SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 5)
7:05 pm JFK Airport…
Peter lay beat beneath his suit as Herman picked him up with the other villains watching. "Come on then, finish the guy off…" Kangaroo said impatiently. Herman looked at the seemingly lifeless body of Peter and wanted to make sure that the finisher to Peter was stylish.
"Hey, leave him alone!" An airport janitor who didn't leave shouted from afar which drew away their attention. The villains looked at each other at first before Kangaroo jumped up and landed right in front of him. "Leave him alone? Why don't ya leave us alone? Smartass…" Kangaroo threatened.
The janitor sprayed mould remover onto Kangaroo's face and punched him. The man with the bug-like suit laughed at Kangaroo getting hit by a random civilian. "Yeah laugh that one off, Dung Beetle!" Kangaroo said using his right hand to cover his eyes while his left hand raised a middle finger.
"It's just Beetle!" The man with the bug costume called out. Beetle felt agitated at Kangaroo's vulgar mannerisms that his wings shook like actual bug wings. "Gentlemen, spare ze conflict… We have much more to worry about." The man with the wind turbine gauntlets shouted in his French accent.
"André's right… We have to collect that vibranium." The man in the electrical wet suit said, "Don't forget why we're here." "But we have Spider-Man here clinging to his life…" Beetle said in a raspy voice. "Make it quick, Shocker. Finish the little bugger off. While I finish this idiot in front of me." Kangaroo said turning his attention to the janitor who was standing his ground.
Herman looked at Peter once again and charged up his gauntlets in attempt to finish him for good. Suddenly Herman heard his earpiece call out to him. "Herman, mobilise and get ready to pick up the vibranium…" Chameleon's voice said to him.
"We have Spider-Man in our grasp." Herman replied back. "If so then bring him to me. There's something I need to know about him." Chameleon answered back. "But you said to kill him…" Herman reminded. "Change of plan… Bring him to me in one piece and then we can talk about killing…" Chameleon instructed.
Herman then let go of Peter's head leaving him lying on the ground again. "Beetle! Take him back to Chameleon now!" Herman called out. "All mine!" Beetle answered as he swooped to take Peter into the air again. This time, Beetle shattered the glass by punching with his mechanical gauntlets while holding onto Peter and flying away. As this was happening, Kangaroo proceeded to beat the janitor with his electrical suit companion spraying sparks of electricity to finish him off.
7:15 pm Outside of JFK airport…
"So how long does Peter usually take?" Ned wondered. "I honestly don't know. It's actually the first time he had to do something like this." Phillip answered back while holding onto the steering wheel. "Is he actually in trouble?" Ned asked.
Phillip remained silent until he noticed waves of people in his view carrying luggage and bags with them. "That's a lot of arrivals unless…" Phillip thought fearing the worst. "Does this mean we go into the danger?" Ned wondered. Phillip thought for a second until he made his decision.
"I'd feel like an asshole if he's trapped there…" Phillip said as he got out of the car. "Hey, wait up!" Ned said doing the same. "If you're willing to die with me then great…" Phillip sarcastically noted.
7:20 pm JFK Airport…
Herman and his crew waited outside the park for the plane to pick up the vibranium. "Keep your eyes peeled for that plane," The man in the electrical wet suit replied, "The sky is getting dark and cloudy."
"If only Beetle was here, we might have a chance to look up into the sky …" Kangaroo grumbled, "Hey Cyclone! The plane's supposta fly from northwest of its own continent. Which way we looking at?"
"Patience, Frank… My googles will determine ze location…" The man with the French accent assured. Cyclone used his suit googles to scan wind direction to determine the plane's location. "I see it! There's ze a light in de sky and it's getting closer!"
"Excellent," The man in the electrical suit replied, "We finally got what we need without Spider-Man stopping us." "Yeah, the web-head can't take on all of us, eh? He'd had it coming…" Kangaroo smiled feeling smug. "Gentlemen! I'm afraid ze plane landing is coming in too fast!" Cyclone informed reading through his googles.
