Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series created by 'Marvel' or 'Black Star Rock Shooter' and the Franchise or its cast of characters.

Peter Parker Quest

CHAPTER 56

An Evil Spirit!?

From CAT two phantoms were born…

-REDACTED-

So, that's the sky, huh? It's… It's so vividly blue. So very Beautiful.

Look at me.

Hmm. Some music, maybe? This one's a favorite of mine, you know.

'If I could save time in a bottle'…

-RESUMING PPQ-

Sitting in the park, you make sure that there's still nobody around as you clutch at your jacket. It's about two in the afternoon. The first thing you did today was get the hell out of your house. Barely spoke to Aunt May, just a quick hi and bye.

Work's closed until further notice. Might be called, so keep an ear open for the phone.

But you hope they don't call.

Because, from the moment you awoke, you've been watched. Followed. There's something there. Whatever appeared last night.

No, more than that.

You're sick, infested. Plagued. The project venom, its likely still in you. Somewhere. Lurking. Waiting.

What happened between your attack and when you woke up…

There's nothing. Gwen's phone is just ringing- two rings, then answering machine. The only other person who could tell you what happened. And someone else with that thing on them..

Your hands clutch at your knees painfully. As you feel despair bubble up within, you feel the thing out of your sight move.. shift. Like its unsettled. You feel it like a phantom limb- something connected to you, but not there.

From what you can tell from the news. When you blacked out- Venom got knocked off the building and fled. Scarlet Spider escaped, and the thief's leader- no name- got away on a helicopter.

But what they intended to steal-the battery- was retrieved and tossed to the cops by the 'Ghost Rider' a hellish phantom in black cloaked in blue flames on an obsidian motorcycle, who drove off into the night.

Was that you? Or was it… that thing?

The spirit- the only term you can think to call it- lurking behind you must've been the one to bring you home. Somehow.

You freeze as a figure abruptly and appears next to you, a red hoodie covering their face, obscuring their form. To be fair, so is yours.

Eventually the figure turns its head as you think about getting up- revealing, covered as best as she could- a pretty battered looking Gwen Stacy. Her eyes are ringed with exhaustion and she looks like she's about ready to drop at any minute.

"What happened?"

Gwen raises an eyebrow sarcastically. Her voice, rougher, comes out cracked. "Got thrown through the roof of a building by a giant monster. But as for last night? You begin vomiting black sludge and then it began to burn with blue flames and crystallize into a figure and a motorcycle. Venom got thrown off, on fire, screaming in pain, and that girl got away on the helicopter while you got dragged off on the bike."

She coughs, clears her throat and winces, rubbing at it gingerly. "I spent last night patching myself up, then came to find you. Took a while, though."

She suppresses a yawn. "So…did you know your girlfriend was a thieving Russian bitch?"

You scratch at your chin.

"Well, the Russian thing is new…"

Raising a finger to say you aren't done, Gwen's eyes narrow slightly. "There's a few things to come clean on, Gwen.."

You explain to her how you met Felicia, the promise she made- and the events leading up to this night. "But again, she's after the Kingpin, but I… I don't think it was her. I know that ten years from now, after losing her humanity and enduring god knows kinds of experiments and torture, she still knew me.

That woman I met on the roof? She didn't."

You draw quiet as you recollect on the future as you groan, the memories coming jumbled- as if there was static of two channels on at the same time. Letting out a groan, you feel Gwen supporting you as the thing behind you shifts- faster, as if nervous.

When you've calmed down, you see Gwen chewing on her lip, half muttered words to herself. "..some negligent thief."
Clearing her throat, she looks a bit embarrassed.

"Peter, that's a lot to be dealing with and you shouldn't be alone right now. What should we start with?"

"We need to deal with this phantom situation, and whatever's left of that suit that's within me."

Pausing, you look over at Gwen. She's exhausted and injured. "Shouldn't you rest first though?"

Staring flatly at you, she grabs your shoulder and uses you to leverage herself to her feet. Getting up, you let her lean on you a little as you walk- in the isolated area you're in anyway- until she's steady enough to walk on her own. If your health is to be dealt with, there's only one place to go.

To your lab, where your father's notes are.

It isn't a long trip and thankfully your house is empty as you pop down to the basement. Pulling out the notes, you start to go through them trying to decipher anything of use.

You stare over at the papers trying to find something of use here. Something. Anything. There had to be something to purge it, right? Something?

