Hammerhead, Plain and Simple
“Maybe tone down the aggression? I'm just trying to ask some questions!” Hero shouted, dodging a hail of gunfire. "Look, you guys run Hammerhead's drug supply, don't you? That means you guys gotta know…something!"
Hero picks up one gunman by the torso and tosses them at the grey-toned man. Not a flinch.
“I got no clue where da boss is, an you ain’t gonna find ‘em either!” The grey skinned man jumps in and kicks Hero in the chest, and sends him flying.
"Ugh…guess you're not all pushovers." Hero says, scrambling to his feet.
“Not me. The name’s Tombstone, an-” ‘Tombstone’ is suddenly interrupted by a ringing phone.
“Hold on, gotta take dis.”
Tombstone picks up the call.
“‘Ello? Boss? You serious?! I gotta keep that damned bug alive?! Wait…a 50% payment increase? Fine, that’ll work.”
With that, Tombstone hangs up.
"Guess this is over?" Hero says hopefully.
"Nah, just gotta take you alive. Maybe I'll snap yer legs so you don't try to run."
"Why can't things ever end quietly?" Hero replies with a sigh.
“Ey, you expected dis to go all sunshine an rainbows against TOMBSTONE?! Das it, you comin with me with a few broken bones!”
Hero dodges as Tombstone throws a punch forward.
"So like, what's up with your skin? Are you just really old? Skin infection? Accidentally soak in an acid spa?" Hero asks, throwing a few punches of his own to no effect.
"Don't gotta explain nothing to you!" Tombstone replies, picking up an axe on the ground and swinging it.
“Sheesh. I know you’re called Tombstone, but you really just killed that conversation! It helps to be social about stuff like that!”
"I don't think you've noticed, but I ain't no people's person!"
"Well uh, you could be! Think about how fun you could be at parties!" Hero quips, webbing up a motorcycle and chucking it right at Tombstone.
Even with the massive explosion, not a single scratch or bruise.
“Who cares?!”
“I do, amigo!” A certain other wall crawler shouted, smashing through a window and delivering a powerful punch to Tombstone.
Tarantula immediately steps back with an "OUCH!", shaking his hand to ward off the pain.
“I told you to stay out of this, kid!”
"I can help! I got my Venom Sting! Watch, this guy is going-"
Before Tarantula can even do anything, Tombstone grabs him by the neck and tosses him aside.
"I don't got time for two of youse. Like I said, not a people's person, and I don't want to fight a duo of you joke talking bozos, as much fun as it would be if your mouths were taped shut."
“That’d ruin the Tarantula experience, pendejo!”
"Then why don't you try the TOMBSTONE experience instead?!" Tombstone shouts as he runs up to Tarantula and rams into him.
“GYAH! Oye, that was real uncalled for…and so is this!” Tarantula shouts, jamming two fingers into Tombstone’s neck, causing him to jolt with electricity.
"HAH! How was that for…oh, mierda."
"I don't think youse tiny little brains can catch up, so let me just fill in the blanks. Sticks and stones ain't gonna break any of my damn bones, no matter how hard you try!"
"Wow, that was beautiful!" Hero remarks, chucking a fire extinguisher. "You should write poetry, then you'd be even less of a people's person!"
"NOT the literary type." Tombstone replies, catching the extinguisher and throwing it back. "And unless it's a paycheck for me, I ain't writing nothing."
“Oye, your voice sounds terrible. Need a drink?” Tarantula shouts, grabbing a nearby water barrel and slamming it over Tombstone’s head.
Tombstone simply groans. Then he shouts. "MEN! GET IN HERE! PUT SOME BULLETS INTO THEM, BUT KEEP THEM ALIVE FOR THE BOSS!"
“Oh, come on! You had the perfect time to say ‘bury them’!” Tarantula shouts, dodging the oncoming hail of bullets.
"Why does Hammerhead even keep a thug like you here? This is his distribution center!" Hero asks, wrestling a rifle away from one of the thugs and slamming it into them. "I was thinking you could've been his personal guard or something!"
"Hammerhead picked me off the streets after my own drug ring went bust, kept me in business even after he got thrown to the slammer! Now almost half the city knows not to mess with the Tombstone! Except you two imbeciles, that is!" He throws a punch which Hero narrowly side steps. The fist slams into the brick wall, creating a massive dent and crack where it had.
“Guess we didn’t get the memo. Sorry not sorry!” Tarantula says, throwing a gray bag labeled “concrete mix” at the brute.
“Well, once I leave one of you bleedin out and the other in a truck to the boss, then you’ll remember for good!”