"Crikey! We must have spooked everyone in the terminal that even people in the control tower must have got up and left." Kangaroo commented. "That's impossible if their job is to make sure every plane lands safely!" The electrical suited man replied.
"I have a plan; I will use my gauntlets to slow it down. Edward, you help me with carrying ze plane. If it's coming too close, then Herman and Frank will try halting it by ze wheel." Cyclone proposed. Edward who had his electrical abilities agreed and prepared to help with the landing.
The plane came in fast with pilots doing their best to determine where to land safely. Cyclone levitated himself up and focused on generating gusts of winds that rival the amount of force the plane was coming down with.
As the plane closed in, Edward shot out jolts of electricity to create a physical force that held onto the tail side of the plane to balance out the force without burning the engine too much. "Don't blow up the treasure with it…" Kangaroo said as he donned his red mask.
As Cyclone and Edward respectively tried to balance the plane, Herman and Kangaroo got ready to face the landing wheel that was about to appear and made sure their gauntlets can push back the force when it lands.
Together the four of them made the plane land smoothly than it could have happened if they didn't plan to do anything. The plane tipped over sideways a little to the direction of Cyclone and Edward who made sure that they weren't crushed by the aircraft as it landed.
A part of the wing broke off as the plane landed and skidded across the ground for a little. While some inanimate objects were knocked out, no one was really injured considering that everyone needed to be evacuated as soon as they made themselves known from their fight with Spider-Man.
"Stuck the landing…" Kangaroo said proudly as the plane stopped moving. "Get a move on…" Herman said as he walking his to the cargo opening of the plane. "Hey, finally you spoke…" Kangaroo noted considering that Herman was supposed to lead.
As the back of the plane got torn open, Herman and the others found secure metal boxes with labels that say, 'Produced in Wakanda' "This has to be it…" Edward said seeing as how most of Wakanda's products are vibranium. Herman walked over to one box and punched a hole into it exposing the shiny silver-like metal in bar forms. "Grab as many as you can." Herman instructed holding one fine bar.
7:50 pm Chameleon's hideout…
Peter recovered a little from the beat down he had with his new adversaries and woke up to the shining white light of a lamp above him. He heard the melody of a woman singing in Russian on the radio that carried over a sad tune. Peter's mask still draped over his head as he looked around to find he is tied up to a chair by strings of synthetic rope around his hands and feet.
"A basement?" Peter looked around at his surroundings and saw all sorts of strange things. He saw latex face masks of different individuals draped over human head sculptures that are often seen in fashion stores on a table. A 3-D printer was the next thing; a wardrobe and other things that make sense for an impersonator like Chameleon.
Peter's 'Spidey-sense' tingled as he heard footsteps come down from the staircase and tried to get himself out of the rope but instead fell hard from the chair. A man with brown hair in a blue shirt and black pants came down to see him.
"You okay there?" The man asked Peter whose face was sideways on the floor. "Who's asking?" Peter replied. The man lifted Peter from the ground and got him back to the original position he woke up in. "So, the last time I was conscious, I was at an airport where I met some pretty crazy dudes..." Peter said, "Is this like… The security office? Did my luggage have something illegal?"
"You're a funny guy…" The man before he peeled the fake face mask off his head, "Are you laughing now?" In that instant, Peter soon recognised who he was. "Chameleon…" Peter answered. "My reputational name, yes…" Chameleon said in a generous manner.
"So you're the psychopath Hammerhead hired. That's until you decided to quit your job and tried to be the next Don Corleone." Peter said to him. "A psychopath?" Chameleon wondered and raised an eye, "I killed with reason." "Yeah I know, so you could steal their faces and get away with it…" Peter said back with disgust.
"There's so much I can tell that you have no idea about…" Chameleon said turning off the radio. "Enlighten me if you're the kind of guy I have to sympathise with…" Peter answered back. Chameleon gave a hearty laugh before he started talking.
