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Queens, Manhattan
It was a chilly December morning. The night before, a snowfall had occurred, leaving a fresh blanket all over Manhattan. But that didn’t stop anyone from doing their daily grind. But for some, the daily grind wasn’t... super ideal.
“Hey! That freak took my purse!” A lady shouted, pointing down the street.
Everyone stopped, and stared with confusion at what they were seeing. It was a man, clad in a silver bodysuit, running on metal stilts through the streets, numerous purses and bags of money in his metallic looking gauntlets. On his head was some kind of circular helmet that...honestly made him look dopey.
“What...the hell...?” One bystander muttered.
Two police cars raced after the metal clad thief, one of which contained Captain George Stacy, who didn’t look surprised by what he was seeing. He looked angrier, as a matter of fact. He knew that having that costumed vigilante running around would only bring in freaks like Stilt Man.
He took the radio microphone in hand and spoke into it. “Stilt Man, surrender now before anyone gets hurt!”
“Kiss my ass, pigs!” Stilt Man shouted in response.
Stilt Man pressed a button on his right metallic gauntlet, making his stilts extend rapidly. Everyone, police and ordinary citizens alike, looked up in bewilderment as the now twenty-foot-tall Stilt Man ran by.
As he ran by, a peculiar figure watched from a rooftop. The figure chuckled to herself, before whispering “This is where the fun begins...”
The figure jumped off the rooftop, then swung on a synthetic web toward the Stilt Man. Down on the ground, citizens pointed up as the figure swung by.
The figure was clad in a full body, spandex costume. The top half of her costume, from the hood around her mask to her shoulders and arms, was white. The rest of her costume was a sleek black color. Contrasting against the pink that ran up the under sides of her arms was a series of blue webbing. That same pink pattern lined the inside of her hood. Instead of eye holes, there were wide lenses on the front of the mask.
On her feet were a pair of white shoes with pink designs running along the sides.
This was the one and only Ghost Spider.
She swung faster, web after web connecting to almost every building in the neighborhood, as she advanced toward Stilt Man.
Once she got close enough to talk to him, she called out, “Hey, Stiltzy! Did they let you out of prison early? Must’ve been a Christmas miracle for you!”
“Oh God, not you again!” Stilt Man quickened up his pace, to which the web slinger quickened her swinging.
“Aww, come on! I thought we were friends, Stiltzy!” The Ghost Spider quipped.
Stilt Man didn’t respond to that, and instead kept running. From the air, Ghost Spider watched as cars swerved out of the way, citizens fleeing in terror, and the police closing in. Civilians could be hurt at any moment. Not only that, but she could see that he was headed for the East River. If he crossed it, the police wouldn’t be able to catch him, and he’d go free! She knew she had to think fast.
“Okay, Stiltzy, this was fun, but I think it’s time to end this!” Ghost Spider swung away from Stilt Man, a plan forming in her mind. She swung to the right, swinging down a different street. She swung again, turning forward.
She had to get ahead of him as fast as possible. She came to a stop at two tall buildings, both of which were close to the river, and stood on opposite sides of the street.
“Yeah. These’ll do,” She whispered.
Stilt Man grinned as he neared the East River. The money was still with him, and the police wouldn’t be able to catch him once he crossed the water. He was going to get away! And best of all, the Ghost Spider was seemingly nowhere around.
All he had to do now was pass between those two buildings! He ran faster, grinning even harder with excitement.
“See you later, assholes!” He cried out, knowing they wouldn’t catch him.
But as he passed between the buildings, he stopped. He had tripped and was now falling to the ground! But right before he made impact, Ghost Spider swung in, grabbing him right off his stilts.
“What the hell?!” He screamed, “How did you-!?”
“Ever seen trip wires, Stiltzy? You can make them with webs too!” Ghost Spider replied cheerfully, much to the crook’s furious chagrin.
The police cars pulled up to the two buildings, finding only the tall metal stilts. Captain Stacy got out first, followed by his officers.
“Where the hell did he go?” He asked.
“Up here, assholes...” A defeat voice called from above.
They looked up and saw Stilt Man webbed up against the side of the building. On his chest was a note that read Compliments of your friendly neighborhood Ghost Spider!
