Chapter 4-2
David played the tape.
"So good to see you again, Roderick, it's always a treat," a familiar voice said.
Barton Hamilton.
"You'll have to thank my mom for that," a young boy's voice spoke.
Roderick Kingsley.
Hamilton: I'll be sure to make a mental note about that. So, to start off this session, I'm going to say a list of words and I want you to-
Roderick: Say the first word that comes to mind.
Hamilton: Exactly. Let's get started, shall we? Okay. Mother.
Roderick: Blonde.
Hamilton: Father.
Roderick: Fat.
Hamilton: Brother.
Roderick: Lazy.
Hamilton: Water.
Roderick: Dessert.
Hamilton: Christmas.
Roderick: Bah humbug.
Hamilton: Sister.
Roderick: Annoying.
Hamilton: Asylum.
Roderick: Insane.
Hamilton: Insane.
Roderick: Fuck you.
Hamilton: Evil. Evil? Roderick, I said 'evil'.
David narrowed his eyes upon realizing that Roderick choked up on the word 'evil.'
Roderick: Me.
Hamilton: Red.
Roderick: Vanity.
Hamilton: Throat.
Roderick: Cats.
Hamilton: Drowning.
Roderick: Pool.
Hamilton: Interesting set of thoughts, Roderick. I must say, I'm curious about you but I want to circle back to what you said about evil. I couldn't help but notice that it took you almost thirty seconds to come up with an answer. Were you having difficulty finding a word or was it something else?
Roderick: I tried coming up with a different word. I wanted to say the first thing on my mind, which was me, but I didn't like that answer. I tried thinking of another answer but the only thing I could think of was me. The answer to your evil question is me. When I hear the word evil, I think of myself.
Hamilton: Why is that? Why is it that when you hear this word you automatically associate yourself with evil?
Roderick: I must be evil. I drowned my sister in the FUCKING pool.
Hamilton: Why is that? Why do you think you drowned your sister in the pool?
Roderick: I don't know. I, goddamn it, she was so annoying. I just wanted to shut her up, and I didn't mean to do it. Or, no, I…. Goddamn it, I- Fuck!
Hamilton: Take your time, Roderick.
Roderick: I'm an evil bastard, I didn't mean to kill her, I swear. Mom, she's been crying and calling me evil.
Hamilton: Well, she IS going through a rough time. Speaking of which, tell me a little more about your family from your point of view. What's your father like?
Roderick: He's a fat fuck who doesn't do anything. He just sits around all day on the couch, drinking beer. He doesn't contribute to the family, he doesn't talk to us, anything. He goes out and pays the bills but that's it. He's a fucking deadbeat.
Hamilton: What's your mother like?
Roderick: A pushover. Whatever my father says or tells her to do, she does it. If he told her to jump, she would. I walked in on them one time and Dad was fucking my mom with no love or passion at all. He was just ramming into her like she was a piece of meat. Those thirty seconds watching them sure fucked up my sex mentality.
Hamilton: And your siblings? Daniel, Sarah?
Daniel and Sarah, not Daniel and Anna?
Roderick: My brother is probably the white sheep to my black sheep. He's a goody-two-shoes, always doing what my Dad says without standing up for himself. He was smart, very smart and he was Mom's pride and joy. She didn't do much to contribute to the family either but she'd always had my brother's awards on the fridge.
Hamilton: And Sarah?
Roderick: She followed me around a lot. Sometimes I liked it but other times, I needed my own space. She would ask me to do everything for her and when I didn't, she would snitch on me. Dad wouldn't care but Mom would always tell me to be nice to her.
Hamilton: Was there any abuse in your family?
Roderick: Not physically but Dad neglected all of us. I was the oldest of my siblings so it was mainly me and Mom taking care of Danny and Sarah.
Hamilton: And where do you see yourself in this family? You called yourself the black sheep; describe how you feel.
Roderick: I don't know.
Hamilton: You're smart, Roderick, I have faith you'll find the answer.
Roderick: I'm the smartest one in the family! I swear to fucking god, while my little brother brings back straight-A report cards, I bring back straight-A+ report cards. I should've been the one Sarah came to for help with her homework. I'm the one who should've had their report cards displayed on the fridge. I'm the one who should've earned Mom's attention but she always paid attention to Sarah and Daniel. My fat fuck of a retarded father, he should've looked in my direction and acknowledged me. He should've been jealous of me because I was raising Sarah and Daniel far better than he ever could. Not only that, but I was the one who figured out how to steal electricity from the neighbors and use it on our house. He saved a shitload of money because of me and he paid no attention to me.
