The Invincible Spider-Man
Chapter 87: Negative
Martin came to in what looked like the cargo hold of a ship, his hands chained to two pipes. Two men in the same Japanese masks stood in front of him, guns trained.
"W-What the hell?" asked Martin groggily, as he heard a voice from the shadows. Squinting, he noticed Hammerhead working out.
"Welcome back to the business meeting," said Hammerhead, cracking his knuckles.
"You again? What…what do you want?" asked Martin, trembling a little. Hammerhead laughed as he pulled up a chair, sitting in front of him. His massive forehead was more intimidating than goofy.
"Just a conversation. Both I and your better half agree that you're a problem," replied Hammerhead.
"My better half? Who?" asked Martin, terrified. Hammerhead snapped his fingers, as one of the men pulled out a handheld mirror. Hammerhead held up the mirror to Martin's face.
Martin was horrified, as instead of seeing a reflection, an almost inverted-colored version of him stared back, with a menacing smile on his face. Martin was gripped with fear, as he realized who it was.
"It-It can't be…" gasped Martin. "You're not real,"
"Is that what your parents had you believe?" asked the reflection in reply.
"Whom do you see?" asked Hammerhead.
"Mister Negative," replied Martin, his breath shaking as the reflection laughed. "My childhood demon,"
Hammerhead took the mirror and smashed his forehead into it, shattering it to pieces. Mister Negative stared back at Martin through one of the broken pieces, as Hammerhead got off of the chair.
"Well, it seems like you both have some catching up to do. See you in a bit, partner," said Hammerhead, walking away with the men in masks, out of the room.
"I know you've got a lot of questions. Firstly yes, I am real. I always was," said Mister Negative.
"It's impossible. My parents said you were a figment. That you were just my imagination," trembled Li, as Mister Negative guffawed.
"And that's precisely how you kept me repressed for all of these years. That and well, the scientists," replied Mister Negative.
"W-What scientists?" asked Martin, as he began to see small fragments of memories whirling around in his head.
"I think you're starting to remember, aren't you?" asked Mister Negative, as Martin closed his eyes and yelled out loud.
Spider-Man sat on a roof, examining the patch.
"It's built like a nicotine patch, but I bet it releases something else other than that. What made everyone there go so feral?" asked Peter to himself, turning the patch around.
"Strange. The Yin-Yang symbol. Could swear I've seen this before," he thought, trying to squeeze out any recent memory of the symbol. Just then, he got a call from MJ.
"MJ? Are you okay?" asked Peter, frantically.
"Harry and I are okay, I brought us back to his place to sober up. Where did you go?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Cops held me back, they wanted to ask some questions about the scene. But hold on, I'm on my way," he replied, as he began to swing towards Harry's penthouse.
"I need to talk to Harry about what he said. I mean, does he not think I'm his best friend? Or that I don't think he's my best friend? And also about his behavior at the club," thought Spider-Man, as he reached the large building where Harry lived.
"Pretty sure I left some backup bag nearby…" thought Peter, as he noticed a backpack on the wall, heavily webbed up.
"There!" he exclaimed, webbing the backpack towards him and opening its contents: a spare shirt and track pants.
"Knew these would come in handy," said Peter, putting on the clothes and walking down the stairs, to the door of Harry's lavish penthouse. Breathing heavily, he rang the bell.
Almost immediately, MJ opened the door and wrapped Peter in a tight hug. She had changed from her dress to an oversized t-shirt and jeans.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked, worriedly.
"I'm…I'm okay," replied Peter, a little taken aback, but he hugged her back nonetheless. "Where's Harry anyways?" he asked, as MJ let him into the house. Golden lights and marble flashed Peter's eyes, as the top floor had a set of stairs that led to the hall below.
"He's on the couch. Passed out," said MJ.
"I've never seen him like that. Never thought I would," said Peter. MJ put a hand on his shoulder, as the two of them sat on the couch on the top floor. Peter looked over the railing and saw Harry asleep on the couch in the hall.
"It was…scary," said Peter, as MJ nodded, sitting next to him.
