CHAPTER 7: ANIMOSITY
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Spectacular Spider-Man Characters or Marvel Characters included in this fanfic, I do this for fun :)
MAJOR DISCLAIMER: Things will get a lot more mature from here on out. A tone shift, especially with stronger language, and violence.
THE INFAMOUS ROOFTOP
For a moment in time, everything froze for Peter Parker.
His body stood there, paralyzed, like his entire world crumbled right there and then.
His eyes exploded out of its socket.
His ears heard a piercing ringing.
His heart skipped a beat. It could've stopped beating for a moment, he couldn't tell.
All this, because one of his greatest fears was right in front of him. Harry was a goblin and knew of his secret.
The masked Harry taunted, "What do you've to say for yourself, Pete?! There's nothing to hide behind, anymore!"
Peter confronted, "Well, you're not very good at hiding behind your mask—Harry! Even with that voice modulator and stupid mask! Figured it out in 2.5 seconds!"
Instantly Harry sneered through his mask, "Who cares?! This is about you. Its always been about you. Since you're the one who LIED TO MY FACE FOR ALL THESE YEARS?!"
"Harry, listen, I'm really sorry about what I did. I still regret it today... He's still your dad"
"Sorry... isn't going to bring him back from the dead, Pete"
"I know that. I–uh–"
"I know you know that. You get it, more than anyone else, I know... so why would you keep this from me, huh?"
Peter stood there, speechless.
"Don't just stand there, all innocent, alright. Tell me why?---WHY PETE?!"
Then Peter saw Harry's hand clench his flaming sword. He could smell the burning iron in the air. With sword in hand, he pointed at Peter's neck.
"Or do I gotta force it outta you!"
Peter gulped at the sight of it.
"My whole life—I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"
"I am your friend, Har"
"That's another lie!" Harry spat, before he swung at him.
Instantly, Peter dodged the first swing by a hair. 'Phew!'
"These aren't lies!" Peter insisted.
Then that sword aimlessly swung at Peter again. Yet he moved so swiftly, not even the heat could touch him. 'Wow! Am I moving that fast?'
"Please Harry, I don't wanna fight!" he spouted while quickly dodging his attacks.
But he would not stop Harry's fury by being defensive in his approach.
Finally, ne noticed a weak spot in Harry's attacks—his sloppiness.
He overextended himself in some places. Tensed up in others. While over relying on that blazing sword.
"Did you not hear about the stuff your dad said about you? With how he's belittles you every chance he got!"
Harry still tried to swing at him near the edge of the rooftop, which left Peter was stuck... for a moment.
But Peter quickly dodged and swept him off his feet.
Before Harry could fall off the edge, Pete's hand held him up by his top.
Even through that mask, it didn't hide how terrified Harry was.
"Were you that oblivious to it?"
"No..." Harry nervously murmured as he felt the cold air blow past him. Peter just nodded and placed him back onto the rooftop.
"Then you should know your father isn't worth avenging. Revenge should never be the option. I'd know... I felt that way before"
"But you–you don't get it, Pete. You didn't try helping him at all. He was sick–addicted to the green, like me," Harry's voice strained.
"I know–I regret not seeking help for him. But being sick doesn't excuse everything awful he's done"
"But he's still my father, better or worse"
"I know what you're feeling, Har. I just found out my parents were... not good people. It's crazy! I'm not gonna avenge them, and you shouldn't either," Peter expressed. "They weren't born bad, most of the time. But it's the people they surround themselves with," he added.
And instantly Harry's demeanor had changed, like something sparked in his mind.
"So you're saying my dad was surrounded by... bad people?"
"I'd say misguided, but yeah"
"So we should find those people... who influenced my dad. It's their fault!"
"Not my point Har-"
"But it makes the most sense. I still remember him talking to Hammerhead. He must've done something. Like he blackmailed him maybe. Same thing with the other guy–"
"Tombstone"
"Yeah, him"
"Not sure about catching Hammerhead being the end all be all–"
'But I could use an extra set of hands to catch Hammerhead, for good!'
