Posted: 5/20/11.

Author's Notes: Today is the three-year anniversary of when I posted the first chapter of this story. I'm really unsatisfied that this story took so long. To be honest, I just didn't really enjoy writing it anymore. The muse for this story came and went a long time ago.

However, I don't want to leave it hanging anymore. That's why I'm ending "Dual Identity," today. Not canceling, but concluding. I've had most of the story up to "Duo Side" (the side story/sequel, already uploaded) in my head for a long time, so I've taken it and compressed it into six chapters.

The first five chapters are only summaries, but they're in first person so I hope that makes it a little more entertaining. Two of the chapters also have prose intermissions. The final chapter - the story's conclusion - is in regular prose format.

I wrote these in a hurry, struggling to make the anniversary deadline. It's not perfect, but I'm glad to say "Dual Identity" is finally complete. Thank you to everyone who read this fanfiction.

Dual Identity Chapter 10: Cogito Ergo Sum

Summary: The Story According to Spidey

I hear what people say about me. New York seems to be split pretty evenly into two factions. Half thinks I'm too weird or too mysterious to be trusted. A guy in full costume who spends his nights jumping off rooftops and catching muggers? Yeah, that's normal. I'm not very popular with that crowd.

The other half thinks I'm a hero. Yeah, he hides his face, but he's done nothing but good for this city. He never asks for a reward. Spider-Man rescues people out of the goodness of his altruistic heart. I like the praise, but they have got such a warped idea.

I'm not altruistic. Sure, helping people is good. But the truth is I'm a vigilante just for the attention. The first half isn't too off base. And I would never admit this, but I do not consider myself a hero.

I'm... scared.

For all intents and purposes, I'm Peter Parker. That's my secret identity. But I don't remember Peter's past. I don't know how Peter spends his days. I don't think like Peter. My personality isn't like Peter's.

Then... who am I?

I don't want to think about it. I force myself to not think about it. And that's why I'm a vigilante. I can lose myself in the night and the heroic deeds. I can vent all my frustrations into fighting criminals until I forget.

For all intents and purposes, I'm Peter Parker. And I don't want to be Peter Parker. I want to be myself. I want to exist as a completely separate entity. I tell myself that I'm another brain that's stealing Peter's body. And I don't allow myself to dwell on it too much... because I'm too scared to know how much of that is true - or not true.

I don't want to think about MJ, who's pressuring me to reveal my existence to the other me. I don't want to think about those two scientists, who only know me as "high school student Peter Parker." I just want everyone to shut up and leave me alone.

Don't make me think about him!

Of course, when Backyard and Quarter came to Peter's house and blackmailed me into helping them, I couldn't just ignore them. And that's how I found myself in the Oscorp Weapons Manufactory. I was going to be bait to draw out their boss, the Kingpin.

I never heard of any Kingpin before that night. According to those two, he controls all the crime in New York. He would be of no interest to me at all, except if he's arrested, there might not be anymore criminals for me to beat up at night. Still, I had to help stop him. Part of the whole superhero code, or whatever.

I waited in a holding cell, pretending to be unconscious. Outside the room Backyard and Quarter greeted the Kingpin, who was apparently a guy named Jason Macendale. Surprise, surprise, he brought company. The shooter in the white mask who almost captured me that day in the school. My first thought was, 'this was a good deal for me after all. I can get payback.' I soon learned he went by the alias 'Chameleon.' Everyone's gotta have a gimmick, take it from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

According to plan, once Kingpin and Chameleon entered the cell to 'collect' me, I made my escape. Backyard and Quarter locked them inside in my place. The factory's security cameras caught Macendale on tape admitting he was the Kingpin, so once the police arrived, we'd turn them over.

I actually hated the plan. I didn't get to even do anything. Fortunately for me - not so much for Backyard and Quarter - Macendale had explosives hidden in his coat (why the heck?). He got out of the cell pretty quickly. At first I thought it'd be time for an action scene, but then I realized, I'm not really equipped to fight a guy flinging BOMBS around. Cue tactical retreat.

