The Extraordinary Spider-Man - Vol 1
Chapter 14: Double Trouble
Likenesses used
Constance Wu as Yuriko Watanabe
Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart
Wade Williams as Ravencroft Prison Guard
On the morning of Christmas Day, Peter and Aunt May sat in front of the Christmas tree in their pajamas, exchanging gifts.
"Open yours first," Peter insisted, handing a gift box to Aunt May.
"Thanks, Peter!" Aunt May exclaimed as she opened her present, revealing a $25 gift card to Red Robin. "Aww, Peter! Thank you!"
"Keep looking," Peter chuckled.
Aunt May looked further in the box to find a framed picture. She took it out and saw that it was a framed picture of her and Uncle Ben at their wedding.
Aunt May put her hand to her mouth as she started tearing up. "Oh my God."
"Shoot, is everything okay?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, everything's okay. It's just… that was such a beautiful day," Aunt May reminisced.
"He'll always be with us no matter what."
"I know. Thanks a lot, Peter. This was amazing," Aunt May thanked, hugging her nephew.
"Anytime, May."
"Alrighty, now open mine up!"
Peter opened his gift box to find a new microscope. "Oh my God! May, you shouldn't have!"
"Don't worry about it, Peter. I worked a few extra shifts at the firm, and I knew you more than deserved this."
Smiling, Peter hugged his aunt. "Thank you so much, Aunt May. You're the best family I could ever ask for."
"Same with you, Peter. I'm glad we can be happy together today."
Peter smiled. "I know Uncle Ben would be too."
Peter swung throughout the snowy city, jumping off buildings and making leaps. Unfortunately, his Spider-Sense alerted him to an unpleasantly familiar vibration blast.
"Goddamn it," Peter sighed as he swung over to the site of the blast.
He landed in front of a bank, where Herman was holding two bags of loot. He was also wearing an armored yellow-and-brown battle suit and helmet, and his gauntlets were menacingly sparking electricity.
"Well, well, well, look who it is?" Herman asked.
"Nice costume," Peter genuinely complimented. "I'm glad you took my advice."
"Thanks. It took a bit of effort, but I like it."
"Anyway, enough small talk. Are we really gonna have to do this again?" Peter asked. "I can just take you in right now and we can get this over with."
"Very funny. By the way, I took your name suggestion as well."
"What was it again?"
Herman smirked underneath his helmet. "Well…"
Herman shot an air blast at Peter, though he quickly jumped over it. Once he got back down, he was blasted into a fire hydrant by a blast, shooting water everywhere.
"You called me Shocker. Looks like I gotta live up to that," Herman pointed out.
Shocker propelled himself over to Peter, aiming for a punch. Peter rolled over as Shocker's punch smashed the ground. Peter got up and shot some webs at Shocker, propelling himself over and kicking him in the chest, knocking him down. Shocker got up and aimed his gauntlet, only for Peter to quickly web it. However, Shocker activated the gauntlet, disintegrating the web and sending Peter back with a wave.
"Damn," Peter muttered as he got back up.
At that moment, cops started arriving, as did the news. The cops got out, though Shocker blasted a stop sign at them as a warning. That didn't stop the news reporters from capturing the entire fight on camera, though.
"Great," Peter sighed.
Shocker shot five more waves at Peter, prompting the latter to jump over and avoid them. Peter swung over and delivered a kick to Shocker's arm. Shocker retaliated with an electrified punch to the ribs, before following up with a punch to the chin. Peter then shot some web darts at Shocker, who deflected some of them. Peter then shot a web at Shocker's face, allowing him the chance to jump in and punch him in the face. Peter kicked Shocker in the chest, knocking him to a pole. Peter proceeded to web Shocker up.
"You wanna play truth or dare? For dare, you may not have many options, though," Peter joked as he proceeded to turn to the cops. "He's all yours, guys!"
Yelling in frustration, Shocker ignited his gauntlets, burning through the webbing. He then ripped himself out, letting out a vibrational force that took down the pole and blasted Peter away. Shocker propelled himself over and repeatedly delivered punches to the ground, only for Peter to keep rolling over and dodging them. Peter jumped up and wrapped his legs around Shocker's neck, pulling him to the ground. Shocker quickly got up and shot Peter with an air blast, sending him against a pillar.
"Don't get me wrong, this is fun. But if I could squash you now, that'd be great," Shocker said.
"Keep dreaming, vibrator," Peter responded.
Further annoyed, Shocker ran in for another punch as Peter lunged at him.
At the testing room in Hammer Industries, Mac and Jack were watching the fight between Peter and Shocker on the news, sitting on a couch.
