Season 4 Ch. 2: Make A Splash
A/N: Might rate this chapter as a rated T
After his many persistent attempts made on behalf of his employer, Norman Osborn, he manages to get Morris Bench's cooperation and leads him to the address of his laboratory found in a rundown factory that's near the Big Man's headquarters…
"Hello? Uh, anybody there?" Morris wondered as he knocked on the door before getting startled by it being opened remotely and then entered the strange facility.
—
"Uggggh, it's so hot, I think even my powers can't take this heat much longer…!" Bobby groaned, lying on his recliner with his feet over his desk.
"C'mon Bobby, you can just relax easily if you just turn into ice," Kitty differed while typing her thoughts in her digital diary in her laptop, also sweating from the summer heat.
"Not if I keep sweating and turn into a melting human ice sculpture. You kiddin' me?!" Bobby barked back.
"Well if that's what's bothering you two, why don't you find a way to enjoy the summer heat in a more—I dunno… lively way?" Logan deadpanned while reading the newspaper and sipping on a bottle of root beer—since beer and booze are banned from their dormitory too—giving Bobby and Kitty a great idea to brighten up their vacation.
"Hey Ice Cube, would you mind?" Logan hands Bobby one of his bottles of lukewarm root beer for him to breathe his icy breath into the bottle to instantly chill it before handing it back to Logan. "Thanks."
Putting their "awesome summer" plan into motion, Kitty quickly types on her laptop and tries to contact Sally Avril while on the other hand, Bobby dials on his cell phone and contacts Flash Thompson and Randy Robertson.
—
Meanwhile, in the Allans' residences, Peter decided to visit Liz unannounced, dropping by in his Spider-man suit and…
"How's your suit doing?" Spider-man asked while hanging upside-down and tinkering with his web shooter, regarding her suit after falling down into a dumpster.
"Still stinky, might not go out fighting for a week. I can expect a few jokes in the headlines on me reeking like rotten eggs if I fight in my suit," Liz replied while lying on a hammock made of Spider-man's webs, still disgusted from her suit stinking badly that's been washed and dried up for almost three to five times. "Even my parents were wondering why I used my washing machine a lot lately."
"Heh, my boss advised me to try tomato juice. And honestly, it did not sound like a great prescription after trying it," Spider-man answered, remembering the silly times people pointed out his stench ranging from garbage to cologne and then to tomato paste.
"Yikes, now that stinks, literally," Liz irked, pun intended before noticing Peter's face drop into a frown. "...Petey...are you okay?"
"...Not really, to be honest…I wasn't able to help my partner. He's arrested because of my careless behaviour, leaving him alone with that guy..." Spider-man opens up, still bummed out from Ned's imprisonment and gently falls onto his feet before removing his mask. "And the look on Betty's face...it's just…"
"Awww...come here," Liz pats on the hammock on her left side, letting Peter sit beside her before leaning onto his shoulder. "Petey, remember there are unexpected things that happen beyond our control. We'll make things right eventually, hopefully, before time runs out. And you have our back, Petey. So just tell us, alright?"
"Yeah, thanks Liz. By the way, maybe you should take a break. You already got your hands full, and you wouldn't wanna smell bad in public, right?" Peter laughed.
"Okay, now you're just being mean," Liz huffed, turning away from Peter with her arms crossed.
"Haha, I'm sorry. Bad joke," Peter quickly apologized and then noticed Liz's cell phone ringing. "Hey uh, your phone's ringing."
Liz then picks up her cell phone showing the caller's name to be Kitty and then answers it.
"Hey Kitty! What's up?" Liz called over the phone.
"Liz! Hey um, I was wondering if you are going to be busy this coming weekend?" Kitty answered.
"Nope. My folks gave me a break, so my schedule's free, why?" Liz responded.
"Great! 'Cause we were talking with the people of the in-crowd in Midtown High about organizing an awesome way to enjoy the summer… at the beach!" Kitty exclaimed over the phone.
"No way, for real?! You're serious?!" Liz exclaimed in response, excited from the proposal.
"Yeah! Like a huge reunion with everyone from the entire class, this coming Monday. So what do you say? You in?" Kitty asked.
"Of course! Petey would love to come too!" Liz replied.
"Great! Wait hold up, is Peter in your–?"
Before Kitty could finish, Liz ends the call while giggling gleefully from the summer plan that Kitty briefly relayed to her, making Peter curious about their short conversation.
"W-wh-what's up Liz? Why the sudden mood? Is something big happening?" Peter wondered out of curiosity.
"Heck yeah something big's happening! I gotta tell Gwen about it! You see, Kitty said that our class is going to hold a reunion party, at the beach!" Liz excitedly squealed as she embraces Peter tightly.
"W-Wow! That's awesome! So, does that mean I have to prep myself for that?" Peter playfully wondered.
"Well duh! And you have to go! It'll be fun!" Liz encouraged her "shared boyfriend".
"Alright alright, but I gotta fix my stuff first for the day then. See you later Liz," Peter bade as he embraced Liz one more time before donning his mask and was about to leave her room through the balcony, until he froze and noticed somebody by the entrance to Liz's room, speechless and petrified.
