Chapter Text
The particle accelerator ignited with power, lighting the lab with the light of the sun! The scientist looking at his marveling machine was proud; It was like having a child! However, the accelerator stopped, leaving the man perplexed,
“Sue?” Called out the scientist, “Did you turn off the accelerator? I was about to discover a new particle!” The silent room was then filled with the sound of two blown balloons rubbing against each other, as the man stretched his neck out into the hallway,
“Sorry Reed,” Said a voice with seemingly no source, “I didn’t touch anything. Why not ask Herbie to see what’s up?” Dr. Richards walked toward the computer terminal, his head going back between his shoulders and input commands into the computer,
“Strange, it seems it shut down due to some outside interference, usually that happens when guests arrive, but we didn’t invite anyone here, did we?” Sue shook her head, and the two stood there for a moment. Ten seconds later, they charged out of the lab, heading toward the others.
In the living room, a large rock was taking a nap. The sounds it made seemed like its vocal cords were made of pure gravel, as a soft snicker was off to the side. A young man, no older than nineteen, sprayed some whipped cream into one hand, and held a hammer with his other hand,
“This is gonna be so funny!” The young man whispered, picking up his phone, and recording the event. The young man scratched the nose of the living, orange rock with the hammer, and the Thing slapped his face, “YES!” The young man started to run away as a booming voice roared out,
“JOHNNY!!!” And chased after the young Storm. The two groups met in the hallway, with a large window looking outward into New York. Johnny threw a fireball at the Thing, and quickly stopped to a halt when he laid eyes on his sister,
“Hey, Sue! Hey Reed! Whatcha doing?”
“Johnny now's not the time,” Sue said using her powers to wipe the burnt cream off the Thing’s face, “There you go, Ben.”
“Thanks, Sue, remind me next time to give Johnny a clobbering!” Johnny got behind Reed and Sue, and stuck his tongue out at Ben,
“Guys, an intruder is trying to enter the Baxter Building!” Reed said, leading them toward their docking room, where the Fantasticar was parked. They turned on the surveillance system, and a weird sight was beheld, “Is that man sticking to the wall?”
“It looks like he’s trying to open the window, Reed!”
“What a nutcase, sounds like something hothead over here would pull off!”
“Hey!” Johnny said, recognizing the figure, “It’s Spider-Man!”
“Why would Spider-Man want to break into our building? He could have just called a meeting.” Reed wondered as he typed onto the computer,
“What are you doing, stretch?”
“I’m letting him in, see what he’s got to say about this situation. To be safe, I’m putting him in the containment chamber,” A window near them opened, and like clockwork, Spider-Man leaped in, only to be trapped in a plexiglass cylinder,
“Hey! What’s the big idea!?” Spider-Man yelled through the glass, as he pulled it opened, fighting against the pneumatic machine,
“NO! If you break that equipment-” Reed began, only for a web to cover his mouth,
“Oh zip it while you’re ahead!” Spider-Man said, immediately dodging a swipe from Ben,
“Hey you squirt, it’s about time someone taught you some manners!” Spider-Man then launched a fist at the mountain man, knocking him back,
“Hey, you big ape! Forget I can do whatever a spider can?” Spider-Man walked forward, but felt a tingle in the back of his mind, “ Right, the Invisible Woman! She’s trying to trap me! Not if I do it first! ” Spider-Man leaped into the air, spraying web all over the area. When he landed, a ring of fire was around him,
“That’s it you mister, fun’s over!” Spider-Man jumped toward the ceiling, webbed a water sprinkler, and covered the Human Torch in water,
“Sorry, matchstick, I didn’t quite hear you over your ego!” The Thing got back up, and Spider-Man landed on the floor. However, Mr. Fantastic formed a wall between them, finally managed to rip the webbing over his mouth,
“Alright, that’s it Spider-Man, no more fun, and games! I suppose you’re gonna tell us why you’re here!?” The rest of the Fantastic Four huddled together as Spider-Man folded his arms and leaned against a wall,
“Well, I figured you needed a demonstration of what I can do, and I imagine I’m worth your top salary! So, what do you say? Fantastic Five!?”
“I knew it!” Ben said, storming off toward the living room, “This guy’s got rocks rolling around in his noggin!”
“Spider-Man,” Sue Storm spoke up, through the net of webbing, “I’m afraid you made a mistake: We’re a non-profit organization!”
“That, and our team dynamic works better with just the four of us, I got spreadsheets to prove it!” Reed said, reaching over to the computer terminal,
“So, I’m not hired?” The two adults shook their heads, “Well, how about being an intern? I could use the experience!” Again, the two shook their heads, “Well, don’t I look silly?” Spider-Man said, helping the Invisible Woman out of his webbing,
“Hire you?” Johnny snarked, “Sorry, we don’t need any losers on the team!” Spider-Man snapped his head toward the Human Torch, and leaped toward the window,
“You know what? Screw you guys, I’ll make my own Fantastic Five! One where everyone’s a spider-person!”
