Chapter 6.
Summery.
Face to face with the darkness.
Notes.
Another chapter is here and yeah, looks like I'm hyperfixated on this au lkljlkj
Anyways, enjoy =)
"Oh great, even more bad guys to deal with" As soon as the words flew out of his mouth, two silhouettes turned around. It were two strangely deformed robots, most of their tentacles were ripped off and their bodies looked damaged, "Eesh, is this a new trend? Half broken robots?"
They ran in his direction, trying to attack him. With a back flip, he landed on the wall, "Wha-? Okay, now this really starts to give me the strong feeling of deja vu" He looked at his now costumed self before looking back at robots.
"Oh, come on! I hadn't been in the game for just few hours, but you two missed me so much already?" He jumped to the right, avoiding the attack, "Not by my free will I was gone, you know? I never wanted to end up trapped in my own, now Gobliny, body, but yeah, I think you get the message"
Jumping away, he shot webs towards nearest table and threw it towards two robots. It knocked them on the floor, "It was easy. A bit too easy…" He mumbled and quickly jumped back. The floor cracked and giant hand tried to catch him.
"Now it really starts to look familiar" He jumped on the ceiling and stared at the hand. It was trying to find him and catch, but found only two broken Octobots instead. Taking them, it disappeared in the darkness.
"Geez, it keeps on getting weirder and weirder each new second" He mumbled. Suddenly his spider sense went off and, with a spin, he landed on another table, "What now? The invisible guy? Or some sort of super small flying army that will be trying to-"
His voice died down when he saw another figure, the figure of the one who attacked him. It was someone he knew. It was someone he wasn't prepared to see here. It was someone he knew so well…
His best friend.
"Harry" He whispered. The figure didn't react, instead he raised his glove and shot in Spidey's direction, making him jump away, "Hey! I thought the time when we fought against each other ended years ago! We are teammates, remember? You've said it yourself even when I was partly green and raging!"
Another shot in Spidey's direction made him hide behind the table, "Okay, I get it, you might've got a bit angry at me for what I've done, but it wasn't my fault!" He looked at Harry's ghostly projection, "Well, not fully me as me, but more of a, other me who isn't me, fault?"
(Geez, how do I explain this?) He put a hand on his face, white eyes of his mask narrowed a bit. He stood silent for few moments, looking at frozen Harry before sighing (Why do I even try to explain this? It's not even real!)
"Okay, my angry, created by my imagination, friend that tries to kill me, do you, by chance, know how to get out of here? This place starts to give me creeps" He looked at the dark and corrupted looking walls and even darker ceiling, "Yeah, giant creeps"
Getting no response from him, Spidey sighed, "Okay, still thanks for the company, but I gotta go" He dodged from another attack and crawled into the vents, "This place is like a muzzle. Keeps changing each time I close my eyes"
Crawling to the end of the vent, he jumped out of it and looked around another room. There he saw his other friends. All of them looked deformed and angry, "Oh, not you too" He took a step back looking at his original teammates.
(I'm starting to believe that ghostly projection of skull face was actually right) He glared at White tiger and frowned. (I think I got a bit too big dose of that thing. Guess it'll take a while for it to weaken down… Looks like until then, I'm trapped here)
Turning back to the four, he jumped back, avoiding the fists of Power man, "Hey pal! Long time, no seen!" He dodged from another attack, "Yeah, I know, I promised to give a call, but plans changed dramatically awful"
His spider sense ringed and he dodged from White tiger's attack. Shoting webs at her, he made a spin and threw her in Power man's direction, knocking them both to the floor, "Yeah, sorry about that too, should have warned ya"
"Woah!" He quickly jumped on the wall, avoiding Nova's attack, "Got twice the energetic I see? Good for you my friend, good for you. It's always great when you have a lot of energy, but bad when this energy is used on destruction"
Catching Nova by his leg, he threw him away, "I mean, I got turned into some sort of Half Goblin creature and went on a rampage!" He dodged from Iron fist's attack, "Me! Spider man! Can you actually believe it?"