"Petey what's wrong? Why are you–oh no…" Liz's jaw dropped and with widened eyes, looking like an idiot as she spotted her mother, Doris Allan, by the door speechless in awe of seeing Spider-man "hanging around" in her daughter's bedroom. "M-M-Mom, this isn't what it looks like! Petey's just trying out a cool uh, costume! Yeah! From last Halloween!"
Instead of replying back, her mother merely fainted from shock, but she was caught in Spider-man's arms before she could fall onto the floor, relieving Liz for a moment.
"Oh man, how am I gonna explain this to them—to her…?!" Liz hysterically thought out loud, but not too loud, followed by a facepalm .
"Hey hey, it's not exactly the end of the world, I think," Spider-man reassured while gently carrying Liz's mother. "I'm just gonna leave your mother on the couch quickly then take off. The rest is up to you left, see you later!"
Her masked boyfriend then left the room to quickly lay her mother on the couch in the living room before leaving through the window while making his escape less conspicuous by covering his tracks.
"Awww man...! Can't this summer get any worse…!?" Liz groaned and facepalmed as she slumped back on her bed and slammed her face on the pillows.
—
"So lemme get this straight, you guys planned a "playdate" by the beach with everyone back in Midtown High, and you want me there…why?" Eddie wondered while leaning on the fence at the rooftop, raising his eyebrow while answering the phone after his talk with a few of the patients had just ended.
"Yeah, 'cause uh, you were um, with us for as long as we remembered! So I was thinking, why not?" Gwen answered back over the phone, talking about the plan that Kitty discussed from a phone call.
"Gee, thanks Gwen, but I'm doing pretty well keeping myself entertained, and I'm afraid to be a party pooper for you guys, 'specially Pete," Eddie replied, depressing Gwen from his response. "I appreciate the offer, Gwen. It's cool. See you."
"Yeah, see ya," Gwen bade before ending the call.
"Mr. Brock, have you finished your conversation? Your short session with Mr. Kassidy is in half an hour, so I suggest you prepare yourself," Ashley advised with a bright smile while looking over past records of some patients in their care and opening mail from various senders like charitable organizations, philanthropists, and sometimes even men trying to get her attention.
"Thanks for the heads up, doc. Got it covered," Eddie responded with a smirk before hiding his downcast moping face. 'Man, I miss it already…'
At the corner of his eye, he spots a certain letter with the word "FEAST" in bold capped letters on the table and picks it up out of curiosity.
"Hey doc, what's in this?" Eddie asked.
"Oh don't mind that, probably just another letter of request or of cooperation with some organization group, nothing too big," Ashley replied.
"Hmph, ook then," Eddie shrugged.
—
"Uhm, is this procedure really safe, doctor? I'm feeling squeamish about this…"
Now, currently inside some enclosed experimentation chamber located within the facility, Morris Bench took up on the mad doctor Miles Warren and prepared himself being his lab rat behind glass, all the while being spectated by none other than Norman Osborn, viewing from the shadows.
"No need to worry, Mr. Bench. It will be all over soon," Miles assured as he turned the microphone on and off while looking at the monitor.
"Are you sure this is really going to work this time, doctor?" Norman demanded.
"Yes sir, and this time, I've thought of an alternative utilizing Dr. Octavius' work. Similar, but an even better twist with a mutagen I've formulated. It will be as I intended it to be," Miles assured before toggling some sort of switch that activated bright lights emitted around the room.
"Now, shall we begin?" Miles smiled excitedly. Okay then…"
He then pushes several buttons and twists a couple of knobs to activate various lights and nodes that brighten up the room. Suddenly, Morris' chamber is slowly filled with water while he's surprisingly calm and holds his breath in response to the water filling the chamber.
"Now for the final touch," Miles smirked as he pushed another button and opened a hatch over Morris' head that released a certain mutagen he developed. "Almost there, just a little longer."
Morris then starts panicking frantically as he accidentally ingests the mutagen and allows it to enter into his body, causing a great mutation from the inside and out until he slowly seems to have "evaporated" inside the chamber and was nowhere to be found.
"Doctor…!" Norman growled and glared at Dr. Warren. "What… just… happen…?!"
"Patience, sir, here it comes…!" Miles assured, letting Norman watch the suspenseful scene.
Suddenly, reforming back into a humanoid form inside the chamber, Morris—in a transparent liquid state—looks at his hands, his capability to breathe in water, and his surroundings with an amazed and confused look before trying to get out of the chamber and hysterically smashes the chamber containing him and the water. However, he drops to the ground like a moving water puddle before reforming his human shape and body.
"Whoa, now this is rad, way rad!" Morris exclaimed while clutching his fist with excitement.
"How do you feel, Mr. Bench?" Miles asked, turning on the microphone.
"I feel… the power… coursing through the current on my body!" Morris responded with excitement.
"Are you certain that this is not going to be an issue, doctor?" Norman asked, not noticing the microphone still on.
"Positive, sir. I can assure you that he is more than expendable in our ranks," Miles assured. "Believe me sir, I will—"
"Waitaminute, that voice...Mr. Osborn?! You–you're still alive?!" Morris hysterically yelled. "It has to be! I-I thought you were dead?! Were—were you were fooling everyone the entire time?!"
