Mr.HamCustoms
The Avenging Spider-Man 1 - 0 "Application"
Death has always a rough topic for me, I've been faced with it many times. So was a friend of mine, Peter Parker, as well as his.. ‘Brothers’. They were clones of him, perfect copies made from his DNA. One of his brothers was a man named Kaine. Today is the anniversary of his death. I had tried to warn him about how death works with people like us, but he just brushed me off like I was just a crazy old fool.
Kaine and I were a lot alike in a way. We were both outcasts from society, shunned to the side just because we were different. Thinking back maybe my method was a little extreme and that may be why he didn’t believe me. Around two weeks after Kaine became Spider-Man, I kidnapped him and brought him to my bunker.
Long Ago…
I walked into his “Cell” if you could even really call it that, it was a fully furnished specially designed room outfitted for someone like him and I who have a connection to the Spider Totem.
“How are you doing?”
“Just dandy.” He says sarcastically.
I enter the passcode on the keypad on the glassdoor. Compressed air shoots from the area as I open the previously tightly sealed door. I walk in and help Kaine up.
“Who the hell are you?” He demands.
“Ezekiel Sims, I am a friend of Madame Web and Peter Parker. I have brought you here to warn you about the Inheritors and a man named Morlun.”
“Yeah, Madame Web told me about him. He killed me before she brought me back.”
“It's not just him we have to worry about. He has an entire family, all hellbent on destroying people like us. When we die, they feed on our energy.”
“Why do I need to know this?” He asks.
“Because I've been monitoring your endeavors as Spider-Man, and you're putting your life and those you care about at risk.”
“I'm out there saving the city!” He yells, “And you're sitting in this bunker watching? People die because of your inaction. I'm out.”
“Fair enough.” I say while making no attempt to stop him. I unlock the door for him, and he exits through the vault door on the ceiling.
A Woman around his age walks into the room.
“You need to go about this differently Ezekiel. Kidnapping people and dragging them to the bunker doesn’t exactly give them a reason to believe you.”
“How long have you been up, Cindy?”
“Long enough. Sounds like you scared him off.”
Present Day.
He didn’t believe me or adhere to my warning, later that year... Kaine Parker died. I've been up all night, sifting through the footage of the battle, and I'm starting to see something strange. A silhouette. I zoom in a little more. Upon further inspection, I see a pale man, with long black hair.
My blood chills as the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up.
I call for Cindy, and she walks into the room.
“What is it?” She asks curiously
“It’s Morlun. He's in the footage. He probably sensed Kaine's energy. He's going to feed.”
“Jesus Christ. We need to lock up the vault!”
“No. This time we fight. For Kaine. I couldn't save him, but we can still avenge him. Morlun had something to do with it, I know it.”
“How do you reckon we defeat him?”
“We need to find Parker and Madame Web.”
I emerge from the vault with one thing in mind, finding Kaine's home. I need to wear something other than my usual clothes if I'm going to be swinging around these streets. I speak into my earpiece.
“Cindy, you there?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you search through the previous residences of Peter Parker?”
“Yeah, give me a second. Ha, here it is. The apartment of Gwen Stacy Parker. Ditko Avenue, South. I'll give you more immediate directions when you're close.”
I roll up my sleeves, and cavities open up from my wrists.
“Haven't used these in awhile.”
I then kick off my shoes and socks to expose my adhesive skin. I press my middle and ring fingers onto my palm, and a substance shoots from my wrist, and clings onto the side of a nearby building.
I pull on the web, and instantly fly to where it was stuck to the wall. I press my fingertips to the cold brick, and survey the area. I spot a building across the street that could give me an advantage.
I bend my arms and legs, preparing for take off, and leap into the air, feeling the wind flow through my stark white hair.
I land on the building, and begin to alternate my hands and feet, climbing the building’s wall. For some reason, this makes me feel so young, like it's before the accident all over again.
I reach the top of the building, and begin to run. My feet are probably torn up and bleeding, but the adrenaline blinds me from even noticing the pain, as I feel better than I've ever felt in my long life.
I prepare, and leap to the neighboring building, landing on the roof, and rolling to spread impact. I stop when out of the corner of my eye, I spot one light on in an otherwise pitch black apartment building. I begin hearing static in my earpiece until I focus and hear Cindy's voice.
“Ezekiel? Ezekiel? Are you -”
“Yeah, I'm here.” I say, cutting her off, and connecting back to reality.
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I know where I need to go.” I say while getting up, preparing to head to the light. I shoot a web at the side of the building and land near the window. I peer my head in the window and see two people. A blonde woman, who I assume is Gwen, and Peter, and that’s when I decide to crawl in.
They both notice me, with extremely different reactions. Gwen screams at the top of her lungs, while Peter stands up from the couch, presenting his hand as a greeting. I shake it, and he smiles. I notice streaks on his cheeks, it looks like he was crying. I turn to my left, and see mascara flowing from Gwen's eyes. I see her holding an infant wrapped in a red blanket. There are pictures of a man who looks like Peter, but with a little more scruff and scars. Kaine.
“I'm sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, Ezekiel. Means a lot.” Peter says, as Gwen bolts out of the room, sobbing.
Peter continues. “Why are you here, though?”
“Because I have a debt to pay. Do you know where Kaine kept his suits?” I reply.
“I know just the place.”
End of App
When I heard Payton dropped Spidey, I was surprised, and saddened. But we all lose interest sometimes. I decided to apply for the role after dropping Captain America. But instead of using the “teenager turned into Spider-Man from accident”, I decided to put my own spin on the mythos by using Ezekiel Sims, a character I've always been interested in. Thanks for reading!