"I came from the region of Krasnoyarsk Krai. A nice big piece of land surrounding by forests and if we're lucky, we get so close to seeing the top of the world up north through the sea. The only thing ugly was the way I looked when I was born. But my parents loved me and cared for me as we lived in our private sanctuary. Life seemed good."
"However there were people who unjustly called my family thieves in belief we cheated our way through the system to obtain wealth and we lost it all. My father's own land had to be shared with others and something he paid the price for. My mother and I had no choice but to go elsewhere."
"We left in sadness and anger over the loss of our fortune but it was the injustice in our country that I think was to blame. We made it to Volgograd and it was the first time I was close to people. My mother worked as a servant to an aristocrat family where I even made friends with the son there."
"My mother unfortunately was not used to stress and grew sick from the mistreatment of the family there as the amount of servants to them were disposable. On the other side, people never made it easy for how I looked. So I grew up with resentment but I always remember what my mother says to me, "Dmitri, you're a beautiful angel inside…"
"I took the opportunity to study the people around him and ask myself questions about acceptance. I learnt from these people and I got real close in spite of their disgust towards me. That's when I learnt and took my chance to be just like them."
"The first victims relieved me of my problems and then I took it out on the rest. I finally think I know what my mother means. I should pass my judgement onto those who can't see me for who I was and take back what was stolen from me. But perhaps I will never get that back."
"It wasn't until I was trained as a spy for my country that I used impersonation skills as a way of extracting as much information from enemies and my reputation as the 'Chameleon' was born. Though I made an impression to people, I know I want more than just that."
"So I moved away and I began meeting many people. Sadly, I was unsuccessful at being a normal man that I had to employ my talents for something else. I couldn't go back to Russia and the only way, my talents would help me out was through organised crime."
"I truly related to Hammerhead at first but the fool took it upon himself to never fulfil promises for people he'd hire. I also learnt from his ugly forehead to be my own man and take things for myself. And you Spider-Man are the key…"
The entire backstory nearly made Peter fall asleep until he kept himself awake to judge what Chameleon said. "You may be a sorry soul but you clearly went off the rails by misinterpreting what your mother said. Also explains the pale white face covering." Peter honestly answered.
"That suit of yours is really interesting…" Chameleon noted ignoring Peter's remark and remembering the last time he met Peter as a burglar. "You like it? I made it with love…" Peter said in the face of death, "So what's up with the guys running around in suits all of sudden?"
"It's far better than guns…" Chameleon said, "I only trust the competent ones to wear them though." "Didn't seem like you're doing your best with some of them at least… I mean the one with the red Shocker knockoff suit was hopping mad…" Peter pointed out.
"Silence!" Chameleon yelled, "First thing I have to ask is, how is your left arm?" "My left arm? Uh…" Peter then realised Chameleon was talking about the encounter between him and Chameleon disguised as a burglar. "That was you…" Peter answered in surprise.
Chameleon walked up to one of his masks on the table and put it over his head to acknowledge Peter was correct. "Eh… Speaking of which, I'm sure you're not going to fool everyone. I mean… What if you say you want to look like a woman or a child? Do you eh…" Peter then laughed at the thought.
To prove Peter's point wrong, Chameleon looked at his wrist watch and rotated a red arrow before pressing it. A holographic image of a casually-dressed woman overlapped him with the distortion being barely visible before changing back.
"Some of your questions may be a work in progress…" Chameleon replied as he pulled out a plasma knife, "But I fear when I unmask you, I'm going to learn more about you…" Peter then looked fearfully at the searing blade and tried to get away from the deadly weapon. Chameleon however grabbed Peter by the face with the palm of his and ripped the mask off swiftly like he does with his other masks.
Chameleon's face turned to surprise when he saw that Spider-Man's real face was that of a teenage boy. Peter tried looking down to avoid giving away his identity any further but that was a futile attempt as Chameleon forced his face upwards.
