Chapter 17: Answers
Black Widow by U.D.O.
I just love my nightmares
I can't wait to sleep
Enjoying all my dreams
Got no regrets
I can be a flash of lightning
Striking down on rocks
Burning down the law
Getting things i never got
Turning the world
Nothing unheard
One night can be more than a day
Just like a black widow
Like a black widow
I can't stand the dreamers
Scared of things that fly
They just have sweet fantasies
And fade and die
Nightmares - are so good, so good
And they always end just when they should
Nightmares are cool, nightmares are cruel
I love the fun and the thrill
Just like a black widow
Like a black widow
Black widow
Just like a black widow
Here comes the morning
And who can deny
Leaving the dream is so hard
I love my nightmares
I await their return
And this time, i'm dressed to kill, dressed to kill
Just like a black widow
Peter yawned, fighting to keep his eyes open as the elevator ascended up and finally the doors slid open. He stepped out onto the fourth floor of New York Hospital, searching out room 402. Betty Brant's room. Thankfully, the room was not far from the elevator and Peter found it easily. It didn't hurt that he could hear Betty shouting in annoyance at a nurse as he peaked in the door. Peter grinned at Betty's snarling growl as she swatted the nurse and her needle away.
"Enough already, geez!! Am I seeing Doctor Wallburn or Count Dracula?!" Betty huffed.
Peter knocked on the open door and grinned. "Bad time for a visit?"
Betty's eyes turned from the nurse and a grin spread on her pale face. "Peter!"
Peter waved cheerfully as he waited for invitation to enter the room.
"Come in! Come in! Please! Save me from the vampires..." Betty pleaded, glaring at the nurse as Pete stepped in.
"Dr. Wallburn would like to run the test once more in case the results of the first come back inconclusive. We'd really appreciate your complete cooperation, Ms. Brant. Perhaps the boyfriend here can convince you..." the nurse turned her attention to Peter.
Peter held his hands up in defense. "Just a friend. I'm not very convincing either..."
Betty grinned smugly. "Ha!"
"But you might wanna try Ned Leeds," Peter added with a wink at the nurse.
The nurse sighed, gathering her equipment. "I'll be back."
"Don't rush!" Betty grumbled and glared at Peter. "And you! Does everyone know about Ned and me?"
Peter rubbed the back of his neck as he contemplated telling Betty what he really thought. "Uhh... think so..."
"Great!" Betty sighed in exasperation and her head flopped back onto the pillows.
"Aww, what's so bad about that?" Peter asked.
Betty pursed her lips. "Did you ever just want something that was all your own? Something that you didn't have to share with the world, Pete? With Ned, we're both a part of the Bugle's little world, and we just... Well, we just thought it be better to keep it to ourselves so our private lives didn't interfere with our professional lives. It's a dangerous business when you mix your personal life into your professional one."
Peter stared at Betty, finding her thoughts mirroring his own, when it came to MJ and Spider-Man. "I know what you mean..."
"Do you?" Betty raised a brow. When she saw Peter's face turn cloudy with confusion she continued. "I was wondering what was going on with you and Amber."
"Amber?" Peter answered.
Betty nodded, but her mind was beginning to feel jumbled. Why was she questioning Peter about her, again? What was it that made her feel suspicious? Suddenly, she'd forgotten.
"Nothing, Betty. Why do you ask?" Peter shrugged.
"Hmm... 'm not sure, Pete..." she whispered, searching her mind for the answer.
Peter shrugged again. "We're just friends, Betty."
"Ah, no big deal anyway," she disregarded any further thought of Amber. "So how was your Christmas? Mine sure sucked."
"Christmas was good." Peter smiled, thinking of two days ago when all the world had stopped and it had been just him and MJ's world. "Real good."
"Oh?" Betty grinned, detecting something from his tone. "So, did Santa bring you anything special? Maybe a girl named MJ?"
Peter blushed, lowering his face to hide the flush creeping up his cheeks. "She spent the holidays with me as a friend, Betty."
"Uh-huh... Well, I bet it made your holidays a helluva lot better than mine..." she smirked.
"So, when are they letting you out of here?" Peter smiled, changing the subject before they tread too far onto the topic of a relationship with MJ.
