Drake could hear the voices drifting up from the vent down in the living room as his parents and the policemen conversed privately with one another,all the time while sitting by his window thinking.
There wasn't much he remembered about his real father,the man had been so busy at his factory job that it was more sometimes a home to him then with his wife and son.But Drake did remember the way his mother felt.Pain.Many a night she would stay up late.
By the phone or with the TV on.
"Hows Mom holding up?"He asked when the door opened.
"I've never seen her so hysterical,"Josh said worriedly,going to sit on the arm rest of the couch."What has your father done to her to make her so crazy with anger?Did he abuse her or cheat on her?"
Drake shook his head,trying to jog his memory."It's not any of the above.Dad didn't do anything to her.Or...do anything with her."
"What're you saying?"
"I'm saying,"he finally turned toward his brother."He hurt my mom in the worse way possible,he ignored her.He got to a point where he never said two words to her and finally Mom got him to leave."
"They said they're going to try tracing all records they can over that name,Andrew Parker."Josh tried to assure him."We will find her."
Suddenly,a small thought tugged at Drake's memory.Something a long time ago his father had told him,like a proposal or something. But Drake remembered rejecting it in a dismissive way.It was the only real memory Drake had of his father ever asking him anything.
And if he could only remember,maybe it could help find Megan.
"I'll try running a search on him myself."Josh said.
x.x.x
"So,what do you think of my little set up here?"Andrew asked.
The door he opened up for Megan lead into a studio apartment in about the center of the tall complex.It's wide walls were used as a canvas with oceanic settings and lush,sprawling green landscapes.
"Very...arsty."she commented in a impressed note,stepping into the lower square of the living room.to take it all in."You painted them?"
Her father smiled modestly in response and surveyed the big space of room.Three window doors panneled the right side,where a small kitchen was parallel to the right.A worn,leather sofa sat in the very center of the sunken level of lamented floor she sat her pack onto.
"Oh,here."he ushered her toward a large room."Set your things here in the bedroom.I don't like anything on my couch,including pillows."
Megan watched him approach her with his hand coming down for her things and nearly picked them back up herself,but let him at the last moment.She watched with slight unease as he walked on back.
"Mr. Parker,where are you going to sleep?"
"The couch,I never much cared for my own room.Too confining."
Everything was slowly placing Megan in a less comfortable position now.The ride over from the airport and to his home had been a fun one to say the least,she had found that they shared a lot of interests.
It was pretty obvious her father had fallen on rough times and this made her wonder,how would he provide for both himself and her?
"Come sit down with me a moment."He said suddenly.Megan gave a little jolt of surprise and rose her eyes over to see him on the end of the couch,patting on a cushion at arm's length."We need to talk."
She nodded with equal need and sat down facing him only a couple of feet away.The admiration in his eyes had grown more thoughtful.
"You seem like someone who likes to achieve,Megan.Someone in which would set a long-term;maybe a life time goal.Am I correct?"
"That's right,you can't really gain anything if you can't plan it out."
His interest in her increased still."Good,very good.Just the answer I wanted to hear.Tell me,have you ever heard of the arachnid man?"
"Excuse me?"
"You know,"he grinned easily."A man who has spider-like abilites?"
Megan smiled half-heartedly."Well,yeah.Everyone has.But where I live more people know it's just a hoax.Kind of like flying saucers."
"Yes,but stay with me for a moment Megan."Andrew drew a long, patient breath in and turned to her seriously now."I trust you and I really want you to be able to trust me when I tell you how much we can help each other.If we cooperate together,we will both achieve."
She sat back a little."Cooperate,with what?"
He turned more her way but kept at a respectful distance."I want us both to be a team,Megan.I want to be able to give you things I was never able to give you before.But I am going to need your full help."
"With what?"
"With helping me complete a total of sixteen years of research and development."his placid mood was back."I need you to undergo a bit of a transistion for me,dear.One that will change our fortunates."
Megan drew her brow together,unconvinced."Go on."
Andrew suddenly came very close to her face."Genetic splicing."he backed up immediately once she moved back."The genetic splicing of spider and human genes,Megan.Think of all the possiblites,dear."
"What..."she pushed herself up onto the armrest."Like Spiderman?"
"Exactly."An excitedness overtook him."Megan,he holds the DNA I and a few other created.The greatest goal I have met for myself."
"What are you talking about?"This whole discussion was crazy.
"It's true.It's all very true like it or not.You children were too young and my partners children too old.So I thought,why not my nephew? I didn't know where he lived,but I knew what school he attended.
We were living here in New York at the time when I heard he was going on a field trip by the school's newspaper editor.So,we were able to smuggle in a geneticly-altered anarchid and my nephew had an accident.I would've spoken with him had I not been betrayed."
Megan sat back down on the couch when Andrew stared intensely over at the kitchen counter,secrets surfacing from his soul's depths.
"It's hard for me to trust people,Megan."he turned to her sadly."But I trust you.My nephew,Spiderman,got away before I could explain things to him.But now,I am now able to explain everything to you."
She looked down at her laced hands."I need someone who is right there between childhood and adulthood.Someone young enough to be taught and yet someone mature enough to deal with situtations."
"What do you want me to do?"
"To accept my love and devotion toward you,that's all."he reached over and patted her arm."I'll let you absorb this much tonight.You have the free roam of the rooms.Would you like something to eat?"
"No,I'll just go to bed."Without another word,she got up and went to shut herself in the bedroom.He wanted something from her,that had been obvious from the time they sat down.But what could it be?
And,more importantly,how did it coincide with this Spiderman?
x.x.x
The abrupt knocking on the front door awoke May Parker from her noon nap.A bit dazed,she rose up from her recliner and padded up to the steel-reinforced door to look out the peep hole to see a man.
He was dressed in a trench coat,wearing sunglasses and what might have been a detective's hat.The elderly woman looked to see that she already had her hand over a bronze key hanging on a bent nail and sighed.She remembered all too well about men in trench coats.
Taking out a noise simulator from her robe pocket,she pressed the button at the right-hand top and a low snore emitted from it noisely.
Aunt May smiled shrewdly,placed it down in the recliner and went to fix herself a pot a tea.She was feeling parital to a cup of jasmine.
A/N:Not extremely exciting yet,I know.Stay with me,it gets better.
LP