Spider-Man : Hunted

part 10

The guard slumped over his desk, his head hitting its surface with a loud bang. He was out cold. Macendale smiled to himself. No matter how successful Oscorp was, no matter how much money they made, they would always have poorly trained security personell. It was like an unwritten rule.

Orange smoke twirled and filled the room. A gloved hand pressed a button on the laboratory wall, opening up the air ventilation which had been closed only minutes earlierOnce the vapors had cleared, Macendale removed his gas mask. The lab was completely empty apart from the several unconscious guards. He stealthily made his way to the centre of the laboratory, to the chamber. The chamber where the Green Goblin had gotten his power from. Macendale had no doubt this was where the terrorist had originated. He stepped into the glass chamber, and looked at the ceiling of the chamber. He extended a gloved hand and removed a metal cylinder from a compartment in the roof. He turned it around, and read the wording on the side. " Soon. " He whispered to himself, slipping the container into his backpack. Silently, he left the scene of the crime.

****

Peter frowned, as he watched Mary Jane's sleeping form. What was she thinking, he wondered. He had told her just a few hours earlier he'd considered giving up being Spider-Man. He thought he sensed her disappointment when he told her about his decision. The truth was, he didn't know whether he'd be better off giving up the super hero gig. What about the defenceless people of New York? They needed a protector. What if there was another kid who had to lose a father, the way he lost Uncle Ben? He didn't want anyone to go through what he did. He shook his head. He'd gone through this all before. He had decided that he would not do the selfish thing and give up. Peter Parker wasn't a quitter. No matter how bad things got.

Peter grinned to himself as he affirmed the decision. Spider-Man was here to stay. He crossed the bedroom floor silently, and opened Mary Jane's bedroom window. A light breeze lifted a lock of her red hair, it was almost as if she were waving to him. Peter blew her a silent kiss. Just as he was about to scramble through the open window, his spider-sense flared. He stuck his head outside, and scanned the side of the building. Another one of those robotic spiders was scrambling about, right below M.J's window.

He extended his pinky and forefinger, a line of webbing shot out of his wrist and attached to the mechanical spider. He yanked it to him, and smashed his fist into it, disabling the device.

Mary Jane stirred, and mumbled something in her sleep. Carefully, Peter carried the remains of the spider tracker to her dining room, and dumped it on the table. He studied the workings of the mechanical spider for a while, and came across something which sparked his interest." Weird, " Peter said to himself.

" What is that? " Mary Jane was standing in the doorway, looking like she had just woken up. She rubbed her eyes and walked to Peter sleepily. " What have ya got there, Tiger? "

" It's one of those spider tracker robot thingies, " Peter explained. " But what's interesting is that it transmits a frequency that sets off my spider-sense. Even when I'm not in danger. "

Mary Jane's eyes widened. " Why would it do that? "

Peter shrugged. " I doubt the scientists at Oscorp figured on that happening. It's probably just a coincidence. But I could use something like this. " He probed around inside the robot spider and produced a small metal fragment, not much bigger than a watch battery. " There we go! " He exclaimed. " This is the transmitter. Just as I thought, it's small enough to be useful. "

Peter shoved the transmitter into the back of his jeans pocket, and turned to Mary Jane. " Sorry if I woke you up, M.J. " His blue eyes looked sincerely apologetic.

She smiled warmly. " It wasn't you. I was thirsty, and got up to get a drink of water. "

" Well... I've been thinking. About what I said earlier, about giving up... I changed my mind. "

Mary Jane hugged him. " If you feel that's the right thing to do, Peter, then it's okay. I'm not going to stand in your way whatever you decide. "

" Thank you. " He whispered in her ear, and kissed her neck.

She shivered slightly, and hugged him tighter. " You'll always do the right thing, I know you by now Tiger. "

****

Harry twitched in his sleep. His dreams still kept him half awake most of the time. He sat upright in his bed when he heard footsteps outside his bedroom, in the hallway. The young man swung his legs off the bed, rubbing his eyes for a moment. " I must be hearing things. " He said to himself, and walked to his door. Then he heard it again. Clearly. Heavy footsteps, pacing the hallway right outside his bedroom.

The young man frowned. The servants surely would all be asleep. And they'd know better than to disturb him from a good night's sleep. He was about to yell at them to leave, when he heard the voice. His father's voice. " Harry? "

" Father? " Harry swung his bedroom door wide open. He looked up and down the hall but could see nothing. " Dad?? " Harry called out again, deeply disturbed. " What's happening to me? Am I hearing voices? "

Just then, he heard a noise coming from downstairs. He ran down the long flight of stairs and scanned the dimly lit room. " Dad, is that you!? "