Chapter Text
Peter could feel his lungs burning as the water dripped down his head. He looks ahead and sees Gwen unscathed as the rubble begins to fall around them. Peter can save her, save them both if only he can lift this hunk of metal off of him! He gasped and grunted, his muscles straining as he slipped, getting pushed deeper and deeper into the water that was slowly rising. Peter could feel his heart pound against his chest, and could only look at Gwen’s unconscious body with horror and drea--
RING RING RING!!!
Um… Anyways, the rubble kept falling around them as Peter reached out his hand towards Gwen, and--
RING RING RING!!!
Peter snapped his eyes open and groaned as he threw off his blanket. He grimaced at his alarm clock and tapped the button on top of it. He learned that he needed to take a moment to adjust to being awake, otherwise, he’d have to buy another alarm clock. He got up and looked over at his calendar, a smile firmly planted itself on his face, and he began to rush to his bathroom.
Peter booked it downstairs, neatly dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Clothes baggy enough to hide his muscles, but tight enough to not show off the red and blue costume underneath his clothes. He looked at the TV, cautious as he saw Jolly Jonah’s face on the screen,
“--And that concludes the story of the so-called ‘Throg the Thunder Frog.’ Now for our final story, this morning finds that crime has gone down by 80% since the return of Spider-Man,” Peter counted the seconds before Jonah cleared his throat and shuffled his papers, before he said, “ However ,” Peter shook his head as he grabbed a plate full of wheat cakes and sat down in the living room, next to Aunt May, “Burglaries and heists have been at an all-time high, with all evidence pointing towards the same thief! The Black Cat!”
“Black Cat?” Peter said as he raised an eyebrow, I remember Captain DeWolf talking about her a couple months ago, how Spider-Man can lure her out, but I don’t see how that can happen, “May, what do you think of this?”
“That Jameson’s bound to get a heart attack!” May said, “And take it from me, Peter, I had one! Have you told him to calm down?”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll kick me out of the office through the window if I tell him to chill, May,” Peter said as he scarfed down a whole wheat cake. A teenager’s hunger was normally tremendous, but a super-teenager? Peter’s just glad May made stacks of them,
“Trust me, Peter, I’ll make sure he’s out of the window before you,” May smiled as he sipped her tea as Jonah kept on reporting,
“Now, I understand that I have been… Harsh regarding Spider-Man. But my viewers, look at it from my perspective: A man wearing a mask swings on his loitering web and does the job that our fair police officers are trained to do. And yes, he has helped with the detainment of countless supervillains, and the crime wave that plagued this city thanks to the egomaniac, Otto Octavius. But that doesn’t mean that I , J. Jonah Jameson, won’t keep an eye on that vigilante. For all of his efforts, we still don’t know why he does the things he does, or who he is? An alien? A crook on the run? A traitor to our country? We don’t know! But until he slips up and shows his true colors, I’ll make sure true believers if this so-called Hero is a threat or a menace, and that’s a promise!”
“Wow, he never changes,” Peter said as he finished his plate. He then frowned as he put the plates in the sink, “Hey May, what do you think of Spider-Man?”
“Oh, I think he’s a good boy!” May said as she kept sipping her tea, “Though, I do think he can be a little… Dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” Peter asked,
“Well, I understand why he hides his face, he may be shy! But, why the webs?”
“You mean, for swinging?”
“No, on his costume. Why the red and blue, why the spiders?”
“Maybe he saw his powers and thought, ‘Hey, I’m a Spider-Man!’” Peter said, never thinking he would ever say those words to May. Peter chuckles to himself, and picks up his backpack and lunch, “And he did start off with red and black.”
“And those webs on his armpits. It seems he likes to be flashy, but I know he’s doing good. If anything, Ben would’ve loved him.” Peter felt his heart smack against that emotional brick wall and swallowed his feelings. He smiled at May, earnestly as he slung the backpack over his shoulder, giving her a smooch on the cheek,
“I hoped he would’ve,” Peter said as he walked over to the front door, “I’ll be working late tonight May, is there anything you want me to pick up?”
“Oh Peter, you can stay out longer if you want! I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Peter asked, “The doctor said you might need some help still--”
“It’s your first day of summer, the last one you’ll have before you’re a full-grown adult. Have fun!”
“Alright, I’ll text you when I’m on my way home if you're awake. Love you!” Peter said as he walked out of the house, walking down a couple of blocks before he looked around.
Alright, it’s time to take a faster way to school , Peter grinned as he ducked into an alleyway, swiftly took off his clothes, and swung above the rooftops as the Amazing Spider-Man! Zipping through the streets of Queens, Spider-Man ran across the walls of the buildings and twirled around stoplights and light posts. Ha! If only I was into skateboarding, Tony Hawk eat your heart out! Peter’s ears then snapped toward the sirens, A fire truck? Man, please don’t make me late! Not for the final day, please!
Peter landed in front of the apartment building, looking down as the bodega at the bottom bursted into flames, Oh man, not Delmar’s! Spidey leaped into action, spraying webs on the smaller fires as the firemen rushed in,
“Spider-Man! Thank God you’re here! There’s people trapped in the upper levels, we’ll take care of the fire!”
“Right!” Peter swung through the window, using the vibrations his skull sent out to map out the apartment complex. It was mostly, Oh, you’re going down here, well this will kill you, this will kill, and this dangling piece of wood would kill you, you’re welcome! If it didn’t keep telling Peter where danger was constantly, he would’ve thought that his spider-sense was just paranoia drenched with anxiety. But in moments where Peter can find someone huddled in their bathroom, using a shower head to get air through the toilet pipes, he’s thankful for the constant headaches.
Spider-Man zipped back and forth, carrying anyone who couldn’t have gotten out in time. An elderly man thanked him as his poodle yapped at him. A baby girl who kinda threw up on his hand whose tearful parents thanked Spider-Man as he handed them to her. A cat that kept scratching the hell out of his arm, but Delmar thanked Spidey by handing him a Reuben. With the fire tamed, Spider-Man accepted the firemen for washing off the baby puke off his hand, and swung off as he shoved the Reuben in his mouth.
Peter came bumbling into the school, his breath smelling like kosher deli meat and wheatcakes. Of course, I forgot to brush my teeth . Peter felt self-conscious as he rushed for his locker, quickly sniffing his armpits. Crap! I smell like I came from a bonfire! Peter could feel bullets drip down his forehead, just wanting one day when everything went right, but of course it--
“Hey, Pete!” Peter looked over and felt his smile creep up. Gwen stood in front of him, wearing a yellow sweater and a pair of blue round glasses, handing him a couple breath mints and spraying him with cologne, “I figured you would’ve rushed over here after doing something with… Ya know…” Gwen then made the thwip pose with her hands, “Right?”
“Yeah, but I’m trying to have a normal day, y’know?” Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck as he grabbed his class supplies, his locker still messy even on the last day of school, “After what happened this past year, I… I’m trying to be better towards myself, and actually get some sleep and be… I don’t know, normal?”
“Hey, you’re normal!” Peter’s eyebrow could’ve not been higher as he looked at Gwen, “You’re an angsty teen who isn’t sure of what’s going to happen after high school,” Peter looked around and leaned towards Gwen,
“Yeah, I’m an angsty teen who can lift the school bus to school and has a sixth sense for danger. I’m totally normal.”
“You’re normal to me,” Gwen said, the two holding hands as they walked toward their first period, Chemistry, “And besides, I fell in love with that brain of yours, not your muscles.”
“Do they help?” Gwen chuckled as they walked down the hallway. Peter then looked over at Gwen, who stopped in front of a memorial made by the other students. Flowers were placed around a frame, containing the picture of Captain George Stacy, “Gwen… I’m so--”
“You have nothing to be sorry for Peter. You didn’t push the rubble on him. You didn’t organize everything to murder him. He… He chose to follow and help, and it… it…”
But I didn’t save him , Peter wanted to say, but held his tongue as he lightly put his hand on her shoulder, “Hey, how about he nails this chemistry test, go over by ESU for your uncle, and after work tonight, how about I take you out on a night at town?”
