Symbiotes and Surprises Chapter Five

     We posed a lot of interesting questions last chapter, so we won't burden you with them this time around. If you've followed this story, you know well enough that our hero is in grave danger as all this comes together to form a death trap for Spidey. However, we also find the lives of several important villains at stake as we move closer to a thrilling climax!

     Shocker fell through the foggy sky, crying out with remorse at how close he was to ending his toil. With the completion of his assignment, he would have gained enough money to move to move somewhere faraway, somewhere free of Spider-Man. But now, his life was about to be brought to an end because of him being unaware when he most needed awareness. He looked up to see a faintly discernable helicopter floating above him. Probably the Kingpin's chopper. He thought bitterly, nearing the pavement. Come to clean up his mess.

     Suddenly, something clicked in Shocker's mind. He has used me. He realized, And now I will use him.

     Shocker opened up fire on the helicopter, twin vibro shock blasts shearing through the bottom of it and ripping it in half. Shocker smiled, proud that his final mission had been carried out. He then hit the water of the waiting fountain, wondering if there was any way to escape his doomed fate.

     The Kingpin was not happy. He had rushed to the Red Skull's hideout in order to witness Shocker finish off the Red Skull only to nearly witness himself being finished off by Shocker. His plans had gone haywire, and he had nothing to show for it. And, on top of that, judging by Shocker's nearly lifeless body, the Red Skull was still alive.

     The Kingpin landed on the ground, pulling off his parachute pack and approaching Shocker's limp body. "You always were useless." He said, picking Shocker up by his costume. "But I didn't notice it until now." He flung the body onto the nearby city street, surprised by the silence, silence that indicated that the police were not aware of the situation yet.

     He grimaced as a large car rolled out of a nearby garage and into the street, immediately recognizing the man in the passenger's seat: the Red Skull. The car rumbled past him, crushing Shocker's lifeless body beneath it. The Kingpin spat at it, a futile gesture of defeat.

     Peter Parker returned home after one of the longest days of his crime-fighting career. He collapsed on his couch, panting with exertion.

     "Rough day, Tiger?" Mary Jane said, smiling and patting him on the back

     "You could say that." Peter answered, smiling right back, "Since I was beat up by a couple of not so average joes and discovered that one of my greatest foes is even more powerful than he was."

     "That's not so bad." Mary Jane answered, laughing, "I had to model ten different styles for two different companies. Compared to that, crime-fighting is a piece of cake."

     "Hard to top that." Peter said, giggling. "Although, personally, I'd take the modeling. But then again …"

     "That's just your opinion. I'd take the super hero job any day."

     "Well, that' s no problem. Here's the costume and the web-shooters. You're set."

     "Hey!" Mary Jane laughed, "I meant WITH the super powers."

     "Oh, is that so?" Peter asked, smiling. "Well, then I believe a trip to K-Mart is in order. I hear they've got radioactive spiders at 50% off."

     At the Parker's house, all was right. At the Kingpin's new lair, all was wrong. His plan had gone haywire. One of his most valuable employees was dead. However, he still had one more card to play. That particular card just happened to be black.

     "I'm still in, boss." The Black Rhino said, trying to ease the Kingpin's rage. "And we can still get Spider-Man. And, lest we forget, you did force the Red Skull to relocate."

     "Yes, but he will be back. The Red Skull is no fool, he will wait to strike, but time will not be enough to heal the wounds created today." The Kingpin answered bluntly. "Now go. Kill Spider-Man. If you do not succeed, all is lost, including your employment."

     "Of course, Wilson." The Black Rhino answered, turning to leave.

     "That is the Kingpin to you." The Kingpin answered, grimacing.

     It just wasn't Peter's day. A promising day at home with MJ had been ruined by the appearance of the Black Rhino. Spider-Man wasn't just disappointed, though. He was genuinely afraid. With the Black Rhino, Spidey lost his element of surprise and awareness. He couldn't detect the Black Rhino's presence, and the Black Rhino could detect his. Not to mention that the Black Rhino was stronger, faster, and more agile than Spidey.

     Peter changed into his costume quickly, ready to spin into action. The Black Rhino had last been spotted in downtown Manhattan, wrecking cars and buildings for no apparent reason. But I know the reason. Spidey thought. And I really wish I didn't.