"You'll help me?"
"Yeah, I will Harry–"
"Good. It's the least you could do," Harry readjusted himself.
'Jeez Har, when'd you get so passive-aggressive?'
The instant Harry left him on that rooftop, all Peter took was a deep breath, still unsure how he got out of this... 'How did I talk myself outta that one?-And what did I get myself into?!-And for the love of God–why are Sundays so hectic?!' he thought as he bursted home.
Meanwhile, back at the Silver Spoon, the usually calm, level-headed Gwen Stacy was freaking out! It's not every day you see one of your closest friends being kidnapped in front of you–Woo!
Her palms were all clammy.
Her forehead, drenched in sweat
Her heart pounding nearly out of her chest.
And her ears heard everyone around loudly chatting about it amongst themselves.
Gwen wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Dad, can't you send anything?"
"I'm doing all I can, sweetie. But I'm sure he's alright honey," he reassured.
"Daddy, how can you be so sure? He got FREAKING kidnapped!" she emphasized.
"Language, Gwen... I-uh... um... I have a feeling. You know what, don't worry, we'll send a chopper over there," he added.
Minutes before, he called over a nearby NYPD chopper to check the rooftops of many buildings in search of Peter and his kidnapper.
She also spent several minutes calling Peter's phone many times, and every time, straight to voicemail. She even was about to call Liz, till she realized that wasn't a great idea.
So she felt her only option was calling his Aunt May. It's not like she wanted to worry her, but she deserved to know. As far as Gwen knew, this was the craziest thing she's ever witnessed happen to Peter.
"Hello May-"
"Who am I speaking with?"
"It's Gwen—Gwen Stacy"
"Oh how are you doing, dear?"
"I'm fine... really sorry to break this to you, but Peter is in serious trouble?"
"What do you mean, dear?"
"Peter, he um..." she stumbled on her words.
'C'mon, spit out the words! She needs to hear it'
Suddenly she overheard her talking someone in the background.
"Oh dear, you're here! Gwen just told me you're in trouble. What did you do?"
'Wait WHAT?! PETE'S THERE?! And... he's okay... phew!'
Suddenly Peter's voice sounded through the phone, "He-hey Gwen, what's up?"
"What's up?–I just saw you get kidnapped by someone on a glider... was that the green goblin?!"
"Oh yeah, I... got away though. And that wasn't the green goblin... just some poser"
"How did you do it?"
"Oh, you know... I'm sorta scrappy"
"I didn't know that. Well, thank god you're safe..."
"I'm glad too–But can we talk about this more tomorrow?..."
"Oh yeah, of course. You've probably had a crazy day... I'll see you at school Pete!"
"See you tomorrow Gwen"
Once the call ended, she slipped the phone into her pocket with her heart finally taking a breather.
"Dad, good news–Peter's home and safe!"
...
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL
Usually in the erratic mornings, students jolted all around the school. In the hallways, up and down the stairs, it was contagious. The students were loud, erratic, and playful, hardly even hearing themselves at points.
But during that Monday morning, it was eerily silent. Especially for Gwen, hearing only the squeaks from everyone's sneakers or clanks from slamming the lockers. Whispers also spread across the halls, even from her, when she approached Peter at his locker.
The blonde anxiously whispered, "Pete, how are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm doing... fine—to say the least"
"I've gotten kidnapped before. I will not lie, it was actually INSANE!" she expressed.
"Yeah... I remember that," he admitted. "But what about you? How're you holding up, Gwen?" he asked.
"Just trying to hold myself together, which isn't easy. But I'll work through it with Mary Jane, Glory, and Liz... even if it's much easier to snuggle up in bed and watch TV"
"Figures. The-Gwen-I-know doesn't take the easy way"
"Thanks Pete"
Not long after, the brunette Liz Allan strolled over to them, greeting them with a little wave first.