“Peter… I know you mean well… But we both know that won’t happen.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Peter said, “Well, how about tomorrow night? It’s not like crime happens all the time, right?”
“Yeah… Tomorrow night sounds good.”
“Great! Lorenzo’s, around eight?”
“Lorenzo’s? Wow, how much is Mr. Parker about to shake out of his wallet?” Peter froze for a second, and scanned his wallet real quick,
“Alright, how about Burger King?” Gwen laughed as she smooched Peter on the lips,
“I love you, Peter Parker, now let’s be nerds.” Gwen trotted off as Peter was stunned by her lips, his own kryptonite,
“Gladly,” Peter said, not realizing she was already ahead by the science wing, laughing as Peter rushed over by her side.
The bell rang as Peter and Gwen sat in their seats, the tests being handed to them one by one. Alright, Parker, it’s just chemistry. It’s not fighting Electro or tangling the Rhino, it’s just chemistry. You like chemistry! It’s like Flash with football, I’m the star quarterback of molecular bonds! Peter smiled at Gwen, who was completely focused on the test and clicked his pen.
Everything began to zone out, Peter’s pupils getting wider as every sound became louder, his muscles clenching as the air became crisper. Spider sense? Now? It’s just a test! The school shaking alerted Peter and everyone in the class. The teacher put their hand up as they peeked out the door, only to be blasted across the room with sand as the principal walked in the room, a tall man wrapped his arm around his neck as he grimaced across the room. Peter quickly put his head down, his eyes wide as the Sandman walked into the class.
SANDMAN!?! Why!?! God, if he sees my face, he might recognize me! Peter’s mind flashed back to when the Kingpin beat the hell out of him, unmasked in front of his stooges, Sandman being one of the few privileged to see his face. How am I gonna deal with this? What’s going to happen?
“Flint Marko, come out with your hands up and powers down!” A microphone blasted out, Sandman dragging the principal over to the window,
“If you pigs even dare take a step forward, I’ll throw this guy through the window, I mean it!” Sandman then looked across the classroom, gulping as he kept his right arm the shape of a giant hammer, “Hey kids. Let’s play nice with Mr. Sandman, and no one gets hurt. Got it!?” Peter peered through his arms, shifting his eyes towards Gwen. She looked terrified.
Alright, no more mister nice guy , Peter carefully moved his hands over to the workstation inside the class, breathing calmly as he shot a web across the room. All eyes were towards Sandman, who looked out of the window as the Principal looked for God. Peter pulled over baking soda, sugar, and potassium nitrate. Thank God for Chemistry .
Peter smashed the chemicals on the floor, creating a smokescreen that blanketed the whole room, causing everyone to cough and hack, except Sandman,
“Hey, what the hell is this? Who’s the wise guy!?” Sandman peered through the smoke, seeing a bunch of scared teens. He then heard something pop open and saw a slightly opened window above the class door. “Is he here? … No, no way…” Flint said to himself, gripping the principal tightly, smashing a window open with a sand mace, the smoke pouring out to reveal an empty chair. Sandman’s eyes went wide as he lifted the Principal in the air, “Hey! Look at them! Who’s missing!?!”
“I… I… I don’t know! Why--”
“Who the hell is missing!?!”
“Marko! Marko!” A voice shouted out the window, causing Sandman to turn towards the window, only to hear glass crash open as a foot planted across his face, kicking his head off, “Polo!” Spider-Man landed in front of the class, grabbed the Principal from the Sandman’s grasp, and kicked the door down, “Alright everyone, the school’s out! Run!” Spider-Man turned towards the reforming Sandman as the teens rushed out of the class,
“Alright, twerp!” Sandman’s mouth said as the face reformed around it, his eyes popping open with frustration as his hands grew bigger, “I’m gonna beat the tar out of you!”
“Y’know, you be surprised how much I heard that in school,” Spider-Man said as he readied himself in the torn-up classroom.
“You think it’s safe?” Harry asked as Flash huddled next to the door. It was only two minutes before they started the algebra exam when the sirens blared outside the window. Flash grabbed the door handle and peered outside into the hallway. In the air, loose particles of sand floated, the lockers dented and banged up as a large hammer swung into the wall. Flash flinched, then felt a tide of relief wash over him as his hero zoomed down the hallway, firing webbing at the Sandman,
“It’ll be soon,” Flash said, “Let’s just wait it out,” The jock then proceeded to peek out of the door, totally stoked to see a superhero fight right in front of him,
“Come on Marko!” Spider-Man said as swung his fist through Sandman’s face, “What made you think a school would be a perfect place for a hideout?”
“Shut up! I didn’t know there was still school, it’s freaking summer!” Sandman said as he smashed down a wall into an empty classroom, “And of course, I pick the school that Spider-Man goes to!”
“Whoa, Spider-Man goes to Midtown?” Flash said as he looked down, wondering who the hell in the halls would be the webslinger. He then looked up and gasped as a large ball of sand was thrown his way, barely having any time to close the door. Flash grunted, feeling the door coming off the hinges from the sheer force, eyes wide as Sandman released numerous pellets toward Spider-Man. And yet, Spider-Man gracefully jumped and dove through the storm, his footwork and athleticism elegant and perfect. Flash caught himself blushing as he dropped the door, quickly taking cover as Spider-Man led the Sandman away from the classrooms.
Peter looked behind him, the large cafeteria just below the steps. He then was walloped into the wall by a large hand slapping him, pinning him against the wall next to a water fountain as Sandman slowly walked towards him. Spider-Man tried to rip his limbs through the sand, only for it to wrap around him, only allowing one free arm. Sandman frowned as his other hand swelled larger and larger, his heavy steps stopped just right in front of Spider-Man,
“Y’know, I was gonna be nice and let you off with a warning, but since you like to bug into my business, I’ll have to make sure you remember to leave me alone!”
“Jeeze, you’re such a hothead Flint, better cool off!” Peter grabbed Sandman’s head and slammed it into the water fountain, Sandman yelling and screaming as the sand around Peter loosened. Sandman held his face together, drooping as globs of mud fell to the floor. He then looked up as Spider-Man’s fist slammed into his muddy face, punching it across the hallway as Sandman stumbled back. Spider-Man waited on the railing until Flint’s eye reconstructed so that Peter could see his fury, and started to swing across the cafeteria.
“Geth bach herrrr!” Sandman gargled out as his mouth reformed itself, becoming a cloud of sand that drifted after the young pest. Flint reformed into his usual self, shaking his head to realign the right sand particles, but letting Spider-Man see something inside his gut, almost giving him a beer belly.
“Huh, either you’ve been eating too many sandwiches, or …” With a simple thwip, Spider-Man’s web latched onto Flint’s gut, pulling out a bag stuffed to the brim with dollar bills,
“Hey! Let go of my money!!!”
“Really? You stole thousands from Fisk! I guess the conversion between U.S. dollars and Sand Dollars must be tremendous!” Spider-Man then pulled the bag out of the Sandman, grabbing onto the sack of money, “Toodles!” Spider-Man leaped away, running into the gymnasium as the Sandman jumped over the railing, his form dissolving into the sand as it stormed towards the little twerp, blasting away the doors that led to the large gymnasium.
Waiting above Sandman, effortlessly swinging from hoop to hoop suspended in the air, was Spider-Man. Dangling in the middle of the gymnasium was the bag of Flint’s money, wrapped up in silver silk,
“So Flint, ready to get dirty?”
“Come down here so I can beat the snot out of you, ya brat!” Sandman said as his legs began to extend, large sand towers lifting Flint to the ceiling. He reeled his fist back, shooting it out as a pillar of sand punched into the ceiling, missing Spider-Man as he swung from gym rope to gym rope, diving toward the floor and running toward the fire alarm. Flint looked around, his fist shaking as he saw the water sprinklers in the ceiling, “Oh no! I don’t think so!!!”
