Author's note: Little to say for now, except this one goes for Sir Connery, Keaton and David Hirsch. Bloody good!
12. The Blind Fish
There was a big commotion. Police, ambulances, press and the usual nosey guys. Couldn't have ask for a better show, that's for sure! The boss was busy with something downtown and most of the crew was preparing the next scene, so he had the scenario for himself. Or maybe not. He could see the car with Kowalski, Blue and the Spider coming this way. Well, in good fun. This is gonna be interesting. Snapping his fingers, he disappeared from view.
"You sure about this, Mr. Parker? We could always go to the station and get backup for this" Kowalski spoke. Peter had asked them to take him back to Hickory Docks. None of the two policemen had tried hard to convince him otherwise, so they drove to the famous spot and parked near the plaza. "What's in your mind?"
"This" Parker brought out the photos. "I didn't thought it was important before, but there it is. Or should I say, there it isn't" the student had noticed on the way to the station. The photo of Alice's head had little blood in it, but the real elephant in the room was the absence of bloody footprints around her. "I know children don't have as much fluids as an adult, but it hadn't rain that day. And there is almost no blood. That's too weird"
"Makes sense" nodded Kowalski.
"I can only think of one possibility. She bled somewhere else and not far from the docks" Peter was sure now. Both policemen exchanged a glance and smiled. The boy was worth their money, after all. Looking around, Parker noticed the old fish market and headed towards the old building. It was then when Blue saw a one-eyed presence on the roof, and knew that the Spider was going in for a surprise.
"You sure is a good idea to leave with, uh, you know who?" the snipper swallowed.
"It's not going to eat him. Besides, Roger deserves some fun, right? He helped us managing Red, after all"
"Uh, yeah, but we're forgetting something here" Kowalski tried to put it nicely.
"What?"
"That he's a bloody psycho. Pun intended" his partner wasn't kidding but Blue paid no mind.
"I think you know Amos a certain villain called Mysterio, right?"
"Mr. Fish-Bowl? Sure! Everyone does and knows that you can't trust the guy" the snipper nodded. (Probably why Homecoming felt a little short for me. If you see Mysterio, you're first reaction is distrust. You know he can't be trusted and is an expert in special effects. Another villain would have been more unexpected).
"He's all smoke and mirrors" Blue watched as Peter had a look first around the building, before going in. (Amen). "Roger? Not on his life"
"Tell me about it. In the first five seconds of meeting him, he has thought of one hundred ways of killing and brutalizing you just to enjoy himself; but chooses none because they all get boring after a few seconds" Amos sighed. "He exists in all the universes and none at the same time like a murdering Schrödinger Cat"
"Which is why I like him. He can sneak into Red's mind and set it on fire. Something nobody is capable of"
"And why it freaks me out" the snipper decided to radio the station. They would need backup soon enough. Elliot was taking care of the onslaught in the mobsters 'meeting by Memnon. They had plenty of work there, but what Peter was about to find out was not to be taken lightly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Parker used his crawling skills to get inside the forsaken building. The place was a little dark and neglected to the core. Why would someone use a place like that? How was he going to find anything in a place like that? Many years had went by since its last opening and Alice's case was like looking for a needle in the haystack in that place. Without a specific equipment it was pretty pointless. He had to wait for Elliot to… Hu? His spider sense suddenly went high crazy. Someone was in there with him, but who or what? Peter looked up and suddenly the roof was gone, leaving an odd starry sky filled that looked like a broken glass on top. What was that about? The air became charged with electricity, thick, and before Spidey appeared a small black hole similar to those he had seen with Time Dilation Accelerator. He feared the worst at first, but no monster came out it. Just a scrawny red-headed man, wearing a black straitjacket like a coat, and smiling like a Cheshire Cat. Only one of his eyes worked, the other was gone and covered with a leather belt. Peter's first thought was this character had escaped from the loony bin.
