Don't Tempt Fate (Open to Dark Syndicate)

[Kaine Riley]

Kaine's anger had flared up the last couple of months, as he sat home watching tv to make sure the streets of Mexico were safe, a mysterious note appeared on his doorstep. It didn't seem to have any address or in it, but it had been fully wrapped nicely into the envelope. Using his stinger on his right hand, he slashed the front of it open and tore it so the note could come out. The note only had a few pieces of lettering on it. "You seem to have a dark anger growing in you. If you want to join us, come to this adress in the United States. If you want. If you don't, that's your loss not hours." -Dark Syndicate.

That sounded odd, and suspicious at the same time. Kaine sighed, he really didn't want to go to Las Vegas, or where ever this address took him since he knew it'd bring up bad memories. But the invitation sounded good on the other hand. Sighing, he took his chances. "This better be legit or I'll put them in a world of pain." He said to himself as he changed into his Scarlet Spider Suit, locked up his home temporarily and began to swing his way to the United States. And he'd probably be doing this for a couple of hours.

After arriving, the address lead him to some kind of casino, it was lit up like people were playing and enjoying games, but Kaine wasn't all too interested in playing the slots or playing cards there. Sighing, he really wondered if this was going to be a problem with all the crowds there, he was a loner, and that was the last thing he wanted right now. He quickly changed into his normal civilian suit as he walked in side, and took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't easy since this place seemed crowded, but no one paid attention to him as they were focused on their game. "Don't tell me I came to this place for no reason at all." he complained to himself. He sat down at one of the empty chairs and put up his feet on the table. It may have been rude, but he simply didn't care about the way he acted. And what was even stranger, was he had his sunglasses to hide his face, he didn't want to show the whole casino that he had a strange mark under his left eye. They'd think he was a freak, but that was indeed true. All he could do now was wait for someone to arrive, or he was waiting his time at this crummy looking casino. "Well looks like Ill be here for awhile." he grumbled softly under his breath. On occasions, he couldn't help but glance up at the clock to see how many minutes ticked by, and it started to go by a bit faster than he realized.

[Deleted]

Creating this team was proving to be a slow process, slower than Blackheart was hoping. There were several villains out there but some more than others he truly was interested in and then there were also those that crossed between the lines, anti-heroes as they were called. He had spent time looking into the news, local, national, and international alike for clues and hints and others he used his own telepathy to seek out similar minded individuals. Thus far, he had been successful with two mutant women, one he felt could prove his most likely ally. She seemed right up his alley and the other was still young, she could be swayed to the opposite side but he had to keep the two members while he could. Least until his plans could be fully put into motion.

That's why Blackheart had dug deeper, pushing every lead he could find to seek out others. And one of them he had come across was Scarlet Spider, an anti-hero of Mexico that captured his attention. There were reports saying his methods were crude and ruthless, showing perhaps no qualms in killing someone if he had to which was someone the demon was quite interested in. So, he has sought him out, using his telepathy to control someone into trying to find the spider anti-hero and finally narrowing it down to Kaine's apartment and leaving the note. With him being superhuman Blackheart had no doubts that the young man would be here quickly, which proved to be true if he took the note seriously.

Stepping to the window of the office and observation room of his casino, Blackheart sipped some Fireball Whiskey, a mouth for now visible where there normally seemed to be none at all. It was a one way viewing window, he could see out but no one could see in, perfect to avoid someone seeing his demonic form unless he wanted them to and right now he didn't want to scare away customers. But one in particular caught his attention. This person was wearing glasses and seemed to have no interest in the gambling and games, making the quilled demon tilt his head slightly in wonder at first as few could resist the atmosphere of the casino. If they showed no interest in gambling then their next options were drinking at the bar or watching the shows he often held. But still no, the man continued to move until he was sitting at a table, seeming to be waiting and with a closer look at the man's features Blackheart realized who it was. "At last."

Setting his drink down, Blackheart shifted to his human disguise of seemingly a black haired business man with dark brown eyes, making his way down a stairway off to the side that led up to the office. No civilians were allowed up that way unless he gave specific permission or special access. Strolling over to the table in which Kaine sat, Blackheart gave a slight grin with an air of welcome in his demeanor, "Ah, Mr.Reilly we've been expecting you," Blackheart said, his voice surprisingly smooth and almost hypnotic sounding but he let his real eye color show briefly, flashing red before he gestured for the man to follow.

