her.
"Never anything good in the newspaper."
The voice was a familiar one which made Mary-Jane open her eyes and frown. All the while she kept staring out the window. Mary-Jane was in no mood to talk, let alone make friends.
"You'd think good news would happen every once in a while." the person next to her spoke again.
Mary-Jane gasped and sat upright now. She took off her glasses. She glared at the person seated right next to her.
Felicia Hardy was here on the train. Sitting next to her no less. A mere millimeter away. Her white hair was long and wavy with a matching style as hers. She wore an elegant long fur coat that made her appear rich. She put down the newspaper and turned to face Mary-Jane.
"If you were wearing all that to hide yourself, it didn't help apparently, I'm afraid. I can still see that famous mug of yours."
"You..."
"Hi red-head..."
Mary-Jane shook her head in disbelief. She was about to get up and scream when she felt something hard hit her thigh. It was a gun.
"Don't even think about it." Felicia whispered. "Just relax. I wanna have a little chat."
Mary-Jane calmed down. Felicia sat back.
"Hmm. I'm so sorry about Peter." she said with feign sadness. "What happened to him was a bad thing. You must feel so awful..."
Mary-Jane shook and breathed extremely hard after hearing that.
"I wanna kill you...!" she whispered seething.
"Oh...that's cute." Felicia smiled.
"Peter didn't deserve what you did!"
"Oh, yes he did. You don't know. Believe me on that."
"I know you're a psychotic bitch. Believe me on that." Mary-Jane bit out.
"You know what's supposed to happen right? You know what you're going to get right?"
"Low-fat cappuccino?" Mary-Jane replied with her usual wit.
Felicia scoffed and gave a soft chuckle from that response. "Spider-Man was actually more funnier than you as far as quips go, reddy!"
"And he kicked your ass more times than you kicked his." Mary-Jane said cleverly.
"Don't make this any easier for me, red-head." Felicia growled. "It's because of you that Peter's gone."
"Bullcrap." Mary-Jane spat.
"I was destined to be with him. Not you. Not blondie-Gwen! Not anyone else! Me...you just had to ruin everything did you?"
"It was never going to work out with you. Peter's not that kind of man. Yeah, you guys may have had a thing and I can forgive Peter over that. But he realized sooner or later you were a problem. You didn't mix well. You had nothing in common with him! You only wanted to control him! You wanted him to be your pet! You wanted him to be...like you."
That was when Mary-Jane heard the gun click softly on her thigh. She gulped and yet kept her bravery up.
Felicia smiled.
"So you 'are' going to go one on one with me?"
"I am. I'm not afraid of you."
"Good, but I hope you're fighting for yourself not just to regain Peter's honor."
"That too."
"Then let's go..." Felicia said quietly and got up as soon as the train stopped.
Mary-Jane had no other choice and merely followed Felicia out.
They arrived to a secluded alley that was near a parking lot and the back of an expressway can be seen behind. Felicia took off her coat revealing a new outfit. The gun she had on, on the other hand, was suddenly raised and aimed at her. A surprised Mary-Jane raised her hands slow.
Felicia merely gave a soft giggle and tossed the gun away to the side.
"Had you goin', didn't I? No. I really hope you've been in fights before."
"I have." Mary-Jane said as confident as she could. She had her fists ready although they were still at her hips.
"Oh good. Then you must be a challenge."
Mary-Jane said nothing and just let her anger build. They paced around in a circle, eyeing one another.
"You think you're better than me? How? I'm stronger than you. You're more than likely to lose right now. I'm nothing like you whatsoever!"
"You're right. You're worse! That's why Peter never truly loved you...because you weren't me!"
Felicia roared and ran towards Mary-Jane, who amazingly grabbed her wrists in time before they touched her. She tried to hold on while Felicia tried to free herself. Yet, Mary-Jane kneed her in the crotch with her kneecap.
An incredulous Felicia scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think I am? A man?"
Mary-Jane tried to hit back only for her punches to miss, she got hit in the face several times very stylish and fast, mostly in the chin area. Felicia was truly the skilled fighter.
She then kicked Mary-Jane away in the gut, making her go down.
"What could have made Peter go for someone like you?! Someone who just likes being pretty!"
