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The Cult of the Spider

By Cheri.

 

TITLE: The Cult of the Spider

AUTHOR: Cheri ([email protected])

FANDOM: Spider-Man: The Movie

RATING: R

KEYWORDS: Peter/MJ Romance, Angst, Torture

ARCHIVE: Anywhere, just let me know where it’s going and keep my name on it.

SUMMARY: Peter comes up against a deadly cult who worship Spider-Man as a god.

DISCLAIMER: Spider-Man doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to Marvel Comics, I’m making no money off of this. This story is copywrited Jan 2003 and may not be altered in any way without the express permission of the author

The Cult of the Spider

By Cheri.

 

Part 1

“Shut up!” The lead terrorist yelled at his hostages as they whimpered.

A group of four suicide bombers had managed to sneak past security in the Empire State Building. All of them had strapped several sticks of TNT around their waists and they had concealed it under their coats. One of them pretended to voice a concern to the two security guards as the others passed through the metal detectors. They had made sure that nothing made of metal was on them and they got through safely as their compatriot made sure to keep the guards from looking directly at them.

Once they were through they hurried quickly to the stairs and went up as the remaining terrorist knocked out the guards and sealed the doors. Once that was done, the one left behind positioned himself by the doors with his finger on the detonator just in case. All that was left was to go up the stairs and onto the observation deck where they quickly rounded the scared tourists up into a group and sealed the doors there.

“Everything okay down there?” One of the terrorists asked, as he spoke into a walkie-talkie to the man on the ground floor.

“Everything is secure.” The man replied.

“Good. Use the phone line down there and relay our demands to the police.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The man put his walkie-talkie back in his coat pocket and faced the huddled mass of people.

“Alright, everyone. We want you to remain calm. No talking or we set off the explosives and blow you to bits. Hopefully, everyone will leave this building in one piece after we get our money.”

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Peter settled down and turned on the TV as he peeled back the plastic covering on his turkey TV dinner. He sat it down on the TV tray in front of him and sat his can of Coke beside it. He began to eat when suddenly the football game he had been watching was replaced by a graphic that said “Breaking News”. Peter swallowed his mouthful of turkey and gave the TV his full attention.

“We interrupt this broadcast to report that several terrorists have taken hostages on top of the Empire State Building. Police are unable to confirm their identities at the moment. The only information the Police have given out so far is that the terrorists are demanding the city pay them a ransom of ten million dollars in the next hour or they will detonate bombs that they have strapped to their bodies….”

That was all Peter needed to hear. He began to pull off his clothes as he sat and stared at the TV dinner. It seemed nowadays he couldn’t even finish a meal anymore. He pulled off his pants and pulled on his boots and gloves and mask. He opened the balcony door and swung out as quickly as he could towards the Empire State Building.

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The man looked at his watch. A half hour had passed, and still no word about the money. All that had happened in that time was a swarm of police and SWAT teams had surrounded the building and there were now snipers positioned on nearby roofs as well as a police helicopter in the air. The men had made sure to show the snipers and the helicopter the bombs strapped to their chests so they knew they were serious. After that, nothing had happened and no one dared make a move. The man snickered to himself. Cowards. He would love to see someone try something, anything to rescue these people.

Suddenly, he heard a small sound coming out of the walkie-talkie like the shattering of glass. The man frowned and grabbed the walkie-talkie from his coat pocket.

“Jim? You there?” He asked as he spoke into it. “Jim, is everything all right? What’s going on down there?”

He frowned as he heard no response and gritted his teeth. So, the idiots were finally trying something, were they? He looked at the other two men who were standing near the hostages with their fingers on their detonators.

“Jim’s not responding. I think they’re attempting a rescue.” He said to them. “Be ready.”

As the others nodded, the man frowned as he suddenly heard the faint sounds of the police screaming out in surprise. He walked to the edge and looked down at them, but from his vantage point they looked like little ants. He wondered if the screaming meant Jim had gotten the drop of the rescuers. But, he hadn’t heard the sound of any explosion. Jim had orders to detonate his bomb if anyone came through the front door. He was still looking over the edge when suddenly he heard a yell behind him and the terrified screams of the hostages. He turned and his eyes widened as he saw one of his men down and Spider-Man standing over him.

The man cursed to himself. He was hoping they would get the money and be gone before the web-head showed up.

He watched as the other man made a move to detonate the bomb. Spider-Man quickly turned his attention to him and kicked his hand away from the detonator. Then he quickly webbed the man in a cocoon rendering him helpless. He spun around and focused his attention on him as the hostages ran screaming to the other side of the deck.

“Don’t make any stupid moves, Spider-Man.” He threatened as Spider-Man advanced on him. “I have enough explosives to blow both of us sky high.”

He watched as Spider-Man stopped and he grinned knowing he had the upper hand.

“That’s right, you costumed freak.” He said, smirking. “You might be super powered, but you are still mortal, and I don’t think you want to leave this life yet, do you? I, on the other hand, am ready to die if need be.” He said, fingering the detonator button.

He watched as Spider-Man stood motionless and then suddenly, before the man could react, Spider-Man’s hand moved to the front of his costume. He quickly lifted up the shirt part of the costume to expose a kind of utility belt underneath. The man gasped as Spider-Man pushed a button and a bright light was shining directly in his eyes. The man blinked and stumbled back trying to get away from the glare, as Spider-Man quickly ran over to him. The man felt his arm being jerked away from the button at the same time he felt Spider-Man’s fist in his gut. The man dropped to his knees and he grunted as he felt Spider-Man plant his foot in the middle of his back. He fell all the way to the ground and he felt a warm sticky substance envelop his body as Spider-Man webbed him to the concrete. He looked up at Spider-Man who was staring at him with his arms folded over his chest.

“Guess you and your friends are just going to have to come up with some other way to get your rent money.” He said.

As the man struggled to get free, Peter walked to the deck door and jerked it open. Then, he walked over to the mass of people on the other side of the deck. He gestured back to the hostages.

“They’re taken care of, it’s safe for you to go down.” He said to them. “And tell the police that these jokers are not a threat anymore, so they can come and arrest them.”

Peter smiled beneath his mask as he heard a chorus of “Thank yous”. He raised his hand to them.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad all of you are safe.” He said.

Without another word, Peter leapt off the building and web-slinged away as the hostages hurried downstairs.”

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“Ah, home again.” Peter said, as he shut the balcony door and peeled off his mask. “Now, maybe I can eat my meal for a change.”

He walked over to the TV dinner still on the TV tray and stuck out his tongue as he noticed the sauce around the turkey had congealed. Sighing, he walked back to the microwave and put it back in as he reached into the cabinet for a glass. He got some ice out of the refrigerator and put it in the glass. He figured the Coke was probably warm by now also. As he finished pouring the Coke, he heard the microwave buzzer go off and he went and got his re-warmed meal. He settled down and switched the channel to CNN with the remote. He was wondering what they were going to say about what had just occurred.

“…Tell us that Spider-Man apparently defeated the terrorists and rescued all of the hostages. No casualties were reported.” The anchorwoman was saying.

Peter grinned at that. He was glad that no one had lost their lives, since it could have very easily ended up otherwise.

“…Two security guards were knocked out by one of the terrorists and they suffered minor concussions.” The anchorwoman continued. “It is not known at this time who the suspects are and if they have any links to any known terrorists groups. We will continue to update you on this story as it unfolds. And now, for a quick look at other news happening today…Another woman’s body was discovered along the banks of the East River last night. Police have confirmed her identity. She is Amber Miller, a 29-year-old Legal Assistant from Queens. Police have confirmed that she is a possible victim of the spider killer. She is now the forth victim in a year. The spider killer’s identity is not known. There have been no eyewitness accounts. Only the M.O. is known. The victims are always naked, bound and gagged and their hearts are taken out. The killer also leaves a small spider on the victims forehead that is drawn in the victim’s own blood. Police have confirmed that Amber Miller was left in this manner. The Police and the FBI both have given no further comment except to say that they are hopeful they will be able to catch the killer soon. If anyone has any information on the identity or whereabouts of this killer, please contact the NYPD or FBI. And now for a look at Financial News, here’s…”

Peter turned off the TV and thought to himself as he ate. He had been trying to track down this spider killer ever since news of the first victim had surfaced. So far, he had had no luck in finding whoever it was. It sickened him to think that someone was doing something like this to innocent young women and it made him more determined to find who it was. Especially since the killer seemed to be picking his victims randomly. There had been no connection Peter could see among the women except for the M.O. and that scared him. He was worried about Mary Jane and whether she could be considered a target or not. He sighed as he reached over and grabbed a stack of newspaper clippings from the table beside him. He studied them as he ate; racking his brains trying to think of any connection between the women. An identifier that made the killer target these particular ones. He shook his head as he could think of none. Two of the women were Caucasian, one was Hispanic and the latest victim had been Black. So, race wasn’t it. One was blonde, one was a red head and the last two were brunette, so it wasn’t hair color. One had been a 45 year old homemaker who was at poverty level, one was a 38 year old lawyer, one was a 22 year old college student who had been working at McDonalds and Amber had been a 29 year old legal secretary, so that ruled out age and social status.