"What the fuck does this guy think he's doing?" Mac asked.
"Based on this altercation so far, it doesn't look like things'll go quite well," Jack observed.
"Well, no shit. Looks like that Shocker guy is putting up a better fight than expected. He better not deprive me of-"
On the TV, Shocker shot Peter with a loud blast, sending him across the ground. Peter swung over to Shocker, only for the latter to punch him in the face with an electrified punch. He got on Peter and started pummelling him.
"Fucking hell," Mac muttered, getting up.
Jack got up. "Great. What the hell are you doing now?!"
"That bastard isn't gonna be the one that kills him," Mac declared, throwing the couch in a fit.
Mac walked over to the testing platform, prompting Jack to quickly follow.
"You crazy?!" Jack started. "You pull another stunt like that and-"
Mac grabbed Jack by the throat, raising him above the ground.
"Get me the suit. Now," Mac demanded.
"Mac-"
"Fucking argue with me one more time and I'll take no hesitation in snapping your neck."
Jack quickly nodded and Mac let him go. Jack walked over to the computer and used it to open up the testing platform. Mac walked over to the suit, facing it and preparing to suit up.
Peter was knocked to the ground by another electric punch. Groaning, he struggled to get up as he saw Shocker approaching. Three cops ran at him from behind, though Shocker easily blasted them aside. Cops shot at him to no avail, given Shocker's bulletproof armor.
"We can stop now if you want," Peter offered.
"I agree. Can't say I didn't have fun, though," Shocker agreed as he grabbed Peter's face. "Nighty night."
Screams and rampaging were then heard as Peter's Spider-Sense started going off. He and Shocker turned to see Scorpion charging over.
"Oh shit," Shocker said.
Scorpion rammed into Shocker, sending him a couple feet back. Peter quickly got up as he faced Scorpion.
"Great. How many villain reunions am I gonna have today?" Peter sighed.
Scorpion quickly swung his tail, though Peter jumped over. Peter jumped over another tail strike and threw a kick at Scorpion. However, Scorpion grabbed Peter's leg and slammed him on the ground twice before throwing him aside.
"Glad to see you again, Scorpion," Peter sarcastically admitted.
"Whoever's gonna kill you, it's not gonna be that incompetent wanker. Just know I plan to make this as painful as possible," Scorpion promised.
"Cheerful," Peter replied.
Scorpion charged over and swung his claws at Peter, who dodged them. Peter jumped over Scorpion and shot a web at his back, kicking him from behind. Scorpion's tail then smacked Peter across the chest, knocking him back. As Peter got back up, Scorpion ran over and punched him in the face twice, though Peter returned with a punch to Scorpion's ribs. Peter quickly swung underneath Scorpion's legs and shot a web at his back, pulling and yanking him to the ground. Peter then webbed Scorpion to the ground, only to be blasted aside by Shocker's air blast.
"Really?!" Peter yelled.
"That psycho's lucky this armor's endurable. Could've broken some more bones," Shocker groaned as he clenched his chest.
"Whatever, dude. You and I are done," Peter said.
Peter shot a web at Shocker's chest, yanking himself over and punching him in the face. However, Scorpion broke out of the webbing and tackled Peter to the ground. Scorpion punched Peter in the face, though Peter managed to dodge another one. Before Scorpion could deliver another, he was blasted off by Shocker's air blast. Scorpion yelled and charged at Shocker, only for the latter to shoot a more powerful blast, knocking him into a pillar and crumbling it.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but you wanna take this guy down together?" Peter asked.
Shocker shrugged. "Sure."
Scorpion emerged from the rubble, only to find Peter and Shocker gone. From behind, Peter swang at Scorpion, knocking him into an air blast by Shocker, sending him against the wall of the bank. Scorpion charged at Peter, grabbing and pinning him to the ground. Another air blast by Shocker knocked Scorpion off, and Peter kicked him in the face.
"That should give you a few more brain cells," Peter joked.
"So will me crushing your skull!" Scorpion retaliated.
Scorpion swung his tail a few more times, which Peter dodged. Peter also dodged a poison dart, and Shocker blasted Scorpion from behind. As Scorpion was blasted through the air, Peter jumped and slammed him to the ground. Peter then pummelled Scorpion in the face multiple times, even cracking the helmet and orange lenses. Once it looked like Scorpion was unconscious, Peter looked at Shocker.
"Thanks for the help," Peter thanked.
