Chapter 11: Sibling Rivalry Part 2: The Final Hunt
A/N: what's this? Another team up between the Spectacular Spider-Siblings? Le gasp! I had a lot of fun writing Kaine this chapter. For some reason, whenever I would write a scene for him, I couldn't help but put in narration, as I think Kaine's narration was one of the best parts of Chris Yost's Scarlet Spider series. Sit back, and enjoy!
In Spider-Island II, Peter was working on a new GPS system based off of his Spider Tracers. "Let's see…just gotta get the right frequency and-" he said, when a voice yelled in his head.
"YOU MUST SAVE HIM!" The voice said, and a woman with long red hair appeared in front of Peter.
"Julia Carpenter? I thought you were dead!" Peter said. "Where have you been?"
"I'm afraid Kingpin's spider sense enhanced had a stronger effect on my connection to the web of life than I would have thought. My physical body is incapacitated, but my astral body still remains strong." Julia said. "Peter, you must go to Houston at once!"
"Houston? But Kaine has that city taken care of." Peter said.
"That is the problem. Kaine is the one in danger!" Julia said. "The life he has built, the friends, the surrogate family…your brother faces a grave threat I fear he will not be able to face alone."
"Just what kind of threat are we talking about? Doctor Doom? Galactus? Another season of Jersey Shore?" Peter said.
"One you have faced many a time. Tonight, Kaine shall face the Hunters." Madame Web said, and Peter's eyes widened before he pulled out his cell phone.
"Tony? How fast can a Quinjet get to Houston?"
Houston, Texas, the Four Seasons Hotel
The skies of Houston were dark and cloudy, rain pouring down as thunder boomed overhead. This weather was fitting, as it reflected the despair within the heart of the city's hero.
"Get away!" Kaine yelled. He was in his Scarlet Spider costume, minus the mask, and was kneeling on the ground.
"Kaine, what's wrong?" Aracely asked.
"Don't look at me!" Kaine said, hiding his face, but in the cracked TV screen, he could still see his scarred face. 'Dammit, why? Haven't I paid enough for what I've done?' Kaine thought.
"Hold on, let me see what's going on in your mind." Aracely said, and her eyes glowed as she used her telepathy, only for a scratch mark to appear on her face.
'Prey!' The Other said in his head.
"Aracely, run! Get Wally…tell him he needs to put me down before I hurt somebody!" Kaine said.
"Hold on. I'm going to go get Donald, and he'll fix you. Just stay here, ok?" Aracely said, before running out.
'Donald can't fix me…no one can. I need to get far away from here, far enough away that I won't hurt anyone ever again.' Kaine thought. 'I'd finally hit it big…a new life, new friends, the approval of one I call 'brother', and after all that I'm still. Just. A. MONSTER!' Kaine let out a cry of anger as he flung his couch out through the window. He grabbed his mask, slid it on, and swung away. 'I'm sorry, Aracely. You have no idea what kind of monster I really am.' He swung through the city, until it felt like his heart was getting ripped out. 'And there it is. The ol' Parker guilt. That's something genetic, and nothing can change that. I haven't felt like this since-' at that moment, Kaine blacked out, and hit the ground hard. 'The hell? Since when do I black out while swinging?'
"Well what do ya know. When I came here from New York, I thought I'd never see someone like you again. But lookie here, a real honest to goodness superhero!" A pedestrian said.
"Shut up! I'm not a f**king hero!" Kaine yelled, when something slugged him across the face.
"Well you'll hear no argument from me." A voice Kaine knew all too well said. When Kaine's vision cleared, he saw a man wearing a ripped sweatshirt with a spider symbol on it over a red full body suit with two white eyes.
"Ben…" Kaine said, his mind in a state of total disbelief at being face to face with the original Scarlet Spider, Ben Reily.
Parks Plaza Hospital
Donald Meland was sitting in his office, when there was a knocking at his door. "Dr. Meland? There's a ms. Aracely here to see you." A nurse said.
"Send her in." Donald said, and in walked Aracely. "What's with the long face? Did the hotel run out of cucumbers again?"
"It's Kaine. Something's wrong with him." She said, and Donald noticed what looked like a claw mark on her face.
"Dear god…what the hell happened to you?" He said.
"Don't worry about me. It's Kaine we should be worrying about." Aracely said. "He kept saying there was something wrong with his face, but as far as I could tell, there was nothing wrong with him!"
"I see. And then he attacked you?" Donald asked.
"No. That was the monster in his head." Aracely said, when the power went out.
"Again? That's the third one tonight." Donald said. "It's this damn storm. It's knocked everything out of-" he felt a cool blade against his throat. "-whack."
Back at the highway, Kaine stared in disbelief at Ben Reily. "No…you're dead. Peter saw you die!" Kaine said.
"We see what we want to see." Ben said. "Peter had his life back. I had a second chance, and for a while I was happy. A family, friends…but then I heard the stories. Of a new Spider-Man in Houston. One calling himself the Scarlet Spider!" Ben kicked Kaine in the chest, sending him flying back. "You think that after everything you've done, you can just start over? And use MY name?!" Ben yelled. "Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"
Four Season's Hotel
Wally Layton pulled his police cruiser up to the entrance of the hotel, where a woman with pinkish-red hair was waiting. "Wally, thank god!" Annabelle Adams said.
