Spider-Man #3 - A Boatload of Consequences Part 2

Spider-Man #3

"A Boatload of Consequences" Part 2

By Karl V.

Peter stood with his mouth open in shock and awe. He was trying to formulate what the man had said.

"Excuse me, I'm running late meeting up with a friend." Irene interrupted as she quickly slipped out the door.

Peter put his hand to his head. "I'm sorry, but I would only hinder the team. My Editor in Chief just found out my secret identity and is blackmailing me. There's too much trouble right there."

Captain America still stood like a statue. "Well, you are right. It is too much of a compromise to our mission. I hope you can find a way to remedy your situation. By the way, I also kept tabs on your friend upstairs. He's waiting for you."

"VENOM! I almost forgot!" Peter raced up the stairs to the bedroom where Brock was recovering.

Brock was lying comfortably on in the guestroom. "Took you long enough. I wasn't going to harm your precious wife. I mean, Captain America. I must really be a bur up your butt."

Eddie smiled, as Parker remained silent. "I rather like that fact."

Parker quickly got to the point. "Look, just tell what the heck is going on? Are you and Mysterio working together on this Ark thing? What's your connection with the two Cybersymbiotes."

"Oh, I don't deal with people who wear fishbowls for a living. And, I'm pretty sure you got an idea of what's going on. I will sever my connection with Archeville and Gotterdamerung on my own, thank you very much." Brock started to change into Venom.

"That's not what I meant about connections with those two. I meant, do you know who they are? As in, their real names." Peter was getting agitated with every second passing.

"Oh, that. You're a good reporter web head, figure it out for yourself." Venom said with great sarcasm.

Peter's face flushed in fury. "You've worn out your welcome. Get out."

Venom grinned with all his white razor sharp teeth showing. "If you insist."

Venom opened a window and slung out of Parker's bedroom on a line of webbing. Parker clenched his hand in a fist, exited the room and stomped heavily down the stairs. Mary Jane came out of the kitchen as she was surprised to see her husband there and Captain America gone. She quickly walked up to Parker and gave him a big hug as he returned it with equal passion. Mary Jane pushed off from the hug as her face grew dark and serious.

"What are we going to do about Jonah?" She asked as Peter sighed with dread.

"I hate to do it, but I have to ask Nate to wipe Jonah's mind. It's the only course of action I can think about."

Mary Jane nodded her head. "That's the guy who got a following because of his mutant powers, right?"

"Yeah, he can read people like a book. I'm just hoping he'll rip out a page for me." Peter grabbed a hold of Mary Jane's hand.

"And what about that reporter? The one that came in and left so quickly." Mary Jane gripped his hand tightly.

"She's okay. She said she had connections to a mutant, but didn't tell me whom. Hopefully, if Nate doesn't agree, she can find someone else who will." Peter reassured her more with a kiss.

"Come on, let's worry about what will happen later. I just need to get out as for a little bit. Care to join me?" Peter smiled at his wife lovingly.

"You got yourself a date Tiger." She wrapped her arm around his as they walked out the door.

***

"You weak pathetic fools. Why do I deal with such rabble? I came here to make things work, like a well-oiled machine that has no flaws. And what happens? Someone throws in a wooden shoe, and none of you can seem to take it out." She hissed as her appearance was mired in the shadows.

"Overseer, we did not expect designate Five's escape. I will personally see that he is silenced." The pitch-black robotic figure stated.

"Gotterdamerung, I do not want that idiot harmed. His reputation is questionable by his peers, and no one will believe him as long as he remains alive. However, an important aspect of our operation has been lost. We must replace Brock with another who is more willing for the task."

A bald headed rotund man grabbed a fist full of cordial cherries from the bowl. "Can I make a suggestion Overseer? I have connections to reporters."

"Designate four, you are the most pathetic cur out of all of them. I do not want to hear your suggestions. We need another Designate to help our operations, not another reporter. And please do not make a mess this time."

He coughed as the last cherry went down the wrong way. "Fine."

"This gross negligence will eventually compromise my identity, something which I do not want at this point of conjecture. See to it that no further information is compromised, until I deem it necessary. I do not want yet another force to deal with. There are two already at work against me, and the information leaked may make the mutants the third. I will have to come up with a contingency plan in order to distract them. Find the one who uncovered the name of our operation and gave it to his own. He should be easily talked into going against the mutants, since that is his primary programming. Gotterdamerung, I assign you to this task, as he is in hiding at the moment."

