Spider-man began to toss and turn in his futon, he was starting to have nightmares once again.
His mind wasn't a nice place to be, every night he would always find ways to try to break through it but it wasn't enough, Carnage would always find ways to beat him no matter how much Spider-man tries to change things in his past, it would always come back to haunt him every step of the way.
It was almost like Carnage was still part of Spider-man's life ever since that day 10 years ago, the memory would always come back, it made Spider-man think that he had just killed him at the very start, he would be with Yuri and May to this day but he knows that there is no way to turn back time.
The horrible screeches were loud and awful that Spider-man would just beg for the noise to stop completely and that was like music to Carnage's ears. Hearing that insane laugh over and over again, it was sounding like nails on a chalkboard. Seeing the vision of Cletus Kasady's mind was always unpleasant, it pretty much showed Cletus's murderous intentions about how he'll kill a lot of bodies for fun, the guy even at the age of 6 would have images of how he'll kill his own family members.
Spider-man always wondered how it was always a miracle of how he never went insane since that night 6 years ago, he knew his own will was unbreakable but what would've happened if he didn't fight off the temptation of being insane. He would never know how different things would turn out to be. All that mattered most was the real Carnage was gone for good, the people in his world were safe, Venom probably had everything under control, well he hoped he did.
This was just hell for him, absolute hell on earth, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
Fubuki was by his side, she could only see Spider-man having to struggle against the nightmares that plagued his mind, whatever he was seeing, it's probably intense enough that it could drive anyone insane but he was able to fight through the insanity.
Fubuki gave him a sad look, she honestly wished that they was something she could do to help him but maybe he would be against the idea, he's afraid that it would be too much for her to handle, but maybe seeing her by his side was enough for that, having to go through whatever played back and forth in his dreams, it was enough to let Spider-man keep on moving forward.
Fubuki woke up at the first sight of light, seeing Spider-man next to her, mumbling a few words that she was able to pick up, "Stop, Carnage, please, no more."
It pains the Esper to her heart to see Spider-man suffer through so much that it brings tears to her eyes as she gritted her teeth in anger, 'It's not fair, he always suffers the most out of all other heroes, not physically but mentally as well, he's just God's play thing at this point. Both him and Carnage's. He's lost, alone, scared. He's tired, tired of everything the world throws at him. He won't even sleep peacefully anymore and that angers me to another level. If there was some way to help him from his nightmares I would do it without giving it a second thought. He's probably hearing the screams of innocence being killed in his dreams by Carnage who is just enjoying every second of it, enjoying the pain that he's inflicting on Spider-man. Is he that predictable when it comes to saving lives knowing he can't ignore it? He's tired, Carnage has been haunting him for 10 years, but he still fights that monstrosity in his dreams. Has he ever thought of letting this one go, let it be someone else's problem? Just for a minute so he can finally rest in silence for a good one minute?...No, he can't. He wishes he could. He wishes he could.'
~~~
Spider-man lenses started to slowly open, well mostly the right one since the left eye still has the bandage underneath the mask, a delicious scent enters his nostrils, smells like eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. There was a plate on the small table right in front of him as a blue aura surrounded the food to keep the heat from escaping.
"Good morning, Web-head." Fubuki greeted him from the kitchen.
"Oh, hey Fubuki." Spider-man replied as he began to sit up from the futon stretching his arms while Fubuki brought her own plate to the table.
"How's the eye?"
Spider-man removes his mask as Fubuki moves to his side to remove the bandages nice and easy. Once that was done she noticed that the stab wound was healed completely, it looked like he never stabbed himself to begin with, he's healing was unique, all that's left was the vision, "How well is the vision? Can you see properly?"
"So far my vision is blurry, I can only see well when I'm in close proximity. Looks like by tomorrow, my vision will be completely back to normal."
Fubuki smiles with excitement knowing that he was getting better once again, "Thank goodness. For the meantime, I made you breakfast, you need to build up your strength."
"Yes mom." After that was said Spider-man felt a pain in his side which made him fall on his futon clutching his left side, Fubuki used a pressure point technique just by using her two fingers tips.
Fubuki was smiling as she began to eat her scrambled eggs while Spider-man was struggling a little bit to get back up, "What… the fuck was… that?"
"Pressure point." Fubuki replied
"How many techniques are you learning?" Spider-man asked as he finally got back up on his knees still clutching his side with one hand.
"A lot of them. Silverfang's training is really coming in handy. I'll do a lot more damage to you than you can comprehend."
"Wow. Glad to know I'm going to be your personal test dummy." Spider-man said with sarcasm.
"Only if you push my buttons, Web-head. Now, eat." Fubuki replied sternly.
Spider-man began to dig into his food. First he started off with the eggs, second bacon, third sausages, saving the pancakes for last.
After eating breakfast, Spider-man searches for anything to watch on TV, mostly that on here were news reports. Thankfully there were no serious incidents. Spider-man was going to have to stay in for one more day before he can go back out.
