CHAPTER 12: DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
Peter had just safely dropped MJ off at her house when his spider sense began screaming inside his head. It hit him like a sledge hammer, so hard that he actually leapt out of the street, looking wildly around for danger before realizing that he was alone.
'Something's wrong,' he told himself needlessly, vaulting himself to a rooftop as he scanned the city. After a few seconds his sharper-than- human vision caught sight of an all too familiar glider circling a building further down the cityscape. 'Very, very wrong.'
Less than a minute later he was costumed and swinging at top speed toward the slowly circling arc the highly polished glider was making as it waited for him to arrive.
"So glad you could show up," a mocking voice rung through the air. "I wouldn't have wanted you to miss the show."
Spiderman landed on the side of a building and twisted his head to catch a glimpse of the red armored floating figure above him. "Show? So now you're in the circus? It suits you."
"Oh no, this is a very different kind of show," the impassive black mask somehow gave the impression that he was smirking. "And I don't think that you will find this one very enjoyable."
"Enough with the cryptic will ya, its giving me a headache," Spiderman complained cheekily.
The Red Death suddenly became irate. "You're giving me a headache!" He snarled, lunging from the glider at our hero.
Spiderman was taken aback as the red clad villain landed on his back, wrapping his arms around the webcrawler's neck in a chokehold. Gasping for breath, Spiderman flipped himself onto the roof of the building and sent the Red Death flying forward. Flipping in the air, sunlight glancing off of his armor, the figure landed on his feet yards away from the still gasping hero.
"Damn," Spiderman wheezed. "What, were you trying to give me a man hug or something there? 'Cause that would really creep me out."
The figure laughed. "You think your puns mask the truth? You're afraid. You stink of fear."
"Me, afraid of you? Sorry to disappoint ya, bub, but I'm more afraid of your man hugs than your ass kicking abilities."
"But here is where the fun begins. You, what you fear more than anything else is the loss of an innocent, but I," he pointed to a previously unnoticed limp figure strapped to a flagpole on the top of the next building, the glider with blades drawn hovering inches from her chest, "I could afford to lose a few."
Peter's heart nearly stopped as he saw the poor, defenseless young girl . . . wait a minute . . . he squinted . . . that wasn't a poor defenseless young girl, that was Madison!
'What the hell?'
The Red Death was watching him with amusement. "You wouldn't want her to have an accident, now would you?"
Spiderman was racking his brains. What was Madison doing here? Did the Red Death know that they knew each other? No, that didn't make any sense, if he knew that much then he could have surmised that she was Black Widow, which he was obviously unaware of.
But why the hell was she just laying there glaring at him? He glared back from behind the mask. She should be helping him, damnit!
He had to stall. "Why are you doing this?" He yelled.
"Why?" his enemy snarled. "Well, to torture you. Isn't it obvious?"
"But why?" 'Might as well play dumb . . . '
The other's fists were clenching. "You should know why, murderer!"
'Cha ching, we have a winner!' If Peter had had any doubts before this that that was indeed Harry Osborn, they were gone by now. There was no doubt.
"You're after me," Spiderman called out, making sure to keep his voice even. "Why hurt an innocent?"
"Leverage!" The dark man spat. "You make a wrong move, you say the wrong thing, you try to run away, and the girl gets it."
'Wait, this doesn't make sense,' Peter thought, confused. If he knew one thing about the real Harry, he knew that he would never hurt Madison.
So why was Madison . . . the truth hit him in a burst of understanding. The enemy might not know Spiderman's other identity, but he did know that he cared for Mary Jane and vice versa . . .
The restaurant! Harry had been meeting Mary Jane, had planned to use Mary Jane . . . but had gotten Madison by accident when MJ left!
'He has to be BS-ing,' Peter thought as he stared down his opponent. He had to be faking it.