Peter shook his head. Nothing seemed to fit and no one ever saw or heard anything either. The killer just seemed to be able to strike at will and fade away before anyone could get a glimpse of him. It irritated Peter to no end and he was determined to bring the killer to justice. He sat and thought for about a half hour before he finally gave up. He had a test coming up the next morning in his Chemistry class and he needed to do some studying. Reluctantly, he put the clippings back on the table and went to get his Chemistry book off of the dining room table. He settled back down and opened his book to his notes and began to skim through them. As he studied though, his mind kept shifting back to the spider killer and he had to mentally force himself to keep on his notes. Finally, after an hour of studying, he realized it was a losing battle and he closed the book. He figured he knew the material well enough that he could ace the test anyway. He put the book back on the dining room table and headed upstairs to take a shower.

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 2

The next morning, he did a quick morning patrol before hurrying back and changing his clothes for his classes. He grabbed his books and hurried down to the bus stop praying that the Chem test wasn’t too hard.

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He reached the Science building about twenty minutes before class was to start. He walked down the hallway towards the Chemistry class going over the information in his mind repeatedly. He reached the door to the classroom and stopped short as he saw Mary Jane sitting at her desk. He gulped as he noticed she was the only one in the room at the moment and he gulped again when he saw that she had noticed he was there. She smiled warmly and waved at him.

“Hey Tiger, you’re early too.” She said.

“Um, yeah, I wanted to study my notes again before class started.” He said, hesitantly.

“Me too.” Mary Jane said, sighing. “I only hope I can pass this stupid class. I can’t stand these electives we have to take.”

Peter chuckled.

“Well, it’s a part of my major so I have no choice.” He said.

He passed by her and stiffened as he felt Mary Jane reach out and give his hand a squeeze. He hurried on to his desk as he heard Mary Jane give out a sigh behind him. He sat down two desks in front of her and opened his Chemistry book. He bored his eyes into his notes trying not to hear Mary Jane’s soft breathing behind him.

After a few moments, he heard Mary Jane clear her throat.

“Peter?” she said, hesitantly.

Peter sighed inwardly.

“Yeah?” he said, in a neutral tone of voice.

“Why are you so afraid to talk to me?”

Peter rolled his eyes and turned around to look at her.

“I’m not afraid. I’m just trying to study.” He lied.

“Peter don’t give me that. I see you looking at your notes and you look like you’re gonna burn a hole through the paper with your eyes.” Mary Jane said, folding her arms across her chest.

Peter sighed.

“I just don’t feel like talking right now.” He said.

“You never feel like talking, Peter. Ever since the funeral, you haven’t really spoken to me, except when you absolutely have to. I just want to know what’s going on. Is it me, Peter? Did I upset you that day?” Mary Jane said, frowning.

“Yes and no.” Peter said, after a moment’s thought.

“Yes and no? What is that supposed to mean?” Mary Jane asked.

“It means that the answer is complicated, alright?” Peter spat out.

He instantly regretted it as he saw tears spring to Mary Jane’s eyes. He sighed.

“Look, MJ. Maybe in the future, I’ll let you in on my reasons for walking away that day. But for now, I want to remain friends, okay? I’m not mad at you, MJ. I’m just not ready for a romantic relationship with you.”

Mary Jane raised an eyebrow.

“And maybe someday you will be ready?” she asked, hopefully.

Peter sighed. He kept getting deeper and deeper into the hole with every word he spoke.

“Maybe…..” He said. “I’m not making any promises though, okay.”

Mary Jane nodded. Peter knew, however, that that answer wasn’t going to satisfy her in any way. He knew she would just keep at him until he caved in and admitted his love for her. He briefed a sigh of relief as he saw other students begin to file through the door. He knew Mary Jane wouldn’t be asking him any more questions, not while there were others in the room to hear. He turned back around as he saw Professor Spencer walk through the door and head up to the front of the class.

Professor Spencer waited a few moments and when he saw that everyone was inside, he cleared his throat.

“Good morning everyone. We have a huge test today, so why don’t we start with that and get it out of the way.” He smiled as he heard a chorus of groans. “Now, now, it’s not that hard, if you studied your material, and I hope you did study.” He added, glancing around at the class.

Peter smiled to himself as he heard the student behind him…….

“Oh man, why did I have to go to that party last night and get wasted?” The student whispered. “I thought the damn test wasn’t until Friday.”

*Gee, I guess I’ll never have that problem since I have no real social life.* Peter thought to himself.

He grabbed the test as it was passed back to him and passed it on to the guy behind him. He looked at the test and smiled as he skimmed down it. He knew all the answers to these questions. He snickered to himself as he heard the guy behind him mutter.

“Oh shit, I’m screwed.”

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Peter walked into the door of his apartment and shut it behind him. He had finished all his classes and he was confident that he had aced his test. He was hopeful that Mary Jane had done the same. He saw the worried look on her face as he had headed out the door and knew that she hadn’t known all the answers. He hoped she got a passing grade.

He changed into his Spider-Man costume and headed out for his daily patrols. Each day that he went out, he hoped that he would run into the spider killer. He wanted nothing more than to put the maniac behind bars. He finished dressing and went out the balcony door as usual. He leapt off and began to swing casually along, keeping his eyes, ears, and spider sense alert for anything. He was nearing downtown when he suddenly heard a scream coming from a nearby alley. Angling his swing, Peter landed on the wall beside the alley and peeked in. His eyes widened as he saw a young woman being dragged through the alley by a man dressed from head to toe in a black form-fitting outfit. The only part of the outfit with any color on it was the huge red spider design on the front. Peter’s eyes widened as he noticed that the design looked a lot like the drawings of the bloody spider the FBI had provided to the media. Peter gritted his teeth and hissed under his breath.

“I got ya, at last, you bastard.” He said.

He jumped down into the alley and glared at the man in black.

“Let her go, you son of a bitch! You’ve already earned your way to the gas chamber without killing her.” He yelled at him.

The man in black hesitated for a moment and Peter stared at the black, featureless mask wondering what his next move was going to be. To his shock, the man suddenly said.

“Is this one not worthy for you, my Lord?”

Peter’s eyes widened in shock.

“My Lord?” he muttered.

Peter decided to use the man in black’s obvious insanity to his advantage.

“Um…no, she is not worthy of me. Let her go.” He said, trying to sound authoritative.

“As you wish, my Lord.” The man in black said, instantly letting go of the woman.

The woman and Peter both stared at the man in shock as he suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed before him.

“I shall serve you until the end of time, my Lord.” He said.

Peter snickered in spite of himself.

“Okay, this is definitely crossing over into Twilight Zone territory.” He muttered.

He motioned to the woman to move away and after seeing that the woman was out of the alley and safe, he began to walk cautiously towards the man who was still bowing before him.

“Okay buddy, time to get off of your knees and go to jail.” He said. “ You have a lot to answer for.”

“Jail, my Lord?” the man in black said, raising his head for the first time. “I cannot do that. I am sworn to serve you.”

“Well, serve me and get your ass to jail then.” Peter said, impatiently.

“NO! I need to find more women! More people to sacrifice in your name.”

Peter’s eyes widened as he got a sickening feeling. He was the reason those women were being murdered?

“No! This sacrificing stops now. I’m satisfied.” Peter said, angrily. “It’s time for you to go to prison.”

 “NO! I will not go to prison. I will continue to serve you, my Lord.” The man in black screamed out.

Peter gasped as he suddenly jumped up and pushed him violently against the wall.

“Forgive me, my Lord!” he said, running to the end of the alley.

Peter shook his head. Gritting his teeth, he took off after the man who by now had headed out of the alley and was turning the corner. By the time, Peter reached him, he was had pulled up a manhole cover and was jumping into the sewer. Ignoring the shocked looks of a few bystanders. Peter ran to the hole and jumped in without hesitation. He fell for a moment and then, hit the bottom. He quickly recovered from the fall and began to scan around with his spider sense in the near darkness. He frowned as he couldn’t detect anything. He walked up and down the sewer system trying to locate the man in black. After about a half hour, he gave up and headed back to the ladder leading up to the manhole. As he climbed the ladder, he bit his lip and began to curse himself for letting the man in black get away. As he reached the street and stuck his head through the hole, his eyes widened as he saw several policemen aiming their guns at him.