"Spider-Man is just a little boy?" Chameleon said in surprise as he tried to process the discovery. "Please, I'm sorry…I wanna go home…" Peter said while trying to fake sob. Chameleon examined the Spider-Man mask in fascination and even tried wearing it. Eventually he threw the mask down the floor.
"This is child's craft…" Chameleon retorted. "Well, yeah… Everything I make is super easy to make." Peter pretended to agree. Unimpressed, Chameleon grabbed Peter by the throat, "Whoever you are…I'm just gonna kill you now and then present your corpse to the police."
As the plasma blade burned with intensity, Peter braced himself for the blade before flipping himself and Chameleon over while still being seated on the chair. "Surprised you can still move even after being tied down…" Chameleon said as he tried to pick up the knife.
"Yeah…" Peter said as he prepared for Chameleon's attack again. Just as he predicted, Chameleon came back swinging to which Peter responded by swinging the chair at him. The chair broke which allowed Peter to free himself of his binds as well.
Chameleon rubbed his face as Peter undid his feet straps as well. "This feels like the first time we met again, right?" Peter asked while smiling. "You imbecile, I know what you are behind that mask now. I'll never forget that face…" Chameleon responded. "You don't know me…" Peter responded back before shooting a web at Chameleon.
Chameleon deflected the web with his plasma knife and viciously tried to attack him. Peter who despite being injured by the fight in the airport was determined to not lose and swiftly dodged the incoming blade. He picked up his mask on the floor and ran to the staircase like a child who was being chased by an angry parent. Chameleon then threw a smoke bomb in Peter's direction only to make it easier for Peter to escape as he opened the basement door.
"Okay, which way?" Peter asked as he put on the mask and searched for outside doors. He then spotted the front door of the house and lunged forward breaking it down. In panic, Peter blindly started swinging away just to escape the Chameleon.
Frustrated, Chameleon threw his plasma knife down but calmed himself down afterwards. He at least now knew who Spider-Man was behind his mask as well as figure out how crafty the web-slinger can be. He walked back into his house with plans to uncover more about his enemy.
8:45 pm Forest Hills Police Precinct…
Ned and Phillip found themselves in a lot of trouble as they caught by FBI in the airport and taken back to Forest Hills for questioning. In the interview room, Captain Stacy walked in with a laptop and sat in front of the two boys.
"Gentlemen…" Captain Stacy sighed, "Welcome to a waste of my time." Captain Stacy logged onto his laptop and began to write up a new document. "Officer, we were trying to save somebody." Phillip tried to explain.
"I don't care what you were trying to do. But logic dictates that you never run back into anything dangerous, be it a fire or a terrorist attack. You're all getting fined for this." Captain Stacy said as he madly typed down their names, "Queens is in chaos now. We have lunatics in suits running around; a potential gang war; the FBI being involved and now we've got messages from Oscorp claiming their property has been stolen."
"I've got some pictures if you want, officer." Ned spoke as he took a camera off his belt buckle and placed it on the table. Captain Stacy grabbed the camera and looked through the pictures taken. The photo consists of the five costumed criminals working for Chameleon; Shocker, Beetle, Kangaroo, Cyclone and a yet to be identified member named Edward.
"Photographic evidence…" Captain Stacy responded, "I recognise some of these people. Speaking of which, do you kids know any of these five?" Captain Stacy asked showing descriptions of five suspects.
Abner Jenkins (34) - A former mechanic working at Baxter Scientifics who worked on special aerial prototypes in hopes he could sell it for different purposes like travel or industrial work. His projects however received criticism over safety issues and lacked funding which caused him to lose his job. He has since used his ideas to perform petty crimes under the alias of 'Beetle'.
André Gerard (36) - A former trainee at Boeing from Lyon, France who was aspiring to be an aerospace engineer. This job meant too much to him and his failure to obtain it has resulted in him lashing out his rage. Jailed for 6 months before being released and employed in Maggia business gaining a position in engineering equipment for them.
