In the days that followed, Zoe confined herself to her penthouse. For days she didn't leave, nor uttera word to her servants or the media Frenzy Origins-2-"Release me," she whispered. Zoe hesitated. But in a fleeting moment, the blade was whiskedbehind her head and sheared a length of her golden flowing hair. Loose fibres fell to the groundwhile Zoe grasped a large clump in hand.Zoe made her way onto the open balcony with the hair still in hand. The wind was picking up,atop the penthouse it was much stronger. Zoe opened her fist and as the breeze brushed by, itswept the strands of hair along with it. Each line followed one after the other in rapid succession,leaving a trail that glistened in the sunlight before the collection was scattered."Nice look." Zoe turned back and up to see the Raptor perched atop the overhanging doorornament."You! You caused this!" Zoe spoke severely. She knew that the Raptor was partially responsiblefor what happened to Ellis."I didn't kill your husband, Zoe; remember that before opening your mouth next time.""You better have a damn good reason for being here. I have my husband's funeral to attendshortly.""I've come to renegotiate," stated the Raptor. It dropped down from the perch to stand on thebalcony proper. Zoe walked back inside and the Raptor followed her."There's nothing to renegotiate," Zoe replied, firmly placing the blade back onto her desk,"Frenzy and Veronica are both mine to deal with.""And how do you expect to take them both all by yourself?" the Raptor queried. Zoe grinneddevilishly."By surprising them, catching them when they least expect it.""You can barely handle Frenzy-""Neither can you," Zoe retorted instantly. The two were finding a common ground. As much asZoe did not want to, she quickly realised that an alliance with this mercenary was the only way shewould get revenge. She took a deep breath."Say we do ally? What are the stipulations?""Just one, my employer wants a sample of Frenzy's DNA.""You want to clone her?" Zoe assumed, "for that you need her alive-""Yes," the Raptor spoke low, "you're going to play along, Zoe. Or New York's finest will finallyknow the identity of the Hobgoblin." Zoe approached to strike the Raptor. She was incensed. It wasblackmailing her! "And all of your past and present exploits, including what we're doing right now...""You bastard!""If you kill her, or alter the plan in any way, you will suffer, severely.""You're lying.""The organisation I represent has the necessary resources to make your life a living hell, unlessyou co-operate."Zoe was stuck."And if I outright refuse?" the Raptor did not respond. The silence was all Zoe needed to asserther suspicions. "You're not leaving me any choice, are you?""You will benefit greatly from our partnership, Zoe. All you have to do is what I tell you. Now, youdo what is necessary to fulfil your 'duty.'" The Raptor positioned itself on the balcony to depart."We'll await your first move." With that, the Raptor shot off into the sky."Ellis, what do I do?" For a second, Zoe thought she could hear Ellis' voice in the wind, guidingher.Frenzy Origins-3-* * *Regina left Veronica's apartment with barely a word. Since her encounter with the Raptor she wasstruggling to sleep. Guilt was finally swelling inside her. Regina was only responsible for the death ofone individual prior, the helicopter pilot, ironically in the same place. That was different though,Regina had no choice, at that time it was either him or those dozens on the streets below.However, this time there was nobody to save. She, Frenzy, had killed in cold blood. Even thinkingthat it was to stop the Raptor did not help. The death toll reached forty-two, including Ellis King.Surprisingly, Zoe King had been quiet, not approaching the press regarding the incident.Regardless, the police were hunting Frenzy. Mike was hunting Frenzy. This meant that Regina had tobe sporadic as Frenzy. Any extended amount of time could prove to be volatile.However it was the thought that her own family was hunting her that bothered her most.Regina was also surprised that Veronica hadn't been hunting her lately. But Regina couldn't askher why. Something had changed. Frenzy hadn't fought the Lizard since the first OsCorp incident.Regina wanted to know what had been happening with Veronica, or rather the Lizard. But theconstant secrecy - more and more Regina just wanted to scream out: 'I am Frenzy!' And be donewith it.For now, she continued to remain anonymous. Today was Ellis King's funeral and, despite herbetter judgement, decided to keep a close eye on the events. She didn't get close, she watched fromafar, shadowed by an overhanging tree. Regina could've been mistaken for paying respects, but shewas mostly keeping an eye on Zoe.For a