…are not your kind of people…

If you take into account the chemical designs here and there…

…fight when you start talking…

Groaning you slam your head into the papers. Honestly, you still barely understand how this thing even works. Biology isn't your strongest suit, and your father's main focus was biology. And he was a genius. And this was his magnum opus and he STILL needed help.

...nothing but white noise…

"And would whoever's singing please cut that out, its distracting!" Gwen starts awake from the computer's chair, looking alarmed as you feel the thing behind you freeze. There's still nothing there, but… was it singing?

With no response, you groan and go over the notes again.

Well, if you're reading things right, if the old sample had a new sample introduced to it, then it might emerge to subsume the new, or vice versa. So, that might work? If you had some electricity, then certainly…

Pulling out your mystery box full of mysteries (and an arc reactor), you look over at the fridge, which has two vials of the suit left in it.

"Alright, so I have a really, really stupid plan Gwen. But, it might just be the only thing to work."

Gwen stares at you blankly as you explain your plan- step by step. She's exhausted, a bit baffled, and bemused. "Alright, so, how do you get the electricity, Peter? That's a lot and I don't think it'd be good to get your aunt and uncle to know what you're doing."

Opening the box, you reveal the arc reactor you made. Gwen stares blankly at it. "That's an arc reactor. Why is there in arc reactor in that box, Peter?"

"I made it."

Gwen stares blankly again, shaking her head, pinching the bridge of her nose, wincing slightly. "Of course you did. So, you're doing that here? In your aunt and uncle's home?"

Twenty minutes later, in an empty, out of sight area, you're holding the arc reactor- with wires attached- in one hand, and the vial of the suit in the other as Gwen has hands on the wires, looking doubtful.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Not really, no."

You'll be honest. This is a pretty stupid plan, clinically. But you'd rather be dead than hurt an innocent person. Gwen looks a bit worried as you groan, popping open the vial, already feeling ill.

Pressing your thumb upwards, you ready yourself as Gwen looks ready to have second thoughts. "Peter, maybe-"

"Damn it Gwen, electrocute me already!"

Slamming the thumb into the suit ooze, you feel it react And you fee lit, where your heart should be. Surging form dormancy, from its resting- growing and adapting- as black ooze begins to cover you you hear a crackle of electricity, and suddenly you feel it in your head, like a second brain- afraid- Hungry-

As you look at Gwen. "Do it!"

And she slams the ends of the wires into your chest and you feel it scream as you scream, the pain almost unbearable as it and you are cooked by the sheer power of the arc reactor- powerful enough to run a house for a lifetime- or do something big for fifteen minutes.

You feel it, the older struggling- stronger to the electricity this time- overcoming you and the younger. To kill the threat.

You feel your heart beating erratically- starting and stopping as blue flames start to burst from it, you feel the phantom move. Like ice- its hand plunges into your chest and grips your heart- stopping it entirely. You feel the pain of the electricity, the rage of the suit- of Venom- and a burning blue flame where your heart fades- Gwen quietly screaming in the background- her words unable to reach you.

Blackness takes everything.

Location: ?

Blackness surrounds you. You aren't falling, not anymore, but this place seems familiar, like something out of your nightmares. It seems like everything is made out of darkness- above, there's an endless distance to the sky.

All around you, there's spider webs, destroyed and intact ones. They're infesting this place- foreign and alien to the shadows. And in the distance, the spiders move- alarmed- far, far away- kept away by a barrier of blue flames.

Around your feet black ooze- lighter, yet darker and more terrible than the shadowy landscape at once. It moves- intelligence without purpose. Terrible hunger and madness. A monster that's taken root, circling like a shark.

And then you see her. No, it is more that you're allowed to see her.

Cast in black clothes with white detailing, her pale skin and azure eyes stare at you sadly, flames erupting from where her eyes should be- the feeling that you're before the presence of something that has been here for a long, long time.

Azure eye- and where one should be- the flesh seeming almost skull-like beneath the flame where her eyes should be for a moment before the flames die down, revealing an intact face.

"Professor, we meet again. You.. You look well."

She looks uncomfortable as she clears her throat. "I.. At one time I was referred to as 'Rock, so that shall do if you need a name to refer to me as."

Not really understanding what's going on and finding this entire situation strange you just respond "How are you doing today?"

Surprisingly she responds "Today? Today was quite lovely. The sky was beautiful today."

"You know me?"

"Of course I know you, Professor. Why would I not?"

"What is this place?"

" This place? ...That will come soon enough."

"Who are you?"

