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[b]New York General Hospital[/b]

Landing on the top of the parking garage across from the hospital, I take a moment to look over the scene. From the looks of things, the building's already been evacuated. The crowd of onlookers behind the police barriers is heavy, the mass of humanity pressing up against itself to get a better look at what they must think of as the freak inside. Sand is strewn around the building, no doubt coming from the criminal still held up within. I don't know what happened to Marko, but I have to believe he didn't deserve this. He's a criminal, sure. But he is also a pawn in this game. He was a pawn for Tombstone, he was a pawn for Harry, and now he is a pawn for someone else. That much is obvious. Unfortunately, that also means I have to take the man down again.

Oh well, some people never learn.

Next to the hospital is a construction site where they're adding a new wing onto the building. Aunt May has been talking about it for months, and I have been doing research of my own. The wing iss going to be funded by Oscorp as a teaching hospital for ESU and NYU to share From the looks of it, all the dirt and sand has been stripped from the area, meaning Marko can call more of the stuff to him. Isn't that fun?

Before I can swing into action, my spider sense draws me to someone approaching from behind. Spinning around, I'm greeted Captain George Stacy, Gwen's father and one of my allies on the police force, "Thought you'd show up sooner."

"Well, you know how it is. News says there's a criminal made out of sand, and you just need to make sure you're looking and smelling your best for the new freak in town," I quip flippantly. "We established freaks have a reputation to live up to."

"You ever gonna stop with the jokes?" the captain of the NY MCU asked, taking a long draw from his cigarette.

"You ever gonna stop doing that?" I shoot the smoke out of his hand with some webbing.

Shooting me a sideways glance before lighting up another stick, he mutters, "You know how much these things cost in New York?"

"The kids at my high school get them easy enough. Maybe you can bum a few off them?" I smile under my mask. Captain Stacy always gives me crap when I come pick up Gwen. It's fun to give it back to him in this setting without him knowing who I am.

"You're making me reconsider the whole 'not arresting you thing'," George sighs before getting down to business. "There are a few doctors in there. Nurses and patients are all out."

I try to keep in my sigh of relief. At least I don't have to worry about saving Aunt May tonight.

"Any idea what floor the hostages are on?" I ask, looking over my shoulder at the hospital. It seems early quiet and calm now. Other than the loud murmur from the mass of humanity below, there didn't seem to be a sound in this part of the city.

"None. We sent men in a little while ago. They said it was like a constantly changing maze in there," Stacy says, obviously frustrated. "Bastard created a sandstorm every five feet before he spit my men back out on their asses."

"Terrific," I say, swinging towards the building.

I fly through a window that must have been blown out earlier, landing softly inside, sliding a bit on the sand strewn around the floor. A fine dust hangs in the air, and I cough slightly in it. The mask does an okay job of filtering the air, but it's still slightly irritating. The interior of the hospital iss quiet as a tomb aside from my shuffling feet in the sand. It is that uncomfortable silence before the storm, and I don't like it one bit.

As I slink down a hallway, the sound of shifting sands stand the hairs on my neck up. I spin around, but find nothing behind me that looks out of place. I keep moving, but a wall of solid sand stands in my way at an intersection. I take the way that is open to me, heading deeper into the center of the hospital. As I pass by two elevator shafts, my spider sense explodes in warning. I dive out of the way of streams of sand that burst from the elevator doors, which then rip apart the facing wall. 

"This is spooky as hell," I grumble to myself as I proceed. "Where are you leading me, Marko?"

I continue traversing this labyrinth the one-time petty criminal set up for me. He springs traps and sets up roadblocks now and again, but it seems like he's more worried about slowing me down than stopping me. Finally making my way to the only door I can go through, I open it and enter into what seems to be the hospital's central atrium. But instead of planets, windows, and people, all I see is a giant, swirling sand mass. From it appears what looks to be a cage made of dust, and inside are four very frightened doctors. Directly above that, the sand begins swirling and shifting, transforming into the face of Flint Marko.

"Here I am, Marko," I open my arms, presenting myself to the criminal. "You got what you wanted. Let the doctors go."

"Why should I, webhead?" he chuckles in a deep, booming voice. "You always beat up on me when I didn't have any powers. Why can't I do the same to these guys? These guys who couldn't help me."

"You're not a killer, Marko," I plead with him. "You may not be a good guy, but you're no murderer."

"You know somethin, bug? You're right," he admits as the doctors' cage turns into a hand which deposits them outside, behind Flint. "I ain't got no reason to kill them."

I flip back as my spider sense explodes, barely getting out of the way of another fist made of sand. I don't even land as a funnel of the granules closes around me, attempting to crush me like the spider I am.

"But you? I got plenty a reasons to kill you."