Chapter 32: Birth of Black - Part 5

Light reflected off the concrete wall outside filters in through the window.

This rundown apartment faces another wall just beyond the window, so... direct sunlight never comes in.

Even though it was early morning, the room was dim, and I let out a yawn.

This is Queens, New York.

A room in an apartment.

My room. I'm Peter Parker.

I took off my pajamas, got in the shower.

Changed into my day clothes, did my hair.

Checked the contents of my backpack.

I’d already checked it yesterday, but I still go over it again before heading out.

Maybe I’m just the worrying type.

I looked at the clock—it was just before 8 a.m.

This time of day always puts me in a bit of a hurry.

I couldn’t help it—I got restless, slung on my backpack, and stepped out of the room.

It’s not like school is super fun or anything.

Sure, I don’t mind studying and the classes aren’t bad… but it’s not enough to get me excited first thing in the sleepy morning.

But.

With a click, the door to the next room opened.

I looked at the watch on my wrist—7:54 a.m.

Even though we agreed on 8, we always end up stepping out a little early.

"Morning, Michelle."

When I called out, the girl from the next room blinked a few times, closed her eyes… yawned, then finally replied.

"Mm, morning... Peter."

Michelle is not a morning person.

She often stays up late… and of course, less sleep means being sleepier in the morning.

I get it—I’m always tired the day after a night as Spider-Man too.

"You look tired... did something keep you up last night?"

"...Cleaning?"

She answered uncertainly—looks like she’s still half-asleep.

Michelle and I walk to school together every morning.

Midtown High starts at 9.

It takes about thirty minutes on foot from here to the school… so we plan to head out at 8.

"Well then, let’s go. Michelle."

"...Mm."

Michelle rubbed her eyes sleepily and began walking, carrying her beige shoulder bag.

Normally, she’s sharp and smart—only I get to see this off-guard version of her.

That gave me a little sense of superiority… and a lot of joy and happiness.

We walked together through the streets of Queens.

On the way, we stopped at our usual sandwich shop for lunch.

I got number five, the BLT sandwich.

Michelle got number seven, the strawberry shortcake.

That’s for lunch.

The usual sights, the usual routine.

I thought, maybe someday, being with her like this could be part of my “usual,” too… something that bold.

Then I looked up at a big digital screen in the city.

There was the familiar face of JJJ—J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle newspaper.

He was yelling, as always, going off on Spider-Man.

I wasn’t really paying attention, but then—

"Spider-Menace: Murderer!?"

The headline caught my eye, and I did a double-take in shock.

Michelle noticed me stopping and gave me a puzzled look as she came closer.

"Spider-Man executes Green Goblin, aka Norman Osborn!"

"Anonymous footage received!"

"So graphic, it’s unfit for public viewing!"

"Watch out for the masked killer!"

I flinched at Jameson's baseless accusations.

"W-What is this…?"

My throat was dry.

I felt like my vision wavered.

Spider-Man… me… a murderer?

No… the one who killed him was that guy called Redcap…

And that video—it has to be fake.

Could I have been framed?

By that guy in the red mask?

What do I do?

This could ruin my work as a hero.

Should I say something publicly?

But I haven’t shown my face… no one would believe me—

"...Peter?"

A hand squeezed mine.

Michelle’s… small, smooth, soft—like only a girl’s hand could be.

All my worries vanished in an instant, and my heart started pounding.

"M-Michelle?"

"You okay?"

She looked up at me with concern in her eyes.

There’s just under a ten-centimeter height difference between us.

She had to tilt her head slightly to meet my eyes.

That gesture alone was enough to make my heart feel like it was about to explode.

"I-I-I’m fine! Totally fine… I’m okay, Michelle."

"…You are absolutely not okay."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at my awkward response.

Michelle glanced around, trying to figure out what had shaken me, then spotted the large digital screen from the Daily Bugle in my line of sight.

The anti-Spider-Man broadcast was still going.

Seeing her stare at it, I got nervous and called out to her.

"Uh, hey… Michelle?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think of Spider-Man…? Do you really think he’d kill someone…?"

At that, she furrowed her brows slightly, looking troubled.

"I don’t think Spider-Man would ever do something like that."

"…You don’t?"

Her response caught me off guard.

"Yeah. Because—"

Michelle looked at me and smiled.

"Because he's my hero. The one I've always looked up to."

But that smile...

It felt like she was hiding something behind it. Something a little dark.

---

The night Spider-Man—my beloved hero—was accused…

I was dressed in the red mask and black suit… in the guise of Redcap, and had arrived at a certain location.