“Yeah, and the last member is a talking pig!” Johnny said, laughing at the swinging hero. He turned around, wiping a tear from his face. He was then met with the disappointment from both Reed and Sue, “What? What!?”
Two lovers enjoyed their lunch, drinking exquisite wine in the afternoon. The woman looked on as her lover tried everything in his power to make her happy, and felt her heart flutter. The man smiled, knowing he had succeeded. However, they were approached by two men, who earned the long stares of the other guests at the restaurant. One was a snazzily dressed man, who always appeared busy. Another was an albino, who sneered at the guests with a toothy grin. The snazzily dressed man leaned in and whispered into his boss. The boss tilted his head forward, looking frustrated,
“I’m sorry, Vanessa. I have a business to take care of, but I will make it up to you later tonight. How’s steak sound?”
“Amazing, Wilson.” The mayor of New York bent forward, giving a small yet sensitive kiss to Vanessa’s hand, and let her escorts guide her to their penthouse. Wilson then followed his men out of the restaurant, riding down the elevator,
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Mr. Lincoln here has addressed a problem, Wilson. Mr. Lincoln?” The Tombstone spoke with a low, growly voice, as though he was a chain smoker,
“We may have a bug on our operations in Queens. Makes things worse since the Devil started kicking our ass.”
“Language,” Wilson said, “We are men of class, not common thugs on the street.”
“Sorry, must have caught the lingo from being around them. Anyway, what should we do about these masked freaks?”
“Wesley and I shall come up with a solution, while you just keep the product circulating. And Mr. Lincoln,” Wilson Fisk leaned in close, his mouth next to Mr. Lincoln’s ear, “You interrupt my time with Vanessa again, and I’ll personally make sure it’ll never happen again. Do I make myself clear?” For the first time, the Tombstone looked terrified. He immediately regains his composure, and straighten his stance,
“Crystal.”
“Good, now I’ll hope we meet each other at the correct time,” The elevator door opened, allowing Wilson and Wesley to walk toward their limo, and Lonnie got into his.
“Who needs to be in a team? I don’t!” Peter swung through the city, away from the Baxter Building. He landed in an alley, hiding behind a dumpster, and started to change into his civilian clothes, “It’s not like I wanted to gain some experience into being a superhero because I have no idea what to do sometimes! Iron Man doesn’t have to deal with this, so why should I?” He then looked at his phone, “Crap, I’m gonna be late!” Peter then rushed to the large campus ahead.
As Peter rushed towards ESU when he heard sirens coming from a bank, “ Oh, come on! What moron robs a bank during the day!? ” Peter mentally sighed as he swung toward the robbery, but felt a weird sensation as he got close. He knows it’s not his spider-sense because everything on the whole block was shaking. The air, the cars, the lights, the mailboxes, the shattering glass, and Peter knew it was going to be a long day.
The police cars in front of the bank rocked back and forth, the officers taking cover and trying to not fall over. Spider-Man landed near a cop car, and recognize someone,
“Captain Stacy!” Spider-Man said, and immediately held his hands up when all the officers pointed their guns at him,
“Stand down! We could use his help!” The police captain slowly stood up to get closer to the web-slinger, “Spider-Man, can you help us?”
“Sure, just one question: Is the Hulk in town!?” Spider-Man said as a new wave of kinetic energy vibrated out of the bank,
“Perp walked in with some gauntlets, got everyone out of the bank, and this has been going on since,” Captain Stacy then looked sternly at the young vigilante, “Try to keep collateral damage to a low, okay?”
“What do you mean?” Spider-Man said confused, but remembered the penthouse after his fight with the Vulture, “You know what, I see what you mean. I’ll try to keep it on the down-low, alright?” Spider-Man then leaped into the bank, and slowly approached the source of the vibration.
In front of the main vault was a man wearing what looked like quilted fabric cut out of a couch. A yellow suit that looked like a pillow, with brown leather connecting the fabric. The arms up to the elbow were covered in silver gauntlets that fired concussed air at the vault. Spider-Man then realized that the vibrations were meant to crack open the vault! Webs were thwipped out, sticking the arms toward the floor as Spider-Man leaped in front of the robber,
“Sorry pal, banks closed. The nice men in the blue outside will be able to escort you to a nice, padded cell. Well, you’ll bring the pads, right?”
“You again!?” Screamed the robber, letting Spider-Man remember who he is,
“Oh! You’re the guy I webbed up from that truck! I thought you were in jail!”
“Nah, the big man’s got my back!”
“Big man?” Spider-Man asked, but his spider-sense blared, and he dodged a blast from the gauntlets as the webbing was vibrated to a liquid,
“You ain’t dealing with Herman Schultz anymore! I’m the Shocker!” The next thing Peter knew, he was blasted out of the bank, and into a cop car. He peeled himself out from the car, and looked at Captain Stacy,
“It’s Herman again,” Spider-Man then jumped into the bank, tackling the Shocker. As Spider-Man dodged swipes and blasts from the concussive gauntlets, he managed to grab something from Herman’s pocket,
“Pockets? You put pockets into your suit?”
