SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 47)
12:07 am U-Genetics…
Miller desperately made his way to the delivery room on the first floor where the aero dispensers were. Behind his back, he rallied at least ten mind-controlled clones with him.
"Protect the aerosolisers but do give them a taste if they draw near." Miller commanded as he heard the police draw near.
"Miller Warren, we'd like you to step out for questioning." One officer shouted.
Behind the closed door, Miller had his hand in position as a signal of command to his clones to wait. Once Miller heard the police footsteps draw closer to the door, his eyes changed to yellow. Afterwards, the door was knocked down.
"There you are." Yuri said in her casual clothes leading her uniformed squad of ten.
"I'm impressed that it took this long for cops to show at my doorstep and enough for me to include in this extended family." Miller greeted.
"'Extended family'? Why you aren't subtle at all with what I want to question you with." Yuri said.
"I am in the midst of creating something extraordinary here. So please… I invite you to stay." Miller replied.
"Well, we're going to do exactly that until you comply." Yuri said before Miller gave the order for attack.
The police then prepared their batons as soon as the clones came rushing towards them. Despite their best efforts, they were outmatched by the strength and speed of the clones which were obvious enhancements Miller had granted to them.
Yuri grinded her teeth as her crew each struggled against their assailants leaving her little choice but to hope Gwen would come in.
"Such foolish heroics." Miller mocked, "Did you honestly think the Neanderthals of this generation could compete against the next stage of evolution?"
"Hey, Professor. She didn't just come in alone." Gwen's voice chimed in.
Miller then looked around before seeing Gwen jump into action from the ceiling. The clones stopped their attack on the police and focused on Gwen, who braced herself before showing her moves. This included her phasing ability which allowed her to avoid much of the physical attacks coming towards her.
"Changed your mind?" Miller asked after Gwen finished knocking each clone down, "I expected your other half as well."
"This is personal." Gwen replied.
"Yes, it is." Miller agreed before commencing the rest of his transformation.
Yuri watched on in shock as Miller turned into the green furred monster that he was. After letting out a screech, Miller made a dash for one of the aero dispensers and grabbed it.
"Think before you punch, sweetie." Miller said with a grin stopping Gwen from landing a hit after she rushed towards him, "One open hole and you and the rest will be first to trial out the latest formula."
Gwen restrained herself as Miller slowly began to tip toe away with the aero dispenser. The unnerving grin on Miller's face continued its lingering effect on her as Gwen tried to think of a way to disarm Miller. However, Yuri fired a shot from her gun at Miller's hand causing the aero dispenser to fall off and clank with a metallic sound.
"Grr…" Miller retorted as he began to retreat.
Gwen then jumped onto Miller's back and held onto him using two web strings. Miller charged towards the nearby wall causing a hole big enough for a person to squeeze through. Meanwhile, Yuri went to check on the officers who were knocked down and help them.
"Officer Lindsay…Are you hurt?" Yuri questioned.
"I think I had a bit of a concussion." The police officer said rubbing the back of his head.
As the rest of the officers got up slowly, Yuri then noted the same degeneration effect the man who showed up in her house had as they slowly became puddles.
Gwen continued to hang onto Miller until he found the strength to throw her off and onto the ground. Grabbing her by the face, Miller pinned her against the wall.
"It was inevitable that you would come back to me. Honestly, I think we're bound to be inseparable." Miller said as he clenched onto Gwen's skull.
Gwen felt a bit of sharp pain as Miller's claw dipped into the tip of her skin. Miller breathed heavily as his other hand was still healing from the gun wound given to him by Yuri.
"Can you believe… That at this point, I don't care if I crack your skull." Miller muttered, "Because I know a way of defying death. It doesn't horrify me…One bit."
Gwen cried out loud before phasing saved her. She then kicked Miller in the stomach; Miller growled before retreating further.
"Stop running." Gwen said as she got a hold of herself.
Miller only smiled as he continued to run with a plan to ensnare Gwen into his work once and for all. The chase soon came to a halt when Miller bolted through the underground laboratory door and lead Gwen into a dark room. Unlike Peter, Gwen's homemade suit was at a disadvantage.
The only source of light in the lab were the large culture tanks showcasing glowing and radiating green fluid. Inside some of the tanks were naked people to which answers the question on the strange disappearance of people around New York. There were still hints of claw and teeth marks on some of the bodies which also suggests Miller had taken them out before placing them in there.
"You know…Before life began, there had to be light. Am I correct?" Miller's voice said in the dark.
All Gwen had now was her Spider sense as the environment was a place of danger. Unlike before, she wanted a chance to overcome her fear of Miller. It was time she conquered a demon of her own.
"You will soon see…" Miller called out menacingly, "Children, seize her now!"
Gwen continued to stay her ground as she heard running footsteps surrounding her. In her mind, she knew it was Miller's victims that he brought back to life as his willing slaves. Using her senses, she kicked away all incoming clones as they tried to get a hold of her. Only two managed to get a hand before Gwen overcame them as well.
