C660 Spider-Man *edited* (Patreon)
Content
As the holographic image of Centurion flickered before them, Aaron and Mateo exchanged a glance, frustration evident in their clenched fists. The realization that their target was not physically present only fueled their determination to track him down.
"He's hiding like a coward," Aaron muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of Centurion's whereabouts.
Mateo nodded in agreement, his jaw set in determination. "But where?"
Meanwhile, Peter couldn't resist a taunt as he locked eyes with the holographic projection. "Afraid to face me, Centurion?" He smirked. "Well, I'll give you at least a little credit for leaving a hologram. I thought you'd have run off with your tail between your legs by now…"
"Oh, I have…" Centurion's smirked back, unbothered as he met Peter's gaze. "After all, why risk my neck when I can have others do my dirty work for me?" he retorted smoothly, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Peter chuckled, undeterred by Centurion's cowardice. "Too scared to face the music, huh? Typical third rate villain behavior..."
While he spoke with Centurion, Peter strode over to the wall where the hologram was being projected from. With a snap of his fingers, he tapped into the holographic projector, scanning for any trace of Centurion's hiding place, a spell circle hovering over the wall.
Centurion's smirk widened as he observed Mateo's actions. "Impressive, but do you really think you can find me that easily?"
Peter shrugged nonchalantly, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "You never know until you try. After all, you can’t hide forever, can you?”
With a knowing smile, Centurion turned his attention toward Mateo, a sly gleam in his eyes. "Why hello there, Mr. Morales."
Mateo's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name, his mind racing with questions. "H-How do you know who I am?" he stammered, caught off guard as he’s wearing his mask.
Centurion's smirk grew more pronounced as he leaned back, reveling in Mateo's reaction. "Oh, I've known about you for a while now," he replied cryptically, his tone dripping with malice.
Mateo's pulse quickened at the implication that his identity had long been exposed to their enemy.
"Since when?" Peter asked curiously, stealing the words straight out of Mateo’s mouth.
Centurion's laughter echoed through the room, sending a shiver down Mateo's spine. "Oh, much longer than you realize," he taunted, his eyes locking onto Mateo's with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine.
“Ugh… Do you have to make it so creepy?” Peter groaned in disgust. “Don’t tell me you were spying on him when he was a kid too?”
Centurion frowned, unable to answer that question…
Taking his silence as an answer of its own, Peter couldn’t help but groan again. “Eww, so you’re telling me, that you’ve been spying on an underage boy, and you think it’s a good idea to brag about that?”
As the words left Peter’s mouth, Mateo's anger and disbelief morphed into disgust. He stared at Centurion, feeling the urge to say, ‘stranger danger!’
Centurion’s frown deepened, “Do not twist my words…”
“I’m not twisting anything.’ Peter smirked, “It’s you who seemed to be taking great pleasure in spying on children.” He said as he turned to Aaron. “Maybe we should call the police? I think he might need to be put on a list somewhere…”
Choosing to ignore Peter’s taunting, Centurion turned to Miles, his smirk slowly returning. "Oh, I see you've met your little doppelganger," he remarked casually, his tone condescending. "How was that first meeting? Awkward, I'm sure… After all, he has your powers, right? How did it feel when you learned he stole them from you? Was it soul crushing?"
Mateo seemed surprised, “How do you know that?”
“Because he’s a p*dophile stalker…” Peter spoke matter of factly, wiping the smirk straight off Centurions face.
"Speaking of your powers, how are they?" Centurion hands gripped into fists as he continued to ignore Peter, his gaze turning to Miles once again. "Everything working the way it should? No hairy spider legs growing anywhere? Truthfully, I didn't know how your body would react to the bite when I sent the spider over. You seem to be doing well though…"
As the truth sank in, Mateo's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing at Centurion's taunting demeanor. "You sent away the spider that was supposed to bite me," he accused, his voice laced with venom. "Why?”
“Because he’s a p*dophile stalker…” Peter nodded his head safely, as if he understood it all.
A vein began to throb on Centurion's head, unable to contain himself any longer. “Will you shut your f*cking mouth!” He shouted, “This is why I hate Spider-Men the most! You just don’t know when the be quiet! It’s so infuriating!”