Evading public eyes, I passed through an underground tunnel… and reached the 4th basement floor of Oscorp.

This was an abandoned research facility, with gene experimentation equipment and various scientific devices left to gather dust.

Glancing at a plaque on the wall, I saw the words: "Supervisor: Curt Connors."

This facility was shut down after the Green Goblin incident.

A security camera hung from the ceiling.

It saw me, but no alarm was raised.

That’s because the building’s owner is silently allowing me to be here.

The camera feed had been swapped out with harmless footage from the previous day.

No one monitoring it would know I had come today.

My footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway as I stopped in front of a meeting room.

I knocked twice, took a breath.

Without waiting for a reply, I opened the door.

Inside the room were five men.

Taking a seat in an empty chair brought the total number of people to six.

Across from me sat a man in a green suit, his head enclosed in what looked like a fishbowl.

"Nice to meet you… Redcap."

He spoke in a muffled voice. You could tell he was a man, but matching it to his real voice would be nearly impossible.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Mysterio."

From behind my mask, I glared at the villain in front of me—Mysterio.

---

Me? I’m Herman Schultz, aka "Shocker."

I shaved, fixed my hair, took a shower… and gave a smirk to the handsome face in the mirror.

This is my pre-job ritual.

A kind of lucky charm—it guarantees success.

I lit a single cigarette, ground it into the ashtray, and left the hotel a little ahead of schedule.

My gear—Shocker’s tools of the trade—were packed in a bag disguised as a guitar case.

The streets were dead quiet, not a soul in sight.

In front of the hotel sat a black car.

It wasn’t a taxi or anything, but I didn’t care. I opened the door, threw in my bag, and plopped into the seat.

The driver didn’t even glance at me—just started driving.

I looked down at the letter in my hand.

A letter, in this day and age?

Well, I kinda get it. Less traceable than digital data.

It was an invitation.

Basically said, "Let’s beat the crap outta Spider-Man together!"

Okay, maybe not in those exact words—but that was the gist of it.

I’ve got a grudge against Spider-Man.

He’s the reason I landed in prison in the first place.

Even now, scraping by as some kind of hired thug… that’s on him too.

So the guy who sent the invite—Mysterio—he wants to gather folks like me, villains with a grudge, and work together to wreck Spider-Man.

We pulled up to a certain building.

Well, not just any building—Oscorp.

What the hell's Oscorp doing in this mess…? Oh, right.

The CEO got killed by Spider-Man, supposedly.

Yeah, I guess there’d be people out for revenge.

…The news this morning said Spider-Man lynched Norman Osborn, the former CEO, right?

But something about that rubs me the wrong way.

Spider-Man's a self-righteous prick, sure.

But that’s why I didn’t think he’d ever actually kill someone.

Still… they’ve got footage. If that’s real, then it must’ve happened.

…Maybe Norman stepped too deep into something Spider-Man couldn't ignore.

Yikes. That’s scary.

In the bathroom, I changed into my usual suit and equipped my shock gauntlets.

Would’ve been nice if they had a changing room or something. Idiots.

I stomped down the quiet hallway, glancing at the labs as I passed.

Pretty high-tech stuff.

Screams capitalism, y’know?

As someone who’s dabbled in science myself, I gotta say—I’m a little jealous.

In a place like this, I could probably build some gear with real precision…

Wait, no. That’s not why I’m here today.

I opened the conference room door.

Inside were some truly bizarre characters.

There was a weirdo with a fishbowl on his head, a guy dressed exactly like the supposedly-dead Green Goblin, and some idiot built like a rhino.

…Huh?

One of ’em was just a regular dude.

Looked like some average guy in his thirties—maybe forties—wearing a navy jacket and sporting an undercut.

What the hell? He looked totally out of place.

I mean, no one else here—including me—looked even remotely normal.

I took a seat and waited a bit, when there was a knock at the door.

Honestly, I had no clue who was even invited here. I didn’t know how many people were supposed to show up.

The door opened, and…

Oh. A familiar face walked in.

"Nice to meet you… Redcap."

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Mysterio."

From that exchange, I realized the fishbowl guy was Mysterio—the guy who sent the invitation.

Not surprising, really. He had that “not normal” vibe screaming off him.

Redcap sat in the seat next to me.

A while back, that would’ve freaked me out. But now? Nah.

If anything, it was kind of a relief.

She’s a good person. Level-headed. Smart.

…Unlike the guy who looks like a rhino. I don’t think I could even have a conversation with that dude.

I mean, is he even human?

Still, knowing that Redcap’s a girl—and a kid, no less—kinda gave me this weird sense of guilt. Or maybe just made me feel awkward.