"It's so crazy!" He blocked the punch and shot webs to blind Power man before kicking him in the chin, "Almost as crazy as me sharing all of this with my not even real friends who keep on trying to take me down"
"But seriously, what's with all this fighting?" He jumped on the wall and stared at the four of them, "Okay, I get it that Goblin by nature is destructive and aggressive, but what's with trying to murder me? Is it my own mind trying to kill me?"
"And the final price gets won by none other than Spiderman himself!" The voice said and scene changed once again. He was no longer in the room with four superheroes, but on the giant empty stage under the spotlight.
"Okay, seriously, copying someone else's tricks doesn't make you look any more threatening" Spidey waved his hands in the air, "I've already been through this nightmare parade and i know that I have my friends waiting for me to return to them! So step aside or get in fight!"
He raised his fists in the air. Silence and darkness around him were strangely cold, yet he didn't pay any attention to the feeling. He knew he had friends and family who needs him and it made his inner flame burn brighter.
"Interesting to see how you positively take in all that happened" The shadow moved in the darkness, making Spidey's eyes narrow, "Almost as interesting as the fact that that brat somehow reached out to you. You were supposed to drown there…"
"That's what friends for! Even in the toughest times they always stand by each other's side!" He shot webs in the shadow, but it moved away, "That's what you obviously don't understand! The meaning of friendship and trust!"
"Friendship and trust, how funny to hear it from someone who tried to murder his so called 'best friend' three times" Shadow suddenly moved forward and stood right before Spiderman, "Not to mention how alike you two are"
"Yeah, you've said this so many times already!" He punched the shadow, but it only vanished and recreated itself not so far from him, "And I'm honestly starting to believe you're repeating this because of loose of originality. Have nothing else to say?"
"Oh, I do have it Spiderman. Another thing you two share is lying" The shadow laughed and once again disappeared in the darkness, "That day when you were in hospital he lied to you, don't you remember? Don't you remember how he was trying not to look in your eyes?"
"You're just a speaking MY thoughts out, nothing new" Spidey took a step forward, the spotlight above his head followed him, "I trust my friend, this is why I gave him a chance to tell everything when he'll feel like sharing!"
Spotlight suddenly started blinking rapidly and a moment later exploded. Spidey quickly turned on the night vision, "Then you shouldn't have trusted him so much!" His spider sense ringed when powerful fist met with his chin and knocked him on the floor.
"Then who should've I trusted? You!?" Spidey drew himself on his feet, "You, who turned me into some sort of Goblin freak and made me destroy the city? Do you even know HOW many times I had to save it from bad guys like you?"
"I didn't make you destroy the city, it was all you. I only showed you how the story can go if you lose control of your fate" Shadow tried to punch him again, but this time Spidey managed to catch him by his arm and throw away.
"Not by my own will it happened!" He shot webs in the shadow and pulled him on himself before kicking in the chest, "What? Found out Harry was immune and decided to play 'Will it work or not' game? What would have happened if your plan failed!?"
"But it didn't fail, did it?" The spotlight above their heads finally turned back on. Taskmaster's ghostly projection stood only few meters away from him, "Spiderman as the Goblin, just the sound of it feels wrong. This only adds the bonus to the cake!"
"Yeah, just like all your speeches of me being a perfect candidate and a dangerous weapon" Spidey put a hand on a rib, "Don't get me wrong, ghostly skull face, but your attempts in controlling your ' dangerous weapon' are as low as the hell"
"Have I ever said that I plan to control you?" The ghostly projection of his enemy laughed and thousands of voices repeated after him, "Oh, there's absolutely no need to. On the quite opposite, once your sanity returns, you will be more than glad to take full control of the situation"
"You've had a long and great training at S.H.I.L.D, wore so many suits and know how to deal with different kinds of tech" He took a step towards Spidey, "And on the top of it you became the same monster you once fought, the monster that will be using all his knowledge against his friends"
"This won't happen!" He dashed towards ghostly Taskmaster and punched him, but the man blocked it, "Soon enough everything will return back to normal, so don't get too comfortable with keeping an upper hand. I will be cured soon!"