Hamilton: So, how does it feel that your family takes for granted the stuff that you've done?
Roderick: It pissed me off. I should've won the child of the year award. It's not just my family, it's everyone. That pussy in school should've thanked me for taking his project and improving on it.
Hamilton: Did he give you permission to use his project?
Roderick: No but that's because he didn't know better. The teacher failed me for 'plagiarism' and I had to forge my report card so Mom wouldn't know.
Hamilton: Why were you so keen on getting your mother and father's attention and why did you think they only paid attention to Sarah and Daniel? And what about your relationship with Sarah and Daniel?
Roderick: I don't know. Mom only ever paid attention to Danny. We're twins and we slept in the same bed but Mom would always kiss Daniel goodnight. When I asked her why she would always say that she was kissing Daniel on my behalf. And Sarah, she never said 'thank you' to me. She followed me around only because she wanted me to do something and more often than not, this thing she wanted me to do was something Danny couldn't. Like helping her draw mazes. You see, while Danny is book-smart in academics, I know a thing or two about engineering and building that would make Bob the Builder fucking jealous.
Hamilton: So you feel very unappreciated in your family, amongst everybody. Can you think of any reason why?
Roderick: I'm the unfavorite one in the family. Nobody loves me and after what I've done… WHY would anybody love me? Sarah was annoying me and I just wanted to shut her up. I didn't mean to kill her, it was a fucking accident, and… why is it that my family only acknowledged me AFTER I killed my sister? Why did they improve themselves only after Sarah died?
Hamilton: Can you elaborate?
Roderick: Only after my sister died did my Dad finally start looking out for the family and contributing. My Mom finally put my report cards on the fridge, only to burn them the next day. Daniel REFUSED to sleep in the same bed as me. They gave me attention, but attention nobody would want. They only acknowledged me, to tear me down. And they all wished I would fucking DIE. Me, their own flesh and blood, the one who has been helping them? They hated me before I killed Sarah and now they LOATHE me. Why didn't they love me in the first place? Why don't the children in school thank me? Why do the teachers want me to fail? Why doesn't anybody love me?!
Deciding that he's heard enough, David turned off the tape and set it down. He looked up with a blank expression on his face, staring at the door that had his former therapist's name written on it.
"So what can you make of it in your professional opinion?"
"Hobgoblin wasn't born a sociopath, he was made one, through years of parental neglect and being the unfavorite in the family."
"How do you know he wasn't faking it or something?"
"As someone who spent years faking every emotion and action and paying very careful attention to what I say and do, I can say with one hundred percent guarantee that Roderick's emotions in the tape were genuine and not fake." He checked the date on the tape. "Based on what I found, Roderick would be around sixteen at the time of this tape being made."
"Ooh, interesting."
"So that's Hobgoblin's problem; he feels like he deserves attention for everything he's done but after feeling the effects of neglect from not only his parents but the world, he resorted to unsavory things to become noticed and acknowledged."
He narrowed his eyes. "Daniel Kingsley isn't the Hobgoblin, it's Roderick Kingsley." He licked his lips. "And the guy that Mom saw at her strip club must've been his twin brother, Daniel. But based on the tape, Daniel would never go along with what Roderick does. Which means he's being coerced into following his orders."
"So that means the guy we're keeping track of is Daniel and not Roderick?"
"Correct. I don't know how we're going to find Roderick but we will. And I still can't shake this feeling that I've seen Roderick before. I may need another good look at his face. If I can determine where I've seen him, maybe I can come up with a plan to ambush him. Since he and Daniel are identical twins, all I need to do is look at Daniel's face, assuming they haven't made any facial reconstructions to each other in the last seventy-two hours."
His mask formed on his face. "We gotta find Daniel. Once we find him, I'll interrogate him."
"Torture?"
"Hopefully."
Spidey swung out of the office after taking all the necessary files and tapes with him.
With Roderick
Roderick Kingsley was seated in the police interrogation room, waiting patiently for someone to come in and interrogate him. He licked his lips anxiously and looked at himself in the one-way mirror. He got out of the chair and approached the mirror. He waved blindly to the people standing behind the mirror before turning back to the table.
Two minutes later, the door opened and two officers walked in. The officers: Walter Hardy and Jefferson Davis.