Out of anger, Morris slammed his enlarged fists made of water on the glass upon hearing his supposedly deceased boss over the microphone.
"Oops," Miles yelped before turning off the microphone.
"Ooosbooooorn!" Morris roared as he broke through the glass and then drenched the monitor with his loose "body of water" and faced off with the mad doctor and his former employer Norman Osborn. "You… you did this to me… fooling me and the rest of the world by faking your death?! You're going to pay!"
He then grabs and wraps Norman Osborn in his giant wet hands and stares at him with a sadistic smile.
"I've always had my taste of thrill with explosives and demolishing buildings. But now, with this power, I can do more than just using explosives! Water can crush everything!" Morris yelled before throwing Norman Osborn to the otherside of the laboratory. "Now, I am not just Morris Bench! Now, I am Hydro-Man!"
Morris, now proclaiming himself as Hydro-Man, inches closer with an enlarged fist aimed at his former boss.
"Say your prayers, Osborn!" Hydro-Man yelled as his fist ready to pummel Norman Osborn flat on the wet floor.
"Stay back!" Miles urges as he picks up one of Trask Industries' high-grade stun guns and uses it to zap Hydro-Man instantly into a steaming puddle of water flowing down a nearby drain to help him escape and recollect droplets of himself. "Whew, well...that wasn't so hard…"
"But it cost us a valuable asset in our ranks. Some success you have… doctor," Norman hissed as he slowly departs the ruined and wet laboratory.
—
Now, as the weekend comes, the new graduates of Midtown High put their plan into motion and meet up at Coney Island Beach. There most of the "in-crowd" already made it along with some of the labeled "geek squad"—with Liz among them, which irritated her childhood best friend Sally. Everyone's pretty much prepared with all their swimming and beach gear in hand, not to mention the swimwear they're all sporting. Among the in-crowd's members with shirtless football jocks, as always, was Sally, who tries to be cute and flashy in a pink frilly two-piece swimsuit with a frilly sombrero; all the while Sha Shan and Glory wore modest swimsuits and a shawl around their waist covering their legs. And beside Sha Shan was the redhead Mary Jane, wearing a red bikini under a black shawl with sunglasses hanging on the knot of her shawl.
Meanwhile, the female members of the "geek squad" seem to disperse the atmosphere around them as modest geeks. Kitty wears a purple square-necked one-piece swimsuit, revealing her well-toned feminine muscles from training under their guardian Logan; Gwen being adventurous enough to wear a white two-piece swimsuit and a white shawl draped around her legs, with a black spider icon design on the chest piece; and now Liz wearing a green skimpy one-piece that partially reveals her waist and sides, all the while having a green shawl wrapped around her waist. Bobby, on the other end, sports a pair of red swimming trunks while carrying an empty cooler held under his arm.
"Man, where are Peter and Hobie at? They're way tardy," Kitty huffed with her arms crossed.
"The last I checked, Hobie says he's on the way. I dunno about Petey though," Liz replied.
"He's… probably fashionably late I guess?" Gwen thought out loud.
"Maybe," Liz shrugged before looking closely at Gwen's appearance. "Gotta say Gwen, you're totally rockin' that summer bod! Since when did you start working out and how?!"
"Oh uhm, just some minimal and consistent exercise, I think?" Gwen nervously answered, smiling weakly and scratching her hind temple.
'You liar. Without me, you wouldn't even—'
'Not the time, Mania. Thanks for the reminder, but not now,' Gwen barked back in her thoughts, having no time to argue.
"Hey guys! Look who's here!" Bobby called out, pointing at Hobie Brown, running towards their direction in a dark-blue swimming jacket and trunks.
"Haagh, whoo! Sorry I'm late! Bumped into a weird traffic jam out of nowhere! I just barely got out of there on my bike!" Hobie panted and huffed, catching his breath.
"Wait, a bike? All the way here?" Liz pointed out, asking for clarification.
"Yeah, a motorcycle. My brother's graduation gift. A really cool handmade bike! I can show you guys next time!" Hobie replied before noticing Peter's absence. "Hey where's Pete? 'Thought he's coming?"
"We thought he's coming with you?" Kitty replied.
"Hey guys!"
Running towards them from the boardwalk and sliding down the stair rails was Peter, wearing only a pair of beige swimming trunks and black sandals, with his satchel strapped over his broad well-toned shoulder. His superhero-enhanced body is enough to make women's eyes wonder in awe from the sight of those amazing muscles on his small body, easily catching the gazes of Liz, Gwen, Kitty and Mary Jane—except for the disdainful scoffing Sally.
"Uh ahem, sorry for being late! I kinda tried a shortcut on the way here, hehehe," Peter nervously replied and smiled weakly before scratching his temple.
"Hey! You're not the only one who's late! It's fine!" Kitty immediately replied, able to quickly hide her blush.
"Thank goodness! And here I thought I was the latest," Hobie huffed and smiled before grabbing Peter's hand and pulling him into a relieved side hug.
"Same here man," Peter replied back before his eyes locked on Liz and Gwen's jaw-dropping appearances. "L-Liz? G-Gwen?"
"H-hi Pete!" Gwen nervously replied back, blushing at his heroic body.
