BLACK WINGS Chapter 8- I Have Seen The Face Of Hate, And It Is My Own by Justin Anderson June 27, 2002. Manhattan, 11:23 AM Cletus crouched on the ledge, making a quick survey of the streets below. He made no moves as Spider-Man joined him. "Any luck?" Parker asked. "Fuck no... I know he's in this city. Either that thing's alive, or we'll find a pile of dust. We hurt it pretty bad..." Cletus replied. "Cletus, maybe you should-" "NO! He's mine... all mine, and when I get my hands on him..." Spider-Man backed off. Cletus had been rather disconnected from reality since Carnage tried to bond with him. It showed. Cletus jumped as his radio crackled. He grabbed for it. "This is unit alpha, we have the target! He just came- urk-" He knew that his contact was dead. "Unit alpha," he said to himself. "42nd Street. We got him!" 11:30 AM Carnage laughed like a maniac as he killed everyone in sight. He was enjoying this. He dodged gunfire with ease, and cars made effective tools for crowd control. At least, when thrown. He wasn't looking for attention. To him, it was relaxation. And seeing Spider-Man headed towards him only increased his excitement. "Awright! Time to squash the spider!" he yelled out. Carnage dodged a flying kick, swinging blades wildly. They missed, but so were Spider-Man's blows. Carnage moved unusually fast. "Keep it up, wall-crawler! I'm enjoyin' this! Like OLD TIMES!" he shouted. Leaping back, Spider-Man left Carnage in the middle of the street. He was smart enough to know something was coming. Parker knew Carnage was no idiot, but he hoped he left the killer little time to react. He almost did. Carnage smelled something wrong. Before Kasady could swing in and land a well-placed hit, Carnage spun and grabbed the hero, spinning and tossing him through a window. He shouted, "You gotta be quicker than THAT! Now, Spidey, I'm gonna pull a few legs off-" Carnage was smart, but not too bright. Cletus headed towards Carnage at lightning speed, tackling him. He landed a number of blows. Carnage was down. Cletus turned to Parker. "You all right?" he asked. "Yeah, but-" Parker could barely speak. Before he realized what had happened, Carnage rose, smashing a chunk of pavement into the back of Kasady's head, sending him to the ground. He barely moved, as Carnage stood above him. "You move, Spidey, and I'll tear him apart. Then, I'll tear this city apart. Now, then..." Carnage bent over, keeping his eyes on Spider-Man. He picked Cletus up by his shirt. "I like it... no, really, it's a wonderful JOKE!" Cletus regained his eyesight. He was staring face to face with Carnage. The symbiote pulled itself back. Cletus was too horrified to even scream. Spider-Man had also shrunk back in fear. "Yeah, I LIKE IT! Even looks like me," Carnage said. Cletus struggled, trying to get away. Parker couldn't believe what he saw. Carnage had a new host. A man named Cletus Kasady. He laughed at his captive. "So, THIS is what happened while I was out of it... funny. But the joke's over," he shouted. Carnage spun on his heels, gaining speed, finally letting the Black Wings go. He cackled like an idiot as the hero went through a brick wall. The symbiotic mask reforming, he turned to Spider-Man. "Now, you," he said. "No... I don't know who or WHAT you are, but I won't let you have your way!" Spider-Man said. "Oh, no! I don't want a spanking, daddy! Please don't beat me!" Parker lost control, rushing the killer, landing an assault of punches and kicks. Carnage laughed the entire time. "Oh, please, that tickles..." Carnage allowed the assault to continue. He could take care of Spider-Man at his leisure. Until he felt a chunk of concrete smack into him. He turned to see the Black Wings. "Carnage, I don't know where you got that body from, but I hope you saved the receipt," he said. He palm-slapped Carnage in the face, sending the killer backwards. "You fight like a girl, too! Hey, you act like one, so why not-!" Carnage was taken down by a barrage of fists. "Spidey, as soon as I knock him out, you web him up and-" "I don't think so!" Carnage shouted. He sprang upward. From the air, he noticed a barrage of police cars. "Too many people showin' up uninvited! Come on, CLETUS, I ain't through with you!" Carnage sailed off into the air, laughing. Cletus instinctively followed. He swung on tendril lines, chasing the monster, but failing to keep an even pace. He lost Carnage. 