"Oh, but will the curing solve all the damage you caused? Will it make the memories disappear?" He stared Spidey in the eyes, "You liked it, didn't you? Destroy and hurt people who hurt you in the past. Don't give me that face, I heard it myself" Smirk appeared on his ghostly skull face.
"What you heard, were roars of a mindless monster while I was drowning here!" He shot webs towards him and pulled on himself before punching, "And now, all you're doing is trying to hold me here so I won't find a way out of here!"
Taskmaster stood on legs and chuckled, "Do you really want to return to your pathetic super hero life? Do you really want to return to that cage of responsibilities by your own will and serve people by saving their lives and risking your own? Is it truly worth it…?"
"It is worth it, Taskmaster" He stood tall and stared at the ghostly bad guy before him, "Everyone have their motives for doing something, you said it yourself" He took a step toward him, "Heroes, Villains, just people in the town. Everyone"
"And what are your motives? The words of your pathetic Uncle?" He took a step back, looking at the hero. They both stood there, eyes locked on each other faces, silence was loudly ringing in the air and only quiet heartbeat was heard. None of them noticed how darkness was circling around them.
"Not only this" He finally said, small smile appeared on his lips, "It's just me, who I am and how I do. I wouldn't have been me without it" He raised his hand and pointed at Taskmaster, "I will find a way how to get out of here, Taskmaster and i-"
Loud roar interrupted the hero and darkness finally morphed into a giant figure. It caught Taskmaster's ghostly projection and brutally ripped him to two halves. No sound escaped villain's throat when he fully vanished.
"Yikes!" Peter jumped back and stared at the figure before him. The figure was giant, its shape looked similar to the Goblin, yet something was different. It looked different, it moved different. It was different.
"Um, hello? I wasn't expecting any new visitors today, I kinda had enough already, but I think if you wanted to say hi-" He jumped to the right and barely managed to dodge when the figure leaped in his direction. It was moving as fast as him.
With quiet growling the figure turned to look at him. Spidey felt chills run down his spine as he stared at his own completely yellow eyes, "Is this how I- my body looks like after… that?" He asked quietly, starting at the creature before him.
It had his human features, face, hair and even eyes, yet also had Goblin's.
Long and pointy ears, clawed hands and feet, bulky body, sharp teeth, yet there was something about it that made Spidey took a step back.
Its skin wasn't fully mossy green colored. Only ears, from hands to elbows, from foot to shin.
There was also small scar looking mark on its right cheek as well as mark on his neck.
More to it, the monster wore his Spiderman suit.
(Saying it's not creepy will be a lie, it's creepy. Awfully lot) Spidey stared at the readers. (I was expecting anything, but this? No way!) He once again looked at his transformed self. (But at least it now explains why they keep calling me- him Half Goblin)
"Look, me – argh, you? Us? Man, how do I start?" He mumbled, but immediately jumped back to avoid the attack, "Hey! Don't attack your own self, me!" He once again dodged another attack, "Since when you got so vicious at your reflection?"
Flipping himself and landing far away from him, Spidey sighed, "Have I ever mentioned that I had enough of the Goblin? Well guess what? I had enough of him!" He shot webs towards the spotlight and pulled on himself.
Bright light blinded the creature, making it howl and cover its eyes, "Oh great, not only I, look like someone preparing for a Halloween, but also act like an animal!" He groaned, "S.H.I.L.D is so going to kill me if find out, and I'm pretty sure they will knowing Nick Fury"
"Okay mister big guy who didn't want to take the cure, it's time we-" His sentence got cut short when powerful fist landed on his chin. With a flip, Spidey landed on his feet and dodged from combo of attacks and kicks.
"Okay, if you don't want to talk, then we'll just go by classic" He shot webs towards creature's eyes in an attempt to blind him, but it caught the web and pulled the hero on itself before punching him in the chest.