"Petey!" Liz rushed over from standing beside Gwen and embraced his right arm close to her, almost wrapping herself around it and causing Peter to blush after catching him off guard.
'Ugh, really? Again?' Gwen cringed with slight disdain, despite knowing she could just do the same.
'Just hug him alright? It's that easy,' Mania deadpanned.
'Ergh— fine, if you say so,' Gwen sighed internally as she walked over to Peter and held his hand, catching him off guard in the process as well. "G-glad you could make it!"
"Oh uh, thanks Gwen," Peter replied back with a flustered face, trying to avert his gaze away from Liz and Gwen's awesome appearances in close proximity to his body.
'Hmmm, man this sucks,' Kitty sighed, looking at her modest appearance compared to Gwen and Liz.
Bobby, Hobie, and the people of the in-crowd were all astonished at Peter getting dragged away the clutches of Liz and Gwen, followed by the prude Kitty as they come close to meet and gather around to start relaxing and enjoying their last time as a class before summer ends.
—
'Am I… at the end of my rope…?'
Flowing down the sewers from a drainage pipe, Hydro-Man manages to escape Osborn and Warren's laboratory after being tazed by a stun gun. His consciousness is still intact even while his body is in its disintegrated liquid form, slowly burning with rage after remembering the recent events that transpired, especially the fact that Norman Osborn still lives and faked his death.
'No...I can't die yet…! I must… get… that traitorous fiend! Oossbooorrn!' Hydro-Man internally screamed while travelling down the sewers, slowly forcing the water to propel him fast down the pathway that leads to a certain opening that leads to the sea.
—
"Flash! You're up!" Sally called, warning him of the incoming volleyball.
"Take this!" Flash responded as he spiked the volleyball to the other side.
"I got it!" Bobby yelled as he ran to volley the volleyball up into the air. "Kitty!"
"I'm on it!" Kitty responded, barely able to spike the ball back to the other side.
"Rand!" Flash called!
"Gotcha!" Randy responded and served the ball back.
While some of the in-crowd and the geek squad were playing volleyball, on the other end Hobie, Sha Shan, Glory, and Kenny were under a nearby shade in a snack bar…
"Sooo, how are things with Flash?" Hobie wondered, asking about Sha Shan's time with the muscle-brained jock.
"Well, things are fine, and we were being respectful about what we both kinda want: he says he's going to some military training academy and eventually join the army," Sha Shan replied. "Though, he was very much ambitious because he wanted to be part of some special forces in the future."
"Man, that's awesome!" Hobie exclaimed.
"What about you, Hobes?" Glory asked out of curiosity while sipping on some iced fruit punch.
"Who me? Planned to try studying advanced tech in ESU to be an engineer. Always dreamt of doing that," Hobie answered. "Building gimmicks and gizmos seemed like fun, so I'm trying it out."
"Whoa, now that's quite the dream you got there," Glory replied back. "I'm going for journalism, not really that impressive to tell…"
"Hey! As long as you have fun doing it, it won't be that bad, won't it?" Hobie differed.
"Yeah Glor, could be fun," Kenny encouraged, trying to get on Glory's good side again.
"Thanks guys," Glory appreciated the encouragement.
So far, everyone's able to have a good time bonding and mending relationships as high school friends and classmates, but not all…
"Hey Liz, wanna try playing volleyball with them? This might be your last shot at patching things… with Sally…" Peter suggested out of genuine concern, standing on shallow water with Gwen and Liz while leaving his satchel and stuff with Hobie, who's staying in a nearby snack bar.
"Uhh I dunno about that, Petey. She barely tried to return my calls or respond to my texts lately. She probably blocked me…" Liz trailed off with her sad face downcast. "Thanks for asking, but I'm getting over it."
"Liz, it doesn't seem right to just get over it. I think you should really try talking to her sooner or later. Call me crazy, but I believe you should resolve this problem. It will be for the best, before it's too late..." Gwen gently urged with her hand warming Liz's shoulder.
"...Alright then, maybe a little while later… not while the fun's still in the air!" Liz splashed some water at both Gwen and Peter, catching them both by surprise.
"Hey! Alright, now you've done it!" Gwen replied back with glee before splashing water back at Liz.
"Hey girls, let's try not to be reckless out he—brgh!?" Peter paused from Gwen splashing a strong ball of water to his face after secretly scooping a great cup of water thanks to the symbiote, making Liz laugh in response. "Really girls?"
"Hehehe," the girls merely giggled at Peter's reaction.
"Having fun, Tiger?"
Startling Peter from behind was the alluring Mary Jane, in her stunning red bikini and her sunglasses sat over her head, catching Peter's full attention and inciting jealousy from the two heroines Liz and Gwen.
"MJ! H-hi! Never thought you'd uh, come around too!" Peter nervously replied back.
"Well, Flash, Bobby and Kitty invited me. Wouldn't wanna turn down a friend's cool offer at the beach, especially under the summer heat," Mary Jane briefly explained, raising her sunglasses to the top of her head.
"C-cool! I mean, wow, that's great!" Peter stuttered.
"So, Peter, where are you studying after summer's over?" Mary Jane asked, sitting on a big wet stone.
