Spider-Man: Home Sick

24 - Villain's Monologue

Ned's P.O.V

I had long since given up struggling and had just resigned to my fate. It was impossible to escape, and so I knew it would be better for them to kill us than for Peter to try and rescue us, and I knew Happy and Aunt May felt the same. I was half asleep - funny how the most dangerous thing ever can be happening to you but after 5 minutes tied up, it just gets boring - when Spider-Man walked in, with a teenage girl I didn't recognize.
Beast turned to face him and growled threateningly, but made no move to grab him like I'd expected. Instead, his master came out of the office behind him. Lauren was maybe 5 feet tall, with blonde hair and a twisted, evil smirk on her face. All in all, she didn't look very scary, but she had a cruel side and a terrible glint in her eyes "Have you come to bargain, Spider-Man? Or should I just kill them now?" She clicked a finger and Beast lunged at May, grabbing her neck between 2 of his clawed fingers. She let out a little shriek of surprise, but I don't think he'd hurt her... Yet.
"I'm here to make a deal. But not for their lives." He didn't sound like himself. His voice was deep and commanding, nothing like it was normally. It was like he had his interrogation voice filter on, but that made no sense - there was no point to hiding his identity, not anymore.
"You want me to kill them?"
"I don't care about these mere mortals. I am Spider-Man, I am above any ordinary person. I don't need any of them. Kill them if you want to."
"What do you want from me then?"
"Clear my name. I'm guessing you made those videos, and not your... Pet?" He nodded towards the hulking figure holding May.
She laughed bitterly "What, Beast? He's not even smart enough to read or write, you think he has the capability to do that? Of course it was me!"
"Then if you clear my name, release the real footage that I'm not in, I'll - "
"What?" She sneered, clearly enjoying this "What will you give me?"
He hesitated "What do you want?"
Lauren leaned forwards and hissed "I want to ruin you. I want to tear your life apart. I want to take every good thing you have and destroy it. I want you to be forced to watch everyone you love die right in front of you, helpless to stop them. I want to destroy the world, just so I can see your face when you realise that you failed and your precious Tony Stark died for nothing. I want you to suffer."
"Why do you hate me so much?"
She laughed manicly "You think you're soo perfect, but you're just an idiot in a fancy suit. You lucked into getting superpowers, and everyone applauds you for it. I have worked hard my whole life. I got the highest grades in my school, I finished University when I was 15, I invented things that could change the world." She was chuckling bitterly, tears welling in her eyes "But it was still never enough for him. All that he could ever look at was superheroes. First it was Captain America, then Iron Man, then the Avengers. And then it was Spider-Man. All that he ever talked about. 'Spider-Man climbed the Washington Monument', 'Spider-Man fought Thanos', 'Why can't you be more like Spider-Man?'. It didn't matter what I did. I was still never good enough for him. My own father. All he would ever do was wish that I was someone else, that I was more like Spider-Man. Right up until the day he died." Her face hardened and her eyes turned cold "Right up until the day that I killed him." Lauren shook her head, like she was trying to shake away the memories "But nevermind that. Where were we? Ah, yes, you were begging me to clear your name. Let me keep it real simple so even you can understand. I will never help you."
"Then I guess I have no reason to leave you alive." He clenched his fists.
Lauren smirked cruelly, flicked her wrist, and a knife elongated into her grip.
"Lauren!" A voice barked behind her "We have a job to do, remember?"
Out of the shadows emerged a girl maybe 19 years old, wearing a superhero suit that was blue, sea green, and scaled, with a wave symbol etched on the front, and a metallic black trident in her hand.
Lauren's boasting exterior immediately vanished, and she shrank away towards the corner, trying to hide from the girl's penetrating gaze as much as possible. Whoever this person was, she scared Lauren, and that meant she was someone to worry about.
"Who are you?" The girl beside Spider-Man was the only one who didn't seem scared of her, instead studying the newcomer with cat-like curiosity.
She smiled boastfully "My name's Tidal Wave." She glared pointedly at Spider-Man "And I'm here to kill you."