Chapter 9: All the Kingpin’s Men Part I
Spider-Man was not having a very good morning, due to being thrown right through the wall by a giant man dressed in a rhino costume. Landing with a thud, Spider-Man pulled himself up, as this rhino man stampeded forward and attempted to impale the horn of his outfit right through Spider-Man but Spidey was too quick, propelling himself into the air with a somersault. Rhino crashed into the wall and caused it to topple but he turned around like nothing had happened and he took a swipe at Spider-Man but he ducked the attack.
“Bah, and people have been having trouble with a little creep like you,” said Rhino as he raised his hands and smashed down towards Spider-Man but Spidey dodged the attack. The street was cracked and Spider-Man shot webbing right around Rhino but he easily snapped it and rushed forward. “This should be the easiest job the boss ever threw my way, so now be a good little bug and sit still so I can squash you.”
Rhino knocked Spider-Man to the ground and attempted to stomp on him, but the web head slid out of the way quickly and he bounced to his feet and he went for a punch but Rhino easily blocked it and flung Spider-Man up into the air.
“Just who are you anyway?” demanded Spider-Man as he dodged another attempt for his enemy into bits.
“CALL ME RHINO!” bellowed Rhino loudly as he attempted smash Spider-Man’s skull in once again, but the web head was just a bit too quick for him.
“I wouldn’t call you for dinner with that face,” quipped Spider-Man, as he shot two strands of webbing at Rhino and pulled with all of his might but Rhino just stood there and pulled Spider-Man forward. It was just narrowly that the hero avoided getting impaled right in the heart. He slid around and a punch was blocked before Rhino smashed his hands down onto the head of Spider-Man, dropping him to his knees. He bent down, but Spider-Man shot webbing right in his face. Rhino was temporarily blinded, as Spider-Man climbed up onto a car, before he looked over towards a police officer who had a stun gun. “May I borrow this?”
With a quick movement, Spider-Man took the stun gun and somersaulted forward, before he switched it on and jabbed Rhino with it, causing several volts to bombard Rhino but Rhino grabbed Spider-Man by the throat. With a shove, Spider-Man hit the ground with a thud and he leapt up. Spider-Man slid out of the way and Rhino stomped the ground, causing the crowd watching to collapse.
“You’re going to cave in the entire block if you’re not careful!” shouted Spider-Man.
“Good, at least I’d get you then,” grunted Rhino as he moved forward, but Spider-Man shot his webbing and attempted to yank to remove the thick armor for Rhino but his webbing broke and caused him to land on the ground.
“Got to get that body armor off somehow, so I can have a fighting chance,” muttered Spider-Man but a punch impacted him right in the ribs.
“Ha, it doesn’t come off, you puny bug,” said Rhino. “It was welded onto me and it never comes off.”
Spider-Man stopped before he voiced the most obvious question that came to mind based on Rhino’s situation.
“Dude, like how do you got to the bathroom then?” asked Spider-Man but the answer to this pressing question was never answered as Rhino punched Spider-Man once again. He tried to fight but Rhino hoisted him up.
“Any last words,” grunted Rhino but Spider-Man just responded by kicking Rhino right in the face. Rhino was staggered and Spider-Man swung out of the way as Rhino charged forward and attempted to smash Spider-Man but the hero dodged and Rhino smashed a car, and turned around.
“Face seems to be a weak point, maybe I can use that to my advantage,” thought Spider-Man, but he saw Rhino struggle, before he pulled a light post out of the ground. He just barely had enough strength but it was more than enough as he charged Spidey, who dodged the attack. The light post slammed right to the ground. “Of course, I should get him away from these people.”
“Hey, Rhino, think you’re so tough, catch me if you can!” taunted Spider-Man and Rhino rose to the bait, as he stampeded forward, with Spider-Man motioning for him. The crowd had gotten less and less, as Rhino continued to rush forward, with less people being put in danger. “What’s the matter Rhino, afraid I might stuff you as a trophy?”
“Come down here and fight me,” grunted Rhino and Spider-Man leapt down, before he dodged underneath a Rhino attack. Rhino swung around and hit the ground hard with his punch. Spider-Man raised his hands and shot webbing right in Rhino’s face. Rhino staggered, in an attempt to pull the webbing right off of his face and Spider-Man swung right towards him. A loud crash signaled Rhino being knocked right down. Rhino rolled over, right to his feet and he reached for Spider-Man’s throat, but Spider-Man slid underneath the attack. Rhino attempted to pull the webbing off but Spider-Man swung a punch right towards him. “Just wait until I get my hands on you…”
“You haven’t Rhino, and you won’t at this rate, you big lug, as Rhino attempted to rip the webbing but Spider-Man just shot more, causing his own hands to be webbed over his face. Rhino struggled forward, staggered, as he was being smothered by his own hands.
