SIX WAYS TO DIE

Part II

By Wesley Overhults

Manhattan of Earth-32, Two Years Ago

Mary Jane Watson-Parker couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t a rare occurrence given the nature of her husband’s nightly activities. Things were especially tense this night though. She had left Aunt May in the care of the hospital staff. After being attacked by the new Sinister Six, she suffered a heart attack but the Six’s reign of terror didn’t end there. Flash Thompson was another of their victims and, after the news report MJ saw, so was the Black Cat. This new incarnation of the Six led by Harry Osborn wasn’t messing around. They were targeting all of Peter’s loved ones from those in his personal life to those in his professional life.

Mary Jane had spent the night alternating between concern for Aunt May’s safety and concern for her own. It made no sense why they wouldn’t attack her considering she was the closest to Peter. She wondered if maybe some part of Harry still had some affection for her and that was why he hadn’t let any of them lay a hand on her. This didn’t alleviate her fears. She rolled over onto her back and turned her eyes to the window. She stared at it for what felt like an eternity until someone opened it. She almost jumped out of her skin when someone crept through the open window.

“Peter?” asked Mary Jane as she watched the figure turn around and shut the window behind him. Her hand shot to the lamp on her bedside table and in its soft illumination she could see the familiar colors of the costume her husband wore.

“Yeah,” answered Peter Parker though his voice cracked.

He hurriedly took off his mask and threw it on the floor, a hint of disgust in his actions. He stared at his hands and noted the dark splotches of red on his gloves. He could still hear the sickening crunch of bone in his head. He could still taste the blood that wasn’t his.

“What’s wrong?” questioned his wife, noting the strange look in his eye and the focus of his attention. “Peter, what’s that on your hands?”

“I . . . I had to do it,” explained Peter. “He didn’t give me a choice, MJ. He hurt . . . he hurt everyone so I made him pay. I made all of them pay.”

Mary Jane Watson-Parker stood there in astonishment and watched her husband sink to his knees and continue to stare at his hands. The same hands that had held her so many nights had murdered someone. The same power that Peter used responsibly had now been used to take the life of someone they both still considered a friend. She was still afraid but this time there was no mistaking what she was afraid of. She was afraid of what Peter Parker had become.

Outside The Bar With No Name, Thirty Minutes Ago

“Someone looks pissed,” commented Wasp as Sandman and Goblin rejoined the rest of the group.

“Plan’s hit a little snag,” informed Sandman. “We just had a nice chat with Quentin Beck and saw a very informative bulletin on the news. Peter Parker is this Scarlet Spider that’s tearing up that Stark facility with the rest of the Six.”

“You’re joking,” said Daredevil in disbelief.

“It’s him,” confirmed Sandman. “I’ve fought with and against Parker a lot in my life. From what I saw of that news bulletin, this clown in the spider outfit moves exactly like him.”

“It’s not him,” stated Goblin. “I’m telling you, it’s not him.”

“I’m telling you that I don’t care,” retorted Sandman. “We’re going to stop him.”

“What about tha mission?” asked Husk. “If that’s Peter Parker then we’re supposed ta help him.”

“It’s what the Tallus said,” reminded Sister Grimm.

“Could’ve been more specific,” argued Daredevil. “It never said what we’re supposed to help him do. Maybe we’re supposed to help him fail.”

“Screw the mission,” decided Sandman. “Last time I checked, we were the good guys. Are we really going to let him kill innocent people in order to get whatever it is he’s after?” Sandman started walking in the direction of the Stark lab currently under siege by the Sinister Six.

“Okay, when the freakin’ Sandman starts telling us that we need to be more heroic, I think we’re in trouble,” spoke up Daredevil, “I’m a guy that trusts my instincts and right now my instincts tell me to kick some ass. You guys do whatever you want.”

The rest of the group looked at one another as Daredevil moved to catch up with Sandman. They all knew the risks of going against the mission objective. None of them wanted to return to twisted, broken versions of their realities. That still didn’t mean they had to discard their old morals though.