"Empire State University. I managed to get a slot for a scholarship ride there! That way, Aunt May won't have to work too hard supporting me, not to mention the perks that come along with them," Peter explained.
"Wow, nice. I too plan to go there. Found a course that seemed interesting to try," Mary Jane replied.
"Oh really? What is it?" Peter immediately asked out of curiosity.
"Sorry Tiger, but that's a secret," Mary Jane slyly answered, followed by a cute wink.
"Aw man," Peter sighed in defeat.
However, just when things were going smooth, his Spider-sense was triggered for some reason, making him anxiously look around and then notice the water and the waves gradually reach his knees and then to his waist.
"Peter, I think we should head back. The tide is rising," Mary Jane replied, frightened by the water reaching her stomach.
"Yeah, but this is not natural. The lifeguard didn't warn us about any high tides closing in," Peter pointed out.
"Peter! Watch out!" Gwen called out, warning him about a huge tidal wave coming straight at them.
Before the tidal wave hits, Peter quickly pulls Mary Jane close to him and shields her from the strong pressure pushing everyone back to shore, causing a great panic around the beach.
"MJ, are you alright?" Peter asked, releasing his hold on her and helping her stand up.
"Yeah, I think so," Mary Jane responded.
"Petey! MJ! You two okay!? What the heck is going on!?" Liz hysterically screamed, running to Peter and Mary Jane's position.
Suddenly, the waves in the sea slowly gather around and tower up high like an upside-down whirlpool.
"I think we're about to find out!" Peter screamed, shielding Mary Jane from the impending danger in front of them.
There, Hydro-Man manifests himself in a giant form made of water stemming and towering from the surface of the sea before stretching out his huge fists.
"Ooooossbooornn!" Hydro-Man roared, scaring everyone and causing chaos around the beach.
'Hold up, Mr. Morris!? What happened to him!?' Peter stood in awe of what happened to one of Norman's employees. 'Aw geez, he's just like Sandman now, but worse!'
'Peter, suit up, now!' Gwen hysterically whispered as she immediately grabbed Peter by his forearm. "What are you all standing around for, run!"
With haste, the four of them run to higher ground and meet up with the rest of the gang. But before that, Peter hinted at Hobie to pass him back his satchel while making his way to the changing booths.
'Peter, go!' Gwen urged before going into one of the changing booths to don the symbiote.
'Hobie, thanks,' Peter thanked, getting his satchel that was left with Hobie before leaving for the changing booths.
'Hurry bro! You're on your own,' Hobie bade, giving Peter's satchel back.
'Wait, Hobie, do you have your suit!?' Liz softly screamed.
'No! Do you!?' Hobie nervously replied before noticing the giant rampaging Hydro-man landing a giant fist down to the shore, causing a massive quake so strong that it hurled mixed debris towards the higher ground, hitting the booths, bars, and anywhere. "Look out!"
He warned everyone to brace for impact, only to notice a wall made of ice shielding them from the debris.
"We got you guys covered. Don't sweat it," Bobby assured as he finished making the wall and then transformed into his translucent ice form. "You guys should stay back and stay clear."
"Hey! He's going in a different direction, but he's taking time causing quite the mess out there," Kitty, phasing and running through Iceman's ice wall, updated from scouting outside.
"Then let's give him the chill pill!" Iceman smirked.
"I concur!"
Startling everyone from behind was Spider-man, accompanied by Ghost Spider.
"Spidey! Do you see that!?" Kitty hysterically screamed, pointing towards Hydro-Man's direction.
"Yeah, c'mon, we gotta stop him!" Spider-man rallied, letting Ghost Spider lead Kitty and Iceman gliding atop an ice slide towards Hydro-Man's location. "You kids stay back, got it?"
He then follows the rest of the team to confront Hydro-Man, towering over them at the size of a three or four storey building.
"Take this!" Iceman yelled as he fired an ice beam at Hydro-Man's arm from below, instantly freezing and causing it to disintegrate off his arm from the pressure of his beam.
"Ow! Why you—!" Hydro-Man roared as he tries to slap Iceman and Kitty off their feet, with Iceman holding his own in his own ice cage while Kitty phased through the water hitting her whole body.
"Morris! Snap out of this! I don't want to hurt you! Morris!" Spider-man pleaded, trying to talk some sense into the enraged elemental.
"No...Morris Bench is just an old shell! Now, I am Hydro-Man!" Hydro-Man yelled as he fired multiple jet blasts of water, making huge craters in the sand as the Webhead dodges and avoids getting struck by one of those blasts. "Wow, this is way better than using explosives! Gotta hand it to that crazy scientist. Get it? Hand it!?"
'Crazy scientist? Wait, Dr. Warren did this?! Whoa!' Spider-man screamed in his thoughts before dodging another fist pounding close to him and shooting webs at what could be Hydro-Man's eyes, only to see him absorb the web fluid. "Well that's just great…"
—
"C'mon guys, let's go watch 'em!" Flash recklessly suggested, narrowly viewing the battle from afar.
"Flash, didn't you listen to your hero back there?! He said to stay away!" Liz hysterically barked, trying to keep Spider-man's word of safety.
