Author's note: These are not easy days for me but it feels good to be writing here with you guys! We move on!
8. Wolf in the Crossroads
When Peter woke up it was already late evening. He could hear Aunt May working in the kitchen downstairs and the TV buzzing in the living room. It felt great to be home, even if he wasn't sure how had he gotten there. He lazily looked around his room and remembered everything that had happened. The explosion, Elliot, Red, Plague, the police man, MJ… Wait! MJ! Oh, god! Peter sat down and saw his phone on the nightstand. He had a look. Twenty calls and sixty messages! God! How long had he…? Hu? According to his cell phone, three days had gone by! He surely had taken a big beaten! Well, no matter. He was never gonna put the suit again, that was a promise. He was going to… A piece of paper felt from the nightstand and Peter picked it up. It was from the police officer in the alley, or maybe not.
"Dear Mr. Parker,
When you read this, you will probably be wondering what has happened during these three days. Many things have been set in motion but only one that should concern you: Peter Parker and Spiderman. Your alter ego has provided NY with some hope in these dark events and although I'm sure that you have probably given up the hero suit again, this is the least wise decision that you can make. The wheel is already in motion. The explosion at Chelsea Piers was just another piece of the puzzle, one you can't solve alone.
The photos that Mss. Lee gave you are an important clue but again; don't walk to me on your own. It won't be funny if you are alone and clueless. Besides, I got bigger fish to fry in this town. You are the hero of the tales, so you must be alive when this is over or I'll kill you myself.
To make some sense out of all this, you better start using that genius brain of yours. Go back to where it all started, Hickory Docks, and take a good look. You might have missed something. Oh, and talk to Elliot. I know you are angry at him but he knows things you don't. Elliot is no waste of time, I assure you. I also took the liberty of repairing the suit so you would be ready. Like I said, I want you perfect.
My men are busy with their assignments to be wasting time seeing that you're ok. Plague sometimes overdoes himself but he has orders to keep you alive. Your identity is safe so the rest is up to you.
Make me proud or stay in bed. Your choice"
It wasn't signed but it wasn't hard to know that Big Bad had written it. Why did he want Peter alive? It made no sense and, talking to Elliot? The man had lied to him from day one. And… why did Big Bad wanted him back in the docks? It made no… sense? Attached to the letter, there was a photo. Peter took a good look. It was Alice Wright, the dead girl and she seemed happy. Poor thing! The youngster sighed but noticed that it was a family photo. Alice's parents were in it and so were three little girls, all very similar. Wait! So Alice had sisters? Did that mean that…? Someone had written behind the picture: "We will always be together". Peter smiled and read in a corner something else: "Four little girls became one. One got lost in the woods, second went home, third met the Wolf and fourth is alone". Oh, god! So, it wasn't just Alice but, her whole family? What really happened? Why them? It all made no sense.
"Peter?" Aunt May walked into the room. "You're awake! Oh, thank goodness! I feared the worst!" she went to his side and hugged him.
"I'm ok, May. I'm terribly sorry I scared you like that" the boy held her tight.
"Everyone's been concerned. MJ, Harry, Felicia and that kind man who came after the police man. He spent hours by your side, he seemed worried sick"
"Uh, what man, Aunt May?"
"What was his name? Oh, yes! Delson. His name was Delson! You know, the one who goes with the Mayor sometimes"
"Yeah, I remember" Peter couldn't help but smile. Elliot might have lied to him but his concern about the boy was genuine. "Thanks, May. I think I'll call everyone and go back to bed"
"That's wonderful news. I'll bring you some broth and you'll be as good as new!" the old lady gave him a kiss and walked downstairs. Good old Aunt May! Peter sat down and called Mary Jane first. She was with Harry at a meeting at Oscorp. The explosion had cost Norman's company millions and what was worst, they had to deny any connection to the drug storage. The red-haired girl was standing with her boyfriend but she recognized Elliot on the corner. The Special Deputy didn't bought Norman's version at all. He was there to keep an eye.
