SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 43)
Notes: Hi guys, sorry that it's been a while. Been busier than usual and really thought hard to brainstorm.
8:45 am Sewers…
"This is so bad…" Gwen said covering her nose despite having her mask on.
Walking side by side, Peter and Gwen ventured into the sewers whilst relying on Peter's light-up lens to reveal the path. Although Gwen had her own flashlight on hand.
"Well, I'm used to getting thrown into trash now." Peter replied.
"How long is it going to take to get to where Fisk Tower is?" Gwen asked.
"If we try swinging and zipping, I'd say a decent 15-30 minutes. But I feel like it's a good time for some leg day." Peter answered.
"And this is the best place for it? Besides, we're only walking because you have the decent lighting here." Gwen complained as she tried resisting the foul smell.
As they walked, Peter stopped for a moment after hearing what seems to be a strong ripple of sewage water behind him and Gwen.
"Are we here?" Gwen asked after noting Peter stopping.
Peter then turned around to see if there was anything unusual but he could not find the source of the sound behind.
"No…But I feel like we are being followed for some reason." Peter said concerned.
The response then prompted a splashing sound from the ceiling as Mac in her new exoskeleton armour dropped to the ground and landed. Her figure towered the two Spider people as her deadly scorpion tail trailed behind with a faint buzz which adds to the teeth-gritting atmosphere.
"You Spiders definitely have a sixth sense, don't you?" Mac asked.
"Uh, hello?" Peter replied taking Mac's posture into view.
"Well, I guess there's no more point for me to hide." Mac spoke again, "So you're the famous bug whose spine I have to squash, huh?"
"Nice suit. Didn't expect it to be a girl underneath but um…" Peter said starting with a compliment.
"You got problems?!" Mac said stepping forward.
"Sorry, mam. I meant no offence. It's just… You're the first…Girl, I may have to fight." Peter stammered as he backed away from his new adversary.
Gwen then shot Peter a quick glance before looking back at Mac, whose eyes were filled with glee.
"Are you some kind of joke?" Mac said who wanted to laugh at Spider-Man's humour.
"Of course, you're working for that over-sized volleyball." Peter added, "Still… I don't know if a giant crab suit is worth the trouble."
"Crab suit?! Are you that stupid? This is a SCORPION, you twat!" Mac snapped, "And I need to use it to squash little bugs like you."
After her angry remark, Scorpion charged forward on all fours with the tail lurching forward and ready to sting. Chasing after her foes, she struck with ferocity.
"Move!" Peter yelled as he and Gwen jumped back.
"Heh, not bad." Scorpion remarked checking on the tail after the attack.
Gwen then used her web shots and tried sticking Scorpion down but this was ineffective as Scorpion shook the webbing off her exoskeleton.
"I better be paid well for wearing this." Scorpion remarked as the webbing slid off.
"Let me guess, either you're made by Wilson Fisk or Miller Warren himself to kill, study or j take me alive." Peter remarked back.
"Well, there's no beating around the bush on that question." Scorpion said as she crept forward towards both Peter and Gwen.
After creeping forward, Scorpion pounced again and was more eager to pierce her enemies.
"Quit jumping around!" Scorpion yelled as Peter and Gwen dodged.
Peter then tried using his own webs to stun Scorpion. Using more mechanical-based webs integrated in his web shooters; he attempted to bring Scorpion down by twisting her knees and preventing the tail from swaying about.
"Let's try this." Peter said as he activated a shock of electricity linked to his web shooters towards Scorpion.
Scorpion struggled against her webs but the shock of electricity did not stop her movement leading to Peter trying to land a punch on the face. As Peter's fist rammed at Scorpion's jaw, Scorpion staggered backwards after feeling the power of the punch.
"Oof. I pity the power you have." Scorpion said with a mocking smile after the punch.
"I don't think we're strong enough." Gwen commented.
"No way, I just saw her flinch." Peter replied and tried to continue fighting.
However, Peter's confidence was not well-earned with Scorpion getting the upper hand by quickly grabbing him by the throat. Peter tried web-shooting at his foe but again observed little effect with the web strings falling off Scorpion from eye to exoskeleton.
"The girl was right." Scorpion said whilst holding Peter and shaking her head.
Gwen tried to help Peter but was smacked aside by Scorpion before Peter was thrown afar into a nearby sewer intersection where litres of sewage water flowed downwards. Peter made a huge splash into the water.
Scorpion followed and crawled down to where Peter was as the water was starting to submerge and engulf him.
"I'll let you play in the water for a while, Spider." Scorpion said, "After that, you're stashed money."
"Very generous of you." Peter said as he swam and clung onto the wall near him.
Without another word, Scorpion leaped from the top and tried attacking Peter again. Peter watched as Scorpion latched onto the walls near him while the stinger tail was targeting him. Peter then tried to shoot some webs before realising there was a jamming problem.
"Damn it. The water." Peter commented before Scorpion's tail came towards him.
While narrowly missing being stabbed, it did not help when Scorpion's tail grabbed Peter's arm again and started to swing him around. The amount of the times swung contributed to Peter becoming unconscious as he hit the water while having sewer water splashed onto him.
"Too bad, Spider. So far, I have indeed been built better." Scorpion said carrying Spider-Man around, "Now for the girl."
As Scorpion carried the unconscious Spider-Man with her, she made her way back to Gwen. Gwen was groaning after the smack but was still conscious.
