SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 9)
9:20 pm Harrow residence, Middle Village…
In the wake of his fight against the rogue Chameleon, Hammerhead had been laying low in public as much as possible being safeguarded at the most secure hideouts around Queens he knew from his Maggia roots.
The best option for him was to stay at his private doctor's house. Dr. Jonas Harrow provided friendly company for the crime lord as he stayed at the basement floor of the house where he enjoys some good meals and hospitality. Hammerhead's loyal body guards were also casually dressed whenever they arrive and were sent out like hawks on patrol at times.
"You've been great help to me, Jonas." Hammerhead said as he was enjoying a steak dinner on a table, "This place has been the best safe haven for me for the last few days." "You weren't just my patient, you were a great friend to me as well. I owe you the best medical service." Jonas said sitting on a chair.
"I won't disagree with that," Hammerhead laughed, "It's been pretty rough for me. A shame, my good friend Phineas Mason isn't around to help work on some things." "Are the men you hired any worth to you?" Jonas questioned referring to the demon masked men.
Hammerhead stopped eating before he answered, "It's complicated. The decision was not easy as is the alliance. But it was risk I took to save this beautiful neighbourhood." Jonas nodded and was scared of the unknown, he also was scared of telling Hammerhead that Spider-Man has visited his house before.
"How's life going on for you, Jonas?" Hammerhead asked. "I've been trying to get back into business but my 'records' are making it tough for me. My wife also left me which pains me cause I love her." Jonas answered. "Not to intrude on your personal life but… I hope things work out for you." Hammerhead said smiling.
Suddenly a bodyguard came down escorting Eel to where Hammerhead is. Jonas and Hammerhead turned their attention to him as he took off his mask. "Mr. Lavell, my old friend. I'm glad to see that you escaped your encounter." Hammerhead said as he saw him.
"It's been a bit of bad news and good, boss." Eel reported, "The good news is that some of Chameleon's people are locked away for good. The bad news is Spider-Man." "Tell me of what you know…" Hammerhead requested. "He's gained strong abilities. Abilities I believe inherited from our temporary ally." Eel said.
In frustration, Hammerhead grabbed out his phone and decided to make a phone call. "I need to talk…" Hammerhead said as he dialled a number. As soon as the phone picked, Hammerhead spoke in an unhappy tone.
"I want to ask what are you thinking by giving Spider-Man your powers?" Hammerhead questioned. "A necessary step to bring down our enemies, Mr. Cavallaro. He's proven to be a great asset in taking them out." A man's voice replied. "How great of an asset can that be? Are you foolish enough to consider if he could break from your spell?" Hammerhead asked.
"I can control my powers the way I want to. His mind is too weak against my will." The voice continued, "Any further discussion?" "You'll honour our alliance or I will cut you off for good. You understand me?" Hammerhead said before the phone turned off.
"What now?" Eel asked. "Continue your patrol, find some answers on how we can counteract the power of our friends. Look into any history we may have had with him." Hammerhead instructed. "Very well…" Eel said before putting on his mask and leaving.
"Jonas, do you mind taking my plate away for me, please…" Hammerhead politely asked. "Anything…" Jonas said without question. "A good day for a fine meal." Hammerhead said as he used a napkin on his lips.
9:25 pm Chameleon's hideout…
Chameleon had been displeased no doubt with his plans to take over Queens seemingly crumbling apart since the backup Hammerhead got as well as the news of Spider-Man. He had thrown a tantrum in his house turning over furniture in the living room.
The only two allies he had left with him were Beetle and Cyclone. There was an advantage to having the two around in comparison to the loss of Kangaroo and Shocker. For Kangaroo and Shocker, they were more muscle than they were brain. It was up to Chameleon's wit to use the engineering genius of his two remaining allies intelligently or his goals will go slim.
Beetle and Cyclone came to his place in casual clothes that night with concerns of their plans going awry. "Ze promises we were given… Are unfortunately unlikely…" Cyclone said. "You've doomed us!" Beetle angrily complained, "The Maggia will execute us all."
