Post by Stardrifter on Feb 12, 2015 23:25:52 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter
PREVIOUSLY IN THE SPECTACULAR SCARLET SPIDER!
Alistair Smythe, racist scientist at the Scarab Corporation, perfects the process of turning mutants into cybernetic slaves. What he plans to do with this ability is unclear, but fresh bodies are needed.
Ben continues to make both enemies and friends amongst the Morlocks. He still has no more ideas as to who he is. During a typically hostile encounter with Marrow, he gets a bad feeling and follows her, only to discover she's meeting with Morlock extremists who plan to attack the surface. A fight ensues, which is quickly ended by the sound of gunfire in the Morlock's home.
Alistair Smythe, racist scientist at the Scarab Corporation, perfects the process of turning mutants into cybernetic slaves. What he plans to do with this ability is unclear, but fresh bodies are needed.
Ben continues to make both enemies and friends amongst the Morlocks. He still has no more ideas as to who he is. During a typically hostile encounter with Marrow, he gets a bad feeling and follows her, only to discover she's meeting with Morlock extremists who plan to attack the surface. A fight ensues, which is quickly ended by the sound of gunfire in the Morlock's home.
#3 - Into the Light
The muscles in Ben's legs begin to burn as he runs through the tunnel. He's faster than the others, quickly overtaking all but Hemingway, whose giant strides keep them side by side. The urgency of the situation leaves their fight all but forgotten.
They continue to hear gunfire just barely echo over the sound of them sloshing through the tunnel. It's soon followed by other harder to discern sounds. Explosions, thunderous impacts, and other unusual sounds that are no doubt the result of the various mutant powers being used.
All Ben can see are the faces of those he has come to care about. Callisto, Shale, Leech, and others. They flash before his eyes with every step. It leaves him so distracted that only his danger sense saves Ben from running straight into a trap.
As he rounds the corner, three black clad armored soldiers await him. Hemingway rounds the corner right after him, and Ben throws himself into the giant to knock him aside as the soldiers open fire.
The sound isn't normal gunfire, however. Ben's incredible senses allow him to catch a glimpse of the darts they're firing as they fly past his head.
The three soldiers respond quickly. Realizing their volley missed and they don't have the time to reload, they drop their dart guns at their side and raise regular guns. Ben is luckily faster, leaping forward and smacking two of their guns aside, quickly finishing them off with blows to their helmets. Hemingway's massive fist slams the third one straight into the ground.
"What...the fuck...is going on?" Marrow shouts as she comes to a stop behind them.
"Soldiers," Ben replies, studying one of the fallen men. His uniform has no insignia of any kind. Not even a brand label. "Mercenaries perhaps?"
"Humans!" Maggott shouts, stopping only a moment to acknowledge the soldiers before sprinting off once more.
"Wait we..." Ben begins to no avail, the others all running after Maggott. Obviously a plan is out of the question. He doesn't even think any of them realized the soldiers tried to take them alive first. What is their game?
More sounds of battle echo around him, jarring Ben from his thoughts. He runs off after the others only to find them fighting another group of soldiers. The cramped sewer tunnels nullifies the mutants' greater numbers, allowing one of the soldiers to hit Erg with a dart. He pulls it out of his neck in time to see it before falling over.
"Erg!" Marrow shouts as she stabs the last soldier in the neck with one of her bone daggers. It's a sight that repulses Ben, but he pushes it from his mind as he kneels down over Erg. It was self defense. That's justified, isn't it?
"He's alive," Ben assures them, Erg's pulse strong under his fingers. "It must have just been a tranquilizer. They want prisoners."
"Well we don't!" Maggott shouts. His skin is once again blue, the slugs that burst out of him feeding on the armor of one of the fallen soldiers. "Tommy, look after Erg. Lets finish these bastards off!"
When they finally reach the main Morlock settlement, only a few stragglers remain. A half dozen soldiers remain standing over the carnage. Both soldier and Morlock alike lie amongst the ruins of the Morlock's settlement. Some sedated, others dead.
"Flatscan scum!" Maggott shouts, throwing his slugs at the nearest soldier. Marrow and Hemingway also leap into the fray. Ben quickly survey's the area and sees Leech cowering in a corner, a soldier reaching out for him.
"Don't touch him!" Ben shouts, leaping into the air. He grabs the ceiling with his fingers and uses his momentum to swing toward the soldier, planting both feet into his side. The soldier slams into the wall, and Ben quickly lifts Leech into his arms.
