P2B - Chapter #10: Downfall Pt. 3

On a rooftop, Kaine watches his father's car heading somewhere from afar. He turned his attention to one of his hands, which had curled into a fist earlier not by his own will. That really was a close one. Gladly, he managed to prevent himself from killing Ben.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Kaine talked to the voice in his mind with a stern tone.

//"No, YOU shouldn't have done that!"// he retorted, //"I was doing what's best for us. Besides, you want him to die."//

"Yes, I do. And I despise my father. But I cannot do it after what happened to Flash!"

//"Unbelievable... Just unbelievable."//

Kaine covered his face with both of his hands and let out a muffled scream, filled with frustration. Another scream escaped from his mouth. Having enough of this confusion, he removed his hands from his face, curled one into a fist, and hit the ground so hard. It left a crack, but he didn't care. He kept hitting it. However, his anger was not satisfied, needing more. The question was...how could it be satisfied?

The teenager's eyes wandered around aimlessly until a billboard nearby caught their attention. An ad for a ring fight against Bonesaw McGraw with huge amount of money as the reward along with an address. The corners of his mouth turned upwards. This was his answer. He quickly took out his phone, entered the address into the phone's map, and swung there.

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(Nearly an hour later...)

Inside a building, cheers from an audience could be heard as Bonesaw finished his opponent in the ring. Some could be seen holding signs saying "WE LOVE YOU, BONESAW!" while others were holding saw props. Them cheering him and chanting his name made the big man grin and open his hands as he looked at them and screamed, "No one can defeat Bonesaw! Come on, I'm bored! Give me more and show me that you can win against the unbeatable BONESAW!!!"

Kaine was watching from the sidelines, gulping as he saw a fighter carried on a stretcher. "Maybe this is a bad idea..." he told himself quietly. He had second thoughts about exiting the building and simply going back to his family. But... The imagination of his parents' wrath made him tremble. At the same time, he was worried because he was surrounded by strangers, who knew what they would do to him?

//"First, you ran away from home. Second, you went here to release your anger. And now, you're having second thoughts? You've got to be kidding me,"// the voice groaned, //"Make up your mind already! Things are going to be fine."//

"No, this is stupid. I better just go back while I can. My dad's looking for me right now, what if something bad happens to him..?"

//"I thought you- we both hate him? That's unlike you."//

Kaine sighed, "I think I was too harsh at him... Too blinded by my hatred to see his other side. I need to talk with my dad and patch things up."

//"Urgh. Fine. But after we fight him,"// the voice responded with an irritated tone as Kaine put on his hood and made a mask out of his webbing. But there was a little facade that the teenage Parker didn't know, hiding an ulterior motive.

"Who will come and defeat Bonesaw?! Come on, don't be afraid!" There was no answer. "No one? Very well-"

"I will!" the teenager leaped forward to the ring, surprising everyone with such feat.

Bonesaw looked at the masked youth in wonder. "A boy?" he laughed, not expecting a young man to fight him, causing everyone to boo at Kaine but he didn't care. However, the man raised his hand to silence the audience. "So you want to fight me?" It earned a nod from Kaine. "Alright, kid. I'll try to hold back as possible."

"Hm... I'm looking for a little challenge. And I want you not to hold back. Just to make this interesting. What do you say?"

A smile of admiration was painted on the fighter's face. "No fighter has ever wanted a challenge until you come. Not bad," he flicked his fingers, "Cage match!"

At his command, a cage was lowered down, blocking all sides of the ring. As it was lowered down, Kaine turned around in panic. //"Darn. This is not what I signed up for."// He turned back to Bonesaw, looking at him in the eyes. //"Well... No going back. Time to finish this once and for all!"//

The audience remained silent and tense, all of their attention was on Kaine and Bonesaw. The two fighters stared at one another, taking a stance. Both clenched their fists as their respective eyes looked at the tiniest bit of movement, waiting for one to strike the other.

Seconds later, Bonesaw rushed toward Kaine like a rhinoceros. His eyes widened and he vaulted over the big man. As Bonesaw was left confused, the teenager delivered punches to his back in quick succession. Each punch was so powerful that it made the fighter growl in pain. Bonesaw propelled his elbow backwards to hit Kaine, making him step back and cough. Despite the powerful hit he received, he was able to recover quickly. But the fight was yet to be over.

As Bonesaw turned around, Kaine readied himself. The fighter rushed to the teenager. Kaine knew this move so he chose to repeat what he did. Unfortunately, the man grabbed his leg and smashed him to the ground. Painful moans escaped Kaine's mouth. As he was recovering, a vibrating sensation in his head alerted him to an incoming stomp from Bonesaw. Reflexively, Kaine crossed his hands to prevent the attack, with Bonesaw's foot close to his face. //"Fuck. That was close."//

With a small window of time, he quickly kicked Bonesaw in the chest so hard that it sent him to the side of the ring. Kaine then leapt backwards to the cage, his fingers attached to the bars. After that, he launched himself toward the man like a torpedo.