"C'mon! Might be better than sitting around, so let's go!" Sally differed in an annoyed tone toward Liz, rallying everyone except Hobie and Liz to watch the ongoing battle.
'Nuts, Spidey's gonna get us for this,' Hobie sighed in his thoughts before following Liz and everyone else.
However, as they were trying to get a better view of the battle, there were still a few people confused and panicked from the struggle while trying to escape.
"Crud, you guys are on your own! There are people trapped down there!" Hobie alerted before jumping down to assist some of the trapped bystanders and scaring his classmates.
'He won't make it to the others in time! Uhhh, ugh forget it, screw this!' Liz groaned before vaulting off the fence and runs over to also assist the other trapped bystanders.
"Lizzy! What are you doing?! Liz!" Sally suddenly screamed in horror, watching Liz take off to risk her life for others.
"Come on! We gotta help!" Flash rallied.
"Right you are, man," Randy agreed.
Now, instead of going to watch the ongoing battle, the class decided to help save and guide the other nearby people to safety. They slowly helped every civilian caught under wet sand, umbrellas, and other debris as a team, guiding them off the beach and away from the battle of Hydro-Man with the Webhead and his team of young heroes.
"Thank you for the save! I was afraid that I'd be a goner!" thanked a beautiful young woman with semi-curly black hair in a red one-piece as Hobie carried her up to higher ground while carrying male civilian over his shoulders.
"N-no problem, miss," Hobie nervously replied before putting her and the man hanging over his shoulders down before preparing to rush back and assist the other people, only to find the rest of the class finished aiding the others off the beach—except for Liz, who is still absent. "Wait, guys, where's Liz?"
—
Meanwhile, as Liz was about escorting a little girl and her mother, Hydro-Man tries to slam Spider-man to a pulp, who was about to dodge the punch before noticing Liz behind him along with the small family and then quickly makes a sturdy web shield to try bracing for impact. However, Hydro-Man instead immediately catches and strangles the distressed Webslinger, laughing maniacally as he tightens his grip and stares at him with a maniacal smile on his face.
"No! Spidey!" Liz cried out in horror.
"Urgh! Agh! Morris! You gotta stop! This isn't you!" Spider-man yelled, struggling to break free from his grasp.
"For the last time, Spider-man, my name is Hydro-Man!" Hydro-Man roared.
While holding the Webhead, he slams his fist into the seafloor, trying to drown him in the process.
"Release him!" Iceman yelled, firing a strong beam of ice and giving him a cold shoulder while Ghost Spider tried to land strong punches to Hydro-Man's face and body. "Release him already!"
"Keep him company!" Kitty called, running and phasing through the distracted Hydro-Man and dived into the sea to free Spider-man.
"Make me!" Hydro-Man barked before shattering Iceman's ice slide with a strong backslap.
From there, he hurls debris of shattered ice towards Liz and the girl with her mother as they try to flee from the battle.
"Oh no Liz, look out!" Ghost Spider warned, deflecting Hydro-Man's third fist with a web shield before trying to reach and save her.
However, saving the three fleeing civilians and catching the debris was a ginormous hand made of sand…
—
'Spidey!' Kitty screamed in her thoughts as she spotted him, swimming towards the nearly unconscious hero. 'Sorry about this, Peter…'
Without a moment to spare, she phases her lips through his mask and breathes air into his lungs, reawakening him in the process before phasing him out of Hydro-Man's grasp and swimming back up with him to the surface for a gasp of air.
"Hoo whew! Man, some reunion this is. Now I'm getting aquaphobia," Spider-man panted and quipped as he and Kitty swam back to shore.
"The feeling's mutual," Kitty replied, hiding her flustered face after kissing him back there.
"Get off my lawn!"
Suddenly, rising high from the sands was the elusive Sandman, who's gone missing after that fateful day he saved Spider-man, civilian workers and nearby citizens in the area from his own fatal mistake.
"No way, Sandman!?" Spider-man thought out loud in awe as he crawled back to dry land.
"Wait, is that guy friend or foe? Please tell me he's friendly," Kitty whimpered before being helped by Spider-man standing on shore.
"Eyagh!" Sandman roared as he punched Hydro-Man in the face with a morningstar mace made of sand, inflicting a strong blow that dazed the water elemental. "That's all you got to take, Water Boy?"
"The name's Hydro-Man, dumbo. Take a shot at this!" Hydro-Man barked back as he fired a strong blast of water at Sandman's waist, leaving a huge painful hole on his side.
"Ow! Hey! That actually hurt!" Sandman barked back before returning with an uppercut after morphing his hand into a hammer.
"Ugh, oh! Spidey! Kitty! Thank goodness you're both alright!" Ghost Spider sighed with relief after landing on her rear from being slapped by Hydro-Man's giant palm.
"Umm, what's going on? Why am I seeing two giant forces of nature fighting like little kids over there?" Spider-man nervously asked, referring to the battle of two giant elemental fighters that could give him an incredibly tough time.
"You tell me!" Ghost Spider screamed back.
As they were talking, Hydro-Man notices Spider-man free from his grasp at the corner of his eye before blocking and parrying Sandman's boxed jab, returning it with a strong hook to the left side of his face.
