“And Parker if you ever show me up during class again, you’ll be stuffed in that locker,” grunted Flash Thompson as he shoved Peter Parker backwards, hands clutching the shirt. “Make me look stupid…”
“I think Evolution has beat me to the punch, Flash,” replied Peter, unable to help himself but he found himself tossed to the floor by the larger boy. Flash stepped forward, as the crowd that had gathered around, laughing at Peter’s predicament. Of course, Flash was the beloved hero of last Football season, having lead the team to the state championship and Peter was considered to be a bit of a nerd, due to his intelligence, getting top grades.
“Watch it Parker, you better watch your place,” said Flash hotly as Peter scrambled to his feet, clumsily. “Ah what’s the matter? Has Puny Parker fallen and he can’t get up?”
“Back off, Flash!” shouted Gwen Stacy as she rushed over towards Peter, angered by the fact that Flash had to keep up his childish antics, even after all these years. “It isn’t Peter’s fault that you don’t have two brain cells to rub together.”
Flash recoiled as several members of the crowd snickered at his discomfort. He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing a teacher walking over, he changed his mind.
“Later Parker, you can’t behind a girl forever,” said Flash as he moved away and the other members of the crowd walked away, as Gwen leaned forward, helping Peter to his feet.
“Okay, Peter?” asked Gwen with concern as she looked at her shaken friend.
“Yeah, don’t worry about me, it’s just Flash being his usual charming self,” replied Peter as he adjusted his glasses. “At least he didn’t give me a black eye this time, maybe he’s softening. After all these years, I still don’t get what his problem is.”
“He’ll keep bothering you, if he knows you’re going to sit back and take it, Pete,” replied Gwen evenly. “You could stand to be just a bit more assertive...”
“You’re saying I’m not assertive?” asked Peter defensively. “I mean, I suppose you could be right, but that’s just how I am. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“That’s the problem, people like Flash only understand one thing, physical force,” answered Gwen. “Why do you think he’s so good on the football field? Because he’s so aggressive, but you don’t have to take it. You’re better than that, you’re better than him.”
“Flash giving to you problems again, Pete?” asked a voice which caused Gwen and Peter to turn around, to see their other friend, Harry Osborn leaning against the wall, quite lazily.
“Wow, Harry, you actually showed up to school today,” replied Peter which caused Gwen to laugh.
“Yeah, had nothing better to do, besides Dad decided to take an interest of my life, it tends to happen every now and again,” said Harry. “He found out all the time that I missed and…well he wasn’t too happy. Now I have to spend every moment of my free time outside of school with tutors to get me caught up.”
“I told you your attitude would come back and bite you in the end, Harry,” said Peter as Gwen nodded in agreement.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that some people don’t find school as interesting as you two do,” said Harry. “You know, Pete, maybe if you loosened up a bit, maybe Flash wouldn’t be giving you hell every time you turn around.”
“Don’t know if that would happen, but Aunt May and Uncle Ben wouldn’t be happy with me if I slacked off in my studies,” said Peter, with a shrug of his shoulders before something struck him. “You know Harry, I’ve know you for years, but I don’t think I’ve ever met your dad.”
“Yeah me neither, I mean I’ve seen him in pictures, but it’s not like he’s an easy man to get a hold of,” replied Gwen and Harry just looked extremely tentative and evasive. “Harry?”
“He hinted that he’s picking me up after school to make sure I went, so if you’re lucky, you might see him,” said Harry before he turned away from the other two teenagers. “If lucky is the word you want to describe meeting my father.”
“Did you hear about the exhibit they’re having at ESU this weekend?” asked Gwen, abruptly changing the subject and Peter’s spun around with interest, nodding. “It’s an interesting scientific breakthrough.”
“I know tell me about it, genetically altered insects and arachnids,” answered Peter and Harry just pulled a face.
“You mean to tell me you two are excited about a bunch of bugs?” asked Harry.
“Not just any bugs, they’ve been genetically modified to be much stronger to defend against predators, not to mention the fact this could lead to further studies being done and it can lead to curing diseases,” said Gwen in an excited voice. “We could be looking at something that might change the entire face of genetics.”
“Not to mention Professor Warren has been studying this for years, he’s a genius on this,” added Peter, who was practically ecstatic.
“Warren?” asked Harry as he screwed his eyes up, sudden recognition dawning on him. “As in Professor Miles Warren?”
“Well, yes, you mean you’ve heard of him?” asked Peter.
“He worked for Dad for years,” answered Harry. “Not exactly all there in the head, he had a couple screws loose, Dad had to let him go, I heard he was a bit obsessed with cloning.”
“Well he’s not without his quirks,” agreed Peter slowly, not quite sure what to believe of this information. “All great scientists have them.”
“Maybe,” said Harry as they heard the warning bell for the final class period of the day. “Still, not like I’d get to see this amazing scientific breakthrough, Dad has my entire weekend and maybe the rest of my life booked for all I know.”
“Just hang in there, Harry, you’ll bounce back,” said Peter and Harry just shrugged off his friend’s encouragement. “So Gwen, are you up for checking out the exhibit?”
“It’s a date,” answered Gwen with a smile.
-
Norman Osborn was not a patient man at any time but when his time was monopolized by petty things way below his notice, he tended to be less patience. He walked across the lobby of Oscorp Headquarters, with a cold indifferent look on his face, devoid of any emotion whatsoever, as he prepared to pick his son Harry up for school within the next hour, before he dropped him off with the arranged sessions with his tutors. He wished that his son had not been such a disappointment, lacking the ambition to even give the minimal amount of attention towards his studies, but Norman reasoned that this was no fault of his own. There was something simply lacking with the boy.
“Mr. Osborn, sir?” asked a nervous character with reddish brown hair and glasses. “A Wilson Fisk is here to see you, sir.”
“Send him in, Menken,” ordered Norman briskly and Menken nodded, before he moved forward. The CEO of Oscorp stood, having no clue what Wilson Fisk could possibly want at this time, but knowing Fisk, it could hardly be anything that would benefit Norman. He looked calm and collected as a bald rotund man wearing a white suit stepped forward, with an armed bodyguard on either side. Not that he needed them, he was strong enough to rip anyone apart personally who tried something with him, but Wilson Fisk rarely dirtied his own hands. “Good afternoon, Wilson.”
“Hello, Norman,” said Fisk, staring down Norman, not intimidated one bit.
“Might I ask you what business you have at Oscorp?” asked Norman, matching Fisk’s expression.
“Norman, my dear boy, there is no need to be hostile, I do like to check up on the business I own a sizeable interest in from time to time,” said Wilson. “Especially considering recent accidents that have made their way into the news cause me grave concern as a stockholder.”
“Mendel Stromm’s untimely demise was of no fault of mine, the poor man dropped dead of a heart attack, contrary to what misguided rumors you may have heard, Wilson,” said Norman in an icy voice, daring Fisk to contradict him. “The man was getting on in years and it’s a shame that he passed, he was an old teacher of mine. A great mentor and that’s not a compliment I give lightly…”
“A great mentor with an experimental formula that could add millions of dollars to your fortune with the right buyer, providing of course he was out of the picture and you didn’t have to give him royalties,” answered Fisk and Norman just responded. “Naturally I’m not accusing you of any wrongdoings Norman, but the fact of the matter is, the fact that these rumors exist give Oscorp a bad reputation. Still, there is one thing that I wish to know, Norman. The formula that Stromm was working on, while I know of its existence, I’m unsure of its capabilities.”
“It was a super performance enhancer, but I assure you it was highly unstable and extremely addictive,” said Norman evasively. The truth was he had been working on modifying the formula. Stromm’s initial work was a decent base, but there was still much work to be done. “The entire project has been thrown out.”