“Freeze, Spider-Man!” the officer nearest to him yelled.

Peter looked around for a moment and then shot a web line up to the building nearest him.

“Nah, I don’t think I will.” He said.

The policemen gasped as Peter pulled on the strand and catapulted himself up into the air. As he shot out another webstrand, he yelped as he felt a bullet graze his shoulder. He quickly swung away even angrier than before. First, he had had to tell Mary Jane once again for the trillionth time that they were only friends, then he finds the spider killer only to lose him in the sewers, and now he was being shot at by the police?

“What’s next, The Stay Puff Marshmallow Man is gonna appear and start stomping through downtown?” he muttered.

Ignoring the pain, he quickly swung back to his apartment to tend to his injury.

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 3

"Goddamn it!" Peter muttered as he pulled off the top part of his costume, his mask and his gloves.

He sat on his bed and turned his head to try to see where his injury was. He was just able to make out the very top of the gash that the bullet had made when it had whizzed past him. He took his fingers and felt along the back of his shoulder. He grimaced as a white-hot pain went through his body the moment he touched the wound.

"Damn them!" Peter muttered. "Why can't they see that I'm the good guy? I'm so sick and tired of being treated like a criminal when all I want to do is help."

Gritting his teeth, he felt along the wound and determined that it probably wasn't deep enough to warrant stitches. He figured with his rapid healing ability, it would probably be almost gone by the next morning. Saying a silent prayer of thanks that it hadn't been more than a flesh wound, he walked into the bathroom for some antiseptic before he headed down for a quick lunch.

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After lunch, Peter pulled on a new costume top. He put on his gloves and mask and swung out again to finish his patrols.

He web slinged towards the downtown area again hoping that he would be able to catch a glimpse of the man in black. He had watched CNN while he ate his lunch and he saw that several eyewitnesses had managed to give a description to the police. Granted, it was not that much to go on since basically the man was wearing a featureless mask that covered his whole face, but it gave people an idea of what to look for now. Peter hoped that even if he couldn't find him, someone else would see him and alert the police quickly enough that he would be caught.

As he was swinging along, he suddenly heard a voice cry out to him from below.

"Spider-Man! Help me!"

Peter jerked his head around and saw a guy waving his hands frantically. He frowned as he noticed his spider sense hadn't gone off. Wondering what the problem was, he quickly shot out another web line and turned himself around. He swung up and landed nimbly beside the man.

"What? What's wrong?" Peter asked, looking around.

"Oh Spider-Man, thank God you're here. I locked my keys in my car and I was wondering if you could help me get the door open?"

Peter's eyes widened.

"You want me to get your car door open?" he said, trying to keep his anger down.

"Yes! I was on my cell phone and I forgot to grab the keys as I locked the door. By the time, I got out, it was too late....so, could you help?"

Peter sighed.

"Okay, why don't you call the police or AAA or use a coat hanger or something?" Peter said, annoyed.

"Well, I was, but I saw you swinging along and I know that you have super strength and I figured you might be able to pull on the door and get it open?" the man said, hopefully.

"Do you know that as we stand here, there might be a real danger happening somewhere? Like a mugger or a carjacking or a bank robbery or something?" Peter said, glaring at him.

The man rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, Spider-Man, it'll only take a second." He grabbed the door handle and pulled. "See, this is all you have to...." He stared as the door came open.

He looked inside at the door lock and then looked back at Peter who had folded his arms over his chest.

"Oh..heh heh, I guess I didn't lock it after all. Um..I guess I'm getting forgetful in my old age..heh heh." The man said, sheepishly.

"Yeah, heh heh." Peter said sarcastically, as he tried to keep from pounding him.

"Well, um...have a nice day, Spider-Man. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, wish I could say the same." Peter muttered.

He rolled his eyes as he shot out a web line.

"Hey, um, Spider-Man?"

Peter sighed and looked back.

"What?" he said, annoyed.

"Can...uh...Can I have your autograph?"

The man watched as Peter stared at him for a moment and then shaking his head, catapulted himself into the sky and swung away quickly. The man frowned as he stared at the rapidly disappearing Spider-Man.

"I guess that means no then?" he said.

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"How could you let yourself be seen?"

The man in black kneeled before the high priest and bowed his head to the floor. Assembled around them were the other cult members who sat on their knees in a circle and observed the scene in silence. The man in black looked up at the priest who was dressed like the other cult members except instead of a form-fitting outfit, he was wearing a robe and hood that obscured his face.

"Forgive me, Priest. I did not mean for others to see me." The man in black said, timidly.

"Then why did you go out in the daylight when there might be others around to observe you?' the priest said, angrily. "Did you not think for one moment, you might have been seen? Our brotherhood depends on our stealth and secrecy. We do not need non-believers getting a description of us and possibly figuring out where we are!"

The man in black bowed his head to the floor.

"I am sorry, Priest. I only wished to find another sacrifice. I did not mean to put the brotherhood in danger."

"But you did!" The priest yelled, as he pointed a finger at him. " And not only did you let yourself be seen like the fool you are, you did not even bring back a sacrifice to show for your efforts."

"I...I tried, Priest. But the Spider Man appeared and told me the one I had chosen was not worthy. So, I let her go."

As the other cult members began to whisper among themselves, the priest held up his hand for silence. Once the murmurings had died down, he turned his attention back to the man in black.

"So, you encountered our Lord." He said. "And he was not pleased?"

"No.Priest. He told me to let the sacrifice go and then he told me I should go to jail." The man in black said, raising his head to look at the Priest.

"So, he deemed you fit for punishment, in other words." The Priest said.

"Yes, Priest."

"And why did you not obey?" the Priest said, angrily.

"Be..Because I couldn't go to jail. You said yourself I was not meant to be seen, Priest, they would have made me confess if I had went to jail."

The Priest nodded.

"True. But, he still ordered you to be punished, so you should have killed yourself when you had gotten the chance. That would have fulfilled his command. But since you are such a weak fool. I will fulfill his wishes now."

The Priest suddenly grabbed a knife that was on a belt tied around his robe. With one quick hand motion, he slit the throat of the man in black. He watched for a moment as the man in black gasped for air; blood pouring from his wound. Finally, after a moment, the man in black collapsed to the floor dead. The Priest looked around at the assembled cult members.

"Let this be a warning to you all. I will not tolerate foolish behavior. The sacrifices will be taken when it is safe to do so. You will obey...or else."

He pointed to two cult members and pointed to the body.

"You, two, dispose of this carcass."

As the two members came forward to obey, the priest looked at the others.

"We must hope that the Spider Man was not offended by this member's careless behavior. We must continue to find a sacrifice that will please the Spider Man enough that he will finally visit us and agree to lead us in our revolution. A revolution that will bring about a new golden age when we will reign over those who do not believe the Spider Man's divinity. You must all double your efforts to find the right woman. The sacrifice that the Spider Man deems worthy enough to come and view for himself; In the meantime, we will keep the other sacrifices hearts here as an everlasting tribute to his greatness."

The Priest gestured to a corner of the room where a huge stone altar stood. Sitting upon the altar were the hearts of the other four women along with some candles and burning incense. The Priest nodded at his disciples.

"Now go and prepare for tonight. We must find the woman who is deemed the most worthy to our god!"

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 4

Peter mentally kicked himself as he swung back into his apartment and began to change into his street clothes. He was due at the Bugle in a half hour to drop off his latest batch of pictures. He didn't have very much, just a few shots of him stopping a robbery at a downtown Bank One. Peter sighed as he realized he could have had more shots if he had remembered to set his camera when he had tried to apprehend the spider killer. But, he had been so excited at finally finding him and so anxious to prevent the woman from getting carried off, it had completely slipped his mind. And, now he had only thought of it, thanks to the anger he had felt at the moron who wanted him to open his car door and the fact that he had to dodge several shots from sawed-off shotguns during the robbery. The only comfort he had was that no one had been hurt in the robbery and he had managed to bring the robbers down quickly, but still, he knew he was in for an earful with Jameson once he learned that he had come up empty handed on a picture of the spider killer.

Sighing to himself, he finished dressing and quickly combed his hair down before he headed downstairs and out the door to face his boss's wrath.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DIDN'T GET A PICTURE?" Jameson screamed at him. "HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE SAW HIM AND SPIDER-MAN, AND MANAGED TO GIVE A DISCRIPTION TO MOST OF THE MAJOR NEWS CHANNELS. BUT YOU, WHO USUALLY KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE SPIDER-MAN IS GOING TO BE, FAILED?"