His danger sense warns him before a nearby soldier opens fire with his automatic weapon. Ben flips and rolls away, Leech clinging to him for dear life, staying one step ahead of the hail of bullets. He finally leaps up onto the ceiling, holding on with his feet and left hand, and turns to find Maggott come up behind the soldier and snap his neck.
"Everyone all right?" Ben asks, looking around to find the others all appear in one piece. Tommy comes shuffling in, dragging Erg's unconscious form along side her.
"What the hell happened?" Hemingway shouts, throwing one of the soldiers into a wall. If he wasn't already dead, he likely is now. "What the hell is going on?"
"So many aren't here," Marrow observes, looking over the bodies of her fellow Morlocks. "Many were out for the night."
"They still took at least a dozen," Ben points out, jumping down from the ceiling. He tries to put Leech down, but the young boy won't let go. "We have to go after them!"
"We?!" a voice rings out from across the room. They all look over to see Masque crawl out from under a pile of rubble. Once he gets to his feet, he quickly raises his hood to cover his grotesque visage. "There's no 'we' here! You're not one of us!"
"Masque, we already settled this," Marrow groans. "Callisto said..."
"Fuck Callisto!" Masque spits. "The stupid bitch led him here and this is probably all his fault! He's not even a mutant!"
"What?" the others say in almost unison, turning to look at Ben. He stares back, unsure what to say.
"What are you talking about?" Marrow asks.
"Didn't you see! He's holding Leech! He had him on the ceiling! If he were a mutant, his powers wouldn't have worked!"
Ben watches as the realization dawns on each of the others. Their looks of confusion quickly turn to looks of hatred. All save for Marrow, who simply avoids her eyes.
"I knew it!" Maggott shouts. He rushes over and tears Leech from Ben's arms. The boy screams in protest until he's tossed aside. "You ain't one of us! I don' know what you are, but Masque is right! This is all your fault!"
"I don't know what I am either," Ben shouts back, overcome with emotion. "Mutant? Human? I don't know! I don't care! The others were taken! We have to go after them!"
"Screw dat!" Maggott waves his hand up in front of Ben's face. "They got what they deserve. They all gone soft."
"You can't be serious?" Tommy asks, looking to the others for support. "Callisto! The others! We have to help them."
"For what?" Hemingway asks. "So they can continue to cower down here? Maggott's right. They brought it on themselves."
"You wanted to show 'em," Marrow whispers, staring off at the floor. "Show 'em we need to fight back. The others have to see now."
"Marrow," Ben says, walking up and placing a hand on her arm. "I thought Callisto was like a mom to you? Or a sister? I mean, you can't just let these guys have her."
"This happened under Callisto's watch," Masque says, hatred in his voice. "She failed as leader. We need someone strong. I say we..."
"You don't say nothing," Hemingway grumbles, walking up behind mask and reaching down to put a spike up to his throat. "Maggott's in charge now. You got it?"
Masque looks around and sees no friendly faces. He sighs in acceptance. "Got it. So what now?"
"Now we gather what others we can, and we strike back at the flatscans! All of them!"
Ben runs his hands through his hair, unable to understand how everything turned upside down so fast. "Maggott, please. We need to..."
"You need to go back to da surface, freak!" Maggott shouts, moving right up in Ben's face. "You ain't a mutant. You ain't a Morlock. You wanna figure out who you are, go topside with the rest of the gene trash! Go die with Callisto and the others if you want. I don't care."
Maggott's final say closes the matter. Hemingway picks up Erg, Tommy takes Leech, and they start to leave. Only Marrow stands frozen, staring off into nothing.
"Marrow. C'mon," Ben pleads, unsure what to do . Unsure of everything, except that they have to help the others. "Help me! Help me help them! They need us!"
"Marrow," Maggott says from the exit, waiting patiently for her.
After a moment's hesitation, Marrow finally looks up at Ben. "You're not one of us, Ben. Go. Go to the surface. Just leave us alone."
She turns to leave and doesn't look back, leaving Ben alone amongst the chaos. The only life he's known, however brief, and it lies before him in ruin. All alone, what does he do now?
****
The rage that boils inside Spencer is so hot his face is turning red. He was about to leave for the night when one of his senior security guards came in to tell him about some suspicious activity. He should have known it was Alistair.
"What in the hell are you doing?" Spencer roars, his voice cracking beneath his anger. He storms up to Alistair, who is jotting down notes in a notebook as he watches his mercenaries bring in the bound and gagged Morlocks. Some have begun to shake off the effects of the tranquilizer but are still too sluggish to resist.