"Spider-man!" Hydro-Man roared as he spotted him free from his hands.
"What do we do now!?" Kitty screamed as she looked at Spider-man.
"One word: scatter!" Spider-man screamed, dodging the fist that was about to crush them flat with Ghost Spider while Kitty avoided it by phasing into the ground and out of it beside the two Webslingers. "Wait, where's— what happened to Iceman?"
"Trying to wake him up. The big water guy knocked him out before we could easily take him out. We're barely able to slow him down for now!" Ghost Spider relayed the situation at the moment.
"Well, with Sandy here, we can slow him down even longer. You guys get the 'walking refrigerator' back on his feet. We'll keep him occupied," Spider-man assured before swinging over to Sandman's back. "Excuse me, human spider crawling over!"
He jumps over Sandman's shoulder and tries to anger Hydro-Man with a few web bullets on his liquid body before swinging under Sandman's forearm as he lands a jab to Hydro-Man's face.
" Heyyy Marko, long time no see! Um, thanks for helping out?" Spider-man nervously replied.
"Not now, man! Ugly angry freak show in front of us!" Sandman roared as he tries to trap Hydro-Man with tendrils made of sand to absorb him, only to watch him easily escape from his grasp.
"Try this on for size!" Hydro-Man then controls seawater to whip and hurl a strong blast of water to Sandman's side, catching him off guard as a huge portion of his waist disintegrates from getting drenched.
"Urrgh! Man this sucks! Awww why does he get to be made of water?!" Sandman grunted and arched over as he held his injury.
"Got ya covered big guy. Hey Morrie!" Spider-man taunted with the nickname as he zipped to the boardwalk on a metal fence. "Heya Morrie! Remember me!? The guy who saved your sorry butt?!"
"I don't need saving! Not from you, not from anyone! Because I, Hydro-Man, will rain on your parade from now on!" Hydro-Man roared before trying to squish Spider-man with his giant wet hands, who manages to swiftly dodge his attacks in a taunting and graceful manner.
"Oooh, good quippage. A for effort!" Spider-man taunted back while dodging his fists crushing and smashing before him.
—
"Bobby, look! Some pretty girl's drowning out there!"
"Say what?! Where!? Who?!"
"No one, that's who…!"
Finally, Iceman reawakens shortly from Kitty and Ghost Spider's attempts to wake him up with a sick joke. The female Webslinger menacingly glares at the ice mutant with her arms crossed…
"Good sleep?" Ghost Spider deadpanned.
"Uhhh yeaaaahhh…?" Iceman sheepishly shrugged, getting back on his feet.
Out of nowhere, Gwen's cell phone rang twice in her suit and then picked it up to answer the call.
"Hello?" Ghost Spider responded.
'Gwen, is that you? I heard that some giant troublemaker's causing mayhem at your location. Rendezvousing now to your location in a few minutes tops,' George answered over the phone.
'What!? Dad! No it's—'
"Watch out!" Kitty warns as she quickly grabs both hands of Ghost Spider and Iceman, enabling them to phase with her through Sandman's back and body as he falls on top of them.
"...whoa, that—"
"Was something cool? Probably," Kitty finishes Ghost Spider's sentence after phasing themselves out of Sandman's slow-disintegrating body. "Wait, wasn't he with Spidey back there?"
"Ughhh," Sandman groaned.
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens and police cars enter the scene of the battle between Spider-man and Hydro-Man.
"Crud, they're here!" Ghost Spider panicked out loud, failing to warn her father of what they're up against.
"Well lookie here! Some party poopers in badges. Get outta town!" Hydro-Man quipped upon spotting the police heading their way and then fired streams of pressurized water towards the group of law enforcement officers.
"No!" Spider-man rushed over to the officers and desperately made a giant shield of webbing connected by two street lamp posts and stood in the middle to firmly hold it in place to protect the officers from the strong water pressure. "Looks like I don't need to shower after all!"
"Feeling refreshed yet, Spider!?" Hydro-Man smirked while spraying the Webhead with a strong blast of water.
"N-nope! How about you!?" Spider-man hinted back while enduring the blast.
"Huh?" Hydro-Man wondered what he meant before noticing Iceman freezing his lower body starting from the foot of his stem. "What the!? This is—!?"
But before he could react and try to escape, Sandman—after quickly regaining his strength— sucker-punches Hydro-Man in the face and flings the upper half of his body to the sandy beach, forcing him to turn into his human form again.
"Iceman, now!" Spider-man called.
"Freeze!" Iceman quipped as he fired his ice beam and instantly encased the spooked Hydro-Man into a human ice cube. "Hah! Revenge is so sweet!"
"No kidding," Spider-man chuckled while walking up close and inspecting the frozen Hydro-Man. 'Geez Norman. Bad enough already to make Sandman, and now him…!?'
"Easy there, Webhead, we'll take it from here," George called out.
"Oh. Sure thing officer, but you might wanna have this "walking freezer" around you for a while to keep that prisoner cool. And you might need a giant refrigerator for a cell," Spider-man quiply suggested, referring to Iceman.
"Noted," George answered before turning to Sandman who shrunk back into his human form before the officers. "As for you…"
The police start pointing their guns at the escaped criminal in a frightful and vigilant panic, with him only responding back with his arms open and raised high.