"...Rock is Rock. That's all..." Alright, that response was less informative than you thought.

"Where are you from? Are there others like you?"

"A long time ago, somewhere that will never exist."

She grows hesitant, looking like a child with her hand in the cookie jar. "...One. There is one other I know of."

A nagging question keeps popping up in the back of your mind "Should I know you?".

"We've met before. Can you not remember me?" You don't answer. Honestly you don't know. You can't really recall if you ever met this girl before, but somewhere inside you it…feels…like you two have met at one point or another. But the question is…when?

"Are you the Ghost Rider?" You quickly decide to change topics.

"Are you referring when I used the protoplasmic material to manifest previously? Yes, that was Rock."

"Alright, can you please tell me now where are we? What is going on?"

Rock looks bemused, as much as she can- she had a naturally stoic disposition with a quiet voice.

"You attempted to purge parts of the corruption, however, the innate ability you have been lent began to manifest. As such, Rock decided to intervene while she could and bring you here whilst I could."

She glances at the spider-webs and at your arm as you notice purple seep into the flames that emit from her occasionally.

"The professor's body is naturally inclined to adaptation, so the body can take stress. But it is getting too... infested for my tastes."

She then gestures around, then points behind you- where there is a ornate shadowy throne, with a blue crown of flames sitting on the seat, spiderwebs covering it, and moving black sludge upon it. Along with a sickly green chain that is bound to it, heading down- past the boundaries of the realm

"This is the seat of your soul, it could be said, metaphorically. A place outside of time and space- it is not, strictly speaking, real. This is more of a spiritual realm that occurs due to the disruptions to your soul's original balance."

"Ah, but the Professor looks unwell. So I should ask you your purpose whilst you are here."

As she speaks you feel like your head is about to split.

"Wait. Ability lent? My soul? You've lost me. I just want that thing out."

The girl looks at you and seems little lost as for what to do for a moment. "Well, the easiest thing to say is that this place is your soul. Things that have influenced it have a presence here. The spiders are the foul web of life, who weave a tapestry of fate of their choosing. The sludge is the parasite you seek removed. And I? I made a contract with you a long time ago and lent you my power when you desperately clung to life. It has been kept dormant and I have hid it in the depths of your soul when others tries to divinate what is within your mind or soul."

She pauses. "I must apologize, Professor. You used to explain these things to me. So, if my explanations are poor, I apologize."

She points at the webs again. "Those are the increased strength, dexterity, precognition, etc. The sludge, by feeding off of you limit's the abilities of the web- such as precognition. My powers are dormant in general. They are an overall increase in potential growth, and a limited form of immortality- so long as it's not lethal, you'll heal from all current wounds, but it has a very long… refresh period. For you, anyway.

"Regardless, the spiders are here as they claim you as theirs. They wish to make you the other- their totem and a monster in your flesh. They are abominable, foul creatures that should be rend from this earth and-"

You notice the flames turning purple as she grows agitated- impurities start to spring up in her eyes before she calms herself.

"Regardless you wish the parasite gone? If it were possible, I would gladly use it as a link to the physical- as protoplasmic material it is highly adaptable. However, I must guard your soul against the pests. And, though I am a guest- not an invader- This rock will leave if you so demand it."

"If they go, what will happen to me?"

Rock blinks. "it's a fallacy to say they will be gone- they have imprinted upon thine soul, so an echo will remain, but you would be free of internal external influence. The 'spider sense' would be a slight precognition, the flames would be a faster healing rate perhaps? Removal of the parasite would be just that But I caution and beg that you do not trust the spiders. They're a den of monsters."

In the distance- a countless amount of spiders tries to overcome the flames- you can hear them, but can't fully make out the words. PREY.

"When did we meet? I… I don't remember that."

Rock looks hesitant. "Well, it was when you were smaller. There were others- but when I arrived, they were dead, except one. The one who was blank and had the metal arm. You were injured by glass steel and fire, on the verge of death."

Rock looks over at the crown, refusing to lock eyes with you as her voice grows quieter still. "As I was, I gave the last of myself to give you the ability to survive. I had no more ability to interact with the physical. My place did not exist there any longer. Likely, this all was forgotten. It was, for you, a long time ago."

"So, what happens if you go?"

She pauses. "Without a link to the physical? Lessened as I am, I would likely cease existence soon. I am old, and this universe would like me forgotten. With a link, I could, eventually, restore myself- form a fully corporeal body as I once was."