“We’re the good guys,” reminded Goblin.

All of them aside from Husk followed Sandman’s lead. Paige stood there and thought about it for a moment. She didn’t want to disobey the Timebroker’s orders and risk being sent back into a world where she would die at Trevor Fitzroy’s hand. Emma Frost had taught her that she was better than normal people because she was a mutant. If that was true then she had to do the right thing and help stop the Sinister Six from killing more people.

“Miss Frost wouldn’t like this,” muttered Husk as she ran to catch up with the others.

Stark Industries R&D Facility, Now

“You’re joking, right?” asked Scarlet Spider, disbelief obvious in his voice. “Marko? Harry? I thought I already killed both of you. I’d try harder this time except that I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Kill ’em all, boys and girls!”

Kraven and Man-Wolf were the first to charge the unnamed group of reality-jumpers. Sandman stepped to the front of the group and hardened his body into sandstone. Man-Wolf barreled into him but Baker didn’t budge an inch. Sandman retaliated by slamming his fist into Man-Wolf’s face and taking the werewolf to the floor.

“Is this piece of trash the best you could come with, Parker?” asked Sandman. “How’d you ever beat me so many times?”

Sandman shifted his body composition as Kraven struck with his knives. The blades sent a spray of sand flying from Baker’s chest but they did him no harm. Sandman’s arm turned into a mace and he backhanded Kraven aside. He wasn’t interested in any of Parker’s lackeys. He wasn’t going to fill up on appetizers when he could have the main course instead.

“You never were the brightest bulb in the box,” admitted Scarlet Spider while Sandman charged towards him. “Dillon!”

Electro nodded and lightning sprang from his hands. The bolts tagged Sandman in the back before he could reach Scarlet Spider. Electro poured on the lightning until something hit him in the back of the head. The red, metallic disc careened through the air before ricocheting off the floor and then bouncing back to its owner’s hand.

“D-disc,” said Daredevil before flipping towards Electro. “The trademark’s still pending but every time you say it you still owe me, like, a quarter or something.”

Electro snarled and blasted at Daredevil with his lightning bolt. Johnny flipped through the air, bouncing off the walls to avoid the lightning bolts. He threw out a pair of d-discs that began crisscrossing the room, confusing his enemy even further.

“You’re going to break something,” said Lady Octopus, her tentacles flicking up to guard her face from the chaos of the battle.

“Oh c’mon, Dillon,” jeered Daredevil, “you can do it. Hit the bouncing superhero and win a prize!”

The two d-discs suddenly crossed the room, one of them hitting Electro in the head and the other in the legs. Electro growled as he got back to his feet and incinerated the two projectiles with a bolt of lightning.

“Stand still,” ordered Electro before firing at Daredevil again.

“Why?” asked Daredevil. “It’s so much more fun to do this.” He dodged another lightning bolt and laughed as it hit Lady Octopus instead of him.

“Forget him,” ordered Goblin before reaching into one of the pockets on his belt and pulling out some pumpkin bombs. He hurled the bombs at Electro and the resulting explosions knocked the villain to the floor.

Kraven and Man-Wolf pounced towards Goblin but the anti-gravity technology in Harry’s boots kicked him into the air and he flew over them to get to Scarlet Spider. The master hunter and his pet turned their attention to Husk and Sister Grimm, deciding that the two girls would make easier prey.

“You want ‘em both or do Ah get ta play?” asked Husk.

“I’m really not a dog person,” said Sister Grimm. “You take the werewolf guy and I’ll handle the other one.”

Man-Wolf pounced on Husk, his teeth going immediately for her throat. Paige threw up her arm to stop him and let his fangs sink into her skin. When Man-Wolf pulled away, he succeeded in ripping away Husk’s skin but that didn’t prove to be as painful as it should’ve been.