During the fight, Gwen managed to throw one clone onto a tank causing a crack to happen.
"Unfortunate for them to dissolve after a couple of hits." Miller stated in disappointment, "Which is why I have faith you won't be like them."
"You should be in despair now. Aren't these people supposed to be your masterpieces?" Gwen asked.
"Ha. I'll scoop them back up and put them in these tanks." Miller retorted, "Their regeneration will always be swift because I cracked the biological code a long time ago."
"You can keep sending in these clones. I will just kick their asses over and over." Gwen said.
Miller then began to laugh in an attempt to dissuade Gwen's confidence in beating him.
"Oh, Gwen. Recognise these people as those you couldn't save. When I rip them away from breath, their deaths will lie with you." Miller taunted, "But, I as the architect of life will be the one to save them. Give them a second chance; make them STRONGER!"
"It's not going so great, is it?" Gwen tried to speak back.
"Remember Anton? Remember?" Miller said, "I've kept microscopic parts of him here still. He tells me that you stopped his heart."
"You were the one who twisted him into becoming that spider monster. You can't guilt trip me with that ever…" Gwen stated as she continued to look around for Miller.
"Be careful what you say, Gwendolyn. You'll fit perfectly in his place and then I will break Spider-Man's heart next when you become the second spider mutant." Miller said, "It's a pity he's not around with you now."
"You think I'm too reliant on him? Guess what, it's my choice that I'm here." Gwen said, "Quit your taunting."
"Well, here's the latest story…" Miller said, "Captain George Stacy…"
It was that moment Gwen's heart sank upon the mention of her father's name from Miller himself.
"Don't worry, at least you still have the other half. Not like me…" Miller said, "What a pity. He died trying to save you from this city's latest crazed maniac. Not even Spider-Man could help you save him."
"Miller…I swear to god. You shut up and get this over with now!" Gwen shouted.
"Poor George. Got in the wrong business and threw his life away to protect you. How noble." Miller continued, "You are shaking; you are trembling. You are MINE!"
With those words, Miller pounced out from the dark and tried attacking Gwen as he took advantage of the dark. However, raw strength proved increasingly insufficient as Gwen confidently threw him down on the ground before punching him repeatedly.
Each punch changed Miller's grinning expression to a sad contorted face as Gwen furiously made Miller bleed until some of his canine teeth cracked. In a final bit of rage, Gwen also lifted Miller up by her hands and flung him against the tank that was cracked.
This caused Miller to crash through all the green liquid contained in the tank as he tried to reminiscence what it was like to be brought to life. Hitting the wall afterwards, Miller laid there all soaked and defeated as he coughed up some of the liquid.
Gwen then walked up to an emergency alarm switch which she triggered a flashing red light giving her the illumination required to see Miller. Afterwards, the sprinklers turned on.
"Gwen please… I'm sorry. For everything… And your father." Miller said in a desperate attempt to pull an emotional string.
"You should have stopped a long time ago. And you never knew my father. So stop pretending." Gwen replied.
"Gwen! I can save him." Miller shouted again.
"I don't need your help. Your dreams only hurt others; seeing him alive again won't make a difference. At least not in the way you're suggesting." Gwen said, "This is it, Professor. You may have wanted to help the world; but we're going to help you first."
At this point, Miller felt he could do nothing else before changing expression. He grinned with his broken teeth before pulling out a detonator.
"If I'm going to bury a dream. Then you will be part of it." Miller said before pressing.
In a flash, Gwen reacted to the detonation of a hidden bomb that was implanted somewhere in the ceiling. Gwen made a mad dash for the door as the underground laboratory started to crumble. As she got out, the room behind her had collapsed.
1:05 am Stacy residence, Brooklyn…
Gwen switched back into her casual clothes; still covered in a bit of dust after escaping from U-Genetics. In her mind, she had beaten Miller and disrupted his megalomaniac plan of biologically changing everyone.
Coming into the kitchen, she collapsed near the kitchen sink before turning the light and the sink on. Even after finishing, she still felt her eyes water as George's missing presence was felt in the house.
"Gwen?" Gwen's mother, Helen asked as she came into the kitchen.
Seeing her mother, Gwen did not utter a word as she simply hugged her while crying. Helen was surprised before placing a hand onto her daughter's head to comfort her.
4:15 am Fisk's secret meeting room…
Scorpion came plodding into the meeting room with Wilson waiting. She had a grim look on her face partly thanks to the gun wound on the left eye given to her by George.
"Miss Gargan. You look miserable." Wilson said even without looking into her eye.
"I thought we succeeded in our job." Scorpion grumbled.
"We have reached some complications thanks to your actions." Wilson said, "This mission was supposed to be completed by the other three. Now I have to answer questions as to why a monster like yourself has killed a highly-esteemed NYPD officer. You understand?"