"Annabelle, what the hell is going on here? We've been getting reports about this place all night!" Wally said.
"It's Kaine. He's been acting weird ever since he got back from New York." Annabelle said. "Aracely went to get Wally about 15 minutes ago, but I haven't-" she was cut off when two blow darts hit her and Wally in the neck, instantly knocking them unconscious.
Near Houston International
A lone figure swung through the city. "C'mon, where is he?"
5th street
Kaine leapt onto a rooftop, attempting to get away from his predecessor. 'This can't be real. I must have hit my head, unless my brain's starting to degenerate. I should have stayed in New York and have-' condensed balls of webbing hit him all over his body, each feeling like a punch from Wolverine.
"How's it feel, Kaine? How's it feel to be hunted down like you did to me?" Ben mocked, grabbing Kaine and throwing him to the ground. "You don't get to run away. Not after what you did to me!"
"SHUT UP!" Kaine yelled, and hit Ben so hard he went flying back. "You think I don't know that I'm a monster? That I don't feel anything? I see their faces every time I close my eyes. Every day, I regret everything that happened!"
"Yeah? Well I don't think regret will be enough to save you here." Ben said, and Kaine stood over Ben.
'Oh just kill him already!' The voice of Jackal taunted, the doctor appearing to his right. 'He tried taking Peter's life, and he'll probably try to take yours too!'
'Don't listen to him, Kaine.' The voice of Peter Parker said, the superhero appearing to Kaine's left.. 'You are not a monster. You are a good man, a hero! It doesn't matter what you did in the past. All that matters is what you do from here.' As he said that, Carnage appeared alongside Jackal.
'We're not so different, you know? Tell me, how many innocents did you slaughter for a bit of cash? Or maybe it was because, deep down, you ENJOY the killing. So kill him, and we'll all be happy.' Carnage said, when Venom appeared alongside Spider-Man.
'We're the good guys, and that means we have to set an example. Killing may be the easiest way out, but it's also the coward's way out. Find another way, and spare him.' Venom said.
'KILL HIM!' Carnage and Jackal yelled.
'SPARE HIM!' Spider-Man and Venom yelled.
"All of you shut up! Let me think…" Kaine shouted, but found that increasingly hard to do. "What the-?"
"Still haven't figured it out?" Ben said, and pushed Kaine back with a kick that sent the current Scarlet Spider to the ground. "You really aren't as smart as Peter, are you? He would have figured it out by now." As Ben spoke, Kaine couldn't help but notice his voice becoming more thick and accented.
"How-?" Kaine started to ask, before he removed his mask and vomited a little. When he moved his head a little, he stared into a puddle of water, and gasped at what he saw: his face was clear of scars.
"How? Well, Airport Security never checks for blow darts, and it is easy to create a toxin that makes one see their worst fears. In your case, that was your scars returning. And without your spider sense, you brushed off my dart as a mosquito bite." 'Ben' said, and when Kaine turned around, he was face to face with none other than a man with a thick, black mustache.
"Kraven…" Kaine gritted out.
"Correct, little Spider. This game…this hunt of ours…it ends tonight!" Kraven said, and that was the last thing Kaine heard before he blacked out.
Four Seasons Hotel
Courtney, one of the employees of the Four Seasons Houston, entered the Presidential Suite, and was shocked to see that it was completely trashed. "What the hell?" She asked out loud, when she heard a rustling in the bedroom. She grabbed a lamp, and flung open the door, only to her surprise she saw someone kneeling on the ground. "Spider-Man?! What are you doing here?" She asked, and Spider-Man looked at her.
"Trying to figure out what happened here, miss. Can you tell me anything?" The wall crawling Avenger asked.
"The man who stays in this room, Mr. Kaine, just got back from a trip to New York a few hours ago with this little Mexican girl who always hangs around him. Right after he got back, we started getting noise complaints from the people directly below him. We tried telling them it was the thunder from this storm, but I don't think they believed us." Courtney said, and Spider-Man sniffed the grounds.
"I know this smell. Almost smells like…" He muttered, and turned to the receptionist. "Make sure no one comes up here."
"Why?" Courtney asked as Spider-Man went to the window.
"Because he's going to need a place to sleep when I bring him back." Spider-Man said, before leaping out and swinging away.
Houston Zoo
Kaine awoke on darkness, and as he looked around he realized he was in a coffin. 'The hell? Where am I? Last thing I remember is…Kraven!' Kaine thought, and began punching his way to the top. Before long, he broke through the surface, and saw he was in front of a tombstone that said 'Here Lies the Scarlet Spider.' "What the-? Oh god." Kaine said, feeling a wet, sticky substance on him, when he realized it was blood. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't his blood.