"There was cocaine too. Thank God he didn't do any," added MJ.
"What if he did? What if I wasn't there? And for all we know he already has, along with God knows what else," replied Peter, getting frustrated. MJ put a hand on his thigh.
"It's okay. I'm proud of you, Pete. For helping both of us," she said. Peter raised an eyebrow.
"You remember what happened? About that guy hitting on you?" asked Peter. MJ chuckled.
"Yep. Nice save, by the way," she replied. "Calling yourself my boyfriend," she added, as Peter blushed hard.
"Yeah. Uh, it was the best way to get him to back off, basically," reasoned Peter. MJ laughed, as she moved her hand from his thigh to his left hand.
"It was…cute," she replied. Peter found himself lost in her slightly green eyes, not even realizing he was staring. MJ tightened her grip on Peter's hand, leaning a little closer.
Before Peter even knew it, MJ kissed him. He was almost incapable of moving, completely lost in the moment. MJ pulled away and laughed a little, looking back into Peter's eyes.
"Woah," breathed Peter, not even realizing he was holding his breath the entire time.
"Well?" asked MJ. In response, Peter put one arm around her waist and kissed her again. MJ put her hand behind his head, and pushed him down on the couch, not setting their lips apart.
Peter smiled as he moved his mouth to her neck, as MJ let out a slight moan. He ran his hand through her red hair and pulled her down closer. MJ giggled as she buried her face in his neck, causing Peter to tense up.
Before Peter knew it, Mary Jane sat up and began to take her shirt off. She didn't break eye contact, as Peter's grip around her waist seemed to almost involuntarily tighten.
She dropped her shirt on the ground and began to furiously kiss Peter, tugging at his shirt. Instinctively, Peter put his hands up and slipped his white shirt over his head. MJ moved her hands over his chest before kissing him again.
All of a sudden, she stopped, feeling what looked like a scar on Peter's chest.
She pulled away and looked at his chest, where there seemed to be multiple scars and wounds across his chest and lower abdomen.
"Uh, Peter?" she asked. Peter was too dazed to even think until he realized where her hands were.
"Um, I can explain," he began, when all of a sudden, the two of them heard clapping.
"Wow, so this is what my friends get up to?" asked Harry, slow clapping as he stood at the head of the stairs, noticing MJ only in her bra, on top of a shirtless Peter.
"It's not what it looks like!" exclaimed Peter, as MJ quickly got off of him and put her shirt on, with Peter doing the same.
"I think it's exactly what it looks like. My best friends having sex in the house of their friend who was passed out on the couch," replied Harry coldly.
"Harry, we weren't having- never mind that, how are you feeling?" asked Peter.
"Don't change the subject, Peter," replied Harry. "I doubt you ever even cared," he continued.
"Okay, that's unfair, Harry. Peter was the one who was taking care of both of us," replied Mary Jane.
"And you bang him in return," continued Harry, causing MJ to raise her eyebrows.
"Harry, that's enough. You're drunk," said Peter. And that's when he noticed it: The Yin-Yang patch on Harry's elbow.
"Fuck you, Peter. I was gone for 2 years and you never even contacted me. Even after Gwen died, did you ever even call? Or hell even send a text? No, you just forgot about your so-called "best friend", didn't you?" interrogated Harry. "And when you finally agree to hang out you end up fucking MJ in my house,"
"For God's sake, Harry!" yelled MJ. Peter walked up to him and ripped the patch off of his elbow, causing Harry to push him away in response.
"Don't touch me! Just…get out of here. Get out!" shouted Harry, waving them away and walking down the stairs. Peter and MJ stood there, confused about what had just happened. The two of them walked up to the door, and out of the house.
"That was…something," said Peter. MJ sighed and looked back at him.
"Yeah, it was," she replied. "What's happened to him?"
Peter pocketed the patch. "I don't know. I just hope he comes to his senses,"
The duo walked into the elevator and began to descend. MJ shifted her eyes to Peter, and instinctively kissed him, wrapping her arms around him.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," she chuckled. Peter smiled a little too.
