Publisher's Note's: Just so you know more than one ARC can occur at the same time in this story.
[CARNAGE RISING]ARC
CHAPTER 19
DOWNTIME
There was a time, it is said, when Gods walked the earth, when man trembled in their wake. I'd like to think man has evolved past that.
When we had found relics of ancient weapons in a dig site, it was a remarkable discovery- the materials seemed rare and unusual and we quickly sent them to our sponsor for closer inspection.
Today, we have found a man entombed in stone underneath what was once a volcano- even so, it seems like there is evidence of a pulse. This specimen is invaluable to science- we shall study it to see how this specimen somehow continues to have signs of life despite having been buried for centuries.
And, if it proves possible perhaps we will be able to revive the specimen. Who knows what such an ancient man may tell us about society and nuances that have since been lost to time.
OO
Last time!
Having defeated the Hobgoblin, though not captured him, he pulled a devious gambit! Making him choose between the lives of the police and Eddie Brock or capturing him thanks to his pumpkin bombs, Spider-man heroically saved the day.
However, the Hobgoblin fled to parts unknown and the two Thermal Swords he owned have disappeared in the aftermath.
Spider-man wasn't left unharmed, though as he suffered a grievous chest wound. However, even so he managed to save the day. When questioned upon why they fired upon the vigilante, the police looked away, muttering 'No comment.'
Dear citizens of New York, why do our tax dollars go to pay people who are trying to harm the people out to help us. Spider-man, a vigilante he might be, was constantly distracted during his fight against the Hobgoblin thanks to police firing upon him, causing a loss in focus that could have been the deciding factor that let the hobgoblin get away.
Furthermore, their focus upon firing upon the fighting duo was undoubtedly one of the lead causes that some vicious villain* was able to abscond anonymously after savagely slaying several officers.
Perhaps New York's finest aren't worthy of that title anymore?
*This new mysterious killer displays a gruesome taste for gore, so at the time he will heretofore be referred to as the 'MAXIMUM CARNAGE' killer by this paper.
-Eddie Brock
OO
Distant Past
You lay on the sidewalk by your house, clutching at your knee. Tears streamed down your face, as sobs wracked your form. It hurt so bad! To the side, you can barely make out Mary Jane beyond your tears, looking amused- the only look she ever seems to give you other than that very blank one, her amusement quickly vanishes as shadow falls on you.
Glancing up, you wipe at your eyes to see your dad staring down at you, a soft smile. Shaking his head, he glances at Mary Jane.
"Hey, Mary Jane, you know not to play so rough with Peter.
"Hey, Peter, you alright? Looks like you skinned you knee pretty bad."
The man leans down towards you, patting your head. You nod you head, as you try hard not to cry. "It hurts, daddy!"
"Well, let's take a look at it, then."
You bite your lip as you show him our knee. You father looks at it and gives out a sigh of relief. "Well, it seems like it isn't too bad. I'll take you inside and bandage it up. Still, you kids play too roughly."
Shaking his head, you father picks you up, careful to avoid making you knee hurt more. As you're picked up you see Mary Jane staring at you, something akin to sadness turning to anger as she turns around and runs to the house next door.
A few minutes later, you're brought down into your family's basement and set down in a chair as your father walks over to a cabinet and starts looking for something. You glance around at your daddy' office as you see something in a tank on one of the desk next to you. It seems like there's some sort of rock.
You idly lean forward, hands on your knees before flinching, pulling away a red covered hand. After glancing towards your daddy to see him looking still, you lean close to the tank and tap at it with your hand.
As you tap a few times you hear your father approach. "Peter, what are you doing?! That's very important- you've got blood all over it…"
Your father turns you around, before letting out a sigh. "Well, I can always clean it up. Let's get you cleaned up, alright?"
You father then bandages your knee after claiming it. It hurts, but you watch the tank. After he cleans your hands, he lets out a sigh. "Well, I'll be right back."
He goes to another cabinet as you watch before turning back to the rock. Seems like there's something black ooze on the side of the tank! Oh, but daddy said not to touch…
You glance over at your father before glancing at the tank. Seems like the ooze is gone. Huh. You see your father lean over at the tank with a rag and cleaner before pausing and looking over at you. "Peter, I appreciate the effort, but I still have to clean it, your mother's probably going to lose it when she sees blood on your shirt."
Your father cleans the tank as you sit silently. But you didn't…
…
OO
Present
Strange, you haven't dreamt about your childhood in ages…
Opening your eyes, you see an unfamiliar ceiling. Glancing around the room, you groan as you feel a slight pain from your chest. You glance around the room- and see a nightstand and a wig as memories click into place.
This is Felicia's bedroom. The clock next to you reads 11 AM.
Your heart races as panic grabs onto you. Oh crap, you had school today! If you got home and Aunt May noticed you were gone... No- even worse! What if school called to say you didn't show up! Man, the cat's outta the bag.