"Ugh, not soon enough. Tonight or tomorrow, so long as the blood tests they took come back without any red flags," she raised her brows.
"What are they trying to find?" Pete frowned.
"A reason for my collapse," Betty replied.
"But, I thought it was from the hypothermia.."
"No, that couldn't be the initial reason for collapse. If I could only remember what happened! Ugh! This is so frustrating!" Betty pounded on the bed.
"You don't remember anything at all? Were you attacked? Were you on a trail of a story?" Peter questioned.
Betty bit her lip in thought, shaking her head. "I just don't know... I just can't remember anything. It's just all black... black... all I remember is black.."
"Was it dark? Was there a black figure, a shadow?"
Betty sighed, growing more frustrated by his questions. "I have no idea, Peter. I just can't remember anything!"
"Sorry, I just want to help you figure this out, Betty..." he frowned. He remained silent a moment as he thought. An idea came to his mind that he completely forgot. "Your laptop!"
"My laptop? What about it?" Betty shook her head, not following his train of thought.
"I was searching some story files on your laptop on Christmas Eve, but the battery died. Maybe there was a story you were getting too close to that's stored on there. I meant to bring it with me, but I kinda swung by in a hurry on my way back from my apartment."
Betty shrugged, none of the fog lifting from her mind from his suggestion. "Maybe there's something on there. I don't remember...."
"Well, I will bring it back to the Bugle and we can take a look together. Maybe we can find out what happened," Peter smiled.
"That would be great, Peter. Except Jonah banned me from the Bugle atleast until after New Year's. Guess underneath all that shouting and rough exterior the guy really does have a heart that beats... So, unless I suddenly remember, guess we'll have to wait till then to find out what happened." Betty shrugged.
"More like who happened," a voice proclaimed from the open door.
Peter turned to see Ned Leeds standing there with a distraught look on his face.
"Your blood tests came back, Betty," he started. "They found something."
Peter's spider sense tingled ominously. "What did they find, Ned?"
"Black widow venom. Almost enough to kill her. They said a few cc's more would've killed you." Ned revealed. "So the question becomes, who attacked you and poisoned you with a black widow's venom?"
Peter could hear Betty's heart pounding heavily above his. His mind filled with a million questions at once and he tried to slow it down enough to find one that would make any kind of sense.
"That's not all." Ned started.
Of course not, it was never simple.
"They found some other kind of substance in your bloodstream, but they've never even seen anything like it before. They said the chemical makeup of it was beyond anything they've ever seen or studied before. They think that it has to do something with why your memory is fogged or completely lost. They wanna run more tests, Betty. I think it's a good idea," Ned gave her a soft look of concern, worry coloring his tone. "Whoever did this to you is still out there and they could be waiting to attack again. You're safer here in the hospital. Betty..."
Betty seemed to absorb the information well. But, it was just that her mind was so far gone in thought, she didn't pay much mind to Ned after his initial information. She crossed her arms, searching all the corners of her mind for answers. Black widow. Black widow. Venom. Memory loss. The alley... Alley... Amber.. Betty crinkled her brow in confusion. Now that didn't make any sense.
"Betty..." Ned repeated.
She shook the fog away. "Tell them no more tests unless I go home tonight," she paused, studying him harshly. She meant it. "Tonight, Ned."
He sighed. "I'll see what they say."
"We've got work to do. Pete, guard that laptop with your life. We'll meet someplace tomorrow and see just who the hell is trying to kill me," Betty looked to Peter.
"I'm afraid that you will not be leaving the hospital anytime soon, Miss Brant. We still don't know the after effects of this mysterious substance and we will be needing to run more tests," Dr. Wallburn, Peter guessed, appeared next to Ned. "A couple more days atleast."
Peter frowned at Betty and reached out to squeeze her hand. "You stay here and get better. If you remember anything, give me a call, okay? I'll take care of things on the outside for now."
Betty nodded, with a frown. "Don't be surprised if I bust outta here soon," she yawned.
Peter grinned. "Get some rest or you won't get far."
"Look, Peter. I know you're not a reporter, you're just a photographer. Betty and I appreciate all your help but, please don't get in over your head with this." Ned stopped him at the door.
"I won't. I promise. But, I know someone who will," Peter patted Ned's shoulder as he dashed out the room.