"Settle down…" Chameleon assured. "Settle down?!" Beetle angrily said again, "I will use your dead body for money." Beetle tried to punch Chameleon only for Cyclone to restrain him. Chameleon walked up to him punching him Beetle across the face and holding him down.
"If you leave… You'll die earlier. You stick with me, you may live longer." Chameleon threatened before letting Beetle go. "Now… If you would like to hear something from me. I've been examining the masked man in my basement. To understand what he is and where he came from." Chameleon said.
"Did you learn a thing?" Beetle asked. "Clearly the mask is Chinese. My only logical conclusion is that the triads will have a better understanding of what it is." Chameleon said, "But the more pressing matter is this. Spider-Man." "Frank and Herman have already been taken out by ze Spider-Man. What exactly can we do to stop him? Our vibranium is faulty against him." Cyclone said.
"I know how to hurt Spider-Man personally. I told him if he interfered, that he will pay for the consequences. And I know where to attack." Chameleon told them. Beetle and Cyclone looked at each other. "Emotional torture? Sounds like the best part to me." Beetle said optimistically. "I'm glad I still have friends on my side." Chameleon replied.
9:28 pm Flushing Chinatown…
Ned and Phillip had made their way to the neighbourhood of Flushing by taxi where they ventured into the depths of Chinatown for some answers. "Golden Fujian, that one over there. It has great food and all but deep down you'll find some shady people." Phillip pointed out, "Can't believe we're doing this."
"Seems you got history, huh?" Ned wondered. "Yeah, let's see if they're nice to me." Phillip said nervously as they approached a side alley door with Chinese characters hanging above it. Phillip knocked to which the door hatch opened.
"Who's there?" A Chinese man's voice asked. Phillip then tried appealing to the man in Cantonese. The man then said something back to Phillip in the same language before Phillip answered. Afterwards, the door opened in front of Ned and Phillip.
Phillip's heart was pounding while Ned was oblivious to the potential danger they are about to get themselves into. The two entered through the backdoor of a Chinese restaurant that seemed to be filled with men and women who are dressed in formal fashion.
Their eyes watched as the two were led into a private room where a middle-aged Chinese man with a scar across his face dressed in a white tuxedo with a black tie was playing mah-jong with three other people. The man who let Ned and Phillip in soon interrupted in Hakka.
The men turned their attention to the guests with displeasure at the sight of strangers. The man in white looked at the two with a hint of remembrance on his face, he then motioned for the rest of the men to leave the game with the man who lead Ned and Phillip in being allowed to stay.
The white suited man then ordered the two to sit down to which both Ned and Phillip complied to. "Welcome to my residence….My name is Tsui Fong, you may address me as 'The White Dragon'. What do you want?" The man asked.
The White Dragon was a notorious crime lord of the triad that controls a great deal of business in the depths of one of New York's biggest Chinatowns. As part of the Chinese community, a great influence is felt from him as he watches over the businesses conducted by the daily lives of people. Spider-Man may or may not have interfered in his business during his early days.
"Uh, we're here for some information regarding this…" Ned said before showing off an image of a masked man from his phone. White Dragon examined the phone and changed expression from being generous to serious. "And why exactly are showing me this?" The White Dragon asked.
"Well, we thought you know something about this…" Ned said, "Not to involve you but uh…Hammerhead employed some of these people and we want to learn more about them." The White Dragon laughed before answering, "And why would I tell you that?"
Phillip then gave Ned one look before forcing himself to stare at the White Dragon. The White Dragon then looked at him, "How are you?" The White Dragon forced a smile showing his ghastly razor sharp yellow teeth at Phillip. "Good…" Phillip said in Cantonese.
The White Dragon nodded before laughing again, "My native tongue is Hakka but it's okay…. Anyway, back to your question." The White Dragon looked at Ned. "Uh yeah, you gonna share some information about these people or is that confidential?" Ned wondered.