"I always thought the same thing about you..." Mary-Jane panted.
Agile herself, Mary-Jane avoided another hit and gave Felicia an uppercut.
Quickly, Mary-Jane took a two by four and amazingly slammed it to Felicia's face, stunning her.
"I was right! I knew you were no good the day we met!" Mary-Jane yelled.
She tried to hit Felicia again only for her to kick the piece of wood away. Mary-Jane then got smacked in the face.
"I liked you, you know that?! Why'd you have to come in Peter's life?!" Felicia yelled back.
Mary-Jane tried to wrap and drive her like a football player would but she didn't make her budge instead she felt horrible hits from Felicia's elbow onto her back.
She was then kicked in the gut making her cry out and fell to the ground hard.
"Is that all you got? Come on! You want to avenge Peter?! Then take me down!" Felicia yelled and pulled her up roughly.
Using only one move she learned from Sable, Mary-Jane avoided the incoming punch by ducking and then administered a punch of her own, which made contact with Felicia's cheek.
A cut had been successfully made.
Felicia was furious and now Mary-Jane knew she was in trouble. "That was good!" she had said.
Mary-Jane desperately tried to hit her again only for her fist to be caught.
"Come here!"
Felicia's hand gripped her neck tightly and she amazingly lifting her up an inch and pulled her close to her. Mary-Jane's eyes bulged from the suffocation.
"Like I told Peter when I too fought him...you're out of your depth!"
She threw her towards some empty oil drums.
Mary-Jane thought she was seeing stars.
"I gotta say I'm having the time of my life now!" Felicia said enthusiastically as she gave a jumping kick to Mary-Jane.
Another opportunity was given when she sensed briefly which angle Felicia was going to go with. So she had spun and elbowed Felicia hard in the face. But it seemed to unfaze her and hit her back towards a dumpster.
It had been a brutal fight now.
Mary-Jane defiantly stood back up albeit slow but very hurt.
"Nice to see you're as gutsy as Peter."
But Mary-Jane tired now, got hit again and the worse happened.
She had been kicked hard in the kneecap. It was cracked.
"AAAAHHH!" Mary-Jane screamed louder than she ever had in her life. She fell. Her leg was badly hurting and she feared it was broken.
"So much for Runway!"
Mary-Jane tried to back away but her limp was only making her slow.
She was jumped on, making her cry out and then she was turned over. Felicia, in her catsuit that appeared different than the original, punched her hard in the face, causing Mary-Jane to bleed from her nose and lip. The hit stunned her. She had never been hit that hard in her life. Then she was hit again managing to spit out blood from her mouth. Finally, she was grabbed by the throat with both hands. Her head dug further to the ground. Felicia squeezed and squeezed. Mary-Jane held onto Felicia's wrists and tried to pull them off her. But it was no use.
"You stole the only good thing in my life!" Felicia snarled. "If it wasn't for you, Peter and I would've been together! He would have stayed ALIVE!" she screamed.
She was choking now and breathing became more and more difficult because of Felicia's strong grip. Fear crept in her and for that it made her want to act or else she would die.
Rummaging through her pocket quickly with her left hand, Mary-Jane got out her pepper spray...
Aimed and fired.
Right in the eyes. "AAHH!" Felicia held her eyes with both hands. She got off Mary-Jane and tried to get rid of the burning sensation.
Meanwhile, Mary-Jane rolled over to avoid the pepperspray debris, coughed and tried to get herself up with much difficulty. Felicia continued to scream.
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU RED-HAIRED WHORE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Felicia then fell to the ground, thrashing about and crying out.
Desperate and scared, Mary-Jane tried to get away and run. She was hopping now while using her hand to grasp the wall beside her.
Her hair then got caught by both hands.
"Ah!"
Felicia's face was behind her, right by her shoulder when she sneered in her ear.
"Just because I can't see, doesn't mean I can't hear!"
Felicia threw her to a chain-link fence, placing her there. With her eyes now in squints, she tried to hit Mary-Jane but lost her balance, making her miss and fall to the ground.
Taking the opportunity, Mary-Jane tried to get away once more only for her unhurt foot to be grabbed and making her fall to the ground as well. She was grabbed once more by a wild Felicia. Yet someone unknown came in and pulled Mary-Jane away from her. By her shoulders. This time from another person. A young woman.