Ned looked to Betty with question in his eyes.
Betty shrugged, just as clueless.
For the first time in a long time, Peter was reenergized and raring to go. He was finally going to be able to do something helpful! He grinned under his Spider-Man mask as his webbing caught another cornerstone of a building. First, he would do a quick check on the city as he pieced his plan together. He'd scour the recent newspapers on the Internet and in the Bugle morgue (the giant library of old newspapers) for any stories concerning attacks with black widow venom, or memory loss after an attack. He only wished he could have gotten a sample of Betty's blood under a microscope himself.
He groaned. Microscope. School would be back in session in a week and he had a giant project due to Doc Connors that he hadn't even begun to research! But, it would have to wait. Betty's safety was more important than anything else, and just as important was finding the person responsible before anyone else got hurt.
A soft buzzing in his pocket almost made him miss the wall with his webbing and for a moment Spidey was free falling through the air, tumbling quickly. He managed to bring in his legs and turn the out-of-control tumble into a somersault... He righted himself and snagged onto a building with a web strand in one fluid movement that would make any gymnast jealous. He clung to the wall, digging in his pocket curiously. Just what....
Oh. Cell Phone.
Peter flipped open the small cellular unit and lifted his mask over his lips, resting on his nose. "Hello?"
"Peter?"
Spidey crinkled his brow curiously, contemplating his answer. He rolled his eyes under his mask. No one could see him up here. "Yeah?"
"Hey, it's MJ."
"MJ, hey. Sorry, 'm a bit preoccupied," Spidey looked down at the minuscule city sixty stories below.
"Oh, I figured you might be. Took a chance that you'd be just hanging around...."
Spidey chuckled. "Well, I guess you can say that I am. What's up? Everything ok?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm working my shift at the diner, but I just wanted to check in and see if you may have time tonight to do that photo shoot with me? I get outta work early. Round 8pm?"
"Sorry, MJ. No can do tonight," he paused, hating himself for what he was about to say to her. He was pretty sure she would hate him too. "Listen, you may want to look into someone else. I may be pretty swamped with uh... work ... for a while."
"Anything I can help with Tiger? You know, research and all?"
He hadn't expected that answer. "Appreciate the offer, Red, but Spidey flies solo. Or well, atleast crawl. Anyway, there's not too much to be done on the non-superhero side of the job. Just researchin' some old stories at the Bugle..."
"Oh. Ok. I see. Well, I guess I should let you get on with your work then. Good luck saving the day."
Spidey closed his eyes and bit his lip, hearing the pain of rejection in MJ's voice, not so cleverly disguised under her anger. "I'm sorry, MJ. But, I can't let you get involved in this."
"It's just research, like you said. I don't see the harm in that. Plus, if I help you'll have time for my photos. And I really can't afford anyone else. Besides, I want you to do it. And I wanna help!" she paused. "You said you'd let me help you deal with these things, remember?"
"Not in this way, MJ. I said I would-"
"You never clarified exactly. You just said you wouldn't shut me out. This is shutting me out."
Pete groaned impatiently. "MJ, I can't risk you getting hurt."
"Unless, I get carpal tunnel syndrome from typing on a computer doing research, I can't see how I'll get hurt."
"There's no way I can get you inside the Bugle's Morgue anyway."
"No way Peter Parker could but I'm not speaking to him right now, am I?"
"Mary Jane Watson, you are the most stubborn, bullheaded-"
"Uh uh, that's redheaded," she paused, giggling. "Don't worry about it. We'll get in." she paused. "Face it, Tiger. You'll never be rid of me. I'll meet you outside the Bugle at 9:30."
"MJ, no. MJ? MJ!" Peter growled. She hung up! He sighed heavily, slamming the flip phone closed. "She is going to be the death of me," he pulled his mask down over his face and shot out a strand of web, slinging on his way again.
The first sensation she felt was shock. Then there was the sting of pain. Then there was the helplessness that followed. A trickle of blood trailed down from the corner of her lips, mixing with the tears streaming down her face. Then came the force and the sting again. And then the laughter.
The sick, sadistic laughter.
She clutched her bruised cheek in pain, staring blurry-eyed at her attacker.
First it was her father.
