Dennis Carradine woke to a wave of searing pain.
It felt like his skull had been split by an axe. His wrists ached from the ropes binding them, his feet dangled in the air, and his body swayed incessantly, like a ship tossed on violent waves.
"Where am I?"
He tried to open his eyes. Dull light hit his corneas, but his vision was blurry, everything doubled and overlapping. He couldn't make out a thing.
The moment he spoke, his voice was a mere whimper of agony.
He didn't know where he was, but he was certain it wasn't at sea. The air hitting him wasn't the damp, salty breeze of the ocean. Instead, it was thick with dust, rust, and the faint scent of gunpowder just like every other abandoned factory in Hell's Kitchen.
He'd been kidnapped.
He figured that out quickly. Such things were commonplace in New York.
What he couldn't understand was why? He was just a two-bit, small-time thug. Who would go to all this trouble to kidnap him?
His eyes were still useless, but that didn't stop the fear and regret from washing over him.
Damn it!
If he'd known this would happen, he should've robbed someone sooner, stolen a car, and gotten the hell out of New York!
"Dennis Carradine."
A strange voice reached his ears somewhat sharp, with an eerie double tone to it. It echoed in the space, as if countless people were speaking to him at once. The layered sound waves pressed down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Fear twisted Dennis Carradine's features. "Sir... please..." he begged.
"Dennis Carradine," the voice spoke again, "Do you know why I brought you here?"
Dennis's vision was finally starting to clear. He realized he was hanging from the ceiling of a derelict factory. Not far off were sheet-metal fences and walkways, but directly beneath him... there was nothing.
His heart leaped into his throat. His body trembled uncontrollably, making him sway even more violently.
"I don't know, sir..." Dennis's voice shook, bordering on tears. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Whatever you want to know, I'll talk, I promise, please..."
A bottom-feeder from Hell's Kitchen like him didn't have much courage to begin with. Now, he was utterly terrified. But he thought, since I haven't been killed immediately, I must be useful for something, right?
He just hoped that once this person got what they wanted, they'd let him live.
The next words, however, plunged him into utter despair.
"I only want your life!"
"No! Sir, please, I'm begging you..." Tears streamed down his face as he stared in terror at the ground a sheer drop of at least fifty feet. If he fell from here, his brains would be splattered all over the concrete.
Frantically, he scanned the area, trying to find his kidnapper, to see who it was. He wanted to know how he'd possibly offended this person. Whatever it was, he'd get on his knees and apologize, as long as they spared his miserable life.
Soon, he spotted a strangely built, somewhat gaunt figure standing in the shadows
"Sir..." Dennis Carradine cried, as if seeing a savior. "Don't kill me, sir, please... I'll do anything for you, anything..." His words trailed off, stuck in his throat like a fishbone. His eyes widened impossibly large, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
Because the strange figure stepped out of the shadows, fully exposing itself to Dennis's view.
It was a monster!
The creature resembled a velociraptor. Most of its body was covered in black, with blue arms and feet. A long, slender tail was ringed with blue stripes XLR8!
The kidnapper was, of course, Ben.
Originally, Ben planned to keep a close watch on Uncle Ben during the period after Peter's spider bite, to prevent him from coming to harm. But after transforming into Grey Matter yesterday, he'd had a change of heart why should he wait for tragedy to strike before trying to stop it?
Evil should be nipped in the bud!
So, he immediately started looking for clues.
He didn't know who the criminal destined to kill Uncle Ben in this world was, but he'd seen two different Spider-Man movie series and had two leads
In Tobey Maguire's movies, Uncle Ben was killed by the Sandman, Flint Marko. In Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man, the killer had a star tattoo on his wrist. This world seemed to be a blend of the different Spider-Man universes.
"I hacked the NYPD's database and found your file, Dennis Carradine."
Ben's voice, filtered through the XLR8 form, sounded impatient. He paced on the sheet-metal walkway, his wheel-like feet making a clatter with each step.
"Out of all the criminals in New York with records, very few have a star tattoo on their wrist. You're the only one!"
Of course, Ben had also looked for Flint Marko, but found no record of him.
"If I've offended you before, I apologize..." Dennis pleaded pathetically.
He'd clearly realized Ben had a specific purpose in grabbing him this wasn't some random attack by a crazed monster. But he also knew he had no real value, and no one would pay for his worthless life.
So, the only possibility was that he'd accidentally crossed someone. Or he stole a glance at Ben's form or maybe he'd accidentally stepped on a lizard in the sewer?
"I'll apologize to you too... after I kill you."
Ben sneered coldly. He walked over to Dennis. Now, all he had to do was extend those black, scissor-like hands, and he could sever the rope holding Dennis up.
He knew this was far from a righteous act.
Perhaps someone like him wasn't worthy of Spider-Man's powers, or the Omnitrix.
But that didn't matter. He wasn't a hero, and he didn't plan to become one.
What mattered was that he could use this power to protect the people he cared about!
"No! NO! NO!"
Dennis screamed. He watched as the rope began to fray under Ben's sharp claws. The terror of imminent death made him feel like wetting himself. He had no time to wonder what this creature in front of him was. He just wanted to live!
"I don't know, sir, I don't know how I offended you," he sobbed, the words tumbling out rapidly, "but please, spare me, please..."
"You don't know? That's fine. I can tell you." Ben said. "It's because you're going to kill a good, kind man. You're getting what you deserve!"
"I haven't," he whimpered, shaking his head desperately. "I haven't killed anyone."
"Not yet," Ben said. "But in a few days, that will change."
A few days from now?
Dennis was convinced this monster was completely insane!
Regret washed over Dennis. He should have left Hell's Kitchen sooner!
The gangs were always fighting; joining one was just asking for death.
He should have gone to Brooklyn, Queens, or anywhere else, robbed someone, stolen a car, and gotten out of New York!
Anywhere would do San Francisco, Washington...
Anywhere this monster couldn't find him.
But it was too late for that now.
What could he do?
He could only try to reason with a monster, beg for mercy from a madman:
"I won't! I promise!"
But Ben had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Transforming into XLR8 had made his personality a bit more impatient. The fact that he'd talked this much already showed considerable restraint.
His claws sliced through the rope.
Dennis instantly lost his last support. He screamed as he plummeted downward. Ben didn't look down. He knew Dennis's head would smash against the hard concrete floor, bursting open like a watermelon.
BOOM!
A deafening crash!
But it wasn't the sound of Dennis hitting the ground.
It was the sound of a fiery figure blasting through the factory's roof.
The silhouette shot past Ben in a blur, a wave of scorching heat washing over his face!
The figure dove down, catching Dennis mere moments before he would have smashed into the concrete. He set Dennis down roughly but safely on the ground, then rose steadily, hands emitting flames, until he was level with Ben.
"Tony... Stark!"
Ben's voice was filled with raw fury.
/-\
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