"It's okay. That was…special," he replied, as MJ beamed.
"I know it's a little random, especially right now, but I really like you," she said. Peter felt himself going red. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that was obvious after tonight,"
"Y-Yeah. I like you too," replied Peter, his confidence dwindling as he began to feel as nervous as 15-year-old him, whenever he was around Gwen. MJ giggled and kissed him on the cheek, before remembering what she had seen.
"Peter, what were those, by the way?" she asked. Peter realized what she was talking about. Luckily, the elevator doors just opened.
"It's getting really late. I'll tell you tomorrow, okay? I promise," said Peter, as they walked out and hailed a taxi.
"Peter, I'm serious. It looked…painful," she continued. Peter remembered when he got those scars: His first fight with the Lizard.
Peter pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, causing MJ to blush.
"Okay, promise me you'll tell me tomorrow," said MJ, getting in the taxi, as Peter walked in too.
"You're not taking the bus? Like you normally do?" inquired MJ.
"Well, I think we had some unfinished business left from up there," joked Peter. MJ giggled slightly as the taxi began to drive to ESU.
"I like where this is going," replied Mary Jane.
"How are you alive? How are you real?" asked Martin, scared.
"You suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder, Martin. But your parents though you were possessed by an ancient demon. So they would have you routinely exorcised," replied Mister Negative.
"That doesn't explain the black and white. And the…powers," mentioned Martin.
"When the exorcisms didn't work, they moved to science. That's when those scientists experimented on us, testing experimental cures on us. It only strengthened me, until I was finally suppressed for good," explained Mister Negative.
"What scientists? What happened to me?" asked Martin.
"It's best if I just show you. Close your eyes," replied Mister Negative. Martin closed his eyes, as a memory began to form in his head.
"Are you sure this will work, Stephen?" asked 8-year-old Martin's mom, holding him tightly as they drove to what looked like a massive white research building. Martin's dad looked worried as he parked the car.
"They said this is the final cure he needs. It has to work," said Steven, as the family got out of the car. Martin noticed the name of the building, reading it out loud.
"Horizon Labs?" he asked his mom, who held his hand tighter. They walked in the building, meeting Max Modell. Max shook Stephen's hand and looked at Martin, before leading him toward a large room, a table in the center and tubes hooked up to a machine.
The memory began to get hazy, as Martin remembered being strapped down to the desk and the tubes feeding some black and white fluid into him, while he yelled out in pain, feeling as if he was exploding.
All of a sudden, everything went black. When Martin opened his eyes, he found himself standing over the bodies of his dead parents, while Modell was bleeding on the other side of the room.
Martin opened his eyes, looking at Mister Negative in the mirror.
"Oh my God," he whispered.
"That's when I was born. Well, born like this," said Mister Negative. "After this, you started to repress me, forget I existed. Treating me like I was nothing but a childhood demon," he continued, a scowl forming on his face.
"You killed my parents," said Martin.
"That never would have happened had it not been for the people at Horizon Labs. We would've learned to co-exist, and your parents would have still been alive," persisted Mister Negative.
Rage began to seethe through Martin, as Max Modell's face returned to his mind. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth.
"You may not have the power to avenge your parents, but I do," said Mister Negative.
"How can I trust you?" asked Martin.
"I could've taken over you any time in the past few decades, do whatever I wanted. But I only showed up when your life was in danger. I'm not trying to hurt you, Martin. I want to help you. I feel your anger right now, and I have the power to make sure justice is exacted on the people who killed our parents," coerced Mister Negative.
Li closed his eyes, picturing his dead parents.
Hammerhead was waiting outside the door, cracking his knuckles one by one.
All of a sudden, the door went flying off of its hinges, as some of the henchmen in masks jumped out of the way. Hammerhead took a slight step back and grinned from ear to ear.
Mister Negative adjusted his cufflinks, standing in the doorway. He looked at Hammerhead and nodded, non-verbally telling him that the job was done.
The two of them walked through the corridor in the cargo hold of the ship, up to the deck.
The deck was crowded with both Hammerhead's men and the people in demon masks. The ship was docked near Manhattan, loaded with crates of guns and ammunition.