“Got to time to this right, enough to knock the wind out of him but not enough to kill him,” said Spider-Man but Rhino stampeded forward, loud grunts. “Judging by the fact that he’s still moving, I guess I haven’t reached the level where I need to remove the webbing from him.
The grumbling of Rhino continued, as he attempted to pry his hands free and Spidey was certain that he heard some quite nasty language. As Rhino continued to smash up everything, in an attempt to pry himself free from the webbing on his face, as Spider-Man swung a punch every couple of seconds later. He looked over his shoulder and winced, as he saw Eddie Brock watching, with a smug expression on his face.
Brock watched, this time he got some quality photos of Spider-Man with his brand new camera. It might have cost him a lot of money to replace the one that was destroyed before but it was worth it. He looked on with glee, given he was a professional, those photos would be preferred to whatever Parker did. He looked up with a smile on his face, but the smile quickly turned to a look of terror, as that nutcase in a Rhino outfit had knocked into the building, causing the ledge to be dangerously close to collapsing on him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” demanded Spider-Man as he swung in and pulled Brock out of the way, his camera sliding out of his grasp in the surprise.
“No, you idiot, we have to go back, my camera it’s still down there it’s…” started Brock before his eyes widened as he watched Rhino stomp on the camera, smashing it to bits and basically destroyed all of his photos. He began swinging his fists, pounding on Spider-Man. “No, no, no, there were some good shots, no, no, no, my camera, you’re out to ruin me, that is the second time you screwed me over!”
“Stop hitting me or you will be screwed over even more when I drop you,” said Spider-Man shortly as he swung down, roughly setting Brock down on the ground, as he turned to watch Rhino, who struggled, his breathing appeared to be shallow, before he dropped to the ground. Spider-Man reached down and pulled the webbing right off of Rhino’s face. Rhino laid on the ground, breathing, which was a good sign. “Weak, but not taking any chances, I’m sure the police have a way to contain this guy, but this should hold them until they get here.”
Several strands of webbing and Rhino was secured to the ground. He offered some signs of movement, but after being dehydrated due to his face being obscured and nearly suffocated, he was not going any place soon.
“Only twenty minutes late, ow, that was a tough one,” thought Spider-Man as he swung off, picking up this camera. “Get these photos to Jameson during my free, ow, period. Now the trouble is explaining why I’m late, again. I’m really pushing it with this early morning crime patrols, but then again when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t expecting to fight a large man dressed as a rhino. Oh well, change quickly and face the music, how I’m able to walk it’s a miracle.”
-
“Get all that Kingpin,” said a bald headed man with a goatee dressed in black, as he absent mindedly twirled a dagger in between his fingers, as he looked towards a monitor, that showed a figure cloaked in silhouette.
“Yes, Bullseye, rest assured I have seen the entirety of Spider-Man’s battle with Rhino and I must say seeing him first hand is an experience,” said the Kingpin, in a distorted voice. No one would be able to tell that it was really Wilson Fisk on the monitor. “I do find his skills to be something that I may have a use for yet. He may have a use as an assassin for my empire yet. I have many enemies who wish to do me in and Spider-Man could match them, even if they were without fear for example.
“If you ask me, that punk got lucky,” grumbled Bullseye.
“Ah, but I didn’t ask you, Bullseye,” responded the Kingpin swiftly. “And luck does have very much to with success, especially when matched with skill and Spider-Man’s ability to exploit an enemy’s weakness is something that I admire greatly, as he did with Rhino. The only flaw I can see is his mindless heroism but with effort I can even see that being bent to my advantage.”
Bullseye sat quietly. He was the Kingpin’s chief assassin, with unparalleled accuracy and the ability to use even the most mundane objects as a weapon. The fact that this Spider-Man was moving in on his territory did not set well for the assassin.
“There are many more tests to await Spider-Man before I make him an offer that he would be a fool to refuse,” said the Kingpin roughly. “Stand by for further instructions Bullseye, as I need to oversee an experiment.”