"Sorry to keep you waiting for so long, I wasn't entirely sure if you were here yet." Blackheart told him, leading Kaine up the stairway and to the large office before closing the door. The office itself seemed like a well furnished business and waiting room with a dark mahogany wood desk to one side with an expensive looking leather chair and other things on it, four couches in the middle of the room facing one another with a similar wood center table, and a few other assortment of chairs near smaller circular metal tables and along the other walls thousands of books lined along shelves. Many of the books looked old and worn, some being of a language most except mystics could not read. "Please, make yourself at home, me casa su casa." Blackheart stated not yet revealing his true form.

[Kaine Riley]

A bit of time ticked by, the anti hero kept looking up at the clock. On occasions he heard some of the humans giggle or laugh as they talked among their group of friends. He couldn't understand how they found this type of game fun but they seemed to be enjoying it. Then again, most things like this he tried to stay away from and avoid being in the spot light. Kaine would never be able to handle the rich and famous life without his loner personality kicking in. And in reality, that was all that he was good at.

"You've been expecting me?" Kaine asked as he saw the buisness man come forward. He raised his blind eye a bit as he looked at the man with his good one. He could tell that this guy was going to be serious. Kaine shrugged, he hadn't been waiting for that long, it had only been a few minutes at most, at least an hour hadn't dragged by without anyone showing up. By then, he would've left. He had a jacket on over a white shirt and some jean pants, if anyone else would've guessed he was probably there just as a civilian and to play the slots. But Kaine had some more important things to worry about than loosing any money, and in fact he hardly had any, usually he got by with what he got from the rewards of saving someone's life or saving the bank before it was robbed. Life was hard, and he knew how bad it could get.

Blackheart lead Kaine towards a different part of the Casino, it was quite and felt almost secluded from the other areas of the building. Kaine noticed the desk, and once he figured it out in his head this was probably the man's office where he did most of his work probably for the casino. He sat down at one of the couches and looked up at the man finally, he held his breath for a bit but took off his sunglasses, knowing it was too dark in the dimly lit room to try and and see with them. And hopefully here they won't be judged.

"Well I got your note." He said as he folded his glasses and put them in one of his pockets revealing not only the mark of Kaine but also the blind eye that he had. He knew if he showed that in the casino they'd probably stare, and he didn't want the extra attention. "And I'm interested in joining." He said rather bluntly. "Life in Mexico isn't exactly what I wanted. But it's better than living in Oscorp labeled as an experiment." He said with a half grumble as he looked at the other man. But he couldn't understand how this guy could work at a casino, but heay if money was involved you'd be able to do anything and become a rich man over night. "So can you tell me about this Dark Syndicate?" He asked trying to get as much information out and to see if it was worth it coming all this way. But he did recognize the spanish that the man used, me casa su casa was "My house is your house." A friendly saying that the spanish knew very well and he realized that it was meant with seriousness.

[Deleted]

Blackheart gave a confirming nod to Kaine's question about being expected. He had had a feeling that the note may intrigue Kaine enough he might show up and it was something of what human's called a sales pitch. It wasn't perfect but it would do for the time being until Blackheart felt they could go "public" as it were, but for now he was fine in being covert and discrete with things rather than make their presence known. They weren't quite ready for that yet.

Not that Blackheart apparently needed to try much as Kaine immediately and bluntly stated he was interested. "Excellent, that's what I was hoping to hear." The demon said with a slight grin, moving to grab his drink of which he moved in his hand causing the liquid to move about before finishing the contents in one gulp. He did so to allow Kaine to finish talking, nodding as he heard of Mexico being a rough place, and quite frankly he did wonder if the young man knew just how much of a rough place South America really was in some places, maybe more so than most.

But finally came the question Blackheart had been waiting for. "The Dark Syndicate...it's simple my friend, we are an organization that is bent on getting what most like us want: vengeance and mayhem. My intention is to gather individuals who feel they have been wronged, like the world has done them an injustice and that they deserve retribution." Blackheart said as he walked around behind the young man before coming to stand across the opposite side of the table and his form at last seemed to change to reveal his true state, the black hided, quilled, mystically marked demon in which he truly was. There was no look of judgement in his eyes, only understanding.

"I can understand your pain Kaine Reilly, I can feel the anger and hatred. It's alright to feel such emotions and here the Dark Syndicate wants to use that, for you to embrace it. The world is a cruel place, and they walk all over people like us, afraid of what we can do, what we are capable of, and they want to keep us from truly showing what the world is like." Blackheart said, gesturing to himself and to Kaine to emphasis his point, shaking his head in disappointment and disbelief that they were kept away like a dirty secret. Of course he was playing up that bit. "I have one simple question for you Mr.Reilly, do you want to show this world how truly cruel it can be?" He asked, holding out his hand.

