Web of Scarlet Spider #11

The Scarlet Spider's blood chilled as the cloaked figure landed before him and the children of the Pride. He wore a blue bodysuit but his mask was gone and his long brown hair framed his scar-lined face. The tattered, purple cloak he wore billowed in the wind, surrounding him like the wings of a bat.

“Hello Benjamin,” he said in a deep voice. “It's good to see you.”

“Guys, run,” said the Scarlet Spider.

“But—” one of the kids tried to protest. The Scarlet Spider shot him a glare, his body language and tone unmistakable, even if his face was completely obscured by the red face mask.

“Don't argue, just run! You don't know this guy like I do.”

The teenaged children of the Pride did as they were told. Kaine simply chuckled. “You have nothing to worry about, Ben. I've no interest in them. I don't pursue other people's children. Not like you.”

“...what?” asked the Scarlet Spider. “Look, I know you're crazy, but this makes even less sense than your usual ramblings.”

“You have one chance to live—tell me what you did with them.”

“Hoookay, someone's obviously off his meds today. Listen Kaine, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. What child? What did I do with who?”

“Your lies won't save you!”

Kaine charged at his other. The Scarlet Spider sprung from his spot, leaping over Kaine's head. Although they were both clones of Peter Parker, Kaine was a souped-up version. His strength was far greater, he could cling to surfaces by literally burning into them, and his spider sense enabled him to see visions—glimpses of the future.

But where Kaine had the edge in strength, Ben had it in sanity. He could stay one step ahead of Kaine for the moment, but knew it wouldn't last. He needed something to give him the upper hand. At the moment, Ben really missed his new suit.

Kaine placed his palms on the ground, his hands burning into the surface. He brought them up quickly, taking a chunk of the road with it and generating a tremor. The Scarlet Spider went flying into the air, but fired out weblines from each shooter to save himself.

The second clone jumped at him, wrapping one arm around the Scarlet Spider and another around his webline, burning through it. The two tumbled to the ground, with the Scarlet Spider struggling against Kaine's grip.

They crashed into the ground, creating a small tremor. Ben groggily pulled himself up, leaning against a garbage dumpster for support. “You could've killed us both with a stunt like that. Are you out of your mind?” Ben paused and considered what he just said. “On second thought, don't answer that.”

“You thought you could hide them from me, didn't you?” asked Kaine. “You couldn't stand it, that I had built something for myself, could you?”

“Have you been creatively editing your Wikipedia entry?” asked Ben. “Last time I checked, you were the one always trying to tear my life apart, remember? Or did you forget about all those murders you tried to frame me for?”

“She didn't want you anymore, she was with me. We were happy. And then you had to come along! You ruined everything!”

Kaine pounced but Ben was too weak to dodge the attack. He tackled the Scarlet Spider to the ground, the razor-tipped glove on his left hand digging into Ben's flesh. Kaine's right hand hovered above Ben's face. Ben grabbed his wrist, trying to keep it away from him but Kaine's strength was too great.

“You'll burn for this!”

Glowing pink energy, resembling that of a spider web, wrapped around Kaine's hand and pulled it away. He turned angrily to see a redheaded woman wearing a black bodysuit with a giant white spider emblazoned over her lithe form. Her mask bore similar lenses to Ben's, but with openings for her mouth and hair.

“Not today, big guy,” she said. “The Scarlet Spider's under my protection.”

“This fight doesn't concern you,” said Kaine. “Leave now before you take his place!”

She dropped to the ground, preparing herself for a fight. “Consider it taken.”

“You think you're a match for me?” he asked.

A metal spider-like leg slammed into Kaine's back and pinned him to the ground. Another new arrival, this one a man in a dark blue costume with mechanical spider legs protruding from a harness on his back.

“Who said she was alone, asshole?” asked the Steel Spider.

Ben struggled to pull himself upright and found his help in the form of the redhead. He looked up at her and said, “Julia?”

“Call me Arachne,” she said. “You okay? You look like you've just been through hell.”

“That's one way of putting it,” said the Scarlet Spider. “I told the kids to run when Kaine showed up, hope they made it out okay.”

“I'm sure they did,” said Arachne. “Stay put, Ollie's going to need a hand.”

Ben almost collapsed when Arachne leapt back into the battle. “I don't think you have to worry about that...”

Arachne fired her psionic webs and used them to propel herself feet-first into Kaine's back. He slammed into the side of a building and the Steel Spider used one of his limbs to pin the clone there. Kaine wrapped his hands around the limb and within moments, he had burned through it enough to tear it loose. He threw it at the Steel Spider like a spear and it became lodged in Ollie's shoulder.

“I grow weary of this,” said Kaine as Arachne snagged his arm with her psionic web. He pulled his arm forcefully and Arachne couldn't disable the link quick enough to stop her from stumbling towards him, where his fist slammed against her chin.

Kaine shot Ben a look of pure rage and hatred. “You live for now, but only because you're the only link I have to locating my family.”