Sandman dove straight for Spider-Man as he booked it toward the alarm, shooting out his enlargen hands. Spider-Man set his fingers on the alarm, about to pull it down he was then yanked away from the alarm and slammed hard into the floor of the gym, falling into the basement of the school. Sandman drifted into the hole, looking around as all he could see was red.
Flint was this close to becoming mud! From being defeated by water, AGAIN!!! This time it was no more Mister Nice Guy! He was going to find that little pain in the tuchas, beat the ever-loving crap out of him, and bury him as he walked off with his loot! But the shadows of the basement allow the kid to hide, and Flint knows he is down there, he can see the crater Spider-Man left behind.
“Where are you!!!” Sandman shouted, his body becoming rigid sand as he grew double his height, his whole body enlargen into nearly hard rock, “Once I get my hands on you, I’m gonna--”
“Just one question Flint: Suck or blow?” Spider-Man then leaped out of the shadows, dropkicking through the Sandman’s body, holding what seemed like a nozzle. Flint could only raise an eyebrow as the sand cloud went to reform his body, it wasn’t a water hose, so what was--
WHIRRR!!! The sand was sucked into the nozzle as Spider-Man aimed it all around. Flint’s eyes shook with fear as he tried to will his sand away, but was pulled into the dark, dusty tube of the vacuum. But that allowed him to see that something in the room was creating a flashing light that was on a rhythm of some sort. But that was all Flint could think about as he felt squished and pressured inside the vacuum.
Peter sighed and rested against his knees. His chest felt bruised as he looked up at the hole through the floor above, shaking his head as he walked over to the industrial-grade vacuum. For whatever reason, the good ol’ Parker luck worked in mysterious ways. Wanna get on your date in time and not disappoint anyone? Sorry, the best it can do is give you a vacuum! Peter detached the container of vacuum, groaning as he lifted it from the basement. To think a guy made of sand could put on so much weight!
Peter set the container down in the gym and leaped to the bag of money. To think, this would probably pay off all of May’s bills, and loans, and keep them floating for a couple of months… What was Peter thinking? He shook his head as he took the bag off the webs, and slung it around his shoulder.
Peter carried the container and the bag of money to the front of the school, setting them down on the front steps. He waved at Captain Dewolf as she walked up to the front of the building,
“Spider-Man! Thank you for getting the money back, but where’s Marko?”
“You’re looking at his brand new cell! Unless it breaches some kind of confinement codes, right?” Dewolf let out a sharp giggle as she lightly kicked the container,
“Not up to us, apparently Flint here just got a one-way ticket to the Triskelion.”
“Really? That god ugly island in the harbor? A perfect place for his ugly mug,” Spider-Man then looked at the school, “Poor kids, today was supposed to be the last day of school for these guys. Can’t they just have one normal day?”
“Come on Spidey, face the music,” Dewolf said as the police officers helped the Shield Agents carry the container into a Shield A.P.C., “This is the new normal. Last summer a Goblin blew up the top of a skyscraper and don’t get me started on what the Hulk did last year.”
“Yeah, I think my ribs remember too,” Spider-Man then leaped toward the wall and shot a web line, “Right, gotta go, city to save and whatnot. Seeya!” Spider-Man swung around the building, disappearing from the view of the cops. However, Peter dove into the trees and started the hard part of superheroing: Trying to get back to being Peter Parker without anyone noticing.
True, it’s easy to change into Spider-Man, Peter just has to slip away and bam, out comes the big-time superhero. But when Spider-Man has to sneak back into the school, not letting any students, teachers, or cops catch him in the process, and come up with an excuse on the spot as to where he was is always something that stresses Peter out. His spider-sense helps with sneaking around, crawling on the ceiling, and sneaking into the vents. But does it help with his hairstyle when he takes off the mask? No. Does it help with making sure his clothes don’t have any traces of webs stuck to the cloth? No. All Peter can do is rely on his charm… May God help him.
Peter stumbled through the hallway, looking around trying to find anyone before he slipped back in. He turned the corner and bumped into Harry,
“Pete! Where the hell were you? We were looking all over for you!” Harry then turned around, “Guys! I found him!” Peter could feel the color drain in his face as Flash, Liz, and the rest of their class run up to him,
“Parker!” Flash said as he slapped him on the shoulder, “How did you get away? I thought you had chemistry?”
“Oh, I… Uh, well I snuck off when that smoke gas filled the room, I just couldn’t breathe through that stuff!” That’s right, Parker, bank off that you’re a nerd with no physical training. Take the bait, take the bait ,
“But wouldn’t Sandman spot you?” Harry said as he rubbed his hands through his hair, eyes wide as Peter kept trying to spitball a truthful enough story when Gwen stepped in,
“He did!” Gwen said, “I saw through the door, but then Spider-Man swooped him away, right Pete?”
“Uh, right! He got me to safety and told me to hide until it was safe! I didn’t hear anything anymore, so I decided to poke my head out!”
“Good thing you listened to him, Parker,” Flash said, “No offense, but Sandman would’ve crushed you like a toothpick!”
“Don’t worry Flash, I know,” Peter said, subtly winking at Gwen who could only smile, “So, what about our tests?”
“Our teachers said that they’ll email us when the school’s repaired, then we just come to the school during the summer!” Harry said, “So, the whole day’s free!”
“Sucks we gotta come back here though,” Flash said as he scowled, “But hey, you free Parker? We were thinking of going to the mall!”
“Sorry, I can’t, I work at the Bugle and then swing by the Internship with Dr. Warren. Maybe tomorrow?”
“Sure, we’ll make sure to keep a spot open!” Flash said as the others dispersed out of the school, the students migrating out as their parents picked them up or they went around the city by themselves. Peter stood out in the front of the school, watching the Shield agents take Sandman away as the police took the money back, and sighed. Gwen walked up to him and held his hand,
“So much for normal, right?”
“I know, I hoped too much,” Peter said as he put his hands in his pockets, “Thanks for earlier, I didn’t know what I was gonna say next.”
“No problem for the best boyfriend in the world!”
“Best? I’m sure there are other guys out there who could say otherwise,” Peter said, flinching as Gwen punched him in the shoulder,
“You are the best guy around, Pete! The only person who doesn’t see that is you!”
“Let’s agree to disagree,” Peter said as he smooched Gwen on the cheek, “So, what are you gonna do before we visit your uncle’s lab?”
“I was gonna hang out with MJ for a little bit! Did you know she’s in a play?”
“Really? What is it?”
“I think it’s like Westside Story, but it’s about Irish immigrants instead of Italian immigrants.”
“I’ve never watched Westside Story,” Peter said,
“What! How… Y’know, it’s basically Romeo and Juliet, but in New York.”
“Oh, okay,” Peter said, “I guess we’ll have to watch it when it comes out!” Peter then heard an alarm on his phone and looked up at Gwen, “I gotta go, Jameson gave me five missed calls.”
“Ooof!” Gwen said, “Good luck Pete, I’ll see you later! Love you!”
“Love you too!” Peter said as Gwen walked away. He felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her golden hair in the sunlight. He smiled as he held the phone up to his ear, taking the call and--
“PARKER!!!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!!??!!??” Peter cleaned out his now deaf ear, and switched to his other ear,
“Mr. Jameson, It’s only three O’clock, school just got done--”
“DO YOU THINK I GIVE A RAT’S ASS!?! GET HERE, NOW!!!” Click! Peter sighed as he looked around, walking down the street before taking a turn in an alleyway.
