Web of Deception: The Webbed Avenger

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Once Upon a Full Moon (Part 1)

 Derek exhaled slowly as he laid his head against the wall, listening to the sound of silence. It was a rare commodity. Somehow, he'd forgotten what it was like to hear nothing. While he had superhuman hearing, he was still able to block the noise out and relax, but that was a long time ago.

For the first time in a long time his head was clear. No voice beckoning to follow orders, or a fog blocking memories. He finally felt free and yet once again he was locked in a cell.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Hale?" a voice called to him as Fury stepped into view with an ever-grim expression.

"Better than I have in years," Derek smiled contently. It was only for a moment, though; he knew this wasn't a house call by the look chiseled on the director's face. "What do you need from me, Fury?"

"Hmmph, straight to the chase? I should've expected that."

"The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't just someone unless it's important. It's about him."

Even an indirect reference sent chills down the werewolf's spine like his presence was infused into the walls, listening and waiting. That was Mesmero's power; he was an omniscient overlord capable of reaching any threshold... well, almost any threshold.

"Yes, Mr. Hale. I will admit that we were not paying much attention to Mesmero until recently. I'll put it in a way that doesn't make us sound impartial: he wasn't a priority until you fought Spider-Man. The kid doesn't know the truth of why your crew was attacking the bank, does he?"

Derek shook his head. How could he tell Stiles the truth that the robbery was only a distraction?

"He knows a part of it, whether he realizes it or not. When Mesmero stole the Goliath serum from one Midtown safehouse, it was at the same time of the bank robbery."

And there's the truth. The robbery that put Stilinski into a coma wasn't even the real target. Stilinski was nearly killed for a distraction...

Somehow, the entire reason Spider-Man even existed was because of a distraction. The last few months that dragged Stiles through hell was all due to a miniscule distraction.

How was it that Stiles was that unlucky? One misfortune to the next, all starting with that spider bite.

"All part of the master plan." the werewolf sighed, lowering his eyes to the floor. "Hit smaller targets drawing attention away while we grab the real score: black market items."

"Figured as much, but that's not why I'm here."

"You're here because you want to know how I'm connected to Mesmero."

The name felt like taboo. He physically revolted saying his name. Even with him being free of his grasp, the influence still remained.

"That is the million-dollar question. Listen, the kid's been a tremendous help, after all he did free you from Mesmero's grasp. However, Mesmero's got more secrets than we can uncover. If we're going to catch him, we need info from someone who's been there alongside him."

"Director, I want to help. I really do, but even with him being out of my head, it's difficult to think about him let alone say anything. Just the thought of his name scares me, and trust me... I don't scare easily."

"You tell me what you know, and you'll never have to worry about Mesmero getting inside of your head again."

Derek chuckled dryly, standing up. "I've heard that promise before: an end to the suffering. Do you know where that's led every time, Fury? It's led me from one prison to another."

Fury's demeanor visibly changed ever so slightly, as though that rough exterior momentarily softened. The director silently reached for the chair in the corner of the room and dragged it to the glass. Sitting down, Fury's eye met the werewolf's and looked almost sympathetic.

"I get it. Spider-Man informed me of what he knew about your past. While you might not know this, I was well acquainted with your mother, Talia."

"You knew my mother?"

"That I did. In the early nineties, shortly before the fire that killed your family, I had met with Talia to give her a proposition. Your family has a history of heroics, Mr. Hale. Talia was no exception to this. She might have been less physical with her actions, but she had influence and the strength to back her words up. When it came to New York, she would die for it."

"What kind of proposition?"

"The same proposition that I'm giving Spider-Man, albeit under different conditions. There was an idea to bring a group of special people together, such as your mother, to see if they could rise to the occasion, to work together when we need them to fight the battles we never could. In the words of our mutual acquaintance, a team of superheroes. I call it the Avengers initiative."

"You wanted my mother to join that team?"

"She had potential. Unfortunately, your mother wanted to stick to the ground level and protect New York in the only way she knew how. It was less than a year before Talia died in the fire. My point is, I have great respect for Talia, and would not let harm come to your family if I could prevent it. I give you my word, your family is not in danger."

Derek nodded. Running his hand through his hair, the werewolf chuckled. "Mesmero, h-he makes you think he's a friend, when he's really using you like a chess piece. That's what you are to him, nothing more than a pawn; but when he's luring you in, it's like a drug. By the time you realize you're hooked, it's too late."

And so, Derek began to tell his story...

The story of the Omega.

EPISODE NINE: THE MASTERMIND

Hey guys.  Sorry for the long wait.  (August... rightttttt) About that, there was an unfortunate delay in getting this out to you.  Pacing wise with the story and doing all the necessary exposition of Derek's story and getting Mesmero's out at the same time has been a nightmare to put it simply.  Tying everything together and trying to make it relatively seamless has been a challenge.  Add in switching shifts at my job and a couple speed-bumps along the way, and now you can start getting an idea of why this has been so difficult.

I was going to make this all one chapter, but I figure if this is going to be part of the grand finale build up, let's try to not cram everything together.  So, I'm not sure whether this chapter will be two parts or three, I'm not entirely sure yet.

But, let's get to the major thing regarding Talia Hale.  So, why did I make it a point that she was considered for the Avengers?  Well, if you follow me and haven't seen the notification about a prequel, here's your big announcement.

Web of Deception: The Webbed Avenger is getting a prequel focusing on the Hales leading up to the fire.  Not only will it be giving more insight to the story of the Webbed Avenger, but it sets the stage for its sequel Web of Deception: Wolf Moon.  Granted the details of it aren't ironed out yet, I can't give too much on it other than it will focus on the Hales acting as a street level crime fighting family.  Derek will get great focus as it shows the tragedies leading up to the fire that ultimately puts him into Norman Osborn's crosshairs, but showing his story as a whole.  For a first time in Web of Deception you will get to see Talia in more detail rather than just a mention in a flashback.  Peter will play a crucial role in the prequel, and Laura will have an equally crucial role.  Due to Cora's age, she will not be that involved.

Of course, we can go into that much deeper when the time arises.  Until then, you'll have to wait to see more about Hale or High Water: A Web of Deception story.

The next chapter will be up within the week!  And that is a promise!