"Hey, MJ!" Peter called.
"PITT! Oh, thank God!" she beamed when her voice came in. "I was worried sick!" MJ sighed in relief. "Harry. Harry! It's Peter! He's ok" Mary called her friend and they both went to a corner. MJ turned on the speaker. "Are you all right?"
"I've been worse. Ran by a rhino, pushed by an octopus, beaten by the bullies… the usual thing" Peter shrugged. "Hey, buddy!"
"Don't ever scare us like that again, Pit. We thought the worse" Harry smiled.
"I'll try. Say, uh, where are you guys?"
"In one of my dad's big acts. It's on TV and internet right now" said young Osborne and Peter turned on his computer. Norman trying to keep his reputation clear, how unusual! "He says that it was a gas leak and that building was property of a rival company but the police found Oscorp stickers in the ruins"
"I'm sorry, Harry"
"… Don't be. I haven't been there for you, Pit, and I'm sorry. This is been a stupid year"
"Agreed" nodded Parker.
"It's gonna be ok, boys. We're together in this mess" smiled MJ. "Ouh! By the way, Pit, that man of the town hall is here and he asked me earlier about you"
"Elliot Delson?"
"The very one. We can put him in the phone if you like" smiled Harry.
"Yes, please. And bring a pizza while you're at it" joked Peter and the three friends laughed.
"It's so good to have you back, Pit. It means a lot" young Osborne went to find the deputy.
"He hasn't sleep for three days. He doesn't want to admit it but, he missed you. A lot. And so did I" MJ turned the speaker off.
"I know and I'll promise I will make it up to you both" Peter sat down on his bed. He saw the suit perfectly folded on a chair. "I really want to end this. I want to… I don't want to feel guilty anymore, MJ. I'm tired of feeling like this"
"Then don't. You have mourned for a year. Ok, so Gwen was our friend and we miss her but we're getting nowhere with all this. We have to move on, Pit. But you have to let us help you. You might not see it but we only want to be there for you. I'm sure that together we can pull this one out"
"We will, MJ. That's a promise" Peter held Alice's photo.
"Oh, look who's here" Harry brought Elliot.
"Mss. Watson. I'll just borrow this for a moment, I promise" Delson waited until the two youngsters were gone to talk. "How are you feeling, Peter?"
"Am ok. A bit shaken but nothing beauty rest can cure. My aunt told me that you came here after the explosion"
"I wanted to be sure that you were all right. You are part of my team, after all" that made Peter smile. "I know I haven't been fair with you, Peter, and I'm sorry. You don't know how much I hate keeping you in the dark but I swear it was for a good cause" Elliot hid in a corner.
"This isn't just about Alice, right?"
"No. It's not. I found out just a few days after the incident in Hickory Docks and the horror overcame me. This family was destroyed by a desperate man, it's true, but many followed. We found out that Charlie Halliday was an old friend of the Wright family and more precisely, the mother's. Mss Wright's family surname is Bloom and her uncle was an old colleague of Mr. Halliday. You probably have heard of him. Robert Bloom is the name or as his ID says: Robert Shackelton. That surname was from his late wife"
"Best teacher of the West Coast, yes. His lessons are unique. He can do literature and science just fine. I've been to a few but, if he's Charlie's friend and…"
"Halliday is getting worse with each year; he won't live to see his seventieth birthday, Peter. He asked Robert for advice and Shackelton answered. They were in for the biggest scientific adventure of all times. It should have been the most important project of the century but greed and fear blew it up. The cure was never achieved and when Shackelton found out the terrible experiments that were under way, he left the project and told the police. No one believed him then. Charlie made him pay getting Robert's family. First Mss Shackelton, then his older brother and finally, Alice and her sisters"
"That explains why there was no ransom and no hope to save those girls. Halliday wanted them dead. He wanted his old friend to suffer" Peter closed his eyes.