The elevator came down from the rooftop, opening as Peter squeezed through the doors, dodging and weaving through the human traffic in front of him. Most of the stories they print are about what he did as Spider-Man, saving people and being a “Menace,” as Jonah would call him. Peter held his camera around his neck and stopped by Betty’s desk,
“Hey Betty! I got a call from Jonah, is he--”
“PARKER! GET IN HERE! NOW!!!” Yelled through the glass, his face red as he slammed his mouse up and down on his desk. Jonah recently decided to get a computer, “ To keep up with the younger reporters these days!” He would say, but the task of teaching J. Jonah Jameson how to use a computer fell onto Peter’s lap,
“Good luck Pete,” Betty said as she took a call to the Daily Bugle, “Hello, this is the Daily Bugle, Betty speaking, how may I help you?”
“Alright,” Peter said to himself as he approached Jameson’s door, straightening his work tie, “You taught Ben and May, you can teach Jonah how the mouse works, you can do this Pete.” Peter walked into Jonah’s office, the grumpy publisher tapping his fingers against his arms as he stared into the computer screen as though he was trying to set it on fire with his mind, “Hi Mr. Jameson, how can I help--”
“THE WEBSITE, PARKER!!!” Jonah said as he turned the monitor around, showing off Peter’s design for the Bugle’s webpage. It took Peter a while to get a hang of HTML code, but it was worth it to understand basic computer code to program his spider tracers. But Peter stared at the webpage, wondering what exactly was wrong, “WHAT HAPPENED?”
“I… I don’t know what you mean,” Peter said as he scrolled up and down the webpage, not seeing any errors in the code or the webpage transitions,
“I mean, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAGE!?! Why does it look like an art project!?”
“Wait, you mean the design it had before?” Good God. When Peter looked at the Bugle’s website before, it was prehistoric! Blocky text and long loading screens, frequent crashes, and digitalized pictures made the website look like it stepped out of a time machine from the 90s! “Mr. Jameson, it more--”
“Don’t give me crap, Parker! I don’t need a fancy schmancy design with the golden bugles and red banners, it’s a website for news! If people wanted to read our stories, then they buy a DAMN PAPER!”
“But the other newspapers in town are putting out articles online, we should do the same!” Peter then rubbed the back of his head as he grabbed his camera, “But, I think I have something that’ll make you happy! I got pictures of--”
“Whoa! Parker, remember what I told you months ago?”
“I know, but--”
“No buts! I said you were fired from being my photographer!”
“I didn’t come to the fight, the fight came to me!”
“What!?”
“Sandman. He barged into our school and I saw an opportunity and--”
“Look…” Jameson rubbed the back of his head, “Let me look at them,” Peter handed Jonah the photos, swiping through the small stack of photos, “ … Crap, crap, crap, crap! Parker, did you take Spider-Man fighting a liter box!?” Jonah then stumbled upon a photo and had a wicked grin on his face. In the picture, it was when Peter slung the bag of money around his shoulder and carried the container with Sandman outside and--
Oh no,
“This is perfect!” Jonah said as he looked at the photo,
“Wait, but Spider-Man took the money back to the--”
“Out of peer pressure? Or he turned in his partner in crime to clear his heat!?” Jonah said as he slammed his fist down at the desk, “I’ll give you three hundred for the photos Parker, but if you give me another photo before you’re a full-grown adult, I will throw you out the building myself, got it!!!”
“Yup, yes sir, yessiree Mr. Jameson,” Peter said as he stumbled out of the office, sighing as he walked over to his cubicle, groaning as he sat in the chair. Why did he keep doing this to himself? He knows that Jonah’s just gonna smear his name! He shook his head and turned on his computer, taking a look at the site’s Q&A about any bugs or glitches users might’ve experienced.
Peter leaned back in his chair, done with the list of complaints as he cracked his fingers against each other, looking at the clock. He rolled his eyes as he saw that only thirty minutes passed, meaning he was stuck doing nothing for the next few hours. He then stood up and grabbed his coat, walking over to Ned’s desk,
“Hey, I’m gonna grab a coffee, want anything?” Ned shook his head as he scanned a website list consisting of only expensive rings. Peter shrugged and turned around, bumping into the office sleazeball, “Eddie, what are you--”
“So, you go to Midtown?” Eddie said as he folded his arms, “Funny, I went to the same school too! But just one question… Spider-Man was there?”
“Eddie, I don’t have time for--”
“No, 'cause here’s what I think, Parker,” Eddie said as he leaned forward, “You know who Spider-Man is, in fact, he goes to the same school. Cause, how else are you gonna get photos of the guy who just so happened to be near your school?”
“Maybe it’s because Spider-Man gets around? He is a friendly neighbor after all,” Peter said, trying to weave around Brock, “Look, I’m not looking for any trouble, alright?”
“Uh, Mr. Brock?” Standing next to the two photographers was the mail carrier of the office, handing Eddie a letter that had a stamp from the ESU,
“What’s this?” Eddie said as he tore open the letter, mumbling to himself as he read the letter. His eyes widen as his nostrils flare, “ Due to claims and rumors, the credibility of my diploma has been called into question!?! I don’t have a diploma!?”
“Whoa, Eddie… I’m sorry, why did they--”
“Whatever, Parker!!!” Eddie shouted, crumbling up the paper and slamming it into a garbage can, “Don’t act like a good person, there aren’t any!” He then shoved his hands into his pockets and stomped back to his desk, rummaging through his desk, and quickly jumped on his computer.
Peter shook his head as Robbie walked by, “Peter! Whatcha doing here, isn’t this your first day of summer?”
“Yeah, but I’m here till later tonight, and Jonah chewed me up about the website design.”
“Ah, don’t listen to Jonah, he’s an old dinosaur about computers, I know 'cause I’m one myself!” Robbie said with a big, warm smile, “Don’t worry about it Peter, and why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
“Really?” Peter said, smiling as he rubbed his head, “I appreciate that Robbie, but I really need the hours and--”
“And I heard from the grapevine that you took photos of Sandman fighting Spider-Man in your school,” Robbie said as he folded his arms, Peter looking down in bashful shame, “Go have fun, Peter. And hey, have a coffee, my treat!” Robbie said as he handed Peter a five-dollar bill,
“Robbie, I can’t--”
“Think of it have you owing me one next time, Peter. Go enjoy yourself!”
“Alright,” Peter said as he grabbed his backpack and clocked out. Peter looked at the five bucks as he entered the elevator, smiling as he thought of a muffin with his coffee.
Peter walked across the street, not even looking both ways as his spider-sense let him know when traffic was coming, and entered the coffee shop. It was late in the afternoon, and the shop was dead. He walked over to the line and rang the bell, waiting for a barista to take his order,
“Sorry, how can I help you--” The barista stopped dead, her emerald eyes wide as Peter did a double take,
“MJ?”
“Pete! What are you doing here?” Mary Jane said, leaning on the counter as she took the pencil out of her bunged-up red hair, “I thought Midtown still had school?”
“Yeah, but Sandman broke the school,” Peter said, “So I went to work early, but then I got done with work early. It’s like I’m running out of things to do. But what about you? How come you’re not at school?”
“Please, I quit going to school a while ago,” Mary Jane said as she took a cup out, “Hazelnut cappuccino, right?”
“Yeah, uh… You… You dropped out!?! ” Peter said as he loosened his tie, “But, what about--”
“Peter, I’m a singer who wants to be… Y’know, you’ll probably think it’s dumb and--”
“No!” Peter said, waving his hands, “I didn’t mean to sound… Y-you… What do you want to be?” Peter asked, trying to hide his nervous energy, but the sweat coming down the back of his neck betrayed him,
“I… Want to be an actor,” Mary Jane said, “Anytime I was in a play or musical, it felt wonderful! I felt really happy on the stage, and… I know it’s probably never gonna happen and why would I bother and--”
“You’re gonna be an actor?” Peter said, “Of course, you’ll be great!”