Mary-Jane gave a kick to Felicia's face with her uninjured foot, making her grip weaken.
Pulling her away from her finally, the young woman held on to Mary-Jane and shot up a webchord remarkably like Peter's and swung them away.
"Who are you?"
"Jessica." she replied.
"Explain your damndest why I should not suspend you two!" Watanabe said to Hutchson and DeWolff in her office.
Jean winced and slumped. Hutchson began to explain.
"Ma'am-"
"You two are not detectives! Nor will you ever be if you pull something like that again!"
"We were not trying to make arrests, ma'am. We just wanted to tell Felicia Hardy that she stop what she's doing!" Jean said.
"And you think she's just going to say 'yes, ma'am' and do what you tell her? This woman has too much control now. She has immunity! We can't touch her."
"This is bogus. We know she's planning something!" Hutchson pleaded.
"You don't know that and even if that's so, there's nothing we can do about it!" Watanabe said.
"Then what can we do?!" Jean shouted now. "All we've done is nothing! We got to prove to the city that our way still works!"
"And you want to prove that with threats?" Watanabe asked and scoffed.
"No. We want to let her know the police can still be capable of anything and everything!" DeWolff cried.
"I don't know if that's still so. We need a sign." Watanable said slumped.
In excruciating pain, Mary-Jane breathed heavily while sitting on a large table.
"Put this on...gently, gently..."
Jessica Drew had given Mary-Jane a small bag of ice. Taking it, she placed it on her right cheek and held it there. Mary-Jane gave a slight wince. She also sported a black eye now, almost shut. Some cuts and other bruises showed on her once beautiful face. There was also a bag of ice placed on her exposed thigh. With her clothes ripped and smeared by both sweat, dirt and blood, Mary-Jane appeared rather battered.
"You doing alright?" she asked Mary-Jane.
She shook her head no. "Never been in a fight like that. And I thought my dad was the biggest jerk of all jerks."
"Figures. From the little that I saw though, you gave it a good try. Your leg on the one hand, sustained a major fracture. If you plan on fighting again, I'd strongly advise against it, sweetie."
"He was right...so was Sable." Mary-Jane thought of the old man she met. "I'm not cut out for this. I'm in way over my head. A day back and I'm out of my element completely."
"Hey..." Jessica shrugged. "...you lived to fight another day. You should have that by your side."
"I still don't feel better about myself. I was supposed to avenge him..." Mary-Jane spoke solemnly hanging her head. "...instead I almost died."
"Relax, you didn't."
"Why'd you save me? Who are you?"
"It's hard to explain and even if I told you, you'd get lost in a second. Look, I don't know. I don't know why. This is not what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"So you save me out of your own free will?" Mary-Jane said putting the ice pack down.
"I don't know. People like you aren't supposed to die." she said going up on top of the table as well and laying next to her.
"I can't win against her." Mary-Jane said solemnly.
"There's a way you can win. You could be given a temporary power transfusion."
"What? How?"
Jessica pointed to a large machine ahead. It had two large pods standing upright and connected to one another.
"No way!"
"Why not?"
"I thought I could win as me. Mary-Jane Watson, not as anyone else!"
"You don't have to prove anything."
"I have to!" Mary-Jane cried. "I need to get things done on my own volition! From my own self-worth. From me! Not from magic, superpowers or special suits or anything! You don't know what has happened to me! I've been kidnapped before, experimented on before, abused before, hurt before! I have to fight back somehow! Powers are only cheating!"
"You think of it as cheating but it's only cheating when it's for you, when you want to get something from it. Personal gain. Selfishness. Right now, you're trying to avenge a man you love and you're trying to save the city. You need all the help you can get."
"I don't know what else I can do."
"It's not a bad thing to have powers." Jessica repeated. "Just as long as you use them well. I'd do this myself and save the day. But I'm someone who can tell when she's needed. Me...I'm not needed because I have things I need to work out for myself. It has to be you...that can save the day."
"How?"
"By believing in yourself!" Jessica held Mary-Jane's shoulders tightly. "Spider-Man chose you to be his! Not because of your beauty and body...but because of your courage and your strength. Inner strength. Now that he's out for the time being...you have to take up the mantle."
