Maximum Carnage - 9/11 Returning Home - Cletus Kasady by Justin Anderson
I was unsure why I'd come back. The city held many bad memories for me. I'd seen it all on television, I didn't need to see this up close. I was punishing myself by coming back. Maybe I'd come here knowing it would be this bad, I wasn't sure. The city was filled with dust. Panic. The city ignored me. It was for the best, I guess. So many dead, so much damage. I was the last visual reminder these people needed. I had killed them. Saved them. Terrorized them, brought them peace. Threatened them, and comforted them. I knew why this had happened. The madmen responsible, the psychotic masterminds. There was no justification. No God, no retribution, nothing. They were praising this. This filthy species... no, I'm not human anymore. So what if I'm not? I have every right to badmouth humanity for this. They never learn, they never have. New York suffers because too few have hope, too many remain ignorant. How many times should they have simply killed Carnage? How many did he kill? I can't even remember. I can't remember how many I'D killed. A thousand, two thousand... Maybe they'll learn this time. Find the mastermind, put a bullet in his head. If they don't, I'd dread to think of what will happen. Carnage all over again. This city does not need this. But I know what will happen. People will scream no more innocent blood spilled, which will happen regardless. And how can I label anyone innocent as they celebrate in the streets of the Gaza Strip? Even now, loyal patriotic citizens are insisting that we'd asked for this. That we are a godless nation who brought this on ourselves, that none are innocent as we elected government officials, that their actions are our fault. Sometimes, I become convinced that only the innocent die. I was busy lighting candles for a store window display. The match broke in my hand. Bending to pick up the broken piece, I saw them. Magneto. Doom. Wilson Fisk. Octavius. Juggernaut. Even I knew they had nothing to do with this. I was too smart for that. They were here for the same reason I was. I'd heard rumors about Magneto. But he was no longer an idealist. He knew better, if half the rumors were right. Octavius was no murderer. Twisted as he was, he was a man of science. I knew the truth about Fisk. I knew the rumors. But this was his city. He would not do this. Juggernaut, a powerhouse. I'd even heard about him tangling with Venom once. No, this isn't him, he would never do this. And Doom. A ruthless dictator, if you bought into the rumors. I'd heard others. The people under his rule led happy lives, no starvation, no poverty. Sometimes, I wonder. What makes these people out to be so bad? Their deeds, or the inflated egos of the heroes who fight them? The heroes. They were asked to explain why they had let this happen. They couldn't. They didn't know, how could they? True, there were always warning signs, somewhere, but how could the heroes take the blame? How could Spider-Man take the blame? This was not his fault. This was the responsibility of Bill Clinton and George Bush, the men who had dropped the ball, ignored the signs. Something bad was going down. Someone was hassling Doom. I got the basic idea of the shouts. The city may not need me now, but they needed this less. I stepped in. "Hey! Go shout your accusations to those celebrating this!" I shouted back. "Leave him alone, he didn't do this!" I shouted again. The little prick ran off. There was no excuse for him. Not now. "Thank you," Doom said to me. Magneto had witnessed the argument. Fisk, Juggernaut, and Octavius were busy with their own affairs. "Cletus Kasady. I know you. Come, I've been here long enough," Doom said. "I have, too. This will not undo this," Magneto added. I accepted their invitation. They were right, they had been here long enough. Stare at it all they could, it would never change this. I had only been here half an hour. It had been half an hour too long. We found a quiet place. A restaurant on the upper east side, fancy place, closed for the day. The owner let us in. He recognized us, but had no problem letting us in. Today, these two were not the enemy. And people knew it. We had been offered a free meal. We settled on coffee. Neither of us had an appetite, and alcohol was the last thing we needed. "You're carrying a gun," Magneto said. The pistol was a bit restless under my shirt. I'd brought it out of a gut reaction. "So am I, Magneto. We all came armed," Doom defended. "Yeah," I said. "I just grabbed it, I don't know why. I guess I didn't know what to expect." "Did any of us?" Doom said. He wasn't expecting an answer. We didn't answer. "Dammit, how much more?" I shouted. "How much more of this until people start trying? Hasn't this city had enough?" Magneto sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps they will someday. I know what type of madmen did this. I used to be one. How wrong I was... you can not bring peace with more war." Doom said, "I know very well who did this. Muslim terrorists. Osama bin Laden. They were fortunate. This was almost too easy. This was an amateur job which worked too well! And what will happen when the United States falls? Who will they go after? MY PEOPLE? This was not an attack on the United States, this was an attack on all of us. This is inexcusable! My country... I will hunt them. They set foot in my country, it will be a mistake. I may even hunt them outside my borders, this will not go unpunished. I had countrymen in those towers! They had families, friends, where does it end? "Yet, how can we justify more senseless killing? How can I stop this without doing what they have done? How can we fight this?" Doom asked. Magneto replied, "I don't know. Humans operate on a basic level. This was not the mutants' fault. These were humans, killing humans, mutants, who knows? They kill us, they kill each other. Mister Kasady... please, offer us an insight." "Yes. Please do. We know better than to believe the lies of the newspapers. You were Carnage, you must know something we don't," Doom replied. "I don't know if I can," I said. "Carnage killed, he enjoyed it. It was the act, not the result. Their mind sees what they do as right. They ignore the rules, the laws, morality, other people, and do as they please. They devalue life. These were madmen. And when they run out of others, watch them. They'll turn on each other. Just read a history book. They justify this as the will of God, it's a classic excuse! More dead in His name. More dead in the name of peace, tolerance, and love. The day people practice as they preach, I will step into a church. As long as these psychos use Jesus to justify murder, I'll have nothing to do with them. "There IS NO JUSTIFICATION! There never is, and there never was! The ones who want peace die at the hands of those who don't. Humans, mutants, especially mutants. I'm beginning to think you were right, Magneto. Mutants could create a perfect society. Humans need too much work..." I shut up. I had nothing else to say. I'd sit and repeat myself otherwise. "There is someone I must meet with. If you will excuse me..." Magneto said, leaving. I remained with Doom. "I get the impression that the Fantastic Four have lied about you," I said. "You are as intelligent as I thought," he replied. "I may need help hunting these terrorists. I am also aware of your immortality. But I decided to say nothing in front of Magneto about it. I would like to offer you a position under my command as a General. You will be greatly rewarded if you join me." "I don't know," I said. "I'm burned out. I've been to that other realm. Sub-Nizzuran. It doesn't compare to what I saw today. If I hang on to this too long, I'll go insane." "I understand. I will keep the offer open, should you decide to join me. Let me know," he said. Notes: Basically set in the Marvel Universe, I will be using a lot of my own continuity for this series, and generally focus on the main characters. Appearances by Marvel's universe will be special occurrences. Crossovers with characters/titles from other companies will be treated as "single universe", not as "2 universes crossing temporarily". I will also try to ignore major Marvel comic story arcs. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and other Marvel characters are copyright Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. Other characters are either my creation(copyright myself), or copyright their specific owners if non-Marvel licensed characters. 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.