“A pity, but I’m sure you had your reasons,” said Fisk as he eyed Norman suspiciously. “I do hope that no more deaths occur, it would be bad and I might have to ask the other shareholders to step in to take a nice close look at Oscorp or to be more particular, it’s management.”
“Is that a threat, Wilson?” demanded Norman.
“No, merely a friendly warning,” said Fisk. “I would love to chat about old times but I do have other businesses to attend to. “
“You may be taking a bit too much on, Wilson,” said Norman calmly. “Best be careful, someone could take you down a peg.”
“If someone tries, they would be far from the first,” said Fisk nonchalantly. “Good bye, Norman.”
“Farewell, Wilson,” said Norman as he watched the man walk away with narrowed eyes before he turned and walked down to the door where his limo was waiting.
-
Wilson Fisk sat back in his limo deep in thought. He was a man who was known to the word as a charitable philanthropist and a respected business man but there was another side of him. He was feared in the New York criminal underworld as ruthless Kingpin of Crime, a position that he steadily held for the past fifteen years, after orchestrating an overthrow of the former lead crime boss of New York, Silvio Manfredi. While Manfredi withered away in crime boss, Wilson Fisk enjoyed the trappings of power of being a crime boss.
Soon he would gain control of Oscorp and the Kingpin of Crime would use its vast resources to spread his criminal empire beyond his current scope of influence.
-
The final bell just rung with Harry quickening his pace, with Gwen and Peter struggling to keep pace. Quite frankly, he did not want his friends and his father to meet. It was two worlds that he perilously tried to keep from colliding for years. It was not too difficult, with the great and mighty Norman Osborn being away on business for most of his life, leaving him in the care of family servants. His deepest fear was that his father would not approve of his friends and Gwen and Peter would think less of him because of his father’s oh so wonderful personality.
“Hey, Harry, wait up!” called Gwen in frustration.
“Maybe it’s just me, but Harry’s trying to lose us,” muttered Peter under his breath as they quickened their pace, dodging around the crowd, as they made their way out the door. Harry was off in the distance, pace quickened as he craned his neck, seeing his father waiting outside the limo. Wincing as several people looked in awe, Harry moved towards his father.
“Hello son,” said Norman coolly as he looked at his son, taking note that the boy seemed to be in a particular hurry to leave. “How was school?”
“Fine, Dad,” said Harry calmly.
“Just fine, Harry?” asked Norman with a raised eyebrow before he lowered his voice so only Harry could hear. “Surely after the discussion we had yesterday, I would have assumed you would take a more ambitious approach towards your studies.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Harry dully as he saw that Peter and Gwen arrived and his father’s full attention devoted towards them.
“Your friends, I take it?” asked Norman with calm indifference.
“Yes, sir,” said Harry as Gwen and Peter approached closer.
“Well aren’t you going to introduce me to them?” asked Norman never breaking from his calm tone of voice. “Or are you ashamed of your old man?”
“Gwen, Peter!” called Harry with forced excitement. “Guys this is my father, Norman Osborn. Dad, these are my two best friends, Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Osborn,” said Gwen in a polite tone of voice.
“Same here sir,” said Peter but Norman’s attention turned towards Peter, brushing off Gwen with frosty indifference.
“Peter Parker?” asked Norman in surprise and great interest. “Surely not the same Peter Parker who has been regarded to be one of the most gifted Science students to come out of Midtown High since myself.”
“Well I don’t know about that Mr. Osborn, but I do hold my own,” said Peter modestly.
“Don’t be so modest Peter, I’ve heard nothing but the best about you from my acquaintances on the teaching staff,” said Norman in a stern voice. “Keep up this quality of work and you’ll be heading towards big things. The college of your choice with your intellectual gifts and maybe we’ll be working together in a few years. We could use a few gifted minds like yours at Oscorp.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Peter in surprise, from what he gathered, this was high praise from Norman Osborn and he watched Gwen hover awkwardly in the background.
“So you’ve been trying to keep my son on the straight and narrow,” said Norman as he looked at Harry with disappointment.
“I do what I can,” said Peter and Norman responded with a nod and a knowing, if slightly twisted, smile.
“Well that’s all we can hope for, but even people as brilliant as us can be frustrated when working with inadequate material,” said Norman as he looked at Harry, properly embarrassed and Norman consulted his watch. “I have to leave, Harry’s tutoring session is going to begin in ten minutes and they’re not the type of people I would want to keep waiting.
“Right, I’m sorry to waste your time, Mr. Osborn,” said Peter but Norman waved off his apologies.
“Don’t apologize Peter, it’s always a pleasure to talk to a bright young man such as yourself,” said Norman coolly. “Maybe Harry could learn from your example yet.”
“Right, good bye Mr. Osborn, good bye Harry,” said Peter brightly but Norman just responded with a brisk nod.
“Bye Harry!” called Gwen with forced brightness.
“Bye, Gwen, Peter,” muttered Harry as he sat in the back seat, fearing a lecture about the quality of his friends.
“So, Harry’s father,” said Peter as he watched the Osborn limo drove into the distance.
“Gives me the creeps,” said Gwen involuntarily shuddering. “Maybe it was better off for Harry that he’s not around all of the time.”
“Don’t like him much either, but at least Harry’s nothing like his dad,” said Peter.
“Thankfully,” agreed Gwen utterly appalled by a miniature version of Norman Osborn running around. “We better get going.”
“I’ll walk you home Gwen,” said Peter suddenly, unaware of where that quite forward request came from.
“Why, Mr. Parker, people might think there’s something going on between us,” teased Gwen with a smile.
“I could do worse, Ms. Stacy,” retorted Peter before muttering under his breath. “Much worse.”
-
“Peter has potential, it’s something that you are quite frankly lacking, Harry,” remarked Norman calmly. “The girl on the other hand, well I don’t know if I approve with your friendship with her. She just appears to be an unneeded distraction at a crucial time in your life.”
Harry just sat in the back seat of the limo, stewing. He could not believe his father had torn him down in front of his front of his friends.
“Gwen’s not a distraction, in fact we’re just friends,” said Harry and Norman just turned to his son with a raised eyebrow. “I’d be lying if I didn’t find her attractive, but it just wouldn’t work out.”
“And why wouldn’t it work out?” asked Norman, as while he had misgivings about Harry being friends with this Gwen Stacy, he was appalled by his son’s attitude. An Osborn never thought of themselves beneath a female.
“Dad, please, it just wouldn’t,” muttered Harry.
“Tell me why it wouldn’t work, son?” asked Norman a bit more forcefully as he stared down his son without blinking.
“She and Peter…well they’re not officially….but it’s like…neither of them want to make the first move,” said Harry awkwardly.
“I see,” said Norman stiffly. He truthfully would never understand teenagers for as long as he lived as the limo came to a stop. “The tutors would be waiting inside Harry. I’ll be in meetings all night but I’ll see you in the morning. Do work harder than you ever worked before and don’t embarrass me.”
Harry exited the limo, fists clenched, wishing he could stand up to his father but he could not do it. He walked inside, feet dragging, resigned to his fate that he would not have a moment of free time for the foreseeable future.
-
“Bye Gwen, see you tomorrow,” called Peter as Gwen walked towards the house.
“Bye Peter, stay safe,” replied Gwen as she opened the door, watching Peter walk off before she turned her key into the door and slipped inside, to see her father, George, sitting at the table. “Hi, Dad!”
“Hello, Gwen,” said George as he looked tired, at least twice his age. Being the Captain of the New York City police force had taxed him recently, because of how short handed they had been recently. Two of his best men retired recently and another one had been shot by a gunman who had been working for the mysterious Kingpin. The investigation of the Kingpin had hit every wall imaginable and they were back to square one. “And how was your day?”
“Great, Dad,” said Gwen happily. “Yours?’
