The Invincible Spider-Man
Chapter 45: Graveyard Shift
Peter swung back home to Queens after his adventure with Deadpool, tightly clutching the tracker.
"Weird how Alistair Smythe never used the tracker to find the Energy…did he forget about it?" Peter asked himself, as he made his way to his window, stealthily opening it and crawling into his room. It was almost 4 am.
"Add another one to the list of sleepless nights," he told himself, taking off his suit and hiding it in the closet, behind his other clothes. He took out the tracker and put it near his laptop. Just as he was about to go to sleep, he got a call from MJ.
Peter answered the call, trying his hardest to seem tired.
"MJ? It's literally 4 am…" he groaned, as Mary Jane squealed on the other end.
"I know, but I'm just so excited!" she said. Peter could hear the excitedness exuding from her.
"Excited for?" asked Peter, a little confused.
"Don't tell me you forgot! ESU's orientation tour today!" she practically shouted.
"Wait…that's today?!" asked Peter, sitting upright. "I thought it was next week!"
"Come on Tiger! There's no way you forgot," she laughed.
"Yeah. It's just…a lot's been going on these last few days. Must've slipped my mind," said Peter.
"You literally just graduated," laughed MJ. "And you're still working?" she asked.
"Well…yeah, I'm preparing for ESU! Better early than late,"
"And better late than never," replied MJ, as Peter chuckled.
"Also, do you wanna come with me? I know May is busy, so Anna could drop both of us there," suggested MJ.
"Yeah sure. That'd be great," replied Peter.
"Awesome! I'll just tell Anna," said MJ, as she cut the call. Peter put his phone down and decided to head to bed, hoping to get at least an hour of sleep.
Flint and Adrian had explored almost every part of Ryker's, but they still weren't able to find out where their equipment was kept.
"This is the only other place it could be," said Adrian, as both roamed the metal hallways, hoping no guards spot them.
"Dillon and Octavius haven't figured out how to disable these collars yet, have they?" asked Flint, tugging the power-dampening dollar on his neck. "Can hardly breathe in this shit," he continued. Adrian ignored him complaining and continued moving forward. The corridor took a sharp right, which led to a door, guarded by two guards.
"Shit. Two guards. There's no way we can get past them," said Flint. "And we don't even know if this is the equipment room," continued Flint. "Octavius probably tricked us,"
Adrian sighed heavily. "You buffoon!" he said, pointing at a sign above the guarded door, which read "Confiscated Storage."
"Ohhhhh," said Flint.
"And we weren't supposed to get it now! We just needed to find the location of the storage, which we did!" said Adrian. "Let's head back now," he said as turned around and walked back down the hallway, Flint following him.
They walked back to the courtyard where the other four criminals were, only to see a group of reporters crowding at the front gate of the prison.
"What's going on?" asked Flint.
"Fisk is going on trial. Probably gonna get parole," said Quentin, scowling a little.
"Hope he doesn't get paroled. Asshole thought he was better than all of us. You ask me, Lonnie Lincoln was a much better crime lord," said Mac.
"Yeah, and then he got offed by Fisk's son," chuckled Max.
"Ignore him, we should carry on with or work. Max and I are almost done with de-powering the dampeners. Once that's done, Sandman and Electro, you're going to break into the equipment storage and get what we need," said Otto.
"What about the Spider?" asked Max.
"Yeah! We can't underestimate that guy," replied Quentin, nodding towards Max.
Otto simply chuckled, a sinister smile creeping on his face.
"Let him try."
A couple was visiting the graveyard, on a very cold night. Both of them were staring at the grave of a man, which seemed to have moss growing over it.
"I still miss him," said the man, while his partner held his shoulder.
"It's okay, Sam. Trust me, it will get better. Time heals all wounds," said the man, while Sam nodded. All of a sudden, they heard a roar coming from nearby. It was more of a pained howl, from the woods.
"Henry, what was that?" asked Sam, as he took a step back. The howl grew louder, and they could make out two red eyes staring back at them. A tall man walked out, with red eyes and long black hair. He seemed as pale as the moon.
"Are you okay?" asked Henry.
The man growled, revealing a set of fangs, and closed the distance of 20 feet within them, by leaping forwards. Sam and Henry screamed as they ran out of the graveyard, the man in hot pursuit.