     What do you have to do for some attention around here? The Black Rhino kept asking himself. This is the eleventh care, not to mention the second Benz, I've wrecked, and I haven't seen so much as a web. Where's the web-slinger when you really need him? He hurled the expensive Mercedes into a nearby office complex, shattering the glass surrounding the front door. He then picked up an old Cadillac, noticing that the parking meter had expired. I can see it now, He thought, shaking his head, Black Rhino testifies that the cars in question were out of parking time anyways. He giggled, only to hear another voice giggle with him as his new "rhino-sense" flared. He heard a voice coming from on top of the car he was about to hurl.

     "What, you don't like the style?" Spidey cracked jumping off the car. "I mean, sure, I prefer the 87' edition myself, but that's no way to take out your anger. Besides, you could get arrested for property destruction."

     "That's the last I've heard of your .."

     "Corny wisecracks." Spider-Man finished the Black Rhino's sentence. "I know the whole "What to Say When Spider-Man's Making Corny Jokes to You" handbook by heart."

     "I bet you do." The Black Rhino answered, charging at Spider-Man, horn first."

     "Sharp objects are dangerous." Spider-Man scolded mockingly, "Especially when you're trying to drive then into your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's heart."

     Spidey dodged the blow, using the Black Rhino's back to launch onto a nearby wall. He then pushed off the wall and landed right behind the Black Rhino. The Black Rhino turned, but not quite fast enough. Spider-Man landed a solid set of punches right into his knee-caps. He then launched over his spinning foe, landing another set of punches right onto the back of his head. However, the Black Rhino turned around fast enough this time. He picked up Spider-Man, trying to crush him into his chest like the Kingpin had done so many times. Spidey wriggled free, but not fast enough to avoid a major case of aching ribs. He then leaped across the street to "safety". The Black Rhino leaped across to, but Spidey already was prepared for him. He lifted a car above his head and flung it at the Black Rhino. It hit him in mid-leap, and the Black Rhino collapsed to the street. He grunted as the car landed on top of his back. Three-thousand pounds were now baring down on an already injured Black Rhino. He strained, but his injured arms refused to provide the heave needed to move the car. Spider-Man watched as cars spun out of the street, narrowly avoiding a collision with the colossal vigilante. Spider-Man waited until he judged the Black Rhino was genuinely knocked out, and began to advance on the car. He slowly lifted it, watching for any signs of the Black Rhino only pretending to be hurt. He then threw the car away and lifted the massive figure over his shoulder. He panted over to the sidewalk and sat him down as police sirens approached. Then, the masked web-slinger spun off into the night, free of villains to contend with.

     Cletus Kasady had tried to locate the Red Skull, but there was no sign of him. Apparently, his "boss" had deserted him. Once again, Carnage was on his own. We'll kill Spider-Man soon enough. He thought, a red tentacle lashing out to bring an opened Diet Coke up to his lips, But not now. We must respect him now. He defeated our spawner, and proved that even we must be careful in dealing with him. Cletus smiled. But when we do get a plan, we won't just kill him. We'll eat him. We'll devour him, organ by organ. He won't have a chance.

      The Red Skull had relocated, but not too far away. He understood that he needed to regroup in order to defeat both the Kingpin and Spider-Man for good, but he also needed to observe them. He needed to watch them and observe the progressions in their lives. Then he would be able to strike. Then he would be able to kill. And when the Red Skull goes in for the kill, He thought to himself, The Red Skull kills who he wants.

     The Lizard ran off into the night, fueled by a lizard-like need for water. He found a pond, and slowly submerged himself, watching for approaching predators. The Lizard was in his habitat now. Not that I'll settle for that. He thought quietly, I'll only settle down when Spider-Man is dead. Then I will be able to "settle" myself. He bathed in the water, thinking of days to come and traps to be laid.

     Peter Parker had experienced a few days he would rather like to forget. Too many super-powered baddies could do that to a guy. However, rest had finally come. He greeted sleep with an open mind and rolled off into dreams of symbiotes and surprises.

The End

PLEASE COME BACK FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN MY SPIDER-MAN SERIES, THE EXCITINGLY UNTITLED SPIDER-MAN 2!