Then it was her boyfriend.
Then the next.
And again.
Over and over she was walked upon like a beaten doormat. Taken in by sweet, gentle behaviors that seemed to change either overnight or overtime. At first they were every girl's dream. In the case of her father and a few others, it was a hero she looked up to that eventually turned into what would be her worst nightmares at those times. Others were bad boys right from the start that she fell in love with, thrown into a world that had become habit and she knew she could never escape. Beaten, raped, abused time and again and there seemed to be no escape from this world, no defense for her. She was trash and she would always be trash, a whore, good for nothing but a good beating and a good screw. The worst was, after the first few times, she believed it.
And so she kept on believing it, going through life like a scared little girl in the dark, tiptoeing down a dark hallway filled with doors. And as any curious little girl would be, she opened each one. Behind each was their own brand of pain and torture. Hands pressed against the dirty, rotted walls, feeling her way to each door, and opening it up, hoping one day that when the door opened the world behind it would not be a world of pitch black darkness and despair, pain and suffering. Just once she hoped to open a door to bright light and serenity, to love and a pain free world.
So, naturally, again the first sensation she felt was shock when that door finally opened and rang true. After years of abuse and pain and suffering, she met someone who did not treat her as a doormat, as a punching bag or as a two bit prostitute. Adam was just the opposite of all those things.
He found her at a time when she needed help the most. Spending most of her time drunk, working a worthless job at a diner where she spent most of her time getting fondled for a tip instead of money. He came in the diner door and she swore it was just like her dream. The door opened and in filled the abundant light, warming her to the core. And it was just that easy! She couldn't believe it. He seemed drawn to her and she knew that it was just meant to be. To find her like this and save her from a world of despair and endless pain had to mean it was meant to happen.
He even gave her time, time to trust him, time to grow to love him. And in return he loved her as well, accepting her scars both physical and emotional.
She couldn't have been happier. Finally, things had begun to look up for her; life had done a complete turnaround! He'd even gotten her out of that dead end job and involved in journalism. Not only that, but she began working for a small time paper, and her first story opened yet another new door in her life. She was doing a story on New Age Culture and the taboo's of Magick and Folklore. She became so involved that Adam had bought her a very expensive book that every so called witch and sorcerer she'd come to interview had been looking for. Little did he know that book would be the death of him and many others.
Then the door slammed shut and darkness enveloped the room, the whole world once again.
And this time the pain, the tears, the force, the sting and most of all the helplessness played a back-seat to fury, anger and rage!
Her screams of boiling rage echoed through the darkness of the room, her vocal cords vibrating with the force of shouts. Adam had betrayed her. She had been foolish and naive once again. And he was not alone in his betrayal!! He had taken advantage of her!! He played with her young heart and mind, made her believe he really loved her!! When it was all a lie! She was being used again, nothing but a good screw when his wife was not making the cut! Married!!
Wrapped in anger and a will for destruction, yet another door opened to her and inside was the darkest of the rooms yet. And yet, it was the door that would change her life forever and it became the answer to all her problems. The door creaked open and she stepped inside. A soft green light glowed from a table and she stepped in, curious to examine the light closer. The door slammed shut and she became surrounded by the green light.
She recognized her book propped open to a certain page and reached down to touch it. At that moment a spider crawled along the worn pages and she gasped in shock. She recognized it immediately by its distinctive red markings. A Black Widow.
"So you seek revenge?"
She turned to find a man bathed in shadows standing behind her. She stared at him, waiting for him to speak again.
"I can give you that power. I can give you your revenge. Would you like that my dear?" his voice was as slippery as a serpent.
She tilted her head, knowing that voice.
"All you have to do is give me the book. Give me the book and in turn, I will give you the revenge you seek."
She turned away and looked at the book, the spider lingering on the pages.
"Think of the pleasure of returning the torment to those that have hurt you, to make them pay for what they have all done to you. You can suck the very life from them, but not only that my dear, you can show them the real meaning of pain! Kill them, hurt them, an eye for an eye! Revenge will be yours, and it will be sweet."
She started to shake with the onslaught of that very emotion.
"No one will ever hurt you again. You will never have to be scared again. They will fear you! And they should!"
Her anger boiled to the surface and she clenched her fists. She wanted revenge!! Revenge!!!