“ Damn. We need to get her on the force!” One officer exclaimed with wonder.
Captain Stacy scowled at him, then looked back up at the web covered criminal. “Somebody order a ladder... and something to cut him out of those webs.”
***
“Woohoo!” Ghost Spider exclaimed. Another crook down! She had been on a pretty good streak as of late and was feeling particularly good about herself. So good that she wanted to celebrate her victory with one person; Peter.
She quickly made it to his apartment building. Sticking to the side of it, she noticed that his window was already open. She crawled up into it, climbing into his room and removing her mask.
Underneath the mask was Gwen Stacy, the daughter of Captain George Stacy. She set her mask down on Peter’s desk before pulling a small makeup mirror out of a small side pouch in her suit.
Her blonde hair, which was in a bob cut, looked a little disheveled from wearing the mask. She sighed, “Damn mask hair.”
But before she could preen herself, the doorknob started to turn. The door opened and someone walked inside.
It was a young man. He had a skinny, almost gangly physique, along with chestnut brown hair and brown eyes to match. A pair of nerdy looking glasses rested up on his pale noise.
He was wearing a Captain America t-shirt and pajamas. This was Peter Parker, Gwen’s best friend, who was currently fighting a cold brought on by the winter weather. In his hand he held a mug of hot chocolate, which he momentarily put on his desk.
He walked over to another shelf which held a large glass tank. Inside the tank was a bearded dragon, who was currently basking on a rock, underneath the heat of the heating lamp.
“Hey there, Sandy,” Peter cooed as he fed the lizard a mealworm.
As the lizard ate its treat, Peter walked back over to his bedside desk.
“I heard you come in through the window. You can get off the ceiling,” Peter called, rolling his eyes.
In his hand was a mug of hot chocolate, which he set down on his bedside desk, right next to Gwen’s mask. He closed the window, shivering a little.
“If you’re going to come in through my window, at least close it when you’re done. I’m fighting a cold here, you know.”
Gwen gently dropped from the ceiling, having stuck there by her finger tips. She had a goofy grin on her face.
She asked, “How do you always know?”
“Know what?”
“When I come in through your window, Petey.”
Peter rolled his eyes at the mention of his nickname. “I have ears, you know. Oh, and the mask on my bedside table is a dead giveaway too.”
He tossed the mask at her, which she caught effortlessly. He sat down on his bed, letting out a cough. He took a swig from his mug, which soothed his throat just a little.
“This might be a stupid question, but are you feeling any better, Petey?”
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question, Gwenny. And yeah, I’m feeling a little better. Better than yesterday, at least. Stupid seasonal sicknesses…”
“You gonna be okay?”
“I sure hope so. If I don’t, who else is going to make all your gadgets?” He joked.
She smiled. There was that dry Parker humor. She quickly got out of her costume. Underneath it, she had been wearing shorts and a black tank top.
“Shorts and a tank top? In this weather? How have you not been freezing?” Peter asked, in disbelief.
“Hey, it’s a good thing you put insulation in the suit.” She reminded him, “Otherwise, I would be freezing.”
She then reached into his closet, retrieving her white and pink backpack. Stuffed inside it were a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her denim coat.
As she put her normal clothes on, she said “Thank God May never asks why my backpack is in here.”
“You’re not the only one good at keeping secrets from people, Gwenny.” Peter humorously teased.
Gwen chuckled at that before sitting down on the bed next to Peter.
“Who did you catch today?” He asked.
“You’re gonna laugh if I tell you.”
“Oh, Gwen, just tell me.”
“Okay, okay. It was Stilt Man.”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Ugh, not that doofus again. What, is this the third time this week?”
“Fourth, actually. Some guys just don’t know when to quit.”
“Oh, and ‘Stilt Man’. Seriously? Some guys don’t even try when they come up with their villain gimmicks. What’s next? A guy called Big Wheel?”
The two laughed at that comment. Then, Peter asked “Oh, how did the new web shooters work?”
“They did amazing, Pete. Half the time, I still can’t wrap my head around how you can build stuff like this.”