"Exactly. Back then, Charlie Halliday had already beguiled all the mobsters in New York with his miracle cures, extracted from kidnapped children, women and men who died suffering torture and all kinds of horrors. Halliday got rich but his body kept on dying. Fate wanted to punish him further while the world just thought that a bunch of poor families had left their locations"
"And the police…"
"I was there when Alice was kidnapped and saw the body in the docks. I realized that day that our efforts had been futile and directed by people in cahoots with the kidnappers. The police was never meant to find the girl. I felt disgusted and promised to work on the case. Many followed me, many died while doing so. I wasn't kidding when I said that there are important folks who don't want the truth out. I kept you in the dark to keep you safe, Peter. I wanted you alive and with the people you loved"
"…" Peter went quiet but knew that Elliot was telling the truth. "Who's Red, Elliot? Please tell me this"
"Her real name is Holly Wright, Alice's middle sister. They look very similar and her parents confused them sometimes. A bright, lively and playful child who was used as a guinea pig in the labs. Holly was driven mad to the point of becoming that monster you saw. She can't age and her mind is filled with nightmares. Normally, she is well-taken care of but if she's here, I can't imagine why"
"God" Peter felt her brain about to burst.
"Norman and the others think this is all just about their mob war, but for me and BB is personal. I want those murderers behind bars"
"And Big Bad wants them dead. But why bring Red? It makes no sense" the youngster went thoughtful and remembered the suggestion of the blood cleaner: go back to where it all started, to Hickory Docks.
"Peter, you're still with me, right? Please tell me you haven't fainted" Elliot noticed how quiet the boy was.
"I might have thought of a lead but I need to be sure. I'll be your office tomorrow morning"
"Wonderful. And be extra-careful, Spider. The mobs have drawn out their swords and things are getting real ugly in town"
"How come?"
"Fisk went missing three days ago"
XXXXXXXXXX
Rain over New York. Umbrellas, crowds and wet furry clothes carry in the wind a terrible shadow that moves silently through the mass. It is not necessarily there, it does not necessarily disappear. It just walks in silence in search of some poor lost lamb, some girl with red hood or soul in the alley.
The black fur is squashed and the tail drips. The one-eyed wolf wrinkles its muzzle with a loud grunt. He is a part of all these people; an inevitable character in their minds and solitude. Everyone fears this terrible creature! But he only walks in silence his task is half done by his victims.
Wait! There's an interesting smell in the air.
He raises his only eye and sees something unexpected on the opposite sidewalk: another presence like him. Another being that is part of this city. A little girl in a white hood but nobody seems to notice her. The wolf frowns and sniffs slightly. Bah, not even edible! Shacking in anger, he pushes on.
He hasn't gone too far when he notices that she is following him. Their eyes meet. Why? Why are you following me, child?
The wolf knows that they must stay apart. Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are not friends and that is final. Besides, she keeps looking at the people crossing the crosswalks with pity. Everyone fears the wolf! They are petty people! Everyone spends more time on his sidewalk than hers! And that's the end of the story. But the animal cannot avoid looking at the passers-by. Hu? A mother is about to cross with a child, who keeps his eyes fixed on his toy and not on passing cars. The traffic light changes and the rubber pistol falls to the ground. The boy prepares to pick it up oblivious to the fact that a car is approaching at full speed. He manages to catch his favorite object but there is hardly time to move aside.
Big Bad normally would have ignored this scene but without second thoughts, he grabs the boy's shirt and pulls him back to the sidewalk where his mother scolds him before the green sign for pedestrians appears. Both people cross and disappear from sight.
Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad look at each other. And without another word, they smile. Maybe one day, they will agree to meet on an island in the middle of the road.
Moving on and with a little time leap.
Peter has just discovered the truth behind the Red Hood or at least, part of it. Is there a new clue at the docks?
Where's Kingpin?
More to come