A raspy voice broke into the conversation. "I wouldn't trust my brother with this mission Overseer. His patriotism is too easy for him to be persuaded to the other side. I already implemented something that will bring the target from hiding. It's only a matter of time before the trap is sprung."

"Designate three you are late for the meeting. And what is this about a trap?" The Overseer's curiosity overwhelmed her impatience.

The tall thin man bowed apologetically. "Forgive me my liege, I had a few cobwebs to clean off the Ark. There was a problem with spiders. Anyway, I used the reprogrammed Prime Sentinel technology on a subject. She is currently aware of her situation unlike the rest of the sleepers. Although she has quite a brain and figured out a temporary measure..."

"Enough! I will abide my time until the female reveals herself. I give you the task of forcing her hand to implement the Sentinel programming. We need to see if we can reprogramming works within a certain percentile in order to convert the rest to our cause."

"But, the reporter Peter Parker has been informed by Designate Five of our operations and that the ship was inhabited. I was assigned to him, I should continue with my present course."

"Parker is no longer your concern. Tend to your new task." She ordered once more.

He sneered in wistful thought. Very well, I shall play the dragon for the Knights to slay. Since I gave Parker her name, he should show up soon. I just hope I'm not too late.

"As you command, the round table shall be rolled over Ms. Beller, until she is road kill or her suit gives out. Whichever comes first." He bowed and left the room.

"As for this Parker, his search will never reach fruition until all is revealed. Let him continue his mission as it will keep him from our operations." The Overseer departed as the others got up and left as well.

The Next Night.

***

Peter walked to the arranged meeting place as he noted it was a slight grease pit. He ordered a bagel burger from the blonde waitress, after hearing the only three options in the joint. He tapped his fingers impatiently as Irene came through the door. She sat down as a blonde waitress gave her a dirty look.

"Sarah, I'm sorry I thought tonight was your night off." She tried to explain to the woman, as Peter watched intently.

"I don't care what you do on your off time Irene. Is he with you?" Sarah coldly replied.

Irene shook her head. "No, he's not here. He went out on a mission, and came back. The next one might be his last."

Sarah just rolled her eyes and stomped off back into the kitchen area. Peter raised a curious brow.

"I take it your contact has been here before, and had more than coffee and a bagel burger?" Peter realized how bad the statement sounded after the fact.

Irene gave a blank stare. "Yes, it's a long story. So, why did you call me?"

"I need your help. If your contact knows a telepath, I need to ask a favor. A real big one." Peter lowered his head at the thought of asking the next question.

"Well, you're in bigger luck than you thought. My contact is a telepath, in fact I tell him often not to speak in my head. I have a bad feeling where you are going with this. " Irene suddenly realized Peter's intent.

His face flushed deep red. "I can't allow my boss to know my secret identity. He promised he would reveal it to the world once this entire Sector 17 business is out of the way. By the way, who is it that you know?"

"He's got a lot of names, but I use Cable or Nathan." Irene's face matched Peter's as the waitress came to their table at the mention of his name.

Peter continued after the waitress stomped off once more. "Cable, whoa the last time I saw him was...way too long ago. Does he still run around with that group of his, X-Force?" Peter began his line of questioning.

"Yes and no. It's kind of a rough situation right now. He's forming some preordained party, and his team doesn't know how quite to deal with it. " Irene noted with a shrug.

"Can you set something up with him? I'd like to make my case directly, if possible." Peter said while Sarah handed them a check.

"I'll see what I can do. But for now, I think we need to get cracking on Sector 17. Any ideas?" Irene paid the clerk while Parker put a tip on the table.

Parker opened the door for Irene. "Well, whatever alien race was on that ship was huge. I mean at least thirty feet tall by my estimates. The government would have a hard time covering something up that size."

"Yeah, I guess we need to start looking up all the technological aspects as well. I mean a team of soldiers with advanced weaponry, robots, all that has been happening has been around their technology." Irene told Parker as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"You can focus on that part, while I can focus on finding out who the Five are." Peter looked to Irene for a reply.

"Five, Twelve. What the heck is it with numbers lately?" Irene complained while Parker looked on with curiosity.

"Cable's team is referred to as the Twelve. It's suppose to be a collective of people made to stop Apocalypse, not the literal one. I don't what will happen to him once he does accomplish his mission." Irene tried to hide her feelings of concern for someone who saved her life.