"Hey there," Hardy said to Kingsley, "sorry to keep you waiting. We just had to finish up some paperwork before we had a chance to talk to you."
"What's this about?" Roderick demanded. "You guys are here to arrest me? It does seem kinda overkill to arrest me for not petting that dog at the zoo. And just to let you know, I was twelve when I cheated off that kid in school. Not only that, but how was I supposed to know that Baby Ruth bar wasn't mine? And so what if I didn't follow proper fire drill instructions in twelfth grade? I made it out of the building in one piece and-"
"Shut up," Jefferson snapped. "Sit down in the chair and stay seated."
Roderick cocked his head. "You need glasses, officer because I am sitting in this chair and staying seated. Captain Hardy here may have gray hair but you're the one losing his vision and going blind."
"You know who I am?" Walter said. "Good, this makes introductions that much easier."
"Big celebrity, huh, police captain always going on the press and making statements." He crossed his arms over his chest. "So what's this about? Are you guys drafting me? The military started drafting people into Vietnam and now with those rambunctious spider people running around, the police are drafting people now?"
"Stop talking for two seconds," Jefferson warned.
"Hey, I'm trying to get on your side, Officer Davis, but how can I answer your questions if you don't let me talk? I gotta say, you're the worst bad cop I've ever seen." He bowed his head. "And I'm truly sorry for your loss. With your brother I mean, the Prowler. I know what it's like to lose a sibling."
"We're not here to talk about me, we're here to talk about you," Jefferson reminded.
"Aye-aye. Ask away, I'm an open book and you guys didn't read me my Miranda Rights so I have the freedom to sue you when I feel like-"
"Roderick," Walter hushed him up, "you're not under arrest. We just want to ask you some questions regarding your condo."
Roderick's back stiffened and he adjusted himself in his chair. "You mean my apartment is blowing up to tiny little pieces? You find out what started the fire?"
"The Hobgoblin," Walter cut to the chase. "He was seen blowing up your apartment with the Black Spider inside. Now, why would two of the most recent supervillains be fighting in your condo and blowing it up I wonder? Care to elaborate?"
"What do you think I'm connected to the Hobgoblin or Black Spider or something?" Roderick frowns. "Just admit it; you wouldn't be asking these questions if you didn't suspect me of something. I have nothing to do with the Hobgoblin."
"Why are you so insistent about it?"
"Because the Hobgoblin is a mass murderer and you're falsely accusing me of being a mass murderer. If I'm accused even once, then my reputation tumbles. I have nothing to do with any of the supervillains in town."
"Where were you on the night the supervillains blew up your apartment?"
"I was at the Cat Club," he answered. "You know, the strip joint with all those hotties? Ask the strippers there; I'm a regular and I was there the night my condo blew up."
"Are there security cameras there?"
"Of course. I mean, it's a strip joint; a show for almost live nudes. Who wouldn't want to go in there and get to touch those strippers' tits and asses? I go there frequently and all the guards and owners and managers there know me. I'm even friends with one of the strippers, Misa-Misa. Ask her and she'll say that I was there."
"Calm down," Walter persuaded, "take a deep breath, and don't get so hysterical. It's like I said, we're just here to talk to you. We don't suspect you of anything-"
"Then why am I here at the police station? Huh, why couldn't you send two officers to my place of dwelling to question me?"
"We were unaware of your current residence."
"I'm staying with my brother. He's letting me sleep in his apartment for the time being." He gives them his address. "There, happy, you could've just sent two officers down there and spared me from wasting my time sitting in this interrogation room."
"Roderik…" Walter put his hands on the table. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a fashion designer, my brother and I are in the fashion business. My brother is the fucking CEO of the company."
"There's been some allegations of that place. I'm sure you've heard of some of them, that you plagiarize certain fashion dresses and suits and recently, all the people who filed lawsuits against the company dropped them."
"I chatted with them. I talked to them about it, and I bought the rights to use their dresses for Kingsley's Fashion. That's it."
"How much money is the company worth?"
"More than you make in a year, captain." He looks at Jefferson. "And especially more than a sergeant like you makes in a year."
"Cool it," Jefferson warned.
Roderick shrugged with a roll of his eyes. "Are there any more useless, irrelevant questions coming my way, or am I allowed to leave? If I can't leave, I'm hungry. Bring me food. I want steak and fries and I want my steak cooked medium rare. I swear to god, if the steak isn't medium rare, I'll fling it-"
"Shut your fucking trap," Jefferson snapped. "This is an interrogation. We ask and you answer, understand?"