You take a deep breath. No, Felicia probably covered for you somehow. Probably. Hopefully.
You glance around the room before carefully getting up, hand resting over where the Hobgoblin cut you. You've got on your underwear and nothing else, really. Looking around, you see your backpack with your clothes there, a note on top of it.
Hobbling over, you read the note- seems like Felicia called herself in as sick before going to cover for you- with any luck your Aunt and Uncle will never find out.
You pause seeing a 'PS'
/Be sure to clean yourself up/
You head to the bathroom. Taking time to make sure not to get your wound wet, you clean up before applying new bandages like you were instructed. Wasn't that cut a lot bigger yesterday? You could have sworn…
Regardless, Peter Parker is at school right now, so you'd best stay out of sight as it is. Well, as Peter Parker, at least.
You glance around as you stand in the hallway, fully dressed in your clothes. You could always take a look around… You smack yourself upside the head.
Felicia's your friend, it'd be wrong to invade her trust like that.
You head over to the chair you normally sit on and turn on the TV. It's currently on some infomercials.
You turn the television to the news. It seems like the country of Wakanda has closed off it-s borders- boring-
-Seems like Justin Hammer's trying to move in on weapons development contracts since Stark backed out-
News on Spider-man,
News on Spider-man,
Another News on Spider-man.
Well seems like there's currently a good opinion on you, so that's good. Oh, and it seems that the Heir to Latveria is coming back following the incident that happened a little while ago. Victor von Doom. Strangely ominous name, but it's probably nothing to be worried about.
Well, how about something science related?
Well, it seems like the scientist Wyler Gibson, no relation to the guitars, is working on some sort of project that's trying to be shut down by various organizations due to ethics concerning the subject of cloning. Bigson had been a contemporary of Miles Warren, who is also seeing some heat from this- his contract with Oscorp seems to have been terminated.
Well, not surprising, Osborn knows how to be ruthless. You'd know.
Otherwise, it seems like there's some sort of archaeological dig going on in Greece- no images yet, but they seem to have found something.
You spend the day watching television- remembering to follow the Doctor's orders- until, at last, Felicia comes in the door. As you sit in the chair watching television, she lets out a sigh of relief.
"You don't know how much you worried me Peter."
You give her a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
Felicia shrugs, tossing her back to the middle of the living room as she walks over waving a finger as she smiles. "It happens, but hopefully not too often, got it?"
You nod. "So, how did the day go?"
Felicia lets out a yawn as she collapses into her chair. "Long. I had to disguise myself as you which took some time to do, before I then had to sneak over to your house and head to school. I had considered calling you off, but thought against it. Still, I had to avoid a lot of people."
She pauses and stares over at you. "Gwen Stacy tried to approach me, and she kept glancing at my chest throughout the day. Is there any reason why she'd do that Peter?"
She raises an eyebrow.
You hesitantly nod. Well, it's probably fine to tell her that Gwen knows who you are.
"Yeah, Gwen saw me get bitten, so she knows about my powers, and knows that I'm Spider-man. But she doesn't know who you are, I know how to keep peoples' secrets."
Felicia puffs out her cheeks and rests her head on her hand and looks away.
"Shoot, I was hoping to be the only one who knew."
She sits like that for a few moments, tapping her finger on her chin before she lets out a sigh.
"Oh well, you can always get what you want."
Getting up and stretching, she lets out another yawn. "Well, either way, the Hobgoblin's going to lay low for a few days- and so are you so long as you've got that wound."
She points at your chest. "So long as you've got that, if I even see you so much as do something dangerous, I'll do something- something extreme!"
She pauses. "I don't exactly know what yet, but I also haven't slept in ages, so I'm taking a catnap in a few. Want to join me? Heck, stay the night! It's the weekend and it might be best to spend time away from your aunt so long as you've got that thing."
You pause, thinking about it- even though it's covered, there could Always be the chance Aunt May notices your wounded chest.
You nod. "Alright, that sounds good, but there's a few things I have to do first."
And it's true. It might be Friday, but there's some stuff you will have to do anyway. Grab some clothes and make things are good with your family at least. You shouldn't sped too much time around Aunt May, but you shouldn't outright avoid her.
You start to head for the door, until Felicia stops you, looking embarrassed.
"Um, you won't be able to wear what you're currently wearing, Peter."
She picks up the backpack she carried and hands it to you. "I had to borrow some of your clothes, so you'll have to wear these if you head out to avoid any suspicion."
You sigh and grab the backpack, heading towards the bathroom. It takes you a few moments, but as you change clothes, you notice you have to reuse your underwear. You also notice there's an unfamiliar scent on the clothes that reminds you of fruit. Uncomfortably, you head out of the bathroom wearing the clothes Felicia has worn while impersonating you.