“Are… Are you sure?” Mary Jane said as she put extra whipped cream on the cappuccino, grabbing a muffin from the pastry warmer, “I haven’t heard much from my agent and I have rehearsals after my shift for the play. I just… I don’t know…”
“If you’re scared, Gwen’s coming by your rehearsals to hang out with you!”
“Really? It’s… Great knowing you guys believe I can do this!” Mary Jane said as she handed Peter the cappuccino and muffin, “Um, it’s nine-fifty,” Peter handed Mary Jane a twenty and a five,
“Keep the change, it’s a tip for you being an awesome barista,” Peter devoured the muffin and guzzled down the coffee to keep himself awake. Mary Jane laughed, shaking her head as she added the tip to her pocket,
“Thanks, Tiger,” The two then turned as sirens wailed passed them. Peter groaned, slurping the rest of his coffee, and took his backpack off his shoulder,
“I… Gotta go,” Peter said as he unzipped his backpack, making sure his costume and webshooters were in the bag, “Talk later?” Mary Jane smiled as Peter booked it out the door, feeling a strange ache that she never felt before. She shook it off and muttered to herself,
“Go get ‘em, Tiger.”
Peter felt the earth shake as he approached the gunfire, sirens parked two blocks from the action as he landed on the roof of a cop car,
“Spider-Man! Thank God you’re here!” Officer Carter said, “We got two supervillains mixed up with the gangs, and we don’t have time to wait for Shield!”
“Wait here, I’ll see what’s the scuffle,” Spider-Man leaped onto the side of the building, crawling to see gunfire shoot back and forth across the street, and Peter knew then which gangs were at each other’s throats: Hammerhead and Tombstone.
The two mobsters teamed up to oust Fisk from the city. Only when it was just those two did they turn on each other, with Hammerhead out for Tombstone’s head while Tombstone’s trying to maintain the city for himself. Either way, it explains the escalation of power as Spider-Man saw the two supervillains fight.
Hurtling his fist across the jaw of his foe, the very air shaking as it vibrated the molecules around them, was the Shocker. His suit was drastically upgraded, covered in metal and extra durable padding to keep up with the now hulking gauntlets attached to his forearms. The yellow and brown super-crook stood on the rubble, laughing underneath his mask,
“How about that for ya, broski?” Herman chuckled as his foe stood back up. Towering to eleven feet tall, his long horn making him an extra foot taller was the Rhino. His frame was massive, muscles bulging underneath the metal exoskeleton. The massive Russian growled, gritting his teeth as he stomped towards Shocker,
“I will crush you, little man! If this is the best you can do, then I shall pray for your mother tonight!”
“Tall talk from a duntz!” Shocker said as he charged up his gauntlets, getting ready as Rhino began to charge after him, lowering his horn to gore the small-time villain. Rhino then looked up in wonder as his horn hit where Shocker was, but was astounded to see him suspended in webbing, “Come on! Not again!” As Shocker went to work at the webbing, slowly vibrating it to a liquid, Rhino could feel pelts of webbing connecting his arms to his torso,
“Rhino! Long time no see, big guy? Here to smash through some walls?”
“Spider! I have not forgotten how you defeated me, and now I shall crush you!” Rhino said as he effortlessly tore through the webbing, “No cell can hold me, no chain can bind me! I AM THE RHINO!!!” Spider-Man swung through the air, shooting webbing at Rhino’s feet, trying to stick them to the floor. But Rhino just lifted his feet, tearing apart the pavement under him as the webbing kept its hold,
“Aw, and I miss you too you big lug!” Spider-Man joked as he panicked through the air. How the hell am I gonna stop this guy? Last time I flung a manhole cover at him, but I don’t think he’ll let me have the chance! Peter then looked over as Shocker got his arm free, his frame shaking as the energy was condensed, trying to shake the webbing loose. I got an idea…
“Almost… Free…” Herman said as he gripped the last thread, dangling in the air as he felt his bones and muscles shake loose, his head pounding as it bounced around his skull. Herman grinned as the webbing began to dissolve, but felt a sharp tug as Spider-Man twirled him through the air, “AHHH!!! LET ME GO!!!”
“Sorry Herman! I need your help!” Spider-Man then flung Shocker into Rhino, the vibrational force blasting the gray goliath across the street, crashing into the street below them. Shocker got back up, woozy as Spider-Man landed in front of him,
“You… Always get in the… Way…” Herman then passed out as Spider-Man webbed him up, throwing him on top of Rhino as he turned to the gangsters,
“You guys want a piece of me?” Spider-Man asked as he readied his fists, the crooks looking at each other as they shakily held their guns. They tossed their guns on the floor, booking them in different directions as Spider-Man leaped into the air, firing strands of the web as the crooks became glued to the floor, some having webbing that stuck them to another criminal. The rest were rounded up by the cops as they slowly approached the scene, “You guys need help cleaning up?”
“We got it from here, Spidey,” Officer Carter said, “These scumbags are going straight to Riker’s, but these guys,” He said as he motioned to the cops dragging the Rhino into the back of a truck, “They’re going straight to the Triskelion, and there’s nowhere else I would rather them go!”
“Ain’t the Triskelion that Shield base?” Spider-Man said, “Aren’t they gonna have a trial first?”
“They should’ve thought about getting superpowers first!” Carter said,
“Some of them didn’t seek them out,” Spider-Man said as he folded his arms, “They fell backward into it. Listen, I gotta go, I’ll catch you later,” Spider-Man leaped off and swung through the city, sitting with what Carter said. Is Fury just throwing people in jail? Would that even be possible? Spider-Man shook his head as he traveled the city, twisting through the air as he got his workout in, Doesn’t matter, I’ll swing by ESU and drop Gwen and Dr. Warren a visit. It’ll be a change of pace being there early!
Peter dropped into an alleyway, quickly putting on his clothes as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He made sure his gloves were tucked into his pockets as his webshooters were under his sleeves. He walked into the front desk, showing off his I.D. as he buzzed into the lab. But before he did, he looked at the construction work left of Dr. Connors's lab, vacant as the biologist moved to Florida with his family. Peter missed Connors but sure didn’t miss chasing him through the sewers of New York.
“Ah, Peter! Good show!” Dr. Warren said as he studied his chalkboard, containing the genetic code of some creature that the geneticist was studying, “Gwen’s on her way, but I’ll need your help with this next test!”
“Sure, how can I help?” Peter said as he put on a lab coat, walking over to the doctor,
“I have a blood sample that I’ve been studying for months now, actually,” Dr. Warren said as he pulled out a vial, containing a napkin soaked in dried blood, “I’ll need you and Gwen to carefully extract the remnants of the DNA. It’s quite a remarkable specimen!”
“Where’d you get it from?” Peter asked as he put on latex gloves,
“That’s a surprise that I want Gwen to know! Oh how wonderful this is! My niece is my apprentice, I can’t wait to get back to my lab in England!” Peter sighed as he took out the napkin. He knew Gwen’s only other family was across the sea, but every moment they had was taken up by something else. School, work, Spider-Man, home, mostly it was Spider-Man getting in their way. But Peter had a few months till she flew with her uncle.
Peter carefully pulled off the blood flakes from the napkin, putting it back into the vial. He still felt sore from fighting Sandman earlier today, rolling his head around his neck and rubbing his shoulders. He’s been feeling more and more aches than usual, a lot more in where he had his scars. And his bones still yelped out in pain once in a while, healing from what happened earlier this year. Underneath all that rubble, all that water… It doesn’t haunt Peter, totally… Anyways, Peter kept pulling the flakes off, when the lab door buzzed open,
“Peter! You’re here!” Gwen said, smiling as bright as the morning sky as she threw on a lab coat, “What’s Uncle Miles got you working on?”
“Blood flakes, it’s from a specimen that he’s gonna surprise us on,” Peter said, pulling a large piece and carefully putting it into the vial, “Wanna help?”
“Of course!” Gwen said as she picked up a pair of tweezers, helping Peter with the task, “So, wanna talk about earlier?”