"I know my rights and you guys can't hold me here for long, not without probable cause, and even so, I'm not under arrest. And let's not forget that even if this was an unofficial arrest, you would still have to read me my Miranda Rights; which you haven't done." He smiled. "I would sue the department and get more money from you guys but based on the state of the police station, the incompetence to squash a single bug, and flying yellow elf on a skateboard, it wouldn't be worth it."
"Why are you being such an asshole?" Jefferson groaned.
"Because I don't like having my fucking time wasted. Now let me out of here or finish up our goddamn questions and let me leave. Otherwise, I'm going to annoy the living shit out of your incompetent officers."
Walter smiled. "Calm down, Roderick."
"Don't ever tell me to calm down, Captain Hardy," Roderick hissed. "You're in here, suspecting me of being a mass murderer and you're telling me to calm the fuck down? Have you ever been falsely accused of something, huh?" He looked at Jefferson. "What about you, Officer Davis, huh? Have you ever been falsely accused of being in cahoots with the Prowler? I mean, who could blame the people? Your brother was a killer and associated with a mass murderer. It's no wonder why he deserved to die."
Jefferson slowly stood up and towered over the sitting man.
"If you touch me, I'll sue you for assault and battery."
"That's enough," Walter suddenly shouted. "Jefferson, please walk out of the room. Mr. Kingsley, I'm sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused. We were just curious as to why the Hobgoblin and Black Spider were fighting in your apartment. But we're going to hold you here for a while. We're going to check security cameras at the Cat Club and talk to a few witnesses. If your story adds up about you being there at the time your condo went up in flames, we'll release you."
"You better do it fast because you can only keep me in this interrogation room for oh so long." He smiled before looking at Jefferson. "See ya later, brother of a murderer."
Jefferson immediately walked out of the room. Walter followed shortly.
"Medium fucking rare," Roderick reminded. "And a beer."
The door closed.
Roderick was alone in the room with only his thoughts to talk to him. Thoughts that reminded him of the fact that security footage would reveal that 'he' was at the Cat Club during Hobgoblin's blowing up of his condo. But if the police decide to look farther back than that, they'll see that Roderick made contact with Aaron and Gargan one day when Misa-Misa was performing.
Oh, if only someone had snuck into the security room several nights ago and deleted all footage of Roderick Kingsley making contact with Aaron and Gargan that night.
A Few Hours Later
Roderick Kingsley was walking out of the police station with a doggy bag of leftover steak and fries. He had finished his drink in the interrogation room and had been allowed to leave after the police verified his alibi at the Cat Club.
As Roderick was walking out, he yelled back, "This steak is not medium-rare. You're going to pay for it."
Walter and Jefferson waved him goodbye after hearing his complaint with Jefferson walking back inside the station.
Walter stayed behind and sighed loudly and put his hands in his pockets. He turned to his right. "So what do you think?"
Felicia stood beside her father and folded her arms over her chest. "He's definitely hiding something. Did you get his fingerprints?"
"Got everything off of him," Walter answered. "But I can't help but feel that he's hiding something."
"As someone who lives a double life, I can tell when someone is hiding something and Roderick is definitely hiding something."
Walter looked ahead. "I want you to follow our fashion designer."
Felicia laughed. "Look at that, the police captain encouraged stalking. Oh, times have changed."
"Stalk him and find out everything you can about him. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing more of him before the month is over. Hopefully."
"I'll do what I can, Daddy." Without wasting another second, Felicia walks off. "Tell Mom and Scott I said hello."
"Wilco."
Felicia trailed after Roderick for about a few blocks when she cut through an alleyway and donned her Black Cat suit. She stuck to the roofs and followed the fashion designer as closely as possible, not taking her eyes off as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop in hot pursuit. She followed him all the way to his house, where he knocked on his door and the door was opened for him.
Much to her shock, a man looking like a caveman with long hair and a beard opened the door and let him in.
"Huh, Roderick's got a dear brother indeed." She narrowed her eyes. "I wonder where he was during the attack downtown."
She was about to move in when a bearded man walked up to the house and knocked on the door, holding a bible.
Daniel Kingsley answered the knocking on his door and his eyes went wide when he saw a bearded man holding a bible standing in front of him.
Hello, Daniel Kingsley.