Amber screamed out in outrage, bursting up from her bed. Her hands shook as the veins bubbled underneath, turning green with the venom filling her body. Her eyes turned black as pitch and one look in the mirror showed her hair turning coal black. The Widow Maker in her shook with the pent up anger that drove her to the brink of madness. It was here at the beginning of her rage, that she drew her power from, the anger that made her what she was today; a killer of men who hurt women, her venom filling their bodies until they died. She even killed the women who stood in her way. Like Adam's wife. Like the others who stole the good men from her. Good men like Peter Parker who let the light shine in from behind the many doors in her life. Yes, she killed them all. Like she would kill MJ!!
The Widow Maker's rage was insatiable with these thoughts and it would not rest until revenge was had. There would be blood tonight!!
Spider-Man sighed. Finally, a somewhat peaceful evening. Only two attempted purse snatchers and one little boy running into midtown traffic to save. That could certainly be considered a slow night. Now, if only he had found something out about Betty's attack while web slinging. He'd just have to hope something turned up in the archives when he looked with MJ.
MJ, he groaned. How'd he let her talk him into helping?
All he needed was her getting involved and getting hurt, or worse attacked with venom like Betty and maybe even worse than that!
Spidey sighed. Just who the hell would use a spider's venom to kill? And why did he have the feeling he'd get blamed for this in the end just for being a misunderstood, friendly neighborhood spider-man?
An explosion suddenly shook Spidey off his very web strand and he managed to catch onto a light-post to keep from falling. His spider sense rang through his head and he looked around for the reason behind the loud explosion. "I didn't realize it was the Fourth already!" Another explosion shook the light-post and Spidey would have fallen if not for his adhesive grip. "Those sure don't look like Macy's fireworks. Not nearly as pretty." Spidey quipped, snagging a cornerstone and slinging off in the direction of the explosions. So much for a slow night.
Upon landing on the building across from the explosions, Spidey noticed two giant holes in the side of a large building. A bank, of course. Robbery. A very loud, lousy robbery! Spidey would have rolled his eyes if anyone could see him do it. There was one robber running in and out of the large holes he'd blown into the building, carrying mounds of cash in his grasp. He didn't even wear a mask!
"Well, this should be an easy one," Spidey clasped his hands together, putting together a plan of action. He waited for the clumsy robber to run back inside again before webslinging down to the ground and quickly webbed up the two holes the criminal had made. Just as he thought, the robber ran right into the webbing, arms filled with cash now stuck to Spidey's webbing.
"You really are the worst robber I ever met," Spidey shook his head at the klutz. Getting closer he recognized the face. He had caught this man trying to rob a bank once before. "And obviously your quality time in prison did nothing to make you see the error of your ways."
"Spider-Man! I'm gonna kill you!" he growled.
"How exactly do you plan to do that. You seem a bit... stuck ... to me," Spidey quipped lamely.
"Just wait webhead!"
Spidey lifted his arm, pretending to look at a watch and he tapped his wrist. "Just exactly how long would you like me to wait? I've got a hot date tonight."
The thief struggled to no avail, only catching him further in the web. "You'll get yours. I promise you that. You'll be sorry you messed with Herman Schultz!!"
"Herman...and here I thought Spidey was a lame name..." Spidey sighed, the sounds of sirens wailing finally drawing close. "Well, 'll be going now. Don't get too caught up in visiting again soon, Herman. You should enjoy your time behind bars more this time around. I'm sure we can reschedule our tea time for a few years from now. Come to think of it, 'm not much of a tea person. I'm more a coffee guy. So you'll understand if I cancel indefinitely, right? No hard feelings?"
"Go to hell you freak!!" Herman continued to struggle against the web, now caught on his cheek.
"Obviously an avid tea man yourself..." Spidey muttered. "Besides I may be a freak, but atleast 'm not an idiot, Herman. I mean, c'mon!! You ran right into the web!"
This caused Herman to struggle more in anger.
Police cars screeched around the corner, zooming down the block.
"See ya later, Herman!!" Spidey waved, snagging the furthest building he could reach.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Spider-Man!!!" Herman growled.
"Lucky me," he drawled, swinging away before the boys in blue shot at him.