"Did you enjoy your nap? I hope you didn't get too comfortable." Kraven's voice said over the loudspeakers. "When I'm done with you there won't be enough to put in a coffin!" As soon as Kraven said that, two lions charged at him, and Kaine tried to hold them back, but Kraven must have pumped them full of his jungle crap, as they were stronger than they should be.
'This is f**king great. I survive death a gazillion times, only to be killed by jungle cats. I can't wait to read that in the obituaries.' Kaine thought, when two weblines hit each lion.
"Kraven, didn't anyone teach you that you can't feed the animals?" Spider-Man said as he entered the enclosure, pulling the lions away.
"Ah, this is a grand night indeed! Not only to I break this curse of mine, but I claim my ultimate prize as well!" Kraven yelled over the speakers. "Tell me, Peter, will your intervention be enough to save Kaine from his fate?"
"What the-? How do you know who I am?!" Peter yelled.
"Despite the spell your magician weaved over the minds of this world, a Hunter does not forget their Prey so easily!" Kraven said, and the lions began circling the Spiders.
"I don't think I'll be able to watch the Lion King ever again after this." Spider-Man said. One of the lions pounced at him, but he sidestepped it and webbed it to the ground. "Hakuna Matata!"
"Here kitty kitty." Scarlet Spider said, and the other lion pounced on him, but he threw it aside and webbed it to the wall. "If only we had some yarn, then we could-" As soon as he said that, something zipped by and slashed his back.
"Jokes? You're even starting to sound like the real Spider-Man." Anna Kravenoff said.
"I hate this girl." Kaine said, when he noticed Anna had dropped something at his feet.
It was a blood stained police badge. "You bitch! Leave them out of this!" Scarlet Spider yelled. "They did nothing to you!"
"But they did do something to you: they made you feel." Anna said. "They made you think you could actually escape from what was coming, that you could have a life!"
"Kaine, I'll take care of Kraven Jr. You go and find your friends." Spider-Man said. Scarlet Spider nodded, before swinging away.
"This is fitting. You, who drove my father mad, shall die by my blade!" Anna said, and Spider-Man's spider sense wen off right before she slashed his chest.
'Damn she's fast!' He thought, when a cut appeared on his shoulder. 'Almost as fast as my spider sense. But he key word is 'almost.'' Spider-Man closed his eyes, listening for he buzzing in his head. When it came, he dodged each and every swipe from Anna, and on her final swing, caught her knife hand and threw her over his shoulder. She landed on her feet, and smiled a deranged grin.
"I see time has not dulled your skills." She said as she pulled what looked like a rock out of her pocket. "I trust you have heard of the Table of Order and Chaos?" Spider-Man's eyes widened when he heard that. The Tablet of Order of Chaos was an object of immense magical power, and about a year ago, Mysterio tried to steal it from a museum. Spider-Man did what he did best and tried to stop him, but in the struggle the tablet was scattered throughout three other dimensions, and it was only through the efforts of the Spider-Men of those dimensions that the Tablet was recovered. Cassandra Webb, the original Madame Webb who was now some sort of overseer of all Spider-Men, had taken the tablet somewhere out of normal space-time. "I can see from your body language that you do. This isn't that tablet, but a less powerful version known as 'the Fragment of Disorder', but I believe that this should be more than enough to defeat you!" She said, and rammed the tablet into her chest, the rock disappearing into her body. Instantly, she was surrounded by a white aura, and her eyes glowed blue, and she started zipping around faster than the eye could see.
"This…this is going to hurt." Spider-Man said. Meanwhile, Scarlet Spider swung through the trees of the Houston Zoo.
'If he killed them, I'm going to rip Kraven to shreds!' Kaine thought. 'No, he won't kill them. The drugs, the costume, this sick game…he's toying with me, like a cat playing with its food. He'll want me to suffer, to feel every second of pain. And then, when I'm lying broken at his feet, I'll-' Kaine stopped as he came across a large clearing, where Wally, Donald, Aracely, and Annabelle were all tied to posts, Kraven sitting on Annabelle's. 'On second thought, death would be a mercy compared to this.
"Welcome, Kaine. Or should I call you Tarantula? Or, as your victims know you, murderer." Kraven said, and Spider-Man sailed into the clearing, cuts all over his costume and his mask missing, and Anna appeared next to her father, Peter's mask in her hand.
"Ow." Spider-Man said, and everyone was shocked to see that Peter looked exactly like Kaine.
"Kaine? What the Hell's going on?" Annabelle asked.
"You truly wish to know, Ms. Adams?" Kraven asked. "Very well then. Years ago, a man named Miles Warren became intrigued by a costumed hero named 'Spider-Man', and convinced a student named Peter Parker to give him some blood." The Hunter explained. "Imagine Warren's shock to learn that young Peter and Spider-Man were one and the same! So, he began to clone the Spider. Of course, while eventually a stable specimen was born, there were a few…deformed ones. Especially the first one. He travelled the country side, killing indiscriminately for years, leaving a wake of dead bodies behind him. Do you know what that clone's name was?"
"Shut up Kraven! Don't say anything else!" Kaine said.