You look at the chair, your head feeling like it is about to split open. "And the green chain?"

Rock stares at you, alarmed and furious, her eyes a sickly purple. "Death. Now… Lies. Foulness. Fakes, too. I know that chain, once. It might have changed, but I can remember its presence."

Her fists are clenched as she takes a deep breath. "If I go, either way, you will no longer be safe. If the parasite goes, I will lose my chance for a physical form."

Pausing you consider it. "And if they go, will they go for Gwen?"

"The girl outside? No. She was a normal mortal. Their link too tenuous. They would have to take her on the bridge of life and death- with her permission. My influence had made you… more open to interest. But aware and unwelcoming of it, your soul will adapt to this- close off the borders from new invaders. Al except one- that is beyond your or my ability to remove- that damned chain."

"I think it'd be better that everything goes, Rock. I want my soul to be my own. But- if you need the suit, you can have it- but, can I trust you? Is what you're saying true- you won't go out causing mayham?"

You stare at Rock- a serious searching look as she looks at you, offering a sad smile. "I can offer no more than my word, Professor. That's really all I had left, anyway. Even if you had chosen to make me disappear, it would likely be no less than what I deserve."

You give her a questioning look, but she shakes her head. "I will cause no mayhem intentionally. I was taught that great power defers a great responsibility by a good man. I ran away from that- and I have regretted it ever since.

"For this to happen- all you need to do is sit upon thine throne and enforce your will- consciousness will return shortly after."

Sitting down- you look at the things- feeling the skittering- hive mind will of the web intent on taking you- the hunger of the symbiote- and the quiet melancholy and joy of the girl. And then you take your iron will- and enforce it upon your soul.

Waking up, You find Gwen over you, shaking you as you groan. There's slight silence and then you feel your ears ring. "-ter? Peter are you okay?!"

Groaning, you sit up and see Gwen, worried. "…yeah, I've been better."

Technically this is the second time you've been electrocuted, but you remember this one. To the side- there's a pile of black ooze, which begins to bubble- Gwen steps back- worried as you see two pale white hands emerge- along with crackles of flames as a black coated figure raises itself- a black helmet with azure flames exiting from it.

Pulling the helmet off- as it breaks away into black particles, Rock stares at you- in the real world- her unnaturally pale skin and muted clothes stand out. She flexes her hand before looking at Gwen, then back at you, then down at the arc reactor by her feet. Picking it up, she goes to hand it to you as Gwen tenses.

"Professor, this is-rrect?"

Rock pauses, touching her throat. "Apologies. Body is still… ustable. Adjusting."

Gwen looks over at you, questioning- tired. "Look, I'm going to just say this. I'm going home, then sleeping. Then, come the morning, I will be back. With questions. Staggering to her feet, Gwen heads off- waving off your thanks for her help as she walks the walk of the tired. You know that walk well.

Looking back at Rock- you can see that she's staring up at the darkening skies, enraptured, even though she seems to alien at first glance- her unnaturally pale and almost luminous skin and black clothes both draw the eye and make it go over it.

Checking your phone- along with all of your other stuff you set to the side before this- you see that its late afternoon. After a little while, Rock glances over at you. "I'm going to observe this world, Professor."

She raises a hand to a salute, almost scout-like. "I will not be observed and I will not cause trouble, Sir."

As her shadow seems to grow checkered and her skin tans slightly and clothes become pants and a shirt- black- you can almost feel your attention slip off of her entirely as she trots off. The arc reactor hums in your hands.

You spend some time around here testing out your powers. The clinging still the same- you'll have to exactly define what is happening with it sometime- it'd be cool to replicate. The strength and dexterity you've gotten is there, too.

The only things you can't test well are spider-sense and that flame-thing, but you managed to test the precognition by throwing stuff up and closing your eyes. It isn't a buzz anymore- just a general feeling- something dangerous would fall here- for example.

But, basically, it works the same in essence. Might need to rework the spider-tracers, but overall the same.

Calling the two doctors you know- you leave a message for Spyral- and finally, finally reach Susan Storm.

"Mister Parker, is that you? No ,no this is a good time. A medical exam- that shouldn't be a problem. Yes, come on over- yes The Baxter Building. Johnny says hi and Reed wanted to talk with you as well. See you when you come over, Peter."

Mostly having a one sided conversation, you've found yourself invited over to the Baxter Building for Dinner, it would seem. Well, at least this all should get resolved soon.

-Interlude I-

"Eugene? Are you alright?"

