20 MINUTES AGO - UNKNOWN LOCATION
Standing infront of a computer, Otto Octavius stares at his phone with a message from Norman Osborn "Start the Demonstration."
“Thank you all for being here tonight. I assure this will not be for naught.”
“Whatever, lets just get dis over wit. We got places ta’ be.”
“Of Course Hammerhead, although I do wish the Big Man himself would have been present tonight.”
“He’s always present…” says Hammerhead, his eyes narrowed at the screen, “...just act like he’s here. My eyes are his! Ya got that!”
“Of course he’s present...” interjects Madame Masque, “...Hammerhead wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t already on the Big Man’s lap like a good lil puppy.” she grins.
“Careful Madame...dis’ puppy might decide ta’ maul da rest of dat face.” Hammerhead growls.
“As interesting the idea of a hardhead and a golden face coming to blow is…”Owslely chides, “...I have someone’s heart to cut out in an hour so can we please cut to the point!”
“Well Owsley…” Negative smirks, “I didn’t know you still got your hands dirty, don’t you have people for that?”
A crooked smirk comes across Owslely’s face, “We all need a hobby.”
“A hobby? This is a business…” chides Silvio Manfredi, “...if you didn’t treat it as a hobby maybe you’d be more successful with your territory.”
“Maybe I should come over there and ‘personally’ show you my hobby old…”
“Gentleman gentleman…” Otto interrupts, “...discord is not the color of the evening. A demonstration is. Now, as you all know, New York City has been under the control of ‘Big Man’ for many years. We have all profited as of late. However, over the past Year Spider-Man has interfered if not stopped shipments or product deliveries in your ‘business’. Hence, since the Big man tasked us all with finding solutions to our ‘arachnid’ problem, I may have one. Interested?”
“YES!” they all say in unison.
“Good. I have a solution in the form of a demonstration.” says Otto while watching Hammerhead’s screen. Slightly, Hammerhead leans back in his chair as if listening to a voice behind him. However, seeing Otto has gone silent, Hammerhead leans forward to the screen.
“So?” Hammerhead asks, “When is it?”
Otto grins, discerning ‘The Big Man’s’ interest was greatly in his favor. He anticipated so, or more, calculated.
“Now.” answers Otto, to Hammerheads raised eyebrows, “Allow the one and only Otto Octavious to demonstrate a guaranteed anti-spider-man retrieval security measure if you will. The One. The Only. The Rhino!”
Leaning forward, Hammerhead narrows his eyes “What exactly is he retrieving?”
Otto grins, “MY dear Hammerhead, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you, so just turn on the news.”
Marvel - The Beginning: The Amazing Spider-Man
VOL 2: THE SENSATIONAL SYMBIOTE SAGA
ARC 1: THE BLACK SUIT
PART 1: CONTAINMENT
PRESENT - GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE
"Hundreds are stuck on both sides of the George Washington Bridge as the joint NASA/OZcorp Space X Project to recover an element not found on our Periodic Table dubbed Promethium X, has gone awry."
Looking to the camera, Betty points to the distance out the window "Details are still coming in but we know is this: Moments ago, Lead Pilots for the SPACE X Shuttle, Benjamin Grim and Johnny Storm lost contact with NASA Controls. An emergency landing for reasons still unknown has resulted in a crash landing on GW Bridge. We’re coming up alongside the bridge now and wow, look at the damage…"
"...As you can see, the Shuttle is on its side with hundreds of abandoned cars and...wait… is that? Frank zoom in there….is that...Spider-Man?! YES! THATS SPIDER-MAN ON THE SCENE! I repeat Spider-Man is one the scene with a mysterious, I mean, what is that? Who is he supposed to be ?Okay, someone in a grey onesie just threw Spider-Man into a crate and black oil is all over him, is Spider-Man fighting a muscled Grey Onesie man? Is he robbing the shuttle? Stay with us, we’re live…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile...on the Bridge
Holding up his arms as if he was drenched in thick black oil, Spider-Man observes the very cold black goo coating his hand, arms and covering the red and blue colors of his costume on his torso. The thick black goo chills Spider-Man to his bones as if it was made of liquid nitrogen.
“What is this stuff...” complains Spider-Man, throwing his head back against the shuttle’s metal underside, “...i mean i just washed this, if this stains…” the complains, trying to wipe it off but groans as it smears and coats him like thick honey, “...I swear i’m wearing latex from now on I don’t care what lifestyle repercussions it has!”
Seeing the black goo coating Spider-Man’s torso, hands chest, and part of his feet making it impossible to stand, Rhino takes a few steps back. Taking stock of his situation, Rhino glances to his right.
The hovering news chopper was ascending for a better angle but the bright spotlight still remained on him and Spider-Man. So much for being discreet. Returning his attention to Spider-Man, Rhino had a mission and even though he was ‘cleared’ to kill Spider-Man, Otto Octavius was probably watching the news and was none too happy to see he lost the….
~YOU IMBECILE...!~ shouts Otto.
Rhino closes his eyes at the dreaded timing of hearing his employer's annoying voice come over his earbud communicator.
“Boss i’m kinda busy…” Rhino says, as he nervously watches the black goo that spilled all over Spider-Man stretch down his torso and legs and splatter.
~No my friend you are RUINING the demonstration! You have to fix this! Fix this now and i mean NOW!~
Touching his earbud, Rhino clenches his jaw at the notion of going after Spider-Man again, “But boss the sample, it got all over Spider-Man and, its weird the sample was...a thing, it bit me alot and...”