"Hey, you're the one who made me put on this outfit." Scorpion spat as her stinger rattled behind her.
"I won't punish you just yet. Instead, I have someone else to take your place." Wilson said before dialling a number on his phone.
A couple of seconds later, Dan arrived into the room looking miserable from the fight he had endured in the hospital.
"Mr. Fisk; Boss." Dan said, "Please."
"Don't ask me for forgiveness." Wilson replied coldly, "Miss Gargan. Kill this disgraceful agent as painfully as you can. He is to blame for your failure. No poison by the way."
Without hesitation, Scorpion used her stinger and wrapped it around Dan's neck. Dan gasped for air before Scorpion used her foot as well to crush to remaining air in Dan's body. Dan's futile attempts to survive came to an end after every ounce of movement in him was gone.
"How does killing an FBI agent help?" Scorpion asked after letting Dan go.
"He wouldn't be considered one anyway because of his past deeds." Wilson replied, "Here's my next proposal now."
Wilson turned around and looked at Scorpion in both her intact and broken eye.
"From now on, you are requested to show up when Spider-Man or Spider-Woman show up only. From now on, they are the only two you may kill." Wilson said, "Do not repeat what you did to Mr. Daniel Brito here or George Stacy."
Wilson then motioned Scorpion to leave to which she did but not before she could scoff without Wilson looking. As Scorpion left, Wilson received a phone call from James Wesley.
"Sir, I'm just relaying you a quick message. A police squad may have picked up on the location of where Miller Warren is. It looks like the place also took a bit of a hit." James said.
"Thank you, Wesley. We'll talk about it more tomorrow, okay?" Wilson requested.
7:15 am Town Hall Press Conference…
The cameras were rolling and journalists were eager to ask Wilson questions as he sat down with his bottle of water ready. With assurance from his wife as well as James himself, Wilson prepared to deliver his answers in front of a nosy public.
"Good morning, I know there have been some recent developments that you are all eager to ask me about." Wilson started, "In fact, you may ask me first."
The barrage of questions soon came in as one question at a time began to question the execution of Wilson's plans to keep New York City safe from crime.
"Mr. Fisk. How do you address the 'accidental' killing of George Stacy? Do you regret the choice of making Mackenzie Gargan our appointed vigilante?" One reporter asked.
"Can you address the recent allegations surrounding Frederick Foswell's death?" Another asked.
Wilson began to break down upon hearing about Frederick's name. This was one bad deed that he knew he feared people would find out about.
"Will you address your involvement regarding the city's trade in the illegal drug, Diox-3?" Another asked.
One by one, the questions piled on as if reminding Wilson to face judgement for his sins. In response to pressure, Wilson stood up in anger.
"That's enough!" Wilson roared causing the crowd to go silent for a while, "Forgive me… For organising this event in a hasty manner. I will release a proper statement as soon as possible. Thank you."
Wilson stormed out leaving everyone from the press confused and more curious. The press tried to follow but the security guards did their job in holding them back. As Wilson closed the door, he quickly reached out for his phone and began dialling for his wife's number.
"Wilson?" Vanessa asked.
"Vanessa." Wilson said in a concerned voice.
8:30 am Parker residence…
Peter had spent his time resting ever since George's death. Since then, Gwen had given him a message requesting that he respect her privacy.
'PLEASE DON'T CALL ME UNTIL I CALL YOU." The message read on Peter's phone.
The poison from Scorpion had also died down as Peter recovered. Some of the venom was placed in a jar within his bathroom so that he could have time to study it. Meanwhile, Ned's cat, King came into the room mewing and begging for food.
"Ah, you're hungry." Peter said following the cat to the food pantry downstairs.
Arriving at the kitchen, Peter opened up the pantry closet and got out a can of springwater tuna. According to his research, he would only give this to King sparingly.
"Sorry, I couldn't have time and the money to spend on proper cat food." Peter said, "You know, I hope May left some blueberry muffins in the fridge still."
As Peter walked up to the fridge to grab out a muffin, a phone call from Robbie started causing Peter to pick up.
"Peter, how are you doing? Listen, can you work today?" Robbie asked.
"Uh, I think I'm alright now." Peter said, "How can I help?"
"I was wondering if you could retrieve some photos at U-Genetics down at Greenwich." Robbie requested, "Nothing too spectacular just some photos of the wreckage down there."
"U-Genetics?" Peter replied before realising that this was the place where Miller was located beforehand.
9:00 am U-Genetics…
The underground laboratory remained torn apart as investigators shone their flashlights around the dark area. They also wore hazmat suits as a precaution to gas leakages that have been reported.
"What kind of science building could hide stuff like this?" One investigator asked looking around the collapsed area.
"This is sure the place of a mad scientist after all." Another said, "Hey, check this out."
As the investigators continued to search, something beneath a pile of gravel moved.
TO BE CONTINUED…