As you pass by Felicia, you notice she seems a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, Peter."
As you head out the door, you shake your head. "Don't worry about it."
It's about Four now, plenty of time to get things done. Your phone shows no new messages.
You decide to stop by a pay-phone on the way home and call Gwen. Her phone rings a few times before she answers it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Gwen. It's me."
"Ah, are you alright? I mean you were avoiding me today, so I didn't have a chance to talk to you."
Gwen sounds rather worried. "Yeah, I noticed that. I'll be fine, I just thought it might be best to not agitate whoever this is anymore while I'm not at one-hundred percent."
"Listen, do you think we could meet up some time this weekend Peter? There's a lot that's happened and I'd like the chance to talk with you if that's possible. And I think I owe you an apology, you've been put through a lot because of all of this and had I said something things might've turned out differently."
"Sure, Tomorrow afternoon works."
"Great! I'll call you later to confirm a time and place. I've got to get going, talk to you later!" There's cheer in her voice as she ends the call and you continue on your way home. Man, that's going to be awkward to talk with her.
Still, it doesn't take you long to get home and as you head home. You wave at your Aunt before heading up to you room. You grab a spare set of clothes along with a toothbrush and put them in your bag before heading back downstairs. You smile at your aunt who gives you an amused look.
"Well, you look better than you did this morning Peter. What are your plans for the evening?"
"Well, I was hoping, if it wouldn't be too much trouble that I could go and stay the night over at a friend's house?"
You Aunt stares at you as you smile at her before she lets out a sigh. "Well, at least you're spending time with other people your age. I suppose it shouldn't be a problem."
You nod at her and down into the basement. "Thanks, Aunt May!"
Closing and locking the door behind you. While you can't make any web shooters at Felicia's you can always work on some designs. There's also your costume, too. You sit down at the desk before staring at the tables in the room.
You head over to the small locked fridge and open it. Your blood is still there.
Following that, you head to the secret storage space where your father's notes are kept and grab it and the hard drive before putting it in your bag along with your costume. You also grab a notepad for any ideas that might come up.
Following that you give the room one last look over. You wanted to get something for Felicia, though, and a lot of places don't want backpacks- and you really don't want the stuff in it taken or looked through.
Well there's probably something you can get her on the way, even if it is a bit of a detour. Grabbing your bag, pause to grab and put in the tutor notes before heading upstairs, waving to your aunt as you go. A few minutes later, you're down the road.
Now what to get her?
You look around on your way, mainly window shopping, but you saw three things that caught your attention.
The first was a fancy looking scarf with a black cat leaving white footprints on the 'white snow' of the scarf. It's rather cute, but a bit pricey.
The second is an adorable white kitten in the window of a pet store that looked at you as you walked past it. It was really cute, and you aren't even much of a cat person.
The last one was this small roadside stand run by a strange, creepy looking old Asian man with an unnerving laugh. This one had a small cat statue on a shrine sweeping it with a little broom- it was rather cheaply priced and looked rather nice.
You pause before leaving the old man's stall and decide to buy the statue. It puts you down about thirty bucks, but he's not charging tax, so you still have about three-hundred and twenty bucks left. The old man carefully picks up the statue and bags it up before handing the bag to you.
"Have a nice day, Sir."
He smiles at you and, as you walk off, you hear him chuckle. Man, this thing better not end up being cheap quality.
Still, it doesn't take you long to get to Felicia's house and you knock on the door. Felicia opens the door, yawning, and lets you in. "Good to see you, Peter. I didn't think I'd manage to stay awake much l-awwwwwn-ger."
She pauses, seeing the bag in your hand. "What's that?"
You hand the bag to her. "It's a gift I got you to say thanks for all your help. I didn't know what to get you, but I thought you might like it."
Felicia, curious, takes the bag and carries it over to her chair, where she pulls out the box the statue was in and opens it, taking out the statue. Her eyes widen as a smile crosses her face.
"It's lovely, Peter!"
Looking over the statue, Felicia gets up and sets it over on the table nearby. She turns towards you and smiles. "Well, I need to take a nap, want to join me?"
You nod as she grabs your hand and pulls you to her bedroom. Opening the door, she keeps the lights off and pulls you into bed with her. She wraps your arm over her as she snuggles into you, covering you both in blankets. It takes a little bit to drift off, but when you wake up, it's to the sound of… purring?
Opening your eyes, you look at Felicia, who seems to be purring? Carefully pulling out your phone, you use its light to look at Felicia, who seems to have two cat-like ears on top of her head and is that a TAIL?!
Felicia's eyes crack open to reveal green, slitted eyes.
"…What's the matter, Peter?"
You point at your head to indicate that she should do the same. Looking confused, Felicia pats her head to see her newest 'additions.'
"THE FUCK?!"
END
To Be continued…
[CARNAGE RISING] and [The CAT'S CURSE] ARC
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