A young girl, hanging around villains like us…?

She should be at home, asleep right now. Then again, if I said that out loud, she’d probably beat me to death.

Gotta watch myself.

It’s not that I’m underestimating her.

It’s just that, in my mind, kids are supposed to be playing games and living carefree.

…Does she even go to school?

I’ve got no idea what she even looks like. Can’t picture her personal life at all.

As I’m thinking about all that, Fishbowl—Mysterio—stood up from his seat.

"Welcome, my five fellow avengers."

…A little theatrical, isn’t he?

"First, let’s each introduce ourselves. Share why you want revenge on Spider-Man—get everyone on the same page."

He snapped his fingers.

Snap.

The walls disappeared.

The room transformed into what looked like outer space, and I nearly fell out of my chair.

But Redcap stayed calm, arms folded like nothing happened… and even that weirdly normal jacket guy wasn’t fazed.

I pulled myself together.

Wasn’t scared, alright?

At least, that’s the vibe I tried to put out.

"...Heh."

A faint chuckle came from the seat next to me.

"My name is Mysterio! A sorcerer who bends even reality itself."

He snapped his fingers again, and the walls, floor—everything—went back to normal.

"Just a little demonstration."

...He’s sketchy, but definitely dangerous.

"I lost my wife and daughter to Spider-Man. I want justice. With the five of you here, we’ll deliver a righteous punishment."

He sat down.

…His wife and kid were killed?

Man, Spider-Man’s racked up quite the body count, huh?

As I was thinking that, the guy dressed like Green Goblin stood up next.

Well, not the Goblin, since the original’s dead. So definitely a fake.

"I’m Harry Osborn… son of the original. I’ll kill Spider-Man, the man who murdered my father. Call me ‘New Goblin.’"

He said that flatly, then sat back down.

…Ah, makes sense. Current president of Oscorp, right?

No wonder they’ve got Oscorp backing this whole thing. Of course he can book out a whole building—he owns it.

Next up, the guy who looked like a rhino stood up.

"My name’s Rhino. I work as a bodyguard... but that bastard’s gotten in my way more times than I can count. If Spider-Man disappears, my job gets a hell of a lot easier. That’s why I’m in."

Thud. Rhino sat back down.

Dude’s nearly two meters tall, and the chair didn’t break. Oscorp makes some solid furniture, apparently.

…Oh, guess it’s my turn.

I stood up and gave my intro.

"I’m Shocker. Mercenary. That damn spider caught me once and tossed me in jail. I’m gonna beat his ass. That’s it."

I sat down, and the person next to me—Redcap—stood up.

"I am Redcap. I’m here on a contract. That’s all."

They spoke in that genderless robotic voice of theirs and sat down like they didn’t give a damn.

…Huh. Communication skills: not their strong suit.

You could call that kind of quietness “cool,” but it also just comes off… gloomy. Lame, even.

Speaking of lame, there's still that rhino dude in front of me.

With the five of us done introducing ourselves, that left just the regular old dude.

The guy glanced around the room, then got up with a “Oh, guess it’s me” kinda face.

"Uh… I’m Eddie. Eddie Brock. Just a regular journalist. I don’t have any personal beef with Spider-Man, but my ‘partner’ really wants to kill him. So… yeah. That’s why I’m here. Uh… nice to meet you?"

The dude—Eddie—sat down.

…What the hell is up with that guy?

He made zero sense.

But one thing was clear: he’s the lowest on the totem pole here.

I figured I’d scare him a bit later, just to make sure he doesn’t get cocky—

"Herman."

A quiet voice called my name.

It was Redcap.

"O-oh. What?"

That red mask of theirs popped into my view, and it almost gave me a damn heart attack.

But if Redcap’s talking to me now, it’s probably important, so I leaned in to listen.

"Stay away from that man. He’ll bite your head off."

“…Huh?"

I muttered, confused, and looked over at the “just a journalist” guy—Eddie.

Him? He’s the biter?

Wait… “bite off” my head? What kinda mouth are we talking about here?

Is he some kind of mutant with super jaws or something?

Still, even if I had doubts, I trusted what Redcap said.

They weren’t the type to spout dumb lies.

I nodded quickly, and that seemed to satisfy the red mask. They leaned away from me.

Then Mysterio spoke again.

"That concludes the introductions. Now, let us work together—and destroy that spider once and for all."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

…Except Redcap and Eddie. Those two didn’t even flinch.

Seriously, what’s with their complete lack of teamwork?

"Now, as for our team name… allow me to choose it."

Mysterio clapped his hands together in front of his chest.

"Since there are six of us… how about this: The Sinister Six?"