CHAPTER 45

So a Lizard Walks into a Hospital

Peter Parker

Your day has, so far, been an average one. Well, considering that you're recovering from being eaten by a supposed symbiotic cancer curing suit that turned out to be people-eating parasite monstrosity, you'll take average. There's a lot you should be doing, but you've focused on two things to get clear first.

The first thing you did was to call back Flash and confirm a day to continue his tutoring. He sounded pretty busy, but he said he'd try to agree to the day after tomorrow, if you were good with that. He seemed pretty distracted though, so you might want to call to remind him.

The first thing you need to do, though is get a new working pair of webshooters. Your old ones were eaten, after all. Once you felt like you were up to moving, you headed down to the basement to do inventory for what you needed. Upon reaching downstairs, your stomach tightens painfully, like a bad case of heartburn mixed with indigestion as you feel a headache coming on.

Currently, you could easily produce a rough copy of your old, original webshooters. You could also replicate the revolving, but that might take more time. If you wanted to risk things without prototyping, you could probably whip up some other ideas and try them out. Or, if you really wanted to spend some time today and tomorrow, you could probably go back to the basics and redesign the webshooters- make them more modular or adaptable using your experiences to shape the changes.

You make a list of supplies before getting ready and heading outside. When you breathe in the fresh, crisp, if cold, air, you begin to feel a little better. Stella's tagging along, but she's been pretty quiet. It doesn't take too long to get the materials for your webbing and webshooters.

Song: Kill La Kill OST 15 - I Want To Know

Heading back inside, you begin machining the parts, ignoring the stomach pains and headache. It takes a while, so you frequently have to take breaks. While you rest, you keep an eye on the news. Seems like there's another Spider-man out there. In black and white. Seeing the blurry image, your eyes widen in shock as you nearly fall out of your chair.

The tentacle spears him through the back of the head, his smile turning into a look of horrified agony, then death as his body's dragged into the ruined remains. You hear the sounds. Meat being torn off the bone. The sound of bones cracking as something makes a slurping sound-

Dry-heaving, you snap back to the present and shakily get back to working on your webshooters. Piece by piece, using a slightly sturdier material, you begin to assemble it, making it isn't going to be easy to upgrade as before as you more solidly connect pieces for stability and durability. As you move to soldier a piece, you have to stop as you see your hand shake.

Setting down the solder and soldering iron, you grab your hand, trying to steady it. Taking a deep breath, you try to force everything back down. Put it all in a box, like some bad dream. Flash is alive. Gwen isn't CARNAGE's puppet. It hasn't happened. It won't happen.

Feeling pain in your hands, you see you've clutched your hands so tightly you've drawn blood. Slumping back, you laugh, weakly and bitterly.

What are you doing, Peter Parker?

Focus on the project, clear your mind. Solve each variable one at a time. No problem is insurmountable.

Sitting down you take a deep breath as you focus on the composition and engineering structure, carefully working with years of practice and expertise.

As you go to make the webbing, you think on the composition of the strong webbing and how it would apply to your webshooters.

If the nozzle could be slightly calibrated and sharpened, then the sheering force of it will be strengthened which will improve the reaction time from the slight flaw that is currently there.

Working into the night, only stopping to eat dinner, you finally finish one pair of webshooters and webbing for them*.

Sitting down and looking at the webshooters, you test them to find them working properly. Now, if only you could remake the costume Felicia made for you, especially since that monstrous suit ate yours.

The Suit went out of control, showing a possible sentience of its own? Perhaps it is adapting to humans and evolving, growing a consciousness and sentience of its own?

Shaking your head, you head to bed and sleep uneasily. When you awaken, its later than you normally wake up. Stella's not long from your side- she left you some privacy last night while you worked, and you also.. Kinda lacked safety materials sized for her, so it wasn't really safe. When you voiced that concern, she seemed more pleased than irritated, though.

She's apparently hanging out with Mary Jane Watson, your neighbor later today, though. You've also got a meeting tomorrow with Flash in the evening.

You've still got your old durable outfit, but it does slightly slow you down. You've also checked with calling Johnny and Sue- seems like they're doing stuff, but you're still only getting voicemail. You might have to search them out if you want to meet with them, but you'd probably have to do it as Spider-man.

It'd be best to look at Felicia's house again.

You suit up in garb that's to keep you warm from the cold and put your webshooters on, your spider-man outfit in a backpack and stop to ask Stella if she'd like to go along. She pauses and gives a distasteful grimace before shaking her head. "No, I have to be over at Mary Jane's within the hour. Sorry."