Backyard, Quarter and I escaped into utilidors built underneath the factory. We quickly got to the main security room and decided to wait it out until the cops arrived with reinforcements. Macendale and Chameleon didn't know their way through the utilidors, so it was easy to get away from them.

Backyard and Quarter put the whole place on lockdown, so the two criminals couldn't escape the factory. Even if they could, Macendale needed to destroy that camera footage before the police saw him on it. Macendale and the Chameleon split up and began looking for the security room (i.e., where we were). We had a perfect view of the whole scene thanks to the ridiculously high number of security cameras. I don't know who owns this factory, but he strikes me as the "paranoid evil genius" type. But you didn't hear that from me.

I thought this night would be boring. Boy, was I wrong. Macendale ran into this man named Wilson Fisk, who followed them into the factory before the lockdown. (According to Backyard and Quarter, Fisk is a famous philanthropist charity-maker or something like that. I never heard of him. Maybe Peter has; I don't watch the news.)

Turns out, Wilson Fisk is the real Kingpin, and Macendale is just some lowly henchman who was plotting to take over. In fact, Macendale is so lowly, Fisk didn't even care about him. Haha, burn. But he did care about Chameleon, who ignored Kingpin's instructions to only observe Macendale, and helped him get new weapons. A double-agent that is untrustworthy? Who saw that coming?

And so, Fisk and Macendale came to an understanding. They would stop hating each other, and start hating the Chameleon. They didn't like how he was trying to play both sides.

All three bad guys found each other and did some discussing. Macendale would stop pretending to be the Kingpin; Fisk would not skin him alive six ways to Sunday; and Chameleon was out of a job. Fisk was all like, "At least Macendale was honest about it. You? You were rooting for him to do me in while kissing up to me the next minute? Oh, no you didn't!" Paraphrased, of course. Fisk may be an all-powerful crime boss, but he's kind of stuffy.

Personally, I don't really see how he could trust Macendale, the guy that was actually trying to kill him. I don't think they were totally square, but the point is he trusted the Chameleon even less now. And that went double for Macendale.

Chameleon went into this dramatic speech about how he used to be the greatest master of disguise in the world, and he couldn't forgive Kingpin for letting his skills go to waste, using him as a petty gun-for-hire. Yawn. Maybe I wasn't so wrong about this being a boring night.

But during his speech, the Chameleon mentioned how he could become anyone, looks and personality. He said anyone could do it; he just did it best. People change their appearance with make-up or wigs or fancy clothes. And they put on whatever facades they wanted. Chameleon said... that everyone was the same... that there were no "cores" to distinguish one person from another.

That... kind of struck a nerve in me.

Anyway, they got into a fight, and guess where they were. Yep. Right outside our door. Macendale's bomb went astray, and suddenly, we didn't have a door anymore.

So they found us; us and the security footage they needed. Everyone froze. I so wanted to say, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" But somehow, it didn't seem funny enough. (Wait a minute, why do I even know that line? I never saw Wizard of Oz while being Spider-Man. Was I remembering something from Peter's life? Don't think about it... Don't think about it...)

Anyway, hell broke loose.

I was able to take down the Chameleon pretty quickly. Macendale, not so much. He had this remote control with him and brought in a weapon from his van outside. This metal glider broke right through the ceiling. Can you imagine? Like, BOOM! I've heard of tanks with less firepower than this thing! This was the weapon that Chameleon tricked Macendale into stealing the other day.

Macendale also had a mask and cape with him. He figured he could be a more dangerous enemy by losing himself in a new persona. Like I said: everyone's gotta have a gimmick. Not that I'm judging; I know exactly where he's coming from. If Spider-Man is a superhero, then Hobgoblin was a supervillain to counter me. I gotta admit, he came pretty close.