"His name…was Kaine." Kraven said, and a look of shock Spread through Kaine's friends.
"Kaine? Is it true?" Wally asked.
"It can't be, Wally. We know Kaine! He would never do that!" Donald said.
"Do you, Donald? Has Kaine ever said a word about his past to any of you?" Anna said, appearing in front of him. "You think he's a hero? Tell me, would a hero sit by while I do this?" With that, she used her knife to slice a deep cut across Donald's stomach.
"NO!" Wally yelled, tears in his eyes.
"Donald!" Annabelle yelled, and Kaine's jaw dropped in absolute horror as one of the people who believed in him most be wounded like this.
"You bastard!" Peter yelled. "You call yourselves hunters? Would a Hunter use others as a shield while they twin their prey?"
"Your words mean nothing, Peter! You have been a worthy prey, but I have a far more interesting target now." Kraven said. "This hurts you, doesn't it Kaine? To know that you are powerless to stop the ones you care about from being hurt?"
"Kaine, snap out of it." Peter said. "I may have something that can save him, but I need you to take care of Kraven!"
"Trust me Peter, I'm going to do just that." Kaine said, anger in his voice as he rose from the ground. "Tonight, I'm going to END THIS!" With that, he leapt at Kraven, knocking him off his post. Anna smirked, before zipping all around Spider-Man.
"What will you do, Peter? Can you defeat me before the doctor-" Anna started to say, when Spider-Man stuck out his arm, Anna colliding head first with his forearm, knocking her unconscious.
"Super speeds kinda useless if you don't have the right reaction time." Peter said, and ran over to Donald.
"Peter! You need to save him!" Aracely said.
"Don't worry, Aracely. I've got just the thing for this." Peter said, and took out a web capsule and slid it into his web shooters. "This is a new type of medical web fluid I made in case any of my non-super powered Avengers teammates like Hawkeye or Black widow get badly injured on missions. It should be enough to hold him together." Peter said, applying the webbing to the deep cut. He then stood, extended his claws, and cut each of the captives free. Wally quickly went to his husband's side, cradling his head.
"Thank you." Wally sobbed out.
"Don't mention it." Peter said, and retrieved his mask. He turned to Annabelle and Aracely. "Stay with him. I'll be right back."
'Its all been leading to this.' Kaine thought as he dodged Kraven's spear. 'Every foe I've faced…every challenge I conquered…it's all been leading up to this moment.' He ducked under the spear, grabbed it, and snapped it in half.
"This shall end tonight, Spider!" Kraven said, and took out a knife. "There shall be no rescues here tonight, only deaths. Something you should be familiar with, no? Octavius, my son, countless others…and now the doctor. Tell me Kaine, are you willing to live with all these deaths?"
"If that means means your life is a living hell, then yes." Kaine said, and slammed his palm into Kraven's chest, making his heart stop. Kraven was dead before he hit the ground.
"No!" Peter yelled, entering the clearing where Kaine and Kraven were. "You didn't have to kill him!"
"Who said I did?" Kaine said, and slammed his fist into Kraven's chest. A seconds went by, before Kraven began to cough.
"W-what?" Kraven said. "I still breathe? How?"
"I stopped your heart, Kraven. For a few seconds, you were dead." Kaine said. "The curse is broken. Your connection to me…to Peter…it's gone. You never have to have anything to do with us again." Kraven started to laugh uncontrollably.
"How naive you Spiders are. You think I will no longer come after you? You are gravely mistaken! I will never stop until all your heads are mounted on my wall, and then I will-" Kraven tried to say, before Spider-Man webbed his mouth shut.
"Enough out of him." Peter said. "Kaine, Donald's ok, but he needs to get to a hospital. Are there any near here?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Hours Later, Parks Plaza Hospital
"They said he'll be alright. If it wasn't for that webbing, he'd probably be in a lot worse shape right now." Peter said, as he, Kaine, Aracely, and Annabelle stared at the comatose doctor.
"Where's Wally?" Kaine asked.
"I don't know. He left right after Donald got out of surgery." Annabelle said.
"I sensed a lot of rage and sadness inside of him. I hope he'll be alright." Aracely said.
"Kaine, is what Kraven said true?" Annabelle asked. "Did you really-?"
"Yes, he did. But he wasn't well back then." Peter said. "His whole body, including his brain, was constantly degenerating, and he was dying, cell by cell. He wasn't right in the head, but he's better now."
"Annabelle, I promise I'll tell you everything later, but I'd rather not do it here." Kaine said. 'I'm so sorry, Donald. You believed in me, cheered me on, encouraged me to stay after my fight with Carnage, and now you're paying the price.' He thought, and almost didn't notice Peter putting his hand on Kaine's shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, Kaine. This isn't your fault. This is Kraven's." Peter said. "Ever since I was a teenager, he's been obsessed with hunting me. And when I proved too much for him to handle, he decided to kill himself. Never expected him to learn from his mistakes when he came back."
"Don't worry, Kaine. Wally's going to be alright." Aracely said. "He has to be."