"I need more bodies," Alistair says matter-of-factly. He otherwise ignores his father and continues his note taking.
"Final tally is fifteen subjects, sir," the mercenary leader grumbles. His voice is as gravely as his hard, stubbled face. "We lost eleven men overall."
"You sent eleven men to their death?!" Spencer screams, getting directly in his son's face. "To kidnap fifteen mutants?!"
Alistair still doesn't look up at his father. "Acceptable losses. It's what they were paid for. Thank you, Falkins."
Alistair turns to leave, still writing notes as he walks toward his office. His father, dumbfounded at his sons behavior, follows to continue his rant.
"So I take it you failed! Again!" Spencer's rage at his son's aloofness begins to turn his face a light shade of purple.
"No, I was successful," Alistair says, waving toward his office window as they enter. Spencer looks out toward Alistair's lab and sees his experiment. The reptilian mutant is strapped onto a table. His arms are now gone, replaced with mechanical prosthetics. Alistair's assistant Ron is currently tinkering with a mechanical leg.
"Dear God," Spencer whispers, both amazed and horrified at the sight. He quickly shakes the feelings and anger returns. "Why didn't you notify me immediately?! We have to report the success to..."
"No!" Alistair shouts, finally looking up at his father. "Xanatos can go to hell! This is my project! My achievement! I won't have him com..."
Alistair is interrupted by his father's fist back handing him in the mouth. Not expecting the blow, Alistair falls to his knees and spits a couple drops of blood.
"Your project?!" Spencer screams down at his son. "This is MY company! You work for me! Every project you work on is MINE and I decide what is done with them! I've had enough of your insubordination!"
Alistair starts to stand up, but Spencer throws another punch, landing right in Alistair's eye. He rears back to swing again but is stopped by a mechanical hand clamping down on his wrist.
"Aargh!" Spencer screams in pain before another hand grasps his throat and lifts him off his feet.
"PROTECTION MODE ENGAGED."
Alistair looks up to see the mutant cyborg holding his father, unfazed by Spencer's attempt to struggle.
"I'm sorry sir!" Ron shouts, trying in vain to pry the cyborg's hands open. "I don't know what's going on!"
"It's all right, Ron," Alistair assures him. He stands up and walks over to look his father in the eye. "Unit 01 is simply following his protocol. Namely, my safety."
"Yggh rrgg marth!" Spencer tries to speak.
"What was that, father? I'm sorry. But as you can see, MY project was a success. And I'm through being your puppet. You'd let Xanatos take over the project, profits, and recognition of this amazing scientific feat. You're so beaten down, like a dog. Like you thought I was. I think it's time you stepped down as CEO."
"Sir, what are you doing?" Ron asks, looking back and forth between Alistair and Unit 01, afraid he already knows the answer.
"Taking control of my life. And this company," Alistair offers a sinister smile. "You can either be a part of it or share his fate. Decide now."
It only takes Ron a moment to decide. He slowly backs away from Unit 01 and Spencer, offering no more objections.
"Ygg'll paargh frr thsss!" Spencer spits out, his face turning blue.
Alistair pats his father on the arm. "WIth the piles of money I'm standing to make, I think I can afford it. Unit 01, terminate."
"AFFIRMATIVE." With a flick of his mechanical wrist, Unit 01 snaps Spencer's neck.
Alistair sighs with satisfaction before turning to Ron. "Get rid of it. Then start prepping our next subject. Understood."
"Yes sir," Ron whispers, unable to move until Alistair walks out of the room.
****
The sound of dripping water and his own breathing is all Ben hears. He looks around at the carnage, unsure what to do. Where does he go from here? He's still no closer to regaining his memories or even knowing who he is.
He could go to the police? Or perhaps a hospital? Someone who could help find out who he is or fix what's wrong. No. No these powers, now confirmed not mutant in origin, throw a wrench in that. He was running for a reason. No doubt something to do with his powers. Going to authorities could just make things worse.
He starts to pace, his heart beat racing. There are no choices. No options. No where to turn and no friends to confide in. He's all alone with no hope.
"Uugh..."
Ben's head snaps at the sound. One of the soldiers stirs, rolling onto his side and coughing. He rushes over and grabs the soldier by the vest, kicking his gun away and tearing any other weapons off him.
"Who are you?" Ben shouts in his face. The soldier has a hard time focusing on him, so Ben pulls off his his helmet and slaps him. "Who do you work for? Where did you take the others?"