"You kids are in so much trouble coming here. What's it matter to you if I share this information?" White Dragon asked. "I don't know but does the fight between Hammerhead and Chameleon bother you?" Phillip asked. The White Dragon looked at Phillip before saying some words, "Neither of them are gonna win this fight for control… That I'm sure of." White Dragon said.
"What'd do you mean?" Ned asked. "You see… If Hammerhead wins, someone is going to accelerate his own plans and take him out. If he loses, it's the same thing. This person has abilities that are beyond human comprehension. Something that we all fear…" White Dragon explained.
"Can you…Tell us who it is?" Ned sheepishly asked. "No." White Dragon replied, "We cannot speak out his name. We're under his watch…" "Ugh… This is pointless. We're not getting anything, let's go." Phillip said trying to leave.
"SIT DOWN!" White Dragon bellowed preventing Phillip from standing up, "You came here asking for information and now you're paying a price." As White Dragon bellowed, Ned noticed veins in his neck glow lava red for a brief second before it disappeared. "You… I want you to get out of my place before I change my mind." White Dragon said to Ned, "And you…" The attention later went to Phillip.
"I want you to leave as well but with something extra…" White Dragon said, "Tell your father… That I want him to accelerate his payment rate to me. Your family is still indebted to me even after the recent years. You know what comes next if he refuses."
White Dragon then shouted something in Hakka which brought in two other men into the room. "Get these two out of my place…" White Dragon ordered as Ned and Phillip were escorted out. "Eh…Thank you very much." Ned said on the way out.
Ned and Phillip soon found themselves thrown out onto the pavement where the two landed on a puddle. Their clothes were soaked by the puddles as they lifted themselves out. "This was always a bad idea…" Phillip said, "Now I'm in so much trouble." "But we got an idea of a third player in this whole thing." Ned said.
"At what cost?" Phillip said walking away, "It's very vague and if it's them… Then I gotta say it was obvious." "I'm sorry about what happened at the end. I…Didn't…" Ned said. "I can't blame you… You obviously don't know them like I do." Phillip said with a sigh, "Where do I start? I'm not working now and he's gonna coming right at me and my family if we don't reach a deadline."
"You want me to help pay some things?" Ned asked. "No… Save your troubles." Phillip requested, "We have to bring Peter back somehow…"
10:30 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre, Queens
"The F.E.A.S.T. centre? Why are we targeting a place that helps so many people?" Beetle asked as he, Chameleon and Cyclone were seated inside a van parked sideways in front of the F.E.A.S.T. centre. "Someone and a lot of people…" Chameleon said holding onto the steering wheel while disguised with generic man's face.
"What exactly are we going to do that draws Spider-Man's attention?" Cyclone asked. "Noise," Chameleon answered, "Loud enough for him to come here." Cyclone and Beetle looked at each other before they answered. "By the way, don't we have another team player with us still?" Beetle asked referring to Eel.
"Mr. Lavell has been tasked with holding off Hammerhead as we speak. We'll hear from him soon after." Chameleon said, "Suit up and get everyone else ready." Cyclone then grabbed a walkie talkie and gave the word, "We're ready."
Meanwhile inside the F.E.A.S.T. centre, Aunt May was helping prepare everyone to go to sleep. Her dedication has been positive all way round helping those feel like they have home as well as have a stable life. "Remember to put the lights out before 11…" Aunt May said to the people.
Once everyone was comfortably slipped into the bedsheets, as Aunt May was getting ready to finish her day worth's of work, Cyclone waited outside to strike as he levitated himself in the air before unleashing a whirlwind of air onto the F.E.A.S.T. building.
The glass on the windows shattered and the bricks collapsed on the ground as Cyclone hurled gusts of wind that sent things flying all over the place. Cyclone then entered through the hole he created seeing all the people he had injured as well as the people cowering from him.
"Relax, everyone…Zhere's more to come…" Cyclone announced as his red-eyed googles continued looking at his surroundings. Soon enough, Beetle made his entrance blasting a hole through the building using his propulsion cannon.
The bug-costumed villain zipped around the hallway relishing himself as he swooped to pick up an innocent bystander lifting him into the air before blasting him to pieces. May wanted to calm everyone down but given the circumstances she had to cower in fear as the two of them menaced the rest.