family as notorious as the Kings, there wasn't a huge gathering, probably at Zoe's ownrequest. Regina could see her; she was wearing a dress suited for the occasion. Even from a distance,Regina could see that Zoe was distressed. Her left arm was even bandaged up."Why are we here, Frenzy?" asked the symbiote."Keeping an eye on that woman, you know the one whose life we've ruined," answered Reginaquietly but forceful, aggravated by the symbiote's lack of remorse or care. "I only wished the damnRaptor had died in that explosion. That way it might make the losses feel justified. Maybe I wouldn'tfeel so bad."Regina stood there staring out on the ceremony, casually observing. Eventually, both she and thesymbiote tired of the waiting. Considering that it was starting to get late, Regina opted to make herway to Blackie's gym and do a bout of practise rounds before her big fight that night. Regina's mindwas constantly fixated on the fact that she'd been the hand of death.After a series of practises, Bludger Bob noticed that Regina didn't seem entirely with it."You seem distracted, girl. Boy trouble is it?" Bludger was right that Regina didn't seem with it,but that didn't alter her focus. If anything, it strengthened it in a twisted malformation."Fuck off, Bludger, or you'll be sniffing dirt for the rest of your days," Regina spitefully replied."Hehe, me an' the boys have put a bet against you tonight, so you better lose, Tinkerbelle."Regina started to batter one of the many punch bags in the gym, yet Bludger continued. "SplatterRick's big business, he'll squash you like the novice you really are. And your failure will make merich.""I'm touched that you care, Bludger," Regina answered, becoming increasingly nonchalant. Shecontinued to pummel the bag hanging before her. "But a word of advice..." Regina slammed her first Frenzy Origins-4-into the bag, sending it flying against the wall behind. "You might want to recall that bet." Reginawent to hook another bag up when Bludger grabbed her by the throat."Listen, little girl and listen good." Regina decided not to retaliate; this guy was not worth it."You're going to fall in tonight's fight, or else me an' the boys are gonna to take what we're owedout of your hide!" Bludger released his grip and allowed Regina to proceed. Regina didn't take anynotice. She knew full well that she could handle anything Bludger threw at her.* * *"These results are promising," said Veronica calmly. She looked at her arm, it was scaled and green.Just like the Lizard. However, her mind was her own, currently. "By altering the compound slightly, Ican control the mutations...uh, slightly. Arms are one thing, but I must figure out how I can go full'Lizard' and still maintain control." Veronica's pet iguana, Iggy, took a keen interest in its master'sout-of-place limb."I don't know about you, Iggy, but since that morning when Regina first slept over...I feeldifferent. I feel stronger." Veronica took a risk and allowed her mutation to proceed. But one steptoo far and she started to lose it. Iggy hissed violently and Veronica buckled in pain."Enough," she groaned and forced her mutations to subside. Veronica's side experiments awayfrom Regina were allowing her to better control her 'gift.' Now, she seemed able to transform intothe Lizard like flicking a switch. All it needed was focus. A loud bang at the apartment door startledVeronica."I'm coming," she said as she changed back to normal. Veronica hastily draped herself with adiscarded gown and answered the door. It was Bryan."Hey, Veronica," he said, before realising that Veronica was barely dressed, "uh, sorry, is Reginawith you?""She was, she went out about an hour ago,""Did she say where she was going?""No, she hasn't said much to me in the last few days. Something's bothering her though." Therewas an uneasy silence. Veronica felt it being impolite leaving Bryan outside, so she let him in."How so?""Well, she seems to be talking to herself a lot in the last few days,""Talking to herself? Yeah, I've noticed that too." Bryan took the opportunity to survey theapartment; Veronica had finally cleared away all the paperwork on her desk. The same stronghumidity was present though. Bryan even noticed a few of Regina's clothes tossed on the floor, acouple socks and a trainer. "Veronica, how much has Regina told you about herself?""Some, she doesn't talk much about your parents. But she did tell me what happened to them."Bryan looked bemused, even a bit surprised. If Regina was telling Veronica such a thing, then it mustmean something."What did she tell you? That it was a car accident?""Yeah, she said that the driver was drunk and crashed the car." Bryan sighed heavily."That's only partially true, Veronica. Considering that Regina's