“Right, boss,” said Bullseye as he watched the distorted image of his boss fade, as he cracked his knuckles. “It would be a shame if Spider-Man suffered an accident that caused him to be unable to join up with the boss as a potential chief assassin. A damn shame if the Spider’s was squashed.”
-“I swear, JJ, I got photos, but Spider-Man tricked Rhino into smashing my camera,” said Brock in a pleading voice.
“That’s all I ever hear from you anymore Brock, excuses!” bellowed Jameson. “Parker’s just e-mailed photos of the battle between that web head and that Rhino freak just a bit ago, not the best, bordering on garbage even but better than the nothing you’ve been giving me.”
“Parker, that’s just it, some kid’s able to get photos about Spider-Man and I’m not,” said Brock. “If you ask me, it’s a conspiracy…”
“Brock, if I wanted your opinion, I’d ask you for it,” said Jameson but he suddenly looked thoughtful. “Still, you could be on to something, Brock, Spider-Man and Parker…the kid might know something more that he’s letting on about Spider-Man…”
“C’mon Jonah, do you really think Spider-Man and Peter are orchestrating an elaborate scheme right under your noise?” asked Robbie.
“Parker’s a punk teenager and desperate for money and that web crawler is using his desperately for publicity, he’s hungry for the spotlight, that’s got to be it,” said Jameson as he ranted, pacing back and forth. “Parker, has to know something and I need to find out what, so I can expose that wall crawler for the threat he truly is. After what he did to my son, that’s the least I can do.”
“I thought Spider-Man was the one who saved your son, Jonah,” said Robbie in an even force. “Dr. Doom was the one who tortured him and…”
“If Spider-Man was just a bit quicker and didn’t spend too much time showing off, then John wouldn’t be in the state he is and wouldn’t have gotten tortured by that tin point dictator,” said Jameson, waving off Robbie’s attempts to inject logic into the situation. “Poor boy, can’t even leave home, he’s a wreck, well I’ll see what Parker knows. It might not be much but any clue and I’ll jump on it.”
Jameson turned muttering under his breath in a slightly crazed manner but most of the office staff at the Bugle just brushed it off. It was just another day in the life of working for J. Jonah Jameson.
-
“Flint Marko?” asked a scientist with a clipboard as Marko was lead in by two men dressed in suits.
“Yes, that’s me, I understand that the Kingpin wants to see me,” said Marko in disbelief. He was unable to believe that the Kingpin would want to see such a small time hood like himself.
“That is correct, Flint,” said the distorted voice of the Kingpin over an intercom. “I understand you have had some problems with Spider-Man recently.”
“Yeah, that’s right, I have,” said Marko with a nod. “Worked with Mysterio, the guy was a little unhinged but at least I would get a decent cut out of the spoils when he made the entire city nuts. Spider-Man ruined that and I went home with nothing.”
“I’m well aware of that, Mysterio’s plan showed potential but he was unable to carry it out due to his supreme arrogance,” said the Kingpin. “I, on the other hand will be able to carry out this plan and I would not be wrong in saying that you want revenge on Spider-Man for costing you a chance to cash in.”
“That’s right, I’ll do anything to get my hands on that web crawling freak,” said Marko gleefully.
“Then I believe we have a deal,” responded the Kingpin. “I offer you one thing that few dream about. Power and lots of it. Just think about it, you would have abilities that fe would even dare to dream of and enough power to eliminate Spider-Man.”
“Where do I sign up?” asked Marko with a greedy expression in his eyes.
“Step into the chamber, Mr. Marko,” offered the scientist. “And you will be given power.”
“This won’t hurt, will it?” asked Marko but he stepped inside.
“Does it matter when power is involved?” asked the Kingpin over the intercom as Marko sat down in the chamber, before his arms and legs were suddenly strapped to the chair.
“Just a precaution, we wouldn’t want you to fidget,” said the scientist as she walked over to the control panel. “You may feel a slight stinging feeling as your molecules are rearranged to compensate for this power.”
“Right, as long as I do get power,” said Marko roughly as he had a focused look on his face, he could almost taste the defeat of Spider-Man as the scientist prepared to adjust the chamber but a frantic scream from outside and the doors burst open.
“What now, this is a very delicate procedure, with no room for failure!” cried the scientist but there was a dark haired man strapped to stretcher, looking like he was having a seizure and his body was covered by electrical burns.