Houston Police Precinct
Wally sat at one of the stations computers, and pulled up the criminal database. He typed in Kaine and moved his cursor over 'search', but he hesitated for a moment. 'What if Kraven was just messing with Kaine? He's my friend, and I trust him, but…I need to know.' Wally thought, and clicked search. Instantly, a mugshot of a man with long brown hair and a heavily scarred face appeared on the screen, and Wally's eyes widened as he saw the SHIELD logo. 'Holy s**t." Wally gasped.
The Next Morning, Donald Meland's hospital room.
"Has anyone heard from Wally?" Peter asked.
"No. I've tried calling him, but he's not answering." Annabelle said.
"He's probably heartbroken and angry." Kaine said. "It's best if we give him some space while he deals with this."
"Kaine, you didn't sense what he was feeling. He felt sad, angry, and almost doubtful." Aracely said. "That is a very dangerous combination."
"I'll go out and look for him." Peter said, quickly putting his costume on.
"I'll go. You don't know your way around this place." Kaine said.
"I can download a map to my lenses. You need to rest after last night." Peter said, pulling on his mask. "If I see him, I'll call you."
"I'll go with you. No one knows this town like a native Houstonite." Annabelle said.
"It'll be easier if we split up. You go look at his house, and I'll swing around in case is see him." Spider-Man said, and Annabelle nodded before leaving the room. Peter nodded at Kaine, before Spider-Man leapt out the window, swinging away.
"C'mon, Aracely. Let's go home." Kaine said, walking towards the elevators. About a minute later, he and Aracely were riding in a taxi towards the Four Seasons. Unknown to them, they were being watched.
"Yes, this is Zoe. I've found him." A woman watching from a nearby car said, and began to follow the taxi Kaine and Aracely were in. Unknown to anyone, not even Peter, Kaine, Aracely, and especially Zoe, an even more sinister force was awaiting our heroes at the Four Seasons.
Four Seasons Presidential suite
'How the hell did things go so wrong so fast?' Kaine thought as he and Aracely rode the elevator to the penthouse. 'One minute, I'm all happy that Peter's praising me, and the next I'm fighting for my life against crazy Russians. Just how f**ked is my life?'
"Jar!" Aracely said.
"What the-? Stop looking in my head!" Kaine yelled, and opened the door to the suite…
Only to see Annabelle in the middle if the room, her body barely obscured by a red cover. "Hello, Kaine. I'm glad you could make it. Let me make you feel better." She said seductively.
"Aracely, wait out here. And cover your ears." Kaine said, shutting the door in his teenage companion's face, removing his shirt as he did. "I thought you were looking for Wally."
"He can wait. Right now, all I'm concerned with is you." She purred, and kissed him as the cover fell from around her body.
One Hour Later
Aracely had her ears covered, hoping to block out the ungodly sounds coming from the hotel room. She's never knew there were so many uses for the word 'cow.' As she tried to ignore the sounds coming from the room, she opened her eyes to find she was in some sort of desert. "What the-?" She said aloud, when a hawk appeared next to her.
'Mictlan shall rise, but before that looms a great darkness." The hawk said, and a snake appeared next to it.
"The Spider amasses his allies, but will they be enough?" It said, and as it spoke, a shadow appeared, and in front of it stood a red and blue spider.
"His greatest battle draws near. When his strength fails, those he calls 'family' shall be there to renew it." The hawk said.
"But he is not ready yet. His allies still await!" The snake said, jumping at her.
"Gah!" Aracely said, being shaken awake by Spider-Man.
"Hey, kid. Sweet dreams?" He asked.
"Something…like that." Aracely said, not sure if she should tell Peter about her dream. "Did you find Wally?"
"Sorry, I didn't. I got lost. Three times. 10 minutes apart. Eventually, I managed to find my way back here." Spider-Man said. "So why're you out here?"
"Kaine and Annabelle are…I don't even want to think about it." Aracely said.
"So she left the only person who has never been to Houston before to wander around the city for an hour. How nice." Spider-Man said, his spider sense going off as the elevator dinged and opened. Out stepped Wally, decked in full SWAT gear with a shotgun in his hand.
"Get the f**k out of my way!" Wally said, and oddly enough, Peter's spider sense wasn't pointing at Wally. Inside the suite, Annabelle was wearing one of Kaine's shirts as the clone looked out over the city.
"That was amazing, Kaine." Annabelle said.
"You weren't too bad yourself." Kaine said, and looked at his hands. "Donald's going to be ok, right?"
"I wouldn't know anything about that." Annabelle said. "I'm not well versed in that field. Let's not worry about it, and go back to bed."
"This is serious, Annabelle. He could be dying, and it's all my fault." Kaine snapped, before looking away. "I'm sorry, it's just the past 24 hours have been really stressful."
"It's ok, Kaine." Annabelle said, embracing him from behind. "I forgive you because I love you. And I know my children will too."
"Wait, what?" Kaine said, when Wally kicked down the door.
"Kaine, you are wanted by SHIELD, the NYPD, Homeland Security, the FBI, NCIS, CGIS, CIA, FBI, and the DEA on several course of murder, possible super powered terrorism, theft, kidnapping, harassment, and countless other charges!" Wally said.