The Avenging Spider-Man 1 - 0 "Application"
Death has always a rough topic for me, I've been faced with it many times. So was a friend of mine, Peter Parker, as well as his.. ‘Brothers’. They were clones of him, perfect copies made from his DNA. One of his brothers was a man named Kaine. Today is the anniversary of his death. I had tried to warn him about how death works with people like us, but he just brushed me off like I was just a crazy old fool.
Kaine and I were a lot alike in a way. We were both outcasts from society, shunned to the side just because we were different. Thinking back maybe my method was a little extreme and that may be why he didn’t believe me. Around two weeks after Kaine became Spider-Man, I kidnapped him and brought him to my bunker.
Long Ago…
I walked into his “Cell” if you could even really call it that, it was a fully furnished specially designed room outfitted for someone like him and I who have a connection to the Spider Totem.
“How are you doing?”
“Just dandy.” He says sarcastically.
I enter the passcode on the keypad on the glassdoor. Compressed air shoots from the area as I open the previously tightly sealed door. I walk in and help Kaine up.
“Who the hell are you?” He demands.
“Ezekiel Sims, I am a friend of Madame Web and Peter Parker. I have brought you here to warn you about the Inheritors and a man named Morlun.”
“Yeah, Madame Web told me about him. He killed me before she brought me back.”
“It's not just him we have to worry about. He has an entire family, all hellbent on destroying people like us. When we die, they feed on our energy.”
“Why do I need to know this?” He asks.
“Because I've been monitoring your endeavors as Spider-Man, and you're putting your life and those you care about at risk.”
“I'm out there saving the city!” He yells, “And you're sitting in this bunker watching? People die because of your inaction. I'm out.”
“Fair enough.” I say while making no attempt to stop him. I unlock the door for him, and he exits through the vault door on the ceiling.
A Woman around his age walks into the room.
“You need to go about this differently Ezekiel. Kidnapping people and dragging them to the bunker doesn’t exactly give them a reason to believe you.”
“How long have you been up, Cindy?”
“Long enough. Sounds like you scared him off.”
Present Day.
He didn’t believe me or adhere to my warning, later that year... Kaine Parker died. I've been up all night, sifting through the footage of the battle, and I'm starting to see something strange. A silhouette. I zoom in a little more. Upon further inspection, I see a pale man, with long black hair.
My blood chills as the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up.
I call for Cindy, and she walks into the room.
“What is it?” She asks curiously
“It’s Morlun. He's in the footage. He probably sensed Kaine's energy. He's going to feed.”
“Jesus Christ. We need to lock up the vault!”
“No. This time we fight. For Kaine. I couldn't save him, but we can still avenge him. Morlun had something to do with it, I know it.”
“How do you reckon we defeat him?”
“We need to find Parker and Madame Web.”
I emerge from the vault with one thing in mind, finding Kaine's home. I need to wear something other than my usual clothes if I'm going to be swinging around these streets. I speak into my earpiece.
“Cindy, you there?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you search through the previous residences of Peter Parker?”
“Yeah, give me a second. Ha, here it is. The apartment of Gwen Stacy Parker. Ditko Avenue, South. I'll give you more immediate directions when you're close.”
I roll up my sleeves, and cavities open up from my wrists.
“Haven't used these in awhile.”
I then kick off my shoes and socks to expose my adhesive skin. I press my middle and ring fingers onto my palm, and a substance shoots from my wrist, and clings onto the side of a nearby building.
I pull on the web, and instantly fly to where it was stuck to the wall. I press my fingertips to the cold brick, and survey the area. I spot a building across the street that could give me an advantage.
I bend my arms and legs, preparing for take off, and leap into the air, feeling the wind flow through my stark white hair.
I land on the building, and begin to alternate my hands and feet, climbing the building’s wall. For some reason, this makes me feel so young, like it's before the accident all over again.
I reach the top of the building, and begin to run. My feet are probably torn up and bleeding, but the adrenaline blinds me from even noticing the pain, as I feel better than I've ever felt in my long life.
I prepare, and leap to the neighboring building, landing on the roof, and rolling to spread impact. I stop when out of the corner of my eye, I spot one light on in an otherwise pitch black apartment building. I begin hearing static in my earpiece until I focus and hear Cindy's voice.
“Ezekiel? Ezekiel? Are you -”
“Yeah, I'm here.” I say, cutting her off, and connecting back to reality.
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I know where I need to go.” I say while getting up, preparing to head to the light. I shoot a web at the side of the building and land near the window. I peer my head in the window and see two people. A blonde woman, who I assume is Gwen, and Peter, and that’s when I decide to crawl in.
They both notice me, with extremely different reactions. Gwen screams at the top of her lungs, while Peter stands up from the couch, presenting his hand as a greeting. I shake it, and he smiles. I notice streaks on his cheeks, it looks like he was crying. I turn to my left, and see mascara flowing from Gwen's eyes. I see her holding an infant wrapped in a red blanket. There are pictures of a man who looks like Peter, but with a little more scruff and scars. Kaine.
“I'm sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, Ezekiel. Means a lot.” Peter says, as Gwen bolts out of the room, sobbing.
Peter continues. “Why are you here, though?”
“Because I have a debt to pay. Do you know where Kaine kept his suits?” I reply.
“I know just the place.”
End of App
When I heard Payton dropped Spidey, I was surprised, and saddened. But we all lose interest sometimes. I decided to apply for the role after dropping Captain America. But instead of using the “teenager turned into Spider-Man from accident”, I decided to put my own spin on the mythos by using Ezekiel Sims, a character I've always been interested in. Thanks for reading!