The soldier's eyes finally settle on Ben's face. The questions slowly sink in and he offers a weak smile. "I ain't telling you shit, mutie!"
Thoughts race a mile a minute in Ben's head. Growling under his breath, he lifts the solider up and drags him out into the tunnel. The soldier tries to fight, kicking and clawing at Ben's arms, but it's no use.
Finally Ben kneels down and turns the soldier over so he's facing the shallow pool of water running down the tunnel. "Who do you work for?"
"Go to he..." His words are cut off when Ben shoves his face down into the water. The soldier struggles but is no match for Ben's strength. After a few seconds, Ben pulls him back up.
"Where did they take the others?" Ben shouts in the soldier's ear. "Who do you work for?"
The soldier simply coughs and spits up water, shaking his head no. Without hesitation, Ben shoves him back into the water. As the soldier struggles in vain in his grip, tears begin falling down Ben's cheeks. This is wrong. He knows it's wrong. Yet what other option does he have? Trying to find the others seems like the only choice in front of him, and he can't if he doesn't know where to look.
He feels as if he's outside of his own body, watching as he tortures this helpless person. He wants to stop, but can't. Everything has gone too far.
"Where are they?" Ben pulls him up again. "Tell me!" Please. "Where did you take them?"
"The Scarab Corporation!" the soldier screams between coughs. "I don't know why! I just do what I'm paid for!"
The Scarab Corporation. It's a name Ben knows, though he has no idea why. A cybernetics research company. Run by a man named, Smith? No, Smythe.
With a lead in his search and some manner of purpose before him again, Ben sighs in relief. He picks the soldier up and punches him square in the face, knocking him into the wall in a heap. Then he runs off down the tunnel, looking for the closest manhole to the surface.
****
The night air is cold, like pins against Ben's skin as he leaps from rooftop to rooftop. He debated hailing a taxi or riding the subway, but with no money and no idea if he would be recognized, he decided against it. A quick "borrowing" of a pedestrian's cell phone gave him the address and directions he needed.
Despite the cold, Ben found that the journey across the New York City skyline was actually a lot of fun. Every leap was an experiment in precision and agility. Every time he landed on the side of a building or swung from a flagpole, it felt natural to him. Almost like coming home.
It took about an hour to reach the Scarab Corporation headquarters. As he perched on a nearby building to survey the situation, rain began to fall from the sky. Ben pulled the blue hood up over his head and went into action.
Security was top notch and thick. Guards, cameras, alarms, you name it. Security systems are, however, for the most part designed with ordinary people in mind. It wasn't difficult for Ben to crawl along the building until he found an open office window. A man in a suit was working late at his desk. Ben tried to sneak by, crawling in the window, along the wall, and across the ceiling. The water dripping off his clothes was a dead giveaway. After a short altercation, Ben moved on through the building. His time now limited to when either the man woke up or someone found him.
"If I were illegally kidnapping people for who knows what reason, where would I be?" Ben mutters to himself as he crawls along the ceiling. He sees a nearby elevator and answers his own question. "Of course! The basement!"
When the elevator arrives he discovers the bottom levels require keys to access. His first instinct is to find someone he can swipe keys from, until he starts thinking out of the box. Pressing every single button for the floors above, he steps out and waits for the elevator to rise. Then he rips the doors open and descends down the elevator shaft.
"Start from the bottom I suppose," Ben says to himself when he reaches the end. He listens at the doors for a moment to make sure it's clear before opening them.
The hallways are deserted, yet he can hear noises of commotion off in the distance. He passes various empty rooms. Labs, storage areas, a rec room, before he finds any signs of life.
A young man in a lab coat comes rushing down the hallway. So lost in thought that he doesn't notice Ben standing out in the open, giving Ben the chance to hide. He ducks into a doorway and waits for the man to get close.
In a flash Ben reaches out and snatches the man, placing a hand on his mouth and holding his other arms at his sides with his great strength. The man struggles as best he can, to no avail.
"Calm down and I won't hurt you," Ben whispers harshly. The man keeps struggling for another few seconds before deciding it's not accomplishing anything. "Good, what's your name?"
"R-Ron."
"Okay, my man Ron. Now tell me, where are the mutants?"
Ron mumbles something that sounds like, "I don't know."
"C'mon, it's late and I'm very, very annoyed. The mutants your hired goons kidnapped from the sewers. Where are they?"
Ron continues to mumble his ignorance, but Ben can see his fearful eyes look the way he came down the hall.