"Two spiders in one bag." Scorpion said with confidence as she began to prey on her.
Gwen soon became alert as Scorpion started to jump at her. Dodging each of Scorpion's fury attacks, Gwen then activated her phasing ability which prompted some translucency and caused Scorpion to lose sight of her.
"Where are you now?!" Scorpion cried out and looked around.
Trapping herself into a wall near her, Gwen squashed herself with the surrounding matter as Scorpion searched. In frustration, Scorpion was confused by Gwen's disappearance and unique ability.
"You better show yourself soon. Cause your little Spider-boy here has been taken care of and it's only a matter of time." Scorpion taunted.
As Gwen held on while the pressure around was clamping; Scorpion assumed Gwen had retreated.
"Fine. You want to hide? So be it. But I'm taking Spider boy with me and you better follow." Scorpion warned.
Scorpion then picked up Peter and began carrying him away leaving Gwen alone. After the appropriate amount of time passed, Gwen got out of the wall to gasp for air. Phasing was almost like breathing under water.
All alone in the dark and in potential risk of danger, Gwen was left to fend for herself with Peter once again separated from her.
"Shit." Gwen groaned as she tried to search for light.
10:30 am Fisk Tower R&D Private Survey Room…
"Caught this pipsqueak trying to sneak through to your place supposedly." Scorpion said, "Easier said than done."
"Aren't there two of them?" Wilson asked observing Spider-Man all tied down on the interrogation study chair.
"The other one should come following if he stays here." Scorpion said, "My hopes I should say."
Face-to face with Scorpion, Wilson watched her figure with the stinger tail being as pacifist as possible.
"You did well. Sergeant Gargan." Wilson said in respect.
"This was all beneath me." Mac bragged, "But keep the promised value of money for me."
"You may have words of silver but the gold is still out of reach. Patience." Wilson said in return, "First, let's learn about him."
As Peter started to wake up, he knew from the start that he was not in a good situation.
This was instantly followed with the unthinkable. With one hand, Wilson grabbed the mask off Peter revealing his face. This ranged from his brown hair; hazel eyes and boyish face. For Wilson, the surprise came from the fact that Spider-Man looks almost like a kid. A kid who had troubled him for long.
"Spider-Man." Wilson said with a smile.
"Oh no… Not this." Peter muttered after realising his mask was off.
"I don't know the man behind him but now that I see his face. My impression is that all this time I was fighting an ignorant child interfering in my affairs." Wilson said with Mac by his side.
"You know how much you affect the people around you, Wilson." Peter spoke seriously, "And you know damn well, the blood on your hands. Especially with Frederick Foswell."
"You care too much for an amoral journalist." Wilson said, "If I had my way with the city; none of this would have happened."
"You don't get the right to do whatever you want with my neighbourhood." Peter said back.
"Your neighbourhood is my city…" Wilson warned, "And I'm one step further to bringing you down on your knees. Now comes the difficult part."
Peter realised the sense of hopelessness that dawned on him. There was now a sense of everyone he cared about being in danger that was greater than before. The only other villain who knew his identity completely was Chameleon, but since he was considered dead, his secret had mostly been intact.
Today, Wilson had a trump card in his hand where he could learn more and this could crumble the world around him. Ned being in trouble was bad enough but Gwen; her family; Aunt May and anyone else would have an unintended price to pay for his actions.
"Alright, you win. What part is this?" Peter asked.
"Your full name, start with this." Wilson demanded.
Peter paused for a moment as he tried to look an answer. With Scorpion next to Wilson getting ready to sting and Wilson having access to some other interrogation methods. All of Peter's life lied on his own wits.
"Ben Reilly." Peter muttered in desperation.
10:35 am Somewhere in Manhattan…
Gwen finally found a way out as she crawled out of the sewers coughing from the stench.
"Why did we have to go through the sewers?" Gwen asked, "Do I always have to trust Peter to make decisions?"
Still masked and with no one else around, Gwen could safely get around. As she got out, she turned around to see a good view of Fisk Tower.
5:00 pm John's apartment room…
Ever since the change of leadership in the Bugle, John had been eager to pursue his own ambitions using all the eligible revenue he had to fund his own things. He had set up his own little office room with a podcast setup.
His intention was to start something by himself rather than follow the legacy of inheriting the Bugle. With a microphone ready and recording devices set up, John was ready to pitch what he wanted to do.
"It's been a while." John said to the microphone.
After grumbling a few, John sat down with headphones on ready to start.
"As you may have heard already, New York's water way system had experienced a TEMPORARY interference. So…I apologise to those washing their hands or food; watering the garden or…Sitting on the loo." John started.
"But of course, this issue is not without cause. No issue is. And since we live in a city where crazy electrical men; furry green rascals and swinging Spider people dominate our daily lives. I only think it's natural that the unnatural have struck again!" John ranted, "Call me crazy, but I'd like to throw out an opinion of mine on who is responsible-."
After a few words, John was interrupted by a knock on the door. Pausing the record buttons and so forth, John made his way to the door where he found the latest Bugle newspaper slid right through the door flap.
'A NEW HERO EXPECTED FOR TOMMOROW?' was the headline with a picture of Mac Gargan looking heroic from saving two children trapped under rubble.
"Mac Gargan? A fellow officer turned vigilante?" John pondered picking up the paper, "Finally, we have the decency of actual heroes again!"
TO BE CONTINUED…