Scarlet Spider #5 - Crack of the Whip

It had been a hard day for murderer known only as the Wild Whip. It had been a week since he had escaped from the laboratory where he ran into the equally psychotic Kaine. The Wild Whip was still nurturing his scarred face after being branded with the 'Mark of Kaine' as he continued to fight past the violent stinging. Now, the murderer was spending his time scouring New York searching for the man he held responsible for his six year imprisonment in Ravencroft, prison for the criminally insane. The man he was looking for of course was Ben Reilly who was now calling himself the Scarlet Spider. The Wild Whip stood on the corner of a street and stopped. He then cracked his whip a couple of times with a fiery hatred, not only causing a flash of bright light but also causing a flurry of litter to lift up into the wind.

"Ben, it's great to see you're still with us," greeted the gruff Daily Grind customer, Buzz. He then extended his hand to Ben Reilly who grabbed it and shook. "Great to be back," Ben replied, he then paused thinking for something to say. "So." Buzz looked at him over his glasses, Ben who never really knew Buzz then came out with the only think he could think of: "So how's the Bugle been?" Ben could see what was coming next like a swarm of bees coming over the horizon and he prepared to brace himself. "Don't get me started on the Bugle," Buzz exclaimed, "First they add the hypocritical, smug fool: Norman Osborn to the ranks by making him in charge, they then lose that Robertson guy and as soon as he comes back Osborn is gone and out of the picture. Not to mention the lack of quality in stories after the Green Goblin literally brought down the Bugle building." Buzz continued to drone on, paying attention to nothing else but his voice as Ben looked over his shoulder to see Desiree giggling. Buzz then looked at his watch to see the time was well past 7pm and said, "I better go - poker. Good to see you back." With that he swiftly walked out the café door. "Ben. Can I see you in the back for a moment," called Shirley Washington, waving her finger as a sign for Ben to follow which he of course did.

"I'm not sure if Desiree told you this already." Shirley stopped; she looked to the ground placing her left hand over her mouth. "I've contracted cancer. They say it's incurable. I've had all the scans and I'm predicted to only have a couple of months left." Ben put an arm on her shoulder and said the only thing he could in this situation - "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about me. It's Devon I'm worried about. His Dad wants to take him back, we had a long talk, but I'm still not sure what to do with the Grind. I don't want to sell it, but." she paused and looked up at Ben, "A job." she muttered to herself, "Your job. Do you want your old job back?" Ben could tell she was changing the subject but this was an offer he could not refuse, "If that's okay with you?" "Yeah, that's fine, we'd love you to come back." "Thanks." Ben stopped and looked at Shirley, "And, if there's anything I can do to help you or Devon I'd be more than happy to." Shirley looked at him and quickly covered her mouth again as a tear began rolling down her cheek. She then grabbed Ben in an embrace as she carried on crying, "When do you want to start?"

The walk back to Desiree's apartment had, for the most part, been a quiet one. But not just because neither of them had nothing to say but because they could both sense an eerie feeling of being followed. Neither one of them exactly could put their fingers on it but every now and then they'd hear a funny noise and one of them would glance behind. Ironically neither Desiree nor Ben told each other of the feeling thinking they were just being paranoid and silly. Suddenly a menacing laugh came from behind them, one that Ben Reilly had not heard for a long time but still had trouble forgetting. "Desiree," Ben murmured. "Yes." "I think we're being followed." "Really?" "Yeah," Ben stated. "I can't put my finger on it exactly, but I just thought I heard a laugh." "Okay. "Did you hear anything?" "Uh huh." Before either of them could continue a loud buzzing noise could went from behind them causing them both to turn round to see a dark figure run back up the street they were just walking down. "Who was that? What was that buzzing noise?" Desiree asked Ben with a puzzled look. "It may sound strange but I think I may have met him before. Wait a sec what did you say that noise was?" Ben asked as if he had just put the pieces of the puzzle together. "A buzzing noise?" Desiree then thought what significance that had. "BUZZ?" Without saying a word Ben quickly ran into an alleyway taking off his day clothes revealing his red spandex underneath, then he pulled out his blue sweat shirt from his back pack to complete his Scarlet Spider ensemble.

Buzz was one of these people who could see even the most exciting and surprising events as 'just another day' using his cynical attitude to get himself through yet another 'shock' and now would be no different. He walked down the street; the latest issue of the Daily Bugle tightly gripped in his hands when all of a sudden he heard a figure pounce behind him. "Boo!" the figure yelled. Buzz turned round and looked at his issue of the Daily Bugle. "Hmmm, you would be the 'Wild Whip'." The Wild Whip looked at him menacingly, walking towards Buzz in an intimidating fashion, "Yep that sounds about right." Instead of being scared though Buzz looked at his newspaper, quickly skimming through the text. "Hmmm. Here we go: You were originally defeated after viciously murdering several people by an unnamed vigil." Before Buzz could continue the Wild Whip interrupted, "He had a name, it was Ben." Determined that he was not going to be interrupted Buzz cut through the Wild Whip's sentence - ".by an unnamed vigilante. You carry a whip, hence the name; recently you escaped Ravencroft where you have since gone into hiding. Until now apparently." Buzz stroked his beard and replaced his glasses further up his nose. Buzz watched, waiting for the Wild Whip to strike or say something but instead was once again not astonished as a large scarlet foot, belonging to the Scarlet Spider, came flying into the Wild Whip's jaw. The Wild Whip's jaw began bleeding, but he quickly wiped it - "I've been looking for you." With that he cracked his whip. Buzz placed a silent bet with himself if the Scarlet Spider would dodge it, and he did. "Long time no see," the Scarlet Spider shouted as he launched himself at the Wild Whip again. Buzz seemed the unimpressed at the antics of the two and began folding up his newspaper in a neat and immaculate fashion. Suddenly an article about taxes caught his eye and he unfolded his newspaper and began reading it. The article was fairly long and by the time he finally refolded the tabloid the fight was over and Scarlet Spider stood over a webbed up Wild Whip. "Hmmm." Buzz grunted. "You're welcome," the Scarlet Spider said sarcastically as he shot a web line up onto a building ledge and began swinging off into the horizon. "Hmmm." Buzz said unimpressed as he turned around again to walk to his poker game.

Half an hour later at the new apartment of Ben Reilly. "I just don't understand why he'd return after all this time and how he'd know I was now the Scarlet Spider. The last time I saw him was when Traveller set all the inmates at Ravencroft free." Ben Reilly explained to Desiree Winthrop as he paced up and down putting his tee shirt on. "What was that weird scar on his face.?" Desiree asked inquisitively. Suddenly something ticked in Ben's brain. "The scar, he'd had that large scar on his face. Only one man could have given him that scar and as impossible as it sounds I think it means Kaine is back in New York."

"He knows of Kaine's return. Things couldn't be more perfect." Declared Traveller, to his loyal Host: Mr. Nacht, Boone and Medea as he stood in the warehouse he had been basing himself in for the last few weeks.

Knock. Knock. Ben Reilly got off the sofa leaving to Desiree to watch the TV as he got up to answer the door. As he got to the door he looked through the peephole to see no one there, but he opened the door anyway to see yet another surprise. Chakra burst in through the door falling to her knees in exhaustion as Desiree quickly rushed to the door with Ben, who tried to hold Chakra up who kept repeating the words "He betrayed us, he betrayed both of us."

The End