SPIDER-MAN: ALL ALONE
BONUS STORY: SOLACE OF THE SANDMAN (PART 1)
Note: Dear reader, you're probably wondering what is this about. As stated through the title itself, this is a small bonus follow up to the events seen in All Alone. Here, we will return to Peter Parker soloing as Spider-Man and how he will face his new threats whilst coping with his losses.
Note #2: I've been getting quite a number of DMs. Another reminder that I am NOT accepting artists at this point. I appreciate the love for 'All Alone', please also be aware that it follows the other 2 Spider-Man stories, 'The Great Responsibility and 'The Other Spider'.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA (FLASHBACK)…
On an otherwise supposedly quiet night in the outer skirts of Tulsa, there was a small but profitable building materials supplier company called Buller Materials situated out of the city and renowned mainly for its quality sand which is processed as either glass or cement.
On that night, a wavy-haired man wearing a magenta striped shirt and grey long pants named Flint Marko and his friends, Vic and Marcy were planning to steal millions of dollars out of the manager's bank account from his computer. Together, the three were planning to split the money afterwards to fulfil their own financial goals.
As the trio approached the giant sand silos at the building site, they discussed what they would do with the money.
"With all that money, Keemia can get the care she truly deserves. There's a chance she won't feel left out." Flint spoke as he walked with his friends.
"Aw, don't you actually want to spend any of that money for yourself then, Flint?" Marcy asked.
"It's money that can get me back with my loved ones. Without any shame of having to do this anymore." Flint said.
"No offence, Marko. But you're really a small thinker. Why aren't you thinking of a Black Friday Christmas shopping spree?" Vic asked finishing the rest of his beer and throwing the bottle aside.
"Because my daughter is my legacy. She deserves to finish school and be treated well." Flint explained, "She can't have any more of that ridicule at school."
With nothing else to add, Vic then took the lead of the robbery and proposed his plan.
"Alright Flint, you know what to do with the locked doors. Marcy, do you still have the safe codes?" Vic asked.
"Crystal clear." Marcy said pulling out her phone.
"Good. Now all I have to do is disable some alarms." Vic said rubbing his hands together.
They then proceeded with their jobs. Today was also the night where security guards were off site but the security cameras were still operational for them to witness through. Vic plucked out his phone and checked out the schematics of the site.
"Okay, Flint. Once I pinpoint the cameras to knock out, you'll lock pick the doors to the rooms where you access the safe." Vic spoke over his phone.
"Are you sure people are on leave today?" Flint asked with scepticism as he tried opening his first door.
"Buddy, you have to pay attention to the work schedules here. The guards are constantly 24/7, it's exhausting. More exhausting than factory work." Vic assured.
"Okay, it's your idea, Vic. I'll follow." Flint replied.
As Flint continued to bypass each door, Marcy trailed behind with the coordinates and other information.
"Wow. You sure know how to pick those locks." Marcy complimented as she watched Flint work.
Once Flint finished his job, they were finally in the manager office where the computer was located. Vic caught up and smiled with the prize set in their eyes.
"Ok, time for those transactions." Vic said as he nudged Marcy to punch in the password onto the computer.
As Marcy began her job, Flint was suspicious about footstep sounds that were closing in nearby.
"Are you guys hearing those sounds?" Flint wondered.
"I'm willing to bet it's the wind rattling the rooftop." Marcy said as she carefully hacked in.
"Vic, you said the cameras and the alarms were-." Flint said before being interrupted.
A group of three security guards got into the room with guns ready before a chubby man wearing a casual checker shirt came in. The man was the manager and founder of Bullard Materials, Ken Bullard himself.
"Looking for a rise in salary?" Ken asked the trio.
Vic and Marcy quickly raised their arms up in surrender which got Flint surprised. He thought that the plan worked out and he had a feeling something was out of loop.
"You too, Flint. Raise your hands up." Ken said.
Flint glared at Vic who looked as if he was mouthing that he did not know before doing the same. But he was not prepared for the next shock. Vic and Marcy walked up still with their hands up before dropping the act and standing next to Ken.