Peter sighed. He glanced over at Robbie Robertson who stared at him sympathetically. He smiled at him and turned his head for a moment and caught a glimpse of Betty Brandt staring at him and rolling her eyes at Jameson. Peter nodded and turned back to Jameson who was now red in the face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jameson, I was busy somewhere else when it happened." Peter tried to explain.

"SOMEWHERE ELSE? HOW COULD YOU BE SOMEWHERE ELSE? YOU ALWAYS MANAGE TO STUMBLE ONTO SPIDER-MAN, HOW COME YOU DIDN'T STUMBLE ONTO HIM WHEN HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIGGEST STORY OUT THERE?"

"Jonah, cut the kid a break." Robbie said, sighing. "He can't be everywhere at once. He might not have been able to get a picture of the spider killer, but neither can anyone else."

Jameson took a deep breath and the red color began to drain from his face. He nodded.

"You're right, Robbie." He said. "No one has been able to get a description until now. But still, I would have loved to have been the first to have had exclusive pictures of the spider killer. Especially since their ringleader, Spider-Man, finally showed up."

Peter's eyes widened and he felt the bile beginning to form in his throat. He narrowed his eyes at Jameson as he felt rage boiling up within him.

"I always knew Spider-Man was behind these murders." Jameson went on, not noticing Peter. "Why else would the killers be putting bloody spiders on the women's heads?"

Peter narrowed his eyes. He was used to Jameson slandering Spider-Man, but, it just enraged him to think that Jameson thought Spider-Man had anything to do with a brutal, sadistic, bastard like the spider killer. He knew the futility of arguing with Jameson though, so he held his tongue.

Jameson turned his attention to Peter and frowned as he noticed the enraged look.

"Something wrong, Parker?" he asked.

"No, Sir." He said, tersely.

Jameson looked at Robbie, confused. He looked back at Peter and suddenly had a thought about the angry look.

"I know, Parker. I hate to think that Spider-Man is out there committing these murders along with these other wackos. But, hopefully with the description, people gave to police, they'll finally be brought to justice at last.

Peter gritted his teeth together and gripped the chair as he fought his first inclination to rise up out of it and punch Jameson in the face.

"Just get me some photos, Parker, whatever it takes." Jameson continued on. "Other people may have gotten a description, but I want to be the first to have photos. So, get to it."

Peter nodded silently. Still glaring at Jameson, he forced himself to get up and stalk out the door. He headed right for the elevator, ignoring Betty as she waved goodbye to him. Reaching the elevator, he punched the button and immediately the door slid open. He stepped inside and began to push the down button when he heard Robbie call out.

"Hey, Peter, wait up, you forgot your camera!"

Peter sighed as he realized Robbie was right. He had set it down on Jameson's desk before he had sat down. He pushed in the door open button and smiled gratefully at Robbie.

"Thanks Robbie." He said.

"No problem, Peter. I didn't want you realizing you didn't have it once you got away from here and have to come back for it."

"Yeah, especially since Jameson hates my guts today." Peter said, thinking of both himself and Spider-Man.

Robbie snorted.

"Don't think that, Peter. Jameson actually likes you."

Peter's eyes widened in surprise.

"You have got to be kidding me." He said.

Robbie shook his head.

"No I'm not. Why do you think you get all the plum assignments around here? Jameson thinks you're the best. We all do, actually." He said.

"Then why does he always give me such a hard time?"

Robbie put his hand on his shoulder

"Because he expects only the best from you, Peter. And when you don't deliver, he feels disappointed....and he expresses it in his own way." Robbie said.

Peter pursed his lips as he thought that over.

"And just between you and me, Peter, because I think I know the real reason you got upset, I don't think Spider-Man has anything to do with these murders. Spider-Man is trying to stop whoever is responsible. Jameson just has a problem admitting it. Personally, I think the man is a hero and I'm glad he's around to protect us."

He squeezed Peter's shoulder.

"Well, I'll let you go. Be careful."

"Thanks Robbie." Peter said.

As Robbie walked away, Peter let go of the door open button and a small smile crept across his face as the door closed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roger walked downtown looking for a place to get a bite to eat. He had been on surveillance for the brotherhood trying to find a woman that would please their Lord. Since it was daytime, he was dressed in street clothes instead of his normal black outfit. He shook his head as he remembered the killing of the other member earlier in the day. What had possessed him to go out in the daytime dressed in his black outfit in plain view of everyone, he had no clue. He only assumed the man was a fool and unworthy of the brotherhood and their Lord. He scratched an itch on his chin and glanced out of the corner of his eye as the sleeve of his sweater slid back to reveal the spider tattoo on his inner wrist. He quickly brought his arm back down and pulled on his sleeve to make sure the tattoo was hidden. The Priest had warned them that now they would have to be careful and not reveal anything that might make someone suspicious of them.

He paused as he neared a diner. He glanced up at it and saw it was called The Moondance Diner. He checked his pockets and saw he had enough for a decent meal. Because he didn't work an outside job, he had to rely on the Priest for an allowance each month, so he had to be careful about spending it. The man frowned to himself. The Priest as far as he knew, didn't have a job either except being the priest of the brotherhood. Roger shrugged. He always figured their spiritual leader was a wealthy man and could afford not to work. He wasn't sure though because he had never actually seen the Priest's face. No one ever had. He had always made sure to wear the hood when he was around his followers. Roger always wondered about that, but the man was wise and he had been right about the rise of the Spider Man, so that was good enough for him. Besides, after seeing what happened to the other member, he felt it unwise to ask too many questions.

He began to go into the diner when suddenly the door opened and a beautiful red haired woman stepped out. Roger stared at her as she wrapped her trench coat around her waitress outfit and marveled at her beauty. He began to wonder if maybe this woman would please the Spider Man.

He waited until she was a short distance from him and then he began to follow her slowly making sure to keep her in his sights, but at the same time making sure not to arouse any suspicions that she was being followed. He watched as she stopped and looked both ways before crossing the street. He prepared to do the same when all of a sudden he froze as he saw the Spider Man on top of a building a few buildings in front of her. His eyes widened as he saw the Spider Man look at the woman and then quickly web down in the alley next to the building. Roger quickly walked over to an alley across from the alley the Spider Man was in and hid in the shadows observing him. He had never seen the Spider Man up close before and he was afraid that the Spider Man might be offended if he caught him staring at him. As he watched, his eyes widened as he saw the Spider Man call out to the red head as she passed by, and she turned and walked back to him. Roger leaned forward and stared at the scene with interest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Peter paused as he landed on the roof of a building by The Moondance Diner. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Mary Jane emerge from the diner and wrap her coat around her body. He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He knew he should just move on and continue his patrol, but he couldn't help it, he just had to talk to her.

"I can just tell her to be careful of the spider killer." Peter said to himself. "That would give Spider-Man a good reason to want to talk to her."

Peter made his way to the front of the building and then, as he saw she was now on his side of the street and coming towards him, he quickly webbed down into the alley and waited for her to appear. He smiled to himself as she went past, looking just as stunning as ever.

"Hey MJ!" he called out.

He watched as Mary Jane craned her neck around the corner and smiled at him.

"Spider-Man!" she said, overjoyed. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Pretty good." Peter said, as Mary Jane walked over to him. "And you?"

"I'm doing pretty good too." She said.

She grinned at him.

"It's so nice to see you."

"Yeah, you too." Peter said, really meaning it. "So, you still work at the diner?"

Mary Jane rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But, I do have two auditions lined up this weekend."

Peter's face lit up under his mask.

"That's wonderful, MJ." He said, delighted. "I hope one of them pans out for you. You deserve a better career than working in that dump."

Mary Jane smiled and touched his cheek.

"Aren't you a sweetie." She said.

Peter felt giddy and he tightened his grip on his web line so he wouldn't lose it entirely and smack his head into the ground. He imagined the mortification of doing that right in front of Mary Jane.

"So, what's up? Any heroic deeds today?" Mary Jane continued.

"A few. I stopped a bank robbery earlier."

"I heard that on the news earlier. That was so great of you to save those people." Mary Jane said.

Peter grinned as he felt his ego swell immensely. It felt so good to hear this from her and from Robbie after having to deal with Jameson. He was glad that some people were willing to form their own opinions on Spider-Man and not just listen to negative sources like The Bugle.

Peter cleared his throat.

"Thanks, MJ." He said. "I also managed to find that spider killer this morning. But he got away from me." He added sheepishly.

"Oh, Spider-Man, that's horrible. I hope you get another chance to get him."

Peter nodded.

"Me too and that's mainly why I stopped you. I want you to be careful, MJ, okay? The killer seems to be picking women at random and I don't want you getting hurt."

Mary Jane smiled.

"I have been careful, Spider-Man, but thanks so much for thinking of telling me. You really are a sweetheart."