11:42 PM Cletus Kasady walked out from a back alley onto the busy streets. Cars were moving slowly, the traffic at a crawl from the mass of cars escaping from Carnage. People ran down the sidewalks. Cletus stepped up to a young woman pushing a baby carriage. The woman was startled as the man, dressed in an undershirt and jeans, stood in her way. "Hello, ma'am! Come with me, I can get you to safety!" "Th...thank you!" she said. Kasady led her through the crowd, ducking into a nearby alley. Pausing, he saw a shape coming through the sky. He recognized it. "Miss, that's a lovely little baby..." he said. He bent down, his hands grabbing ahold of the child. "...I think I'll take it!" He morphed in front of the mother, stepping out onto the streets. The crowd panicked. The Black Wings quickly landed nearby, drawing a pistol. "Oh, you don't wanna do THAT!" Carnage shouted. He held the child in front of him. Cletus lowered the weapon. Carnage took his cue to jump onto the top of a light pole, sturdy enough to hold his weight. "Carnage, think this through! You want me, not the kid!" "I know. You know. But the kid doesn't! But, hey, let's be reasonable. You wanna talk, fine!" he shouted. He leapt to the face of a building, climbing high above the crowd. Cletus slowly approached. A pedestrian blocked him, screaming. "Calm down! I need to..." "Please, save my baby! PLEASE... oh, no.... NO!" she screamed. "I know... I won't let that monster hurt your child," he said. He followed Carnage, keeping a safe distance. "I can't believe you even exist! It breaks some sort of established rule! I don't know how, or WHY you have'ta be some sort of hero!" Carnage said. "Somehow, I doubt YOU exist for a good reason," Cletus shouted. "That hurts! Really! After all, I'd expect more from you," Carnage said. "But then again, you ain't me! You look like me, but you ain't me!" Carnage dangled the child, enjoying the screaming. Enjoying watching his counterpart sweat. "You know, I was brought back for a reason, Cletus... we're brothers! Just that... well, you're the little brother I don't like! You're a mistake, and I- CATCH!" Carnage tossed his hostage, escaping. Cletus couldn't follow. He went after the child, bringing it safely to the ground. Handing off to a police officer, he headed for the sky, hoping to catch up to Carnage. It wasn't easy, but he managed. It seemed too easy to him. Carnage landed in an alley, waiting for him. He set down, flinging himself at the killer with a series of punches. They missed. Not once did Carnage return a swing. Cletus landed his fist against a wall, near a pipe. He saw an opportunity. Grabbing it, his next swing ripped it free, the steel connecting. Carnage reeled backwards. "I tried to play nice... but for that, I'll tear you apart!" Carnage took his turn to fight. Kasady barely dodged, his symbiotic mask forming to help avoid being cut. Ducking back, Cletus felt a hand grab him. He was brought down by a massive electric current. "About time you showed up!" Carnage shouted. Carnage let into Cletus, a fury of punches and kicks knocking him out. He laughed at the unconscious hero. "Well, that was fun... too bad Mr. hero didn't turn out to be much of a fight. Then again, he's cheap and his symbiote's cheap," Carnage taunted. "So, what now? We'd better get outta here! Spider-Man, the cops, the freakin' government are after us! And Screl said he was gonna ask for payment soon!" "Yeah, yeah... know what, Electro? you're right. But... I need to take care of something first..." 11:51 AM Cletus wandered into the open. Spider-Man waited with the Army. Henry Johnson threw down the maps he was writing on. "Ohh... Electro's with him. Carnage ran off. I just got away from Electro. We'd better get moving," he said. "Cletus, you okay?" Agent Johnson asked. "Yeah... just a bit out of it. I took a good beating. I'll be fine." "Good. All right, let's spread out!" he ordered. The men began gathering into small scout groups, crowding into Jeeps. Cletus approached Spider-Man. He asked, "Carnage may be leaving the city. What do you think?" "I'm not sure... some firepower might not be a bad idea. What do you have on you?" Parker asked. "Huh?... oh..." He feverishly searched his coat. "Nothing. I guess Electro swiped it," he explained. "That's... odd. Neither of them use guns." "Well, they have them!" Cletus shouted. Spider-Man turned, facing down the street. Cletus grinned. As the final Jeep was ready to pull out, Agent Johnson hit the brakes. He was eyeing a small device. "Wait... something's wrong." "What is it?" a private asked. Agent Johnson didn't answer him, instead shouting, "Spider-Man, watch out!" Parker barely avoided a blade