Soon Chameleon entered the foray casually flanked by a group of five men carrying rifles as he signalled Beetle and Cyclone to stop what they were doing. "People of Queens, just sit down and relax. You're all going to be fine from now on…. That's if…Spider-Man doesn't show up to try and save you…" Chameleon said behind his fake mask.
Chameleon then motioned an order to Beetle and Cyclone, "You two…Fly away, I'll take it from here." Beetle and Cyclone looked at each other with confusion before agreeing and doing exactly what they were told. "That's it?" Beetle said as he flew off.
Chameleon then turned his attention around to the rest of the people as he began talking. "I understand what's troubling all of you lately. Your neighbourhood is under siege isn't it? How many of you want a guy like Hammerhead locked up? Hm?" Chameleon said staring at the people around him while his men pointed their rifles.
"You're the Chameleon right?" A man shouted, "We heard about you on the news." Chameleon turned his attention to a man wearing winter clothes as he tried to stand up against him. "The Chameleon?" Chameleon laughed before saying a word, "Who's to say I am the Chameleon? Maybe I'm just his enforcer."
"Well you gave the orders right to those two right?" The man said. "Oh maybe I'm just a second-in-command…" Chameleon said, "Maybe I'm just good at….Deception!" Without warning, Chameleon took out a knife and threw it into the man's neck killing him.
Chameleon then clicked his fingers for the men to fire. Bullets started to fly as more people fell to the ground dead before May bravely stood up. "Stop!" May cried out drawing Chameleon's attention before Chameleon had to stop the firing.
"Ah… The very person I wanted to see… May Parker." Chameleon said walking up to her, "Your nephew doing okay?" "What are you doing?" May questioned when Chameleon mentioned him. "I read up a lot about you, mam. I'm sorry for what happened to your husband." Chameleon said with a smile.
"Unless you know him then don't talk to me like that…." May said with fury. "Oh no… Of course not, he's dead." Chameleon said before laughing. Furious, May punched Chameleon on the face drawing the attention from the rest of the crowd.
"Just like my step-family…" Chameleon said rubbing his face before walking up with his plasma knife and threatening May with it. Suddenly the lights went out, letting people panic all over the place before they flashed which eventually lead to Negative Spider-Man appearing.
Spider-Man took out the men holding the people hostage which allowed some of them to start escaping. Chameleon held onto May by arm while trying to pinpoint where Spider-Man was as he zip-zapped across the building. The webslinger then landed in front of Chameleon in his costume.
"I wonder… Do you still have the heart to care about others?" Chameleon questioned as he noted the photonegative black and white costume. Peter then furiously shot out a web but not before Chameleon put a knife in the gut for May.
Consumed by rage, Peter pushed Chameleon to the ground and tried to punch his enemy out. Chameleon retaliated in return by holding onto the next incoming fist before headbutting. "Has that rage been hidden inside you all this time, Peter?" Chameleon wondered.
As the two started fighting, people were doing their best to escape the ensuing chaos that was brewing. To stir things up, Chameleon took out a few grenades and threw them at certain directions sending some people flying.
But to Peter, all that mattered was his enemies being destroyed that the only civilian lives he could care for truly were the ones close to him. Even with the negative powers, Peter could not keep up pace with the agility of Chameleon.
The hand-to hand combat got stressful for Peter as even his webs were negated by Chameleon's preciseness with his hand-held plasma knife. Blinded by the rage caused by the negative powers, Peter wanted to comprehend how Chameleon was even keeping up considering how easy it was with Kangaroo and even Shocker to an extent.
The fight came to an end when Chameleon stabbed Peter in the abdomen and body-slammed him onto the ground. Peter groaned as his eyes saw Chameleon as a shadowy silhouette with red glowing eyes.
"You fought well for a schoolboy infused with a gift. But as a long-time expert, you'll understand why experience pays off over the years…" Chameleon said as he began to draw more blood out of Peter. Before anything happened, a blast of negative energy was shot across the room hitting Chameleon.