[Kaine Riley]

What stunned Kaine the most was the fact that his spidey sense hadn’t been working, even when he set foot into the building. Maybe it was just because the place felt calm and relaxing on the other end. But his good eye widened as he saw what came before him, it was true that he hid his fear the best he could, like any person would’ve when they didn’t expect some normal looking man to turn into such a beast. Blackheart stood before him in his finest form, even more terrifying than he expected, but Kaine wasn’t afraid, at least he wasn’t going to admit it.

“You pretty much nailed my story right on.” Kaine said with a sigh. “Those humans treated me like an experiment, feeding my veins and body all that spider venom.” He said not wanting to remember it. “And these. I hate these most of all.” He pointed out as the two large pointed bones came out of his wrists. They were both a couple of feet long and looked like they could tear through flesh, but his wrists quickly healed from his healing factor, and the signs of blood were gone. It was clear he considered himself a freak, even when he was acting like a villain and trying to go under the radar. The frustration, the anger, and all the pain was there no matter where he went. And it seemed like he couldn’t let it go, he knew the scientists were still out there, perhaps working on other fools that had fallen into the same trap.

“But I’ll join Blackheart, this is the first time someone actually came to me who isn’t about to rip me limb from limb. And I want revenge alright for oscorp doing these awful things to me. So you can count me in.” He said as he sheathed his pointed stingers back in. He knew if someone came in suddenly on the two of them it would not end well. But Kaine knew now if he stepped over this dark fine line, there may not be a chance of backing out of it unless he fled on his life. Luckily, he had the idea that they couldn’t kill him so easily with his healing factor that he had.

Well it was official now; Scarlet Spider had officially joined the Dark Syndicate. And things certainly looked a bit brighter, at least that was he hoped. He brought out his hand forward and shook Blackheart's hand, it almost felt cold to the touch, there wasn't an ounce of warmth in his body. "You can count me in." He said softly, but it was his quiet voice he usually always used.

And one other thing was true, the chance of revenge was in his mist.

“There is one thing that I have always been worried about. Before I was experimented by oscorp, I don’t have a clue on who I was before I became Scarlet Spider…I believe they whipped my memory. Did I have a home? Did I have a family? This is all foreign and sounds almost strange.” He said half wondering if Blackheart wasn’t interested in this soppy sad story in the part of his life. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was scared of what he might find.

[Deleted]

Kaine's stunned look was something Blackheart expected. Most saw his disguised state long before he revealed his true form to them, mainly to see where they stood and how they acted, gauging them to be able to stomach his intentions before stomaching his form. He was pleased though that Kaine seemed to handle it just fine as he had expected, giving further points that he had chosen wisely. Kaine was already turning into a fine candidate.

Ah, there it was, the center of Kaine's pain, his anger, his rage. Kaine wanted revenge alright but with proper manipulation Blackheart knew he could probably get Kaine to go further than just OsCorp and continue to help the team until Blackheart felt it was time to enact his true plans. "That is why you are here my spider friend, not only to exact revenge against OsCorp but to ensure similar minded individuals pay their just desserts. That'll only be the beginning for you. The Dark Syndicate is so much more than just single-minded petty revenge, it's meant to make the world open its eyes to what lies beneath the surface." Blackheart said, inwardly grinning as Kaine grasped his hand to show he was officially in.

But the coldness of Blackheart's skin probably couldn't have hit home to his name, it was black as night and cold as ice, indicating his wicked, cruel nature. Though he had given the stingers a curious glance before they had shaken hands, wondering why the young man would hate such things. It would be like the demon saying he hated the quills that adorned his body and made up his "hair". "You should not hate what gifts your oppressors have given you Kaine, you should see it as a new useful way to turn something they made against your enemies. I think with the right state of mind you can turn that curse into a gift, make your own signature against them such as with your mark." The demon told him, indicating the burn mark over his eye of which he discovered some were calling it like Scarlet Spider's calling card.

Though he tilted his head as he listened to one fear Kaine truly had, deep down truly caring less for such a sob story but he had to keep his growing impatient down if he wanted to keep Kaine. "The unknown is always a scary thing young one, but whoever you were before this I think you should steel yourself to prepare for what you might find. But if you truly wish to bring back those memories another of our members, Madelyne Pryor as she goes by, can help you. She is a skilled telepathic mutant and I trust she could easily bring up those memories you seek, to find your desired answers." Blackheart explained as he could easily leave such a task to the Goblin Queen.