Mary-Jane sniffed, blinked back tears and looked away.
"You don't need to prove anything to this woman. You just need to take her down."
Reluctantly, Mary-Jane was soon carefully placed in the machine and so was Jessica. The entire process was not an welcome one. The sensation felt odd and uncomfortable. It was done. Jessica opened the pod.
"Was that it?" Mary-Jane asked looking at herself. Her leg was much better.
"Power transference. You have my abilities now. Use them to fight her."
"But again, why me? Why not you instead?"
"Because this isn't me anymore." Jessica said miserably. "I'm not a hero."
"You should reconsider..."
"I don't know." Jessica muttered. "Besides...you might enjoy these new powers too much...you're not gonna want to give them back."
"If you believe that, why take the chance then with giving them to me?"
"Call it a roll of dice. Either way, I'm done with a curse. But if you do decide to give them back to me...I'll be impressed."
"You're also gonna need a suit."
"You have one?" Mary-Jane asked surprised.
Jessica merely gave a mischievous smile in response.
Liz was desperate to show she had changed for the better. She had found Felicia's hideout at the harbor by way of a gang member affiliated with the Inner Demons. An inner demon gangster had a tattoo on his or her shoulder showing that they had done what was necessary to be initiated. However, hers was a rub-on tattoo, one that she surely hoped would work. Dressed in gang attire, she made her way through the crowd.
'Undercover...I hope this is a good idea.' Liz thought. 'If not and I get found out, I'm turning up the heat!'
She wanted to pay the gang member for him doing this. Yet the gang member said something that kind of made Liz's mind be put at ease.
'I don't care how much you give me...all I want is for her to get taken down!' he had said to her.
'Good enough for me...' Liz thought at the time.
At the run-down factory, Liz made sure she paid extra attention to anything. Soon she did. It seemed as if every gang member had been called in as she looked at dozens, if not hundreds of young men and women, some wore grungy clothing, others were in suits.
'The top brass.' she deduced. 'I wonder what's going on...'
Felicia Hardy came out with a prominent looking crime boss, talking to him as she passed by gang member alike. Liz scowled at the sight of her. Her hatred grew and for a fraction of a second, smoke started seeping out of her left hand. Shaking her head, she tried to refocus. Pretending to mind her own business many feet away, Liz using perfect hearing, heard something along the lines of 'financial sector' and 'robbery'. The word 'today' was also an important feature. She then drove away in a black van along with several more.
Going back through the crowd of other gangs as if to make sure she hadn't heard anything, Liz prepared to leave.
"This is for you, Petey..." she whispered as she got clear. Liz then took out her phone and called 911.
It was an hour now and everything went off without a hitch. Felicia made sure the stakeout was complete in time. She had already made her presence known in the bank.
"Cell phones, computers and other electro-devices in the bag please. Not that I don't trust you." Felicia said to the men and women in the lobby.
The vault was open and already the bags of cash were stored in dollies while some thugs threw them over their shoulders and made off with it at the back exit.
"That's the last one." a masked thug said to her.
"All of them go in different cars this time?"
"Yes."
"Let's not leave any footprint here or digital footprints..."
Police sirens outside broke the mood instantly.
"Are you kidding me?" Felicia turned to look outside through the bank doors.
'Come out with your hands up. Felicia Hardy...we know you're in there!' An officer with a bullhorn shouted.
"How'd the hell did they know we were here?!" Felicia asked.
"Someone on the inside." a thug suggested.
"How's this for a threat?!" Hutchson yelled out to Felicia.
That made her annoyed that she stuck her face out and saw the guns pointed at her. They were everywhere.
"Not much!" she replied in a shout as she opened the door slightly. "We got hostages here! You don't have the balls to just barge in here without FBI giving you the go-ahead! So I hope you have sleeping bags!"
Felicia went back in and saw most of the bank employees and customers kneeling with their hands behind their heads.
"Well, at least we have the money!"
"Yeah, but we're still in here, dumb-ass!"