“Heh. All it takes is time, elbow grease, a few old wrist watches, and some other junk lying around.”
“I swear, someday you’re gonna make a time machine out of an old washer or something.”
“Who’s to say I haven’t already?” He joked with a wink.
The room quickly filled up with laughter. To the two of them, these were the best of times. They couldn’t imagine life without each other, never having the other to laugh with or cry with. They were inseparable.
“Oh, still want to watch some Christmas movies?” Peter asked.
“Absolutely! Which one are we starting with first?”
“Hmm...Jim Carrey Grinch?”
“You really are my best friend,” Gwen smiled.
The two got around snacks. Chocolate covered pretzels, red and white M&Ms, big glasses of eggnog (and some cold medicine for Peter). The two laid down at opposite sides of the bed while the movie started.
***
Times Square, Midtown, New York City
The figures walked through Times Square, trying their best not to look conspicuous. There were three of them, two men and one woman.
The first man was stocky, with tanned skin and slick backed hair. He was dressed in cargo pants, black boots, and a dark trench coat. Underneath the coat was a green and black striped shirt. From his mouth hung a cigarette.
The second man was tall. Really tall. He had to have been almost seven feet, with an equally buff looking frame to match it. He had blonde hair that had been freshly buzz cut, and a mad gleam in his eyes. He was dressed in black denim pants, a white shirt that had visible stains on it, and grey boots. His trench coat was so big and long that it nearly dragged against the ground. In his big, meaty hand was a hot dog, which he was sloppily eating.
The woman looked a little out of place amongst her colleagues. She was Hispanic, and dressed in a leather jacket, a tight-fitting shirt, leather pants, and brown boots. She was beautiful, but like her colleagues there was an aura around her. An aura of silent danger.
Most New Yorkers disregarded them without so much as a passing glance, though the large man gained a few more odd stares.
The large man continued to greedily eat his hot dog. Some ketchup and mustard dripped down onto his shirt, giving him a new stain.
The slick backed guy grimaced. “For Christ’s sake, Aleksei, can’t you eat like a normal bloke?”
“This hot dog is very good, Flint Marko. You should really try a bite,” The large man, Aleksei, said as he tried to offer Flint some of the hot dog.
Flint pushed the Russian’s hand back. “No thanks. I'm not hungry for something made from lips and arseholes.”
“Suit yourself, Flint Marko,” Aleksei replied, right as he polished off the rest of the hot dog.
The woman let out a soft growl. “Shut up, you pendejos. Need I remind you we’re on a mission here?”
“Don’t ‘ave to remind us, sweet cheeks. The boss gave us some real clear instructions,” Marko replied. He took out a cigarette and lit it.
“Let’s get to where we’re going then. The Alchemax Building should be around here somewhere,” the woman replied, ignoring the “sweet cheeks” remark.
“Aww, come on, love. We just got ‘ere. Don't you want to see the sights? I mean, look around you. This place is full of crazy stuff! Like that toy store!”
As he talked, Marko gestured to the many different screens and billboards that made up Times Square. He also pointed out the toy store FAO Schwarz.
Aleksei was particularly enraptured by one that advertised the Central Park Zoo’s rhinoceros enclosure.
“Why not go to the zoo and see the little rhinos?” Aleksei asked. His voice had an almost childlike glee to it.
The woman rolled her eyes, muttering “Out of all the people I could’ve been saddled with, it had to be these two loco pendejos!”
She pulled the two of them away from their distractions. Marko sighed, looking back at FAO Schwarz. He knew she hated him, but he still wanted to get his daughter a present. Maybe he could even visit her back in Soho...No. No, he couldn’t. He would always be wanted there, just like everywhere else in the world.
Sometimes, being an assassin was a really shitty job.
The three walked through Midtown. Aleksei snagged a few more hot dogs on the way, much to the woman’s chagrin. Eventually, they finally found what they were looking for.
It was an abandoned burger shop nestled deep in an empty alleyway. Aleksei’s stomach growled loudly as he read the sign. The woman looked at him in disbelief.
“Gringo, how are you still hungry?! You’ve been doing nothing but eating since we got here!”