Spidey collapsed on the floor and groaned, but quickly jumped back, avoiding another fist, "Alright, looks like Spidey's classic moves won't work here. I mean, I could have expected this, you are me after all"
The monster only growled and charged at Spidey once again. Spidey jumped to the side to avoid the attack, but the monster did the same and powerful punch sent the hero flying away. The location changed and he hit the wall.
"Argh… Okay, I think get it" He stood on his legs and looked in his yellow eyes, "You're angry that you got turned into the Goblin, I get it, I'm as angry as you are" He waved his hand in the air, "So how about we'll work together to fix this? Like the idea?"
The answer to him was silence. They both stared at each other, "Oh, seriously! Just say something already! Silent session isn't going to help at all!" Spidey took a step towards his altered copy, "We need to work together to-"
The beast suddenly leaped forward and, snapped his fangs, trying to bite him. Spidey quickly jumped back, then again and again, "Okay, fine, you won! Don't want to work together then speak your ideas!" He landed on the wall.
The response to him was only growling. Spidey shook his head slightly, "Never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to get disappointed in my own self" He jumped on the floor, looking at his altered copy, "Kick that Goblin juice out of your head already!"
The monster only glared at him. Yellow eyes shined brightly as the creature stared in his soul. Spidey flinched a bit from the stare, "Brrr, on a second thought, would you mind stop staring at me like that? This cold glare doesn't suit my face"
The creature didn't flinch, but the room did. Spidey quickly jumped back when the floor behind him shattered. Soon enough he found himself in one of the S.H.I.L.D train rooms, "Woah, is this some sort of memory travelling or something? Cause I don't-"
He didn't finish. The powerful punch sent him flying across the room. He hit the wall and immediately jumped away when one of familiar guns appeared from the wall and shot in his direction, "Now that's cheating!"
"Is it?"
"Huh?" Spidey quickly dodged another attack and looked around. The voice that he had heard was strangely familiar, yet deformed and quiet, "A new guest? I thought we already had enough of them" He made a front flip.
Landing on the shoulders of his altered self, he shot webs and finally blocked him the ability to see, "Sorry for that, me, but you left me no choice" He kicked him in the back, knocking away and shot webs to destroy one of the guns.
"S.H.I.L.D trained you well, Ultimate Spider Man, the title you think you earned" Taskmaster's words echoed in his head when Spidey deactivated another gun and jumped to the right, hiding from the lazers.
With a frown, he carefully looked out of his hiding spot and immediately was caught. The next moment he knew, he was flying towards one of the drones, "Oh, boy" He quickly shot webs towards the ceiling and managed to avoid the machine.
"You are me! You are supposed to be on my side!" He landed on the wall and stared at the half-goblin. The monster only roared at him before switching to the drones, "Am I really this stubborn?" He asked dodging from the attack of a gun.
"Seriously, what's with the attitude?" He shot webs towards two drones and slammed them together, "Attacked Harry, beaten MJ till she lost consciousness, tried to kill Norman, not to mention the damage you caused in the city!" He threw his hands in the air.
"If there's one thing I'm agreeing with Taskmaster, It's the fact that you'll be so grounded!" He stopped and blinked, "I'll be so grounded? We will be so… Argh! Forget it!" He dodged another drone and stood back to back with his altered self.
"Um… Truce?" He asked awkwardly. Yellow eyes narrowed.
"Or maybe not" The hero quickly dodged from the monster's brutal combo of attacks before getting hit with one of the lazers, "Ough, I don't remember them be so painful back in the real world" He rubbed his hurting side.
Suddenly he found himself lifted high in the air and thrown towards the wall of the drones. Quickly reacting, he made a spin and knocked most of them on the floor. Landing on his feet, he glared at the one who did it. The creature wasn't looking at him, it was focused on the remained drones.
"Huh, guess I did manage to reach out to me hidden deep within all that rage after all" He mumbled before making a back flip and landing on one of the robots, "One point to Spidey for finding a way to talk to a monster version of himself. No offence!" He quickly added, hearing low growling.