Frank Oliver (43) - A long-time criminal from Sydney, Australia who has committed multiple offences back in his home country. He came to New York hoping to restart his life, yet his impulses drive him back into his criminal ways. Dressed as a red Shocker look-alike, this criminal has been apprehended by Spider-Man beforehand. However before he was sent back home, he is now on the loose due to the involvement of other suspects.
Herman Schultz (35) - A long time criminal around Queens best known for attempting bank robberies. Always had a long history in being apprehended by Spider-Man and is now known by the public as 'The Shocker' due to a suit and gauntlets he wears. Top suspect when it comes to bringing Dmitri Smerdyakov to justice.
Unknown fifth suspect (?)- Wears a wet-suit like costume that is capable of generating electricity. First name is supposedly Edward.
"I know the Shocker and Kangaroo." Ned answered. "Uh… Same." Phillip answered. "Ah, you see. That's called public knowledge because Spider-Man fought these guys and everyone knows it." Captain Stacy said to them, "Alright, you know what? Time for both of you to go home while I write a report."
"Wait… The person we were trying to save. It was Spider-Man." Phillip said. "Spider-Man?" Captain Stacy asked as Ned stared blankly at Phillip. "To be fair, I don't know who he actually is… But I can tell you that Spider-Man… He may be in trouble." Phillip answered.
Captain Stacy stared blankly for a brief moment as well before saying a word, "If you say so…I'd have to make sure that every officer I see lowers their gun when they see him." "So…" Phillip stated. "No… That doesn't change anything. I want you two to go home and think about those actions. This is your warning." Captain Stacy insisted, "Now go home."
As the two of them left, Captain Stacy picked up his phone and called home. "Dad?" Gwen asked picking up the phone. "Gwen, tell your mother to get the meatloaf roasted in the oven. I'm nearly done with day's work." Captain Stacy requested.
Outside of the precinct, Ned asked Phillip why he revealed they were working with Spider-Man. "It was the best course of action. Of course, it didn't change much but that officer at least felt like he wasn't against us helping Spider-Man. Maybe he sees the good. Which is good." Phillip explained.
Phillip opened up his phone and saw a message from Peter. 'Need help near Willow Lake ASAP.' Peter's message stated. "Crap, if only they didn't take the car away." Phillip said, "My parents are gonna kill me." "At least, it's only in this neighbourhood…" Ned reassured.
8:50 pm Hammerhead penthouse…
Hammerhead had spent most of his time in house under protection, he knew that Chameleon is targeting him and that he has calculate his plans carefully considering more of his men are turning against him. His solution to stopping the traitor was forming a new alliance with an enemy of his.
"My men will be ready at your disposal…" The voice on the phone said to his ear, "Once this is over, you'll fulfil that promise you made." Hammerhead turned the phone off and sat for a good minute on the table drinking. A shadowy figure next to him appeared and reported some news.
"They've taken full control of your vibranium supply, sir." The man said. "That sneaky bastard… Tell me, how good are the men I hired?" Hammerhead asked. "They're unlike anything else you'd witness. It's hard to explain but they'll work…" The man said again.
Hammerhead nodded, "Carry on with your work, Mr. Lavell. Also try to convince Spider-Man to help us for a while. I need all the arsenal I can get." The man in the shadows then slinked away without a sound.
9:28 pm Willow Lake Playground…
Ned and Phillip walked near the playground with the streetlamps illuminating their path to Willow Lake itself. Phillip then tried calling Peter as he walked near. But before the phone could be answered, Peter fell down onto the footpath from a tree.
Ned and Phillip were startled at first to see Peter before they relaxed, they realised Peter's suit and as well as himself were damaged pretty bad. "Dude, you look rough…" Ned said as he tried to carry the injured Peter to his feet. "Ow…" Peter said as he clutched the location of his ribcage, "Can we go somewhere else now?"