Chameleon skidded across the room as it was revealed that Martin Li had entered the F.E.A.S.T. centre when everyone else had run out. Martin walked in with his signature black suit and tie as his eyes glowed white after throwing that shot at Chameleon.
Before he approached Chameleon, Martin walked up to Peter first and foremost and placed his hand on his chest. The photonegative black and white colouring started to disappear on Peter as Martin took in the energy from him.
The transfer of energy turned Martin from being normal looking to a photonegative state where his hair changed white as well his face turning black. His clothing had also been inverted as he absorbed the energy returning Peter to his original red and blue state.
Martin directed his attention to Chameleon who got back up and saw Martin approaching him. Out of his hand, Martin produced a blackened sword brimming with bio-electrical energy. Chameleon was surprised to see all of this and before Martin could attack, Chameleon threw a smoke grenade which prevented him from going any further.
A few more explosion sounds were heard as Chameleon dropped a couple proper grenades onto the ground before disappearing through a hole he created on the wall. Martin could not detect where the assassin went to and decided to turn his attention back to the people around him.
His photonegative colouring went away as he observed his surroundings as the building was damaged as well as being caught in flames in a couple of places. Martin was also distressed at the sight of dead people as well as the sight of a few who were injured. Then he saw May lying on the floor and went over to her.
Meanwhile Peter regained consciousness and looked around for a bit seeing that his whole world had returned to normal. Confused at first, he then saw Martin next to May as it seemed like he was trying to help her up.
Gathering all his strength, Peter hobbled all the way to where Martin is and in concern asked, "Is she okay?" It took a few seconds before Martin answered, "She will be fine… Don't worry, I'll call the ambulance." Peter wished he could say more but knowing that his concern could reveal his identity in front of Martin, Peter simply left and swung off.
Police sirens drew closer to the F.E.A.S.T. centre as Peter swung further. Perching on another building, Peter thought in silence as he watched the police enter the building, "What have I done?"
11:30 pm Forest Hills Community Hospital…
May was immediately rushed to her local hospital after the attack where Peter in his normal civilian clothing came to visit. "Is she really going to be okay?" Peter asked the doctor. "She may have taken a knife to the gut but…She'll be fine." The doctor assured outside of May's room. "Dr. Bromwell, the patient…" A nurse called out.
The doctor immediately walked back in leaving Peter alone. Eventually, Peter was told to leave and give May time to recover. On the way out, Peter saw Frank Oliver being carried out on a wheel-bed to an armoured police truck in which he saw the damage he had inflicted when he was possessed by the negative power.
This night has been the roughest and walking home to his house, Peter had a tear come down as he reflected on his actions.
8:30 am Midtown High School…
The atmosphere at school changed for Peter ever since the attack, he couldn't look anyone properly in the eye. Ned was ignored in an instance and even Flash, who'd pick on him decided to be more reasonable today. "I'm sorry with what happened, Peter." Flash tried to said.
These words may have been more comforting if Flash was still his friend, but regardless Peter kept on walking. Gwen Stacy looked from afar as Peter went to his locker. She wanted to comfort Peter but at that time she was uncomfortable at the consequences she might unintentionally bring on him.
3:30 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre…
Once the routine of school was over, Peter went over to the F.E.A.S.T. centre which was replaced by 'crime scene' tape as well as renovation stands for repairs. Peter stared from a distance feeling the weight of his guilt come over him. "It's all my fault…" Peter said to himself repeatedly in his head.
While he was staring silently, he failed to notice Gwen walk up to him. Gwen stood beside Peter and stared at the F.E.A.S.T. centre as well. "Don't try to comfort me." Peter said. "This usually is the time we do the volunteering. Peter…I…I'm sorry for what happened. I know you're not feeling well." Gwen said.
Peter wanted to bring himself closer to her but in the end, his sadness and anger got to him. "I better go, I'm sorry for looking all weird here." Peter said shaking his head before leaving. "Peter…" Gwen said as she watched him walk away in a depressed stance.
TO BE CONTINUED…