[Kaine Riley]

The coldness that he felt from Blackheart felt as if his hands had gone through a refrigerator and he reached through to the farthest side. But the chill quickly went away after he stopped it from touching his hands. He half wondered if it had anything to do with his healing factor, but then again his healing factor worked a lot and quickly took care of any pain that he felt. At least that was one good thing that worked. Kaine could withstand any pain that normal humans would’ve felt before. “That’s a good idea, I do have a healing factor and it’s saved me many times in the past.” Kaine said as he tried to at least look at it from another good side. Blackheart’s words were helpful, all the anger and hate could be flipped towards a different side of thinking, and if he saw any of the workers that were there in Oscorp he’d likely use his stingers against them. And they were sharp; they could cut through any bits of flesh or even some materials if he tried hard enough, they’d be useful.

“The other curse is pretty hard to describe without demonstrating it. My hands can burn just about anything with the Mark of Kaine, what I’m named after anyways. It’s like a corrosive acid that comes from it. When I was first learning how to use it I burned my hands pretty badly and I suffered once again.” He said realizing he was telling more of his half sob story but Blackheart was helping. He had never told anyone this much before. Usually they never cared, nor bothered to help him.

“But I’ll try it with Madame Pryor once she has a moment of free time and if she’s willing to do it.” Kaine said liking the idea like he might actually get somewhere with this. He was actually moving forward, and not with the same old job that he had day in and day out. He wondered who Madame Pryor was, but it sounded like she was a telepath if she was able to look into someone’s mind. They had their own special powers, but he worried just how much he might find and how much of it he wouldn’t like.

“I do hate to bring on something like this but I left my old home some time ago to come here. Is there any place that I can board for the mean time?” Kaine asked half wondering if it was the right thing to say. He knew he’d have to find some place to sleep; he couldn’t be Scarlet Spider without the proper necessities taken care of. Even Super heroes/villains needed time to relax and rest before the big show down came.

[Deleted]

"You see, just a little insight into a new perspective can do wonders my young friend. Your gifts can be used to help yourself in dire situations and not only get your revenge but show the world what it means to be deadly." Blackheart said, showing a pleased expression that Kaine was seeing things his way. In fact, he seemed to be saying all the right words to rope the spider into his own little web. When there was one big fish there was always another bigger one waiting to attack them, and in this case Blackheart was using his knowledge, experience, and manipulation to do just that. But he would have to keep doing just that for probably the entire team if he wanted to avoid them quitting before his plans would come into full swing.

Though Blackheart showed interest in such an ability he also made note to be mindful of it. Acids could affect the demon, bothering him to the point it took forever for him to entirely recover so if Kaine did turn against him he would have to be ready. "Hm, suppose it is fitting. You had the darker side of yourself brought out now so perhaps it's just as well fitting your calling card as it were, perhaps you could even make it a permanent part of your signature." The demon suggested, thinking he could maybe get Scarlet Spider to literally make his mark just as he was certain all of the Dark Syndicate would in one way or another.

"Of course, I did almost forget about that didn't I." Blackheart said, seeming to have not thought much about the boarding situation and strolled over to the desk of which he had there in the office. From the drawer he pulled out a phone before coming over to Kaine and handing it over to him. "First, this will be yours for communication between us and the rest of the team, so make sure you have it on you at all times if you can. But there is always the psychic way as well so just be mindful of that. As for where you'll be staying, why here is where. There is a hidden doorway right to a part of the building no one can see nor enter without special permission or unless they can sense mystical energies. I have an illusion to cast on the back of the building to hide our headquarters." Blackheart explained with pride obviously decently skilled in the use of mystical powers.

He then gestured with his tail towards the book case opposite the door they had come in earlier. "It's fully furnished with different rooms, rec room with a kitchen, control room, and a main meeting room. I can take you now to see if you wish." Blackheart explained.

[Kaine Riley]

It was ironic really, here Kaine was one of the most deadly insects out there, usually spiders waited for their pray to bring them in and catch them in their web. But here, it seemed that Kaine was being roped in by another spider much bigger. The manipulation went on was not even noticed by the young teenager. He had been taught right from the start that the world was cruel and harsh, that was probably something that Blackheart had wanted from all those that he had gathered. To think that the world was full of hate and the light that once filled their minds with hope would have faded to nothing. “You know, you’re right.” Kaine said as he looked at his hands seeing where the Mark of Kaine had damaged and hurt his hands pretty badly. They weren’t that noticeable since his healing factor did its best to try and heal up what had happened only scars remained. “I like your way of thinking.” He added sounding satisfied.