Aleksei was taken aback by her anger, and it looked like he was going to get angry right back when Marko stepped between them.
“Come on, Maia. Lay off the guy. He’s a growing boy! Besides, we’ve got bigger things to do here. Like, seeing what’s inside of that abandoned shop.”
Maia sighed. She knew he was right. After calming down, the three of them walked up to the door of the burger shop. Maia knocked on it, and was greeted by a gruff whisper from inside.
“Yeah? Who is it?”
“It’s me. Maia Gargan. We’re here on account of… The Boss.”
The door slowly opened. A brutish looking man in tactical gear led them inside, before promptly shutting and locking the door. The inside of the shop looked derelict and long abandoned. The remaining decor that hung on the walls seemed to be either late 60s or early 70s. It was almost a little creepy.
“So… this is where we’re going to be doin’ our illegal, criminal activities? An abandoned burger shop?” Marko asked incredulously.
“This isn’t just a burger shop. Back in the 60s, the Maggia Crime Family established bases around the city. This is one of them. Of course, over the years, people have added… enhancements.” The brutish man explained gruffly.
Maia walked over to the cash register and typed a command on its keypad. The brick wall behind the cash register separated, revealing an elevator. She smiled cunningly, turning to look at the others.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
Marko and Aleksei both stepped forward. The three of them squeezed into the rather small elevator. Or at least it felt small given Aleksei's size. The brutish man pressed another button on the keyboard, making the elevator descend into the lower part of the building.
***
Queens Police Department
George Stacy sat in his office, a box of lukewarm takeout noodles standing on his desk in front of him. He was shifting through paperwork when he let out a quiet sigh. He didn’t want to be doing this. It was only a week until Christmas. He still had gifts to buy and wrap, movies to watch with Gwen, fun things to do!
He loved being a police officer and serving the city. But there were also times where he would’ve loved to be hanging out with Gwen.
The two’s relationship was a bit… rocky, as of late. Gwen had become a bit distant, with school and her little band. And George hadn’t been much better.
He would get home late. Usually, Gwen would be asleep or staying at a friend’s house. George knew that people drifted apart in life but… he didn’t want that to happen to him and his daughter.
As he shifted through the last of the paperwork, a knock came at his office door.
“Come in,” he said while not taking his eyes off the paperwork.
The door opened, and in walked a man. An officer, to be exact. Though he was quite different from all the other officers. He was tall and imposing, with dark buzz cut hair and a face worn by all the violence he had seen in life.
This was officer Frank Castle. The most infamous police officer in New York City.
George looked up, meeting Castle’s stone cold gaze.
“Castle? What are you doing here?”
Castle smiled. George couldn’t figure out if it were a friendly smile, or one of contempt. He and Castle hardly ever saw eye to eye on anything, especially Castle’s methods of interrogating criminals.
His interrogation skills could, at best, be described as medieval.
“I saw what happened with Stilt Man today. It’s all over the news,” Castle began.
“We handled it the best we could. And that lunatic is going to be behind bars for a while.”
“Yeah, but that’s not what Mayor Jameson sent me here for. Remember Ghost Spider? She was the one who really caught Stilt Man. Mayor Jameson isn’t too happy about that.”
George could feel the air in the room getting a little tense. “She simply made it easier for us to catch him. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Since when did the police start cohorting with vigilantes? I must’ve missed that memo. Regardless, Jameson wants me working with you and your officers for the foreseeable future. He believes that, with my skills, I can make it so that this department doesn’t have to rely on vigilantes for help.”
“Castle, you tell Jameson that the last thing I need is you and your… methods. We’re struggling here as is.”
“All the more reason for me to stick around. Get used to me, Stacy, you’re gonna be seeing me around a lot more. Just wanted to let you know.”
Castle winked before walking out of Stacy’s office.
To say he was feeling anxious would be the understatement of the century. Why would Jameson think sending that lunatic to his precinct would be a good idea?!
To try and calm his nerves, he picked up his fortune cookie. He took it out of the wrapper and cracked it open. The fortune inside it read;
You will experience great turmoil ahead.
Weren’t the fortunes in these things supposed to
not
actually predict your future?