“Bet it don’t taste too good, huh?” asked Husk before peeling away more skin off her other arm and throwing it in Man-Wolf’s face. She ripped off the rest of the skin on her arms and face to reveal a layer of steel underneath. While Man-Wolf stared in confusion at the layers of skin in his claws, Husk almost floored him with one punch.

“That has to be the grossest power ever,” commented Sister Grimm before turning her attention to Kraven. “I think I’ve got the right tool in the box for you.”

“Do tell, little girl,” jeered Kraven, twirling his knives before moving to slit Nico’s throat.

“THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT!” chanted Sister Grimm. Magical energy lanced from her hand and struck Kraven. The villain fell asleep in mere seconds and slumped to the floor.

“Not a bad team,” said Husk after giving Man-Wolf one more punch to take him down. The two girls didn’t have time to pat themselves on the back. Lady Octopus’s tentacles swept them aside like garbage, slamming them into the walls of the facility.

“I really hate it when chicks get all grabby on first dates,” said Daredevil before pouncing on Lady Octopus and cracking her in the back of the head with one of his batons. “I’m not opposed to some girl-on-girl but hands off the ladies.”

“You’re as annoying as Spider-Man,” muttered Lady Octopus before grabbing Daredevil with all four of her tentacles, one at each limb. The tentacles began to pull in different directions, trying to rip Daredevil’s limbs off.

“Maybe, but I kinda like him,” said Sandman before launching a huge hammer at Lady Octopus that threw her into a wall, causing her to drop Daredevil.

“I think we’re a little outnumbered,” said Wasp as she noticed that most of the team was down while the Sinister Six had only lost two members. She hovered in the air next to Sandman while they tried to figure out what to do.

“Noticed,” agreed Sandman while Electro and Lady Octopus advanced. “See if you can zip in and sting ‘em. I’m coming in hard behind you.”

Wasp nodded and flew towards their opponents. Lady Octopus’s tentacles met her but Kate adjusted her size to dart through the mass of metal appendages. She zapped Lady Octopus in the temple with a sting from each hand. The blow knocked Lady Octopus dizzy and allowed Sandman to hit her in the chest with a stream of sand that sent her into a wall. Baker turned and took a lightning blast in the chest from Electro. Wasp tried to divert Dillon’s attention but her stings didn’t do any damage. If anything, they only served to fuel Electro’s powers.

“Bio-electricity,” said Electro with a grin. “My favorite.” He unleashed a blast of electricity at Wasp and there was nothing left of her once the flash and pop of the lightning faded.

“Kate!” shouted Sandman as he saw her disappear.

“Never liked you, Marko,” admitted Electro before he turned his power on Sandman.

The heat from the lightning began to change the silicates in Sandman’s body composition. In almost a minute, Sandman was nothing more than a statue of glass. Lady Octopus picked herself out of the wall and then took a swipe at Sandman’s body with her tentacles. The blow shattered the glass, presumably killing him.

“Are we going to do this dance again, Harry?” asked Scarlet Spider as Goblin flew towards him. “You really think it’s going to end any differently?”

“It did in my world,” retorted Goblin before hurling some pumpkin bombs at Scarlet Spider. “We were great friends once, Pete. I didn’t want to believe it came to this.”

Scarlet Spider weaved through the bombs before launching a line of webbing from his palm that latched itself to Goblin’s chest. Scarlet Spider pulled himself closer to his airborne adversary and slammed both his feet into Goblin’s chest. Scarlet Spider then hooked his legs around Goblin’s waist to stay in the air with his foe while he began to hit Goblin in the face with his fists. Goblin blocked one of his punches and then set off one of his pumpkin bombs to blow them apart.

“Still playing with Daddy’s toys,” commented Scarlet Spider after landing on his feet and springing towards Goblin. “You haven’t changed at all, Harry. You’re still trying to ruin my life!”

“You did that yourself,” snarled Goblin. He hurled a handful of razor-sharp bat blades at Scarlet Spider but the arachnid vigilante stopped the projectiles cold with a ball of impact webbing.

