Chapter 3-3

Barton Hamilton sat in the middle of his floor once more, newspaper spread around of his fight with Spider-Man. The Daily Bugle called him 'The Green Goblin' and he thought it had a nice ring to it. He grabs a handful of Skittles from a bowl beside him and shoves them in his mouth. He licks his lips and bites down on his thumb once again. He licks the blood away and sighs heavily.

"Spider-Man," he whispered to himself, "You put up quite a fight, so much in fact that I had to retreat or else my identity would've been exposed." He laughed maniacally.

"You could've killed him," the voice in his head asked, "Why didn't you?"

Hamilton puts his other thumb in his mouth and in between his teeth. "If there is one thing I hate, it's megalomaniacs and Spider-Man is the biggest one. I don't want him to die, I want him to suffer."

"And what did you come up with?"

He bites down. He holds his finger up and a drop of blood drips onto a picture of Spider-Man. "Spider-Man is not only a teenager, but he was bitten by a super-spider at Midtown High on the day ESU came to visit."

"How do you figure?"

Hamilton licks the blood away. "The fundraiser attack was meant to test him physically. His strength, reflexes, his intelligence. Jack told me that there was a spider presented at Midtown High that had been enhanced with the Performance Enhancers and it was missing when he got to the school. I can only conclude that since Spidey fits the criteria of a teenager, the spider escaped in the school and bit a student. Spider-Man and I share the same strength, speed, reflexes, and intelligence. I was able to create my glider and battle armor without any engineering experience and I could tell that Spider-Man was using artificial webs, based on the wristbands that were shooting out an organic substance strong enough for him to swing across like a monkey. His enhanced intelligence allowed him to create a web-shooter. That's where I came up with my theory."

There was a burst of maniacal laughter in his head. It made Hamilton laugh along with it.

"I get what you are doing," the voice said, "I dug inside your brain and your reason for attacking the fundraiser was not only to attract Spider-Man but to prevent ESU from continuing their experiments with the Performance Enhancers."

"I don't want to share this power with anyone. So it works for everyone, me especially."

He reaches over to pick up several files and slaps them down on the ground. "I've diagnosed dozens of people over my twenty years as a psychiatrist, including teenagers. There are six psychopaths at Midtown High. Sounds easy but each one is different but their profile fits Spider-Man almost to a T. I can narrow down the list significantly if I get inside Spider-Man's head. All I gotta do is talk to him and figure out his beliefs. Once I've narrowed down the list significantly, I've already got a plan to deduce his identity."

He pulls out files on Allan, Robert, and Oliver.

"These three kids are all dead, killed each other. The list has been narrowed down to three people: David Dante, Martin Lawton, and Yelena Shotsky."

He looked up and saw the mirror he placed in front of his TV. The voice in his head was coming from the mirror. His smile spread across their faces and they laughed.

The Next Day

David was due for a session with Dr. Hamilton and things were going to be smooth sailing. How?

Because I've studied the doc's behavioral patterns and schedules. Unfortunately, if the worst happens and a crime goes on while I'm Spider-Man, I'm going to be stuck here. But it's a good thing I got Eddie swinging on another crane for me. But if there's a crime, I can't stop it. But at least I'll have a good alibi. 'Oh, where was David when Spider-Man was swinging across that crane on 31st Street, oh that's right, he was in a therapy session with Dr. Hamilton'. A witness and a tape recording will prove me innocent.

David sits on the couch and waits patiently for Hamilton to arrive in the room. Once the good doctor comes in, David stands and looks at the man. "Dr. Hamilton, always a facadal pleasure to meet you."

"'Facadal', what does that mean?"

"It means 'facade', but with an A-L added in the end instead of an 'E'."

"Ahh, so you're working in semantics now. Good for you, David." Hamilton sits behind a desk and pulls out a clipboard. After writing something on the paper, he turns to David. "So, how has your week been, David?"

"Ahh, pleasurable. I'm getting more and more time to spend with this sexy girl I enjoy the company of and I found a new companion."

"A new companion? Well, there's Eddie Brock so who is the other?"

"I can count on your discretion that you'll keep this to yourself, right?"

"Doctor-patient confidential."

I know EVERYTHING about doctor-patient confidentiality.

"Of course. I love the law, especially when things go my way."

Hamilton chuckles. "So, tell me about this person."

"Oh, for this session, I'm not going to reveal her name so I'm going to call her Cindy."

"Cindy." Hamilton writes the name down. "What is it about this new companion that intrigues you so much."

David smiles and rests his head on the couch. "She figured out who I am."

Hamilton stares at the young boy. "And... what do you mean by that? Did she figure out that you were... a psychopath?"