“More of the same, I don’t really want to burden it with you Gwen,” said George with a sigh. He admitted that he had thrown himself into his work over the past couple of years, after the death of his wife. “So how are things between you and Peter?”
“Well we’re still friends if that’s what you mean,” said Gwen evasively and George just looked at his daughter.
“He’s a good young man, Gwen, which is something that’s really rare these days,” said George, indeed if it would have been any other boy that Gwen had shown interest in, he would be polishing his gun.
“Yes, Pete’s one of a kind,” said Gwen shaking her head to clear her thoughts regarding one Peter Parker. He was not without his flaws certainly, but overall he was selfless, willing to stand by his friends, even if he had difficulty standing up for himself. Cute too in his own way but that was an added benefit on top of his personality more than anything.
-
“Hey, Parker, looks like your little blond protector isn’t here to protect you now, so we can finish what we started earlier!” called Flash Thompson which caused Peter to wince, grabbed by the collar of his shirt, as a few of Flash’s friends watched with glee. “Don’t know what she sees in a little twerp like you anyway but that doesn’t matter.”
“You know Flash, I’m a bit tired of you…” stated Peter but Flash shoved Peter down to the ground. Peter winced, as he scrapped his elbow.
“You know Parker, it’s like you think you’re better than me sometimes,” said Flash gruffly, as his friends watched, laughing at Peter’s misfortune but he scrambled to his feet as Flash stood off with Peter but suddenly Flash and his friends stiffened and Peter looked over his shoulder, before he sighed relief.
“Is there a problem here, boys?” asked Ben Parker, as he looked from the boys to his nephew on the floor.
“No of course not, Mr. Parker,” said Flash in what he thought was a winning tone of voice. “Me and my good buddy Pete we’re just fooling around, man Pete that’s a nasty scrape, you better get that looked at. That looks like it sucks.”
“I think you boys better head on home,” said Ben calmly, as he put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder and they nodded, Flash giving one final smile as Peter winced, knowing the taunting he would have go through tomorrow at school. “How long have those boys been giving you trouble, Peter?”
“I could have handled that Uncle Ben,” said Peter but Ben just looked at his nephew. “It’s nothing, just every day, Flash likes to show off, I’m sure he really means nothing by it.”
“Let’s get you inside, Peter, your aunt should be finishing dinner,” said Ben as he steered Peter inside and sure enough, as they entered the kitchen, May Parker was standing in the kitchen, looking rather worried but her expression brightened when she saw Peter.
“Peter there you are, now where have you been, you know I worry,” said May, fussing over Peter immediately. Peter felt satisfied that his aunt did not really see his elbow right away, she would only worry.
“Sorry about that Aunt May, I was walking Gwen home and I tried to get back as soon as I can, I didn’t mean to worry you,” said Peter apologetically.
“Oh that’s sweet of you dear, I know you didn’t mean to worry me, but you how I get,” said May, before she turned and walked into the other room, where the television had been left on.
“…embittered former special effects artist Quentin Beck was quoted in saying that most artists today would not know how to utilize special effects dramatically if it bit them in the…” stated a news caster on television before it was silenced.
“Peter, you do know that you can talk to me about anything, right?” asked Ben quickly. For years, Peter told him everything but now much like most teenagers, Peter had been a bit more secretive about his life.
“Of course I do, Uncle Ben, but it’s nothing,” said Peter stubbornly.
“Just like your father was at that age,” muttered Ben to himself, shaking his head. “Just remember Peter, you could be a little more assertive, show those boys that you won’t put up with what you’re putting you through.”
“Gwen told me the same thing,” said Peter swiftly.
“Smart girl that one,” said Ben approvingly. His nephew was a good boy, smart as a tack but he tended to lack the assertiveness to stand up to himself and with that May re-entered the room, pushing a newspaper to the side, as the Parkers ate dinner.
-
“Welcome to Empire State University!” boomed an excited voice as Gwen and Peter made their way through the crowd, where several exhibits were set up but the main attraction was the exhibit of genetically altered insects and arachnids. “Thank you for coming out today, we have a real treat for you, one of the foremost experts in genetics, Professor Miles Warren.”
Polite applause as Warren made his way towards the glass case, looking business like and completely serious, as the vast majority of the crowd gathered around.
“With years of intense study, I have began to unlock the key of genetically altering insects, making them stronger and more able to ward off predators, enhancing their strength by many times,” lectured Warren dryly, showing little emotion. “With extensive tests, a serum has been created and introduced into the insects that genetically alter their DNA to be stronger, faster, much more durable. With more time and more tests, the serum could be further developed to be introduced into more advanced forms of life and it is my theory that in time, it could unlock the secrets to curing many previously incurable diseases.”
“Excuse me Professor Warren,” called a man in the middle row. “But aren’t you concerned of the ethical implications of tinkering with the DNA of living organisms? Many would call it unnatural.”
“Many would call moving pictures watched in a box witchcraft a century ago but television has been introduced into our society and is a prominent part of it, for better or for worse” countered Warren. “Granted there are some risks, there always are risks as any true scientist knows but I feel the long term scope of this project will cause great things.”
“Have there been any side effects in the creatures you’ve introduced the serum into so far?” asked another voice.
“Side effects, yes, the serum was not perfected during the first two rounds of testing but this third batch of genetically altered insects and arachnids have withstood the modified serum,” said Warren. “I assure you that should the serum ever get the stage where it could be utilized on humans, it will be tested to its fullest extent.”
Warren cleared his throat, brushing off several other questions, as he watched the insects move around, with no side effects so far. The first batch had lived an accelerated life, decomposing almost instantly when the serum had been introduced to them. The second batch had spontaneously combusted but this third batch was strong and enduring. Their shelf life was maybe several days at the most before he sprayed out a spray can and sprayed it into the case but the insects appeared none the worse from wear.
“This insect killer has no effect on my insects,” said Warren as he sprayed a nearby fly on the wall, showing that the spray was indeed legitimate when the fly landed off the wall.
“Can anything kill them?” asked Gwen, her curiosity piqued.
“Normal means used to kill insects is rendered ineffectual but yes, they can be killed just as any human could be,” said Warren with a dry chuckle. “We can’t make the invincible, especially if the serum is spread to the offspring, the number of insects multiple an accelerated rate. And then within a few weeks they will…”
Warren was stopped when a man in a suit exited from a door behind him and whispered something into his ear causing the Professor to be a bit put off.
“Feel free to take a look at our specimens and once I return, I’ll answer any further questions,” said Warren as he turned before briskly walking off, as the group turned around.
“Look at that Gwen,” muttered Peter as he watched a spider in one of the case do a series of acrobatic moves to create a web that he was certain was not even possible.
“Oh that’s cool, if a bit unnatural,” said Gwen as she watched the spider, with a fascinated expression on her face. The other insects were okay, but the serum appeared to enhance the abilities of the spiders beyond everything else. As she watched them, something caught her eye. “That’s odd.”
“What’s odd, Gwen?” asked Peter, turning to her.
“According to the sign, there’s sixteen spiders, but I only see fifteen,” said Gwen quietly, counting to make sure she had not missed one.
“I’m sure it will turn up,” said Peter, but he turned, seeing a furry little black spider crawling up his arm and he muttered, eyes widened when he realized. “The missing spider…”
That was about the only words Peter uttered, before he felt a sharp pain. The spider had bitten him and it was quite different by any bite he had ever experienced. His arm felt as if it was on fire briefly before his body went numb, as he staggered.
“PETER!” shouted Gwen in a horrified voice, as she watched as Peter staggered around the lab, attracting a the attention of more than a few bystanders but he somehow managed to summon the strength to move forward, with Gwen following behind him, nearly tripping over her feet at her haste to get to him, eyes widened in horror “Peter, please speak to me, oh my god, you really don’t look good.”