"Thankfully, there's nothing too serious going on in the cities." Fubuki says as she sits next to Spider-man, whose head is laying on her right shoulder.
"Yeah, totally." Spider-man agreed with Esper.
"Spider-man do you know any other stories that you have during your time as Spider-man?"
"There was one tragic story. It was with me witnessing the 9/11 attack on the twin towers."
"You saw the events unfold?" Fubuki blinks in surprise.
"Yeah. I was born in 1992 after all." Spider-man replied as he cleared his throat, "It was shortly after my mother's death. After I became Spider-man or Spider-kid."
"Oh I see. Continue."
Spider-man nodded.
~~~
Darkness
"We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to give you the following Special Bulletin."
Longitude: 74 degrees, 0 minutes, 23 seconds west. Latitude: 40 degrees, 42 minutes, 51 seconds north. Follow the sound of the sirens.
Spider-man stands on the edge of a rooftop two blocks away from the sight of the collapsing buildings as the city floods with smoke.
"God"
Some things are beyond words, beyond comprehension, beyond forgiveness.
Spider-man descends on a web to ground level. Many people were running spotting the hero and a frightened couple spoke up.
"Where were you?!" the man said
"How could you let this happen?" the woman said
"I-" Spider-man said turning his head as they ran past him
He faced the destruction and walked into the cloud of smoke and ash.
How do you say we didn't know? We couldn't know. We couldn't imagine. Spider-man stares at what's left of the building as firefighters and superheroes alike are at work.
Only madmen could contain the thought to execute the act, fly the planes. The same world will always be vulnerable to madmen because we cannot go where they go to conceive such things.
Spider-man watches as a fireman gives orders to Captain America, Thor medics and some other firefighters as they move the rubble.
We could not see it coming. We could not be here before it happened. We could not stop it.
Spider-man watches as the Thing holds up a large piece of rubble as Daredevil, police and medics move out of the way.
Wolverine slashes through a piece of the structure police and firemen are working on while Spider-Man holds another portion so Cyclops can cut it with his optic beam.
You cannot see us for the dust but we are here. You cannot hear us for the cries but we are here.
Doctor Doom, Magneto, Juggernaut, Kingpin and Doctor Octopus gaze at the nearby destruction at night.
Even those we thought were our enemies are here because some things surpass rivalries and borders. Because the story of humanity is written not in towers but in tears, in the common coin of blood and bone, in the voice that speaks within even the worst of us and says this is not right.
Doctor Doom has tears in his eyes.
Because even the worst of us, however scarred, are still human, still feel, still mourn the random deaths of innocents.
A damaged fire truck drives across the street, the front covered with roses.
We are here.
More police and firemen move in.
But with our costumes and powers we are written small by the true heroes, those who fight fire without fear or armor.
Personnel sitting against a wall bearing graffiti "Remember the brothers!"
Those who step into the darkness without the assurance of ever walking out again because they know that there are others waiting in the dark
Civilians rushing down a stairwell as firefighters rush in the opposite direction.
Awaiting salvation, awaiting word.
A memorial service
Awaiting justice.
Civilians helping a woman in a wheelchair go down the stairs.
Ordinary men, ordinary women
The teary eyed woman reunited with her loved ones.
Made extraordinary by there acts of compassion
A woman pulls a man into a building and out of the way of cars on the smoke covered street.
And courage and terrible sacrifice.
The passengers aboard the flight where they rose against the terrorist huddled in the back of the plane.
"We've voted and we're going to try to take the plane. It's the only way to stop them from hitting Washington. I love you."
The passengers turn to face their captors.
"I love you." On the other end of the line
Ordinary men, ordinary women refusing to surrender.
Injured civilians walking out of the disaster zone.
Ordinary men, ordinary women refusing to accept the self serving proclamations of holy warriors of every stripe, who announce that somehow we had this coming.
American clergyman on camera. "Probably what we deserve…all of them who have tried to secularize America… the pagans and the abortionist and the feminist and the gays and the lesbians and the aclu… I point the finger in their face and I say you helped this happen."
Bin Laden on camera. "It is god's will that America should fall through their iniquity and their sin-"
We reject them both in the knowledge that our tragedy is greater than the sum of our transgressions.
Teens watching the event on television.
Bodies in freefall on the evening news.
Arabs in prayer as others cheer in victory.
Madness in mosques, shouting down fourteen centuries of earnest prayers forgetting the lessons of crusades past…that the most harmed are the least deserving.
Spider-man looking over his shoulder at a crying kid as he hands something to a fireman.
Spider-man crouches next to the kid.
"Uh listen you shouldn't be here. This isn't a good place for you to-"
"My… my dad went in there to get something, he said he would be just a minute-"
"You shouldn't-"
"and if I wait and stay and I don't leave he'll be okay because I'll do what he told me, and-"
The kid spots some firefighters hauling away the father's dead body.