“Says the guy who’s stuck to the ground.” Hero says, throwing another water barrel at Tombstone. The concrete mix hardens around him, leaving him…well, Hero said it best.
“Shit.”
“Finally, I get to do…THIS!” Tarantula shouts, fist crackling in orange electricity as he punches one of the goons. Instantly, a chain reaction shoots through the rest of the armed thugs as they’re shocked from the venom sting.
“Overkill much?” Hero says with a frown.
“I think it was just right!” Tarantula replies with a thumbs-up.
“I thought I told you not to get involved in stuff like this anymore.”
“You’re not the boss of me! Oh, by the way, I forgot my phone so I can’t call the cops this time. But you needed to figure out where this dude’s boss is, right?”
“Yeah…seems like he wants to meet me though. Don’t know if that’s exactly what I want to do…considering what I just did to his distribution base.”
“Y’know, I think I might know where that Hammerhead guy is! I’ll tell ya…if you let me help out.” Tarantula says, sitting down on a small crate.
Hero sighs. “Then forget it. I don’t wanna endanger more people than I have to. You’ve already just painted a target on yourself with Hammerhead.”
“What?! We’ll be fine! The two of us took down Tombstone, Hammerhead’ll be nothing!”
Tombstone starts to laugh, even with his legs rooted.
“You think I’m tougher than da boss? Then I suggest you better rethink your damn world. Cause Hammerhead is about ten times stronger than I ever could be, and I’m invincible.”
“You’re stuck to the ground! Oh man, this’ll be easy! Cmon, what do ya say?”
Hero hesitates.
“...fine. But just know I may not be able to protect you.”
“Alrighty then, hermano-I mean amigo! So-“
“Sorry to interrupt, but that’s the second or third time you’ve nearly called me ‘hermano’. You alright?”
“Sorry about that. We both have spider powers, so it’s like we’re brothers…right?”
Hero face palmed.
“Just…go on.”
“Aight! So, Hammerhead’s hiding out in the old waste distribution plant. Stockpiling illicit goods and whatnot. We sneak in, grab Hammerhead, and slip out after a call to the cops. Boom, problem solved!”
“How do we even ‘grab’ Hammerhead?”
“He’s just a regular guy, isn’t he? The metal plate is in his head, it’s not like he’s any stronger or anything!”
“Maybe…”
“See? Nothing to worry about! Let’s get a move on!” Tarantula said, already getting to swinging off towards the waste distribution plant.
Hero sighs. He can already see it all going terribly wrong. Nevertheless, he follows.
“Whaddya mean Tombstone’s outta business?!” Hammerhead shouted.
“No contact. Not a word, and apparently the cops showed up around the distribution base.”
“God damn it! So even those spider-men can take down Loonie, huh?”
His anger and rage turned into a cackle and smile.
“All the more interesting. Now I really want the main one alive. The younger one…we’ll see.”
“Oi, boss! The truck’s here, just lettin ya know.” One goon says.
“Then get loadin the goods, moron! What am I even payin ya for?!”
“Actually boss, ye paid me to take care of yer dog.”
“THEN TAKE CARE OF MY DAMN DOG! And get outta my sight!”
The goon dashed off, worried about his life.
Hammerhead grumbles to himself. Tombstone’s down? He didn't even think that was possible, but the Spider-man figured it out. It was amazing, it was almost fascinatingly dangerous how much one man, plus extra, could do.
"You think you're smart, Spider? Watch it, you don't wanna mess with a hammerhead. Ye may think it’s just a funny shark with a funny head…but get too close it'll bite yer damn hand off."
“BOSS WE GOT A PROBLEM!”
"Jerry, if my dog just died, I swear to god I'm killin ya! Wait a sec…Marko? The hell’re ya doin back here?”
"IT'S THE SPIDER!"
Hammerhead gives a loud singular "HA!" in response.
“BOTH OF ‘EM! ONE OF ‘EM GOT STEVE! THEY’VE SCREWED UP THE TRADES! I-“
“Marko, shuddap! We got the spiders where we want ‘em, so go get ‘em!”
Hero slams down on another one of Hammerhead’s thugs, when the throbbing in his head starts to act up.
He turns around, eyes widened in shock and quickly moves out of the way before he is hit square in the face by a massive laser.
"You guys got lasers?! Like actual lasers?!" Hero shouts as he looks at the thug piloting what appears to be a turret with the laser mounted.
“Tony Stark was kind enough to…’loan’ us one, bug boy!” A different voice said from within the shadows.
"Well now I REALLY don't like Iron Man! I suppose from the fake Italian accent you're Hammerhead?"
"I spent over 10 years usin' this accent, it's perfect, and I don't intend to let some grown man playing dress-up judge me for it!"