You nod and tell her to stay safe as you head out, remembering that Stella was never fond of Felicia ever since they had to be roommates for a short while. You can understand, even if it's a little disappointing. Walking in the snow, you remember what Stella had told you about the Suit.

Seems like a armored Spider-man in Black and White, appeared and beat… you by beating you up and electrifying you with a telephone pole as the symbiote began to melt off of you. Likely, based on your father's video, it likely dissolved and broke down as the electricity negated its ability to continue working with it unable to produce its own bioelectricity and unable to feed off of you thanks to the electricity.

Arriving at Felicia's you knock on the door to no answer, but when you try to open the door, its locked.

You send Felicia another text, asking for her to answer you and then you try calling her. Waiting for ten minutes, you get no response, you move as if heading out and sneak back around from the back- testing the windows.

Unfortunately, all the windows and doors are locked and a lot of the windows are barred. There's no way to sneak in. Either Felicia's been back, or someone else has been here and locked up behind her- you recall her doctor friend. Regardless, you even knocked where her room would be, but still no response.

If you're going to get in there, it'll have to be a Break-in.

Sitting on the stoop, you sit and wait. Alone with your thoughts, you try to put your thoughts together. Leaning against the side of the building, you pull your hood tighter as you sit and wait.

You think on everything that's been happening. Felicia's gone dark, not contacting you. Its related to her father's death, though. That much you can be pretty sure of, so at the very least, you want to be sure you can talk with her. For as much time as you spend with her, how much she knows about you, there's been a lot she doesn't let you find out. Her playful personality is both her and a way to push things away. But, at the same time, she gave up being a thief for you.

You've noticed that she had been a bit less cheerful lately, so with this… that isn't surprising.

You sit and wait in the cold for her, only your phone to keep you company. You're able to see that Sue Storm and Johnny Storm are fine, but there's comments you notice to their friends that, due to someone leaking their numbers, they aren't able to take calls because of how badly they've been spammed. So, at least, if you went as Spider-man, thanks to how constantly they seem covered by the paparazzi, you might be able to talk to them.

But those government spooks you barely dodged might around, too.

Seems like Stark's been constantly abroad- taking down terrorist cells who have his weapons as Iron Man.

As time passes you shiver as you try to find something to keep your interest- like the special effects guy from Strange Mysteries has been let go, with the person in question, Quentin Beck, rather unhappy about it verbally with some… interesting language.

Letting out a sigh, you continue to keep current on the news as you wait.

OO

Flash Thompson

Hanging up on Peter, you give the phone a guilty look as you keep an eye out as you take your sister to hang out with one of her little friends, or something. They're meeting in the park and need supervision, so that why you're there.

Or something.

Your partner gives an amused gurgle in the back of your head as you overhear the two girls try to decide what to do. They seem at an impasse, though. Your sister's friend wants to go and do jogging and the other stuff, while Jesse, your sister, wants to go shopping for their friend in the hospital- but you know your sister has no money, so it's likely to come out of your pocketbook.

You look at your sister's friend A-something or another. Wow, you are bad with your sister's friends' names, aren't you? Your partner remains quiet, not correcting you, though you can tell it seems like its laughing at you good-naturedly. Girl A, that's what you'll call her.

Well… getting something for their sick friend can't hurt. It'd be a good moral message.

But…

Giving a smirk look at the girls. "Well, I suppose it'd be a good thing to do, getting something for your sick friend. But, you know what builds character?"

Your sister seems to grow worried as you trail off, while her friend looks more and more pleased.

"Eugeneeeeeeeeeeee."

Shaking your head, you give Jesse a chiding wag of your finger. "Jogging builds characters. I dare say, back when I was your age-"

"AUUUGH, I get it, no more old man speeches, please Eugene!"

You smile brightly as you whistle. Girl A gets ready while Jesse looks resigned. It doesn't take long for your sister to drag you to where they want to look. Some sort of strip mall- there's a Hallmark, some sort of comic store, and a kids toy store.

Jesse looks away from your gaze as she gives a pleading smile. "Well… I don't have any money, Eugene, s could you… kinda… y'know.."

Girl A gives a sheepish look as she pulls out an empty pocket. "…yeah, me too."

You give a grim look. "Yeah, I kinda figured as much, kiddo."

Jesse looks around as she and her friend try to decide what kind of thing. Girl A want to get her something from the comic shop. Jesse wants to go to the toy store. You, honestly would rather just get a cheap card and spare your wallet.

Your partner advises.

You listen to your partner with interest- it gets across the feeling that close connections between people- loving ones- are important.