"Hello good sir," the bearded man spoke in a deep voice, "have you ever thought about giving your heart and soul to the kingdom of Heaven? For only five dollars a bible, you can set yourself on the path of righteousness."
Man, I never thought I'd stoop so low as to pretend to be a preacher but here I am.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Sorry but I don't believe in Heaven or Hell."
"But do you believe in God?" the preacher asked. "You must, you must believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All non-believers will go to Hell. I am trying to save your soul. One bible, five dollars."
Daniel was so tempted to just slam the door in his face but something made him pause. "How come you only have one bible?"
"Due to loss of budget and time, I can only afford to carry one bible with me at a time. And sadly, I'm going to have to preview the bibles I'm selling before coming back to give you whatever bibles you buy."
The preacher looked over Daniel's shoulder to try and get a glimpse inside. Daniel scooted in his path.
"Are you trying to peek into my home, pervert?" Daniel clenched his fists. "Look, I'm sorry to say this but I'm going through something and I'm not interested in practicing any religions."
"All the more reason to reach out to God and Jesus. Jesus was crucified for his sins but he emerged victorious. He is God in human form and you must pay him back for his sacrifices and everything he has done for us. You must pay back Abba."
Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Abba?"
"Yes, Abba."
Daniel clenched his teeth. "I don't remember Abba being a name in Christianity. I remember it being a name in Judaism but not in Christianity."
"Don't tell me you're Jewish," the preacher asked suddenly. "It's okay, Hanukkah starts today and ends on the 25th. I can easily get you a Jewish bible if that's what you want."
Daniel was losing his patience. "Sir, as you can see, I'm freezing cold and I would love nothing more than to go back inside and relax. I'm mentally exhausted and I want to rest. I'm not interested in buying any of your Christian or Jewish bibles so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be going."
Daniel closed the door. The preacher put his foot in the doorway.
"I'm trying to save you from going to Hell, sir," the preacher spoke softly. "There is a sinner among you, a devil in angel's clothing and he will kill you, condemn you to a life in living hell. You will be begging for death. You may want to kill yourself to escape and I'm trying to prevent that because those who commit suicide do not go to Heaven. Do you know where they go? Hell."
"I'm already in Hell."
Daniel slams the door shut.
The preacher smiled behind his mask and walked away from Kingsley's house. He turned away, lowered his head, and morphed back to David Dante. David walked across the street to meet up with his friend.
Eddie Brock held his hand out. "Can I have my bible back now?"
"Of course." David returns the bible before stuffing his hands in his pockets, shivering in the cold snow.
"What did you need the bible for?" Eddie asked.
"Heh, just to sniff out the gospel in this neighborhood," David shrugged. "You know, the usual stuff."
"Uhh, no I don't." He cocked his head. "Where have you been lately, Davey, I haven't seen you in a while. It's like I've been a character written out of your life."
"Well, you're still here, chit-chatting with me so obviously, you haven't been forgotten about." David narrowed his eyes and looked at his friend. "Eddie, man, how long have we known each other?"
"We've been friends since eighth grade and we're eleventh graders now so about three or four years."
"And we trust each other, right?"
Eddie nodded. "Don't tell me you got caught up in drugs, Davey? I would hate to narc you but it wouldn't be doing anybody justice if I didn't snitch."
David laughed. "Nah, it's not that. It's just…" he paused to imitate a person hesitating to bring profoundly sad news. "I've been comforting Miles for the past few days. You know, since his uncle being the Prowler and everything."
I want to hear Eddie insult Morales's uncle greatly.
Eddie silently nodded and looked down. "I get it." He tucked his bible into his jacket. "I can kinda relate to what he's going through."
David tilted his head. "You have an uncle who's a supervillain?"
"Nah, but a relative having a bad persona."
"Your mother?"
"Nah, my dad." Eddie looked David in the eyes, hesitating before he began talking. "When I was little, my Dad and I drove to the store. When he went inside to pick up his medication, I climbed into the car seat and got a little curious. I pretended to be driving around and then I pulled on the gear thingy and I sent the car rolling back in reverse. I ran over a little girl on a bicycle."
David forced himself to wince. "Good god."
Eddie tucked the bible closer to himself. "That's one way of putting it. The car wasn't going fast but the girl got caught under the wheel and her foot was crushed. I managed to put the car in park but the girl's mother called the police and they arrived by the time Dad got back.
"I was taken to the police station for questioning and they asked me how I plead. I said, 'Please, please, please'." He went silent. "Now that I'm older and know what that means, I cringe at that moment."