"Hey, what are you two doing?!" Flint asked confused.
"Thank you, Vic. Consider that raise you wanted approved." Ken said as the rest of the people started down Flint.
"So all your private discussions… Boil down to putting me in the dirt?" Flint asked with a raised voice.
"Settle down, Flint. I know this looks unfair but Vic actually did make an alluring proposal to me. It'd put Bullard Materials right on top of the national company charter." Ken said trying to diffuse the tension.
"Marcy and I are gonna need the money more for a new place to live. Isn't that right, babe?" Vic said kissing Marcy on the forehead.
"Please tell me this is a joke." Flint said shaking his head, "You were my friend, Vic. And Marcy, I…"
"Flint, I'm sorry. But you're really a meathead." Marcy spoke back, "You've got too much to lose by the way."
Those words broke Flint. He really thought that he had friends who were thick and thin with him even when they were doing something wrong. Worse, Vic and Marcy were about to redeem themselves leaving Flint in what looks like the villain role.
Shaking his fist, Flint charged at the crowd in anger. Even though, he was built like a football player, the guards still overpowered him and knocked him dizzy.
"All right. Let's put him to work." Ken said stopping the guards from going too far, "You two, want to see how we tie this up?"
Flint was then dragged out of the building towards one of the company's main sand silos. Inside was a plant producing quality glass through a new radiation method approved by the local regulators.
"You won't have to take this personally, Flint. I'm doing you a favor." Ken stated before signalling the guards to throw Flint into the swirling sand reactor pit.
Flint stared at the swirling vortex of sand beneath him as it heated and produced glass onto the conveyer belt next to it. He tried to gain his strength but was a little too weak. However, because of how heavy he is, Flint found the strength for struggle again.
As he punched and tried to break free, Flint accidentally lost his balance and fell across the railings into the vortex of sand below. As he fell, a flash of light consumed him as the sand grains enveloped him but to the rest of the onlookers, Flint had vanished into thin air.
"He's gone? Just like that?" Marcy asked surprised by the disappearance.
"Geez. All of him is gone." Vic said looking at Ken with regret.
"No trace. Besides, he was a lonely man." Ken said with a mocking sadness.
As the group prepared to leave to discuss their further dealings, they were stopped by a screaming noise. They turned around in shock upon seeing the sand violently spew upwards bursting out and catching everyone in the silo by surprise.
BEDFORD APARTMENTS (PRESENT DAY) …
Peter had just come back from a little adventure at Central Harlem where he had saved someone else's cat getting stuck in the elevator. With a few scratches on the suit, the job was easy enough.
But the environment around him had changed as he noticed that police patrols were quite frequent due to a man-hunt charge put on him for the incident at Oscorp Tower. After everything, Spider-Man had a portion of the general public perception turned against him.
"Gosh, it sure is meaner these days." Peter commented as he took off his suit after slumping through the apartment window.
King waited for him and looked as if he was ready to eat again once Peter changed out of the suit.
"I just fed you that can of tuna. Are you really that starved or what?" Peter asked before seeing a letter slipped through his apartment door.
Picking up and tearing open the letter, Peter groaned at the latest warning that unless he was able to pay, the landlord will have no choice but to send him to a local vocational centre for homelessness.
"We're going back to Forest Hills for sure." Peter said shaking his head.
As Peter threw the letter in the bin, he looked to see a couple of updates spring up on his phone.
"Connors's funeral and…" Peter commented before seeing another notification, "More Yuri updates, they can wait."
As Peter grabbed a glass of water to drink, he also gave King some instructions before he headed out.
"Stay here, King. Funeral service and then we pack up." Peter said with a grim look as he went out his apartment door.
ST JOHN'S CEMETRY…
On a dreary cloudy afternoon at the funeral for Curt, the crowd was mostly filled with many academics from ESU. Being an intern who worked at an off-site laboratory from ESU, Peter had barely interacted with most of them save for when he and Curt went to visit the ESU Scientific Board that one time.