“So, heard you were lookin for me. If you’re looking to hire me, I ain’t for sale. Same with the other spider, Tarantula.”
"That's a big shame, cause now that makes you nothing more than a nuisance. MEN!" Hammerhead walks away from the room as more thugs fill the room. "Take out these bugs, and bring their corpses to me once youse is finished!"
“On it, boss!” One goon shouted, wearing a green shirt unlike the other well-dressed grunts.
With that, Hero and Tarantula quickly jump around the room, avoiding bullets and punches, as many as they can.
"GET THAT DAMN LASER UP AND RUNNING!"
"HEY, YOU TRY OPERATIN' SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITHIN 3 HOURS OF GETTING A LASER TURRET! ALRIGHT! THIS OUGHTA DO IT!"
Tarantula just narrowly jumps out of the way of the bean, his shoulder being grazed ever so slightly.
“Oye, didn’t your ma ever tell ya not to play with fire?!” Tarantula shouts, putting out the flames on his shoulder.
"MY MOMMA LEFT ME FOR DEAD ON THE STREETS AFTER DRINKING A BOTTLE OF STOLEN WINE!"
"That's…pretty sad actually." Hero replies, shooting a web and attempting to pull the turret apart. No use. It's solid.
Starting to panic, Tarantula randomly fires off his web shooters, accidentally knocking over a massive container of waste meant for the incinerator. A container with a massive biohazard warning on it.
The waste topples onto one of the grunts, the entire container dropping onto him. He screams in pain, despite being out of sight.
The man was buried in waste and sand.
“SHIT, THEY GOT MARKO!”
"His name was Marko? Thought it was Maldo!"
"You guys gotta have better communication!" Hero says, kicking the goon who misremembered the name right in the jaw. "It's the essentials of teamwork!"
Tarantula stood still, shocked about what had happened. He’d been blinded by wishes of heroism, and it led to a death by his own shaking hands. Still, he shook off the terrible feelings. There was a mobster to deal with.
"He's fine…probably!" Hero shouts, seeing Tarantula shaken up. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's either coming out of the ER with slightly burned skin, or, y'know, superpowers."
Tarantula, calming down, took notice of something in the room. An old yet enormous magnet, probably used back when the plant was in use.
“Oye, hermano-I mean amigo! Hammerhead has a metal plate in his head, right?”
"Yeah? What about it?"
“I got a way to take down both the laser and Hammerhead in one shot! Watch me!”
Slinging two webs at the magnet, Tarantula threw the damn thing just above Hammerhead and the turret. While the turret shut down, Hammerhead was left helpless, stuck to the magnet.
"That was… actually pretty easy, I guess you really do know what you're doing!" Hero says with a laugh.
"Hah! How about that? I single handedly took down a laser turret AND Hammerhead!"
"IT AIN'T OVER YET!" Hammerhead shouts, and attempts to pull his head away from the magnet. He screams and shouts as he lifts his head with force, and suddenly…
…the metal plate is ripped right out of his head.
Hero recoils, watching the small amount of flesh and blood hit the ground. Hammerhead, however, is still standing.
"I'VE GIVEN UP TOO MUCH TO LET A LITTLE MAGNET STOP ME!"
"Oh god…that is gross!" Tarantula shouts. "How are you even still…talking?!"
“WHO CARES?! I’LL JUST KILL YA MYSELF!” Hammerhead shouts, swinging a punch right at Tarantula. Instantly, he's set flying, then colliding against the wall.
Tarantula groans. "What? I thought he was just…a guy. How is he that strong?"
Hero squints. "The waste! The radiation must have done something to him! His eyes are…glowing?"
"So a zombie mafia boss? Can this get any worse?!"
The sound of police sirens began to fill the air.
“Quick lesson: NEVER SAY THAT!” Hero shouted, already trying to get out of the area. "So much for plain and simple!"
"FREEZE! CLOSEBY POLICE! DOWN ON THE GROUND, HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS, ALL OF YOU!"
Hero had already gotten out of the plant, Tarantula barely making it out before the cops burst in. Both of them hoped the cops could deal with Hammerhead.
Soon enough, the pair were back in the woods of Faraway. While Hero was mostly alright, Tarantula’s outfit was heavily damaged, including one of his mask’s lenses being completely shattered.
"Pretty bad, huh? I told you, I wouldn't be able to protect you. You're too young for this!" Hero says. "You may think I'm being too protective, but it's the truth."
“…you wanna know why I even wanted to do this? Why I made this costume, my own web shooters, this whole thing? To be like you! Someone who helps people who can’t help themselves!”