“No, you did that!” shouted Scarlet Spider, tackling Goblin to the ground and punching him in the face. “It was bad enough when he walked back into my life and helped ruin things between me and MJ. Then you had to go and put the final nail in the coffin, and now I have nothing! I should’ve killed you so many times but I let you live because I felt sorry for you. I stopped making that mistake two years ago!”

“I’m not him!” stated Goblin, rolling the pair of them over so that he was on top and beginning to return the favor by punching Scarlet Spider in the face. “I went easy on you because I thought there was no way you could be this. I guess I was wrong.”

“Your fatal mistake,” said Scarlet Spider. “Make it hurt and make it slow.”

Goblin didn’t understand what his enemy said until he felt someone touch the back of his head. The poison seeped through the nanotech costume he wore and straight into his body. He could feel the Goblin formula in his system trying to fight it off but his body began to lock up.

“We need to leave,” stated Scorpion as Scarlet Spider threw Goblin off of him and got back to his feet.

“Not until I get what I came for,” replied Scarlet Spider. He hurriedly scanned through the contents of the vault, hoping that his prize hadn’t been damaged during the brawl. He wasn’t going to go through all this for nothing. He found what he was looking for and punched through the lockbox with ease. Scarlet Spider ripped the door off its hinges but turned to Scorpion instead of simply reaching in and grabbing the device inside.

“Why?” asked Scorpion.

“It might still be radioactive,” said Scarlet Spider. “I’ve got enough of that in me for one lifetime. Get that thing and be extremely careful with it. The entire mission depends on it.”

Scorpion nodded solemnly before reaching in and grabbing the device. Whatever harm may have befallen a normal person wouldn’t slow her down in the slightest. It was the reason Scarlet Spider chose her as a member of his team. He knew she and Lady Octopus could handle the device without harm no matter how much radiation it might put out.

“Clear,” she declared, handing the device to her leader.

“The rest of them are down,” confirmed Electro. “What about Kravinoff and his pet?”

“They don’t matter,” said Scarlet Spider, studying the device in his hand to make sure it was okay. He was thankful that it seemed unharmed.

“You still haven’t told us what that thing is,” reminded Electro, rubbing his head from where the d-disc had struck him.

“The thing that’s going to fix all our problems,” answered Scarlet Spider. “Grab those three. We’re going to need test subjects.”

“Not before we know,” stated Lady Octopus. “You’ve had me help you with all the other jobs but you haven’t told me what this thing is.”

“This is the power source for Doom’s Time Platform,” answered Scarlet Spider. “After that coup in Latveria, Stark raided Castle Doom for every piece of technology he could, but he and Reed Richards decided the Time Platform was too dangerous. They took it apart and had the pieces of it kept in different locations. This is the last thing I need.”

“Are you smart enough to work it?” asked Lady Octopus.

“You and I can do it,” promised Scarlet Spider. “We’re going to become gods, Carol. We’re going to fix everything that was ever wrong with our lives.”

Lady Octopus nodded and directed her tentacles to pick up the limp, unconscious bodies of Sister Grimm, Husk, and Daredevil. With that task finished, the remaining members of the Sinister Six departed with their cargo. Peter was grateful that they didn’t question his authority. It made his true plan for the Time Platform that much easier to execute. He wasn’t going to waste his time improving the lives of these idiots. In fact, he was going to make sure none of them ever existed. He would go back in time and make sure no major super-villain ever existed. He would become the greatest unsung hero in the history of time, and once that task was finished he would make sure that stupid spider never bit him in the first place. He was finally going to get everything he wanted out of life.

Goblin watched them leave and tried to force his body to obey his mental commands. He had to take another dose of Goblin formula if he wanted to avoid succumbing to whatever poison Scorpion had used when she stung him. He tried to get his fingers under the flap of the belt’s pocket but it was a losing battle. It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. What started out as a small speck suddenly became much larger.

“What happened?” questioned Wasp as she flew to his side.

“I need . . . formula,” gasped Goblin.