"Look, Wally, just calm down and let me-" Peter said, before he saw Annabelle. "You! Get away from him!" He leapt at Annabelle, and pinned her to the wall.
"Peter, what the hell are you doing?!" Kaine yelled.
"She's not what she seems!" Peter said, and looked at Annabelle. "You think you could fool them? Well you can't fool my Spider Sense!"
"Let her go, or I'm taking you down too! I don't give a damn whether you're an Avenger or not!" Wally said, aiming his gun at Peter.
"Wally-" Kaine said, moving towards Wally, but the officer aimed his gun back at Kaine.
"Get back, Kaine, or I swear to god I will blow your head off!" Wally said, and Kaine raised his hands, getting on his knees.
"Kaine, what are you doing?" Aracely said.
"It's alright, Aracely. I knew that this day was coming, and I told myself that when it came, I would take whatever I had coming." Kaine said. "I was a monster. I fought superheroes…I killed people…sometimes for money, other times I did it because they crossed me…I even killed someone I thought I loved." Kaine thought back to Louise, a police officer he fell in love with, until he found out she was on the mob's payroll, snapping her neck in anger. "I've done a lot of bad things in my life, Wally, and I wish with every bone of my body that it was me on that hospital bed instead of Donald. But if you think taking me down is gonna heal Donald-" Kaine put the barrel of the shotgun against his forehead. "-then you might as well pull that trigger right now!" Wally's finger hovered over the trigger, before he fell to his knees crying.
"I'm so sorry, Kaine. I'm just so scared…I love him so much. I don't want to lose him." Wally said, and Kaine put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I know, Wally. I know." Kaine said. "Now, Peter, care to explain just WHY you have Annabelle pressed against the wall?"
"You mean you can't tell? I thought that since you're connected to that web thingy Julia is always going on about, you'd be able to tell." Peter said, when there was a knocking at the door.
"I'll get it! Annabelle's there!" Aracely said.
"Hold up. Did she say-?" Kaine asked, when Annabelle stormed in, a woman with dark hair carrying a huge case behind her.
"Kaine! This woman says she's your lover. Who the hell is-?" Annabelle started to say, when she noticed the other Annabelle being pinned by Spider-Man. "What the f**k? Who the hell is that?!"
"Zoe? What the hell are you doing here?" Kaine said.
"I had to find you, Kaine. Do you know why? Because I think I'm in love with you, but you REALLY shouldn't have put my daddy in a coma." Zoe said, pulling an RPG out of her case.
"Oh s**t!" Aracely said, and Wally aimed his shotgun.
"Ma'am, please put the rocket launcher down now!" Wally said, and 'Annabelle' laughed.
"While this has been fun, time to take Kaine with me." Annabelle said, and the Annabelle fake began to change. She became a woman that was pure black, with red eyes and hair that seemed like razor blades.
"Shathra. My spider sense has only buzzed like that twice, and I didn't think you were Morlun." Peter said. "How long has it been since you tried to kill me?"
"Too long, Peter." Shathra said, her voice sounding like dozens of wasps.
"Oh my god, what the hell are you?" Zoe yelled, aiming her RPG, and pulling the trigger. An explosion occurred that leveled the top floor occurred, sending several guests falling to the ground. Spider-Man and Kaine quickly recovered, and used their webbing to create a net to catch all the guests.
"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" An elderly man Aracely recognized as Stan, one of the older guests, said. "What a rush! And to think I had gotten away from all these costumed crazies when I went on this trip!"
"Well, it seems that no matter where we go, men in masks must follow." Stan's wife, who Annabelle remembered was named Joan, said. Spider-Man and Kaine landed behind them, Peter throwing Kaine his costume.
"Put it on!" Peter yelled, and his clone quickly obliged. The rubble shifted, and out bust Shathra.
"My children must feed!" Shathra said, and the two web slingers jumped in front of the civilians.
"Not on them, you maniac!" Scarlet Spider said.
"Oh boy, what a match!" Stan said. "The Amazing Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider, or as I like to call them, the Spectacular Spider Siblings, versus the seductive succubus, Shathra the She-Wasp! I need to call Steve and tell him about this!"
"Told you it would catch on." Spider-Man said.
"Kaine, I love you, and I know we're meant to-" Zoe started to say, when Annabelle slugged her.
"Shut up crazy!" The bartender said.
"I shall feed on your connections, web weavers!" Shathra said, and rushed the two spiders. They met her head on, and Kaine was flung away. "I shall feast on you first, Spider! You, with the strongest connection to the Web of Life, shall sustain my children for years to come!" She began choking him, and Spider-Man began to push at her face.
"Get…away!" He yelled, and two stingers erupted from his wrists through her head, black blood pouring from her head. Spider-Man withdrew the stingers as Shathra let him go, the wound in her head already healing. "Huh. Forgot I had these."
"Dude, what the hell?" Kaine said, recovering from Shathra's throw. "Not only do you move into my territory, but now you're stealing my act?"