"Morning Petey," she pecked his lips. "Mind if I borrow Gwen for a sec?"
Gwen, surprised, went along with Liz.
"Hey Liz"
"Gwen, you holding up alright?"
"I'm doing better, actually. Thanks for asking–what about you?"
"A little better... y'know–not that much sleep with all these rambling thoughts. You ever get those?"
"Yeah, I get them far more... especially now."
"I feel like the worst part about them is that I start to think about the unthinkable–basically traumatizing myself at that point"
"Happens to the best of us, Liz"
"I guess it does"
Gwen expressed, "I'm just glad I have you to talk it through with–"
Suddenly, Liz pulled her into a quick embrace.
"Thank you..."
It genuinely surprised Gwen that what came out of all of this was a closer relationship with Liz Allan. It was a nice change of pace.
In an instant, all the students heard an announcement roar throughout the intercoms.
"ALL SENIORS, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY HEAD OVER TO THE AUDITORIUM! AGAIN, ALL SENIORS PLEASE REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM! PLEASE AND THANK YOU!"
Immediately, many of the seniors rushed into the auditorium and got seated in the tall bleachers. Teachers were on the side of each row, watching each student, especially the rowdy ones.
Usually during these rallies, the senior class was the most mature of the bunch, but they still had their rowdy moments. And once they got rowdy, THEY GOT ROWDY. Wild, loud, and obnoxious, especially whenever the dance or cheer team came out.
But at that moment, most of them were subdued. Of course, there were still some who yelled obscene things, but nobody tried fanning their fire.
Especially during the memorial of all those students who passed away in the so-called "Disney World Tragedy." There weren't many on that list, but those who were there were close to many people's hearts, one of those being Sally Avril.
When her pictures came up on the screen, many of the varsity cheerleaders wept, holding each other tight. But when Liz glanced behind her with tears in her eyes, she saw Rand Robertson, barely holding it together, with Flash by his side. Instantly, a lightbulb sparked in her head.
Not long after the memorial was over, while the rest of the students rushed out, she approached her boyfriend.
"Petey... I'm gonna meet with Rand after school. We're probably gonna be at Nelson's Meats. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Just be careful... you're still in Hell's Kitchen. And if you two still don't feel safe, I'll swing by–"
Instantly, Peter's gaze turned away from her, and locked onto Harry the instant he walked past them. It didn't let up till he walked out of sight.
"Is everything good between you two?" she observed.
"Ye-yeah, everything—everything's fine–babe," he uttered dismissively.
'Babe?' she mouthed to herself.
"Petey... c'mon–"
"Liz, everything is fine," he insisted. "C'mon, let's get to class," he swiftly grasped her hand.
"Yeah..." she subtly nodded.
She frustratingly sighed. Even while being linked together, she still felt an arm's distance away from Peter.
...
NELSON'S MEATS, HELL'S KITCHEN
Once the school bell rang, Rand and Liz made their way to the sandwich shop. As they seated inside, silently waiting for their orders to arrive on the counter. Rand's eyes gazed downwards, towards the table, as he anxiously rubbed his thumbs together, while Liz's eyes darted around. She tried to muster up the words to break the silence, which took a while. Till she found the perfect words...
"So, Rand, how're you holding up?"
Or what she thought was the perfect way to start the conversation–then she'd realize the answer when Rand just glanced up with a small glare in his eye.
"I'm sorry... stupid question"
"I just feel like... I should've done something–y'know. I should've spent more time with her. Instead, I was fooling around with Flash"
"No-no-no, it's my fault... I just dragged her along, venting to her about my relationship problems"
"You and Parker are having-"
"Sorta. It's complicated actually–anyway—Rand... don't blame yourself, alright?"
Rand slowly nodded.