(But it still doesn't explain how there are two of me) He glared at the Goblin creature (The one who is a goblin and the other who's me) He frowned (Or maybe, since I didn't become fully Goblin it somehow split me into two halves? Does it even make sense?)
"You're doing great!" He shouted at the goblin creature, trying to keep the more or less friendly attitude with it, "There are only few of them remained and we-" His voice died when lights in the room started to flinch. A moment later he found himself electrified.
Falling on the floor with a scream of pain, he surprisingly heard another one. The monster version of him was also electrified and howling in pain. Suddenly everything stopped and both of them were able to breathe again.
Looking up, Spidey found himself in the open area once again. With a quick turn of his head, he looked at the creature, but there was no one, "I think I need to stop trying to understand what's going on here" He mumbled as he drew himself on his feet.
Quiet sound of the wind howled as he took a step forward. Once again he was near that water. Recalling the taste of that thing, he grimaced, "Note to self, never ever drink anything green. Green lemonade also counts"
With another step forward, his spider sense went off. Jumping high in the air, he shot webs towards the one who tried to attack him and met with his best friend's ghostly fist instead that knocked him on the ground.
"Harry! Argh, why punching so-" His words got cut short when Patrioteer's ghostly figure faded and morphed. Now Spidey was facing Spider Woman. Her face was blank, fists raised in the air. She was ready to fight.
"Fighting with a shapeshifter that takes forms of my friends and enemies to defeat me?" He stood and cracked his knuckles, "Alright, I'm in. Show me what you've got!" He sprinted towards his new opponent.
With a few dodges and punches, he knocked her on the floor and jumped back, avoiding Rhino's attack. Blocking his attacks, he suddenly found himself high in the air in Vulture's grip, "Hey Adrian, I see you're a birdy again, huh?"
He broke free from the grip with ease and webbed him. Landing on the ground, he quickly jumped away, avoiding the claws of the Lizard. One by one he fought with all the villains, one by one each of them failed. The last one remained.
"Alright, who's the final boss?" He slammed his fists together. He was full of energy and excitement, like a small child who was ready to take the final price, "Doctor Octopus? Goblin? Taskmaster? Which one of you?"
The shadow before him morphed and suddenly split in three. The moment later three figures stood before him. Spidey put a hand on his chin, looking at them one by one, "Uh-huh, so three against one, huh? Not very fair to me"
"But more than fair to us" The Goblin growled and the three sprinted in his direction. Spidey quickly dodged from metallic tentacles, then avoided the attacks of claws and electricity and lastly escaped the gun shots.
"No, seriously! This is more than unfair!" Spidey jumped away from another attack of metallic tentacles, "The Goblin was defeated and forever cured. Otto, you've decided to turn the page and start a new story!"
"And Taskmaster-" He suddenly stopped himself. Strange anger rose in his soul, making it harder to breathe. "You… Y-you…" He caught his neck and looked at him. His eyes narrowed a bit when he saw a smirk on villain's skull.
The smirk made spark of anger in his soul burn brighter. Spidey quickly shook his head and closed his eyes. No longer seeing him, helped the anger die down. So that's why he's also here. He's here because of what he'd done to him.
"Playing dirty, huh?" He asked and jumped back to avoid the attack, "Were interested will I be able to defeat you all with my eyes closed? Well, too bad for you I have my spider sense that is on my side!" He avoided another attack.
"You're talking too much" Growled the low voice. Spidey once again dodged another attack and shot webs in random direction, to his luck he caught the chair and threw it in their direction. By the sound that followed, he missed.
"Can you blame me? We all have traits of our personalities that look annoying to people around us" He shrugged and made a back flip, landing on the wall, "But you know what I find strange? It's that i hear no talking or joking from you. What gives?"
The answer to him was silence and only the sound of fast footsteps was heard. Spidey groaned and opened his eyes, "Oh, come on, no need to be so-" He didn't finish. Powerful punch landed on his chest and made the wall broke.
He flew away and collapsed into the cold water, "Hey! That's not a swimming suit!" He tried to swim to the ground, but tight grip on his neck stopped him. Trying to weaken the grip, he looked at the one who did it, "I thought we dealt with this!"