“Forgiven the interruption, but there was an accident, one of the circuit breakers blew and the electrician that was trying to fix it was caught in the second expulsion, electrocuted for several minutes, it’s a wonder why he’s not dead,” said one of the men. “We should really get him some medical attention but I doubt he’ll make it to the…”
He stopped when sparks began flying from the man, as he began to thrash madly. The lights in the room began to flicker back and forth, before they blew up one by one. Marko shifted, as the chamber that contained him he began to light up.
“The process is starting,” started the scientist as she looked fearful. “Without the safety protocols being activated…”
‘SHUT IT OFF THEN!” snapped Marko, completely losing his, but a large surge of electricity leapt and landed on the control panel, melting all of the buttons and causing the chain reaction inside the chamber in increase. In frustration, Marko attempted to pull himself free as he watched the scientist and the other people in the room flee. “Hey, what are you doing, you need to get me out of here, I don’t know…it’s getting rather hot in here.”
The pleas of Flint Marko fell on deaf ears as the chamber heated up, before several hundred pieces of metal began to pierce his skin at an accelerated rate. He gave a blood curdling scream of absolute agony, before there was an explosion within the chamber and nothing of Flint Marko but a pile of white hot sand, as the pieces of metal dissolved into it and the chamber had finally shut itself down.
The sand shifted slightly, as the scientist carefully stepped back into the lab. As she turned around to the electrician on the gurney, the intercom cackled back to life.
“Room three,” said the Kingpin calmly which caused the scientist to jump. “There is a suit that should be able to help stabilize this unfortunate young man. It is a bit unconventional but it will work. A shame that Marko had to suffer for his misfortune, but that’s the way things happen. Sacrifices must be made.”
-
“Liz, listen, I made a terrible, terrible mistake, I didn’t know Osbrat’s mother was dead,” said Flash but Liz just stood in front of him, arms folded. “Please, we can get through with this…”
“Surely you don’t need me Flash Thompson, I mean the great hero of Midtown high and star quarterback can get any girl he wanted, after all that’s what you said the other day,” said Liz as she stared down Flash.
“I wasn’t thinking,” said Flash.
“There’s your entire problem, the reason why we broke up, that we keep breaking up Flash,” said Liz. “Talking to you sometimes is like talking to a locker, I swear, we tried to make this work, well I tried to make this work, but the point is we’ve grown apart.”
“Fine, I tried giving you another chance, but we’re through, this time I mean it,” said Flash as he turned. “Seriously, I mean it this time Liz, I tried to put up with you bossing me around and I just can’t take any more. Here that ladies, Flash Thompson’s single and available.”
“Good luck with Flash, I’m sure you’ll find some girl who is shallow enough to take you,” replied Liz and Flash turned around, muttering under his breath, but he was still kicking himself. Perhaps he should have apologized to Osborn, but how was he supposed to know? Still, he could not really do that, it would make him look bad. Besides, he would make up with Liz, he always did in the end, they were just going through another rough patch in their relationship.
At the end of the hallway, Peter, Gwen, and Harry stood watching as Liz and Flash concluded their argument, among others.
“I could have sworn we just went through this song and dance with these two a couple of days ago,” remarked Peter. “So do you think this time it’s for real or…”
“Something tells me that this might be for real, Liz looked really disgusted at Flash for what he did yesterday,” said Gwen as she turned to Harry with a knowing expression.
“What, Gwen?” asked Harry.
“Ask her,” replied Gwen.
“What?” asked Harry.
“To the dance,” replied Gwen.
“What?” asked Harry.
“Ask Liz to the dance, it’s obvious you like her,” said Gwen. “Even it’s obvious to Peter and we know how dense he is about these things.”
“Hey,” said Peter in mock outrage but he knew Gwen had a point.
“What if she says no?” asked Harry in an undertone.
“What if she says yes?” countered Gwen.
“Is that the best counter argument that you can come up with?” asked Harry before he turned to Peter. “Pete, tell Gwen she’s crazy.”
“Here she comes now, Harry,” said Peter with a smile, with no plans in telling his girlfriend that she was crazy as Gwen tried not to laugh at Harry’s discomfort at this matter.
“Hey, Liz!” called Gwen as Harry frantically started shaking his head, but it was too late, as Liz had already heard Gwen.
“Gwen,” answered Liz calmly, confused at why Gwen was speaking to her in such civil terms, after the comments, some of them quite rude, she directed towards the girl over the years.
“Harry, wants to ask you something,” responded Gwen.
“He does?” asked Liz, surprised at this news.