told you that much, I suppose it'snecessary for you to know.""Know what?"Frenzy Origins-5-"You might want to sit down." So she did, Bryan sat beside Veronica on the worn couch. "Mineand Regina's mother was, eh, not the most caring woman in the world. She lived here in New Yorkfor the best part of her life. She even settled down and had a family, but it wasn't enough. She...wasan alcoholic and a gambler, she squandered countless amounts, put her then husband in debt. Thenshe had my half-brother, Mike." Bryan took repeated deep breaths. Recounting the story wasdifficult for him."After a year her husband had enough. They divorced and, apparently, Mike never knew howterrible his mother was. He was lucky I suppose. Angela never changed, even after marrying my dadand moving out to Chicago. Regina was neglected by her; all she wanted was some love andattention. She got plenty, from me and dad, but never Angela. It ruined her. I wised up and got awaywhen I came to Empire State University. Looking back, I wished I hadn't. Retrospect is a wonderfulthing.""We all do dumb things, Bryan," Veronica reassured Bryan, "It's what makes us human. Pleasecontinue. What happened to Regina?""This was about two years ago now. My dad did his best to care for both Regina and Angela. But,Angela continued to throw her life into the gutter and Regina just wanted to get along with her. Shecame back drunk one night after sinking a few grand down the plug hole and Regina was there,alone. Dad was late getting back from his shift that night. What does Angela do? Since our dadwasn't there to calm her, she struck Regina." Bryan was becoming teary eyed; even Veronica wasshocked but enthralled at the same time. She had no idea."My..." Veronica managed to stammer."Angela didn't stop. Then something happened, something inside Regina just...broke. Reginaretaliated and she couldn't stop. She beat Angela half to death, broke her nose and Regina fracturedher own knuckle from beating her. Dad arrived back in time to remove each other before Reginareally did something she'd regret. Regina wanted to make amends, so she opted to drive them to thehospital.""But...if she drove, then...""Regina was desperate to get to the hospital, she wanted to make amends. However, she crashedthe car when her attention was drawn. From then on, Regina was lost. They probably would'vethrown her into a nuthouse if I didn't insist on looking after her.""How do you know all this if Regina's story isn't true?""My parents survived the crash, but the injuries were too severe. My dad told me as much as heknew before he..." Bryan's head sunk and began to sob. Veronica, remorsefully, patted him on theshoulder. "I promised him I would take care of Regina; make sure she would get a life she deserves.How can I promise him that now? If I tell her it'll destroy her...""Surely you can tell her.""The doctors said she must come to terms with it herself and remind herself how the eventsunfolded. Apparently, if an external source reveals it, then the healing process would be a failureand have a disastrous impact on her."The room was silent. Even Iggy was motionless, dozing off inside his terrarium. Veronica couldn'tbelieve it. She felt terrible inside and extremely sorry for both Bryan and Regina. Now she couldrespect why Bryan was constantly watching over her. She had to say something."I won't tell her." Bryan wiped his tears away and looked up at her, dumbfounded. Veronicagiggled slightly. "I, uh...I love her. And I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her either. She'sbeen here for me in these last few weeks. Thank you, Bryan, for trusting me." Veronica paused for Frenzy Origins-6-an uncomfortable moment and repaid Bryan the same courtesy. "Regina seems to be hangingaround this place, Blackie's." She passed a decrepit poster advertising Blackie's gym and fight club. "Ifound it in her jacket pocket last night." Bryan scanned the poster briefly."What's she doing in a place like that?!""Fighters are paid well there, and there are no rules or regulations regarding how violent matchesget. Go figure," Veroncia said getting to her feet. Bryan couldn't believe it.'Surely she wouldn't go that far?' he thought. He had to find out and the only way was toconfront her. Bryan at least knew where Regina was going to be by the evening's end. Bryan hastilyfolded the poster up and shoved it into his pocket."Thanks, Veronica. Regina isn't the only reason I came here." Bryan too, got to his feet. Veronicawas already in the kitchen making a coffee; she turned her head to face Bryan. "Considering that youused to work at OsCorp, I wanted to let you know I got offered a job working on some medicalprojects for them." Veronica's eyes widened to the point of explosion."That's