Peter sighed for a moment. "There's another Nate I know that might be able to do it, but I gave him a whole lecture about not tampering with the minds of others. I could try, but I can't ask that of him. I'm probably about the only costumed person he trusts."

"Wait a minute. Are you talking about Nate Grey?" Irene was stopped walking in amazement.

Peter noticed her demeanor. "Yeah, why? Do you know him too?"

"Hello! You must have not seen Cable in a long time! Ever bother to notice any similarities?" Irene waved her hand in front of his face.

Peter thought for a moment. His face became contorted as he put the two images of the men in his head and compared them.

"He's got a clone running around too?" He responded in awe.

"Well, that was Stryfe, but he's dead. Nate Grey came from another dimension, as Cable told me."

Parker simply nodded, as Irene seemed surprised that he understood what she just said. Peter hit his head.

"Geez Nate told me this. I'm sorry I'm out of it, with all of this going on. Well at least I don't have another me coming back from another dimension, although I bumped into a futuristic version once." {That would be the Spider-man/Spider-Man 2099 special- KV}

"It doesn't matter, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. I'll contact Cable about your dilemma as soon as I can. But, I have to warn you, he has a policy about the use of his powers for other people unless it suits his purposes." Irene stated with the utmost tact.

"I know, I have myself between a rock and a hard place. At least I don't have to deal with clones anymore, although one was a good man."

"Clones?" Irene asked as Peter sighed and related the whole sorted scenario to her.

Epilogue:

At an undisclosed Federal Medical Facility.

"Hey Joe, how are you today?" The nurse asked with extreme interest as she twirled long black hair.

"Fine Eliza. I haven't seen red for a long time." He winked at the woman as she smiled.

Joe Wade continued to do his rounds as he checked on the patients, all former agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was glad that he could walk around and not remain cooped up in a cell. Although every time the news reported something on Spider-man, it made him break a sweat. He just hoped another costumed Spider-hero would never rear his ugly head.

Both turned to look to see the Doctor and some strange guests entering. The guests were covered head to toe in white clothing.

"I didn't do anything Doc. Did I?" Joe chuckled while the nurse giggled along with him.

The Doctor smirked. "Actually, these two men are here to see you Joe. They say that they have the technology to cure your condition."

"What? I can be cured finally! I already lost one love due to this thing..." Joe became giddy with excitement.

"Calm down. Allow these men to discuss their plan and all shall be fine. They guarantee they can make you whole once more."

Joe nodded in elation. "Come with me, there is a meeting room a couple doors down."

The two silently nodded in compliance as Joe escorted them to the room. The Doctor seemed to shake his head.

"Long day doctor?" The nurse asked as she noticed his odd behavior.

He put his hand to his head and wondered what gave him such a headache. "I guess so, I'm going to see if I can call it a day."

"Well, I hope you get the rest of the day off. Looks like you could use it." The nurse smiled and continued about her work, as the Doctor looked for some painkillers.

Joe smiled at the two odd doctors. "So, you can cure me of this Scarlet Fever I have? I mean once and for all."

He gazed intently at the two men. They seemed to converse beneath their breath for a moment then looked at Joe once more.

"Scarlet Fever?" One said in a questioning tone.

Joe simply laughed. "Yeah, the nickname I gave my little trick. Since I turn into a sick demented robotic like version of a certain web head that wasn't Spider-Man. Thank goodness he's long gone now, and I haven't converted to him in a long time. I'm sorry, I guess you were thinking the actual disease. But, please refrain from saying his full name, it might cause an actual switch. That's the only reason I've been cooped up here for so long."

"Of course, we have studied the technology used in your accidental creation. We can alter easily so that you can control the transformation." The other spoke with a raspy metallic voice.

"Well, I was hoping more for a complete cure. Although the real Spider-man {Or so Joe thinks. The whole lovely Ben Reilly/ Peter Parker scenario...KV} cleared Scarlet's name, he's not looked upon as a great superhero." Joe explained to the two, as they seemed a bit disappointed.

"Perhaps we can give a choice of a new body that does not resemble your current program. Another Spider type program, or something more to your liking. Would this interest you?"

Joe was perplexed, as they seemed to make the offer in unison this time.

"I guess, but I don't know much about the superhero business. Can I think it over?" Joe asked the Doctors.

They nodded. "Yes, we will await your decision for now. We shall return tomorrow for your answer."

Joe shook his head as they left the room. "I swear they sounded as though I had no choice. But, I guess they are right. I'll be glad when this is all over. I just don't want to see red anymore."