Wasp nodded and helped him open up the pouch on his belt. She unscrewed the top on the vial and then poured the contents of it down his throat. Harry felt the deadness in his muscles ease up but he knew one dose wasn’t going to solve his problems. They had to get him to some type of healer soon or else he was going to die.

“Where are the others?” asked Wasp.

“Took them,” he answered. “How?”

“I went microscopic seconds before the blast hit me and tried to get away from it,” she explained. “It knocked me for a loop but at least I’m not dead. I saw him turn Sandman into glass.”

“We suck at this,” decided Goblin before he tried to get back to his feet.

Harry managed it with Kate’s help but he didn’t stand for long. It was only seconds before he found himself lying on the floor once again. Thankfully, Kate was there to help cradle his fall. She was also concerned about the lives of their teammates but she knew she had to focus on the task at hand. Harry was the most immediate concern.

“Have to walk before you can fly,” replied Wasp. “Wish the damn Timebroker would tell us what to do now. I’d like a little more . . .”

The two heroes suddenly realized someone else was in the room with them. Kate turned around to gaze upon the gleaming gold and red armor of Tony Stark. It made sense that he would show up given that they had just trashed one of his facilities. Though she couldn’t tell because of the armor, Wasp knew he was royally pissed.

“Backup,” finished Kate. “Speak of the devil.”

“Someone better have a good explanation for this,” stated Iron Man, sternly crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring at both of them.

“So that’s pretty much the deal.”

Tony Stark nodded and let his armored hand rest under his chin as he mulled over the information Wasp had given him. He and Reed Richards had tampered with reality-warping technology before but they deemed it too dangerous to try. Doom’s Time Platform fell into that category but apparently they hadn’t taken drastic enough measures.

“Your friend will be fine,” stated Stark. “I’ve acquired a new intern through a work-study program with the people at the Xavier Institute. His name is Josh Foley and he’s a healer. I’ve got him working on Osborn now.”

“What about Sandman?” inquired Wasp. “You picked up all those glass shards, right?”

“I had my technicians on it immediately,” confirmed Stark. “We put them in a bed of sand that he’ll absorb if his consciousness is still in there.”

“He’s done it before in my reality,” said Kate, turning her gaze to the glass window that allowed her to look into the room where Elixir was treating Goblin.

She was happy to see him getting better. Even though her teammates were new to her and she didn’t completely trust them, she definitely didn’t want any of them to die. She saw that the young mutant had finished his work and wasted no time in entering the room.

“I’ve cleaned out the poison,” stated Elixir. “There’s another foreign substance in his body but he wants me to leave it.”

“That formula has saved my life more times than I can count,” replied Goblin. “I need it to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Elixir shook his head and exited the room, leaving Harry to Kate’s supervision. She watched him stretch out the kinks in his muscles before his costume covered his upper body once more. He hopped off the bed and looked at Wasp before smiling at her. He wasn’t accustomed to working with a team but being part of a group definitely had its benefits. The biggest of these benefits was having someone else to watch your back when you couldn’t do it yourself.

“I’ve heard that line before,” she remarked. “That stuff you take . . . what is it?”

“A safe version of my father’s Goblin formula,” he answered. “I’ve been using it for years now and I haven’t gone insane yet. The trick is that I have to keep taking it if I still want my enhanced strength and my healing factor.”

“Would life be so bad without it?” she inquired.

“That formula helped save my life just now,” he reminded her. “Well, that and you. Thanks for that.”

She smiled at him and nodded her appreciation. It wasn’t as if she was completely free of her demons either. What the Timebroker had said was true. Her powers came from an overdose of MGH that permanently mutated her body. As a child, Kate idolized the original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, and tried to use the drug to emulate her powers. She was clean now though and had been for a few years. Some demons were persistent though.

“Am I interrupting something?” inquired Sandman as he came into the room with Iron Man.

“No,” answered Goblin even as Wasp opened her mouth to perhaps say something to the contrary. “I see you recovered nicely. You were always a resilient bastard like that.”

