SPIDER-MAN 2: Enter the Red Demon
A fanfiction by Chipolata
- * - * - * - * - * - * -
Chapter 4
Vegeta was busy chatting to Peter again.
PeteP032: They've found Norman! He's still alive.
PrinceVB: You mean Osborne? He went missing nearly a year ago when Green Goblin attacked Bulma.
PeteP032: That's because he was the Goblin.
PrinceVB: You're kidding! I only though he had dealings with the Goblin. Where was he found?
PeteP032: He was found dumped in a subway somewhere. The reports in the paper said he's gone looney. Keeps raving about vegetables and Spider-man and basements and stuff.
Vegeta grinned. He knew what had tipped Osborne off the edge. He was just about to type a smart reply when he heard someone at the door. Curious, but not willing to show it, Vegeta pretended to be in the middle of an important something, keeping an ear to the conversation in the other room.
'Huh? What's the Namek doing here?' Vegeta asked himself.
PeteP032: Still there Prince V?
PrinceVB: BRB
Vegeta got up and went to the doorway. Sure enough, Piccolo was there, talking to Bulma. They didn't notice him, so Vegeta decided to make his presence known.
"Oh, I thought the average power level of the house had gone down." He said.
"Nice to see you too, Vegeta." Piccolo sneered.
"What are you doing here, Namek?" Vegeta asked.
"I invited him." Bulma said authoritively.
"Why?" Vegeta demanded.
"I have my reasons." Bulma said slyly. "Come, Piccolo."
Bulma led Piccolo down the hallway. Vegeta returned to the computer.
PrinceVB: Sorry, a guest popped over. I had to say hello.
PeteP032: Polite and graceful as always, eh Vegeta?
PrinceVB: You know me too well.
PeteP032: LOL!
PrinceVB: He's not exactly someone I'm all chummy with, so I to show a little tact.
PeteP032: Ah, so it was more along the lines of "What the hell are you doing here, please?"
PrinceVB: ;)
PeteP032: I GTG. It's dinnertime over here.
PrinceVB: C U
Vegeta left the chat with a smirk on his face. It was true; Peter did know him really well.
Vegeta was considering inviting Peter to dinner next time they chatted when a loud crash broke his thoughts.
Vegeta walked to the source of the crash. Goten and Trunks had mistaken cupboard shelves for ladder rungs trying to reach the lolly jar on the top shelf. The whole thing had fallen apart under them.
It took a lot of yelling before the mess was finally cleaned up. At the end of the dilemma, Vegeta wondered why Bulma hadn't come out to see what was up.
The truth was, Bulma was busy showing Piccolo her lab. She had decided that if she was to get Piccolo's co-operation, she needed to tell him everything and prove the experiment wasn't dangerous.
"So what will I be doing?" Piccolo asked.
"Well, one of the things I'm testing is an organic suit. It's been designed to enhance a person's abilities and mask their features. It's been tried on mice, and it's worked with no serious side-effects." Bulma explained.
"Organic suit?" Piccolo asked.
"Yes. It would become symbiotic with the wearer. The only thing is, all of the mice's appetites have tripled to cope with the needs of the suit."
"I suppose I'll be trying this suit on?" Piccolo said. "I hope you made it big enough, I'm a tall guy."
"Size has nothing to do with it. It starts off with a small sample that will grow until it fits your whole body."
"How do I breathe then?"
"The suit takes care of oxygen needs. Besides, once the suit is complete, you should be able to control it with your mind, tell it where it will cover your body." Bulma explained.
"Can I take it off?" Piccolo asked.
"Yes, but when you do, the suit dies." Bulma told him.
Piccolo thought for a moment.
"Does it come in black? I look awful in yellow." He said.
"I guess that's a yes, huh? Don't worry, you can control the colour and shape of the suit." Bulma said.
"Alright then." Piccolo said.
"Great. Let's get started." Bulma said enthusiastically.
"What, now?" Piccolo asked, surprised.
"Yea, it'll take the suit a while to grow." Bulma explained. "I'd like you to stay here at Capsule Corp while it's growing, so I can monitor your progress."
"Oh, okay." Piccolo said.
Bulma got out her equipment. Various different tools sat lined up, shiny and scary. There was also a petrie dish with a reddish substance in it. Bulma put on a pair of rubber latex gloves.
"Hold out your arm." She instructed.
Piccolo did so. She wiped down a pink patch on his lower arm and then grabbed the petrie dish. She took the lid off and lifted the material-like substance out. She paused.
"Here we go." She said, and stretched it over his arm. "This shouldn't hurt too much."
"Too much?" Piccolo asked.
"Don't worry, I'm just joking." She told him, facing away as she tidied her things. "Okay, I'll pack up this stuff and then I'll make us some lunch. Do you like peanut butter?" She asked.
"No... is it supposed to be growing this fast?" Piccolo asked.
Bulma turned. The red suit was climbing steadily up his arm and down to his hands. Before Bulma could say anything, it had covered his arm and spread under his clothes.
"Wow. That's a lot faster than what it took for the rats." Bulma commented. "Maybe it's your Namekian skin?"
The suit continued to spread, and began to get thicker until it looked like Piccolo was wearing a red, rubber Batman suit on his arm. The suit appeared on his other arm and spread down.
"Argh!" Piccolo cried, grabbing his head.
"Huh? What is it?" Bulma asked.
"M-my head..." Piccolo growled through his teeth.
Piccolo's eyes glassed over. His breathing became erratic. The suit's growth slowed to a crawl, up his neck. The rest of his body started having muscle spasms.
"I have to get you out of that suit." Bulma stated, worried.
She ran to the wall and grabbed the fire extinguisher. She pulled the pin and emptied the entire container on Piccolo.
"VEGETA!!!" She cried out, desperate for help.
She began peeling the frozen red suit off Piccolo. It had hardened and it hurt her fingers to pull at it. It came away with a sickening tearing noise and left dark marks on Piccolo's skin.
Moments after she yelled his name Vegeta burst in the door. It didn't take him long to realise that Bulma and Piccolo really needed help. He raced over to Bulma and helped her get the last of the suit off. Vegeta picked up the naked Piccolo and carried him upstairs to the mini-hospital wing Bulma had set up for the Saiyan.