"Not for long!" A tall, white creature burst from the ceiling and landed hard on the ground, knocking the men back from the sheer force. The innocent people screamed and stood back against the walls. Shots rang and not one had any effect on the monster. The lead thug was knocked out when he got hit hard to a wall.
Felicia saw that it was hideous and strong. It stood face to face with her.
"I knew you'd come...talk about an upgrade." she said to him. "Eddie."
"No...Anti-Venom!"
"Oh, new name? Cute. I guess I should be scared now should I?"
"Your time...is up!"
"Not quite..." her rifle transformed into a bigger one with a sound speaker. "Gotta thank Horizon for this!"
She fired and it sent a loud sound.
Anti-Venom cowered and knelt appearing in pain.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
Anti-Venom raised his head, blared its orange eyes and gave Felicia a wicked smile, making her frown.
"Yes...it is! Beautiful even!" It stood now and chuckled.
'What the-?!" Felicia was startled. The large rifle was knocked away with one bony white hand.
"Sound no longer bothers me..."
Felicia backed away afraid now.
"Afraid?"
"She is!" Another creature appeared, more hideous than Anti-Venom. "But first...let me have a taste!" it landed near them.
Carnage appeared with its hands as axes.
"You...the abomination!" Anti-Venom growled.
"You should talk!"
"It was a grave error that you arrived here!"
"Thought I'd join in the fun, Eddie, so what say you?! Will you help me or not?!"
"Never!"
"What is this 'battle of the freaks'?" Felicia asked.
Both creatures roared and began to hit one another with fists and strands wrapping around each other. They both took their fight in the back, disappearing from the lobby.
The police outside spoke again through the bullhorn.
"We tried to be nice and civil, tried to get you to do the right thing and come out on your own...now you're going to have deal with the entire NYPD!" DeWolff added on her bullhorn. 'Now what's going on in there?! You have one minute to reply or we're coming in!'
"I'm out of here..." Felicia growled as she glared.
She managed to shoot a grappling hook to the ceiling where she escaped through the ceiling window. On the roof, she surveyed the chaos down below.
The rest of the gangs and the police continued their shootout down below in front of the building, while Eddie and Cletus in their respective symbiote forms, having burst through from the bank, were about to fight behind the building, on the other street. Each of their strands wrapped around their own. Both of them roared an inch away from one another. Both symbiotes were tied together.
"What are you?!" Carnage growled.
"The cure...to the disease!" Anti-Venom finally acted and grasped Carnage's neck. Eddie's new symbiote form glowed whiter now.
"What?! What is this?! NO!" Carnage was being drained and absorbed.
"You're a disgrace! You do not know better! You're mine now!" Anti-Venom growled.
Cletus Kasady, re-emerged and fell to the ground, defeated, appalled and disappointed.
Shots rang out and merely agitated Anti-Venom. Felicia's gangs. He dealt with them quickly by knocking them away with his immense strength.
"Fools!" he spat.
Anti-Venom turned to the spot where Cletus lay only to find he had gone.
Growling, Anti-Venom dealt with the rest of the gangs. Soon most, if not all of them were taken down or arrested and detained. It was at that moment Anti-Venom had to go. Because the police were becoming wary at the sight of him. Some gripped their guns. Giving a snarl, Anti-Venom had to defend itself.
Shots were fired but no damage was done to the white and black creature. It hissed and roared menacingly, producing extra limbs that stretched out from his body to stab whoever came upon him.
Felicia many feet up high took aim at Eddie. She quickly set up the rocket launcher and placed it on her right shoulder.
"Wanted to kill super-hot Watson first but...you'll go first then." she said as she aimed at him through the telescopic sight.
"Well, I can't help but be flattered...!"
Startled, Felicia turned around and lowered the weapon. She had known the voice belonged to Mary-Jane Watson.
And she was. She was there standing with her red, wavy hair flowing sluggishly from the slight wind.
"That sounds like you have a crush on me, I'm sorry...but I don't swing that way, darlin'."
Felicia's eyes narrowed. "If it isn't cheap-shot Watson. You're here...defiant to the end, huh?"
"You sound surprised...that's not like you, Leash." Mary-Jane said cleverly while maintaining her serious demeanor.
"I have to admit I am. You're harder to kill than a certain...insect." Felicia smiled.