“Don’t feel good either,” gasped Peter as he felt his entire body size up, he felt the urge to throw up but somehow his body would not allow him to as he staggered and slumped against the wall, with Gwen moving forward to catch him, helping him ease his way to the ground so he did not fall, as Gwen heard movement from the other side of the door and the door opened.
“Someone please help, there’s been an accident, my friend…he’s really sick,” said Gwen her lip trembling straining to maintain her composure, it was so hard not to completely freak out. One minute Peter had been talking to her like normal and they were enjoying their day, the next second Peter was in pain and barely conscious, not to mention the fact he looked dreadfully pale and sweaty.
“Just stay calm, I’ll call an ambulance,” said the security guard as he turned but Peter gripped Gwen’s hand.
“Please don’t leave me, Gwen,” rasped Peter weakly. “I can’t move…it hurts too much…”
“Peter, don’t worry, I’m here, someone’s getting help, don’t worry, everything is going to okay,” said Gwen in a reassuring voice, as she squeezed Peter’s hand lightly but she felt his body thrash violently. “Pete…please don’t die on me Peter, hang on, I know you’re strong enough to fight this…someone’s coming, you can’t die, not know.”
Gwen looked forlorn as she wrapped her arms around Peter, trying to offer him what little comfort she can, despite the fact having little to offer herself. It tore her up inside to see him in this state but Peter’s violent shaking ceased slightly. He was still pale, a hand to his forehead revealed that he was burning up and he was breathing was extremely shallow.
“I’m going to die,” whispered Peter. “Before I tell…”
Peter’s voice was silenced, as he appeared to be too weak to even say one more word.
“Now you’re not going to die Peter,” muttered Gwen in an attempt to convince herself as much as Peter. “You’re just too stubborn to…besides help is the on way right now, the paramedics are here, you’ll get to the hospital, everything will work out just great, this will be just a memory, you’re be better, you have to be.”
Gwen turned, wiping the tears away from her eyes, but maintaining a strong resolve. She had to be not only for Peter, but for his aunt and uncle when they found out the horrible news about what happened to their nephew. Paramedics entered the room, serious expression on their face.
“It will be okay Peter,” muttered Gwen, reluctantly withdrawing her hand from his, as the paramedics moved in to do their job, before she muttered. “You have to be okay.”
-
“Patience Dr. Essex, with this line of work it takes a great deal of time, even with an adequate amount of funding put behind the project,” said Warren in a calm voice but he was shaken. His benefactor, the man who put him on his current line of research was not a patient man.
“I’m well aware of the time, but your carelessness is something that I am quite concerned with, Warren,” said Essex crisply from the other end. “You were discharged from Oscorp before you could fully tap into the resources available there; causing you to go under ground and it compromises my work. Yet, you waste my time and my money tinkering with genetically altering insects.”
“It is just one step in a lengthy process, soon I’ll be able to move onto more complex forms of life and eventually humans, before we reach the goal you laid out in front of me,” said Warren. “It does intrigue me, artificially creating forms of new life…”
“What intrigues you is hardly of notice to me, Warren,” replied Essex crisply. “Just remember, I want results other than a few super powered insects. I have plans, to bring evolution to its fullest. The serum is merely the first steps of infancy in a grander picture. In fact, it’s not like you’ve managed to keep your little pests alive for more than mere days as of yet.”
“If you know so much, Essex, then why don’t you take this project on personally?” demanded Warren.
“Believe me, Miles, I know more than you could ever dream about genetics, failures and successes, each of them getting closer to unlocking secrets not yet imagined, but I have little need to dirty my hands with the basics,” said Essex. “My own physical strength and abilities is proof of this but I need to know more, much more and let’s just say your face draws less attention than mine does but don’t think that I won’t be watching.”
“Yes, Dr. Essex,” said Warren as he heard the phone hang up on the other end before a frantic knock brought him out of his distress. “Enter.”
“Professor Warren, sorry for the interruption, but a boy was taken to the hospital because of an accident,” said a young man frantically.
“I fail to see how this concerns me,” said Warren dryly.
“He was bitten by one of your experience that escaped,” said the man and Warren just looked at him, everything changed.
“Really, what was the young man’s name and what did he get bitten by?” asked Warren, he had wondered what would happen if a human was bitten but it would raise too many questions if tried. This accident was a godsend.
“I don’t know, his girlfriend looked upset,” said the man and Warren just waved him off.
“This lack of information does me no good,” said Warren, but he readied himself for the worst. He needed to find out what experiment got loose and replace it, so no one could tie this back to him. While the Professor was curious, he also realized that a legal battle could both endanger is work, especially this close after his dismal from Oscorp and jeopardize his life if Essex got wind of another reckless blunder on his part.
-
Gwen sat in the hospital waiting room, hands folded, waiting for Peter’s aunt and uncle to arrive. She looked at her cell phone; she had tried to contact Harry several times to inform him of Peter’s accident, but so far no answer. Gwen decided to try him one more time in a couple of minutes before the door burst open and May and Ben Parker walked inside. May looked on the verge of worrying herself to death and while Ben looked worried, he tried to remain rather composed.
“Oh my…where’s Peter?” asked May.
“Mrs. Parker, Peter’s been taken in, he’s stabilized, I’m sure they’re tell you more right away,” said Gwen who tried to maintain her own composure, but May walked off, wanting an explanation, trying to find some explanation.
“What on earth happened, Gwen?” asked Ben.
“This is going to sound really stupid, but we were at the exhibit, and Peter he was bitten by a genetically altered spider,” said Gwen as flashes from the day had continued to overwhelm her and Ben looked confused.
“He’s going to be alright,” said Ben in an optimistic voice.
“I hope so, I really do,” replied Gwen, who brushed her hair out of her eyes, before she looked forward and May came out of the next room, with Ben meeting her.
“Good news, the doctor said Peter came out of whatever happened to him but he’s really weak,” said May in a relieved voice. “He said we can visit him in a little bit, only family, sorry dear, but I’m sure you can see him a little later.”
“No, that’s alright Mrs. Parker, I’m just glad Peter’s going to be fine,” said Gwen as she breathed a sigh of relief. She had come so close to losing him, too close in fact, as she watched the Parkers leave, followed by a doctor, as she tried to get in touch with Harry once again.
“Norman Osborn, speaking,” said the last voice that Gwen wanted to hear.
“Mr. Osborn, its Gwen Stacy, is Harry there?” asked Gwen and there was a pause, where Gwen was almost certain that Norman was contemplating hanging up on her right away.
“Ms. Stacy, Harry is in a tutoring session at the moment and he doesn’t need in distractions, whatever trivialities you have, I’m certain you can tell him on Monday,” said Norman coldly.
“No, listen, Mr. Osborn, it’s an emergency, our friend, Peter Parker, there’s been an accident and Peter’s is in the emergency room!” shouted Gwen in an extremely frantic tone without taking a breath.
“Peter is in the hospital?” asked Norman but he continued without given her a chance to answer. “What hospital is he in?”
“Manhattan General,” responded Gwen briskly.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can and I’ll be sure to pass along the message to Harry once his tutoring session concludes,” said Norman before he hung up the phone and Gwen leaned back with a sigh and a frustrated expression on her face, before she tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for a chance to see Peter.
-
“Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker, a word about your nephew’s condition before you see him,” said the doctor.
“I thought he was better,” said May in a frantic voice.
“Peter is much better, other than being extremely weakened right at the moment but several tests have been run, there is nothing wrong with him,” said the doctor. “In fact, once your nephew recovers from this he will be almost normal.”
“What do you mean by almost normal?” said Ben sharply, not missing a beat or what the doctor said.
“It’s nothing alarming, in fact in the long run it will be completely unnoticeable, he’ll just require a bit more nourishment than a normal boy his age and his strength and endurance towards certain diseases will be heightened slightly,” said the doctor. “I assure you that if I had not been sure of this, I would not have said it.”