"Relax, bro. These only come out when there are enemies going after the spider, not the man." Spider-Man said, and Scarlet Spider extended his own stingers.
"So, up for a little brotherly bonding?" The clone asked, and both faced Shathra.
"Actually, could you take her for a moment? I need to phone a friend." Spider-Man said, before crouching behind some rubble.
"Wonderful." Scarlet Spider muttered, and rushed at Shathra. He impaled her with his stingers, but unlike when Spider-Man stabbed her, Scarlet Spider's stingers went right through her.
"I am prepared for your attacks now, Spiders. My children shall rip the flesh from your bones!" Shathra said. Meanwhile, Peter held his phone to his ear, listening as it rang.
"C'mon, pick up." Peter said, when an Asian voice answered the phone on the other end.
"Hello, you have reached the Sanctum Sanctorum." The voice said.
"Wong, it's Spider-Man! Is the doctor in?" Spider-Man said into his phone.
"I believe he is in the library. Tell me what is wrong, and I shall inform him." The assistant to the Sorcerer Supreme said.
"Tell him Shathra is in Houston. He'll know what it means. I hope." Spider-Man said, before hanging up and leaping over the rubble he was behind, tackling Shathra to the ground. "You ok, Scarlet?"
"Remember when you stabbed her? Yeah, I don't think that's going to work a second time." The clone said.
"We don't need to beat her. We only need to hold her off long enough for my mustachioed magic friend to get her." Spider-Man said, and they both charged Shathra, slashing with their stingers. One of Shathra's tendrils knocked away Kaine, and he tried to stand up, but found his body was acting sluggish.
'Dammit, what the hell is wrong with me?! Feels like I'm trying to crawl out of my skin. It must be Shathra. Her presence here…it's upsetting the Other. Making it restless…trying to claw its way out.' Kaine thought as Shathra drove one of her tendrils through Spider-Man's ribs. She prepared to decapitate the hero, when bullets tore through her body. The extra dimensional Hunter turned to see Wally, his gun smoking.
"Get away from them you bitch!" He said.
"Officer Layton, you have no connection to the web. You will feed my children all the same!" Shathra said, sending wasps toward Wally.
"No…Wally…PREY!" Kaine said, and felt his body begin to change as the Other took over. His two eyes became eight, four spider legs came out of his back, and his mouth became mandibles. The transformation was slow, as Kaine tried desperately to fight the monster within.
"Kaine, don't give in to The Other! You're not a monster…you're a man! Someone who I am proud to call my brother!" Spider-Man said, hoping to reach his brother through the monster.
"I'm trying, Pete, but it's too much." Kaine said, his voice sounding like a hiss, and the transformation increased as the wasps neared Wally. "It's our…only…hope…against her!"
"Fortunately, you're wrong." A voice said as a violet light filled the air. The wasps burst into flames, and out if the light came a man with a mustache wearing a black uniform with a red trident design and red accents all over his costume. "Leave, Hunter. There is no place in this world for your kind." Doctor Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, said.
"Leave, Sorcerer! This does not involve you!" Shathra hissed, and Strange turned to Kaine, who was still struggling to keep the transformation at bay.
"Allow me to help you. While the Web of Life is not my area of expertise, I know how to sate the monster inside you." The doctor said, and an orange light bathed Kaine in it's rays, turning him back to normal. "Ricardo's Spell of Inner Peace should keep it calm for the time being."
"Thanks, Doc." Spider-Man said, then pointed to Shathra. "Got anything in your bag of tricks to get rid of her?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Doc Strange said, and his hands glowed blue. "Tell me, Hunter, can a being if your power stand up to the Crytorak's Eighth Banishment Spell?" With that, blue beams hit Shathra in the chest, causing her to disappear.
"Is she gone?" Annabelle asked. "Is evil me gone?"
"For the time being, yes. But she will return eventually." Strange said, before looking at Aracely. "Ms. Penalba. We have much to talk about. Seek me out on the astral plane when you wish to prepare for Mictlan." With that and a wave of his hand, the Sorcerer Supreme vanished, returning to his home. Kaine's costume quickly repaired itself, and he looked at Wally.
"You ok?" He asked.
"I don't think I'll ever look at wasp without cringing gain, but other than that I'm good." Wally said.
"I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Peter said. "Nothing a little super powered healing won't fix on the flight back to New York."
"Thanks for helping me out, Spidey." Kaine said, as there were still spectators nearby.
"No prob. Remind me I owe Doctor Strange a favor." Spider-Man said, when Wally's phone went off. He took it out, and gasped when he saw that it was the hospital where Donald was staying.
"Hello? Yes this is Wally." The officer said as he quickly answered the phone. "He has? That's wonderful! I'll be right over." Wally quickly hung up, and let out creole we sigh.
"What's wrong?" Annabelle asked.
"It's Donald. He's awake!"
Parks Plaza Hospital
Donald weakly sat up in his bed, right before Wally, Aracely, Annabelle, Peter, and Kaine came in. "Donald! Oh thank god!" Wally said, embracing his husband.