That statement made Mary-Jane's eyes flare up a bit. "What you did is going to cost you big time, bitch." she said softly while stilling her anger as hard as she could.
"Ooh...you really are fire personified. You do persist. I have to say no other woman...has made quite an effect on me than you. Look at you...perfection. You always were ever since we first met in that prison."
"Gloat all you want. Feel dominant all you want. Look buff all you want. But what's not getting through your thick skull is that what you have is gonna end short, darlin. You're about to wish...you never met me at all."
"Wow...look at you. Unafraid. You must really be eager for a rematch. You must want to hurt me really bad...or do you want to do something else to me?"
"Maybe I do." Mary-Jane nodded.
"Maybe you do." Nodding, Felicia repeated Mary-Jane's words. "Well, I do..." she cracked her neck getting ready. "...too!"
Felicia ran toward her with her fist aimed at her.
"No, you're done!" Mary-Jane yelled and tapped the spider-logo on her white crop top.
Metallic strands materialized. The suit activated and the material of it surrounded her entire body slow. Red, blue and gold. The spider-emblem was shown on her chest. The mask was on with the lens having glowed bright white. Four golden, elongated arms appeared from her back. One of them blocked Felicia's punch, while another arm swung and hit her away.
The whole fight started quickly and ended almost the same.
Mary-Jane decked her in the face along with a hit to her chest. She finished it off with a spinning kick. When Felicia still wasn't down, Mary-Jane tripped her by moving her leg. She then got on top of her, with the metallic arms pinning her hands and feet to the floor, thus trapping her. Mary-Jane with all her might pummeled her hard in the face repeatedly, never wanting to stop, never wanting to end, giving out a furious cry every time she did.
But she did. She finally stopped.
"You gonna kill me now or what?" Felicia panted while blood dripped down her nose and mouth. The mask was also broken off. Cuts appeared on her forehead, cheeks and eyebrow area.
It took a great effort not to kill her but seeing her defeated and pathetic made Mary-Jane realize one thing.
'I'd lower myself to her level...'
Mary-Jane reluctantly lowered her fist slowly, got off her and stood. Her mask and arms receded automatically with her red hair shining in the night and flowing.
"...No. I'd rather see you behind bars, bitch!"
"You're still full of surprises. Still doing the right thing huh? You're just like Peter too. Why?" Why 'not' kill me?
"BECAUSE SAVING PEOPLE IS BETTER THAN KILLING PEOPLE! PETER TAUGHT ME THAT!"
"I can't be saved! So you better kill me because I won't ever, ever stop! You either do or you'll end up like Peter: dead. At least I won against him!"
"No, you didn't..."
"What?"
"I said you didn't. He's alive. You didn't kill him! You get that? You failed!"
Apparently it took a while for Felicia to take all that in.
"He's alive..." she murmured. She was truly at a loss for words. She blinked in surprise and tried to process it. "He's alive...! I lost. I lost! Peter...h-he does have heart. He'll just keep going and going."
That was when she gave a sad smile. A kind one. She was also tearing up.
"I'll never win."
"Damn straight you'll never win, now let's go! You're going to jail."
Felicia ignored her and seemed to be in her own mind. "I underestimated you and I underestimated Peter..."
Felicia stood up, albeit slowly and wiped the blood off her lip. She was now limping and still weak.
Mary-Jane was ready to fight back.
Yet, Felicia turned and was about to near the ledge when Mary-Jane grabbed her wrist.
"No! You're not going anywhere! You have a lot to answer for!" she yelled.
Instead of struggling or even hitting back, Felicia stared at Mary-Jane longingly. Through her anger, Mary-Jane did the same.
"You handled yourself pretty well. But now you have to let me go..." Felicia said in a soft voice.
'What is she doing?' Mary-Jane thought. 'Is this another trick?'
That was when Felicia grabbed Mary-Jane's neck quickly and pulled her close to her. Frozen, Mary-Jane was startled by the move but at least she knew it wasn't a fight, nor a threat. So she didn't resist. Their mouths touched and so did their lips. Felicia went slow and somehow so did she...
She struggled a bit but Mary-Jane kissed her back. 'Why am I doing this? Why am I not stopping?!' she thought in shock. Mary-Jane had never kissed another woman in her entire life.