Everyone was silent at that moment. Their fingers were trembling. No one was moving, their eyes were laid on the fighters, waiting for the outcome. Soon, Kaine and Bonesaw stood up, breathing heavily. The big man could feel the aching pain throughout his body, but that was not his concern at the moment. He looked at the masked youth and clapped, "Not bad for a young man like you! You are the first to defeat me. Not bad!" With that, he patted Kaine on his shoulder and turned to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, give applause for this amazing young man!"

The audience quickly stood up from their seats and cheered, turning the room into a stadium. Beneath the mask, bewilderment could be seen in the young Parker's eyes. He couldn't hide his smile as he was showered with praise. Kaine turned to Bonesaw and they nodded as a sign of respect for each other.

On a nearby seat however, was the ring promoter. The look on his face was full of disdain. Bonesaw was the star of this fight and he was defeated merely by a young man? It was something he found to be unfair and insulting. Perhaps an unfair payback would do.

---

(Minutes later...)

Kaine, still wearing his web mask, was standing in front of the promoter's table, waiting as he counted the money. His phone vibrated in his pocket, prompting him to check it. His jaw dropped as he read it...

//Coz! Where are you?! I've been looking for you through every block and you're nowhere to be found. Uncle Ben's looking for you too! Where are you...? Please, please... Go home, Kaine...//

He frantically typed a reply.

//Alright, alright. Pete, I'm sorry. I'll be heading home soon. Don't worry about me.//

Kaine shoved his phone back to his pocket when the ring promoter handed the money. He accepted and checked it out. As he flipped it through, his normal expression turned into a confused one. He turned to the promoter, "Sir? Excuse me, but... I think you got the numbers wrong- The ad said three thousand, not a hundred."

The ring promoter looked at Kaine in the eyes and said, "I missed the part where that's my problem, kid. You see, you ain't the star. Bonesaw is! Be glad you still get rewarded. Now, get out."

"This is outrageous!"

The promoter didn't respond, causing Kaine to storm off of his office. He shook his head and cursed under his breath. He sighed and decided to go home as soon as possible. On his way to the elevator though, he got another vibrating sensation in his head. There were two suspicious men heading to the promoter's office. One of them was wearing a jacket and green-striped shirt. The man seemed...reluctant? Kaine just shrugged it off and continued walking to the elevator. Until the pleading and screams came from the office, which made the teenager turn around.

"They got my money! Stop them!" he screamed at Kaine, accompanied by a security guard. But Kaine just let them pass to the elevator.

When the promoter caught up with him, he looked at the teen with confusion. "You could've gotten them. Why?"

"I missed the part where that's my problem," Kaine replied in a nonchalant tone, smirking at the ring promoter, before leaving to the stairs.

Unbeknownst to him... Something terrible would happen that would haunt him... Perhaps, forever.

---

(Later...)

Having gotten rid of the web mask, Kaine was now heading home. On his way, he was texting his father, asking his location. Even after minutes had passed, there were no replies. He let out a heavy sigh, wondering if his father hated him this time...

*BANG!*

A gunshot startled him, causing the teen to nearly drop his phone. Kaine shove it into his jeans' pocket and rushed to the source of the sound. What he found...was something that made him frozen. Ben lying helplessly on the ground, with the green-striped shirt man from earlier standing next to him. His fingers were shaking while still holding a revolver, his eyes widened in shock. But that was not what Kaine saw. All he saw...was a man who shot his father in coldblood.

The two then looked at each other. Kaine's expression was full of fiery anger while the man realized he got into a big trouble.

"Flint, come on! What are you doing!?" his friend, Dennis, yelled at him from Ben's car.

Flint immediately ran, got inside the car, and sat on a passenger seat. Dennis then drove it to somewhere safe, leaving Kaine behind.

For a moment, he wanted to pursue them, beat them, and leave them to the authorities. But then... Who would aid his father? Who would be there for him? So, he rushed to Ben and kneeled down, inspecting the gunshot wound on his stomach. The blood soaking his father's shirt made Kaine avert his eyes. However, he tried to look at it and stop the bleeding. The question was...how?

"Dad?" Kaine called him, but no response. He reached for his hand, holding it and giving a soft squeeze... Still no response. "Dad, I'm here. Dad..?" No words came out of him...

Kaine looked down, overwhelmed by guilt. Tears were starting to roll down across his cheeks. It was all his fault... He could've just moved on and forgiven him. But no, he had to keep hating him. Until he finally paid the price.

Peter, still in his Spider-Man outfit, landed on the street after swinging throughout city blocks. Not far from him, was his cousin and his now late uncle. The sight shook him to his core, causing Peter rush to Kaine.

"Kaine...?" The mention of his name prompted him to turn to Peter. He couldn't say anything, as there was nothing left to say. The older twin then cradled his father's body, sobbing, while Peter put his hand on Kaine's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"I'm sorry, Dad... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...." He could only say it repeatedly to Ben's ear. No matter how many times he would repeat it, it wouldn't matter. Because there was no more chance to fix things between them.

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A/N: The next chapter will explore how Ben's death affects the Parker family, Kaine's mind, and his relationship with his mother. It will also be the last chapter of Part 2B. I hope you're enjoying it so far!