not a wise move, Bryan...do you want one?" Veronica offered Bryan a coffee as shefinished making her own one, Bryan shook his head. "They'll chew you up if even look at their bossfunny. Heck, she's more liable to stab you in the back.""I know about your bad blood with Zoe, but it's a means for me to get some decent cash. As itseems, they pay well for someone with my unique knowledge of space organisms.""Just don't let her use you, Bryan. Zoe King is no wall flower.""I know, I've met her already." Bryan idly glanced at his wrist watch."Are you going to tell Regina?""Yeah, but we're going to have a little chat about what she's been up to. I'll speak to you later,Veronica." Bryan waved aimlessly with little effort and let himself out of the Veronica's dwelling.Veronica took a sip of her coffee and smirked."No more disturbances," Veronica calmly said as she locked up her door. As she was before,Veronica practised her controlled transformations.* * *"Mike!" Megan banged her first firmly against the cheap oak door of Mike's apartment. "Mike, itsMegan...just in case you didn't know already." Her heavy Irish accent made her instantlyrecognisable to anybody. Clicking could be heard beyond as the locks disengaged. The door openedslightly, but it wasn't Mike. "Oh, I'm sorry, is Mike about?" Rebecca was inside the apartment.Apparently Megan wasn't the only one who babysat Sam."No, he's at work currently. Who are you?" Rebecca asked, failing to recognise the perky girl."Oh, Megan, I do some babysitting for him sometimes, I take it you're Rebecca Vickers?" Megancockily pointed her finger towards Rebecca as if her perception was unquestionable."That I am, what did you want Mike for anyway?""I've got some information regarding OsCorp he might find interesting.""I'm a cop too, Megan, I can hold onto that for you," Rebecca replied cautiously, hoping to take apeek at what Megan had uncovered, if anything at all. In the back of her mind, Rebecca believed thatthis young girl was merely joking around. 'How could someone as 'inexperienced' as her have dirt onme?' She thought. Still, she didn't want to take the risk.Frenzy Origins-7-"Yeah...so Mike tells me, I really, need him to see this, nobody else but him." Megan thensuddenly realised something. "Is Sam in there?" Before Rebecca had a chance to reply Megan wascalling into the apartment; "Sam!""She's asleep, Meg.""Don't call me Meg, 'Ruby.' " Rebecca sneered and Megan grinned. Megan knew just how to tickoff the coloured woman, courtesy of Mike's own suggestions. She knew that talking with Rebeccawas getting her nowhere. While she would have liked talking with Sam, she opted to let her sleep."Fine, I'll catch him later then!" Rebecca scowled at Megan, prompting her to leave immediately."Geez, she needs to lighten up a bit," Megan whispered as she walked down the corridor. Rebeccaslammed the apartment door closed, shaking the walls around her.Rebecca deeply contemplated the possibility that Megan knew something. She couldn't act, lestMike became suspicious. Rebecca would remain calm and not react. Her hands started to shake andquiver."Dammit," Rebecca whispered sharply. She took the capsule of drugs out of her pocket andpopped the lid. However, when she tilted the pot nothing came out. It was empty. Rebecca startedto panic. Her mind slowly started to creep into the darkest recesses of her brain. A mad dashthrough Sam's medical cabinet yielded a temporary solution. Rebecca lodged an excessive amountof mild tranquilizers in her mouth and swallowed them dry.The sound of gentle footsteps outside the bathroom did not interrupt Rebecca. Sam watched hersitter downing the prescribed meds."Rebecca, are you alright?" Sam asked feebly. Rebecca, unimpressed, scorned the poor girl."Get back into bed you little bitch!" spat Rebecca. Sam didn't cower and whimper like a child ofher age normally would. She quietly obeyed and went straight back into her room. This was due tothe amount of medication she was on. Rebecca also had a tendency to slip a little extra into Sam'smedication, something that would affect her memory.Her work as a two-faced character had its perks. One being the collection of drugs she could get.Mike didn't question Rebecca's acquisitions. For as long as he'd known her, Rebecca was always onsomething prescribed for her mental condition. When those failed, she turned to the criminals shevowed to put away instead. Her traits made her the perfect target for the Raptor and theorganisation it aligned with.The tranquilisers were finally having an effect, albeit minimal. It was enough for now, untilRebecca could get another from her den. For now, she remained as calm as possible. Rebeccaslumped herself over Mike's couch, lit up a cigarette and relaxed.