"So are you, MJ. And I'd hate to see that sweet heart of yours outside of your body." Peter said.

Mary Jane blushed and giggled to herself.

"My little stalker." She said.

Peter's eyes widened as she put her hands on either side of his face and pressed her face against him.

"I'm so glad you're looking out for me." She said softly in his ear.

Peter bit his lip as he felt electric shocks course throughout his body. In that one moment, he was back to being a gawky high school student again.

"Um..yeah....um....you're welcome." He said, finally getting the words out.

He knew Mary Jane could sense his discomfort and he heard her giggle softly. Much to Peter's disappointment, she stepped back and smiled at him.

"Oh! Um, by the way, Spider-Man. I wanted to ask you if you'll be seeing Peter today?" she asked.

"Well, I think so. Why?"

"Well, I wondered if you could give him a message for me." Mary Jane said, shifting her foot.

Peter frowned wondering what sort of message it was.

"Um..sure." He said, hesitantly.

"I was feeling kinda lonely today and I kinda figure that Peter gets lonely too in his apartment. I was wondering if you could ask him for me if he would like to come and have dinner with me tonight?"

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, nothing fancy and not a date either, I just figured we could eat and talk and keep each other company for awhile." She said.

Peter bit his lip as he considered it. Normally, he would have said no, but after feeling Mary Jane touch him and feeling her face close to his, he knew he couldn't resist. He had to be with her, even if it was only for a while.

"Um...sure, I'll tell him." He said.

Mary Jane grinned. "You are such a nice guy, Spider-Man." She brought her fingers up and pinched Peter's nose playfully. "And a cutie too."

Peter felt himself losing it. He knew he had to get out of there before he started drooling through the mask.

"Um....I gotta go, MJ. But I will tell him, and I'll have him call you too to let you know."

"Okay..Spidey." She said, giggling. "Thanks again." She started back out of the alley. "Bye!" she said, waving to him.

"Buh..bye, MJ." Peter said, feeling in ecstasy.

He waited until Mary Jane turned the corner and then he quickly webbed back up and hurried home to get ready for an evening with his girl.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roger's eyes widened as he watched the interaction between the red head and the Spider Man. He noticed that the Spider Man was letting the red head touch him a lot. He had even let her hold his face in a kind of hug.

"Could it be?" he said to himself. "Could she be the one?"

he waited until the Spider Man had webbed back up and disappeared from sight before he began to shadow the red head again. Luckily, he wasn't too far behind and he was able to keep her in his sights. He followed her for about twenty minutes until he finally saw her go into the door of an apartment building. Roger looked both ways and quickly ran across. He ran up to the door and opened it a crack. He saw the red head checking her mail just inside. Roger waited until the red head had locked the little silver mailbox and headed upstairs. When he saw that she was out of sight, he crept cautiously into the entryway and stared at the mailbox the red head had been using. He bent over and red the name on it.

"Mary Jane Watson....Apartment 4C." he muttered to himself.

He glanced up at the stairs and saw that the red head was nowhere in sight. He quickly glanced once more at the mailbox committing the name and apartment to memory before he headed out the door and back to their secret location to tell the Priest and the others what he had learned.

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 5

Peter headed through the balcony door and closed it. He peeled off his mask and dialed Mary Jane's number. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he waited for her to pick up. He smiled as he heard a click and Mary Jane on the other end.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey MJ, it's Peter. I just saw Spider-Man and he gave me your message." Peter said, trying to sound convincing.

"And?"

"I'd love to." Peter said, sincerely.

"Really? Great! Um...be here around 7 then?"

"That's fine." Peter said.

"Okay....Oh! Um....Almost forgot, what do you want to eat?"

"Um...What do you have?" Peter asked.

"Well...Let's see, let me think....um, I have spaghetti, hamburger...Oh! I have chicken. We could have fried chicken." She paused for a moment and giggled. "Or we could go the no frills route and have TV Dinners and Hot Pockets."

"NO! No, Not that. I eat that stuff enough as it is." Peter said, laughing.

He heard Mary Jane giggle even more and he drowned in the sound of her voice.

"Well, what would you like then?" she said, as she sobered up.

"Um....spaghetti, sounds good." Peter said, feeling his stomach rumble. "I'd like that."

"Okay, Tiger. Um...and I could use the hamburger too, to make meatballs for the sauce."

Peter felt himself begin to salivate.

"That's perfect." He said.

"Okay, see ya at seven then, Tiger." She said.

"Okay, bye MJ."

Peter began to hang up the phone and he smiled to himself as he heard Mary Jane let out a "Yippee!" just before she hung up.

He hung up the phone and hurried upstairs for a quick shower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And you are sure of this?"

Roger bowed his head before the Priest. He had changed back into his black outfit and as the other cult member had done earlier, he was now in front of the Priest as the others surrounded them.

"I'm sure, Priest. The Spider Man allowed the woman to touch him intimately." Roger said, looking up at him.

The Priest paused a moment in thought as the others looked at him expectantly.

"She must be the one then, if our Lord allows a mere mortal like her to get so close." He said.

He nodded at Roger.

"Very well, you will lead the others in obtaining this red haired woman for the sacrifice."

He pointed to several other members who were sitting near them.

"You, you, you and you....you will assist."

As the four he chose nodded, he looked at Roger.

"I want no mistakes. I want it done quickly since the police may be on the lookout."

He pointed to a dried bloodstain beside Roger's knees.

"And remember the penalty you will receive if you fail."

Roger gulped as he nodded. The Priest nodded at him and the others he had chosen.

"Go and do not come back without the girl."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mary Jane tasted the sauce and licked her lips. She glanced up at the clock and saw it was nearing seven o'clock. She smiled to herself as she counted down the minutes until she could see Peter again. She checked the spaghetti and the meatballs and found they were nearly done.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and smiled to herself. She ran to the door and threw it open and hugged Peter as he stood there.

Peter stood for a moment and then threw his arms around Mary Jane.

"Peter! Thanks so much for coming." Mary Jane said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Her smiled widened as she noticed Peter didn't flinch or back away after she had done it. She wondered if she was close to convincing him they could be lovers.

"Thanks for inviting me, MJ." Peter said, kissing her back.

Mary Jane's eyes widened even more in delight and she stepped back from the door to allow Peter to come inside. She was beginning to realize this had been a really good idea.

"Dinner's about ready, Tiger." She said.

"Good, because I'm starving." Peter said, laughing.

"Oh and is that the only reason you're over here, because of a free meal?" Mary Jane said, winking at him.

"No, the service and the waitress are also the best around." Peter said, winking back.

Mary Jane blushed and giggled again.

Peter nodded towards the hallway.

"You mind if I use your bathroom before dinner starts?" he said.

"No, go right ahead, Pete. It should be ready by the time you get back out."

Peter nodded. He headed down the hallway.

"Oh, do you want milk or Coke?' Mary Jane said, calling after him.

Peter paused at the bathroom door.

"Milk's fine, MJ." He said.

Mary Jane nodded as Peter went in the bathroom and closed the door.

Mary Jane smiled to herself as she went and got two glasses out of the cupboard. Setting them down, she got the milk out and filled both the glasses before she sat the milk back in the refrigerator and closed the door. She went to check on the food and found all of it was done. She turned off the burners and grabbed a bowl and a plate from the cupboard. She poured the spaghetti in the bowl and spooned the meatballs out onto the plate. The sauce; she decided to leave in the saucepan. She reached into a drawer and got a ladle and put it in the pan. As she was doing this, she was unaware that the doorknob on the front door was slowly turning and the door slowly opening. She hummed to herself as she took the two glasses of milk and carried them over to the dining room table. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she felt a hand going around her mouth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Peter finished zipping his pants up and flushed the toilet. Suddenly his spider sense went off a moment before he heard Mary Jane scream. Panicking, he opened the door quickly and as it flew back to the wall with a bang, he ran out into the hallway and stopped. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a man in black holding Mary Jane. He was keeping a handkerchief over her mouth and nose as Mary Jane tried to squirm her way free.

"Oh shit! Not again!" Peter cried out as he raced towards the man.

He gnashed his teeth together and readied his fists determined to protect Mary Jane at all costs.

"Let go of her, you bastard!" Peter screamed as he ran.