"VAMPIRE!" shouted Sam, as they raced out of the graveyard and across the streets. Many eyewitnesses saw the creature stop, and run back to the woods.
It was a chilly morning, as Peter walked up to MJ's house, which was significantly larger than his, although it was still being rebuilt ever since Green Goblin attacked it. Peter sighed at that memory.
"Almost two years back. Wow," said Peter, and that's when Anna Watson called out to him.
"Peter! So great to see you!" she said, as she hugged him.
"Ms Watson! Great to see you too," he said.
"Can't believe both you and Mary Jane are going to the same university, so exciting!" she said, as she giggled a bit. Anna Watson seemed to be the polar opposite of Aunt May.
MJ got out of the car and walked up to Peter.
"Hey Tiger, glad to see you made it," she said, playfully punching him in the arm, as they both walked up to the car.
"So, you excited?" asked Peter, as they both got in the backseat, and Anna sat in the driver's seat. She pressed on the gas, and the car started to move.
"I literally called you at 4 am. What do you think?" asked MJ, laughing, that's when Anna's head whipped back.
"Young lady, what were you doing at 4 am in the morning?" she asked, in a humorous tone.
"Aunt Anna, eyes on the road!" yelled MJ, as Anna scoffed and continued to drive.
"Anyways, what are you gonna major in?" asked MJ. "I mean obviously something to do with science,"
"Exactly. Maybe something in Biology or Chemistry, I'm not sure yet. You?"
"I was thinking journalism. I mean, I always want to find out the truth. Makes sense for me," she said, emphasizing the word "truth", as she looked at Peter.
"Oh she definitely loves getting the truth! I mean, when she was seven she stayed up all night to see if Santa was actually real," said Anna. "Of course, she fell asleep by like 1," she continued, chuckling.
Peter and MJ continued to talk about a variety of different topics, ranging from ESU, to hot coffee vs cold coffee, and eventually to Spider-Man.
"So, what are your thoughts on Spider-Man, or superheroes in general?" asked MJ.
"Well, I say they're needed. Especially in the world we live in," said Peter.
"Yeah…but why do half of them wear masks? I'm not saying they're doing wrong, but wouldn't it be better if they did give away their identity, so as to prove that they trust us?" asked MJ.
"Yeah…but what if that puts people they love in danger. Again I'm just speculating here, but maybe if their identity was revealed, their family would be in danger," replied Peter.
"Yeah, maybe," said MJ, as Anna finally pulled over to the gates of ESU. Peter and MJ both got out.
"Good luck! Hope you guys get in!" said Anna, as she drove away.
"Does she know that we already got in, and that we start in about a week?" asked Peter, perplexed.
MJ laughed. "Come on, let's go," she said.
"Welcome to Empire State University! If you are here, you have really appealed to us, and we as a faculty cannot wait to teach all of you," said the guide, who seemed to be a teacher of Commerce. Peter and MJ were among 5o other students.
"Firstly, we will visit ESU's renowned Science Laboratories! After that, the Art studio, and then a lot more," said the enthusiastic teacher. As the crowd moved along, a girl bumped into Peter.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she said. She had brown-gold hair and rectangular spectacles.
"Oh no, it's okay! It's a large crowd, I don't blame you," said Peter, as the girl awkwardly chuckled.
"I'm Carlie. Carlie Cooper," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.
"Peter. Peter Parker," replied Peter as he shook her hand. She smiled at him awkwardly and walked forward with the crowd. MJ nudged Peter with an elbow.
"Remember Tiger, you have a girlfriend," she joked.
"Obviously I'm not going to forget that!" protested Peter. "Besides, I was just being friendly,"
MJ rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You really can't tell when someone's into you, can you? Or at least considering it?" she said, whipping back her red hair.
"You think she was?" asked Peter, while MJ just laughed and walked on, leaving Peter puzzled.
The group walked across ESU's campus and into the main building, towards the Biology Lab. There was a teacher, who was teaching a class a series of Biochemical equations.
"And this is the Biology Lab, maintained by none other than-"
"Curt Connors?" asked Peter, as he noticed Curt teaching them, with a prosthetic right hand.
"Peter! It's so great to see you here!" said Curt, as he extended his robotic arm. Peter was a little hesitant but he shook it.
"Yes, of course Doctor Connors had taken a long leave for over two years to get treatment for his right hand. After he returned, he sold away his old laboratory and came to work at ESU, to sharpen the minds of the new generation!" said the teacher.