"I understand, but there's a difference between admiring and looking up to someone, to reckless self-endangering actions! You’re not taking anything seriously! Being Spider-man, being a hero at all is a huge responsibility!"
“And with great power comes great responsibility. I’ve heard it before. But I’ve proven myself! We did all that together!”
“…And I’m going to work alone. You could’ve died back there! You couldn’t focus, and nearly died!”
With that, Hero starts to walk away, when he hears a different sound. The familiar sound of a mask being removed, and someone falling to the floor and sobbing.
Hero turns around and sees the person who had been trying to be like him.
"...Kel? I…I…I don't understand…it was you?"
“The whole time. When I didn’t wake you up, it was because sniff I was trying to just let you rest! I thought I could handle those two. I…”
"No, Kel…even if it wasn't you, I wouldn't have let you do this. I can't let you get hurt anymore, not like this! You have to understand."
“Understand what?! That because you lost Mari, you have to play hero?! Finally live up to your damn nickname?! I knew the risks, I knew what I was getting into! I just wanted to watch your back out there, with or without powers! But turns out…even a Hero can be a villain. It’s just a matter of perspective.”
"You know what?!" Hero shouts back. "I don't need you to tell me how I want to protect you or take care of you! I was looking out for you! And if the best you can do is call me a villain, then maybe you shouldn't wear the suit at all! How can I ask you to watch my back when I now know it's you out there in the risk of getting hit by a bullet?!"
“BECAUSE I’VE BEEN TRYING TO HELP! I ONLY WANTED TO HELP YOU OUT, MAKE SURE MY BRO DOESN’T DIE OUT THERE! WHICH YOU NEARLY HAVE MULTIPLE TIMES!”
"AND WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, WHO'S GONNA MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DIE?!"
“WE WATCH EACH OTHER’S BACKS! I…”
"That's enough. I'm not letting you do this anymore, that's final. I can't have you in danger, especially with me."
“I can’t just sit back at home and watch my only brother goes and gets himself hurt. I can’t.”
"And I can't have my younger brother out there getting hurt alongside me, not especially after…Mari, I don't want to lose anyone else."
“…neither do I. If you’re gonna keep up with being Spidey, I’ll keep up with being Tarantula. I’m not just gonna stay on the sidelines while you get your ass beat!”
"...fine. We'll deal with Hammerhead, and once we're done, we'll talk. Let's head home for now, you're badly hurt."
Kel winces as Hero dabs the cotton bud over his wounds.
"It's fine, you'll be fine. The job sadly doesn't come with any healing stuff, so you'll need to learn to do this yourself eventually."
"Uh, yeah…g-got it." Kel says with a nod.
"Just don't think about it, let's put on some…uh, I dunno, the news."
Hero presses a button on the remote and the screen flashes to life.
"-unlike the rest of his crew, where Hammerhead peacefully surrendered despite the massive gaping hole in his forehead. As many may know, Hammerhead is part of the Italian Mafia here in this city, and ran a notorious drug ring which stayed up, even after being thrown into prison. The Daily Bugle has come up with a new title for this deadly new look, and the catchy title among the masses to refer to Hammerhead is now 'The Headless'."
"In related news, the police noted the loss of one Flint Marko, aged 27. According to eyewitnesses, Marko was left for dead at the same waste plant where Hammerhead surrendered. His cause of death is unknown.”
"...I did that." Kel says, head down.
"You can't save everyone. I can't save everyone. But we do the best we can so nobody has to suffer." Hero replies, applying a small bandage on Kel's forehead.
“By the way, in case you’re wondering-“
“If it’s about the powers, I figured you got bit by some weird spider.”
“Yep. Though, I was actually gonna tell you something. Someone else at the tour, his name was Jake, told me to say hi for him.”
“Huh, you met my roommate. What did you think of him?"
“He was actually pretty cool! Didn’t expect all the philosophy junk from him, but it was cool.”
"Heh. Yeah, he's like that." Hero says with a laugh, applying ointment on an area near Kel's shoulder. "But he's a good guy."
“Hehe…he sure is.”
The pile of irradiated sand sat in the plant. The tomb of one Flint Marko. His fate sealed in sand.
Suddenly, the pile shifted as a fist formed of sand burst from within, as a vaguely humanoid figure followed. His sand-built form shifted and contorted, confused on its own frame, before condensing down into the look of Flint Marko.
“That damned spider…he left me for dead! Left me a freak! How the hell am I supposed to provide for my family? For Keemia?”
He stood still, enraged at what had happened.
“He wanted me buried?! Fine…I’LL BURY HIM!”
Marko’s hand formed into a spiked ball of sand. The former goon had one thing on his mind…
Revenge.