"No wait!" Spider-man defended by placing himself between Sandman and the officers, scaring the nearby bystanders from his action. "Officers, I know this is crazy, but he is not responsible for this destruction. It's just the guy who is frozen to an icicle who caused it!"
"Wasn't he responsible for giving you and all of New York a hard time? Are you sure about this?" George questioned, raising an eyebrow in response.
"Yeah," Ghost Spider intervened, standing beside Spider-man. "He helped us and saved us, that somehow shed some light on his reformation, I think."
Following after were Liz, Kitty, Iceman, Hobie, and several others from behind that witnessed the scene, all of whom are in agreement.
"Hey, I wasn't in it for the dough no more. 'Cause this time, I just found myself an even bigger score," Sandman huffed with a familiar little girl and her mother walking up to him from behind and held his hands. "If you want me, then take me, just promise me to keep these two safe. I got tired of running and hiding around anyway. Just...make sure you give 'em free passes of visiting me during visiting hours, sound good?"
"Mr. Sandman…?" The girl whimpered as she looked up to him with a sad face and gripped his hand tightly.
"Hmm…well…after what happened back on the explosion near the pier months ago, I was having presuppositions that you could become more than some thug on the streets," George contemplated out loud before quietly ordering his men stand down, which annoyed Officers DeWolffe and Carter. "As long as you behave, we won't hold you down for any reason, unless…"
"Wait wait wait, you mean that!?" Sandman asked out of excitement, receiving Capt. George Stacy's nod as answer. "Yes! Yeahaha!"
He then picks up the mother by her waist and raises her up from the ground out of excitement before setting her down from getting conscious of his surroundings.
"Hey! Nice job out there, Sandy. You could make a great hero," Spider-man playfully nudged his arm.
"Nah, I'm no hero, I'm a free man… with a huge score," Sandman smirked, embracing the little girl and her mother with a content smile on his face.
—
"Hey! Johnny! Shouldn't you start packing up your things already?! College is just around the corner!"
"Aw c'mon Sue! One more game!"
Now, in the Baxter Building, the young playful Johnny Storm is currently getting quite the scolding from his older sister Susan Storm, over the fact that Johnny's still lazing around when it is almost time to get ready for moving into college.
"Nope, no more games. You can play them again," Susan angrily replied before forcefully turning off his game console and carrying it inside an invisible levitating bubble. "When you get to your dorm. You hear me? Great, now start packing up. Ben's gonna standby and watch your game while Reed and I are off for some official business."
"Pfft, yeah right," Johnny spat out of irritation and crossed his arms. 'Off to have fun with your boyfriend, that is.'
"C'mon man, let's just get this ruckus over with, then we can start playin'. Got my controller ready," Ben, a large muscular guy whose skin appears to be made of stone while wearing some blue robust spandex pants, smirked while holding his game console and a giant controller the size of his huge hands that's made of a sturdy material that can endure his strength.
"Ugh, fine, we can just place 'em in my car afterwards, then one FPS game coming right up!" Johnny quickly suggested as he starts to organize his clothes and stuff with Ben's help to get ready for college.
"Hey, might need this," Ben suggested as he passed Johnny his blue spandex uniform with the number 4 imprinted on the center.
"Um, sure, thanks," Johnny reluctantly takes the suit, knowing full well that he also packed his own custom made suit behind the others' back for fun purposes. 'My college days won't be boring with this. No doubt about it.'
—
'Well this is just humiliating, utterly humiliating…' Miles thought, disgraced by his superior Norman Osborn, for firing him and tossing him out of his headquarters for the Hydro-Man fiasco. 'Well, his loss, for as long as I have this with me, I can start anew…'
Miles then looks inside his briefcase for safekeeping, holding his research, notes, documents, and then a few unemptied vials, one of which contains a small portion of the red Carnage symbiote. Suddenly, out of nowhere in the dimly lit streets of the night, a black limousine appears and opens its door for the frightened scientist.
"Greetings, doctor, please come in," says the masculine voice.
Without saying another word, Dr. Warren nervously enters the limo and quietly takes his seat, meeting the strange man who invited him into his vehicle.
"You are a really smart man, Dr. Warren. I read your profile," the man smirked, hiding his face in the shadows.
"I am quite flattered, sir," Miles quickly answered.
"No need to be modest. I have been looking for you and your skills in your field of expertise, to be specific. To help me in my ambition and deal with a li'l… pest," the man scoffed at the last bit, gaining Dr. Warren's attention.
"Well you're just in luck. I was dismissed once more, only to be hired again. I hereby accept, um…" Miles nervously trailed off.
"Please, the name's Roderick, Roderick Kingsley. And you're looking at the new—CEO of Oscorp," Roderick smirked with a hint of excitement. "But feel free to call me Boss or sir, whichever is comfortable with you."
—To be continued
A/N: Finally finished this chapter! Sorry for the long wait. Had to deal with exams, extracurriculars, and also some writer's block that delayed me from finishing this. I'll try to start the next chap and do it quickly, hopefully.
Again, thanks for sticking around, God bless, and have fun reading with me! More to come!