Peter's Spider-Sense didn't tingle, so he knew he was in the clear. Curt was definitely not going to become The Lizard. In fact, it seemed like no one knew abut Curt's more reptilian alter ego.
The teacher motioned for everyone to leave the lab as it was recess, but Peter waited for a bit.
"Doc, I didn't know you were back!" said Peter. "Especially after the whole…you know what," he said.
"Ah yes, that was unfortunate. But the police promised that everything would be kept under wraps, as long as I don't become scaly again," explained Curt. "Rehabilitation honestly was the right way to go," he said. "What subjects are you studying?" asked Curt.
"Biology, Organic Chemistry, and Quantum Mechanics," replied Peter. Curt nodded in approval.
"I look forward to teaching you…again," joked Curt, as Peter waved him goodbye and left.
"So what do you think?" asked MJ.
"I can't wait to start here," said Peter, but that's when he got a call from Jean DeWolff. "One second, I have to take this," said Peter, as he picked it up.
"Captain?" he asked.
"Spider-Man, got an interesting one for you. A vampire was spotted at the Winston Graveyard. Can you check it out tonight?" asked Jean.
"A vampire? Do I get to meet Robert Pattinson?" joked Peter, as Jean cut the call.
"Well…better carry some garlic with me," said Peter.
That night, Spider-Man landed on a rooftop overlooking the graveyard. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.
"Isn't there already some vampire killing dude out there?" he asked himself. Just then, he noticed something rustling in the bushes, and his Spider-Sense tingled a little.
Spider-Man swung down to the graveyard and moved towards the bushes. Police cars had cordoned off the area. Peter cautiously approached the bush, and all of a sudden, a group of squirrels ran out.
"Wow," said Peter. That's when he felt a sharp tingle of his Spider-Sense, and from the branches a large man leaped onto him, his jaw wide open. He landed on Spider-Man and threw him towards a grave.
"What the Heck?" asked Spider-Man as he got back to his feet, and noticed the tall man. He let out a long growl.
"Slow down, Voldemort!" protested Peter, hopping over the man and landing on the ground, as the man rammed into a different grave.
"What the Hell are you?" asked Spider-Man as he threw some garlic at him. The man was unfazed as he extended his claws and slashed at Peter with lighting speed. Spider-Man barely dodged him.
"Morbius!" growled the man, as he kicked away Peter and leaped high into the sky, landing onto another rooftop and running away. Spider-Man quickly chased after him.
"Morbius…Michael Morbius? Is that you?" he asked, shooting a web at him, but Morbius grabbed the web and pulled Peter down, before smacking him away.
Spider-Man managed to stay on the rooftop, as he faced his opponent. Morbius was wearing a black and red shirt, his bloodshot eyes staring straight at Spider-Man. "Leave me alone at the graveyard!" he growled.
"Sorry, Shrek! But that's not your swamp!" said Spider-Man, as he dashed towards Morbius, who somehow moved away at the last millisecond, causing Spider-Man to fall off the edge. He fell and landed on the top of a car.
He saw Morbius leap from building to building, getting away. As Peter painfully got off of the car, he noticed white cells of skin on his suit.
"Oh ewww-WAIT! I can get his DNA from these!" said Peter, as he carefully picked up the flakes of skin and placed them in an empty web fluid cartridge.
That night, Spider-Man snuck into ESU, to the Biology lab.
"Gotta be honest, I half-expected Connors to be secretly working on the Lizard formula right now…I mean it's not that I don't think he's changed, it's just that…I don't know," said Peter to himself, as he took a microscope, to examine the skin cells. All the data collected was uploaded to a computer.
"Just as I suspected…Vampire Bat DNA…he used a gene splicer, similar to what Dr Connors's used. Bet I can synthesize an antidote the same way. His DNA is a mix between human and vampire bat. If I can isolate a clean sample of his DNA, I should be able to create a cure," said Peter, as he liquefied the flakes and put them in a centrifuge, to break the cell membranes.
"The DNA is a mixture of different amino acids…" thought Peter, as he placed them in a liquid chromatography machine, which separated the amino acids.
"Now…to obtain a clean sample of the nitrogenous bases that make up these amino acids…and voila!" he continued, as he managed to obtain a clean sample of DNA.