Their hands slowly traveled to each other's cheeks and hair. It was long and sweet. Felicia pulled away slow, with the kiss ending and appeared spent. But also defeated. Her eyes showed that. "I still like you, red-head. I do. You and I...are like kindred spirits. Both of us, sexy, strong, and brave. I would have even called you a sister. But this is where we part. Right now, I'd say something clever...something along the lines of...'you haven't seen the last of me'...but those have been used by other people countless times...so I'll say...bye!" she had said tiredly with a small wave and pushed Mary-Jane away.
She hopped on the ledge then stretched her arms, giving Mary-Jane a final caring look and fell backwards and off the building.
"NO!" Mary-Jane screamed and ran for her but she had since fallen.
Looking over the ledge, Mary-Jane saw to her astonishment that Felicia was nowhere in sight. She was gone.
"Why did she do that?" Mary-Jane rubbed her lips.
The man in robes looked around to make sure he wasn't followed. He was still wary. He scurried on with a limping stride.
"Kulan Gath..."
The man stopped and sighed. A look of regret was seen on his face.
"Thundra." he muttered as he turned around.
"So for countless millenia, you've been hiding in this world like a rat. Never once returning to yours. Are you too craven to do so?"
"What do you want?"
"The girl."
"She refused...she didn't take the amulet." he offered it, the now re-assembled gem with a silver chain attached.
"She refused to accept such great power? What kind of woman is she to turn down such a gift?"
"The right kind of woman. I suggest you find someone else."
"She was the chosen one! Felicia Hardy couldn't be. No one can. Without this woman, our plans are ruined!"
"I couldn't coerce her. I couldn't make her. It's not my nature. It never was!"
"She has to!"
"No...once she wore it, she has the option of accepting it again or not. She has not. And for that, the amulet's powers are forfeit."
"Then you failed."
"No...you did!" Kulan said boldly to her face.
His neck was grabbed quickly and broke. Kulan fell dead.
"I'll be damned." Jessica smiled as Mary-Jane appeared.
"I just want to say thank you." Mary-Jane said kindly.
"Are you sure you want to give them back?"
"Yeah...I'm sure. they're great to have. These abilities. But they're not me. They're yours. One thing I've learned is that power is only good for the ones who are willing to give it back. The others that can't well...they have a lot of responsibility."
Soon the transferring process began and ended quick. Mary-Jane felt like herself again.
"I guess I did the right thing in saving you..." Jessica said. "You see, people like you know the true value of power."
"You know, you should consider being a superhero again."
"Maybe. Goodbye. Good to have met you."
"You as well." Mary-Jane waved.
Soon she was back in the hospital and sat in Peter's room. Even though his condition didn't change, she kept staring at him with hope in her eyes.
"I wish you were awake so that I can tell you...that I tried. I really did. For you. In the meantime, this was what my mom used to do for me when I was very little..." Mary-Jane took out a book from her purse. "Whenever I was ill, I could hear her reading somehow and it helped...it brought pleasant dreams. Silly I know...so I might as well do the same...and I remember this used to be your favorite book."
Mary-Jane cleared her throat as she read.
"Bear with me...not much of a reader. "I have just returned from a visit to my landlord, the solitary neighbor that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful country! In all of England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society..."
In the underground lair, several gang leaders including Martin Li were seated around a round table.
"Well, too bad we have that woman out of our organization. She was doing such a good job, it is unlikely we will ever see her again." a crime boss said.
"It will take time to adjust." Martin Li said. "At least we have the money though."
"Yes...it is the only good thing she did."
"For now, we must pick a new leader..."
"But who? Who are our likely candidates?"
"How about I?"
A slender figure came through the doorway. Several men gasped at the sight of her.
"You!" a crime boss pointed a finger at her.
"Yes..." the woman revealed herself. "I know. This is sudden. Most of you don't remember me well and most of you only know me by reputation. But I knew my father and I knew how he operated. If you want...I can take over. No harm or foul. Just...another option."
"Your father was a legend." a member spoke.
Taking a center seat, Silver Sable smiled and prepared to address the members.
P.S. The book Mary-Jane reads to Peter is Wuthering Heights.