“May we see him?” asked May and the doctor nodded, giving the middle aged woman a smile before he stepped outside to reveal an opened door with Peter laying in bed, sitting up. He gave his head a little shake, the events of earlier in the day a bit sketchy, but his mind managed to piece together what happened.
“Hi, Aunt May, Uncle Ben,” said Peter in a weakened voice and May moved over, before she hugged her nephew. Ben stood on the other side, clapping him on the shoulder, as Peter looked a bit embarrassed. “Really, I’m fine, you don’t have to…its okay, I’m sure the doctors told you what happened.”
“Oh Peter, how do you get yourself into these messes?” asked May as she shook her head. “You gave us quite the scare, young man. I hope you’d be more careful.”
“I agree with your aunt Peter, but all this over a little bug bite,” said Ben with a relieved smile.
“Must have been an allergic reaction,” said Peter with a shrug and both his aunt and uncle nodded. “I feel okay, really I’m telling the truth this time, a bit hungry, and tired but really, I don’t know if I could have gotten through it all without Gwen.”
Peter just paused as he watched his uncle look at him with a knowing smile.
“How long have I been here anyway?” asked Peter, abruptly changing the subject.
“Only a few hours, it’s almost evening,” said a doctor form the other side. “Mr. Parker, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that you’ll be perfectly fine, but I do wish to keep you for a couple more days to see if there are any other potential side effects and maybe run a few more tests but you should be out of here by Tuesday.”
“That would be more than fine, doctor, just to make sure Peter is safe,” said May and Ben nodded but Peter just shrugged his shoulders. Personally he felt fine but the doctor’s word was final and if his aunt and uncle felt he could do with a couple more days in the hospital than it just gave him no to argue whatsoever.
-
“Dad mentioned what happened to Peter,” said Harry to Gwen on Monday morning just before school. “Some kind of accident or something…”
“At the science exhibition,” confirmed Gwen with a nod.
“See Gwen, I told you science could be dangerous,” said Harry with an attempt to lighten the mood but Gwen just looked at him with an angry glare. “Right sorry, not funny, I know. Is Pete going to be alright?”
“He’ll be fine,” said Gwen, wishing she could confirm that fact for herself. Truthfully, despite waiting for several hours, she had not been able to see Peter, as visiting hours were over by the time he was stabilized and on Sunday, the hospital was closed to visitors. She hoped to swing by after school to see if she could see Peter. “I just hope his aunt and uncle are.”
“What do you mean?” asked Harry.
“Don’t tell Pete, I told you this, but he doesn’t want anyone’s sympathy, but they’re not that well off, especially since his uncle has been laid off from work,” said Gwen. “And the cost of medical bills these days, it can be a problem.”
“Parasitic doctors trying to squeeze every cent out of their patients,” said Harry seriously. “Don’t sweat it Gwen, I’m sure they’ll find some way to manage.”
“I hope so Harry, I really do, because you know Peter, he’ll beat himself up about this,” said Gwen as they down the hallways before they separated before their first class period.
-
“Fine, Aunt May, I’m fine,” said Peter on Wednesday morning, the previous evening he had been let go from the hospital with a clean bill of health. “Trust me if I even feel a little bit sick, then I’ll go the nurse’s office and call you to pick me up right away.”
“That’s a good boy Peter, I know the doctor’s told us that you were perfectly healthy, but after what happened, I don’t want to take any chances,” said May as she fussed over Peter.
“Have a good day at school kiddo and try to take it easy, don’t need to strain yourself the first day back,” said Ben.
“Right, will do Uncle Ben,” said Peter in an agreeable tone but as if on cue the door bell rang.
“Who could that be this early in the morning?” wondered May out loud as Peter moved forward, to get the door. As he opened it, his express brightened when he saw who was on the other side.
“Gwen, good morning,” said Peter brightly. “What are you doing here this early in the morning?”
“Is it a crime to come by and see my friend after he got let out of the hospital?” asked Gwen with a smile as she looked over Peter. Something about him seemed a bit different, other than the obvious fact he was not wearing his glasses. “I stopped by and tried to visit you but when they finally let me, you were asleep.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” asked Peter. “I would have enjoyed the company, the hospital can get depressing after a time.”
“Oh you looked so peaceful and…I didn’t want to wake you up if you weren’t feeling well,” said Gwen, who mentally had to stop herself from adding the word “cute” to her description of how Peter looked.
“Er, maybe we should get to the school, don’t want to be late,” said Peter and with that word, the two left the house. They walked in silence for about a minute before Gwen turned to him.
“What happened to your glasses?” asked Gwen curiously.
“Glasses?” inquired Peter, caught off guard.
“Yes, you know, those corrective lenses that help you see better, glasses,” said Gwen with a smile.
“Oh, those, well after the incident this weekend, my eyes seemed to work perfectly without them,” said Peter and Gwen just looked at him with a questioning look. “Don’t worry about it Gwen. Nothing bad happened when this happened, I just seem to be a bit more hungry than usual and…well I’m not as scrawny and clumsy as I was before the accident.”
“I just hope you’re right about nothing bad happening,” said Gwen seriously. “At least you’re fine, but don’t ever scare me like that again. I thought you were going to die.”
“You weren’t the only one, Gwen,” said Peter as they turned the corner, only one more block to school and for once, he was making good time, ten minutes until first period was going to start. “It hurt badly and…well don’t worry about it now. Like you said, I’m fine. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong.”
Gwen just nodded, that was about all she could do. Perhaps she was being silly, but she was more worried about the long term effects of the spider bite, then what the doctor’s could find short term. Walking towards the school, with a crowd having gathered, with most having not noticed or cared about Peter’s absence.
“Maybe we could catch Harry before school,” muttered Gwen under her breath but she stopped when she caught sight of Flash Thompson who noticed Peter and walked over with a grin. “Let’s get inside now Peter, trust me, don’t want any trouble on your first day back.”
“No, Gwen, I’m not going to hide from Flash, not today, I’m done putting up with him,” said Peter firmly, catching on rather quickly and Flash just walked over.
“Hey Parker, good to see you’re feeling better,” said Flash with a grin, before he walked forward and grabbed Peter’s book bag from off his shoulder. Normally the force would have knocked Peter flat onto his face but he managed to steady himself. “Nice bag Parker..oops clumsy me, guess I don’t know my own strength.”
Peter looked up with horror as his bag was launched into the air before it landed on a ledge high up.
“Guess, you’re going to have to ask someone to get your bag Parker, because you’re too puny to reach it,” taunted Flash but Peter just clenched his fists together.
“Flash, don’t push me today, I’m not in the mood,” said Peter which took Flash aback. Since when did Puny Parker grow a spine? Flash stepped forward, where he was nearly in Peter’s face but Peter shoved him backwards a bit, causing him to be taken completely aback.
“Man, Parker, what’s your problem today, someone steal your chemistry set?” demanded Flash as he watched Parker turn around before he looked, everyone was watching. Normally he would have let it go but he had a reputation to keep up. He raised his arm.
Peter turned but suddenly there was a dull ringing in his head. Instinctively, Peter felt that he had to duck, as if danger was coming and he crouched down, before Flash’s fist would have connected with the back of his head. Flash gave a pained grunt, to laughter at the star quarterback of Midtown High punching a wall.
“Ah, son of a…Parker…” grunted Flash, cradling his hand, as he moved inside, with Peter standing there a bit confused at what just happened as he turned to Gwen, who bit her lip, trying to stop from laughing but she shook her head.