You start heading to the toy store, you gotta side with Jesse out of obligation, after all. You hear Girl A give a dissatisfied noise, as they lead you around before they pick out a not too expensive bird plush toy. Apparently the girl likes animals.

With there still being time in the day, you take them to the hospital- it isn't too far away as you're led to the room of one Sophia Sanduval. The window of the girl's room is open and you can hear birds chirping. The girl's leg is in a cast as your sister and Girl A head over to talk with her.

But, you're kind of a third wheel here.

Giving a stern warning to behave themselves, you ask them if they want anything from the cafeteria before heading on down. Heading inside, you see a young girl in a wheelchair with pale straw like hair look in your direction, her hopeful face dropping into one of total disappointment. Other than her, there's a man sitting by himself, a visitor's pass on his shirt and an arm missing. Though, the guy looks a bit unwell himself.

Grabbing some chow, you go and sit near the girl. "Hey, what's the matter, kid? You look like someone cancelled Christmas."

She looks at you, a bit anxious before looking at the door. Her voice is quiet as she doodles in her notebook. "..shouldn't walk to strangers."

You nod, noticing the sketches- they're not bad, but they're still obviously a kid's drawings. She looks to be maybe only a little younger than your sister. Maybe, you dunno with kids. Still, she's drawing Spidey fightin bad guys, so she's got good taste.

Eating your food quietly and trying not to bother her you hear a groan as the man in the corner collapses. Looking over in concern, you hear the girl scream as a hand, clawed and green tears up where the table was as a lizard-like head pops up, mutating rapidly as you hear clothing rip as the thing gives a roar.

The girl clutches at her notebook fearfully. Your partner's at the back of your head, murmuring for you to do something- to fight.

You turn to the girl. "Get to safety, I'll distract it."

The girl gives a gasp as you pick up your tray. Charging into it like you're tackling an opposing player, you knock it down as you're already rolling and getting to your feet as the reptilian eyes of this lizard man narrow at you as it roars after you smack it in the face once for good measure with your tray. You give a smirk as it starts to pursue you as you run, yelling.

"Monster! Get to safety! it's a monster, oh god! RUN!"

The beast is chasing you as you dodge and head towards the outside- glancing at the window shows you there's nobody in the visitor's park at the moment. Getting a door open in a hurry- it doesn't even have the chance to close as the man-made-into-monster tears down the door and its frame shattering it. Looking around, you don't see anyone as you dodge out of its charge at you.

Giving a smirk, you feel your partner begin to act up- from beneath your clothes hundreds upon hundreds of black threads shoot out as they begin to wrap around you like a cocoon- shaping from threads into your outfit- armor somewhere between the military and spider-man, with a touch of your football experience affecting the design ever so slightly, the two of you become one Hero.

Whistling, you get the beast's attention by throwing the tray you've got into its head. Roaring, its eyes narrow. This thing seems pretty strong, better be careful.

The beast roars as you keep its attention, keeping a distance, like a bullfighter. You begin to lure it away from the hospital where your sister and her friends are. Not to mention all of the other injured people.

You duck, dodge, and dive your way to safety as you get it to the edge of the hospital worked up into a frenzy. As you dodge the last time, it swings, hitting you with its tail. It hurts, quite a damn bit. But you've been tackled that badly before and got back up.

Seems like it mannered to score on you, but this quarter isn't over with yet. After all, you've got it almost where you want it. The hospital isn't nearby as the beast pauses its eyes narrowing. Nearby, you can hear the sounds of traffic.

"…feed…on..prey."

Looks like this guy's able to talk. That's bad. Your partner's ready and raring to go, though!

It snarls at you. "Sorry about this, whoever you are, but I've got to stop you from being a threat here to these people."

You feel your knees flex as you know you've got it where you want it. Dodging it two more times- your partner helps you as you perfectly time and execute a counter tackle- strength fills your limbs as you slam into its chest and knock it down- you hear it screech in pain as you slam it down- hear its bones creak.

With that much strength, it should be stayi-

You glance back enough to see its eyes open and its minor wounds seem to fix themselves in an instant as it growls at you. "This…not…over. Eat… YOU! EAT ALL SICK…AND WEAK PREY!"

It's not down yet, but you see that its seems to have undergone a frenzy- becoming more and more Lizard-like, as rows of sharp teeth-pinked by blood emerge from its elongated jaw. It snaps its teeth experimentally as it seems to be muttering to itself fragmentally, watching your every move.

You narrow your eyes as you see it trying to be careful- learn what it can do after its mutation.