"Yes." David looks at his doctor. "And I gotta say that it feels nice to share my identity with someone other than you and my parents. The reason: most human beings are stupid creatures."

Hamilton laughs. "Well, I don't think it's that humans are stupid creatures; I think it has something to do with the environment they were raised in."

"And what makes you say that?"

Hamilton puts down his clipboard. "Well, you see, humans grow up with certain trains that they're born with. They may suppress or control these traits but they're still there. You can't change these parts of the human because it is human nature. But society found a way to keep those innate traits from causing too much collateral damage. This is where laws come in."

"I know all about laws," David interrupts and nods, "it's laws that make me cautious of everything I do. I understand that I'm different from most human beings but do you think that means I would just blindly break rules?"

"Nature vs nurture." Hamilton laces his fingers together. "Nature vs nurture is one of my favorite topics to discuss. You are a prime example of nature vs nurture. Your nature is that you were born with sadistic urges and a lack of empathy or conscience. Yet, because of the way you were nurtured, you have a stable life and a stable way of functioning in life."

Gee, I guess that's why I'm called high-functioning.

David shrugs. "I'm more than familiar with this concept. Nature vs nurture. Are people killers by nature or by nurture? I was born a psychopath so that's nature but I'm functioning because of nurture so I believe to say that it's an either/or situation between nature and nurture is absurd. But... there is some merit." David copies Hamilton's movement and laces his fingers together. "I believe that nature and nurture go hand in hand but I also believe that they can cancel each other out."

"Ooh, do elaborate."

"Well, think about it for a second. Some human beings in this world had the best childhood, a great childhood, who grow up to be upstanding figures in society, yet, when they're given a dose of power, they lose themselves and become something unrecognizable."

"Power corrupts. Abraham Lincoln has a famous quote about that, David, I'm sure you're aware of it."

"I am. As a matter of fact, I could recite the quote by heart... but it's not the quoting of the saying that gets me but the meaning behind it. If you want to test a man's character, give him power." He puts a hand on his chest. "I have never believed that power corrupts. I have always believed that anybody is capable of doing something bad or evil if given the right circumstances. The same goes for them doing bad or heroic things. However, I'm more interested in the idea of self-identity. Ideas and concepts like... 'Was I always like this before I obtained this power or did this power change me?' If you have to ask this question then I know everything about your character."

"Interesting. Why is that?"

David goes silently before laughing. "I am 100% aware of the fact that I am a cold-blooded, emotionless, ruthless, sadistic, remorseless bastard. If you give me a chance, I will torture a dog and I will do it gleefully. If you give me the power to kill someone, I will do it. I don't care about other human begins but I would rather kill assholes than innocent people." He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. "Now, if you give a regular human being, one with emotions, a knife and tell them to torture a dog, there will be varying results. We may never know what is going on inside the human's brain because Mr. X is a comic book character... but we at least get a glimpse into the kind of person the kid holding the knife is. What will be going on in their minds is... 'Should I... could I... will I?' all these questions will be ringing through that person's mind. Whether they go through with it or not, the person gets an understanding of what kind of person they are. They learn a little bit more about their true character."

"That's an interesting way of thinking, David. So, you believe that power doesn't corrupt but rather, reveals what kind of person you are?"

"Yes. But I won't ever fall into this little bracket."

"Why not?"

"Because I already know that I'm a sadistic bastard and all of the other aforementioned descriptions. I guarantee if you give me power, then I will remain relatively the same. I know of my nature but the nurture part of the argument comes in right here. Mom and Dad raised me, cared for me, loved me, even when they didn't have to. They didn't abuse me or neglect me. They taught me values and how to understand humans as best as I could. They gave me standards for me to follow. I know under the worst kind of circumstances, I could break my morals at any time... but I don't want to break my morals and standards. Why, because I was raised properly. My parents, I respect them and because of that, I hold onto my morals and standards for them. Don't get me wrong; I am still capable of breaking my morals and standards at any time but I choose not to."

He smiles at the doctor. "Nature... vs... nurture."

"You have an interesting way of thinking, David. So, how do you feel about people who are given power and stay relatively the same?"

Oh, you mean like me? I love me.

"I respect them because they're already aware of their self-identity. People who need power to understand their true selves, on the other hand, I don't respect."

"Funny, because I've always believed that power corrupts. I believe that if you give anyone a sense of power then no matter how good-hearted that person is, they will eventually give in to their dark urges. By this logic, since some people give in to their dark urges quicker rather than others, like serial killers, does that mean you respect them?"

Okay, now you're grasping at straws, doc.