“Yeah! Give that back!” Spider-Man kept hopping around the bank, dodging each blast with grace,
“It’s just that I was wondering: Velcro or zipper? I’ve been wondering if I should have pockets, but both sound like a bad idea,”
“Don’t you ever shut up!?” Spider-Man then spotted buttons on the side of the gauntlets, and Herman’s thumbs to his palms, “Nrg, Nrrrg! Uh… uh oh.” Spider-Man launched at the Shocker and launched him with a right hook. Later, Spider-Man gives the officers a webbed up Shocker, and carefully handed them his gauntlets,
“Be careful, the buttons on the side turn them on. And, you might break your bones if you try to do it without any cushioning.” Captain Stacy nodded as the officers pushed Herman into the back of a police van, and read through the small book,
“Looks like something is happening at the trainyard tonight. I trust you can be there?”
“Sure, I’ll put it next to the thousands of things I have to do on my to-do list,” Spider-Man then leaned forward,” He also mentioned, ‘The Big Man.’ Who is the guy?”
“That’s what the small-time crooks call him. The official name we and the media calls him is the ‘Kingpin.’” Spider-Man then looked around,
“Hey, what time is it?” George looked down at his watch,
“It’s 4:29, why?” George looked up to see Spider-Man quickly swing away, sprinting on the sides of buildings.
ESU was a pinnacle of scientific education, due to the fundings made by Tony Stark and Reed Richards. The biggest lab on campus, funded by Norman Osborn, was dedicated to the study of biochemistry, and how the gene structure of any living being can be altered. It was this lab that Peter rushed in, exactly at 4:30, hair messy and out of breath. The one-armed scientist looked up from his microscope, and chuckled,
“Well Peter, you’re not late this time!” Peter rushed forward, putting his things away and getting his lab coat on. Dr. Connors looked at his watch, “Barely though.”
“I had to sprint to get here, there weren’t any taxis in sight!” Peter then looked around, “Where’s Gwen?”
“In the back, counting lab supplies. We had a break-in last night.”
“Oh no! Who was it?”
“Just some junkies, looking to see if there were any sharpies to sniff,” Dr. Connors then walked up toward Peter, and put his arm on his shoulder, “I will say, even though you’re late most of the time, look at the progress we made!” Peter looked at the whiteboard, at the humble beginnings of the formula, “I’ll guarantee it, Peter: By next summer, we’ll crack the formula, and usher a new age of genetics!”
“Hey, most of the thinking was on your part, doc. I’ll go help Gwen with the counting, okay?” Peter walked through the lab, and was finally able to relax and marvel at the equipment that would make the high school lab look like a toddler’s set! He opened the door and standing there with a clipboard in hand, blond hair, and round glasses was Gwen Stacy. Peter’s girl- NO! She’s a friend that just so happens to be a girl… Just friends,
“Hey, Pete!” Gwen said, a smile growing on her face, “Glad you could make it on time, need some help with this,”
“Sure, what’s the problem?” Gwen walked over to the other side, and handed Peter a clipboard,
“I made some progress at this side of the room, but could you start there?”
“No problem!” The two started their jobs, and on many attempts did they tried to talk to each other, but they were so awkward together that any conversations died before they were started. Finally, they were done, and Peter once again tried to fight against the awkwardness, and managed to speak up,
“Hey, Gwen! I-I was just wondering,” Peter began, rubbing the back of his neck, his voice dying down. Gwen then smiled and got closer,
“What’s up?” Peter felt courage flow through him, and spoke up,
“I’m free this Friday, and I was hoping you would like to catch a movie?”
“Oh, Peter!” Gwen said, smiling. But then smacked her forehead, “Wait, I’m doing something with Flash, so I can’t make it.”
“Oh, right,” Gwen then looked closer at Peter,
“Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain!” Peter tried to deny it, but groan when Gwen tapped his chest,
“Ow! I, uh, tried to get a taxi while sprinting, and I ran into a light pole!” Peter said, hoping Gwen didn’t see through his lie. Gwen folded her arms, and Peter knew he had been caught,
“What happened really?” Peter sighed,
“I-I, uh… Well-”
“Peter, why do you lie to me? I’m only trying to help, and you keep hiding something!” Gwen then huffed, and shook her head, “I know you have your privacy, but I keep seeing you with cuts and bruises! You’re always tired and stressed out!”
“I know, Gwen, and I’m sorry. But, I… I can’t tell you, not yet.” Peter looked down as Gwen sternly looked at Peter,
“Fine, whatever. I have to see Harry, I’ll catch you later.” Gwen said coldly, walking out of the room, leaving Peter alone.