You aren't gonna let it!

You're on offense and you're not just gonna let him keep the ball.

Charging, you break his guard and teeth as you slam you shoulder into him. It roars in pain as you do it again and a third time as it is sent tumbling. It scampers backward before pausing. You watch it with eyes that are better than a normal human's as you see take on a guarded stance, but something seems off as you watch its skin begin to pale.

Your eyes narrow as you move in to do a more precise flurry of blows to the beast to take it down. But as your fist connects, its flesh crumples like tissue as you see a tail slam into you as it continues to claw at you, again and again.

Pain wracks at your body as you try to defend yourself as you try to figure out what's going on as you're trying to force it off of you. Kicking upwards- you manage to get a gap as you shoot a web to pull you to safety.

Groaning and holding at your beaten chest, you feel your partner trying to put you back together as you feel the pain fade away- its not gone, but temporarily suppressed as your eyes widen in realization looking at the remains of the decoy.

Oh course! Lizards can shed their skin! It used its skin as a decoy to lure you in, the only right move there would've been to remain back and watchful. Your partner seems a bit curious and thoughtful at the idea.

Inhaling deeply, the slit-like eyes of The Lizard lock onto you. "That All you got, Lizard?" You're words are pretty much Bravado. One more of those, and you're outta the game.

Its mouth snaps open, revealing its teeth as it spreads its claws, its tail tense behind it.

It's tensing up and its got everything coming to crash down on you, therefore… you have to strike back! As it roars and comes down, you let lose a flurry of blows!

One, ten, twenty, ONE HUNDRED!

Against your barrage of strikes, their attack is useless, useless, useless, USELESS!

The two of let loose one last hit, sending The Lizard flying back onto its back. It lets out a groan as it struggles onto its side and looks at you as it starts shivering.

"Seems like you don't like the cold, afterall."

Lucidity gleams in its eye as its mouth opens up as it lets out an exhausted groan.

"…Next….Time!"

With a crack of its tail its moving fast, it seems like its trying to escape! You're partner's in as bad a state as you are and its putting most of its effort into stitching you up.

You extend a line of webbing to catch it so you can web it down. Your hit lands securely, tripping it as it looks back and snarls. It spits at you before its tail swipes at the webbing and cuts through it as it hurry's to its feet.

It's gone in seconds as you let out an exhausted sigh. Well, at least you should see if no-one was harmed. Getting out of sight, the thousands of threads retract, only a mass of black over your torso underneath your clothes to help stitch up your damaged torso remains. Walking around the ruined hospital, you ask around, seeing if anyone was hurt.

Thankfully it seems like your maneuvers kept anyone from being hurt as you smile in relief, as seconds later your sister slams into you with a tackle, limbs wrapping around you. "EEUGENE! We heard there was a monster and you were leading it off, then there was that Black Spider-man that appeared and fought that lizard thing and I was so worried!"

You give a thin smile as you pat her on the head- Girl A appearing as well who seemed more interested in the Black Spider-man, honestly, but everyone's safe. In the corner of your eyes, near out of the way, you see the girl with pale straw like hair smile with relief as she watches you.

It's not long before a doctor comes to check on /you/- your partner having mostly stitched you up as it let the minor wounds you have left be the 'damage you took when that lizard knocked you out' your sister remaining quiet, protecting you and your partner's secret.

'Next time, eh?'

OO

Peter Parker

You're not sure when you passed out in the cold, but, when you awoke, you were on a familiar couch, wrapped in a blanket. It takes your mind a moment, but you see the boards and trashcan and smell the lasting effects of smoke and realize where you are.

As you also hear the smell of something cooking, your heart begins to rise as you hear footsteps towards you from behind. Turning, you see a large, familiar man approach, a bowl of what smells like soup in hand.

Handing it to you, he shakes his head, sorrow etched onto his face as he gestures. "Eat, son, you need it."

There's nothing from your spider-sense as you go to eat so you have the soup- it's obviously canned, but its warming. When you're done the man looks at you, more seriously.

"I believe this is the first time we've met, face to face, like this. I'm Elias Wirtham and I don't know what exactly is going on, but Felicia's gotten herself into something incredibly dangerous."

Looking at your face he sighs. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

His face becomes incredibly stern. "If you intend to stop her, you're going to be facing off against the most dangerous man in New York, the Kingpin of Crime himself."

OO

Interlude

Song: Kill la Kill - Blumenkranz

The building was a church in the abandoned, slum-like parts. Or, perhaps it would be better to have said that whatever these ruins were, it is most possible that they used to be a church.

