Web of Deception: The Webbed Avenger

Chapter Seventy: Caught in the Web

There was a quote from Abraham Lincoln that came to mind when Mesmero looked at the Lycan Serum being brewed in the underground lab below his base of operations.

Nearly all man can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

How true of a statement that was.  The Lycan Serum was the ultimate testament of that quote, and it was all that stood from Mesmero finally getting exactly what he wanted in life.  The green hue of his skin had long been a cause for pain and suffering, but he had grown accustomed to it; it was a part of him, after all, as were the scars hidden beneath his cufflinks.

Yes, if you wanted to test a man's character all you had to do was give them power.  The mere sight of his scars was enough to resurface the memories he'd long buried.

Fixing his cufflinks, Mesmero glanced back at the computer screen.  He'd seen what his power could to do to others, but curiously only one had been able to resist his influence.  What made this one so special?

Was it a superpower akin to telepathy that allowed to him to defy him, or was it mere willpower?

Spider-Man was an anomaly that was proving to be more of a problem with every day, and now the boss was aware of the interference he was creating.  However, he had one trick up his sleeve to deal with the wall crawler.

Thanks to Derek, Mesmero knew exactly where to find him.  Perhaps it was time for the two of them to have a face-to-face meeting at long last.

Standing up, Mesmero took one final look at the picture of Stiles Stilinski and smiled softly.

"I'll see you soon, Spider-Man."

Stiles sat down in the passenger seat of Lydia's car as they got ready to leave Harry's. His fingers were fidgeting, his mind still rattling from the previous events of the day. Lydia must have been able to tell something was wrong with him as she took his hand again for a moment, squeezing ever so lightly.

"Hey, what's going on with you?"

"Just... got a lot on my mind, Lyd. It's been a long day." he explained, smiling towards her. He hoped she'd leave it at that, if only to give him a chance to come to terms with his thoughts on his own. Michaels, Norman, Derek, and his father... It was a lot to deal with all at once.

"I know, but you know what? You saved Derek. Focus on the positives, Stiles. Sometimes that's all we can do."

There was the heart that he'd fallen for. No matter how hard she was hit, Lydia always got back up and never showed it affected her. That was probably what he admired most about her, and something he wished he had the ability to do.

It was moments like this that reminded Stiles of how it felt to be the shadow in the background... To look and see her in the distance, knowing he would never be as close as he wanted. How the light hit her just right as she walked through the courtyard, her hair shining as if it were a strawberry blonde ocean wave, and the smile she wore took his breath away.

Words couldn't begin to do her justice. To explain how she looked was an insult, and that was where everybody missed out on who Lydia really was. He'd seen through that facade of hers for years, and hopefully now her new attitude was a chance for everyone else to see it too.

"It's hard sometimes."

"I know," she smiled softly, "but I do know something that'll make you feel better."

"Oh yeah?"

"A night of movies and popcorn. I figure you deserve a night off. I mean, you have two days until Mesmero makes his next move, right?"