"I-I still remember when–she-um... There was just a lot of panicking people running past us. Just so many people," Liz recalled. "I lost grip of her. I lost sight of her. So I tried rushing back. Then I saw her body on the floor. And I just stood there. Not screaming. Not crying. Not vomiting... just stood there," she continued, choking up.
Her hands constantly kept fidgeting with her nails while her breaths shuddered.
"You know, Sal's last thing she told me was that... she was gonna dump you–cuz she thought you were too good for her," she confessed.
"She really said that?"
"Yeah–yeah, she did. She was so scared, she'd make you too miserable"
Rand chuckled, with a tear running down his face, "Wow... I really had a good one... didn't I?"
She reached out to his hand and squeezed it slightly.
"Yeah. We really did"
They both shared a smile.
Suddenly Rand slightly pulled his hand away from her, "Liz, have you tried talking to Parker about this?"
"Well... Petey has a lot on his plate right now... so I don't wanna burden him with the details right now"
"So instead, you wanna burden me with the details?"
"Wha-no-no-no-"
"I'm playing with you, Liz," Rand smirked.
"Oh good one," she subtly chuckled.
"But you got a lot on yours too, Liz. And don't think it isn't as important as his"
That left Liz blankly staring at the table, with one thought in mind, 'Oh Rand, you have no idea...'
...
OSBORN MANOR
For several hours, the young Osborn locked himself in his so-called cave, intensely training himself. Never in his life, he'd imagine losing to the former King Geek in a fistfight, but here he was. He had to get better.
Especially if he needs to handle these crimebosses. Who knows what these crime-bosses pull, late at night?
'Plus, what's he going to do with that giant forehead? Exactly–nothing' Albeit, all he had to work with was a punching bag, a mannequin, and the globulin green.
But for the moment, he had to save his energy and take a break.
The beauty of having advanced toys was the accessibility to get what he wanted, from afar.
Any snacks he craved, any drinks he thirsted for, and any information he desired. Especially from Hammerhead's gang. They'd know about his whereabouts, right? So Harry's tested who from Hammerhead's school of fish would take the bait.
Lucky for him, it wasn't alot of flying around the city till someone did.
From above, scouting the movement of many gangs, they noticed, drawing their attention. It pulled this one goon's attention, too hard. Got to a point where he aimed his gun at the drone. So the drone retaliated back, launching a harpoon around his foot, and dragging him out. Without another second passing by, the drone dowsed him in the goblin's infamous gas, making him dazy. That's when the drone flung him onto the rooftop.
"What you want?"
"Where's your boss gonna be tonight?"
"I'm not a mindreader, I don't know"
"You sure know something"
"No robot with a gun getting nothin from me."
Suddenly that infamous voice sprang to action, 'Harry, you gotta be tougher... especially when you're handling these criminals!'
"How tough? Do I have to shock him abit? The drone could do that"
'No, scare him. That's how these things work!'
"Scare him how?"
'Don't use the drone. Use your mind. Use that brilliant God-given Osborn mind and prove you're Norman Osborn's son!'
Instantly Harry turned his attention back to interrogating the man, with far more sharpness in his voice, "This drone... has access to everything. And since I've recorded your face, I can see everything about you, Roman Diamond. Nice name by the way–Sounds almost fake."
"Hey how the-"
"Seems like you have a girlfriend too... must be nice, huh... To come home to somebody, and tell her about the long day you had. Must be nice to have. You think its nice?"
"It's... nice"
"Right? It's the best feeling.... Would be a shame, if something... messed with that... and took away that feeling from you. So are you gonna tell me... Or I should I ask your girlfriend?"
"Fine-fine-fine... there were rumblings of him visiting Hell's Kitchen tonight. I don't know where... I don't know who he's visiting... that's all I know"
"Y'know what his car looks like?"
"It's an old beat-up beetle–nothing special-"
"Alright, that... helps"
"Don't know what you want to do with him anyway"
"Its strictly personal"
To the man's relief, the blaster retracted back into the drone, as it slowly hovered away from the man.