"I don't have my car anymore… The police took it away." Phillip said, "And my parents are probably throwing a hissy fit at me." "I got a place…" Ned said as he and Phillip held Peter's arms on their shoulders while dragging him across the footpath.
9:45 pm Chameleon's hideout…
Chameleon was inside his basement working on a new face based on what he remembers on Spider-Man and worked tirelessly to stitch and sculpt the face of the teenager he encountered tonight. Just as he was working, a call from Herman on his earpiece was spoken.
"We have the vibranium at your door." Herman informed his superior. Chameleon walked up the stairs wearing the mask he wore in front of Spider-Man moments ago and opened his door to find a suit less Herman and some bags in front of his doorstep. Opening up one of them with his bare hands, he was pleasantly surprised to see rocks of pure vibranium in front of him.
"Is Spider-Man dead, sir?" Herman asked. Chameleon examined the vibranium that he obtained before answering, "We have some splendid progress today …"
9:55 pm Leeds residence…
"In there quick…" Ned said opening up the cellar door in his backyard. Opening up the two sides, Ned and Phillip carried Peter into the basement of Ned's house. Ned turned on the lights in the basement and motioned Phillip to place Peter down on the couch.
As Peter was laid down, Peter grabbed his mask off and breathed heavily. "Hang on; I'll go get some things in my house." Ned said and hurried away leaving Peter with Phillip. For a brief moment, Peter could speak with his long-time ally.
"How are you holding?" Phillip asked. Peter's voice was strained as he talked, "They might have shattered some of my ribcage bones and…I'm just bruised and stuff. That's all." Peter said as he tried to hold himself together.
"Phil," Peter said again, "I had a run in with a bunch of suit-wearing lunatics and they beat me. Feels like my days as regular Spider-Man are starting to pass me now." "Take it easy… You're lucky you've survived." Phillip said clasping his friend's hand.
"I didn't just get beat, Phil. I also had a run in with the Chameleon again…" Peter told Phillip. "What? What the hell happened?" Phillip asked. "Maybe one of their dudes carried me over to him. I bet it was the one that looks like a bug." Peter theorised.
"Geez… You're lucky with your powers." Phillip said. "No… I think things are starting to get worse. He knows what I look like now beneath the mask." Peter said back. "Are you serious? Even your name?" Phillip wondered. "No…He hasn't gone that deep yet." Peter said, "I need to be careful. One of these days I could have someone stalking me."
As they talked, Ned came rushing back with a box. "I got some medical supplies. I have more but… I got to keep some for my mum." Ned said as he took out painkillers as well as bandages, "What did I miss?"
"Peter said he ran into the Chameleon after his beat down by his suited men. We have to work more discrete than ever." Phillip explained. "Geez, well then. Uh… Do you have any bright ideas then, Peter?" Ned asked.
"I say get me fixed up. Then we'll work something out from there…" Peter replied. "Is that all? I was thinking… Maybe we should upgrade your stuff." Ned said, "I mean are you still going to able to handle those guys out there like normal?"
"Throw me anything, Ned…" Peter answered, "I'm dying to hear it." "Do you have like thermal vision and other stuff? Like Iron Man?" Ned asked. "I don't have his money, Ned." Peter said. "No, I'm not saying exactly like Iron Man but… Do you have anything else besides the webs? Do you have anything besides the suit?" Ned suggested.
"Finally, you're being useful…" Phillip commented. "Please, I gave Spider-Man his first earplug…" Ned said back. "I mean, yeah. Let's do it… Once I get over my pain." Peter said. As the two helped patch up Peter, Peter asked Ned if he stay here for the night.
"Anything for a good friend…" Ned answered. "Thanks, I'm just gonna tell Aunt May that I'm sleeping over so she doesn't have to know about the crazy stuff that went on today." Peter responded.
TO BE CONTINUED…