Peter and Mary Jane slept well past their normal wake up time. At 9:30 Mary Anna crept into their room. Fresh from a shower, she wore a white silk robe. A towel still wrapped her hair. She carried a tray with breakfast: a pitcher of hot coffee, scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, potatoes, and condiments. Setting the tray down, she nudged her mother.
“Mom,” she whispered. “Rise and shine.”
Without opening her eyes, Mary Jane sniffed the aroma. “Mmm,” she hummed. “Wake up, Peter.” She patted his chest.
“Let Dad sleep,” Mary Anna said. “He had a rough night.”
“You know?” MJ asked, sitting up and pushing Peter a little harder.
“He’s all over the news.”
“Television,” Mary Jane ordered and the flat panel flickered to life. She caught the tail end of a prostitute’s statement. “He said that Spider-Man was back. Then he just swung off.”
The news anchor came into view. “Apparently, stopping crooks wasn’t the only thing on Spider-Man’s mind. An All-Farm insurance office was burglarized last night, valuables stolen from the floor safe. Security cameras caught Spider-Man leaving the scene. Samples of his webbing were confiscated, but they disintegrated shortly thereafter.”
“What?” Peter bolted upright.
The anchor continued, “Has Spider-Man returned due to a serious mental condition? Why else would he terrorize two airports, kidnap actress Mary Jane Parker, capture several criminals, and then rob an insurance office? Your guess is as good as mine. Mrs. Parker’s husband and children were unavailable for comment. This is Scott Bannon.”
“I didn’t steal anything! The alarm went off and I tried to capture the crook, but he got away. I left before the deregulators showed up!”
“We believe you, Dad,” Mary Anna assured. “I know you’d never steal. Forget about it and eat.”
Peter rolled to his side and groaned, “My back.” He crawled out of bed and stretched. Bones popped along his spine. “I think I pulled something last night. I’m not used to this.” Walking around the bed, he sat next to his daughter and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for breakfast.”
Breakfast was a momentary respite for what lay ahead. Afterward, they needed to figure out how to proceed in their search for Chrissy. They did not want to wait for the goblin’s next move.
#
Norman Osborn gently shook the sleeping figure underneath the sheets. “Get up. You need to get your strength back. Drink this.”
Offering a mug of a nutrient enriched coffee blend, he pulled the sheets from his mysterious guest. Red hair filled with gray crested his head. A long, drawn face ended with a dimpled chin. A skinny neck fed into a bony ribcage. One thing remained constant from his heyday, the chaos within his penetrating stare. Cletus Kasady took the mug, sipping the steaming liquid. The warmth unlocked his throat.
“Who are you?” he rasped. “Why are you doing this?”
“All in due time,” Norman responded. “Let one thing hasten your recovery – revenge against Spider-Man.”
Disoriented from freezer shock, the name dug past the muck in his brain. Hatred for Spider-Man burned, blaming him for his incarceration in the Vault when it was blown up. Though craving random violence, he craved Spider-Man’s head even more. Raising the mug to his lips, he slurped deeply.
After the drink was drained, the mild sedative mixed in it took effect. Norman covered Kasady and departed for the basement. Iron doors were evenly spaced around the room. Outside each, a video monitor displayed its contents. Four were occupied. Richard Parker investigated every nook of his prison. Amanda sat in the far corner, her eyes bloodshot from crying. Emily played games on a hand-held computer provided by Norman.
Outside Chrissy’s cell, Norman checked a special monitoring device. She lay in the center of the darkened chamber. Her life signs were much stronger than normal. Norman pressed a button. A scan of his prisoner confirmed what he had already expected. The symbiote appeared in the bloodstream of every organ and continued to increase its density. It was as nearly bonded to her as it had been to Cletus Kasady. What should I do for my next step? Remembering Scott Bannon’s report of Spider-Man’s return, Norman howled as an idea crossed his mind. Tonight, Carnage will be unleashed.