“Yeah, it’s happened before,” confirmed Sandman. “Going from glass back to sand is always a bitch. I really wish people would stop doing that to me.”

“The mission is a bust,” stated Goblin. “I fought the Scarlet Spider and you were right. It’s definitely Peter under that mask. We’re not helping him do anything.”

“It would help if we knew what he stole,” spoke up Sandman, looking to Stark. “That thing in your vault, what was it?”

“Classified information,” responded Stark, his eyes set with the determination of a man who had a secret he intended to keep until death. “If you’re going to confront him then I’m coming with you. You’ll need my help.”

“Tell us what it is then,” ordered Sandman. He stared the armored avenger straight in the eye and the others gathered in the room could tell that neither man had any intentions on backing down.

“Reed and I liberated it from Latveria after the coup,” said Stark. “It’s my property and none of your concern.”

“It’s our damn concern now, Stark!” snapped Sandman and everyone noticed his body begin to grow in size to match his rising temper. Everyone held their breath and saw Tony become noticeably agitated.

“It’s the power supply for Doom’s Time Platform,” said Stark after a sigh of resignation. “Reed and I tried to get it to work but it’s too dangerous. We dismantled it and hid the parts in different locations but someone’s been stealing them and reassembling it.”

“Three guesses who,” chimed in Wasp. “I can’t believe two smart guys like you and Mr. Fantastic could do something so stupid. You didn’t think someone would come after it?”

“Honestly, we didn’t think anyone else was smart enough to assemble it and work it,” admitted Stark.

“Pete was always a quick learner,” said Goblin. “I still can’t believe it’s him under that mask.”

“The idea that the Scarlet Spider is Peter Parker is impossible,” declared Stark. “Peter changed his name and moved with Mary Jane to Portland. I had dinner with them last week when I was there for a conference. We even saw the special report on the news about the breakout at the Vault. I tried to convince him to come out of retirement to help catch the escapees but he wouldn’t do it. He didn’t even want anything to do with any of this.”

“If we didn’t fight Parker then who did we fight?” wondered Wasp aloud.

Goblin turned the information over in his head. Though things were slightly different in this reality, he tried to recall everything he knew about Peter’s life as Spider-Man. Perhaps there was some key moment in Peter’s life that happened differently in this reality. Harry suddenly remembered what Scarlet Spider had said during the fight. He mentioned that someone had come back into his life, someone that succeeded in taking Mary Jane away from him.

“I need access to a jet or a long-range teleporter,” said Goblin. “We need to get to Portland.”

“The rest of our team is in trouble,” reminded Wasp.

“We’re getting backup,” explained Goblin. “If I’m right then I think I know what our mission really is.”

Ben Reilly sighed and pulled the car into its usual parking space. Life without web-shooters meant he had to resort to more conventional methods of transportation. It had been something of a culture shock for him at first but he was nothing if not resilient and quick to adapt to new situations. Still, it was a tad embarrassing for a grown man in his early thirties to get driving lessons from his girlfriend.

Ben stepped out of the vehicle, locking the doors and walking to the front door of the house. He unlocked the front door and found himself in the arms of Mary Jane Watson the second he opened it.

“A guy could get used to this,” admitted Ben while he stared into her beautiful eyes and then kissed her on the forehead. “You missed me.”

“Always,” assured Mary Jane. “How was work?”

“Boring,” he admitted with a grin. “How was that audition?”

“They said they’d call me back,” she told him.

He kissed her on the lips and she returned that kiss. Ever since relocating to Portland, life had been good for both of them. It was nice to finally live normal lives without the constant fear and danger that came with being a superhero. The young couple suddenly heard a loud noise coming from above them. They turned and saw what looked like a Quinjet hovering in the air above their house.

“Better get inside, MJ,” suggested Ben. “I think the Avengers are coming over for dinner.”

Next Issue: It’s a showdown of epic proportions as “Six Ways to Die” concludes and Scarlet Spider comes face to face with . . . Spider-Man?