Regardless, it was no longer a place people went to worship god. Is it therefore not a daunting place to meet someone?

A place for God, abandoned by the God it meant to glorify.

There was nobody here, and it was almost night, so it seemed. Opening the door with a loud creak, the hooded figure walked in nervously, looking around. Inside, the last fading specks of light shown through the shattered stained glass windows.

Sitting there was a man, illuminated by a fire, giving him an almost unholy appearance. As the figure slowly approached, the man began to read aloud. The figure wasn't sure what he was saying, as it was in Latin, or so it sounded.

Finishing with an 'Amen' the man threw the book into the fire as she looked at the cloaked figure and smiled. "Ah, right on time. Good, good. I hoped you'd come, or else I would've had to make things… unpleasant."

The figure flinches at the words, its words horrified and pleading. "…what do you want. J-just let me be, please."

The man pauses and get up approaching the figure, pulling back the hood, revealing a horrified looking girl. "Oh, it isn't you I want, mah dear."

The girl's eyes widen in shock as she struggles, fighting against the man in horror. "N-NO! NO! NOO!"

She's knocked to the ground as the man casually pulls out a knife and cuts his palm open, flinging the blood into the girl's face as she starts screaming.

Song: Nui Harime's theme (Kill la Kill)

Eventually, the scream died down, the man watching with a closer intensity than before as the girl sits up, as her eyes seems almost to glow for a moment, her voice almost horrifyingly cheerful.

"Ah, so you were the one that made me quit my art? The one that took credit for my work?"

The man gives a nod as the girl's grin widens as, a second later, a knife is stabbed into his chest, into his very heart, bones cracking and breaking in the path of the knife as he falls backwards.

The girl's eyes survey him with sadness. "That's a shame, I'm not going to even make you into art. Die here, alone."

She pauses as the man begins to laugh, his voice choked from the blood in his lungs. "Not yet. I'm not done yet with my task from God."

The man sits up, pulling out the knife as his chest begins to fix itself messily. The man smiles at her with blood-pinked teeth. "Its not time to act yet, but I plan to make the best stage for you to display whatever art you wish to make. There will be no limits to what you'll be able to do."

The girl pauses, almost thoughtful. "Could I even make art of Spider-man?"

The man's grin becomes almost shark like. "On my word as a man of God. I am here to bring forth a prophecy from God itself."

The girl looks at the remains of the burning book before laughing. "Alright, Tell me more, Mister Kasidy.~"

"As you wish, Miss MARY JANE Watson."

"Oh, please, for such a charming man? Call me Carnage.~"

END
To Be Continued...

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Publisher's Note:

Mary Jane: Well that was shocking huh?

Flash: He will have major roles in this story but he won't replace Peter otherwise the story wouldn't be titled in his name.

Elias Wirtham: He's canon(if most of you didn't know) and was already introduced in this story as Felicia's private doctor, she's gotten her disguises' medical histories verified through him. He also met Peter before but as Spider-Man (re-read chapter 18 to see).

Equipment: Note (I will not be reposting these equipment again unless new items are introduced or something happens to the current ones Peter owns).

*You have obtained Revolving Webshooters (AGAIN)(Production Type), Normal Webbing x6, and Strong Webbing x6.

(Fake) Glasses- Hides the fact that your sight is now perfect to the unaware.

Hard drive- a removed computer hard drive. Contains files left by your father, could possibly be unreliable in some cases due to tampering.

Richard Parker's Bag - Has a lock on it. A bag that belonged to your father- holds blueprints and notes on his works, as well as a warning. Missing its security device ink bag's contents, strangely enough.

Spider-man costume (Durable)[Currently with]- You can't wear it under your clothes, but it reduces both your agility bonus and the damage you take by one. It does, however, boost your fellowship bonus by one in the costume.

Spider-man costume (sonic-proofed/Agile)- It's too thick to wear under your clothes, but your agility isn't decreased. However, you can't hear anything while in this costume and it can be sweltering during warmer months, but it should protect you from the Hobgoblin's Sonic Laugh.

Original Spider-Man Costume: [Has been eaten]

Spider Tracers- 3x. These only work within three hundred feet, but you can track anything with one of these on them with your spider sense.

Revolving Webshooters- production type- the streamlined and refined version of your prior webshooters. Minor adjustments have been made, each webshooter can carry a total of six cartridges.

Strong Webfluid x6 - a thicker webfluid, unsuited for webslinging, meant more for restraining and reinforcing due to its thicker, hardier nature.

Standard Webfluid x6

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