"Well, well, well. What have we here? If it isn't the one and only? Your friendly friend and neighbor, Spiderman! Or should I say Peter Parker?" the stranger smiled. His lips didn't move when he spoke that thigh-pitched voice, but that didn't stop a shiver from going up the boy's back. How did he knew that? "Not good enough for ya, kid? Hey, we are very similar you and I. We practically shop in the same store. Look!" Parker didn't know how but he was now wearing his Spiderman costume and the apparition had a similar version of it (a lot creepier) and shook his hand. Well, one of his six hands that is. "Hey, hermano!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Just what do you think you're doing and what's going on? How do you know my name?" barked the hero.
"Name's Roger, kid! Nice to meet you!" the creature gave out an eerie smile and tip his hat, making the whole universe move with it. His sneer only grew wider with the boy's terrified expression.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
"Oh, I know lots of things, kid. For example, you're scared of not being able to save those you love. And you feel guilty as heck in a frequent basis, which I quite like and find appealing" Roger said it as if it was the most natural thing in life before dividing himself into two.
"You were named Spiderman during your fights in the illegal side, and behind your uncle's back! How naughty is that!" said the second Roger and separated again into another parallel being.
"And, oh-hohohoho! This is interesting! You spend a lot of time thinking about this red-haired actress girl, even though she's with your best friend!" that last line made Peter blush.
"Uh! Gimme details, gimme details!" said the original Roger and his copy began to whisper in his ear. "Wohoo! That-that is scandalous! Who wouldn't love to try that bare-backed and with cowboy boots with big spurs!"
"D-dude! What do you want from me?" Parker couldn't take it anymore.
"Oh, I just wanted to get acquainted with you, kid. Big Bad told not to kill you, although I already have around five hundred times and rewind all over!" that made Peter go even paler. "You are just too cute. I've been wondering through the minds of several people this past weeks, and I just got to say it. You and Red are a delicacy. Memnon is one happy ride, filled with blood and carnage, but no nightmares for him. You and the little girl, on the other hand, are a buffet for me, kid. Fears, dark spaces, death, explosions, torture and now even foxy women! This is real Xmas!"
"Wait, so you can get into people's minds?"
"Aye! And unlike that billiard head professor, I don't 'just walk', that's boring!" Roger had never ceased to smile and even took out his single eye to play with it with like a paddle ball. "I pull a few strings sometimes, if necessary, to mak you jump a little. But my biggest fun is seeing other dimensions and versions of you guys, since Big Bad is the only one in existence like me. Did you know in one universe you became all spider and eat everyone? That was better than watching A Nightmare on Elm Street in the uncut version"
"I still don't know who the hell are you?"
"You don't? Ah, well, I attended Juilliard; I'm a graduate of the Harvard Business school; I travel quite extensively; I lived through the Black Plague, and I had a pretty good time during that; I've seen The Exorcist about 10, 967 TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A NIGHTMARE DEMON, RIGHT EYE OF THE BIG BAD WOLF! SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?! You think I'm qualified?" Roger was finally able to scare him out. "Good. Cuz you know, kid? We are far from done with this game, this I can promise. I got a few guys to kill, toys to try and a city to burn. And you are going to help me on that, Spider. We will see this city go down!" the stranger pointed down and Peter was horrified to see that they were falling from the top of one of New York's skyscrapers but his web slingers weren't working. "Well, nice chat we had and nice subconcious, Peter! Worth the visit. " Roger wasn't worried about falling at all. "See you in your nightmares, kid!" Roger did some sort of eye wink. "Wait, you can't tell when I'm blinking. One eye. Ok, later, bye, kid!" the demon disappeared into a small black hole and Peter kept on falling until he hit the ground hard, and woke up again in the fish market. All back to normal. Parker saw that he was again in his normal clothes and sighed in relief.
"Just a dream" he told himself before noticing something written in his hand.
"THIS DREAM IS REAL - R"
Peter jumped in surprise before noticing a second message.
"PS. LOOK WHAT I DID TO YOUR OTHER HAND"
The hero gulped and raised his hand slowly before taking a glance. Roger had drawn something in it. It was a…. hu?
"LOOK, A TURKEY!"
And there we are. A very important piece of the puzzle has finally decided to show himself. Roger is so much fun writing.
More to come.