Chapter 46
We swing into the city and come up on a giant sandy Hazel walking through the city.
Ruby: “HAZEL!”
Hazel: “Scarlet Spider...” His voice kind of distorted.
Blake: “He’s definitely living up to the Sandman title.”
Hazel: “Your out of your league here, little girls. This city and this world ill pay for it’s done to Gretchen!”
Yang: “Sounds like he’s found out.”
Weiss: “Which makes this situation even worse!”
Blake: “We need a way to calm him down!”
Ruby: “Just try everything!” He attacks with giant punches and shaping his arms into large blades he swings at us that we narrowly avoid as we swing around and try to attack by catching and throwing all the rubble and debris he kicks up with his swings, but it's all hardly even phasing him. All it’s doing is making him angrier and he eventually gets ahold of me as he moves his, grabs me, and sticks his fist into the window of a nearby building. He holds me there for a good minute as a more normal sized Hazel emerges from the hand to speak with face to face, still all sandy looking with the distorted voice.
Hazel: “Your luck is running out, little spider. You have no chance of matching this kind of power.” Then I notice some water drip on him, and I look up to see the pipes in the ceiling, probably cracked from all the damage.
Ruby: “Maybe you shouldn’t speak so soon.” To which I use my webs to reach the pipes and pull on them, breaking them and making more water spill on him. Hazel retreated back into his bigger form as the water soaked his giant hand, allowing me to break free and follow him outside as he pulled back.
Blake: “Hey! You, okay?”
Ruby: “I’m fine. But I think I have a plan now. His massive form is still weak to water. Weiss? You think you can find us a huge water source we can use?”
Weiss: “I’m on it. Just buy me some time while I look.” All we can do right now is just keep avoiding his attacks and try to hurt with what little we can throw at him. This goes for a good few minutes before Weiss checks in. “Guys! There’s a massive water tank about a block away that should do the trick. We’re talking 10,000 gallons worth.”
Blake: “We’re on it!” We make our way towards the building in question and start climbing up as fast as we can as Hazel follows us up too. We even have to avoid his hands a few times as he climbs. Thankfully, we manage to reach the top.
Ruby: “There! That water tank is ours!” But then he also comes up, grabs the roof of the building and rips if off, holding it up as if holding a large tray.
Blake: “Whoa!” We both hang on to the railing of the roof on the opposite side of him as he tilts the roof in an effort to drop us. “I think it might actually be his now!” He gives it a little shake, trying to get to let go, and Blake did end up letting go and falling.
Yang: “Blake!” I follow after her.
Blake: “He’s trying to eat me!” As Hazel holds his mouth open. I use one arm to web the roof and keep myself anchored and then manage to catch Blake with a web with the other just as she enters his mouth and then pull her back.
Ruby: “Let’s give him a drink instead!” Using my strength, I manage to swing Blake around to the back of the water tank, where she gives it hard kick, causing to tip over. The top comes off as it tips, and all of the water ends up dumping onto him, causing him to dissolve, to which the roof he is holding falls, and we perch of the building as he dissolves.
Blake: “Did we do it?” After the dust settles, we make our way down and find Hazel completely reverted back to his human form, passed out on the ground, likely from overexerting his power like that and getting hit with that much water.
Ruby: “We’re good.”
Blake: “Ugh. Thank goodness. Cause I have sand... everywhere.” Afterwards, the cops show up with a large transparent and airtight looking box and work to load Hazel up inside.
Ruby: “You sure worked fast in creating a proper cage for him.”
Vernal: “Technically it's not for him. This is one of the prototypes the Vault has been building to help contain the Symbiote should it manage to escape. We figured we’d be able to test it on Rainart since his powers mean he could escape an ordinary transport. It's made to be airtight due to the Symbiotes malleable form and durable due to its potential strength when bonded to a host.” We didn’t notice that he had woken up until he started beating on the cage trying to get out.
Hazel: “You little pests! I’ll get you for this!” His voice sounding normal again.
Ruby: “Hazel, please. You have to stop. This isn’t what Gretchen would’ve wanted.”
Hazel: “You leave Gretchen out of this! And don’t you dare assume you know what she would’ve wanted! You can’t possibly imagine what I’m going through.”
Ruby: “Except I do. I’ve lost more family than you can imagine. I lost my parents when I was really little. And what makes it worse is that I was too young to even really remember them. I just pictures and stories. But if knew one about them, it’s that they wouldn’t want me to live my life consumed by grief and hatred. It may still hurt that they’re gone, but then I remember that the love we had for each other is more important to remember. That's what you need to hold on to, Hazel. Gretchen may be gone, but her love for you still exists within you. Doesn't it?” He just glares at me for a moment before turning his back on me and sitting down.
Hazel: “Her love for me doesn’t matter when I have nothing else to live for. She was the only family I have left. Without her, I have no other purpose in life. And now with these damn powers, I don’t even know if I can die and join her. That's why this whole world needs to face justice for these transgressions against us. Maybe you should think about that too as you continue this path of yours. And if you still think otherwise, then don’t think for a second that our fight is over. I promise, I’ll be back.”
Vernal: “Alright, that’s enough. Time to get going.” To which they drive off to deliver Hazel to the Vault for pending trial. After that whole debacle, we all knew we deserved a lot of rest... and some relaxing baths given all the sand. But of course, there is still some other trouble brewing elsewhere in the city as we cut to Malachite’s office as she meets with her daughters. Malachite once again smoking a cigarette.
Malachite: “Well, ain’t this just lovely. Thanks to these recent events, the city has now a giant sandbox. What’s next? We gonna get some kind of water-based menace to bring the ocean to us and make it a beach party?” Her daughters just stand completely blank faced as she rants. “Things were bad enough with the Reaper and the Cat around. But they were easy to over since they didn’t attract these superpowered freaks! Things with the Spider have gotten completely out of hand! It’s time we start taking drastic measures. You girls remember your assignment, yes?”
Melanie & Militia: “Yes, Mother.”
Melanie: “In over another week, we are to meet up with Jax Asturias to discuss a potential meeting between you and the Maggia dons.”
Militia: “Said meeting being to potentially cooperate with the Maggia in an effort regarding the Spider problem.”
Malachite: “Very good. Here’s just hoping I’m not making a mistake. That is all. You are dismissed.”
Melanie & Militia: “Yes, Mother.” To which they leave the room.
Malachite: *sigh*”This whole thing is really stressing me out. The extermination needs to happen soon. Otherwise, I can’t clear the cobwebs of chaos she has left in my city.” As she finishes her cigarette. “There’s only one person worthy of bringing chaos to this city. And that is the Queenpin.” As she smirks with a sinister sounding chuckle as she overlooks the city from her window.