𝟏𝟐 - 𝑨 𝑭𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕

'I told you to kill Spiderman.'

'I can't.'

'Why not?'

'I just can't.'

'"Can't" is not a reason, Parvati. Give me a valid enough reason. Why can't you kill him?'

'Because- because I heard I'm not meant to be the Prowler!'

'Oh? And who said that?'

'Some Spiderdude.'

'Indian Spiderman?'

'No. Guy named Miguel.'

'Miguel? I'm not aware of this person. Stop telling lies Parvati.'

'I'm not.'

'You are, and we both know it,' the Scientist said with malicious intent, 'I don't even think there is a person existing who's named "Miguel" in Mumbhattan.'

'How do you know?'

'I have everyone's information in a database of mine.'

'Well you can't remember everyone in Mumbhattan. The city's got a huge population.'

'Trust me, Parvati, I have my ways to remember each and every one of you.'

'That's creepy.'

'Creepy is what makes things fun!' the Scientist roamed around her room, before sitting on her desk chair with a flourish of her hand, fiddling with the pens and textbooks littered on desk, 'Plus, you are defined as creepy. You're a human cyborg. My human cyborg.'

'That's disgusting, I'm not yours. And I don't like to consider myself a cyborg. Just remove all the wires and stuff in my body, and I become normal again,' spat Parvati, looking like an annoyed child in her Mickey Mouse pyjamas, 'I don't want to kill Spiderman, I feel like it's wrong.'

'How?'

'I mean, he does so much for us. He saved my brother when he jumped from the building. I can't murder the person who saved my own brother! He helps the city in so many ways, why do I have to kill him? There really isn't a point unless you have some personal hatred against him.'

'Exactly. I do.'

'Then why choose me for it? Why do I have to be your pawn in this game? You go kill him yourself, no one's stopping you.'

'I can't. I live in hiding.'

'Why?'

'Because I've had... trouble. It's better for me to not be visible to the public.'

'But when you're the Prowler, your face is covered. No one is going to see you.'

The Scientist sighed, 'You know Parvati. If I hadn't made you the Prowler, you wouldn't be alive. Your body would have been cremated, your ashes thrown in the Ganga, and your loved ones weeping the hell out of their hearts.'

'Rude thing to say,' Parvati's heart panged.

'But it's the truth.'

'Well I'm still not killing him' the girl said stubbornly, 'Do whatever you want.'

'Including killing your family?'

Parvati paused at that.

'Aha. Forgot our terms and conditions? Kill Spiderman or I kill your family,' the Scientist doodled on her math textbook, 'I'm pretty sure you don't want poor Manish dying because of your childish stubbornness.'

Parvati fiddled with the wrist that held her Prowler activation. She was really tempted to use it. A simple push of the button, and she would be able to wipe out this stupid woman from existence.

So she did.

Launching herself at the Scientist, she slapped the woman with her clawed hand so that blood tickled down her face from the harsh cuts. She hissed, falling from the desk chair and onto the ground with a loud thump. This reminded the Prowler to keep the attacks silent, otherwise her family would wake up to find their daughter in a strange outfit throwing hands with another woman.

'You don't want to-!' the Prowler stopped the woman form speaking by clamping her claw on her mouth, pressing hard and using the tips to create more wounds in the soft skin of her cheek.

The Scientist struggled under her, trying to get out of the painful grip. But the Prowler didn't let her. She scratched her face, ripping out small bits of flesh as the skin bled and swelled up with inflammation. They would leave scars.

'Don't make me do your dirty shit,' the Prowler hissed, 'You're not touching that Spiderman or my family.'

'You are what I made you,' the Scientist whispered back, 'Without me you would never be able to pin me down like this. You were weak, and I made you strong.'

The Scientist whipped around, making the Prowler fall onto the floor. The girl kicked her leg up, making contact with the woman's stomach and sending her crashing into the desk. The Prowler cursed under her breath: that had been a little too loud for comfort. The Scientise took a metal ruler and charged towards her, brandishing it like some A-grade student fighting their academic rival. The Prowler took the ruler in her clawed hand and bent it, before throwing it onto her bed. 

'You do realise I have a co-worker?' the Scientist could barely talk, 'Killing me is pointless, for he will also have all the plans I have set. If you kill me, he'll just take up the job of making sure you kill Spiderman.'

'Then I'll go murder him myself,' the Prowler gritted her teeth.

'You'll never find him.'

'And how do you know that?'

'I just do.'

'You work for Alchemax, don't you?' the Prowler suddenly asked, dodging one of the woman's blows.

'I- i- yes. Yes I do... how did you know that?'

'I just asked and you answered. Ohhh,' the Prowler grinned, 'Fucked up your cover without even realising it.'

The Scientist looked quite annoyed at her slip up. She sighed heavily before getting up on shaky legs, wiping excess blood dripping off her face. The desk rattled as she used it to steady herself, making a few of the Prowler's textbooks fall on a small rug. 

'This...' she said breathlessly, pointing a shaking finger stained with red at the Prowler's face, 'This will continue at a better time. We both need our rest and we shall resume this conflict when we are both fit and I have better prepared myself,' she eyed the clawed hand.

The Scientist then jumped out of her window into the dark and out of sight, before the Prowler could utter a single word. There was only the sound of a small breeze flitting through the open window, pierced by the distant noise of construction, as well as the Prowler's breathing and the tick of a wall clock. 

But there was something on her desk which caught her attention, mixed up with a few of her pens and books. It glowed orange for a second, before going blank. The Prowler shifted aside her belongings, before picking the thing up, looking at it's metal straps.

This was the same watch that Pavitr had.

***

A/N

Hello guys! 

Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took a long time! 

Good news though: I've almost figured out the filler chapters so we can get the story done! :D

Stay tuned!

-Jiya. A