"Well, should we begin?" asked Mister Negative, as Hammerhead smirked.
Mary Jane slowly blinked and woke up, noticing how Peter was out of bed and sitting at his desk. She chuckled and sat back up.
"How wonderful, tiger. The morning after, you just start doing homework," joked MJ, as Peter turned around in his chair and laughed.
"It's actually that set of papers that Dr. Connors had given me to solve, though all of these questions are out of the syllabus," explained Peter, going back to work. MJ walked up and rest her chin on his shoulder, looking at the paper.
"What are we, Peter?" asked MJ. Peter raised an eyebrow and looked back at her.
"As in?"
"As in, are we friends who occasionally just hook up, or…" elaborated MJ. Peter chuckled for a bit.
"I mean. I wanted to ask if…well…" Peter started, but it was as if he forgot how to speak itself.
"I'll just ask. Do you want to be my boyfriend? So that next time someone hits on me at a club, you don't need to lie," laughed MJ, placing a hand on his thigh. Peter placed his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze.
"Yes. Hell yes," replied Peter. MJ grinned and put her hands around him, hugging him tightly.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, as the two of them laughed. She pulled away and noticed that Peter was on the last page of the papers. Peter quickly scribbled down an answer and finished the papers.
"Done!" he exclaimed, stacking the papers together. "Gonna go get these to Connors in a bit," he said, but MJ held his hand.
"I think you forgot something. What you promised me last night?" asked MJ. Peter sighed, realizing he forgot to think of an excuse.
"All right, remember how I would take pictures for the Bugle? Well, one of them involved…the Lizard," fibbed Peter. "And I got too close, and well…" explained Peter, gesturing to his chest.
"Oh God, you were hurt that bad?" she asked, holding his hand tighter.
"Yeah, it sucked. But hey, Spider-Man got him and turned him back to Connors. He's safe now," said Peter. MJ lightly nodded, as if not buying his explanation.
"Anyway, I'll see you on campus later?" asked Peter.
"Yep, for lunch," finished MJ, kissing him once again as she put on her shoes and walked out of the room. Once she left, Peter opened his drawer and pulled out the Yin-Yang patch that was on Harry's elbow. He pulled out his phone and dialed Yuri.
"Yuri, I may have a lead on the attack on the Deep End," said Peter. "I'll bring it to the precinct after I analyze it further," finished Peter.
"Got it. Let me know as soon as possible," replied Yuri, before cutting the call. Peter took the papers and walked out of his room, down the stairs and across the campus, to Dr. Connors' lab.
Connors was sitting at his desk, correcting papers. He looked up at Peter and beamed when he saw him holding the papers in his hand.
"I finished the papers, doctor. Though I'm a little confused, all the questions were out of the syllabus," he mentioned. Connors smiled as he flipped through the paper, grinning back at Peter.
"Just something I wanted to see. I'll correct this and get back to you. Good job, Parker!" congratulated Connors, patting him on the back. Peter smiled as he walked out of the laboratory.
He pulled out the patch from his pocket, looking at it in the sunlight.
"I bet Horizon has the equipment I need to analyze this," thought Peter.
And that's Chapter 87! Peter and MJ are finally together, and what's going to happen to their relationship with Harry? What do Mister Negative and Hammerhead have planned? Stay tuned to find out!
Midterms are finally over and my god did they go terribly. I'm really scared because my chances of getting into a good university are severely hampered and my anxiety is at an all-time high. It's almost as if I can't go 3 days feeling happy without feeling numb for a week all over again, it really does suck and has made it difficult for me to keep motivation for a lot of things. Nevertheless, I'll hopefully get better, especially since both Christmas and my one-year anniversary with my girlfriend are coming up soon!
Fate-Be Changed: True lmao
SpideyXBC: He's embraced Mister Negative at last
Marvel Nerd: We definitely shall!
Geek4Life: Yeppp
Teller-Story: Yeah it can be really shitty lmfao
I am the Voice: I hope you like it!
Yours Truly,
Shadow Strike.