As he raced out of the hallway, he felt his spider sense begin to scream in his head and he readied himself for an attack by the man. Suddenly, Peter grunted as he felt something hard hit the back of his head and the last thing he heard was something shatter and Mary Jane's muffled scream as he fell to the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Mary Jane slumped unconscious in Roger's arms, he nodded at the other members who had been waiting by the hallway entrance. After he had grabbed the girl, he had heard the toilet flush and knew that they were not alone. He allowed the woman to scream figuring that whoever it was would be alerted and come rushing out in a panic. The other members had positioned themselves just out of sight and when the man had come out and began to scream and curse and run towards Roger, one of his compatriots had unplugged a nearby lamp and grabbed it. Roger had been correct in his assessment about the man's blind panic and as the man had rushed to him, he had not seen the member with the lamp come up behind him and bring it down on his head, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Roger snorted at the man as he lay prone on the floor. He got a better grip on the red head and dragged her over to look at him as the other members gathered around him. He watched as a member grabbed a knife and turned the man over. As blood began to trickle onto the floor from the man's head, the member raised his knife over his heart.

"No!" Roger said, stopping him. "Not here. This man tried to prevent our mission here and for that he deserves to die a slow and torturous death. We will take him with us back to the lair where we can take our time with him."

The member nodded and put his knife back in its holder. He reached over to the shattered remains of the lamp and jerked the cord loose from the rest of it. He tied the cord around Peter's wrists and tied it tight. Then, he picked him up and put him over his shoulder as Roger did the same to Mary Jane.

"Now hurry, before anyone suspects we're here." He said to the others.

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 6

Peter groaned as he began to awaken. The last thing he remembered was seeing Mary Jane in the arms of the spider killer and then an enormous pain, a flash of light, and then darkness. He grimaced. His head felt like an entire symphony orchestra was playing in it; an orchestra that was relying heavily on percussion. He slowly tried to set up and found that he couldn't. He looked up and saw that his hands were tied with ropes above his head. Tied to a large wooden device. He looked down and barely made out the ropes that were tied around his ankles too. He also saw that he was lying on top of the wooden device. He guessed it was a table of some kind. He looked back up at the ropes and guessed he could get out of those with no problem. He began to flex his muscles.

"Peter?"

Peter froze. He looked over to his right and to his horror saw Mary Jane naked and lying in a cage on the other side of the room. He relaxed his muscles knowing that he couldn't break free just yet, not without revealing who he really was. Fighting the urge to do so anyway and run to her, he gulped down the tears that were coming.

"MJ?" he said softly. "Are you okay?"

"I think so."

Peter felt the rage creep in at hearing Mary Jane's small and frightened tone of voice. He cursed himself for letting his guard down. He knew now that there must have been at least one other person in her apartment. But he, in his blind stupidity, never guessed that there might have been more than one spider killer lurking around. And now, his stupidity was going to cost them their lives. And as the final insult, his spider sense, his reliable spider sense, tried to warn him as he ran up. But, he ignored it, figuring it was going off because the man in front of him was going to try something. Peter shook his head. It was a wonder he had managed to survive this long with all the mistakes he had made in his short career.

"Peter?"

Peter looked back over at Mary Jane and he felt the anger seep away, to be replaced by fear. Fear of the unknown and what they might do to her. Actually, he had an idea what they would do to her, but the thought alone sickened him to the point that he pushed it away from his mind. He couldn't bear to think of Mary Jane lying cold and naked, bound and gagged, with her heart cut out and a terrified look etched onto her dead face.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the image out of his mind. He opened them again and looked at Mary Jane.

"I'm here, MJ." Peter said, in a comforting tone of voice.

"Peter, I'm scared." Mary Jane said, in a tone of voice that reminded Peter of a small child. "What are they going to do to us?"

Peter shook his head, as he once more threw the image of Mary Jane's corpse out of his mind.

"I don't know, babe." He said, softly.

"Why are you tied to that thing?" Mary Jane said, sobbing.

Peter looked up to try to determine exactly what it was, but his vision was still a little blurry from the blow to the head and he couldn't quite make out what it was. Peter looked back at Mary Jane and began to speak to her in soothing tones, fearing at any moment, she would lose it.

"I don't know, MJ. I don't know what's going to happen, but you need to be strong for me, babe. Don't panic and freak out on me, okay? We're going to get outta this, you just have to keep believing that." He said.

Mary Jane nodded.

"I believe it, Peter, if you believe it." She said.

Peter smiled at her. It sickened him even more that there were people out there who were so heartless and cruel, that they could kill someone as wonderful as Mary Jane and not even bat an eye. The Goblin had tried to kill her, but even he had a hint of humanity left in him that appeared from time to time. He doubted if these people were the same, judging from their actions.

He frowned sympathetically as he stared at Mary Jane. She had squeezed her eyes shut and was rocking back and forth as she lay on the bottom of the cage. Peter guessed she was trying to convince herself it was all a dream and was trying to will herself awake. He was determined to break free and save her from this nightmare as soon as he got a chance. He kept his eyes on her as he sat and though of the best way to get loose without compromising his identity to Mary Jane or to anyone else.

Suddenly, a side door opened and a robed figure entered and stared at Peter and Mary Jane. He closed the door and moved to Peter as Mary Jane began to plead softly to the robed man not to hurt him. The robed man ignored her and stood over Peter as Peter glared at him.

"So, you are the troublemaker who tried to interfere with our mission." He said, pointing back to Mary Jane.

Peter's eyes narrowed into slits.

"If you mean, I'm the one who tried to prevent your goons making off with my girl, then, yes I am." He said.

Peter heard Mary Jane repeat "My girl" softly to herself. He knew what it meant for him to use those words, but at the moment, he didn't care, he loved Mary Jane more than anything and for the first time in a long time, he wasn't afraid to admit it.

"So, you are lovers then?" the robed figure said, amused. "The others guessed as much from the way you reacted."

Peter looked over at Mary Jane who was staring at him expectantly. He smiled at her and then looked directly at the robed figure.

"Yes, I love her." He said.

He glanced back at Mary Jane and saw that tears were flowing from her eyes. He smiled at her again trying to reassure her he was speaking the truth this time. He glanced up at the robed figure who turned and studied Mary Jane for a moment before turning back to Peter.

"That is unfortunate then." The robed figure said. "But, take comfort knowing that the two of you will be reunited in the great beyond."

"Oh God!" Mary Jane suddenly cried out. "No! Don't hurt Peter, please."

The robed figure turned to her.

"Aren't you concerned about your own safety?"

"No!" Mary Jane said, crying. "I don't care about me. I just want you to let Peter go."

Peter felt the tears come to his eyes as the robed man studied Mary Jane for a moment.

"Fascinating." The robed man said, softly.

He spoke to Mary Jane.

"I'm sorry, my dear. But I cannot let either of you go. He is to be punished for trying to interfere in our business while you are to be sacrificed to the Spider Man."

"Why? Why is she supposed to die for Spider-Man?" Peter asked, angrily

The robed man turned to him.

"Because the Spider Man is our god."

Peter's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked, incredulously.

*These mother fuckers think I'm a god?* he thought to himself.

"That is right. The Spider Man is our god." The robed figure continued. "We must find the sacrifice that will please him enough that he will honor us with his presence. Earlier today, one of my followers witnessed this woman talking directly to the Spider Man and touching him. That is why she has been chosen."

Peter's stomach lurched. He began to regret ever talking to Mary Jane. He realized that it was because of his emotional attachment to her and the fact he couldn't hold back on seeing her that led her to be kidnapped. He cursed the day he was ever bitten by the goddamned spider and he cursed the day he ever led Mary Jane to believe they could ever had a safe and loving relationship together and he cursed himself most of all because he knew that he was going to have to endure the pain of seeing another person he cared about die because of him, if they allowed him to live long enough to see Mary Jane's death.

Peter gritted his teeth.

*No! Mary Jane won't die. I won't let them kill her, even if I end up dying myself.* Peter thought to himself.

"You won't get away with this." He said defiantly as the robed man stared at him. "Spider-Man isn't what you think he is. He isn't pleased with your sacrifices, it's only angering him more and more."

Peter's spider sense screamed at him a moment before the robed man drew back his hand and backhanded him hard across his face. As Mary Jane cried out, Peter grimaced as the pain caused his already aching head to hurt even more. He swallowed the blood that had come when he had accidentally bitten his tongue and glared once more at the robed man.

"Silence!" the robed man yelled at him. "You do not speak for our Lord. You are nothing but a mere mortal!"

*That's what you think.* Peter thought to himself.

Knowing it was probably a mistake, but feeling defiant, Peter snapped back.

"How do you know I don't know him? I happen to be a close personal friend of Spider-Man."

Peter's suspicions about opening his mouth were confirmed when his outburst was rewarded with another backhand across the face. He gritted his teeth trying to get past the sea of pain that a blow to the back of the head and two backhanded slaps had given him. He needed to stay focused for Mary Jane.

"It's true." Mary Jane suddenly said. "Peter knows Spider-Man and so do I."

Peter glanced up at the robed man who had turned and was regarding Mary Jane silently. He turned back to Peter.