"I already told you. Thinking was never your strongest side" The creature growled, making Spidey's eyes open wide. Before Spidey was able to do anything, he was dragged under the water. Trying to break free, he saw the stare of yellow eyes, second later clawed hand removed the mask from his face.
Each passing second it was becoming harder to breathe, his lungs were burning, his head was hurting. Loud noise filled his ears, but suddenly the grip on his neck disappeared, just like the monster. He was all alone.
Quiet faded voices started shouting something, but they were too far, they were too quiet, they were… Sudden sharp and agonizing pain made him catch his neck, last remains of air escaped his mouth with a silent scream.
His body felt like it was on fire. Every little bit of his being was screaming, begging for the pain to stop. He tried to swim, to escape, but couldn't. His body wasn't listening to him, he became the prisoner of his own flesh and bones.
"Love is what's going to kill you, Peter Parker. You and everybody you love!" The voice laughed. Loud whispers around him got louder. They were screaming and shouting, hissing and mumbling. Repeating everything he had been through, every little bad thing he faced in his life.
He tried to yell, but no sound came. Whispers turned into loud laughing, as loud and defying as the whispers before it. Pain got to its limit when his veins started to shine bright green reflecting the thing he was drowning in.
"The closest ones are the ones who suffer the most!" Loud laughter shattered the water like ice. He started to fall down, deeper and deeper into the darkness until he collapsed on the floor, until he heard familiar voice.
Drawing himself on his feet, he dashed forward. He saw the face of his Uncle, the smile on his lips, but loud roar of a lightning and he was facing the killer. The man was looking at him with fear, like a fly caught in spider's trap.
"You've said you realized the responsibility of your action, how you turned the death of your Uncle into something different, something heroic"
With a step back he found himself on the S.H.I.L.D. base. His teammates were looking at him with empty faces and they were laughing. Nick Fury stood before him. His stare was full of disappointment and anger.
"Always bullied, joked, and not taken seriously. Seen as nothing but a weak nerd"
Suddenly the floor shattered and he was standing in his house, his Aunt wasn't looking at him. The house itself looked corrupted and dark, "Aunt May-" He took a step forward, but she faded away and he was standing in front of Uncle Ben's grave.
"An orphan with nobody but his Aunt"
With a shake on his head, he suddenly found himself before his two best friends. Their faces were also dark, they were walking towards him with anger. Soon enough they transformed into Carnage queen and Venom, and leaped in his direction.
"How much you've faced already? How many lives saved, how many times failed"
Jumping back to avoid the attack, the surroundings changed once again. Scene after scene, memory after memory, he was seeing everything, with each switch it was becoming faster, noises becoming louder. Voices filled everything, colors were blindly bright, and everything was blurred as he ran.
"You continue to play your hero role even after getting altered. Is it really worth it all?"
Each passing second was making his heart beat faster. He didn't know why he was running, he didn't know where he was running, all he knew, he needed this all to stop. The noises, the scenes, everything around him were so loud, so bright.
"This is why you don't know when to give up"
Suddenly he saw himself. Back when he was just Peter Parker, a regular boy, nothing but a nerd and a punching bag. He stopped, staring at the boy before him, the boy stared back at him with surprise in his blue eyes.
Before he could say a word, the scene changed and he saw himself after he was bitten by radioactive spider and became something more than just Peter Parker. It was a selfish boy with superpowers who was looking at him with narrowed eyes and a smirk on his lips.
He tried to open his mouth, to say something- anything, but couldn't. With a step back and he quickly crouched when something flew above his head. Looking up, he saw himself as Spider man. As a hero he is today.
Running towards him, everything changed. Town turned into pitch black endless void. Sounds disappeared, leaving him in silence. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, it was the only sound he heard. With each new beat of it, fear was rising higher in his soul.
He continued to run, quiet voices around him continued to whisper things. Suddenly something giant and massive blocked his way. It was Venom. The chaotic symbiote that was seeking for Spider. And the thing that later bonded with his best friend.