“About time you stood up to him, I don’t think he’ll be bugging you that much any more,” said Gwen as she watched the crowd file into the school, having lost interest. “Serves him right really…now about your bag, maybe we should get some help to get it before class…”
“I think I can reach it if I jump,” interjected Peter as he proceeded to do so. After two leaps, he reached his hands out but much to his surprise, he was able to stick to the wall. He heard a gasp from below as Gwen watched him with wide eyes as before Peter knew it, he had climbed up to the ledge, to grab his bag but he stopped, staring down at Gwen. “Did I just…can I just….”
“You did,” said Gwen, awestruck and unable to formulate two words but panic set in. Her fears about the long term effects of the bite had returned. Regardless of who they were, normal people did not climb walls. “You better get down, no not that way…climb down…gently…PETER!”
Peter instinctively lowered himself to the ground, with a series of acrobatic moves before he landed in front of Gwen, the two teenagers came face to face, with Gwen breathing a sigh of relief as she stared at Peter, torn between kissing him in relief and slapping him for scaring her half to death.
“Ta-da,” concluded Peter weakly.
“Peter Benjamin Parker do you take pleasure in almost giving me heart failure?” asked Gwen in an irritated voice with her hands on her hips but the warning bell rang. “We better get inside, we’ll talk more about this later.”
“Right talk,” said Peter, who was curious about what else he might be able to do with these mysterious new gifts.
-
“Did you really beat up Flash Thompson?” asked Harry abruptly at lunch with a grin on his face, as he sat across from Gwen and Peter.
“Yeah, Harry, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” replied Peter but Harry just waved this off, he wanted to get the dirt on what happened.
“So did you, because everyone’s saying you did before school,” said Harry. “Wish I was around to see that.”
“Well technically he didn’t beat Flash up, more than he defended himself,’ inputted Gwen slowly.
“Long story short, Flash pulled the usual, I pushed him, he tried to punch me but he struck a wall, everyone laughed at him, it was kind of amusing,” said Peter who was glad that no one had saw him climbing walls to get his bag off of the ledge. That would have taken some explaining he was not willing to do.
“Well considering you could have got stuffed in your locker and hung up by your underwear from a flagpole, technically you did beat Flash up, he came out worse,” said Harry in an encouraging voice. “Next time you make a fool out of him, make sure to invite me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind Harry,” said Peter with a bit of a sigh. “So how have you been?”
“Oh the usual, Dad works me the bone, anything other than perfection will never be suitable for that man,” said Harry, as he picked at his food. “He’s been asking me questions about you, he’s a bit obsessed with finding everything out about you.”
“Should I be worried?” asked Peter and Gwen looked apprehensive.
“No, not really, Dad tends to get in these moods where he shows interest in me or my friends, but they pass,” said Harry. “So, about the accident…you sure you’re alright?”
“Fine Harry other than my eyes working better, everything is the same,” said Peter, he was not quite sure why he was omitting the fact he was climbing walls to Harry but a gut feeling told him that now was not the time. Gwen looked at him with a questioning look but said nothing.
“Good to hear it, as Dad pointed out, I’d be hopeless without you, either of you in fact,” said Harry. “Imagine how many more hours I would have to spend with those tutors.”
The three friends shared a laugh at the study habits or lack of study habits rather of Harry, before Peter grew serious. His life was changing but exactly how would be something that he would have to learn about as he went.
-
“I had time to think about it and maybe a diluted version of the serum, combined with spider DNA got into your system,” said Gwen, as she was struggling to come up with a more logical explanation. “Maybe rewriting your DNA slightly into…I don’t know, some kind of spider man or something.”
“A week ago, I would have said it wouldn’t be possible, but I climbed that wall and leapt down without falling on my face, it might be true” said Peter, sitting on a bench across the street from the school, Gwen following suit.
“I just hope enhanced coordination and being able to climb walls is the only thing that could happen,” said Gwen choosing her words carefully. “As someone who’s interested in science, I’m curious but as a friend, I’m scared to death. Who knows what the long term effects could be?”
“I feel fine Gwen, besides what’s the worst that could happen?” asked Peter with a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I mean I could grow four extra limbs or start shooting webbing out of my…”
“Alright, alright, I get it,” said Gwen who was slightly grossed out by the mental image that Peter was giving her. “You aren’t going to tell anyone else about this are you?”
“Not unless it gives me any problems that I can’t handle, Aunt May and Uncle Ben have enough to worry about and Harry…well he might let something slip to his father and Mr. Osborn’s taking enough of an unhealthy interest in me as is,” said Peter as Gwen nodded in agreement. “Believe me, I doubt it’s nothing, a few added abilities, maybe I can have a bit of fun with them, maybe they’ll wear off after a while.”
“Maybe,” admitted Gwen, looking at Peter, lost in thought.
“Thanks for being there for me when it happened, I don’t know if I could have got through it without you,” said Peter.
“You would have,” said Gwen as she leaned forward. “I hope I didn’t freak out too badly but if something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“That makes two of us them,” said Peter as they edged closer.
“Guess you don’t realize what you have until you almost lose it,” said Gwen seconds before their lips met with a kiss. It took a few seconds before they realized what they were doing and broke apart. Gwen stepped back, slightly alarmed, wondering if she had overstepped some invisible boundary in their friendship. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be, I should have asked you to be my girlfriend and…” said Peter before his eyes widened when he realized what he said and Gwen looked relieved.
“Hey, you kissed me, I kissed back, or maybe it’s the other way around, but it does take two sets of lips to do the deed, Peter Parker,” said Gwen with a mischievous smile which caused Peter to laugh, trying to get over his embarrassment. “Oh and yes, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
“That hopeless am I?” asked Peter.
“No more than any other teenage boy would have been,” said Gwen as they laughed.
“Guess we better get going,” said Peter and Gwen nodded, they would have plenty of time later.
-
“Life’s going good for you right now Pete, got some kicking new powers, don’t know what exactly their limits are or how long they’re going to last, Flash went in the other direction when he saw you walking towards him, and you’ve got a girlfriend, not too shabby,” thought Peter. “Still could use a little cash but baby steps, one thing at a time.”
Peter walked to the school with Gwen. It was a bright, beautiful day, for a number of reasons.
“Morning!” called Harry.
“Wow, Harry you’re actually here early today,” said Peter.
“Yeah, Dad had to step out of town for a business meeting this morning but he told me that I better find my way here and back so I did,” said Harry as he looked at Gwen and Peter. “And on another note, is there something my two best friends would like to tell me?”
Peter and Gwen looked at each other.
“Well we’re now dating,” said Gwen quickly.
“Since yesterday, we didn’t get a chance to tell you but looks like you picked it up right away,” said Peter as he looked at Harry, trying to study the expression on his friend’s face.
“Took you long enough, really,” said Harry with a nod. “I was wondering if it would ever happen, neither of you didn’t seem to want to make the first move but now, I guess, congratulations.”
“Thanks,” said Peter.
“Yeah Harry, thanks,” responded Gwen.
“Just wish I could find a girl that liked me and not Norman Osborn’s money,” said Harry more to himself than to Gwen and Peter. “Guess some people have all the luck.”
“Not too lucky given how long it took us to figure it out,” said Peter and Harry nodded, but Peter shifted his attention towards another pressing matter, as he walked towards his locker but his ears perked up when he heard a group talking.
“Did you hear about the big wrestling match this weekend?” asked one boy.
“Crusher Hogan, the champion’s going to be here and he’s challenging anyone to fight him, with five thousand dollars on the line for anyone who could last five minutes in the ring with him or beat him,” said another boy. “Wouldn’t that be cool to win?”
“Not worth the risk man,” said the first boy. “Crusher’s not one I’d want to mess with. Five thousand dollars won’t even cover the medical bills when that guy’s done with ya. I mean, that stuff’s normally fake, but Crusher’s the real deal. He flosses his teeth with barbed wire man, I wouldn’t want to get into the ring with him.”