“What do you mean?” Peter said absently as he kept plucking away, “I’m good!”
“I know, but this morning it felt like something was… Bugging you,” Gwen then shook her head as she smiled, “Pun not intended.”
“I… I have been a little stressed, haven’t I?” Peter said, looking down as he put the tweezers down, “It’s just… It feels like no matter how many times I put them away, they just keep coming back.”
“Is this about Otto?” Gwen asked as Peter scowled, “Peter, look at me: I’m fine, and so are you, and so is the city! Peter Parker deserves a little rest,” Gwen then leaned in, keeping her voice down as she smooched Peter’s cheek, “And so does Spider-Man.”
“I know, but I just can’t help but worry,” Peter then took the gloves off as Dr. Warren came into the lab, “Dr. Warren, we’re done!”
“Excellent! And Gwen, marvelous to see you, my dear!”
“So Uncle, who’s blood is this?” Gwen asked as she looked at the chalkboard, “It’s human DNA, that I got so far, but… This can’t be right, can it?”
“It is!” Dr. Warren said as he walked over to the chalkboard, “The subject’s DNA has been altered, and I was hoping to see how much it was altered with the sample you two cleaned. Great work!” Warren then placed the vial with a solution to allow the sample to be read under an electron microscope, letting the machine do its work,
“So Doc, who’s blood is it?” Peter asked as he walked over to Gwen, absently grabbing her hand with his as she smiled at him,
“Right, the subject’s blood sample was found a few months ago on the top of my car!” Warren explained as Gwen raised an eyebrow,
“Wait, what do you--”
“Oh, it’s Spider-Man’s blood, anyways--” Warren began to ramble as Peter took a minute or two to process what he exactly said. His mortified eyes found Gwen, and the only relief Peter found was her eyes were as wide as his, “--Production of amino acids and the metabolic--”
“Excuse me,” Peter said, trying not to show any attention to his pale face, “Spider-Man’s blood? When did that--”
“Oh, right! It was after he dropped Gwen off and when I put her in the car did I noticed that some blood was left behind,” Warren looked at the two disturbed teens and shuffled in place, “I’m quite aware how that sounds, but think of the scientific discoveries this would bring! If we could figure out how Spider-Man’s powers were granted to him, we could cure innumerable amount of illnesses! Think of it, Gwen!” Warren said, his silver mustache curled with his smile as he excitedly rushed over to the vial,
“But, Uncle Miles,” Gwen said as she stepped forward, “Wouldn’t this be against any ethics board? Spider-Man didn’t willingly give out his blood, right?”
“Normally, you would be right Gwen,” Warren said, “But I may have found a loophole! Technically, with his genetics tampered with, Spider-Man is not human! At least, not easily defined as Homo Sapien! I, and other scientists, are allowed to work with such genetically altered DNA! Of course, I should’ve asked you two first, since I asked that you would help me with mapping out the genetics of this sample!”
Peter gulped as he looked over at Gwen, finding that her eyes were on him. This was his choice. Should he let Dr. Warren look at his blood? He won’t know that Peter’s Spider-Man, it’s not like his DNA strand will show his face. And Peter is a little curious as to exactly how his, “Does whatever a spider can,” actually works, especially the spider-sense. But what if this gets into the wrong hands? What if Doc Ock or Smythe get their hands on this? But they’re in jail. It’s alright Parker, it’s just Gwen’s uncle, he’s not a supervillain and he just wants to help. But so did Dr. Connors…
“Have you called Dr. Connors?” Peter said as he rubbed his arm, “He might be able to lend his expert opinion on Spider-Man’s blood.”
“I have left a few calls, but he has yet to call back. I would love your young minds on this project, just think of the amount of lives that can be saved from cracking open the genetic data that lies in this vial!”
“Well… As long as it doesn’t lead to making a monster, I’m on board,” Peter said, forcing himself to smile as Gwen held his arm close,
“Excellent!” Warren said as he placed readings on the table, “Let’s take this apart, shall we?” Peter and Gwen looked at each other and sighed as they worked on Peter’s blood.
Hours rolled by, the sunlight coming in from the western windows as Warren looked down at his clipboard, noting the more peculiar parts of Spider-Man’s DNA. Most of these were his powers, such as super strength, speed, agility, etc. But something that wasn’t accounted for that Peter noticed was his spider-sense, nothing in his genetics showed it off. Strange , Peter thought, but he didn’t think now was a good time to look into it,
“Have you two noticed something odd?” Warren said as he shuffled through the papers,
“Like how we didn’t ask a superhero to use his blood,” Gwen said, Warren shuffling the papers in his hands as he coughed,
“Not that… Look at how his DNA is structured. We can tell he is human, most of his DNA is untampered with, except for these parts right here. All of these, give or take different species, are DNA strands from different species of spiders. And it looks like they crashed into his DNA strand, and recombined to make a new DNA strand!”
“Okay, so he was bitten by a radioactive spider, what else is new?” Peter said, smiling as Gwen tried not to laugh at his ironic snark,
“That would be the case, but look at this,” Warren pulled up multiple parts of Spider-Man’s DNA, and showed multiple strands of the same sequence, “That is neither human nor spider… It’s artificial, a binding agent. It’s as if… That spider was made to make someone into a ‘Spider-Man.’” Warren said as he made air quotations. Peter furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the data,
“Wait,” Gwen said, looking at the same notes too, “Who would make a spider that gives you superpowers?”
“A company that wants to be rich selling superpowers,” Peter said as he looked up at Gwen with worry, “Uh, can we figure out what the compound was? Could it give health risks or cancer to Spider-Man, cause that would be very worrisome to hear Dr. Warren?”
“It seems whatever the compound was, it barely survived the bonding process between the cross-genetic strands,” Dr. Warren said, “But whatever company produced the compound, they would have to share it with the FDA, so it could be in their database!”
“I think it was Oscorp,” Peter said, but quickly felt his mouth dry up as he now had to come up with a reason as to why he knew which spider bit Spider-Man, “At least, from the amount of bad guys are made from them, right?”
“That does sound familiar,” Warren said as he tapped his finger against his chin, “I believe Oscorp was working on something called the Oz Formula, though it was never a public project, and they worked closely with the government with the formula. I only know from working with Dr. Connors and Octavius, and they would only mention it in passing.” Peter then felt his phone vibrate, widening his eyes as he saw it was a call from Captain DeWolf to Spider-Man ,
“Uh, Dr. Warren,” Peter said, “I’m sorry, but I gotta go… May needs me home, and I don’t wanna be late,”
“Alright Peter, we’ll talk more tomorrow,” Warren took the stack of papers and yawned, “I’m going to pick up some coffee and stay here late, perhaps Gwen might go with you?”
“Actually, I’m going by my friend, Mary’s?” Gwen said, “But I’ll be alright Uncle--”
“I would actually prefer Peter going with you Gwen,” Dr. Warren said as he fixed his glasses, “For your safety, of course.”
“Uncle, I’ll be fine ,” Gwen said as picked up her purse, putting her lab coat away with Peter, “I’ll call you when I get home, I promise!”
“Alright, but you be safe!” Warren said as the two walked out, his hands shaking as he clutched at the research notes. He then lifted the vial of blood up in the air, marveling at the wonders he was going to make with this scientific find.
Outside, Peter and Gwen waited till they were alone as Peter took his call, “Hello, this is Spider--”
“We just got a tip that Black Cat is about to hit up a museum, can you be there?” Peter looked over at Gwen and cleared his throat,
“Well, er, I would have to…” Gwen folded her arms as Peter sighed, “I should be good, I’ll see you there Captain.” Peter tapped his phone and put it in his pocket sighing as he looked at Gwen, “Sorry, I gotta go,”
“It’s okay, we can talk later, and trust me,” Gwen said as she looked back at the lab, “We will talk about what the hell happened in there,”
“Thank you, 'cause that was a lot of crazy that I was not ready for,” Peter said as he looked over his web-shooters, “Instead, I have a whole other set of crazy to deal with. Wish me good luck?”