Thanks to that hole in the ceiling, we took our fight outside. The police finally showed up, not that they could do much against a flying tank. Of course, I - being just one (one half?) person - could do even less. I never fought a supervillain before; sue me. I stayed back in Oscorp and licked my wounds, hoping the cops could hold out.

Truth is... my head just wasn't in the game. I couldn't shake what the Chameleon said earlier. I kinda understood what he meant. People are defined by what they do... but they say you can do anything you set your mind too. So then... after you peel back all the facades and gimmicks... what's left to make one person different from the next?

Underneath the costume, the wisecracks, and the messed-up memory... was I really a different person than Peter? Could anyone prove it? If not...

...Did "I" really exist at all?

...

My whole "life," I desperately wanted to avoid that one question. I was too scared to go there. I was too scared of the answer. But after everything... MJ's promise, Backyard and Quarter's blackmail, the Chameleon's philosophy, the threat of having my "secret identity" revealed... It was like a wall broke down. I couldn't stop my thoughts from moving. I couldn't stop thinking anymore.

I finally began to wonder who "I" was.

...

It got old real fast.

Prose: Intermission

The Hobgoblin circled overhead like a vulture. He had taken a break from flinging bombs at the police. Now he was just enjoying the rush of power he finally had. Not as the Kingpin, not even as Macendale... but as the Hobgoblin. "The real him," or so he said.

Spider-Man watched him through the hole in the roof of Oscorp Manufactory. He stood alone in his thoughts. Wilson Fisk and the Chameleon were both knocked out, sprawled on the floor. Backyard and Quarter stood behind Spidey, worried by the chaos Hobgoblin was making.

"You think we're safe in here?" Backyard asked his colleague.

"No," Quarter answered instantly. "But we'd be even less safe out there. That Wing is the single most advanced weapon Oscorp ever produced. Not even Parker would stand a chance." They addressed the costumed hero by what they thought was his real name.

Spidey was silent. He might not have heard them. He only stared at Hobgoblin.

"You shouldn't try to fight him," Quarter advised. "It has to run out of fuel eventually. The police will take care of Macendale when it does."

Spidey still didn't move.

Macendale hated being an underling in a big organization. He hated being a fake Kingpin. The Hobgoblin was the first persona he enjoyed. He said it was his first chance to let loose and really "be himself."

"Hey," Spidey spoke up at last, though he still didn't face the scientists. "...All that stuff Chameleon and Hobgoblin were saying about 'true selves'... Do you think there can be only one 'true self'?"

"How many does someone need?" Quarter dismissively replied.

Spidey didn't respond.

He looked back through the collapsed ceiling. Hobgoblin flew directly overhead, cackling at the police, confident in his approaching victory.

Spidey felt numb to it all.

He had his answer. The answer he'd known all along. "Spider-Man" was just another side of Peter Parker... nothing more.

He decided to stop feeling numb...

SCREW IT ALL!

He jumped. Went through the ceiling's hole and landed on the building's edge. Jumped again, towards Hobgoblin's glider, and punched him right in the masked face.

I'm not a real person, Spidey thought. I don't have a past, or a name, or even my own face. I'm a mental parasite. I'm only a piece of someone else.

But so what?

Who gives a damn!

Hobgoblin recoiled from the attack, while Spider-Man gracefully landed on the ground, unharmed. The clearing was heavily scorched by Hobgoblin's attacks. Beyond it was a circle of police cars and reporters.

The reporters went into a frenzy. Rumors of the 'Spider-Man' had been circulating in New York for weeks, but nobody ever returned with definite proof before. From their relative safety behind the policemen, they snapped pictures on their cameras.

Hobgoblin fired two missiles at Spider-Man, but he avoided them easily.

If a piece is all I have... then I'll use it for all it's worth!

Frustration... Thrill... Anger... Epiphany... Emotions rose from Spidey's heart like heat from a volcano. His chest ached. His head swam. He saw red.