“No, but it’d be fun to watch who tries to step up and fight him,” said the second boy as they walked off, laughing with Peter having a thoughtful expression on his face. Using his new abilities to last five minutes in the ring, maybe he could solve his money problems. A small voice inside his head tried to warn him how completely stupid this sounded but the thought of five thousand dollars squashed all those worries.
He would have to get more information about this.
-
“Well we’re here at the library, Peter,” said Uncle Ben as he looked at his nephew with a good natured smile.
“Thanks for the ride Uncle Ben, it shouldn’t take me any more than a couple of hours to find what I need, research project, I just need to find a couple more things,” said Peter evasively, he hated lying to his uncle.
“I’ll pick you back up sometime after eight, Peter,” said Uncle Ben as Peter moved towards the card door, ready to open it but he paused. Ben noticed his indecision. “Something troubling you, kiddo?”
“Just wondering something,” said Peter slowly. “If I could…you know do something and do it well, would it be wrong to try and cash in on it?”
“Well that depends on what it is Peter, but I do know this, you’re reaching an important stage in your life, your decisions will shape you into the man you’re become, and if you do have a gift, you should think about how well it can serve you in helping others,” said Ben calmly. “And remember, just because you can use a gift a certain way, doesn’t mean you should. If there’s one thing I know, that with great power there must also come great responsibility.”
Peter turned, his mind conflicted but nevertheless he exited the car.
“See you later Uncle Ben,” said Peter as he walked from the car and lightly closed the door before he heard his uncle’s response. He moved slowly towards the library, many thoughts running through his head.
He could use his powers for good but exactly how could he? Becoming a super hero of some kind seemed to be the most obvious answer to this question, but Peter scoffed at the idea. He was not what one would see when they thought super hero. Super heroes were larger than life, something that people aspired to be. Legends like Captain America was the most obvious definition of a hero, but even heroes such as the Fantastic Four had reached a level that Peter had never thought he could measure up to. Folks like this fought the worst evil one could imagine day after today. They were beyond compare. One thing heroes weren’t, was fifteen year old science geeks who got a few added abilities through a random accident.
Still, Uncle Ben’s words weighed heavily on him but Peter shook his head as his uncle’s car had drove out of sight and he turned, bag slung over his shoulder containing his hastily made costume, walking across the street to the venue, the potential of being five thousand dollars temporarily blocking everything out of his mind.
-
Peter felt a bit silly now that he thought of it. Dressed in a red mask, with a sweatshirt with a crudely drawn cartoonish spider and baggy blue pants, he walked backstage, where a security guard accosted him.
“What’s your business back here?” demanded the security guard gruffly.
“I’m here to accept the challenge, for the five thousand dollars against Crusher Hogan,” said Peter.
“No kidding!” bellowed a voice and Peter looked up, to see a sleazy looking man with greasy black hair and a goatee, wearing a nice custom made suit. “I’m afraid we were going to send one of the boys out there as a ringer, no one seems to want to go in there with the champion.”
“The boys?” asked Peter who could not help but notice that this man talked in the most stereotypical New York accent imaginable.
“Wrestlers, don’t you spend all your time on the Internet, I thought all wrestling fans did that,” said the sleazy looking man, as he held his hand out. “Vinnie Victor, I’m the promoter and owner of this company. So you want to go into the ring with Crusher Hogan and try your luck against the undefeated champion?”
“That’s right,” said Peter.
“What’s your name?” asked Vinnie Victor.
“Er, Spider-Man,” responded Peter and Vinnie looked at him.
“Right, Spider-Man, as if I couldn’t guess with that er costume,” said Vinnie Victor with a large, obviously fake laugh. “Okay here’s the deal, kid, you’re up next. Get in there and give the champion a fight, put on a real show out there. Crusher’s been chomping at the bit for competition and I’m going to give it to him.”
Peter nodded, truthfully he didn’t know much about this Crusher Hogan, people said he was tough but with his new abilities, he might be able to outlast him for the five minutes and get the five thousand dollars. As he walked down to the ring, he watched as the crowd booed as he walked down to the ring. Climbing into the ring, he looked around.
“People are expecting me to be massacred, but I’ll give them something they’ll never forget,” thought Peter.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this bout, is your main event, a special non-title challenge match, if the challenger defeats the champion or lasts five minutes, he’ll receive five thousand dollars cash!” bellowed the ring announcer. “This battle will be contested inside the confines of a steel cage.”
“Wait a minute, that wasn’t part of a deal!” yelled Peter in surprise but the crowd cheered at the potential brutality.
“First the challenger, height unknown, weight unknown, from parts unknown, he is the spectacular, the amazing, the sensational, Spider-Man!” bellowed the announcer, “And his opponent…the champion, he is seven feet tall, weighing in at over three hundred pounds, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, he is the undisputed, undefeated, and undoubted champion of the world. He’s ripped, chiseled, jacked, and juiced for any completion, he’s Crusher Hogan!”
Peter stood, eyes widened as Crusher made his way to the ring. He was huge and mean, looking ready for a fight. He stepped into the ring, as the cage lowered from the ceiling, enclosing both competitors in the ring, as Crusher stepped forward.
“Fresh meat,” grunted Crusher, playing to the crowd, before he bent down and came face to face with his much smaller opponent. “Look kid, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll just lightly knock you around for a couple of minutes and you take a dive. Okay, brother?”
The bell rung and a ringing sensation echoed through Peter’s head as he dodged an attack. Another attack by the Crusher was narrowly dodged but he spun around and Crusher extended on arm, before he threw his weight at Peter, knocking him right on his back. Peter winced as he hit but it did not hurt as much as he thought it would, as Crusher pulled him up, before hoisting him up.
“Crushing atomic drop!” bellowed the announcer. “Spider-Man bounces up and down and Crusher now is toying with his opponent, lifting him up, this is not going to be good.”
“No kidding,” muttered Peter, as he was high above the Crusher’s head.
“He’s over ten feet in the air, is Crusher Hogan going to throw Spider-Man over the cage and causing him to land on the arena floor?” asked the announcer as the crowd cheered as Crusher flung his opponent but he bounced off the cage and dove right into Crusher Hogan. The champion was knocked off guard, as Spider-Man landed on his feet, completely unarmed.
“C’mon champ, is that all you got?” asked Spider-Man as he dodged a punch. “I’ve known old ladies who hit better than you.”
“Just stay down after the next one kid,” grunted Crusher as he swung a punch that was dodged. The big man turned around, as Spider scaled the cage, before he leapt over a charging Crusher Hogan. The big champion put the breaks on, before Spider-Man leapt off, right into his arms. “Okay kid, you asked for it, I’m going to slam you through the mat now, you could have had an easy fight, but you just had to make a name for yourself.”
Crusher held Spider-Man up high in the air above his head, as the crowd was on their feet, but the smaller opponent shifted his weight, before he kicked off the cage. It seemed like the champion was not as coordinated as he thought and he lost his balance, his legs collapsing out from underneath him, with Spider-Man landing on top in the pinfall. The referee looked confused before he slapped the mat three times, signaling the pin. Spider-Man rolled off his opponent, as the crowd was in numb shock.
“I won?” muttered Spider-Man as Crusher looked dazed but otherwise okay as the referee bent down to raise the hand of the unlikely victor.
“Your winner, Spider-Man,” announced the referee.
“What the hell was that, the little guy won…I mean what a performance by Spider-Man, using his smarts to counteract the brute force of the now defeated champion Crusher Hogan,” said the announcer. “Your winner, Spider-Man!”
The crowd reaction was mixed, some cheered the underdog win, some booed, while others were completely shocked what happened. Peter turned and saw the promoter, Vinnie Victor, sitting, head in his hand, muttering to himself before he walked off. Spider-man turned as Crusher got up, shrugging, before he turned to the crowd.