But Blackheart knew something that Kaine hadn’t known, that the acid was corrosive towards demons. He really wasn’t into the whole supernatural side of things, but he’d likely learn a thing or two with Madame Pryor around the place and as well as Blackheart teaching him a few things. But so far Kaine seemed settled on the idea that he might be working with the Dark Syndicate for some time. After all being on his own seemed to lead him nowhere, he had the same crummy apartment on the same crummy street in Mexico.

“It’s possible I might use it but not right now. I like the red suit I use too much to let it go any time soon.” Kaine said knowing the mark of Kaine wasn’t very well known but it’d at least help him out in some situations where he could be identified by other possible spider heroes or villains. He knew he wasn’t the only one out there after meeting Hybrid, there were others.

“Thanks for the phone I’ll be sure to keep it safe to make sure it doesn’t get damaged.” Kaine said knowing he was going to make sure his belongings were safe at all times. Even in sometimes in fights there were casualties but often he could avoid getting a phone smashed, it was easy enough. He turned it on as the screen lit up, it was the first time he had used it but he would get used to the machine. Though technology really wasn’t their thing it seemed that Madame Pryor had that area checked. “Sure I’ll take a look around. Though I warn you I might be picky with the room selection. I hated the last place where I lived.” Kaine said as he put his phone in his pocket and felt it’s weight but it wasn’t too bad. But he was curious to see how this other parts of the casino held up, it was clear Blackheart paid attention to detail no matter where he went. Carefully he opened up the secretive door that wasn’t there, and out of reaction he half expected his spider sense to go off, but so far he didn’t feel it at all and it was hard to miss. Maybe his spidey sense was telling him it was safe here.

[Deleted]

“There are more like-minded individuals out there like us Kaine, more than you might realize. You just haven’t met them yet until now.” Blackheart told him, seeming to show that he did in fact care for Kaine’s problems and thoughts. In reality, the demon was just weaving his own web of deceit and lies to draw in and trap Kaine as he had done with Skyla and Madelyne, subtly maneuvering the conversation to know more about them and what made them tick. His web was small now but he knew in time he could grow it, making them into pawns for his power game and his to play as he saw fit. They were puppets on strings they could not yet see.

Though he simply shook his head and approached Kaine, resting a hand on his shoulder, “I don’t expect you to give up anything you are not use to my young friend, I simply want you to embrace it. The world is cruel and harsh, not meant for the weak of heart or those too skittish to get their hands dirty, and in this world you do that or you don’t get far.” Blackheart assured him, his tone serious and obviously driving home just how much Blackheart believed in that philosophy. That was maybe the only true real genuine thing about him. He believed in his cause and what he was doing, and sooner or later his ambitious would see fruition but he first had to be certain the rest of the Dark Syndicate was also doing their part.

Watching Kaine find the secret door without issue, Blackheart merely let out a soft chuckle at the young man’s attitude. “No one will boot you out of a room Kaine and you can pick what you want, I’m sure it’s a step up from what you are use to.” Blackheart said, glancing out at the crowded casino and taking on his human disguise. “[b[I’d recommend you check out the rest of the hide out as well, get use to the layout and know where everything is. But at the moment I have some other matters to attend to in the meantime.[/b]” The demon told him before making his way out of the room.

[Kaine Riley]

Kaine couldn’t shake the idea or thought that his spidey sense hadn’t gone off one bit while he was there at the casino. Was this place really safe? Or had it been blocked by some kind of mechanism that Blackheart had thought about? Well Kaine didn’t really want to worry about it too much; maybe he should just leave it as is. If his Spidey sense didn’t go off, then he was fine. It’s just fine. “I understand, Mr. Blackheart. But if you do need me, try to keep in mind that I do better alone. I don’t enjoy crowds, and even walking into this casino made me nervous. But I’ll take a look around.” He said knowing that he may have to get used to the idea that there may be heavy crowds in Las Vegas. It looked like Kaine had some homework to do while he was here.

“But trust me. I am pretty sure I can handle this place once I get used to it. I survived several years being locked up in Oscorp lab so this is like another chance.” He said with a soft nod before watching Blackheart head to the door and he was alone. Taking this chance, he opened up the door that was quite secretive, a bit of light filtered into the room from the other areas as he took a look in. “Now where to begin. This place could take me several days to explore.” He said to himself, as he rounded the next corner he came across a room that he observed for a bit; it was one of the bedrooms that Blackheart had been talking about so he stepped in. Perhaps this was the one. “Bingo.” He said already liking this one. Maybe at the Hells Gate Casino, he’d be able to find a place to fit in.

Ooc: Think this is a good place to end it since Kaine is now officially apart of the Dark Syndicate.