He jumped on the building, pulling himself up it rapidly and leaving burns in the concrete. Arachne watched him go and reached a hand up to her ear. “Arachne to Web—we're going to need someone to give us a lift home and when we get there, have medical facilities ready to go.”

Marvel 2000 Proudly Presents...

Web of Scarlet Spider

SOMETHING SINISTER...
Conclusion

Written by Dino Pollard

Electro locked his eyes with Robert Minoru of the Pride. “If you think I'm gonna back down from some third-rate Doctor Strange, you've got another thing comin'.”

“Up until now, this was all business,” said Minoru. “You came after our families—you made it personal. Remember that when you're suffering in whatever hell dimension I choose to banish you to.”

“Marko, do me a solid and shut this joker up,” said Electro.

The Sandman lunged from his position at Minoru. The sorcerer held up his hand and muttered an incantation in some strange language, his eyes glowing with crimson energy as he did so. Sandman's entire body froze in position and converted to glass. Minoru raised his palm up and fired a magical bolt which shattered the glass.

The remainder of the Sinister Six took that as a battle cry and moved into combat with the three members of the Pride. Victor Stein cut loose with his Fistigons on the new Lizard. The creature roared in pain as it tried to move away. The Fistigons generated intense flames, which Stein was able to manipulate to his heart's content. He weaved the flames into a fiery net that ensnared the reptile. Stein closed his fist and the flames responded to the command, closing in around the Lizard. The flames raged brightly and once Stein allowed them to dissipate, all that remained were ashes and the skeletal remains of the Lizard.

Frank Dean changed into his Majesdanian form. Scorpia's tail unleashed an acid burst that Dean deflected by throwing up a shield composed of solar energy. He threw the shield and it changed shape into a spinning razor blade that sliced through Scorpia's tail.

As Dean moved in for the kill, one of Lady Octopus' tentacles wrapped around his waist and hoisted him into the air. She tightened the tentacle's grip as she grinned. “You're wasting your time. You should never have come here!”

“Perhaps you should heed your own advice,” said Minoru. He waved his arms as he whispered under his breath. The ground opened up beneath her and Lady Octopus had to stop herself from falling in with her tentacles. Dean channeled his solar energy, using it to sever the tentacle that held him captive.

The entire area became covered in mist, obscuring the Sinister Six and the Pride. Minoru huffed in arrogance at this. “Don't make me laugh, Mysterio. These parlor tricks of yours are nothing when compared to a true master of illusion and magic.” His eyes glowed brightly as winds blew in, dissipating the mist. Once the mist had been gone, the form of Mysterio stood there, arms folded across his chest.

Dean stepped forward and fired a burst of solar energy that went right through the criminal. Sparks flew as the robot doppelganger fell to the ground, its body convulsing before the systems shut down completely.

“He's gone,” said Minoru. “So is Electro.”

“We'll find them,” said Stein, lowering his goggles over his eyes. “Electro seems to have escaped via the phone lines. It may take some time, but I can differentiate his signature from the traditional ones soon.”

“Good,” said Minoru. He went back to the unconscious forms of Scorpia and Lady Octopus. “Perhaps these two will suffice until Electro can be apprehended for his crimes.”

“Robert,” said Dean. “The police are nearby. We should go now, we've already risked too much exposure here today. These two are nothing more than Dillon's lackeys anyway.”

Minoru looked down at the remaining members of the Six and nodded. “As you wish.” He waved his hands as a teleportation portal opened before the three.

SimsCorp

“This isn't how I hoped things would work out,” muttered Ezekiel.

“Ben was our priority, we were clear on that,” said Julia.

“I know, I'm not holding you accountable. This just pisses me off. The Pride caused the situation to escalate and now we've got one dead supervillain as well as three still at large. Four once the Sandman pulls himself together.” Ezekiel sighed. “What happened with Kaine? How did he get away?”

“After we arrived, he tore off one of Ollie's limbs and stabbed him with it,” said Julia. “As for me, he just got the better of me. I was outplayed Zeke, simple as that. I'm a bit rusty, I guess.”

“Hopefully it's just that.”

Julia glared at him. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means I'm worried about what sort of effect MGH has had on you. So far it's restored your powers but who knows what other damage it might have done? What if these new powers of yours die in the middle of a fight? Or what if they flare up and make a bad situation worse? And how do I know it hasn't affected your mental state at all?”

“Don't push me, Zeke,” said Julia. “I'm not the only one around here who's done questionable things.”

“What are you—”

“Let's just say you didn't cover your tracks as well as you might have thought.”

Ezekiel leaned back in his chair and tapped his chin. “Are you through?”

Julia shrugged. “Only if you are.”

“Fine. I want to check on Ben and Ollie. Get some more information about this and bring them up to speed.”

“Fine by me,” said Julia.