"We are Venom!" It jumped in his direction, claws first. Its white eyes were narrowed, locked on his face. Spidey jumped to the right, dodging from the attack and leaping away from the figure.
Not so far from himself, he saw a small symbiote. Carnage. It was hissing at him, its eyes locked on his face. Only second passed and the red creature dashed in his direction, tendrils high in the air, aiming at his chest.
Spidey made a front flip, avoiding the attack and shot webs towards it. Pulling the raging monster on himself, he met with three pair of fists that knocked him on the ground. Looking up, he saw his more Spider like version.
(Guess the ticket was not on the concert, indeed) He said when suddenly the monster, that was supposed to stay frozen, leaped in his direction. (Hey! Now that's cheating and-) Another fist knocked him in the ground.
Looking up, he saw another figure. The figure looked familiar. The more he was looking at it, the more he was recognizing it. It was him. His altered version he had seen before, his yellow eyes were shining brightly. Just one beat of a heart and these wild eyes stared in his soul.
The monster looked angry, yet there was something different about the anger this time. Spidey tried to move, but couldn't, his body was paralyzed. Something was wrong, the longer he stared in these eyes, the more rage was rising in his own soul.
Everything started to make sense, the memories, the voices, everything that happened to him. When the realization hit him, his body started listening to him, finally he was able to move again. And the first thing he had done, dodged from the monster's attack.
"You can't escape this time Spider man!" The voice echoed in the silence. Tons of whispers around them got louder, repeating after it, "The battle is over. You've lost" The one who said this took a step towards Spidey.
"So you CAN talk, huh?" He asked quietly, walking in circle just like his altered version. They were staring at each other like two wolfs that fought for territory, "Or the goblin juice finally—Oh, fucking damn it." He cursed quietly.
"The book has been fully written! Now it's time to write a new page, a new story!" The monster declared, a smirk crawled on his lips. He took a step towards the hero, "You can't change anything, Spider man. This is your new role to play!"
"I never asked for a new role in the first place!" He stared in the yellow eyes of his altered copy, "If you're not familiar with the history, Parkers aren't the ones who take the 'Goblin' role in any universe! And trust me, I've seen a lot of them!"
"Then why not create one? The one where the Goblin becomes a legacy!" Loud laugher echoed through the darkness, "And the hero has to carry it, to use the new power to change the world for the better! Isn't that what WE want?"
"There is no, we!" Darkness around him started to whirl in circles, "And there won't be any legacy! Norman's cured, Harry's immune and soon enough my friends will find a way how to get me out of here!"
"Friends… The only thing I hear from you. Friends who never truly respected you, friends who kept on joking on you, friends who kept on being the 'princess in distress that needs to be saved'… THESE kind of friends!?" His loud snarl ringed the silence.
"A leader, a teacher and ultimate hero… So many roles to play, yet all of them held you hostage" He took another step towards him, "You freely climb in the golden cage, freely let them command you, tell you what to do"
Peter took a step back, when his altered version stood before him, "Love… Responsibilities… This is what always holds you back!" Their eyes locked on each other's angered faces, "What would have you been without any of them? The answer is someone who gets to choose his own destiny!"
"I chose to be Spider man by myself!" Peter barked, clenching hands in the fists, "Love and responsibilities made me realize the mistake I've made and helped me become who I am! A hero! Uncle Ben-"
"Uncle Ben is DEAD!"
Silence fell between the two. A hero and a monster were staring at each other. Yellow eyes were filled with rage, blue eyes narrowed and full of seriousness. None of them made a move, none of them said a word.
"HE. IS. GONE!" The monster repeated, loudly and powerfully. Whispers around them got louder, as the monster continued, "He may live in your heart, but can he help you now?" Darkness rose high in the air, like a snake ready for an attack, "I don't think so…"
Before Spidey made a move, it leaped in his direction, caught his hands like chains. He was trapped, "Can your friends defeat what's inside your mind?" The monster took a step towards him, his clawed hands clenched in fists.