meant to take his head off. Leaping forward, he landed on the hood. "Spider-Man! Cletus has a small chip implanted in his head," Agent Johnson explained. "That man..." Spidey held Carnage off as Johnson ordered the soldiers to surround him. "Carnage, what did you do to him?" Spider-Man demanded. "Nothing much. I kind of like this look, though!" His clothing changed into the symbiotic skin. In the confusion, no one noticed a small blip approaching on the tiny monitor. No one, until a figure dropped from the sky, landing in front of Carnage, firing several rounds at him. "Fake Cletus? But... who cares?" The two wrestled, Carnage finally breaking free and backing off. "Come on! Race ya! Central Park? Lotsa people ta kill!" He ran, cackling. Cletus stared, losing patience. He followed, leaping through the buildings as fast as he could travel. Parker, ready to follow, was nearly taken down by a blast of electricity. 'Electro...' He couldn't see the villain, but knew where the blast came from. He headed towards the source. Johnson eyed the small gathering of military personnel. "Err.... well? FOLLOW ME!" he shouted. He floored his Jeep down the streets of Manhattan. 4:23 PM Cletus paused on a rooftop. He was beginning to tire. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, and the past four hours had been pure hell. The shock was too much. Not only seeing his face again inside that body, but it mocked him. It called him "fake". He was sick of the situation. He wanted answers, but he also wanted... something else. Revenge? No... he didn't know what he wanted. "Aww, poor baby! Naptime, widdle baby?" Carnage was behind him. "C'mon, I still wanna play! Ah... there's some play mates!" He ran off before Cletus could jump him. The chase resumed. 4:38 PM "Come on an' catch me, you freak! Keep up and I'll- hey, what the...?" Carnage's line missed its target as he swung around the corner. In the confusion, he fell, landing in the middle of a large pile of rubble. Standing, he eyed the pile of wreckage that surrounded him. "Hey... weren't there a couple of big BUILDINGS HERE!?" he shouted, not even expecting an answer. The World Trade Center was gone, and he had fallen fifty stories to the ground as a result, with the Black Wings following him. "Someone's gonna PAY for this! I don't care who! God dammit!" 8:24 PM Carnage paused above the city. He was getting tired, himself, but it wasn't why he stopped; he'd lost sight of his counterpart. "Hmm... he's not following me..." Below, several vehicles pulled up, Spider-Man joining them. "Hold it! The signal stops here," Agent Johnson shouted. "Cletus up there?" Parker asked. "Yeah... that chip proved useful. He's... above us somewhere." Carnage eyes the gathering. He was a bit suspicious. "Strange. They couldn't know I'm here... hey, the spider! I'll kill that Electro! I told him to-" Carnage reeled as he was smashed into from behind. His body sailed, impacting the roof. Slightly dazed, he pulled himself up. "Cleeeee-TUS! That was cute... but, now I'm-" He dropped as a bullet took him in the chest. Gurgling from his throat accompanied his body collapsing to the roof. Cletus stood above it, watching carefully. Carnage wasn't breathing. "You're a born loser... Cletus Kasa-URK" Carnage sprang, grabbing his throat. Face to face, both men stared at their mirror image. The mangled bullet fell from the symbiotic costume. It had never penetrated the skin. "You're even dumber than I heard," Carnage taunted. Cletus was thrown across the roof, landing at the edge. Rising, he stared down the beast. "Oh... there we go. I saw it! That look... yeah, you're going crazy. C'mon, embrace it. You can't be a hero... you know what you are!" "Oh, I know... but you," he said, "are nothing but a mistake!" He sprang, jumping the creature. Cletus flung blades and tendrils at his target, matching Carnage in speed and weaponry. Both men took blow after blow, each hoping to gain an advantage. And one man did. Cletus missed. Carnage grabbed Cletus by the wrist. "Enjoy..." Carnage pulled down with incredible force. Cletus felt his elbow snap. The pain welled inside, forcing him to scream. It was heard across the city. He stumbled, holding his right arm. "Yeah, that's it. Cry about it, you little pussy!" Carnage shouted. Carnage pushed him down, stepping directly on his left knee. It shattered. "Yeah, I know what you are now. You're a scared little boy. I know you. How many times was I put down, because YOU had to rattle inside my head?" Carnage kicked him around, laughing at the