Spider-Man keeps a hold on the kid as he tries to run.
"Daddyyyyy!"
There are no words. There are no words.
Spider-Man slumping next to a trashed car as some of the weary personal leave.
The death of innocents and the death of innocence, rage compounded upon rage, rage enough to blot out the sun and the air filled with questions.
Spider-man drinking from a water bottle near the medics.
An injured woman on a cot reaches for him.
"Is it going to happen again? What do I tell my children? Why did this happen?"
They ask the question why? Why?
Spider-man holds onto her hand.
My god why? I have seen other worlds, other spaces. I have walked with gods and wept with angels but to my shame I have no answer.
Spider-man stares at Captain America standing in the wreckage.
He's the only one who could know because he's been here before. I wish I had not lived to see this once. I can't imagine what it is to see this twice. I just can't imagine.
Spider-Man and Cap face a crowd of civilians at the police line.
What do we tell the children? Do we tell them evil is a foreign face? No, evil is the thought behind the face and it can look just like ours. Do we tell them that evil is tangible with defined borders and names and geometries and destinies? No, they will have enough nightmares.
Kids watching and pointing from the police line.
Perhaps we tell them that we are sorry. Sorry that we were not able to deliver unto them the world we wished them to have. That our eagerness to shout is not the equal of our willingness to listen. That the burdens of distant people are the responsibility of all men and women of conscience, or their burdens will one day become our tragedy.
A mother with her two children.
Or perhaps we simply tell them that we love them and that we will protect them, that we would give our lives for theirs and do it gladly, so great is the burden of our love. In a universe of gameboys and vcrs, it is perhaps an insubstantial gift but it is the only one that will wash away the tears and knit the wounds and make the world a sane place to live in.
Vision, Scarlet Witch, Thor and Daredevil in the wreckage.
We could not see this coming. No one could. We could not stop it, No one could. But we are here now for you. Today, tomorrow, and the day after.
Wolverine and Storm among the crowd of civilians.
A military meeting.
We live in each blow you strike for infinite justice, but always in the hope of infinite wisdom.
Iraqi civilians.
Because we live in the quiet turning of your considered conscious the voice that says all wars have innocents, the voice that says you are a kind and merciful people.
An aircraft carrier.
the voice that says do not do as they do, or the war is lost before it has even begun. Do not let that knowledge be washed away in blood.
The Thing and Mr. Fantastic helped the FBI and other personnel at the site.
When you move, we will move with you. We will go where you are, we are in you. Because the future belongs to ordinary men and ordinary women, and that future must be built free from acts as these, must be fought for and renewed like fresh water. Because a message must be sent to those who mistake compassion for weakness. A message sent through six thousand years of recorded blood and struggle. And the message is this:
A view of the city.
Whatever our history, whatever the root of our surnames, we remain a good and decent people and we do not bow down and we do not give up. The fire of the human spirit cannot be quenched by bomb blast and body counts cannot be forever intimidated into silence or drowned by tears. We have endured worse before; we will bear this burden and all that comes hereafter, because that's what ordinary men and women do no matter what. This has not weakened us, it has only made us stronger.
Candles, flags and photos strewn over the ground"
In recent years we as a people have been tribalized and factionalized by a thousand casual unkindness but in this we are one. Flag's sprout in uncommon places, the ground made fertile by our tears and shared resolve. We have become one in our grief.
Relief workers of all races.
We are now one in our determination, one as we recover, one as we rebuild.
A ship moving near the Statue of Liberty at night.
You wanted to send us a message, and in so doing you have awakened us from our self involvement. Messages received look for the reply in the thunder.
The ship with a crowd watching.
In such days as these heroes are born, not heroes such as ourselves but the true heroes of the twenty-first century. You the human being singular you who are nobler than you know and stronger than you think you the heroes of this moment chosen out of history.
People of every age, race and background.
We stand blinded by the light of your unbroken will, before that light no darkness can prevail. They knocked down two tall towers. In their memory draft a covenant with your conscience, that we will create a world in which such things need not occur, a world which will not require apologies to our children, but also a world whose roads are not paved with the husk of their inalienable rights. They knocked down two tall towers. Graft now their echo onto your spine. Become girders and glass, stone and steel, so that when the world sees you it sees them and stands tall. Stand tall.
Spider-man, a dozen heroes and about twenty police, soldiers, firefighters and medics.
Stand tall.
~~~
Fubuki wipes away the tears in her eyes, hearing Spider-man having witnessed such a horrible world wide catastrophic event unfold was agonizing to her soul, she could almost feel the pain in Spider-man's heart.
It was always a struggle to see innocent lives taken from any world and still continue to try again yet the guilt will always remain and she experienced that herself a few days ago. Fubuki will still continue to try and be a better hero even if most of the people were still afraid of her. She'll still try to make up for it because it's a responsibility. A responsibility that she has to live up for, and she will keep going forward with Spider-man backing her up.