"Now to track down Morbius. Vampire bats prefer dark and damp places, much like graveyards, but I doubt Morbius would visit any, especially since Jean has many cops stationed there. The only other place I can think of…where Morbius can hide without any suspicions would be Upstate New York…at Howe Caverns!" exclaimed Peter, pocketing the antidote and swinging away.
Peter made it to Howe Caverns, where the main entrance was destroyed.
"Yep. Morbius was definitely here, all right," thought Peter, as he jumped down towards the entrance, noticing a trail of black footprints.
"And he left a trail for me to follow. How thoughtful," he said, as he made his way into the caves. They were well decorated, but at night it was pitch black, perfect for a bat.
The ceilings were really high and the passaged were quite wide. Peter was almost tempted to take off the mask and breathe heavily. The air had a very heavy smell, but Peter couldn't tell what.
He heard a growl from behind him.
Peter turned around, but there was nothing there. Nothing but pitch black.
As soon as Peter turned forward, he saw something run in front of him, but couldn't make out what in the darkness.
His Spider-Sense tingled as he looked up towards the rocky ceiling, only to see two blood red eyes staring back at him. Peter instinctively jumped out of the way as Morbius landed on the ground, slashing Peter across the chest.
"I can't take him out like this. Need light!" he said, as he ran deeper into the passageway, and reached a large circular room, each which gave way to 4 different caves.
Peter shot a web into the second, and ran into the third.
Morbius entered the circular room, and noticed the web on the second cave. He walked towards it, but before he walked in, he stopped, and started to make a clicking sound. After around 20 clicks, he whipped his head to the third cave and entered, still making that sound.
He then lifted his arm to the ceiling, grabbing Spider-Man's leg and throwing him into the circular room again.
"Echolocation?! Come on, that's just unfair!" protested Peter, as Morbius lunged at him, pinning him towards a wall as he revealed his fangs. However, Peter webbed his face and kicked off of the wall, running back to the entrance of the cave.
"Since when did my life become an episode of The Vampire Diaries?" Spider-Man asked himself. He heard Morbius running towards him. Morbius grabbed Peter and slammed him into the cave wall, and threw him out of the cave.
Both of them were out of the cave now, and Spider-Man could finally see clearly. Morbius squinted a little, with the moonlight in his eyes. Spider-Man had an idea.
Morbius charged at him, but Spider-Man took out his camera and aimed it at Morbius.
"Say cheese!" he exclaimed, as he took a picture of Morbius with the flash on. The flash stunned Morbius as he staggered back, clutching his eyes. Peter quickly jumped onto Morbius' back and poured the antidote down his throat.
Morbius fell to the ground, convulsing in pain as his fangs retracted, his skin turned back to normal, and he shrunk back to normal height.
"Dr Morbius?" asked Peter. Morbius blinked, as he tried to get up.
"Spider-Man? Did the experiment work?" asked Morbius.
"No, I'm sorry. You tried splicing your DNA with a vampire bat's didn't you?" asked Peter, as Michael nodded in shame.
"It was based off of Curt Connor's research on Subtractive Hybridization. Guess it didn't work as well as I'd hoped," said Michael.
"I do recall you saving my life a while back, when I was just starting out. I guess I owe you one," said Peter.
"I guess…but it should've worked. At least that's what the man said. His research was outstanding," said Michael, piquing Peter's curiosity.
"Wait, who told you this?" asked Peter.
"A businessman. I can't remember his name, but his motto was "All the Truest work you could find," or something like that. He had put emphasis on "Truest" and "All,"" said Morbius. That's when it clicked inside Peter's head.
"All the Truest work you could find,"
"All Truest"
"Altruist."
And that's that! I've been wanting to do Morbius for a while now, and I'm glad I was able to! And yes, Carlie Cooper has been officially introduced into the story!
As for other news, I finally published The Totally Awesome Invincible Deadpool! Do check it out and tell me what you think! s/13809333/1/The-Totally-Awesome-Invincible-Deadpool
Copy paste the link in your browser if you can't click on it!
redbirds12: Thanks! Honestly the idea of integrating Deadpool into a story all started from an idea I had where the characters talk to the author. And I realized that the only one who could do that would be Deadpool! And I hope you love the spinoff!
Guest (1): Can't believe I missed that! I'll just correct it quick, thanks!
Marvel Nerd: Thanks!
Guest (2): Of course it's not, haha!
Yours Truly,
Shadow Strike.