“I’ll do you even better,” Gwen said as she stepped on her tippy toes, leaning into him as she pressed her lips against his. Peter felt the force of gravity evaporate as he held Gwen close, feeling he could melt as Gwen’s lips played with his mind in ways Mysterio could only dream about. Peter pulled back, breathing heavily as he leaned back in, kissing harder as Gwen held him closer. They both pulled back, fixing their hair and clothes as they stepped away, “Date later tomorrow?”
“It’s a date!” Peter said, stumbling over a garbage can as he quickly caught it, backing away and waving at Gwen. Gwen laughed, walking over to Mary Jane’s play, looking overhead as her red and blue hero zipped right by, suspended by his web alone.
The moon hung in the sky as the last light of the sun dripped down the horizon, the museum of ancient history stood silent as it was closed. The guard stood in the camera room, watching the basketball game, not noticing the camera going down one by one. The last camera going out was off the main display, an ancient tablet older than anything anyone has ever found. Bound in Sumerian text, made of black stone older than the Ten Commandments themselves, was the Tablet of Life and Death.
The Tablet stood as a dark obelisk in the middle of the museum, the Sumerian words carved onto the stone speak of ancient spells that, if true, were not meant to be in the hands of mortal men. Carbon-dated to be created 8,000 years ago, between the last ice age and the first ancient kingdoms, known as the Hyborian age by certain historians. The last text is written in the languages of the times, allowing this ancient tablet to be a rosetta stone of languages long thought dead and forgotten, telling those to leave this cursed stone, by order of the king of Aquilonia.
Of course, this ancient warning was shrugged off as the thief lowered herself down from the glass skylight. She let a smoke pellet drop, revealing the security lasers that littered the place, making a laser grid that would make Tom Cruise blush. She dropped down, her lithe and agile body warping and twisting around the lasers with ease, allowing her to set her silent, padded, white slippers on the ground. She smirked as she danced towards the security keyboard, throwing a gadget that electrified the circuits. The lasers turned off, allowing her to relax as she approached the Tablet of Life and Death.
She put her white claw against the glass, carving a perfect circle as she popped out the glass. She clutched the tablet with reverence, feeling the carved words as she furrowed her brow. It should be heavier. It should be falling apart from just picking it up! She turned it around and groaned as she spotted the Made in China label, throwing it on the floor. She then heard some kind of reeling noise and turned to see a pair of cute, white eyes that were on the form-fitting spandex that clutched onto the web upside down with ease. She bit her lip, and stood up as Spider-Man cocked his head,
“So, you’re the Black Cat?” Spider-Man said, twirling to the floor to land on his feet, webbing up Black Cat’s feet as he was glad his mask lenses didn’t widen when his eyes did, “Wow, you… Um… I…”
“What, am I the first hot criminal you webbed up?” Black Cat said as she wriggled against the webbing,
“What, no you’re not the first! Uh, n-not that I think that you’re hot o-or…” Spider-Man shook his head. Get serious Parker! You have a girlfriend! This is a thief, the Black Cat! A sparkling thief who somehow caught the light of the moon in her stark white hair, a shady kleptomaniac that had such intense eyes, and… and… Peter has never had anyone look at him like the Black Cat is doing right now. Sure, Gwen shows joy and love when Peter’s around, but Black Cat… Black Cat thinks he’s hot! That Peter Parker is hot! It’s just… Something he’s not used to, but it’s such a shock to his system that he didn’t even notice the Black Cat cutting through his webbing, grabbing a painting from the museum, and dashing for the rooftop, “CRAP!!!”
Spider-Man jumped through the skylight, running after the Black Cat as she laughed into the night. Peter blushed, not letting this slipup escape as he slung his webs through the air,
“Wow, you must be a shy guy under the mask, huh?” Black Cat said as she hopped from rooftop to rooftop, “I can only imagine what your reaction to my letters was?”
“It doesn’t matter!” Spider-Man said as he tossed himself from point to point, running across railings and gravel tops, “You’re only trying to get in my head! I’m not letting you get away!” Spider-Man dove after the Black Cat, pressing her against the rooftop as she smiled so brightly at Spider-Man. She chuckled, caressing his muscles as she looked straight through his mask lenses,
“It’s not just getting into your head, Spider,” Black Cat said as she marveled at the man on top of her, “You think I’m hot? You got abs and biceps that could make supermodels swoon! You’re a heartbreaker!”
“Me, a heartbreaker? Where’d you get that idea?” Spider-Man said before the Black Cat kicked him off and flipped over, pushing herself up on her feet,
“Please, a guy who benchpress a car and be that flexible? One woman can’t be enough for you!” Black Cat dove off the building, firing a grappling hook as she swung from building to building, Spider-Man not far behind,
“Sorry, I ain’t one to womanize, you’ll have to rob Ironman instead,” Spider-Man said as he landed in front of the Black Cat, the street below bustling as red and blue lights follow them wherever they go, “Look, there’s nowhere to go, just stop and turn yourself in!”
“I can’t believe this, you’re strong, fast, and a goody two shoes?” Black Cat said as she held the painting in her hands, shaking her head, “Oh… I’m gonna have fun with you,” The Black Cat tossed the painting over the side of the building, Spider-Man looking on as the priceless art fell toward the street. Spider-Man jumped after the picture, hurtling through the air as the Black Cat ran off empty-handed.
Spider-Man caught the picture as he waited for the cops to pull up. Captain DeWolf stepped out with Captain Carter, both yawning and rubbing their eyes as Spider-Man handed them the picture,
“Didn’t get her this time, but she didn’t get anything of worth,” Spider-Man then looked at the decoy Tablet that the cops had in their car, “Where’s the real Tablet?”
“Somewhere safe,” Captain DeWolf said, “We’re making sure something that one of a kind stays put. You have no idea how many heads of the underworld want that thing.”
“What even is it? A magic slab?” Spider-Man said,
“Whatever they want it to be,” DeWolf said, “But a lot of scientists also want their hands on it, to study exactly what the hell it is and what it’s made of. We’re gonna have our hands full, aren’t we?”
“When don’t we,” Spider-Man said, “This is the new normal, remember?” DeWolf chuckled as she looked up at the hero,
“Go home, Spider-Man. We’ll talk tomorrow, and maybe we’ll be talking in a different tune,” DeWolf got in the car as the sirens went off, racing down the street as Spider-Man looked around the street. Traffic went on as normal, the people's hustle and bustle dying down as the night rolled on. Spider-Man aimed his web-shooters and swung through the city.
I love Gwen. I love her. Why am I thinking this? Spider-Man stopped a mugging, webbing the crooks to the wall. I mean, just because I flirted with a supercriminal, it doesn’t mean anything… Right? Spider-Man helped out in a car accident, lifting the car from the edge of the bridge. And, like, we didn’t even do anything! She just… Touched me… My chest… Uh, a-anyways, it’s not like me and Gwen don’t do that! We… Cuddle. And kiss. And hug, and hold, and… and… Spider-Man leaped into what felt like the fourth fire he’d dealt with today. Okay, we’re not a… A spicy couple. But that’s okay, we’re not even graduated! Sure, I turn eighteen soon, and so does she, and we’re about to graduate next year, and I wanna marry her and-- Wait… I wanna marry her!?! Where did that come from!?
Peter groaned, shaking his head from the guilt rabbit hole he put himself in. He dropped into an alley, changing into his normal clothes as he stepped onto the street. Peter slowly approached his house, getting used to the aches and pains of the day before letting May see him. Ever since her heart attack, Peter’s been ever so fragile with her, not letting her do anything too stressful or see anything too distressing. He can’t have her in that hospital bed again, he just can’t bear seeing that again.