#
Carl put word on the streets for any information that could possibly be linked to Chrissy Parker or the Green Goblin. Technicians in the pirating station calibrated their instruments, including a decloaker, to search for key words on cloaked phone conversations. Even security devices owned privately or corporately were scanned for any mention.
Peter was impressed with the work of Carl and his daughter. They fought tyranny in their own way, just as he had started to do over forty years ago. He wondered that if he had stayed in New York, would he be working for a covert operation such as this? He hoped that the answer was yes. Years back, he had learned that an old high school bully and post high school friend, Flash Thompson, had gone into hiding with his wife after the Deregulation Committee came to light. He wondered if they were still alive. Carl informed him that they were indeed alive and headed an alliance similar to Safehouse with John Jameson. Peter was surprised that the former astronaut had joined their ranks after the way his father had pushed for criminalizing super powers. He understood after Carl told him of the Man-Wolf arteries.
The day dragged on with no news of Chrissy. Peter and Mary Jane were down, but Mary Anna’s friends and associates took them in as two of their own. Peter returned to his room in the middle of the day for a muscle relaxant and Ben-gay. Mary Anna accompanied him while MJ worked out in the underground gym.
“What’s it like to be Spider-Man?” Mary Anna asked, excitement etched on her face.
“It’s not as great as it appears.” He winced, applying the pain relief gel to his lower back.
Mary Anna helped with the spots that he had trouble reaching. “What do you mean? You’re out there, swinging around, with not a care in the world. It must be wonderful.”
“It is, in its own right. But I had cares in the world, that’s why I gave it up.”
She stared with a confused look on her face.
“You, Richard, and Chrissy,” he clarified. “You were my cares. What would happen if one night I never came home? What would happen if I ended up dead?”
“But that didn’t happen,” she answered. “Lives of superheroes were so carefree. They protected the city from common criminals and super villains. Now, there aren’t many super villains, but crime has been on the rise ever since the deregulators. Here, we’re striving to bring back the way it was.”
“I’ll admit that the way it was, was much better than now. But you’re only seeing a glamorized view. I faced death many times. Friends died while fighting super criminals! I almost did too. I have a power called a spider sense that warns of danger before it strikes. At least that what it’s supposed to do. I came out of retirement to fight against the uprising on the tenth anniversary of the Villain Massacre. My spider sense failed and I was almost killed. The human torch saved me. I loved being Spider-Man, but that’s when I gave it up. For good. For you.”
Mary Anna hugged him.
“Now I’m called into battle again against one of my deadliest foes. I used to live on hardly any sleep and webswing all night, every night. Now, only after a few hours on the town, my back’s killing me, my arms feel like lead, and the muscles in my thighs ache like never before. Sometimes I wish I never became Spider-Man.”
“Daddy?” Mary Anna pulled away, moisture coating her eyes. “How did you become Spider-Man?”
Peter told her everything from the radioactive spider bite to Uncle Ben. Gwen Stacy. Harry Osborn. Venom. Ben Reilly. The Avengers. And more.
Mary Anna viewed her father in an all-new light, as well as the life of a superhero. She felt much closer to him than ever. She used to be jealous of the close-knit bond he shared with her sister, but that feeling faded with his story. She learned of his hopes and dreams, his pains and sacrifices. Only her mother knew more. Before she saw him as some science whiz, but now knew better.
Throughout dinner she could hardly keep her eyes off him. Pride gleamed in them. She was proud to have him as her father, but now needed his approval. Alone in the room with him, she had almost confided her secret, but refrained. She wanted her mother present when announcing her pregnancy and that she and Carl were planning a summer wedding. She hid the fact for as long as possible, but after her father’s confession, she needed to cleanse her soul as well. Her parents might be a bit disappointed, but would understand and love her no matter what. After Chrissy returned, she intended to tell the whole family at once.
After dinner, Peter and Mary Jane kept the company of Mary Anna while Carl ran errands. Shortly after ten, MJ and Peter excused themselves to their rooms and fell fast asleep. Though the city called for Spider-Man, Peter was oblivious to its cries. His aching body blocked the summons as his amazing recuperative powers kicked into high gear after years of non-use.
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