“I’m still the champion!” bellowed Crusher Hogan, in an attempt to save face. “That little punk won nothing. He didn’t beat me, he can’t even beat himself at night!”
Crusher turned to Spider-Man who flinched.
“Good match, brother, caught me off guard, if only you were a bit bigger, you would have a future in this business,” said Crusher Hogan as he walked off, before he started yelling at the fans, a few of them heckling him because of his loss.
“Strange man,” muttered Spider-Man to himself but he had more pressing matters at hand, like collecting his winnings.
-
“TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!” screamed Peter incredulously. “I thought if I lasted five minutes or beat the champion, I’d get five thousand.”
“Well to be honest, I never expected you to win, no one did, but I’m giving you this out of the kindness of my heart,” said Vinnie Victor. “Maybe you can buy a better costume than that one, what did you fish that one out of a Salvation Army bin?”
Peter clenched his fist, but shook his head, this slime ball was not worth his time. He still could not believe that a wrestling promoter had so blatantly lied to him but he turned to get changed and get far away from this place as possible. Peter stewed in anger but he heard several loud voices from behind him, and man dressed in a leather jacket, dirty white t-shirt and jeans, with filthy black hair rush by.
“Stop him, he just stole tonight’s gate receipts!” cried Vinnie Victor in terror. “Spider-Man, don’t just stand there, stop him.”
“Maybe if you used that money you swindled me out of to get a better security staff, you wouldn’t have this problem,” replied Peter callously. “What did they graduate from anyway, clown college?”
“Come on Spider-Man, he’s getting away!” begged Vinnie Victor.
“Not my problem and it looks like he got away, better call the police,” said Peter with a shrug. “Besides, it’s not like I’m getting paid well enough for it anyway.”
“You ruined me Spider-Man, its your fault he got away!” yelled Vinnie Victor, losing his temper but Peter was already out the door, pulling his mask off as he walked back to the library, checking his watch. He was about fifteen minutes late. Wincing, he wondered how he was going to have to explain this to Uncle Ben.
-
“I can’t believe this, I had to walk home from the arena, I mean it’s not like Uncle Ben would forget,” said Peter in an agitated voice as he stomped home, but there was the sound of sirens nearby. This caused Peter to be overcome by a feeling of incredible dread, as he walked forward, where a very familiar face turned, seeing Peter. “Captain Stacy, what are you doing here, what is it?”
“Peter, there is no delicate way to say this, but your uncle was shot,” said George seriously, trying to keep his voice professional and Peter stepped back, in horror. “The bullet pierced his heart, the paramedics tried everything they could but…they couldn’t…I’m sorry, he’s dead.”
“NO!” shouted Peter backing off in horror, he was shaking, it felt almost like his entire world was spinning. “Uncle Ben can’t be dead, he just can’t, this can’t be happening it’s…where’s Aunt May? Is she okay?”
“Physically yes, but emotionally is another matter, she’s in shock, she’s staying at a neighbor’s house,” said George as he looked at Peter, before he added, putting a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. “We’ll do everything we can to bring the culprit to justice.”
“Thank you, sir” said Peter in a hoarse voice, as the horror set in. At first he thought he was having a bad nightmare but in face, Uncle Ben was dead and he turned, not wanting anything to see the tears forming in his eyes.
“Captain Stacy, the burglar’s been found, three twenty, west avenue, he ran into an abandoned warehouse,” said a voice. “He’s sealed himself inside.”
“Send for back up, we’ll get there as quickly as we can!” ordered George, as he turned his attention to bringing the culprit to justice. It was always hard to not make things personal when the victim was someone that was a good man.
“They’re never reach him in time and he’s got to pay for what he did, but perhaps what the police can’t do, Spider-Man can,” said Peter as he removed his mask from his bag, before rushing up into his room to make a quick change of clothes.
-
The burglar shuddered in horror as he heard the sirens outside. Shooting the old man, he was not what he meant to do; he only meant to steal his car to be able to ditch the city with the gates from the wrestling match tonight. Now he was wanted for murder. Clutching his gun, his hands were nervously shaking.
“You thought you could get away with this,” said an intense voice, which made the burglar jump to his feet and he turned around, looking around, before he saw a figure move towards him with impressive reflexes. “With murder, you took a good man’s life, for what?”
“Get away from me!” shouted the burglar as he sent three shots but all missed. In desperately, he threw the empty gun at his enemy, but much to the horror of the burglar, he dodged it and he decided to run away, but he was grabbed away from him. “Alright, I’ll surrender, I’ll turn myself in.”
“It isn’t going to be that easy,” said Spider-Man as he spun the burglar around before he went face to face with him, before he recoiled slightly when he recognized the face. “You, no it can’t be you, it just can’t be…”
“Get away from me, you’re crazy, you’re a lunatic, you’re…” started the burglar but he never finished as he found himself flung right to the ground.
“If I had stopped you, none of this would have happened,” muttered Spider-Man but he jumped in front of the burglar. “Not going to get away that easily, I’ll make you pay, you’ll see, what you did to Ben Parker, it’s time you learned your lesson.”
“The old man, please have mercy, it was an accident!” shouted the burglar but Spider-Man grabbed him, before he slammed him roughly into the wall, before walking over towards an open window.
“But this won’t be, you murdering coward,” hissed Spider-Man as he dangled the man towards an open window and he prepared to drop him, it would be so easy. The man whimpered in fear before he went limp and fainted, but suddenly, Spider-Man pulled him back into the warehouse and dropped him on the ground. “But he wouldn’t want me to kill you, not on his account and you wouldn’t learn from your mistake and I wouldn’t learn from mine.”
The door creaked open and Spider-Man quickly launched himself out the window, to another roof top, before he made his way home, several thoughts moving through his head. Uncle Ben was right; he should use his talents for good. He had used them to bring his uncle’s murderer to justice today after all.
-
“Aunt May,” said Peter tentatively as he wondered if his aunt had came back home. He had felt bad instantly the moment he went off to play vengeful hero and not actually going to look after his aunt, to see if she was okay. She had to be close by when it happened. “Are you here?”
“Peter,” whispered May as she wiped tears from her eyes, unable to formulate more than that as Peter slowly walked forward, wrapping his arms around his aunt in a comforting embrace.
“I’m sorry, he died, you don’t know how sorry I am,” said Peter as May nodded. “He’s gone, really gone.”
“The person who did this was brought to justice Peter,” managed May in a shaky voice.
“Good thing for that,” said Peter before he looked at his aunt. “I’m sorry that I didn’t see you sooner after…”
“No Peter, I understand, you needed some time, it was a shock to both of us, but you’re here now and that’s all that really matters,” said May before there was a moment of awkward silence, the grief heavy in the air. It was hard to believe that this time yesterday they were together as a family and now they had been torn apart by a random act of chance. The fact that most of all that ate Peter up inside was that if he had just not acted so selfish and done something to stop the burglar at the arena, this would not have happened. Now his uncle paid the ultimate price with his life. He watched as even though his grief, his aunt picked up on his discomfort. “Peter, what is it?”
“Just thinking about what happened, I might need a moment, if you’re going to be okay,” said Peter as he looked at Aunt May, who responded with a nod.
“Take as long as you want Peter, I’ll be fine, you’re going to need to grieve as much as I do,” said May in a shaky but still somehow firm voice as Peter turned, looking out the window in an absent minded voice. It was still very early in the morning; the son had not rose up yet.
He had made a decision at that moment, the last piece of advice his uncle gave him echoing through his mind. From this day forward, Peter Parker vowed to live up to that advice, as Spider-Man. With a better costume and a few other additions, he would use his abilities to help others, regardless of how hopeless the fight would be.
He vowed that Spider-Man would always be there from this day forward to protect the innocent, no matter how hopeless the battle seemed.