Groaning, Flash sit up. "…ywah, I'm fine kiddo. Just a bit tired. Did some football practice is all. Wasn't smart. Got a bit sick."

Watching his sister wave before heading off, Flash looks at the corner of the room as the shadows seem to move. His body is freezing, but last night…

RAGE, HATE

What happened could not happen again. Someone could have been hurt.

No, somebody had been hurt.

So angry, just trying to help. WE're sick of you. HATE YOU!

The worst part is, both of them knew who was responsible. Looking down at the phone, Flash eyed a number, hesitating to call it.

'Peter Parker'

-INTERLUDE II-

Fisk's office is clean. It always is. It isn't hard to take the role I need, but he suspects. I know he does. No, the reason why I've needed to be removed from communication with Peter.

The woman in silver, who wears my face.

The impossible existence of the heir of Silvio Manfredi- a man who doesn't really exist. Best I could do was send a quiet alert to the police's daughter. Peter's met her though. Its going to make this harder for me .

I need to get to the bottom of this and find out the truth.

Who was my father ,really? What is that woman's real identity?

Peter, I'm sorry, but you'll understand one day. What I know now are things you should never find out, lest that specter comes for you, too.

The truth about what exactly happened with Oscorp, and your father…

I never want you to find it out.

-Interlude III-

"Wilson, why is there a homeless man on the couch?"

Wade pauses as he looks over- a man is indeed asleep on the couch. "Oh, that's Captain America."

"Wilson."

Wade raises his hands in defense as Frank's eyes narrowed.

"No seriously, its him. I met him doing laps for exercise. It's how I knew. I can go wake him up right-"

"No. Just have 'Captain America' Gone. Tomorrow morning."

Wade sighed, biting into another chimichanga before spitting it into Frank's face. "Score. New Job."

Looking up, he saw Frank wiping at his face unamused. "What. Is. It. This. Time?"

"There's a new group getting themselves together. They're calling themselves the heroes for hire. I think I'll apply. Sounds fun."

Frank's eye twitched.

"Goddamn it, Wilson."

END

To Be Continued

And now let the shit-storms begin! (Sarcasm)

No seriously, don't do that, please there really is no need for that.

Right below these texts will be a list of questions the players who were in the quest had on their mind over this thread and Cosgrove took his time to answer, so before any of you begin ranting in the review sections I suggest you read these first.

Also the form of Rock is the same as the main character Rock from the anime Black Rock Shooter Franchise.

Also sorry for the long update waits but Cosgrove is taking a break from Peter Parker Quest. Right now as we know so far,PPQ, isn't dead Cosgrove's just using Bleach Quest Redux (Another Quest of his in which you can also find in my profile in the story section, I recommend first reading 'Bleach Quest') to get back in the groove of questing. PPQ is pretty far in, so any missteps in his writing and handling of situations will be felt far more.

Cosgrove: This, basically. I want to make sure I don't fuck up anything- especially for when Felicia gets back or with Flash or the F4. But that's PPQ, not BQR, so...

Solodark: So until than PPQ will be frozen until Cosgrove has the right ideas that he wants to implement in the future chapters.

Anonymous: Still annoyed that you replaced Johnny Blaze with literally a girl from an anime. He's the best.

Cosgrove: I didn't (Solodark: Re-check the Notes at the top of the disclaimers in the 1st chapter. There are some OC's in this quest. Some of them will be major some minor. THERE ARE NO GENDERBENDS/opposite genders of the already existing characters of the marvel universe. So basically Johnny Blaze is still around.)

Anonymous: "So angry, just trying to help. WE're sick of you. HATE YOU!" Flash/Venom
Err cosgrove, Why are you making the good symbiote evil?

Cosgrove: Its Flash bleeding into the symbiote. He was trying to help out(last chapter,55 in Showdown at Stark). Gwen didn't react well to his presence and there was eventually a chair involved.

Anonymous: I'm just wondering what the hell is gonna happen Now that we chucked aside being the center of the Web of Life. Wouldn't that fuck things up in a colossal manner?

Cosgrove: not really. The web adapts. It loses one center- it looks for another. Its a setback for them is all.

Anonymous: If I understand, the spiders are a manifestation of our powers, right?

Then we need those.

Cosgrove: No- the webs covering the chair are- the spiders are literally the web coming for you.

Solodark: Well hoped you enjoyed this chapter and read the next one when it comes out. Please Favorite or Follow to get notifed for when the chapter finally comes out