never be the same || spider-man

the heart of the matter

[warning for minor character death]

The whole lab was a madhouse when he got there. Martin was holding one of his swords to Norman's neck, pressing the energy surrounded sword to the bare skin, letting it slowly cut into the man's neck. Without thinking much of it, Peter shot a web onto the sword and threw it off to the side, effectively getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"This isn't you, Martin," he yelled, flipping down onto the ground in a slight crouch.

"You don't know me!" Martin yelled back, shooting energy at the hero. Peter easily dodged. "Take Osborn elsewhere. I must deal with this first."

The Demons led Norman into another room, continuing to hold a gun to the man's head. Once they were secure, Martin turned towards Peter, eyes narrowed. His hands glowed with negative energy, eyes glowing a bright white.

"You've done so much good for the city, Martin. Don't waste it on a grudge." Peter attempted to web Martin to the wall, but he quickly sidestepped. Before he could comprehend how Martin was able to move so quickly, Martin summoned a bunch of strange creatures out of the ground. They were made of a black mist, and they dissolved after one kick or punch, but they hit hard.

Peter was struggling to fight against the creatures while trying to get to Martin. He wasn't making it easy. Every time Peter thought he had defeated a wave, more came out of the ground. And, worst of all, with Peter so distracted, Martin was able to land more hits to his already battered body. Ever since Fisk got put away, Peter felt like his body was constantly in a state of healing. Briefly, he wondered if that was how Wade felt all the time.

"Martin! Stop! What good will torturing Norman do?" Peter asked, dodging another hit from one of the strange creatures. "I know how you became Mr. Negative. I know it's his fault that your parents died, but don't act on anger."

"I'll act however I want." Suddenly, the army of mist creatures doubled and Peter had trouble keeping up. Every time one disappeared, another took its place. "Norman needs to pay for what he's done."

"And he will, Martin. Just not this way."

"Enough!" Martin summoned a large shadow demon, easily towering the entirety of the room. Peter gasped, and jumped out of the way of the spinning hand. As soon as it disappeared and a lethargic Martin was revealed, Peter jumped at the chance, kicking him to the far side of the room and knocking him back into the Martin that Peter easily recognized.

"You've done so much good for this city. You've created FEAST! Is this really what you want your legacy to be?" Peter winced, clutching his side. "Is this how you want May to remember you?"

Martin faltered just then, stopping just enough for Peter to web him to a nearby beam. He huffed, but didn't even bother to struggle. Walking closer, Peter could see a mixture of conflicting emotions cross across Martin's face. Anger, mostly, but also hurt.

"Do the right thing, Martin."

Martin looked into the eyes of the Spider-Man mask, slowly losing whatever fight he had. He squirmed for a minute before producing a small blue bottle and handing it to Peter. "Tell May I'm sorry. She'll run FEAST better than I could ever hope to."

Peter nodded, hand clutching the anti-serum. The grip he had was tight so he wouldn't drop it, but not enough to accidentally crack it. Neither of which wouldn't be good.

"You fool!" an angry voice shouted out. The ceiling above them tore open, an angry Otto climbing down off the ceiling. "You're worthless, Martin. I thought you were a better ally." Before Peter could stop him, Otto used one of his claws to kill him right in front of the teenager. "Spider-Man, you are an annoyance . I'll do what the others never could and kill you once and for all."