"No pro-"
Peter interjected with a kick to Shocker's face, and then yanked one of Shocker's gauntlets off with a web. Before Shocker could retaliate, Peter punched Shocker in the chest and face, knocking him unconscious. Peter then webbed Shocker to the ground and took his remaining gauntlet off.
"Sorry, but I still gotta take you in," Peter said.
The cops started approaching to arrest the villains, and Peter walked over to Officer DeWolff.
"Thanks for handling it," DeWolff thanked.
"No problem. By the way, the name is Spider-Man now. Make sure to spread that around," Peter requested.
DeWolff nodded. "Will do."
"DeWolff, both the criminals are officially being taken to the precinct. Thank God they're unconscious," a female cop confirmed as she approached DeWolff and Peter. "So you're the famous vigilante I've heard so much about.
"That's me. Name's Spider-Man," Peter confirmed.
"NYPD Lieutenant Yuriko Watanabe. Call me Yuri. I wanna say, I've always viewed you as a hero. Both my husband and I. I know Captain Stacy may not feel the same way, but you've done a lot of good for this city," Yuri complimented.
"Thanks for the support. I'll keep doing my best," Peter promised.
With that, Peter swung away, as DeWolff and Yuri both smiled.
That night, Peter was in his room, applying Aunt May's concealer to the bruises on his face and chest.
"I swear, I gotta get myself some of this," Peter groaned.
On his desk, Peter's phone started ringing, and he saw it was Gwen. He picked up.
"Hey, Gwen. What's up?" Peter asked.
"Dude, I saw on the news what happened earlier with you, Scorpion, and Shocker! I just wanted to check in and ask if everything was alright!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm not gonna lie. It was quite a beating. But I got them, and that's what matters. Thanks a lot for asking," Peter answered.
"Don't mention it. I'm just so scared to see you get hurt," Gwen admitted.
"Gwen-"
"I'm serious, Peter. I know I already said it, but I just don't want anything to happen to you. Really," Gwen affirmed.
"I know. And I appreciate it, but this is something I have to do. I just gotta keep training and bettering my equipment," Peter insisted.
"In that case, let me-"
"No," Peter quickly responded.
"Fine. Well, the offer still stands if you ever change your mind. But I'm telling you, I can help."
"Peter, come down here!" Aunt May called.
"Coming, Aunt May! Gotta go, sorry. Thanks again for checking up on me, though," Peter said.
"Anytime. See you, Peter."
Sighing of relief, Peter put on a shirt and went downstairs. Aunt May was in the living room, watching the news.
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"Come over here. Kasady's being interviewed," Aunt May revealed.
Peter's eyes widened as he ran over and landed on the couch. "No way."
On the news, a reporter was walking through a hallway of the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, being escorted by a prison guard. She stopped at a certain cell.
"Cletus Kasady. I'm Christine Everhart, a reporter for WHiH World News. I was wondering if you were willing to answer any questions?" the reporter asked.
Cletus turned around, revealing a cast on his arm and his severely bruised face. He smiled. "Sure."
"So, you were recently incarcerated for the murder of Benjamin Parker back in early November. According to records, you've murdered 127 people, specifically in varying methods. You've also committed crimes such as robbery, arson, kidnapping-"
"Yeah, I did all of that. And I did a lot more," Cletus confirmed.
"Well, why? What pushes you to do it all? There anything that went on in your childhood that motivated you?" Christine asked.
"It all worked out how it was supposed to. When my mother was young, she murdered her boyfriend after he wouldn't stop laying his hands on her. She was sent here to Ravencroft, where I was eventually born. From what I've heard, my heart may have even stopped a few times. A few years later, I pushed my grandma down a flight of stairs. She just wouldn't stop nagging. After my mom was let out, I dropped a hairdryer into her bathtub, though she somehow got lucky. Eventually, I tortured and killed my dog with a drill. Mother couldn't stand me anymore, so she just ran off one day, and I never saw her again. I was sent to the St. Estes Home for Boys or something like that. That was where I realized how awful everybody is. The other kids and even the staff… absolutely ruthless. At one point, I asked this girl out, and she just laughed at me and had her friends beat me up until I bled everywhere. I had enough, so I sliced the disciplinarian administrator's throat and pushed that one girl in front of a bus. I chained up all the kids who had dealt out the heaviest blows, and smiled as I heard their final bloodcurdling screams. After that was done, I burned down the orphanage. I was on my own after that, doing anything I wanted. I landed in prison before breaking out and killing again, and it became quite a tiring cycle," Cletus answered.
"Sounds traumatic. But you really believe that justifies everything you've done?"
"Honey, I do whatever I want. Life's always been futile. Laws are honestly just words."