"Why would a god like the Spider Man want anything to do with the likes of you." He said to him.

Peter took a deep breath preparing himself for another blow to the face.

"Because, as I just told you, Spider-Man is not a god." He said. "He is superhuman, I grant that, but he is still just a man."

"You lie." The robed man said. "No mortal man can do what he does. You are merely trying to talk your way out of the situation you find yourself in." he pointed back to Mary Jane. "The reason the Spider Man talked to her earlier today is because he knew one of my followers was watching and he was giving him a sign that she was the one. Neither one of you is fit to be his slaves, let alone his friends."

"Oh yeah, well you aren't fit to be his friend either, you sadistic son of a bitch." Peter said, angrily. "You aren't even fit to be a part of humanity at large."

Peter set his jaw waiting for the bitch slap he figured was coming. Instead the man chuckled to himself.

"You are readying yourself for another blow." He said, amused. "I see that I'll have to do something different now."

Peter watched as the man walked to the front of the wooden table. He craned his neck around and his eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he was tied to. The robed man noticed his expression and nodded.

"Yes, you are tied to a medieval rack. And now you are about to have that flippant tongue rewarded with a little stretching."

As Mary Jane begged and pleaded, the robed man took hold of a wheel on the side and gave it a sharp turn. Peter grunted as he felt the muscles in his arms and legs tighten. The robed man stared at him for a moment and then gave the wheel another turn. Peter let out an involuntary groan, which seemed to amuse the robed man.

"What's wrong? No flippant remark now, dog?" he said to him, mockingly. "I guess it's a little hard to think of a snappy comeback when you are in so much pain."

He turned the wheel again and Peter gnashed his teeth together. He knew he would be able to endure it better because of his spider strength, but even that didn't stop it from being unbearable. He heard Mary Jane's frantic screaming and he tried desperately to think of a way out.

He cried out as the wheel turned again. He felt like he was being pulled apart inside and he could tell that Mary Jane was almost on the brink of insanity from her terrified screams.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He suddenly gave a lurch and fell still, pretending to be unconscious. He tried to keep his breathing even as he listened and waited. He heard the robed man laugh.

"I see the weakling has passed out already." He said, chuckling to himself.

He gritted his teeth as he heard Mary Jane yell at him.

"You monster! You evil monster!" she screamed.

"There, there, my dear. He'll be released from his torment eventually and you'll join him in the afterlife, after you serve your purpose to our Lord."

"You're insane!" Mary Jane screamed out. "You all are insane. Spider-Man isn't a god. Believe me!"

"I do not believe the lies of non-believers." The robed man said, angrily. "You're begging and pleading will not save you or your lover. You are both going to die. Now accept your fate and his. It is your destiny."

"NEVER! I'll never accept that we're going to die. Spider-Man will be here, but he'll be saving us and kicking your sorry ass, just you wait."

Peter allowed himself a small smile.

*Go, MJ!* he thought.

At the same moment, he felt a twinge of fear. His outbursts had gotten him a backhand across the face and the rack. He felt ill thinking what the bastard could do to Mary Jane. He opened his right eye just a little and saw the robed man standing by Mary Jane's cage as she glanced from him to the robed man and back. Finally, the robed man gave out a laugh.

"You have spirit. I like that. Maybe we'll have to break you on the rack after we're done with your boyfriend."

Peter gritted his teeth.

*Don't even think of doing anything to her, you sadistic bastard.* he thought.

"In the meantime, I will leave you and your weakling lover here until he wakes up. I can't wait to continue torturing him. Until then, enjoy his unconscious body."

Peter watched as he walked towards the door and opened it. He stared once more at Mary Jane who had tears running down her face and chuckled before going through and shutting it. He saw Mary Jane focus her attention on him and begin to weep.

"Oh God, Peter." She sobbed.

Peter opened his eyes and smiled at Mary Jane.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm here." He said.

Mary Jane stared at Peter in astonishment.

"You....you're awake? After all that?" she said, in disbelief.

Peter nodded.

"I'm not that wimpy, despite what the walking drape thinks." He said, winking.

Mary Jane laughed in spite of herself and looked at him.

"Peter? Did you mean what you said about loving me?" she said, softly.

Peter looked at her and smiled.

"Yes, MJ. I do love you with all my heart." He said.

Fresh tears flowed from Mary Jane's face.

"How....come you never admitted it to me?" she asked.

Peter sighed.

"It's a long story, MJ. I'll tell you when we get out of this dump. Okay?"

Mary Jane looked at him hesitantly.

"MJ, we are going to get out of here, trust me." Peter reassured her.

Mary Jane smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we will. Spider-Man will find us, I know he will."

Peter nodded at her.

"That's right, Spider-Man will be here, MJ. You can bet on it."

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part 7

Peter and Mary Jane lay in silence as Peter tried to think of a way to escape. He looked at Mary Jane and could see that she was comforted by his presence and he was glad of that. He hated to think how insane she would be now if he wasn't there.

"Peter?"

Peter focused his attention on Mary Jane.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think it'll feel like when we die?"

Peter stared at her as he felt his heart began to break.

"We won't die, MJ. We're gonna get outta this." Peter said, reassuringly.

Mary Jane gulped.

"But....What if Spider-Man doesn't find us in time?"

"He'll find us, Mary Jane, I promise you."

But, how can you be so sure?"

Peter stared at her as he fought with himself on whether or not he should tell her the truth.

"I just know he will, MJ." He finally said.

Mary Jane stared at him and Peter could tell that she was trying to work out exactly why Peter was so confident they were going to be rescued. But, finally, all she did was nod.

"He will." She said firmly. "He won't let us down."

"No, MJ. He won't" Peter said, smiling at her.

As he lay staring at her, his inner voice began to speak to him.

*Tell her.* it said.

Peter gulped.

*Should I?* he wondered to himself.

He heard his inner voice reply to him.

*Look, you idiot, look at how scared she is. She doesn't believe Spider-Man is going to come. Why are you just lying there while she's naked in that cage. Don't you care about her?*

*Yes, I care about her.* Peter thought

*Then, tell her the truth and then break the ropes and get you and her out of her.* the inner voice replied angrily.

*If I tell her the truth, it might put her in more danger.* Peter thought.

*And she's not in danger now? Look Parker, you might not make it. You might die here along with her, so what have you got to lose? Don't you think knowing you are Spider-Man might comfort her and give her the strength to escape. Don't you see how she's losing hope? She's beginning to ask you if it'll hurt when she dies. Now, open your mouth and say something!*

Peter nodded to himself. He smiled at Mary Jane who was still staring at him quietly. He glanced over at the door and looked at her.

"MJ?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"There's something I have to tell you..."

At that moment, the door opened and the robed man entered. Peter cursed silently and glared at him as he came to stand beside him.

"Well, awake already? You are a lot stronger than I thought." The robed man said to him.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Peter said.

The robed man snorted as Peter stared at him.

"And there are a lot of things I don't know about you either." He continued. "Just who are you anyway and why do you think that Spider-Man is a god?"

The robed man stared at him in silence and then shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll tell you, because you are going to die anyway. I won't give you my full name, but my first name is Darren. I was born into a world of wealth and privilege and I never had to work because of it. So, basically, I frittered away my life in trivial pursuits. Spending money like mad and stepping on everyone in my way. My father and mother were both very distant from me. I was raised mainly by nannies and servants who catered to me and got me anything I wanted, so you can imagine how I turned out when I grew up. People to me were nothing more than things to be used for my purpose and then discarded when I was through.

"I lived my life in this way until a few years ago when I was at a pool party with some friends. As I was lounging out on the deck, a brown recluse spider crawled onto the top of my beer stein. Unaware of it's presence, I took a drink and as I grasped the stein and drank, the spider bit my face. I put the stein down and saw the spider leave the stein and scurry away, but I was unconcerned. I figured a little spider bite wouldn't kill me..."

Peter gulped as he began to think that Darren's story was beginning to hit too close to home. Darren continued.

"Unfortunately, for me, a brown recluse's venom is necrotic and if you don't get the bite treated right away, things begin to rot on your body. Which is what happened to me. I ignored the bite and when I woke up the next day, my face was black and purple all over. I was rushed to the hospital and I fell into a delirium. I lay in that hospital bed and fought for my life for 3 days. In that time, I had a vision. The spider that had bit me came to me and began to talk to me. It told me he was a messenger and I was to prepare for the arrival of the god of the spiders, the Spider Man. He told me that I was going to get better and when I did, to gather followers together and form a brotherhood dedicated to the Spider Man. He also told me the Spider Man demanded blood and I was to sacrifice to him. That's also when he told me that as I was sacrificing, I was to look for the one the Spider Man would favor above all else, then he would bless us with his presence and lead us personally to conquer the non-believers. Then, the spider was gone. 3 days later, I recovered, but unfortunately, my face had rotted so badly they could do nothing for it. So I wear this hood to cover my deformity from the rest of my members."