"That way, huh? So what are you doing with them? Some sick genetic experiment?" Ron mumbles some more. "Not gonna talk huh? Well why don't we go see..."
Ben stops when his danger sense goes off. He looks up to see the doors at the end of the hall open and two of the black clad soldiers come out. They're armor is half missing and most of their weapons are gone, but when they see Ben holding the man they react quickly.
"Perry to Security," one of the shoulders shouts into his shoulder mounted radio. "Intruder!"
"Well shit," Ben whispers before tossing Ron aside and leaping toward the soldiers. One raises a pistol, but Ben swats it aside, causing it to fire into the wall. He hits the soldier with a front kick that sends him back through the door.
"Intruder?" Ben asks the other soldier when he catches his fist mid swing. "I was invited with all my friends you took! I was just running late. You know, had to decide what to wear, how to do my hair."
A punch sends the soldier flying and Ben runs into the next room. Stealth is out of the question now. The large laboratory is filled with all kinds of computers and machines. A quick scan of the room doesn't reveal the Morlocks, only two more soldiers and a brown haired man with glasses.
"This doesn't have to go any father!" Ben shouts, doing his best to hide his face under his hood. "I just want my friends back."
"Oh he wants his friends back," the brown haired man mocks. "Take him if possible, kill him if necessary."
"Are you Smythe?" Ben asks quickly, causing the soldiers to stop after raising their guns.
"Alistair Smythe, yes," the scientist answers, rather amused.
"So I've been asking myself a question since your men invaded the sewers. Been kind of nagging at me for a while, thought maybe you could help. Why?"
Alistair smiles at the question. "Well I...hmm, no. Let it nag. Take him."
The two soldiers both open fire with their tranquilizers. Ben easily dodges, leaping into the air and kicking one of them. The sudden violence causes Alistair to flee as Ben finishes off the last soldier. It doesn't take him long to catch up.
"Care to answer my questions now?" Ben asks, slamming Alistair down onto a nearby desk.
"You are a powerful mutant, aren't you?" Alistair snickers, surprisingly unconcerned about Ben.
"Where are they?" Ben shouts, confused and angered by Alistair's attitude.
"In the next room," Alistair laughs, reaching up through Ben's arms to adjust his glasses. "Don't worry, you'll be joining them soon." He looks past Ben's shoulder and says, "Capture, Unit 01. Alive."
"AFFIRMATIVE."
Ben's danger sense warns him in time to twist to the side and avoid the mechanical hands reaching for him. His jaw drops at the sight of a what appears to be a lizardman cyborg. His arms and legs are robotic and his body is covered in armor. His face is half covered in unfinished cybernetic implants and half green scales.
Unit 01 raises it's arm and fires a taser. Ben dodges, leaping backward and sticking to the nearby wall. Unit 01 turns and begins stomping toward him.
"Is this what you're doing, Smythe?" Ben shouts over the sound of Unit 01's heavy footfalls. "Mutilating innocent people?"
"They're not people!" Alistair shouts, walking forward but staying a few feet behind Unit 01. "They're mutants. Abominations. And I can turn them into weapons to serve man."
"I'm sorry," Ben says as Unit 01 reaches for him. "If there's anything left of you in there, I'm sorry."
Ben kicks Unit 01's hand aside and jumps off the wall, slamming his fist into his opponents face. Unit 01 tumbles backward but maintains his balance, so Ben swings again. This time, Unit 01 displays speed much greater than he appears and blocks the punch, wrapping his hand around Ben's neck. He lifts Ben up off the ground and waits.
"Good, hold him while I sedate him," Smythe orders, rushing over to a nearby table.
Struggling against the cyborg's grip, Ben kicks wildly at him. Unit 01 is unphased by the strikes. Finally, Ben reaches up and grabs the hand holding his neck. With all his strength he pries the thumb and fingers apart, ripping the digits off the cybernetic hand and freeing himself.
"Stop him!" Alistair shouts, fear griping him as the situation turns. "Terminate!"
"AFFIRMATIVE."
Unit 01 reaches out for Ben, who leaps back. A machine gun slides out from Unit 01's arm and begins firing. Ben runs across the room, ducking behind anything he can, always one step ahead of the bullets. He continues in a circle around Unit 01, slowing spiraling in until he's finally close enough to dropkick the cyborg in the chest.
Ben leaps over the downed cyborg and grabs Alistair. "Call it off, now!"
Alistair doesn't respond, instead his eyes dart around the room as flames begin to grow from the myriad sensitive machines and materials Unit 01 shot up.