"Can they… save you from yourself?"
With loud hiss, the monster flew, moving like a snake. It rose higher before leaping forward. Peter tried to move back, but couldn't. Pain, sharp and agonizing pain made him scream, collapse on the ground. The darkness was circling around him. Whispering, laughing.
"You are me"
His body was trembling. He felt rage. He felt agony. Each passing second, his veins was shining brighter. Pain. Pain. Pain. Was all he felt. His chest hurt, he felt like he was on fire. It was too hard to breathe, too hard to think.
"I am you"
His hands turned into mossy-green claws when another hit of pain shoot through him. His body convulsed. He tried to scream, but no sound followed. He tried to breathe, but found it impossible. His bones broke and shifted. He was trapped in his own changing body. In the cage of agony.
"We. Are. ONE"
Voices around him got defying loud. Hurricane of emotions took over his mind. Memories, too many painful memories flashed before his yellow eyes. His torn Spider man suit was the only thing that remained of his true self. He stood and let out a loud furious roar.
Hundred voices echoed, making his roar sound louder than a thunder.
Darkness was circling faster and faster before it took over everything, until there was nothing but the darkness.
The darkness cleared, he could see again, he could hear again. The mutated hero opened his eyes. So many bright colors, so many noises, yet this time he didn't let them disorient him, he didn't let them stand him his way.
With a fast move, he caught the drone that held his neck and crushed it in his fist before turning to look around the place. Small room, broken wall, a silhouette… No. A familiar hero. Patrioteer. Harry Osborn.
His eyes narrowed. Something was off in everything that happened. He looked exhausted, the room looked broken, drones and robots were lying on the ground. There was a fight here. Realization didn't take long to come. He wasn't only fighting in his head, but also in the real world. It explained everything.
Before any of them could react, drones and robots rose from the ground. It was a trap. They unleashed powerful sound attack at him, "Good to see you return to the real world, Spider man, or do you prefer Goblin-Peter now?" Taskmaster's voice laughed.
"Oh, Nickolas Fury is so furious. How dare I continue to play on his nerves being imprisoned? Guess the man isn't as iron nerved as he pretends to be" He raised his hand and moved forward.
With a growl, he opened one eye. The pain in his head was agonizing, loud ringing in his ears was making it impossible to hear a thing. Yet he stood. Despite the pain, he took a step towards Taskmaster's pawn.
The controlled man raised his hand and ten drones turned to him, unleashed powerful sound attack at him. With a howl, he clenched his hurting head. He wanted the pain to stop, but the desire to win was stronger. He had to win no matter what the cost.
The drones whirled around him and attacked. Yet, soon enough one by one, they were broken, torn apart and thrown away, "Just give up Half-Goblin, you know, you can't win!" The last remaining drone flew at him with extreme speed and unleashed a sound attack.
"ENOUGH!" Loud roar broke the silence. The mutated hero caught the drone and crashed it with his hand before stomp on the pieces that fell to the floor, "I'm not Goblin…" His quiet words ringed in the silence.
"What did you just say…?" Taskmaster's whisper, quiet and unsure followed the altered hero's words. Silence havened becoming thick, only quiet whirl of drones was heard. Suddenly quiet growl echoed in the room.
Altered Spiderman clenched his clawed hands in the fists. Rage burned brighter in his soul, yet this time it didn't blind him, it made him see things clearer, it gave him power. Raising his head high in the air, he roared, "I'm. NOT. GOBLIN!"
His powerful voice broke the silence, shattered it to pieces.
And washed the smirk off Taskmaster's lips.
More notes.
And here we are! Muhhaha! I had so much fun writing this chapter despite the fact that I had to re-write the ending a few times before getting its final aka this look.
Anyways, most of the questions will get their answers in the next chapter, as well as the meaning of the last sentence.
Tell what ya think of the story so far, i want to hear your thoughts
(Cause come on, it's the one and only Goblin!Peter fic on both here and Ao3. I'm genuinely curious what people think about it)
See you all in the next chapter, folks! Alex out! =D