man's misery. "Well, not anymore. I AM the ultimate insanity!" he screamed. He picked up the fallen hero, carrying him to the ledge. "They said you're an immortal. Maybe Jacobs wasn't such a freakin' nut after all! But everyone dies. I'm gonna prove it!" He dangled Cletus above the streets. "So... what was it? The Black Wings? Well... FLY!" He threw the man into the air. Cletus plummeted, half conscious. Even if he was reactive, his limbs were nearly useless, and the pain disabled his own symbiote. It was over. The crowd on the ground scattered as the object neared. Cletus struck the roof of a car, glass flying, and Cletus Kasady slipping into unconsciousness. The dust settling, Henry Johnson checked the body. "Dammit! Carnage is still up there!" Spider-Man headed up the building. "Hey! Where are you going?" Agent Johnson demanded. "I don't care what he said, this has to end!" Carnage laughed at his victory. He had proved himself superior. No one would use his face in the name of good. He was pleased with himself. He was Cletus Kasady. Insane. Dangerous. Carnage. "You ruined everything! What he tried to build, and you threw it away!" a voice from behind shouted. "That voice..." Carnage was punched in the face before he could react. He stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. "You should have finished us off when you had the chance!" "Venom... about TIME you showed up!" Carnage shouted. "Yes. We knew that symbiote was up to something! We don't care WHAT you are!" Venom pummeled Carnage, moving too fast for his opponent to fight back. He was furious. "Now, we shall eat your symbiote once again! And we shall eat your brains! We can guarantee you, this time, you won't return!" Carnage replied, "Bring it on, 'dad'! I killed an immortal, you should be no problem!" Leaping, Carnage prepared to take Venom in the throat. But in his short flight, he couldn't prepare for the chunk of concrete Venom had ripped free from the roof, which was shattered across his face. Carnage stumbled. It was too much, he was too dizzy. Spider-Man neared the battle as Carnage stepped towards the opposite ledge. He could only watch as Carnage fell towards the ground. ".... hoooooooolllllly SHHHHIIII-" Carnage hit the pavement, shattering the surface. Slowly, he stood, wobbling. He could barely see. Guns trained on him, he did the only thing his position allowed. He passed out. 8:57 PM Cletus Kasady was loaded into the back of an ambulance. That was the easy part. The trick was getting Carnage strapped in to a hibernation capsule for transport. He had suffered none of the injuries his twin had from the fall, but was fairly dizzy. "What's going to happen to them?" Venom asked. "I don't know, Eddie... Carnage will be locked up. Studied. Cletus... I don't know." "That's just great! Cletus may never be the same, while his unbalanced clone goes on about his usual business! Let us KILL Carnage! Finish this!" Venom shouted. "No. Not... yet. We don't know what he is, and I'd like to find out first. In case any more show up..." 9:11 PM, Washington, D..C. "Anyone have ANY idea what's going on? Please, humor me. LIE, for all I care, just tell me SOMETHING!" General Peterson was not in a good mood. This copy that showed up had him on the warpath. "We'll know a little more when he arrives. We can do tests to determine what he is. Probably a clone, but it's hard to say right now," his advisor explained. The door to the small office swung open. "General... we found a few items of question on a man arrested at JFK about an hour ago... man's name is Jonathan Screl. He had some... interesting documents and equipment on him." "Al-Queda?" the General asked. "Hardly..." Notes: Set within the Marvel universe, I will be using my own continuity, mixed with new characterizations for some established characters from Marvel's story universe. These stories are a sequel to my fiction series Maximum Carnage. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and others are copyright Marvel Comics. Jack Arden, Raicaak, and others are copyright myself. Other characters appearing may be owned by separate parties. I make no claim of copyright on any character I do not own, only on these stories and those I do own. Characters used without permission/not for profit. These are strictly fan stories. Permission to reprint extends to placing this text, unaltered, elsewhere online. It may not be altered, and especially NOT TO BE SOLD, unless Marvel wishes to license this series from me. Black Wings song and lyrics copyright Tom Waits.