"If life is so meaningless, why kill? How will that make it any more meaningful?"
"Killing is the ultimate freedom. It's the art that allows us all to bring out the best of us. I didn't realize it in my earlier years, but I only grew smarter with every corpse. By taking lives, I'm freeing people. Freeing them from the inevitable misery and torture that life bestows. You all think I'm the criminal? I have a duty here. Sure, it may look like the very epitome of chaos and bloodshed, but the best gifts are the ones that make you fully realize the beauty of it once it sinks in and consumes you. You all will embrace your freedom someday. Just like the others," Cletus answered with an unnerving smile.
Christine had a nervous look on. "So, that's how you're choosing to view life? You believe that nothing is worth it, and that killing will just solve everything?"
"You just summed it up impeccably. You all may view me as a sadist right now, but eventually, you're gonna realize the savior I truly am, as I help you all ascend from the Hell that is Earth. Believe me when I say I will get out of here someday. I look forward to it, and I've grown fully content to being stuck here until then. It'll all be worth it. Once I step foot in society again… it's gonna be beautiful."
"No goddamn way you're ever getting out of here, Kasady," the prison guard remarked. "You have thirty-three consecutive life sentences."
"Say that now, but I always found a way in the past. Sure, that new vigilante… they're calling him Spider-Man now, right? He made things tougher for me, and I have to admit he put up quite a fight. However, I have confidence I'll be out again someday. And I'll be ready. Bathing society with the blood that'll free you all, call it my Second Coming. Call me… Carnage."
"Okay, we're done here, freak," the prison guard decided. "Let's go, Mrs. Everhart."
The prison guard escorted the visibly scared Christine away as the camera followed them.
Back at home, Peter and Aunt May looked absolutely shaken.
"Fucking psycho," Peter muttered as Aunt May changed the channel.
"I'm right there with you," Aunt May agreed. "I just still can't believe that horrible man is the one who took Ben from us."
"Well, he's locked up now. He can't hurt anyone else anymore, and that's what really matters."
"That's true. I'll probably spend every night the rest of my life thanking Spider-Man for taking him in," Aunt May admitted.
Peter slightly smiled, walking up to his room. He collapsed on his bed, contemplating everything. Specifically, he remembered Gwen's words about him not being responsible for Uncle Ben's death. But he also couldn't get over the monster who had taken him away. Staring up at the ceiling, Peter's eyes closed as he tried to get his mind off of everything.
Disclaimer: Spider-Man and any other Marvel characters are created and owned by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. I do not have any ownership over them.
Damn, I crammed a lot of this in. I hope you guys enjoyed this newest chapter. It was pretty fun for me to research more about Carnage and write that final scene with him. Believe me when I say it'll all be absolutely batshit insane when Carnage hits this story, though I won't say when or how. I hope the fight scene and brief Spidey+Shocker team-up was also enjoyable. Just to make things clear, the Shocker suit in this is the same as the PS4 version. Also, expect more villains to be teased and introduced next chapter…
Life's been pretty chill for me recently. Been playing the PS4, and chatting and hanging with friends. Hell, I'm halfway through the Spider-Man PS4 story campaign and it's so fun. I found out recently I have to take a 4-week summer class, so wish me luck on that lol! It seems like life is somewhat starting to return to normal for all of us. I hope it's also a sign that this whole coronavirus pandemic is starting to die down.
As always, favs, follows, and reviews are always appreciated, and next chapter will be out next Sunday. Hope you guys are continuing to enjoy the story!
Rollerparty - Thanks! And yes, it's very much set in late 2014 at this point lol. And yes, Captain America exists, and I won't say anything about the Avengers for now. The PS5 does look interesting, and my best friend said Fallen Order is really good, though it has its glitches.
Fate-Be Changed - Yeah indeed! I'm glad you appreciated the different take!
Marvel Nerd - Lol you saw what happened in this fight! And you'll see what happens next time!
Geek4Life - Yep! I spent a lot of time building up to it, and I hope it paid off!
Guest - You'll see Peter's development and inner conflict and how he deals with it. You'll just have to keep reading…
SpideyXBC - You'll see eventually what happens with them in the end!
Teller-Story - Lol you did bring it to my attention that Peter's villains have primarily been bald so far! That'll change next chapter…
ThePurpleArcher24 - Thanks! I'm glad you liked the moment with Peter and Gwen, because it was so important for me to write. I'm sorry about the DC Universe thing, but I did read part of your Batman story and liked it! I hope to see the next chapter of your Spider-Man story soon!
owenmalbrecht - Haha you know who you are, you sly dog…
-redbird12