"I'll find you freak!" the man spat.
"Go ahead, try. Wouldn't be too hard to find you and your girlfriend so... go ahead, try," he retorted, before flying off.
In his chair, Harry sat back with a smug smile on his face.
Till he heard that rediculing voice again, 'Harry, you gotta be tougher than that... especially when you're handling a crime-boss'
"How tough? Do I have to punch him a little?"
'He's a FREAKING crime-boss dude... he's taken a punch before. Punches aren't gonna scare him'
"What does then?"
'You know what does-'
"I don't. What're you talking about?"
'Just... nearly cross the line... nearly'
"What? No-no-no-no-no–That's it. I really shouldn't be listening to you anymore!"
He couldn't even look at himself at the mirror. What was he thinking? These were serial killer's thoughts.
Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound from his phone. It was a text from none other than Peter.
'Dude, I'm outside your window. let's hurry. It's getting kinda late' - Peter.
Harry peeked outside to see Spidey friendly waving at him.
This felt surreal for him. He never thought he would interact again with Spider-Man, to go as far to team up with him... it's a fever dream. But knowing the man underneath helped.
Spider-Man asked, "So does your glider have like a stealth mode?"
"Why?"
"You gotta be quiet when you're patrolling. That's crime-fighting 101," the webhead advised. "And this suit has bad guy written all over it," he acknowledged.
"Yeah–well–this isn't a style contest dude!"
"Says you–Daredevil wouldn't like the sound of that"
"Who?"
"You'll see"
...
CONFRONTATION - HELL'S KITCHEN
Meanwhile, once the pair arrived in front of Josie's Bar, the crime-lord had one mission in his mind. But his chauffeur had her reservations of him being back here.
She questioned, "Boss, why are we back here?"
He expressed, "To shove it in Marko's face... when I buy this place right in front of that mook... it'll be our new hangout–better than Gaxton's place"
"But why?"
"What do you mean why?!"
"I mean... why waste all this time on this guy–when he hasn't done the same?"
Hammerhead gulped at the mention of it, pinching the leather of the seat.
"Y'know how–before his empire crumbled–Tombstone used to give me the time of day. Used to give me all the resources to get the job done, ahead of time. Then I mess up ONCE, and then he stops keeping me in the loop. He stopped believing in me... Then I let Fisk empire get outta control, cuz I stopped believing in myself. HELL, Marko stopped believing in the vision, and is on his self-redemption crap."
"I do all of this because it ignites me... burning a fire in my heart, and brought us closer than where we were before"
"But I don't think you got here... because you reveled in the past... boss you got here... cuz you finally moved forward. Don't you get that?" she expressed. "Right now you got a chance to make another step forward... if we leave right now"
Hammerhead sat back there, pondering every decision he's made... and every decision he will make, and as much as he'd hate to admit it, he knew deep in his heart—She's right.
The crime-lord ordered, "Let's get outta here and find a different spot!"
Right before they were about to leave, a small canister rolled underneath the car.
Instantly, the car-
Went-
BOOM!
The car, covered in fumes, left everyone nearby stunned. Even Spider-Man.
"What was that dude?!" Spidey shouted.
"What?"
"You call that subtle?"
"It's non lethal though. Its just sleeping gas"
The costumed Harry shrugged it off, flying down to the crawling, drowsy crime-boss.
"Harry wait-"
The instant he caught sight of a strange hooded goblin, who stood before him, the crime-boss quickly shook off the drowsiness and charged head strong at him.
And inexperienced Harry had no clue he'd gotten himself into. He acted quickly and threw metal razor bats at him, which penetrated into the crime-lord's torso.
Yet it didn't phase Hammerhead one bit–he kept charging.