Ezekiel leaped over his desk and touched down by Julia's side. He straightened up and stuffed his hands in his pockets, leading the way. From his office it was a short walk to an elevator they took down to the basement levels. There, in a room set up as an infirmary, Ben and Ollie were both laying in bed but both were awake.

“How's the shoulder, Ollie?” asked Ezekiel.

“Doc says I shouldn't go into the field for a few weeks. Just as well, it'll take me that long to repair the damage Kaine caused.”

“You did good out there,” said Ezekiel. He turned to the Scarlet Spider. “Ben. How's...well, everything?”

“Still got a headache but I'm fine,” said Ben. “Except I'm confused. Kaine was rambling. Kept saying something about taking his family away. I think someone's been messing with his head.”

“Looks like you've just become very popular, Ben,” said Ezekiel.

“What about the Pride and the Six?” asked Ben.

“The Pride took care of the Six...for the most part, anyway. Lady Octopus and Scorpia were captured and the Lizard is dead. But Electro and Mysterio both managed to escape. And as for Sandman, he's incapacitated for the moment but we already know from his history he'll be back eventually.”

“So we managed to score some points with the Pride, maybe this means they'll lay low for a little bit,” said Ben.

“They may lay low but I don't think you're high in their book,” said Ezekiel. “The kids are still unaccounted for. Looks like they may have ran away after discovering what it is their parents really do. And if I know the Pride as well as I think, they're going to want someone to blame. Wouldn't surprise me if they try to put at least some of that blame on your head.”

“Ugh,” muttered Ben as he laid back against his pillow. “Please tell me you've at least got some good news.”

“Actually no, I've got more bad,” said Ezekiel. “Elizabeth Tyne and her son are also missing.”

“Liz...?” asked Ben, sitting upright again. “That's what Kaine was talking about.”

“What do you mean?” asked Julia.

“Think about it,” said Ben. “First, Liz shows up with a kid she's named after me, basically telling me I'm his father. And then Kaine comes around and accuses me of stealing his family away.”

“So what, Kaine's the real father?” asked Julia.

“It's possible but I don't think that's right,” said Ben. “Kaine seemed more unstable than usual. I think there's someone else messing with him—messing with us. And Liz and Reilly are caught in the middle.”

“I'll get in touch with my contacts inside the police department, see if I can uncover any more information about the kidnapping,” said Ezekiel.

“So we just have to wait in the meantime until someone pops their head up,” said Ben. “Something tells me I'm not gonna like this waiting game.”

Elizabeth Tyne awoke on a cold, stone tab. No electric lights seemed to exist and the room was drafty. But surrounding her were natural light—candles. Or what she at first assumed were candles.

On closer inspection, she actually found she was surrounded by miniature jack o'lanterns. There must have been dozens of them, possibly hundreds. All of them with a sinister grin carved into it.

But what came next was even more chilling—a chorus of high-pitched cackles that echoed throughout the chamber. She laid back down on the tablet, covering her ears with her hands as she curled into a ball, praying for the laughter to die.

NEXT: Excessive Force

WEBMAIL

Recently, I was talking with Steve Seinberg, my collaborator on Thunderbolts at Marvel Omega (read it if you haven't, even Josh Reynolds thinks it's brutal and his diet consists of puppies and the souls of children). During one of our discussions, Steve was pretty giddy about a new book he got the approval for at M2K. He told me all about it and the new west coast playground that was springing up. So when Steve told me I should join the fun, it was hard to say no.

Only question was what should I write.

Steve being the great guy he is came up with a pretty long list of suggestions, virtually all of them consisting of characters that get virtually no play either in comics or fanfic. And some of them sounded really interesting. But the one I kept coming back to was one he had mentioned to me earlier—Daredevil.

I spoke with Cory about it and he thought the book would be a good fit. But I wasn't quite able to find any stories that I wanted to tell with Matt, even though I loved the new status quo set up by Barry Reese. Somewhere during the course of our conversations, Cory mentioned Web of Scarlet Spider.

That one really stuck with me. I love Ben and I wrote a decent-sized run featuring the character over at MV1 before the site went belly-up. I've also recently been using him in The Defenders over at MO. So the chance to use him here seemed too good to pass up.

I read through Tony's issues and came up with a pitch that both Cory and Josh loved. I'm keeping most of the supporting cast set up by Tony but I think tone-wise, you'll find this series bears more of a resemblance to Russ Anderson's run on this book several years back (and if you haven't read that series you really should—it's easily the best depiction of Ben Reilly you're ever going to find, either in comics or fanfic).

There will be a lot of villains used in this series who fall outside of the typical Spidey rogues gallery. I'll be using some of my versions of Brand New Day villains and a few familiar faces will pop up as well.

All in all, I'm looking forward to this being a long and fruitful run but I've avoided saddling myself down too much with story outlines and long-lasting plots. There will be some recurring subplots but for the most part, you'll see a lot of two or three issue arcs that are largely self-contained.

Enjoy the ride.