Of course, Hobgoblin had no way of knowing these details. But he could still sense some mysterious danger coming from his enemy. He circled overhead, slowly growing nervous, trying to think of the best way to destroy this cornered animal.

The press and policemen were even more oblivious. They were consumed in their own excitement at witnessing the news of the century. Cameras continued to flash, capturing Spider-Man's image.

I can't prove that I'm NOT Peter... and you can't prove than I AM.

These reporters have never heard of Peter Parker. They don't care about him. They don't want his picture. They want me. Not Peter... ME! Everyone here tonight is here for me!

Spidey was screaming inside his head. All of the thoughts he refused to think about burst forth like a broken dam. He felt overwhelmed, but he didn't want to stop it anymore. He clutched his head.

Something was building up inside him. It was more than euphoria... more than rage... It was an intense desire for vindication. It burned hotter and hotter, ready to erupt. But he didn't want to stop it.

I exist... As a piece or a whole, I exist... I've carved my existence into this city... No one can take that from me... I was BORN in this city!

I...

I...

The red and black costume bubbled across his skin like boiling water. He didn't stop it.

I AM HERE!

The maelstrom of emotions reached its climax. Spider-Man roared. And the bio-suit roared with him.

Backyard and Quarter could see everything from a monitor in the security room. They saw Spider-Man transform into a mass of swirling spikes and tendrils.

"He's activated Rage Mode," Quarter noted grimly.

"Yes... He's become completely synchronized with the bio-suit. He can use its full power... but it will never detach from his body."

Every time Spidey put on the bio-suit, it connected with his nerves. That's how he controls its powers. The suit has a direct connection to his brain, but a purely non-invasive one. The suit had no will of its own; it could only respond to the orders the user's brain sent it. And just as Spidey's feelings filled every fiber of his body, they also reached the suit. In essence, his meltdown kicked the bio-suit into overdrive.

The tentacles soon retracted, making the costumed vigilante look human again. But Spider-Man's rage didn't subside; it only transformed. It was focused... Controlled. "Rage Mode" was an act of catharsis for him. He would let off whatever steam was left by defeating his enemy... He swore it.

Hobgoblin didn't allow himself to be intimidated. "If I can't get MY bio-suit off you, then you can just die!"

The glider launched the biggest bomb in the goblin's arsenal at Spider-Man. "Just die!"

"Like heck I will," he quipped, feeling a little more like his normal, fun-loving self. "It's my birthday."

Then Spider-Man did something he never did before: used webbing. A strand of his gelatinous suit shot out from his wrist and caught the bomb in midair. Spidey swung the web around and sent the bomb flying right back at Hobgoblin.

"AHH!"

It hit the underside of his glider. It fell through the sky leaving a trail of black smoke.

And so, Macendale lost the bio-suit, all his allies, his chance to become Kingpin, and his new weapon all in one night. As he descended, he clutched his head and screamed, "AGH! I hate my life!"

Hobgoblin and his glider crashed behind the factory. The police ran off after him. But once they arrived, they only found the remains of the Wing. There was no body...

Summary: The Story According to Spidey (part II)

I snuck away from the press and met up with Backyard and Quarter. Thanks to that night's surveillance footage, the police arrested the Chameleon and the real Kingpin, but the Hobgoblin was nowhere to be found.

As per our deal, Backyard and Quarter promised to keep my "secret identity" to themselves. They also gave me the disk which had the camera footage of me getting the bio-suit, back from the night everything started.

I took the disk and went home. It was almost dawn. I didn't bother looking for Hobgoblin. He could wait; he would have to. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. But there was one thing I needed to do before sleeping.

Once in Peter's room I willed the costume invisible, leaving only Peter's pajamas and the disk. I took a marker and wrote three words on the CD's cover.

"I am here."

I collapsed facedown onto the bed, feeling satisfied.

As I expected, Peter woke up in a few hours and saw the disk.

Also as I expected, he watched it. He watched it over and over.