Peter stared at Darren in stunned silence. He glanced over at Mary Jane and saw that she was stunned as well.

"You surely don't believe a spider actually came and told you that." Peter said to him. "It was a fever induced delusion."

Darren nodded.

"I thought that at first too. But the spider appeared to me other times after I had recovered and told me I was not imagining him. He told me to be prepared and await the Spider Man's coming. And you see, he was right. The Spider Man did appear. The prophecy has come true. So, that is how I know what the spider told me was real.

Peter shook his head.

*Geez, and I thought Norman went off the deep end.* he thought to himself.

"Now that I am finished with my story, I will get to why I am in here in the first place." He looked at Mary Jane. "It is time, the sacrifice must begin now."

Mary Jane's eyes widened with fright and she began to cower in the back of the cage. Peter gritted his teeth as he moved closer to her. Not caring anymore about putting up the charade when his lover's life was at stake, Peter flexed his arm and leg muscles and with one motion snapped all the ropes. As Darren turned and looked at him, Peter jumped off the table. He groaned as he felt pain course through his limbs, but he gnashed his teeth together and ran towards Darren.

"You son of a bitch! You aren't going to do this to her!" He screamed.

His spider sense screamed in his head and this time, he actually obeyed it. He sidestepped quickly as the door opened and several followers came into the room. They started to attack Peter en masse as Darren unlocked the cage door and pulled the screaming Mary Jane out. Peter fought like mad as the members began to attack them with their knives.

"Keep him at bay!" Darren screamed as he pulled Mary Jane into the next room.

Once the door was shut, Peter let loose and with all his fury, he began to punch and kick at his assailants knocking them into the walls. He heard Mary Jane call out his name from the next room and that only served to fuel the fire of his rage. He stepped up his attack as he heard Mary Jane wails and within a matter of moments, he had subdued everyone, except for one follower who seemed more agile than the others. He relied on his spider sense and deftly dodged his attacks. He stepped away just as the member's knife sliced down the length of his sweater, just missing his flesh. He gave a hard kick and the member grunted as his head snapped back and he felt to floor unconscious. Peter snorted at him and gritting his teeth ran through the door. He stopped as he saw Darren and the rest of the members standing over an altar. Mary Jane was bound and gagged and was staring at Darren with a glazed look as he prepared to stab into her chest.

"NO!" Peter screamed as he ran towards the altar.

He stopped short as everyone gasped and pointed at him. He frowned in confusion until he glanced down and saw that his torn sweater was revealing his Spider-Man costume. He could see Mary Jane staring at it with a shocked look on her face and he knew the truth was out.

"You...You are wearing the Spider Man's clothes." Darren said, in disbelief.

Peter glared at him and then threw off his sweater. As everyone stared at it in shock, Peter took a deep breath.

"That's because I am Spider-Man." He said.

He took advantage of everyone's stunned reaction to move beside Mary Jane. He glanced down at her and saw she was staring up at him with love in her eyes. He looked at Darren.

"I told you I knew him personally." He said.

Roger spoke up.

"The Spider Man....is a man?" he said, in disbelief.

Peter looked around at the members.

"That's right. I'm a man. I'm not a god and I certainly don't approve of these sacrifices. In fact, I disapprove of them so much that I'm making sure you all go to jail and pay for your crimes."

The members looked at each other and looked at Darren.

"You lied to us?" Roger asked, incredulously.

"NO! I never lied. He's lying! There is a Spider Man. This is an imposter!" Darren sputtered out, as he pointed at Peter.

"No! I'm the real deal." Peter said. "I'm sorry to bring an end to your happy little club, but you have a date with the police." Peter said, advancing on him.

Darren suddenly lunged at Peter.

"Run, you fools!" He screamed out to the members "He'll take you to prison. Go and carry out the emergency plan!"

Darren grabbed his knife and began to attack Peter as the others ran back into the other room. Peter raised the knife above his head and kneed Darren in the gut. Darren groaned and staggered back. Peter raised his fist and hit him square in the face. As he fell, his hood fell back and Peter and Mary Jane's eyes widened as they saw his face for the first time. Peter felt sickened as he stared at the black rotting flesh and he thanked God that his spider hadn't done the same thing to him. He felt a twinge of pity and reached out his hand.

"It doesn't have to end like this. Let me take you where you can get some help." He offered.

"NO! I would rather die!" Darren said.

Before Peter could act, Darren took his knife and thrust it deep into his heart. As Peter and Mary Jane watched in horror, Darren began to gasp as blood seeped from his mouth. Then, with a final groan, he fell to the floor lifeless. Peter stared at him for a moment and then, he turned and pulled the gag off of Mary Jane and pulled the ropes from her wrists and ankles. Mary Jane sat up and looked at him. "Peter....Spider-Man? You are the same person?" she asked.

Peter nodded. He watched as a grin spread over Mary Jane's face.

"I'm so glad you are, my hero." She said, stroking his chin.

Peter grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I love you, MJ." He said.

As he finished kissing, he suddenly had a thought.

"Oh shit, the others." He said.

He helped Mary Jane to her feet and they ran through the door. They both stopped and stared at the mass of dead bodies littering the room. All of them had either stabbed themselves, or in the case of the unconscious men, had been stabbed. Peter and Mary Jane held each other close as they stared at them.

"Oh God, Peter." Mary Jane said, softly.

Peter nodded sadly. Suddenly, their eyes darted over to the far corner of the room as they saw movement. Stepping over the dead bodies, Peter and Mary Jane made their way to the member who was still alive. Peter knelt down and pulled the hood back and stared at the man's face.

"Easy, we'll get you to a hospital." He said.

Roger shook his head.

"No, It's too late for me. I'm going to die." He said. "I just wanted to tell you before I go, there is a hidden door on the far side of the wall in the other room. It leads out."

Peter nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

Roger looked at Mary Jane.

"Forgive me." He said.

He trembled for a moment and then taking a last gasp, closed his eyes and died. Peter and Mary Jane sat for a moment staring at him before they finally moved into the other room. Peter took off his pants and gave them to Mary Jane. He picked up his sweater and tied it around her breasts in a kind of bikini top. He took off his shoes and socks and made a web bag. As Mary Jane watched, he pulled on his gloves and mask. Putting his hand around her back, they walked to the far side of the wall. Peter noticed a groove in the wall and after warning Mary Jane to get back, he put his finger into it and pulled. They watched as the wall swung back to reveal a passageway beyond. Peter turned on the light on his utility belt and putting his arm back around Mary Jane, began to walk with her towards freedom. After walking awhile, they saw a ladder, Peter climbed it and pushed on a metal trapdoor. He looked around and saw that they were in the sewer. Peter noticed it was the same part of the sewer he had been earlier when the man in black had escaped.

"So, this is how he did it." He muttered to himself.

He climbed up and grabbed Mary Jane's hand as she climbed up after him. They walked over to the ladder leading up to street level and once Peter determined it was safe, they climbed out. Peter grabbed Mary Jane and swung her back to her apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ah, at last, we get to have that spaghetti dinner." Peter said, as he and Mary Jane sat down at her table.

It had been 3 days since their escape. As soon as Peter had gotten Mary Jane back to her apartment, he had called 911 and informed them anonymously about the lair. The police and FBI had swarmed all over it afterwards, gathering clues, transporting the dead up to the surface for autopsies and identification and giving press conferences about it all. Peter had once again managed not to get a photo for the Bugle and he had gotten yelled at, but it didn't matter to him. Mary Jane was safe and sound and that was the thing that mattered most.

He kissed her hand and stared at the engagement ring on her finger. He had wasted no time in proposing after they had gotten out. He had realized that it didn't matter if Mary Jane knew he was Spider-Man or not, danger was still going to come. But, when it did come, he wanted to make sure that he was around to protect his girl. He grinned as Mary Jane blushed.

"I love ya, sweetie." He said.

"I love ya too, Tiger." She said. "I'm glad I'm still around to say that too."

Peter chuckled.

"Yeah, you and me both." He said, smiling at her.

"So, after we get married. Am I going to have to worship you and make sacrifices in your name?" she said, winking.

Peter laughed.

"Well, you already worship me and as for sacrifices, that's not necessary. Just make me an offering of food and good loving and I'll be appeased."

"Food and good loving, I think I can handle that." Mary Jane said.

They looked at one another and leaning across the table kissed each other passionately before resuming their meal.

 

THE END

 

 

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