"We all have dark urges, doctor, but being aware of them is what matters. Serial killers and other sadistic people who are just as cruel and evil on the outside as they are on the inside, I have no respect for them. The reason because: they lean too much on one side; they let their dark side take over too much. It's like the Carl Jungian idea about the duality of man. One cannot be good without being evil. We should not pretend our dark side doesn't exist because that will backfire. What we need to do is be aware that we have a dark side and embrace it. If you embrace both sides of yourself, then you win. You understand your character."

"What is it about other people's character that intrigues you so much? We've been talking for about ten minutes and you keep mentioning a person's character. What is it about a person's character that you love so much?"

He's prying too much.

David narrows his eyes. "I feel like I'm the only one talking. How about you talk every now and then?"

Hamilton shrugs. "Okay, fair. What is my self-identity and character? Well, I was raised in a household where I grew up believing that making sacrifices for the greater good is the best thing a person could ever do. And I think I have indulged myself in this concept. I have three jobs and all of them have to do with helping society."

Three jobs? I knew he was a lawyer and a psychologist so what is the third job? Probably a PSYCHIATRIST.

"I've never held a long-term relationship in the last eight years, I haven't been kissed by a beautiful woman in a long time, and I have never been too happy about my life. It is exhausting doing three jobs at once while trying to maintain a healthy life but this is what I'm doing for the better of humanity. IN this career, I'm helping psychopaths like you function in society. In my other career, I'm giving people second chances by representing them in court."

David smiles. "So... is that your little secret? You like being self-destructive?"

"It's not being self-destructive -"

"What is power to you, Dr. Hamilton? Because power can have different meanings in some areas and be interpreted in many ways. I believe that power is the ability to do what you want, when you want, either one, without being worried about consequences. There may be some consequences but you don't have to worry about them, maybe because you're above them, you make the rules and punishments, or you're too fast for consequences."

"Like Spider-Man?"

David narrows his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think of his character? I want to hear your nature vs nurture argument on Spider-Man. I'll give you mind if you want as well."

David chuckles. "Spider-Man's an interesting fella. Because on the one hand, he is killing criminals but on the other hand, he is saving people. Going by the argument I made earlier..."

I got to be VERY careful with what I say around this doctor.

"... I believe that Spider-Man is either a person raised with values or someone who is saving civilians as a red herring. On one hand, if he was a good and upstanding person behind his mask, then he wouldn't kill people. On the other hand, he balances his killing with saving people. I see him as someone aware that he has a dark side but tries to balance out his dark side by doing good and saving people. He is aware of his character so by that logic, I respect."

I didn't need power to know who I was. Green Goblin on the other hand, I'm not so sure.

Hamilton chuckles. "Funny, because -"

"Green Goblin," he interrupts, "on the other hand is a completely different story. Killing is frowned upon in society and yet, when he put on that ugly green mask, he flew around on some kind of hoverboard or whatever and bombed a place full of innocent people. I don't know why he did but it looked like he enjoyed it. I do not enjoy his presence because one: I was at that fundraiser and he put my mother in danger and two: he put my mother in danger."

Hamilton flinches. "Aww, I never heard you say something so nice about your mother before."

"I enjoy my mother's presence because she is such a good person. Green Goblin, I do not respect him or like him for almost killing my mother and I hope that Spider-Man will kill him sooner rather than later."

Hamilton smirks. "I'm sensing some biases in your opinions and inconsistencies."

Ahh, the one thing humans LOVE to get into arguments about: double standards, biases, and differences of opinions.

"Of course. I may not be human in the traditional way but every human has an inconsistency and irrational way of thinking. If a human is thinking rationally, then they are a robot. I have opinions of my own and biases that will be inconsistent with what I believe and not even I am immune to double standards but I don't care. As an American... German-American... I was born in a country that allows me the freedom of opinion and speech so I'm free to believe what I want." He smirks. "Now, tell me what you think about Spider-Man and Green Goblin?"

"They're both murderers. Period."

"Aww, and here I was pouring my heart and soul out to you. I think I got an idea as to what kind of person you are: someone so lost in doing the right thing that you forgot you had opinions and indulgences of yourself."

"Maybe so." He leans back in his chair and stares off into space. "I don't know... I just don't know."

"Huh? Who are you talking to?"

Hamilton blinks before looking at David. "Oh, just talking to myself, thinking aloud."

"Uh-huh."

"Is this why you're so interested in psychology?"

"The human mind fascinates me. Nature vs nurture, Carl Jungian, Sigmund Freud, the mind works in many ways. They say the mind is a powerful tool and I believe it. There are forces in this world that boggle the human mind and I can't help but wonder why. And that's why I want to get into a psychology career when I grow up."