~ALEKSEI?! Is your Rhinohide damaged?! Did you damage my only prototype suit you OVERGROWN imbecile!~
“NO!” barks Rhino, tired of the insults, “But dat stuff was uh, uh like, it was solid, an animal. Now its a liquid after it felt the torch flames and its…”
~I dont’ care what it was, OUR WINDOW BEFORE THE ARMY ARRIVE IS CLOSING! You need to END THIS NOW!”
Letting out a frustrated snort, Rhino nods, “Right.” he says, his mind now refocused .
Immediately Rhino starts looking around the bridge. He needed something. In a sea of abandoned cars, surely he could find anything that was tough enough to ‘scoop’ that black goo into. Then, Rhino’s eyes catch notice of an abandoned car. Doors wide open. Key still in the ignition...and a thermos in the cup holder.
Meanwhile..
{Alright Spidey c’mon this Rhino dude is making you look bad get up!}
Finally managing to stand up and STAY on his two feet, Spider-man holds out his hands to balance himself, barely able to keep his feet from moving on what feels like slick ice, but gooey.
{Alright, Spidey some dude just stained your suit and you got no cash for dry cleaning…}
Lifting his eyes to Rhino reaching into an abandoned car, Spider-Man narrows his eyes, “...okay, so, we’re arresting him...and beating him up a lil too. Yeah. just a bit.”
Squatting low, Spider-Man springs off the ground and flips in the air to Rhino.
~He’s coming for you! DO something you FOOL!~
Pulling himself out the car with his newly acquired thermos, Rhino’s white horns tear through the car roof like a knife through butter as he looks up to Spider-Man diving at him. Immediately Rhino rips the driver side door off the car,
“Stop calling me a FOOL!” he shouts, hurling the door at Spidey as if it was a frisbee.
To his amazement, Spider-Man flips in the air-again, shoots out a thin web at the door that whizzes by him.
“BUT YOUR NOT SMART!” he shouts, hurling right back at Rhino!!
Rhino’s eyes open wide. Immediately swings his arm, smacking the car door away before it hits him in the face. Looking in the air, Rhino sees no sign of Spider-Man. Then, Rhino hears the sound of something heavy moving behind him.
Turning around, Rhino’s eyes open wide at an abandoned car shoved at him with great force!
Holding out both hands and leaning forward, Rhino stops the car dead in its tracks.
~You’re wasting time.The ARMY IS ON ITS WAY AND they compromise your exit in Ninety seconds…~
Peering through the windshield, through the empty car and out the back window, Rhino narrows his eyes at Spider-man, pushing the car into him.
“LEMME GUESS…” Spider-Man shouts in a strained voice, still trying to push the car into Rhino “...YOU ATE AAAAALL YOUR VEGGIES AS A KID!”
~Aleskei, the scientists, their STILL IN THE SHUTTLE! THROW THE CAR AT IT! ~
Rhino grimaces at the thought but he obeys. Grabbing the car by the front end of the car Rhino, lifts the entire front end of the car off the ground, “YEAH SPIDEY…” he shouts, “...I DID!” he yells before throwing the entire car into NASA Shuttle!
With nothing between them, Spider-Man watches in horror as the car zooms through the air and rams the side of the shuttle with enough force, it causes the ship to shift!
Spider-Man’s eyes open wide in horror at both seeing and hearing the screeching metal of the NASA Shuttle against the concrete as the car crashes into it. The entire nose of the shuttle was already over the side of the bridge, but now, it was tipping and would for sure fall into the Hudson River.
“Dem science people are still in there, ya wanna save’em?”
Spider-man looks at Rhino standing before him as smug as ever and then points to himself with his grey covered thumb, “...or you wanna stop me? Hero?!”
Spider-man, covered in dripping black goo narrows his eyes at Rhino. He wanted to stop him, but not the cost of innocent lives.
{Why didn't I get them first, stupid stupid.} Spider-Man mumbles, rebuking himself.
“This isn’t over!” chides Spider-man, before shooting a thin webline to the bridge support cables and vaulting himself into the air.
~Wait for him to get inside.~ instructs Otto.
Rhino, seeing Spider-Man swinging through the air as fast as he can, sees the Helicopter’s spotlight shift off of him and Spider-Man lands on the side of the shuttle. Still covered in the black goo, Spider-man crawls along the side the shuttle to the open hole Rhino had made for himself earlier.
~Aleskei, MOVE IT!~
Seeing Spider-Man disappear into the shuttle, Rhino runs towards it but stops short. Unscrewing the thermos he stole, he kneels down to the pavement.
“C’mon you nasty…” grumbles Rhino, scraping the lip of the thermos along the ground, collecting the last remains of black goo he sees.
~Get us as much as you can. Hurry!~
Looking around, Rhino pauses. Thinking his eyes are playing tricks on him, Rhino observes as the scattered black goo on the pavement slowly moves towards the shuttle. It didn’t take a genius to put it together.
“Stuff’s alive Doc.” mumbles Rhino, piecing together that the goo is heading in Spider-Man’s direction. Peaking into the thermos, Rhino sees the black goo vibrating and slowly spiraling upwards to get out.
“Ah no you dont’.” Rhino huffs, immediately placing the cap on the thermos and squeezing it til the metal top is crushed so none spill out.
Touching the side of his comm, Rhino speaks, “I’m done.”
~Now get off the bridge to the New Jersey side, down the embankments. I’ll send a boat to collect you.~
Turning around, Rhino sprints away from the shuttle smashing aside a car with one hand and kicking up another before sprinting down the George Washington Bridge towards New Jersey.
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to be continued....
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