Peter unlocked the door and slowly stepped inside, looking around as he saw the light on in the living room. He slowly crept forward, his face softening as he saw May passed out on the couch, watching Cheers . Peter saw she was breathing normally and pulled the blanket across her, giving her a light smooch on the forehead as he stepped into the kitchen. He saw a letter written from May,
Just in case you didn’t get anything to eat, I fried up some hotdogs and brats. Love, May.
Peter didn’t deserve her, making a plate full of buns, hot dogs, mustard, and ketchup. His unnatural sense of balance allowed him to carry the leaning tower of Franks with ease. He slowly closed his door, setting the plate down as he slumped in his chair, shoveling food down his throat as he turned on the small TV in his room,
“--And tonight, Spider-Man fails to apprehend Black Cat!” Peter rolled his eyes as Jonah barked at the TV, “It seems that our so-called hero was tasked by the police to capture the elusive Black Cat tonight, folks, and what a screwjob it was! Here are photos, taken by our photographer Eddie Brock, of Spider-Man chasing Black Cat across the rooftops! And it seems, from leaked police evidence, that the Black Cat has a crush on that menace!” On the TV were multiple letters that the Black Cat left to tease the police, and flirt with Peter, “See, this is what happens when masked vigilantes are let loose rampant, getting others riled up and wanting to don their own masks, and that’s why--” Peter turned off the T.V and groaned, shoveling another hot dog into his mouth,
“Why are girls so complicated?” Peter asked himself as he set the empty plate down. He looked at the time, seeing it show it was 1:30 AM. If he went out on patrol as Spider-Man for a little bit longer, he could catch something in the middle of the night. But, he did promise Gwen that he would take better care of himself, and if he slept six hours he would wake up not that long after 7:30 AM! Peter shut off his light, climbing into bed as he had dreams of sun gold, cherry red, and moon silver hair and bright smiles.
The dead of night hung over the harbor of New York, a silent night that loomed over the large structure between Manhattan and Queens. It was a manmade island, with the single purpose of containing the city's most dangerous supercriminals, and a land base for the strongest branch of the military, SHIELD: The Triskelion!
The Triskelion stood high on guard, Shield agents taking shifts and keeping a tight rotation on the comms. These brave men and women could not give these dangers to society even the slightest chance of escape. Spotlights roamed the grounds and skies above, the large glass structure lit like a tree on Christmas as scientists worked to crack the secrets of the next super soldier.
A guard on patrol took out the thermal goggles, scanning the area with infrared vision. He then was taken aback at the source of heat that just hovered in the air. He took off the goggles and reached for his radio to report the strange occurrence, when something bounced in front of him, slowly rolling towards him. The guard could only wonder why the hell there was a pumpkin at this time of year, but could not come to a conclusion in time.
KABOOM!!! Sirens blared out as the Triskelion came alive. Shield Agents scrambled to their post, only to see more bouncing metal pumpkins roll up to them. KABOOM!!! KABOOM!!! KABOOM!!! The island shook as smoke and fire dotted the island, medical teams scrambling to pull out those who survived the explosions as something zoomed past them.
Agents raised their weapons, firing at the large metal bat that flew in the air, its engine roaring like a mad beast as green gas began to fill the area, choking the Shield Agents out as the main building of the Triskelion was compromised. A scientist scrambled to collect their research, only to be lifted off their feet as they hovered in the air, horror filling their heart as those horrible yellow eyes cackled in their faces as the life was choked out of them.
The control station was held up, rifles aimed at the door as laser sights remained steady. Beads of sweat went down their faces as the higher-ups tried to get in contact with the Helicarrier and General Fury, but no dice. As though their communications were cut off even before all of this was happening. Suddenly, the doors blasted open as the Shield Agents raised their weapons, gulping down whatever fear they had, and slowly marched forward towards the door.
“Hello, my playthings!” A voice bellowed out, rifles prematurely firing out into the dark hallway. The only light was the red emergency light that came from the elevator, basking the hallway in a neon red light, “Oops, some of you were too trigger-happy, but there were others like you. Now then, let’s play a game, called Who Gets to Live? ”
Bouncing into the room was another pumpkin bomb, but it dispersed into numerous razor bats that twirled in the air, racing around the room. The Agents tried to duck and cover but were all cut down in the slaughter. Any survivors were then left with horror as the razor bats started to produce a beeping sound. Fire and blood stained the room as the bodies littered around, leaving nothing to block the cloaked figure from walking into the room’s terminal.
"Ah, so none of you!" The Green Goblin cackled with wicked glee as he stepped over the bodies. With gleeful yellow eyes, the Green Goblin scoured the Shield database, inserting a flash drive into the terminal as he cackled madly. Typing in the last of his commands, the Green Goblin sneered as he looked behind him, seeing Nicholas Fury holding a gun at his head level,
“So you’re the fool who thought he could just blow up my base, and kill my men,” Fury said as he cocked the gun, “And for what? Information? Are you just a glorified spy?”
“No, I’m just someone who wants to have fun,” Green Goblin said as the room began to shake, the terminal going haywire as alarms started to blare across the base,
“What the hell?” Fury said as everything started to shake, “What have you done!?!” The Green Goblin just smirked, Fury, clenching his teeth as he pulled the trigger. BLAM!!! BLAM!!! BLAM!!! The Green Goblin ducked for the first two bullets, lifting Fury’s arm just in time for the third bullet as he lifted the superspy in the air,
“I have torn down the hubris of mortals, Fury. This is the age of gods… Now bow!” The Green Goblin tossed Fury across the room with ease, tapping his wrist as he stood by the window, marveling at his actions.
From the earth of the base, metal began to rip out of the ground. Twisting, whining metal ripped out of the concrete, every gun and vehicle was turning into crumbled-up balls as the cells below were opened. Lifting the metal around, floating in the air as several people followed, was an old man. His silver hair did not hinder his power, creating metallic steps for him and his followers to walk out of their cages. Flying close by, away from the Triskelion, was a man wrapped in metal who wore a tattered dark green cloak, blasting away from the city. Agents swarmed around, yelling and shouting orders, not noticing one of their own walking off, smoke drifting off of them as they took the shape of a salmon and dove into the water. The Green Goblin took a bow to them all, hopping on his summoned glider as he laughed in the midnight sky.
Below them all, however, was a group of people who banked on the chaos. With power limiters turned off, sand and electricity flew through the air as they followed their mastermind. They waited by the shore, putting on their most critical gear. The older man put on a makeshift harness, designed for short flights. The man next to him put on a dome around his head, his clothes shifting to create the clothes a magician would wear. The illusionist stepped forward, lighting a symbol of an eye in the sky, and they waited. The mastermind looked down at his watch, smirking as within two minutes, a boat appeared out of nowhere,
“Is that one of your illusions?” The older man asked,
“No, it’s a kind of cloaking tech, though my illusions would benefit from the technology,” The illusionist said, waiting in anticipation as the boat came to the shore. Stepping off was a fierce man, wearing the mantle of a lion’s mane, his eyes wild and focused,
“Ah… The hunting party… I pray for all of your sakes that this wasn’t a waste of my time.”
“I insure you, it will be worth the investment,” The mastermind said, rolling his neck as he breathed slowly, in and out, “Now then, do you have what I require?”
“It was not easy to gain, not least under the watchful eye of Shield, but I reclaimed them,” The fierce man then nodded at the disciple who piloted the boat, handing him a large suitcase, “My men repaired the damages. I expect you to pull your weight in the great hunt,”
“Uh, wait,” said the large man in the green-striped shirt, “Who are we hunting?”
“Who do you think?” The mastermind said as the suitcase bursted open, metallic arms wrapping around him as the harness seared to his flesh accepted the arms, “The man who locked us here, took away what we each desired!” The mastermind then lifted himself above the other five men, grinning as his metal arms reached up into the sky, “We shall exact our vengeance on Spider-Man!!!"