He did notice a few notable guests. One of which was the Oscorp scientist named Maya who was the one survivor from the incident when Curt transformed into the Lizard for the first time. She was distressed and had since sustained a neck injury which had her wearing a neck brace everywhere she went. The other was Curt's wife and little son, Martha and Billy.
Both of them were in a tearful embrace with the loss of their father. Peter was scared to approach them out of fear of offending them and kept to himself as the funeral seats started to be arranged.
"Why do I get the feeling that I don't know what I'm doing here?" Peter thought to himself anxiously.
As the funeral started, the attendees including Peter were all seated with an opening statement by the priest who gave the eulogy set out by Martha. The statement was dedicated to the dream Curt wanted to envision for people with disabilities. It was a stirring speech made with the best memories the Connors family remembered.
"Whilst his life was a tragically taken; the spirit of his labour has endured. His desire to lift others up around him still endures." The priest stated at one point of the eulogy.
After the speech, Peter like others around stood up in silence to honour Curt's memory. Whilst he reminisced his time with Curt, something else began to stir in his deeply repressed mind. At first, it was Spider-Gwen in her mask being sucked away from the gravitational force before transitioning to Gwen's smiling and beautiful face.
Standing up abruptly, he held the attention of the attendees around him as they were confused by his strange reaction. Peter then apologised and had to make an excuse.
"I'm sorry. I have a bit of an emergency with my aunt." Peter said before taking leave to avoid disrupting the funeral even further.
PARKER RESIDENCE…
Peter returned back to his home in Forest Hills at long last after grabbing a few things including King from his apartment that he was potentially going to now lose. Aunt May was pretty much the only person that Peter had left in terms of who was close to him. Whilst she was let go from the hospital, she was advised to avoid leaving the house for long-term.
"May?" Peter called out as he went to find her.
Peter jogged upstairs and reached May's bedroom. Thankfully, May seems to have taken the time to be resting but it has not deterred what appears to be deteriorating health. Once Peter opened the door, May moved her head up and smiled.
"Ah, Peter. The one and only Spider-Man." May said now knowing who Peter really is.
"I still can't believe you take that secret so well." Peter said as he checked on her.
"Something wrong today?" May asked in concern.
"Nothing. Just finished Dr. Connor's funeral. I had too much sadness today." Peter said finding a chair to sit next to May with.
"Well…" May said with a sigh, "What happened was tragic."
"May, now that you know… I want you to know that I'll protect you from-." Peter tried to say before being cut.
"Protect? Peter, I don't have much time I feel. And I'm ready to accept." May said back, "Start looking after yourself."
Peter said nothing back as he knew his aunt always had the guiding words for him. He held back tears as he thought about how he was going to live his life from then on.
"Everyone at some point goes. It can be tragic or it can be as simple as passing time." May spoke, "I'll say all that again and again. Just so you listen."
At that point, Peter needed to accept that while tragic things have happened around him. The realities of life going on will also hit him making him realise that he was still living the human life. And with that, May had given him the task to make the most for his life.
HOUSE IN QUEENS…
At a lonely house in the middle of Queens, an autistic 9-year-old girl wearing a striped green jumper and beige pants was playing in the living room with Jenga blocks. Even with her disadvantage, she was quickly learning to how to remove the blocks without causing the Jenga tower to collapse. Soon a doorbell rang and the girl got up knocking the Jenga blocks down.
"Mummy, I'll get the door." The girl said as she ran forward.
"Keemia, wait a second." A woman's voice from the bathroom called as the girl rushed to open the door just by a little.
Keemia quickly unlocked the door and took one little peer to see who it was and without any awareness about the danger of strangers. As she let the door open by a little, she looked up to see someone she knew.
It was Flint, still rocking the same hairstyle; shirt and overall attire. Recognising her father, Keemia let out one word.
"Daddy?" Keemia asked meekly without looking directly.
"Keemia." Flint spoke with a warm smile.
End note: The reason why Sandman does not wear his traditional green stripe T-shirt in this version is to distinguish him from the other villains that are also known to be green (e.g. Green Goblin; Vulture; Lizard and Scorpion). Plus it is an homage to when he was with the Frightful Four in the comics.