"Smythe! Stop this!"
"No!" Alistair screams, hysteria setting in. "Kill him! Kill him!"
Ben's danger sense warns him in time to step aside. Unit 01's arm, a footlong blade protruding from it, slams into Alistair's stomach. Blood gushes from Alistair's mouth as he falls forward onto his creation.
His orders given, Unit 01 shows no concern for Alistair, instead knocking him aside and swinging his blade for Ben. Ben blocks the attack and wraps his arm around the cyborg's. He holds on for dear life and kicks Unit 01 in the chest, sending him flying back and tearing the arm off at his shoulder. Unit 01 falls back into a shelf of chemicals, many of which catch fire from the spreading flames around the room.
Ben looks on in disgust as Unit 01 flails about, fire engulfing it's entire body. He turns to look at Alistair, wrything in agony on the floor, and walks away. He rushes over to the next room, fighting to see through the gathering smoke. Inside he finds the Morlocks strapped down on tables. Most are starting to wake up, their sedatives having run dry with no one to replace them.
"Callisto!" Ben shouts, running over and slapping her in the face. "Wake up!"
"Ben?" she asks, sluggishly sitting up as Ben unstraps her.
"Help me with the others! The buildings on fire!" The sprinkler system goes off to punctuate his point. The water helps rouse the others as they rush around, freeing everyone.
"Move!" Ben shouts, carrying one of the Morlocks over his shoulder. "Get to the stairs!"
As he runs past, he looks for Alistair, but cannot find the man amongst the flames. The groups runs up the stairs until they hit ground floor. The sounds of sirens ring out as they exit the building.
"Scatter!" Callisto shouts over the heavy rain now falling upon them. "Make for the sewers as fast as you can!"
Ben sets down the Morlock he was carrying, now able to stand for himself. The group runs off, desperate to avoid the coming authorities. Ben rushes off his own direction, cutting down an alleyway. His danger sense goes off as he's about to exit onto the street, only so slight that he doesn't realize it until he walks right into a pedestrian.
"I'm sorry," Ben yelps, reaching out to grab the other person by the shoulders to help steady them.
"It's okay, I just...Peter?"
Ben looks up at the name. Standing before him is a beautiful young woman, her brunette hair obscured by the rainsoaked hood covering her head. Her face elicits emotions Ben isn't prepared for. Desire, longing, comfort, kindness. It's a face both familiar and not, like a thought on the tip of his tongue he can't give name to.
"Peter, it's me Betty," she says, concerned about his confused expression. "Are you okay?"
"Peter! It's time for breakfast!"
"Graduating top of his class, Peter Parker!"
"Aunt May! You think Santa will bring me a PS2 for Christmas?"
"Parker! You got those photos yet?"
"Please Uncle Ben! No no no no no no!"
"H-Hi uh Mary J-Jane, my name is Peter."
"When are Mommy and Daddy coming home?"
"Harry! Peter! Get inside before you catch your death of cold!"
"Peter, with great power comes great responsibility. "
"Peter?" Betty asks, waving her hand in front of his face as he stares off into nothing. "Peter?"
A few seconds later, still staring off, Ben moves aside and starts running down the street. He doesn't even hear Betty calling after him, so single minded he is in his destination.
Time seems to slow and speed up all at once. Images continue flashing through his mind. Sounds, voices, smells, memories. It all comes flooding back, but jumbled. Out of order. Context is lost and it doesn't all make sense. Only one thing does.
Suddenly Ben finds himself coming out of his daze. He looks up and sees a small house across the street. His house. Home. He starts to take a step forward when the door flies open.
"Why don't you just stay here tonight?" an older woman asks the young man walking out the door. "It's late and you'll get sick going home in this downpour."
"It is late and I have class in the morning. I gotta get back to the dorm before curfew. I'll be okay."
The young man walks down the steps and raises a hood over his brown hair. Ben stares at the man, unable to take his eyes off him.
"Well I'm sorry if I kept you too long," she says. "I guess I just miss having you home every night."
"I'll come see you this weekend, I promise. Thanks for dinner, Aunt May. I love you."
"I love you too, Peter. Be careful."
A torrent of emotions flood Ben's mind. Confusion. Fear. Jealousy. Rage. Most of all, rage. Walking down the street in front of him is his face. Some sort of creature that has stolen his life.
Before the abomination can get out of view, he runs after him. "My name is Peter Parker," he mumbles to himself. "I am Peter Parker!"
-The End of the Beginning-