"Plan on becoming famous?"

"Nope, just average."

"Ahh, still sticking to the same kind of goal."

"Yep."

Hamilton looks at his watch. "Huh, we have thirty more minutes left. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Eh, nothing too major."

"Oh yeah, by the way, I want to circle back to this one girl who knows about you. Cindy or whatever her name is, aren't you worried she'll talk about you being a psychopath?"

"Nah, she'll be fine. I think she's scared of me and there's a part of me that thoroughly enjoys it."

"Good to know."

You only need to know what I WANT you to know about Cindy, doctor. I should keep an eye on her and get her on my side. She's already my ally - somewhat - but I need to instill a sense of trust within her. It's how we BOTH survive.

Later That Night

It's been a day or two since that whole incident at the fundraiser with Green Goblin. People are shouting in the streets, begging God for mercy, as if some invisible person in the sky will grant them that mercy. I've never been a believer in God because the whole concept sounds absurd to me. A man in the sky watching over us? I've seen no evidence in life to support that fact. I believe dinosaurs are real because I've seen fossils to prove their existence.

As for black cats and their ability to cause bad luck, I've never believed in that superstition until I met that ferocious feline. Obviously, there is some kind of telekinesis on her end, maybe subconscious, but there IS an explanation as to why her powers are working that way. If I want to defeat Green Goblin as soon as possible, I need to be able to take down a superhuman like Black Cat. If I can beat her, I can beat anyone.

After all, it's only a matter of time before another superhuman shows up.

Spidey swings across the city before his spider-sense alerts him of a break-in at an art gallery. Spidey quickly swings over to the art gallery and lands on a light pole overlooking the gallery. Spidey webs himself onto the roof and looks around.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

Spidey finds an open air vent on the roof and climbs through. He crawls through the ventilation system for a few minutes before finding another open air vent.

He spots Black Cat carving a hole in a glass display before kicking it in. She crawls through and steals a Mona Lisa painting.

Ahh, so the art gallery that one thief broke into a few weeks ago is finally getting broken into again by Black Cat. Maybe I should give this dashing feline a heads-up that the Mona Lisa painting in her hands is a fake. The curators are paranoid so they installed some fake paintings.

He smirks under the mask.

On second thought...

Spidey rips a piece of debris on the side of his hand from the ceiling and chucks it at the front door of the gallery. He breaks the window and the alarm goes off.

Black Cat jumps in surprise and looks around. When she looked up, Spidey was already out of sight and hiding.

Several security guards came rushing into the room armed with flashlights.

"Hey boys," Black Cat purrs, "I saw this painting was a fake so I decided to replace it with a new one."

"Stop right there," the head guard orders.

"Don't worry, boys..." she winks at the light above them, "I promise to clean up whatever mess I make."

The lights go out suddenly and leave the security trapped in darkness. Black Cat drops a smoke grenade and vanishes from sight. The guards search the area once the smoke clears out and draw their guns, ready to shoot on sight.

"You are not going anywhere thief, we're going to lock you in this building until the police arrive."

There were four guards in total and all of them were spread out. They search carefully, cocking the hammers on their pistols, and walk around.

The chandelier above them disconnects and falls in the center of the ground. The guards were out of its reach but they still felt the effects and jumped.

Black Cat snuck up on the first guard and put him in a chokehold. Seeing that he wasn't going down and struggling against her grip, she took out a pin and jabbed him in the neck. The guard loses consciousness and goes under.

A flashlight beam lands on her. "Freeze!"

Black Cat looks at the guard and winks at him.

The gun explodes in the guard's hand, sending him into a frenzy of pain. Black Cat rushes him, takes out a baton, strikes him across the head, and renders him unconscious. She hides behind another display case and waits patiently.

The last two guards were closing in on her position. The two check on the unconscious guards and one of them uses their radio. Black Cat spots them and readies a smoke grenade. She winks at them once more, causing their flashlights to go out on them. Stuck in total darkness, Black Cat throws the smoke grenade at them, engulfing them in thick white smoke.

Black Cat rushes at the first person and uses her baton to take him out, before turning to the second one and jabbing him in the neck with another pin.

With the four guards unconscious, the lights come back on once more and Black Cat walks over to the painting she dropped. She holds it up, stares it in the eyes, and smashes it against her knee before throwing it down to the ground in a fit of anger.

"Goddamn it." She sighs softly before turning away and uses a grappling hook to pull herself to the air vent she came through and retreat from the area.

Clinging to the ceiling just above the broken Mona Lisa, Spidey grins behind his mask.

So... that's your fighting style, Black Cat... I like it.