"We all have cringeworthy moments when we're children," David pointed out. "So get on with the story already."
"Antsy but okay. So, the cop explained to me whether I wanted to be seen as guilty or innocent and I said guilty. Then my dad told the officer to leave while he dealt with me. He told me that I should plead innocent because, in his words, 'that bitch of a mother is the one who neglected her child'. He said if I didn't plead guilty, he would break my ass.
"So when the cop came into the room, I-"
"Pleaded innocent?" David finished.
Eddie nodded. "Yep. It was taken to trial but my lawyer, who would later turn out to be my girlfriend's father, would come to my defense and say that the woman was unfit to take care of the girl I ran over. She had a history of mental illness and parental neglect and although I wouldn't be charged with anything, I still had to pay the price. I spent some time in jail. Well, juvy, while they waited to sentence me."
"How old were you during this?"
"Ten." Eddie sighed. "I was ten years old and sitting in a cell with fifteen-year-olds who committed far worse crimes like murder, rape, arson, and even one of them was charged with zoo sadism."
"So you've had experience dealing with violent people."
Interesting. I must be that good at hiding if I can evade someone like Eddie.
"The stuff they said, the stuff they fucking gloated about was horrific and made me want to vomit. I can't believe people like that exist. It horrifies me to know that there are countless sadistic and evil people out there in the world and they're never going away. I wished they would all vanish but that wasn't going to happen."
David rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, we know that there are bad people in this world, don't have to sound like a broken record. What happened between you and your dad, get to the point already."
Unbeknownst to David, the symbiote crept out of his skin and fell to the ground. It crawled to a sewer drain and vanished from sight.
Up from above, Black Cat smiled and moved away. "I just saved your life, Davey."
Eddie looked at David with a shocked look. "What is your problem? I'm opening up to you and you're acting like a jackass?"
David rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, sorry. I'm just…" He shivered suddenly, feeling very cold. "Kinda cold out here."
"Yeah, you are cold…blooded.
Yes, I am.
Eddie's eyes widened. "Oh my god…" he said slowly, "what the fuck?" He looked underneath David's chin.
David narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Eddie rubbed his eyes. "Am I hallucinating or are you naked?"
David looked down at himself and saw that he was fully nude. He quickly covered his private area and looked around to see if anybody was watching.
Eddie turned in the other direction and looked away.
David ran into the alleyway and took cover behind a dumpster. His spider-sense didn't go off, which was a good thing but Eddie was still standing where he was, choking and gagging at the sight of his best friend suddenly turning nude.
There was only one person that came to mind.
Felicia, she's around here. She must've used her powers on me to separate the symbiote from me. Goddamn it. I need to get that alien parasite back.
He crouched behind the dumpster before looking in the opposite direction.
Without the alien symbiote, I won't be able to best Silk, Scarlet Spider, and Kid Airachnid in combat. I need to get that suit back but where could it have possibly gone?
He stroked his chin as he remembered something.
I have nothing to worry about. In the event that something like this were to happen, I gave instructions to the symbiote. Should we get separated, then he is to bond to one of my allies that has a tracker placed on them.
He peeked out to see Eddie still standing there in his original position.
I didn't put a tracker on Eddie, damn it. I should've though. Okay then, so it looks like the only people he would be going to would be Hobgoblin, Black Cat, the three copy-spiders, or Hardy and Davis. Since Felicia is in the area, I doubt the symbiote will try to bond with Hobgoblin or her, especially with her powers being used against him.
That means… he's probably going to bond with one of the two cops or one of the three copy-spiders.
He made a fist.
Shit, it's a double-edged sword. I told the symbiote to reunite with me after bonding with one of my allies but my only ally is an anti-symbiote. If he bonds to Hobgoblin, then he'll probably use a soundwave grenade. But if he bonds with one of the three copy-spiders and they swing involuntarily in my direction, then they'll know my identity. And if the symbiote bonds to Cindy, dear God, will she turn against me? Who knows what she'll do? The secrets she'll spill, the names, powers, the list is endless.
Picking himself up, he looked down the alleyway once more.
I'll improvise when I can but until then, I need a change of clothes because I can already feel my balls starting to freeze off.
He runs off.
With Cindy
After a hard night's work, it was time for Cindy to fall asleep but unfortunately for her, falling asleep wasn't an easy option. With everything that's been going on, Cindy wasn't able to properly sleep after she became Silk. She stayed up in her room, lying in her bed as she listened to the police radio Ben made for her.