So again, Harry summoned his glider, which he remembered had more sleeping gas in it. Maybe that could put down the raging bull. Instantly the gas sprayed at him, which Harry knew one whiff of it slowed him down. But didn't stop that steel plated head from launching Harry twenty feet back on his butt.
Quickly, Harry flusteredly got back up, with his heart pounding, expecting to see Hammerhead charge at him again.
'Thwip!'
Instead, he saw plenty of webs thickly wrapped around him, like a chrysalis.
Spidey lightheartedly pointed out, "Guess what I caught on my web tonight? Hint: It wasn't a fly..."
Moments later, they brought him to a rooftop nearby. Initially, Harry gazed from afar, seeing how the famous wall-crawler do his magic. With his constant quips, personal jabs, and playful bravado.
Wouldn't take long for Harry to grow very impatient of it. Hammerhead had answers about his father, and to him, it seemed like Spidey was going nowhere with it. But he didn't know why.
Something came to mind, 'No you have to scare him, that's how these things work!'
So in an instant, Harry aggressively rushed over to Hammerhead, brushing the web-head aside.
"Hey–hey–hey–dude! I got this!" Spidey grabbed his shoulder.
"Back off!" Harry shoved him off.
'Pete, you're going too soft on these guys!'
The way he forcefully pushed him away brushed the wall-crawler the wrong way. And he felt like his friend was getting out of control. Too out of control.
"Dude, you're out of control. Let me take it from here!"
He just ignored him and forcefully pulled him in close, where they were eye to eye.
"What did you do to Norman Osborn?"
"What?"
"Hammerhead, what'd you do to him, huh?!" he shook him.
"I did nothing to him"
"So why did he make the goblin costume, huh?"
"That wasn't my doing, that was all his-"
"DON'T LIE!"
"I'M NOT!" the crime-lord snapped. "Even down to the serum–if it weren't for the bug, Osborn would be in a loony bin instead of a grave," he admitted.
Harry, absolutely infuriated hearing this, viciously shocked him with an electric glove.
"What about Norman Osborn's dealings with Tombstone? What do you know?" Harry intensely interrogated.
"A ton"
"Like?"
"Like I'd tell you... poser. Stupid Punk–You ain't the real thing!" he spat. "I ain't falling for no tricks! I'm no amateur—unlike you," he chuckled.
"Shut up!"
"Thought you wanted me to talk," Hammerhead taunted with a smug smirk.
Slowly, that smirk cracked into an enormous grin.
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been having a rough night. So thank you... I needed a laugh," the crime-lord admitted before he burst into laughter.
Yet Hammerhead couldn't see through the goggles of the goblin mask, but his eyes were fuming.
"Stop laughing..." he uttered.
Again, he electrocuted him, yet the laughs continued.
"Harry, c'mon... that's enough," Spidey calmly ordered with his hands raised.
"That's Osborn's kid? No wonder why he's dressed like a freak!" Hammerhead continued to laugh.
The agitated Harry grasped his sword and held it close to Hammerhead's chest... it still didn't phase the crime-lord. He was in disbelief. The sight of his laughter fanned his flame to historic heights. Where his anger couldn't hold back anymore.
'Prove it. Prove to him you're not a punk! PROVE IT, HARRY!'
"STOP LAUGHING!"
Harry felt like that helpless child who couldn't do a thing with his cries. But once that flame on the sword grew taller, it ignited him.
'PROVE IT HARRY!'
Without another thought, he viciously plunged the sword into Hammerhead's chest. That's when his laughs died down.
"HARRY–NOOO!" Spidey screamed. He tried pulling him away from Hammerhead, but it did nothing. Harry swatted him away, throwing a sleeping bomb at him to keep his distance.
Then he plunged his sword into him deeper... till the laughs died down.
The deed was done.
Harry's eyes slowly wandered down to see his once clean, shiny golden gloves and armor, now stained in Hammerhead's blood.
'That's what it all meant...'
TO BE CONTINUED...