"Was it amusing when you killed my brother?" Aaron's voice cut through the tension like a knife, his eyes blazing with fury as he confronted Centurion, tossing his mask aside, revealing his face.
Peter couldn’t help but laugh, pointing his finger at Centurion. “You should see the looks on your face right now!”
Seeing the ridicule filled smiles on his enemies faces, Centurion was very close to snapping, his gaze falling on Mateo. "You think this is funny, do you? I wonder if you’ll still find it funny when you learn the real truth about your father's death…”
Mateo's blood ran cold, his mind reeling from the sheer cruelty of it all. "What truth?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "You killed him. What more is there to know?"
“Maybe your dad was investigating into his p*dophilic tendencies…” Peter commented.
“This is why I made sure there was no Spider-Man in my world…” Centurion sighed, clearly fed up with Peter at this point.
“Are you going to reveal your big evil plan already? I’m starting to get bored…” Peter whined, doing all he can to p*ss off Centurion.
“If you would stay quiet, then maybe I could…” Centurion ground his teeth in frustration, annoyed that his big reveal was ruined. “You see, I knew about the investigation into myself from the very beginning. But instead of putting an end to it, I decided to let it play out. After all, what's the harm in a little entertainment?"
He paused for a moment, a smirk forming on his lips, before continuing, "And what would be more entertaining than recruiting your father into it?" Centurion revealed, shocking the entire room.
"You didn't…" Mateo muttered
"Oh, I did. I mean, did you really think your father, a police officer from New York, was qualified to investigate me, the President of the United States of America? No, which is why it took a couple moles suggesting his name to get him involved. And then… well, I'm sure you know the rest of the story, right?"
Miles's fists clenched at his sides. "You sick b*stard," he seethed, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.
Mateo's blood ran cold at Centurion's callous admission. "You monster," he whispered.
Centurion's smirk widened into a cruel grin as he reveled in Mateo's anguish. "Thank you for the compliments~"
“You p*dophile…” Peter added his own two cents, taking the wind out of Centurions sails.
Instantly, Mateo's resolve hardened like steel as he stared down his nemesis, his determination burning brighter than ever before. "I'm going to kill you. I don't care how long it takes or how far I have to go to get it done." He stared straight at Centurions holographic form, his rage overflowing. "You will die…"
Centurion chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with malevolent delight. "Oh, I look forward to it," he replied, his tone dripping with disdain. "But for now, let's just enjoy the show, shall we?"
With a final smirk, Centurion turned to Peter, "I wish you luck, Peter. You're going to need it…" He warned as he vanished into thin air, leaving Mateo, Miles, and Aaron to grapple with the horrifying truth of his manipulation.
A tense silence descended upon the room, broken only by the smoldering rage, which Centurion instigated before his departure. But just as everyone began to slowly calm down, a deep rumbling reverberated through the ground beneath their feet.
Peter's eyes widened in alarm as he staggered slightly before immediately regaining his balance amidst the sudden tremors. "?"
"What's happening?" Aaron exclaimed, his voice tinged with concern.
Mateo's heart raced as he glanced around the room, his senses on high alert. "I don't know," he replied grimly, his gaze narrowing as he braced himself against the shifting ground.
Miles's expression mirrored Mateo's concern as he steadied himself against the wall, his mind racing with possibilities. "This doesn't feel like a natural earthquake," he remarked, his voice laced with unease.
Aaron's fists clenched tightly at his sides as he surveyed their surroundings, his eyes flashing with determination. "Whatever it is, it can't be good," he growled, his voice thick with apprehension.
As the tremors surged in intensity, causing objects to clatter and the walls to shudder, Peter shut his eyes, immersing himself in a heightened state of awareness that swiftly extended beyond the confines of the White House, reaching out to encompass the city, the states, the nation, and ultimately, the entirety of the planet.
With his eyes going wide in astonishment, Peter swiftly grasped the alarming truth. The entire planet was in the grip of an earthquake, which was steadily rising in intensity, leaving him puzzled as to what the cause could be.
A/N: 1700 words :)