"Easy, Wally. I think you nearly popped a suture." Donald said.
"Sorry. I'm just so glad you're alright." Wally said, and Donald looked at Kaine.
"Kaine…thank you. For everything." Donald said.
"Don't mention it." Kaine said. "Now, I think all of you deserve a proper introduction." He gestured to Peter. "Everyone, this is Peter Parker, my brother."
"I also prefer Spider-Man, but that's only when you feel like it." Peter said. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Sorry out first meeting went the way it did."
"It's not your fault, Peter. Blame those crazy Russians." Annabelle said. "What happened to them anyway?"
"SHIELD took them to Thunderbolts Mountain. Said they were gonna be locked up for a while." Wally said. "Look, Kaine, I'm sorry I did what I did. I was just so angry, and I couldn't get what Kraven said out of my head, so-"
"Don't worry about it. I would have done the same." Kaine said.
"Donald, you should have seen everything that happened! First there was this evil Annabelle, then there was this crazy lady with a rocket launcher, then Doctor Strange showed up!" Aracely said.
"Evil Annabelle? What the hell happened when I was asleep?" Donald said.
"I'll explain everything later." Kaine said. "Peter, can I have a word with you in the hall?"
"Sure." Peter said, and the Parker's went into the hallway.
"Thank you, Peter. If you hadn't been here, then-" Kaine started say, when Peter held up his hand.
"Don't mention it, Kaine. You should be thanking Julia. If she hadn't warned me, then I would never have come to Houston." Peter said. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Now? I guess I'll stay here." Kaine said. "I'm tired, Peter. Tired of always running, never staying in one place too long, getting sick at my own reflection…well not anymore." Kaine looked out over the city from a nearby window. "Maybe this time, I'll do it right."
"Well I wish you the best of luck." Peter said. "Listen, I need to get back to New York soon, or my other boss will have my head. You know how it is."
"Can't say I do." Kaine said, and the two had a brotherly hug. "See ya around, Pete." Kaine said as Peter left. 'For so long, I thought I would never have a life. Friends…family…love…I assumed they would be forever out of my reach. But now?' Kaine thought as he took his mask out of his back pocket. 'Now, I know what I am: a hero.'
Epilogue I: New York
A man who smelled like brewery was dragged into a room by men wearing Chinese demon masks. "Hey, let me go! I'm a US citizen, I know my rights!" The man said, and he noticed the rooms only occupant. A man who looked like a photo negative, white suit, white hair, white gloves, and a black face looked at the man.
"Mr. Kelly, do you know who I am?" The man asked.
"M-Mister Negative!" The drunk man said, his terror sobering him up.
"Correct, Mr. Kelly." Mr. Negative said. "I have decided to tie up some loose ends here in the states, and you're name is at the top of the list."
"I'll get you the money, just please let me go!" Kelly said.
"How can you get the money I require, when you spend all your money drowning your sorrows at the bar? After all, that is why your family left you." Mr. Negative said, removing his glove. "When one cannot pay with money, they must pay with their lives." He touched Kelly's chest. "Hm. Not only are you dying from alcohol poisoning, but also from lung cancer. Let's speed things along, shall we?" Instantly, Kelly started coughing, Mr. Negative's corrupting touch increasing his lung cancer. Two inner demons came in and took out Kelly, even as he continued to literally cough his lungs out. "Alright, bring in the next person." Mr. Negative said.
Epilogue II: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A man with greasy blonde hair sat alone in a cafe, picking at his brown tweed jacket. "Thanks for meeting me, Brock." Flash Thompson said as he wheeled into the spot across from Eddie Brock, the first Venom, who was now known as Toxin.
"What do you want, Thompson?" Eddie asked. "You're lucky I don't kill you for what you did to that Benton girl."
"Hey, blame the devil, not me." Flash said. "Anyways, I didn't call you here to try to kill you." He took out a file and handed it to Brock. "A…contact…at the Daily Bugle sent me these. Thought you'd want so see it." Brock scowled at Toxin, before opening the file, his eyes widening.
"Is this for real?" The former Anti-Venom asked.
"According to her, yes. So what're you going to do?" Flash asked, and Eddie looked at the file, processing the pictures of Mr. Negative's inner demons.
"Looks like I'm heading to New York." He said, and stood up, only to slightly stumble.
"You ok, Brock? You look a little pale." Flash asked.
"I'm fine." Brock said, and left. It was a partial lie: Eddie was fine, but lately, Toxin had been acting…strange. 'Its probably homesick for Mulligan.' Brock thought. 'If it's a little homesickness, then I can deal with that.'
A/N: well, that's over with. These past two chapters are probably some of my favorites, but enough about this. Next chapter, the original Venom returns to his old home, in order to combat the man who made him question his whole existence. That's right folks: it's Toxin vs Mr. Negative, with Spider-Man and Anti-Venom caught in the middle! But wait, what's wrong with the Toxin symbiote? I have a feeling Spidertrekfan616 on dA knows! Find out next time in…
Next Time: Paint the town Crimson