All other thought was immediately pushed out of his head as the Red Death lunged at him, swords gleaming in the light as they brushed past his head, just barely missing. 'Whoa,' Spiderman gasped inwardly. 'Was he this fast last time?' The man was moving like lightning, so fast that our hero was unable to keep up with the literal whirlwind. Fixing a web to the nearest building, he swung down past Madison, feeling very pissed off.
"A little help!" He hissed from the side of his mouth as he back flipped to land protectively in front of her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Ih . . . kinda . . . cahn't . . . moove," her mouth was barely open a crack. The Red Death had stopped his attack and was waiting, poised and ready. Spiderman tried to unobtrusively lean closer to Madison.
"What?"
"Ih cahn't mooovvee," she was struggling to get the words out, her head lolling to the side. Spiderman's anger grew. She was paralyzed!
"Ah, shit," he commented, swinging away from her. He had to stop this fight. Though it killed him to admit it, at the rate he was going . . . the Red Death zoomed past him again, twin swords barely missing his head. Spiderman gulped. He knew that he couldn't beat this enemy alone.
'Plan plan plan,' his mind worked frantically, coming up with only one solution. He would have to run or he would be beaten, he had no chance without Madison. And to do that he would have to take a gamble.
'Harry would never hurt Madison,' he told himself as he swung over to and quickly loosened her bonds. 'He already thinks Spiderman is a killer, so he might believe that . . . '
Spiderman took a deep breath under the mask, telling himself that this plan was work. Because even if Harry was crazy, he was still Harry.
"I'm really sorry Madison," he whispered quickly to her, eerily reminding her of Harry.
She rolled her eyes over to face him, her paralyzed face impassive. "What?" she breathed out anxiously as he grabbed her by the back of the shirt and held her over the side of the building and the busy street below.
"What are you doing?" The Red Death yelled, his voice a bit too desperate.
"You say you have no regard for human life?" Spiderman called. "Well, maybe that's true. But I'm a killer, remember? So maybe I don't either. You decide what happens, 'cause I'm outta here."
And he dropped her.
xxxxx
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Peter had just safely dropped MJ off at her house when his spider sense began screaming inside his head. It hit him like a sledge hammer, so hard that he actually leapt out of the street, looking wildly around for danger before realizing that he was alone.
'Something's wrong,' he told himself needlessly, vaulting himself to a rooftop as he scanned the city. After a few seconds his sharper-than- human vision caught sight of an all too familiar glider circling a building further down the cityscape. 'Very, very wrong.'
Less than a minute later he was costumed and swinging at top speed toward the slowly circling arc the highly polished glider was making as it waited for him to arrive.
"So glad you could show up," a mocking voice rung through the air. "I wouldn't have wanted you to miss the show."
Spiderman landed on the side of a building and twisted his head to catch a glimpse of the red armored floating figure above him. "Show? So now you're in the circus? It suits you."
"Oh no, this is a very different kind of show," the impassive black mask somehow gave the impression that he was smirking. "And I don't think that you will find this one very enjoyable."
"Enough with the cryptic will ya, its giving me a headache," Spiderman complained cheekily.
The Red Death suddenly became irate. "You're giving me a headache!" He snarled, lunging from the glider at our hero.
Spiderman was taken aback as the red clad villain landed on his back, wrapping his arms around the webcrawler's neck in a chokehold. Gasping for breath, Spiderman flipped himself onto the roof of the building and sent the Red Death flying forward. Flipping in the air, sunlight glancing off of his armor, the figure landed on his feet yards away from the still gasping hero.
"Damn," Spiderman wheezed. "What, were you trying to give me a man hug or something there? 'Cause that would really creep me out."
The figure laughed. "You think your puns mask the truth? You're afraid. You stink of fear."
"Me, afraid of you? Sorry to disappoint ya, bub, but I'm more afraid of your man hugs than your ass kicking abilities."
"But here is where the fun begins. You, what you fear more than anything else is the loss of an innocent, but I," he pointed to a previously unnoticed limp figure strapped to a flagpole on the top of the next building, the glider with blades drawn hovering inches from her chest, "I could afford to lose a few."