As described to her by Ben, the police radio was built to pick up police chatter from ten different channels. It was how they were going to stop crime since they existed in a world that didn't have a spider symbol shining in the sky.
Cindy had to be vigilant, ready to swing into action at a moment's notice; justice never rests and neither does she. Maybe that was why her parents were questioning why she woke up with heavy bags every morning.
Three hours of sleep is all she had gotten since she got the police radio. She was so tempted to just turn off the radio and go to sleep but responsibility overcame temptation.
And then she heard the knocking on her door. She turned down the volume on the radio before answering the door.
Her little brother, Little Albert Moon, stood there, teddy bear in hand, and a nervous look on his face.
"Hey, Al," Cindy said, "what's up?"
"I had a nightmare," he answered simply. "Can I sleep with you?"
Cindy didn't even hesitate to answer, "Sure thing, kid." She invited him in and hopped onto her bed with him climbing beside her.
"Aren't you tired?"
Cindy looked at her younger brother. She was still trying to get to know him, even after first meeting him two years ago after she was released from the bunker. Her parents explained that when they spent six months searching for her when she got trapped in the bunker, they impulsively conceived Al as a way to fill the void of their missing daughter. Even with their new child, they still didn't give up on trying to find her. And then five years later, David opens the door, and Cindy is freed from the bunker.
Cindy won't lie; she did feel like her parents replaced her when they gave birth to Al but after warming up to him, she came to love him like the brother he was. She still had some resentment towards her parents but if there's one thing her isolation in the bunker taught her, it was to appreciate the people in your life, no matter how imperfect they are.
"Very," Cindy answered. "I'm very tired." She pulled the covers up. "But don't worry, we'll fall asleep in no time." She snuggled into her pillow. "What was your nightmare about?"
"I can't remember." Al sank into the bed beside her.
"Good. Hopefully, that'll be the last time you have a nightmare."
"You died," he said, "I remember some, you died." He wrapped his right arm around her shoulder. "I tried to save you." He didn't sob, for he knew it was only a dream, but he felt compelled to comfort her.
"Don't worry, little Al, I'm not going anywhere."
She reached over and turned the police radio off completely and sank into her bed in a deep slumber.
The venom symbiote crawled in through her window, having memorized her apartment address from the time David visited her a few times and it slowly crept through the cracks in the wall before landing on the carpet.
It took a solid form and morphed into the black and red Spider-Man suit.
Cindy's silk-sense didn't go off, even when the symbiote stomped in her direction. She was out like a light and the symbiote wasted no time.
It fell onto Cindy and became one with her.
With David
Thank god I had Felicia make me this suit.
David put on the black and white Spider-Man suit Felicia made for him a few days ago.
I had a different idea in mind when using it but I can work with it, and I can improvise.
Donning his inorganic black and white Spider-Man suit, he opened the window to his apartment and leaped out.
It was early in the morning with the sun starting to come out over the horizon. The air was chillier and made him shiver in his costume but he didn't let that affect his swinging.
He landed on the side of a building.
My climbing powers are back.
He leaps thirty feet off the building.
And my spider-jumping powers are back as well.
He shoots a web out and swings between two buses. He ascends into the air and perches down on a crane.
The symbiote healed me all the way. This is the first time in a while that I've been separated completely from the symbiote; whatever Hobgoblin drugged me with, the effects either wore off or the symbiote healed them. I need to get the symbiote back and fast. I need to find Cindy, Morales, and Reilly but that's much easier said than done, considering I don't have a tracker on them anymore. How can I find-
He feels a sharp tingle in the back of his skull.
Good to know my spider-sense is back.
He backflips off the crane as Kid Arachnid web-kicks him, barely dodging him by inches. Spidey web-zips backward and was nearly shot with a taser web from Scarlet Spider.
Spidey swings away, being chased in a high-speed web chase by the two copy-spiders. Spidey does everything he can to stay ahead of the copy-spiders, web-zipping, web-yanking, wall-running, and leaping with all his might to stay at least fifty feet away from the vigilantes. He had to do something to replenish his web-fluids because he forgot to reload them when he woke up this morning. He had web-fluid hidden in the belt of his costume and decided to swing to that nearby construction site to fight the copy-spiders there but one thought lingered in the back of his mind.
Where the hell is Cindy?