Peter's heart nearly stopped as he saw the poor, defenseless young girl . . . wait a minute . . . he squinted . . . that wasn't a poor defenseless young girl, that was Madison!
'What the hell?'
The Red Death was watching him with amusement. "You wouldn't want her to have an accident, now would you?"
Spiderman was racking his brains. What was Madison doing here? Did the Red Death know that they knew each other? No, that didn't make any sense, if he knew that much then he could have surmised that she was Black Widow, which he was obviously unaware of.
But why the hell was she just laying there glaring at him? He glared back from behind the mask. She should be helping him, damnit!
He had to stall. "Why are you doing this?" He yelled.
"Why?" his enemy snarled. "Well, to torture you. Isn't it obvious?"
"But why?" 'Might as well play dumb . . . '
The other's fists were clenching. "You should know why, murderer!"
'Cha ching, we have a winner!' If Peter had had any doubts before this that that was indeed Harry Osborn, they were gone by now. There was no doubt.
"You're after me," Spiderman called out, making sure to keep his voice even. "Why hurt an innocent?"
"Leverage!" The dark man spat. "You make a wrong move, you say the wrong thing, you try to run away, and the girl gets it."
'Wait, this doesn't make sense,' Peter thought, confused. If he knew one thing about the real Harry, he knew that he would never hurt Madison.
So why was Madison . . . the truth hit him in a burst of understanding. The enemy might not know Spiderman's other identity, but he did know that he cared for Mary Jane and vice versa . . .
The restaurant! Harry had been meeting Mary Jane, had planned to use Mary Jane . . . but had gotten Madison by accident when MJ left!
'He has to be BS-ing,' Peter thought as he stared down his opponent. He had to be faking it.
All other thought was immediately pushed out of his head as the Red Death lunged at him, swords gleaming in the light as they brushed past his head, just barely missing. 'Whoa,' Spiderman gasped inwardly. 'Was he this fast last time?' The man was moving like lightning, so fast that our hero was unable to keep up with the literal whirlwind. Fixing a web to the nearest building, he swung down past Madison, feeling very pissed off.
"A little help!" He hissed from the side of his mouth as he back flipped to land protectively in front of her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Ih . . . kinda . . . cahn't . . . moove," her mouth was barely open a crack. The Red Death had stopped his attack and was waiting, poised and ready. Spiderman tried to unobtrusively lean closer to Madison.
"What?"
"Ih cahn't mooovvee," she was struggling to get the words out, her head lolling to the side. Spiderman's anger grew. She was paralyzed!
"Ah, shit," he commented, swinging away from her. He had to stop this fight. Though it killed him to admit it, at the rate he was going . . . the Red Death zoomed past him again, twin swords barely missing his head. Spiderman gulped. He knew that he couldn't beat this enemy alone.
'Plan plan plan,' his mind worked frantically, coming up with only one solution. He would have to run or he would be beaten, he had no chance without Madison. And to do that he would have to take a gamble.
'Harry would never hurt Madison,' he told himself as he swung over to and quickly loosened her bonds. 'He already thinks Spiderman is a killer, so he might believe that . . . '
Spiderman took a deep breath under the mask, telling himself that this plan was work. Because even if Harry was crazy, he was still Harry.
"I'm really sorry Madison," he whispered quickly to her, eerily reminding her of Harry.
She rolled her eyes over to face him, her paralyzed face impassive. "What?" she breathed out anxiously as he grabbed her by the back of the shirt and held her over the side of the building and the busy street below.
"What are you doing?" The Red Death yelled, his voice a bit too desperate.
"You say you have no regard for human life?" Spiderman called. "Well, maybe that's true. But I'm a killer, remember? So maybe I don't either. You decide what happens, 'cause I'm outta here."
And he dropped her.
xxxxx
I love-a the reviews-a!