“Yes, I do,” said Harry at an encouraging look from Gwen and a smirk from Peter. “Er, how are you doing?”
“How am I doing?” asked Liz as Gwen turned, putting her hand over her face in frustration. “Fine, couldn’t be better, since I decided to wise up and dump Flash, I guess. Why the sudden interest?”
“Just wondering…oww!” groaned Harry as Gwen elbowed him right in the side much to Peter’s amusement. “So since you’re not with Flash anymore, you probably don’t have a date to the dance.”
“No, I don’t,” said Liz slowly as she caught on, not completely oblivious to the entire situation. “Are you asking me to the dance, Harry Osborn?”
“Yes, kind of, I guess, look Gwen put me up to it,” said Harry as Gwen began laughing along with Peter. “And Peter’s just as much to blame, but I do want to ask you to the dance, if you want to go.”
“So, you want to go to the dance with me,” said Liz in an even tone.
“Yeah, I know,” replied Harry. “It does sound stupid, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll go,” replied Liz, jumping at the chance immediately. Harry did seem rather decent compared to most of the guys who showed any interest in her.
“So I’ll just…wait a minute you’re go with me?” asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Liz with a smile. “Who knows, maybe this could amount to something more than just one date?”
“Right, great, I’ll see you then, well I’ll see you before then I guess, because the dance isn’t for a couple of weeks,” said Harry as Liz smiled at him.
“See you around, Harry,” said Liz as she walked off, with a crowd of girls, most of them fellow cheerleaders looking at her dumbstruck.
“Thanks Gwen, you’re the best friend in the world,” said Gwen to Harry. “And not crazy either.”
“I was going to ask her, Gwen, I just didn’t get around to it,” said Harry.
“Sure you were, Harry,” said Gwen in a patronizing manner.
“Still, wonder what a girl like her could see in someone like me,” said Harry, only low enough for his friends to hear him.
“Must be that charming Osborn hairstyle,” suggested Peter which caused the three to laugh.
-
“Are you sure this will work?” asked the scientist in a fretful manner. “Controlling the amount of power that this man puts out, it should be lethal, once again, he should be dead…”
“Controlling power is what I do best,” responded the Kingpin over the intercom.
“He’s beginning to come to,” said one of the men in a suit in the room. The electrician got to his feet.
“What happened, where am I?” asked the electrician, as he was dressed in a bright green suit with a yellow suspenders and a yellow mask that resembled a distorted starfish.
“Your confusion is understandable, you were involved in an accident,” said the Kingpin. “You have suffered greatly, your life will be changed, your body is charged with electricity, able to manipulate electricity and control appliances. The suit is the only thing that is causing the electricity from destroying you Mr…”
“Dillon, Maxwell Dillon,” said the electricity groggily. “I don’t remember what happened, but I feel different, I can’t believe that my life was ruined.”
“Yes, Mr. Dillon you were very fortunate because of the accident could have killed you,” said the Kingpin. “Thanks to Spider-Man’s careless actions, the rest of your existence will be lived in this form, not even able to enjoy the pleasures as simple as a cup of coffee or making love to a woman.”
“All because of Spider-Man,” said Dillon, his anger going, as sparks flew. “And this suit is the only thing that protects me from my powers?”
“Indeed, Mr. Dillon,” replied the Kingpin. “However while it protects you it doesn’t stop you from using your powers. The suit is yours, free of charge, the only thing that I ask is you eliminate Spider-Man.”
“Eliminate, Spider-Man, that’s a pleasure I’m willing to have,” said Dillon in a crazed voice. “But don’t call me Dillon anymore, because Maxwell Dillon was killed in that expulsion. From now on, my name is Electro and Spider-Man will find out what it’s like to mess with true power!”
The straps were released and the newly christened Electro got to his feet, cackling quite madly and left to do the deed.
“Such an unfortunate soul, the electricity may have zapped his brain as well, making him crazy, but there is no doubt about it, he will be a formidable foe for Spider-Man,” said the Kingpin smugly. It had gone off just as he had planned, the arranged accident. It was a shame that Marko had to suffer at the hands of Electro’s new powers, but there were certain sacrifices that had to be made for a bigger game.
Little did the Kingpin now that the sand that was the remains of Flint Marko had began to move, gaining some form of sentience, as he made its way down through a vent and out of the building, gaining more intelligence and power with each passing moment.
-
“So this is where you live Harry,” said Peter taking a look around, with Gwen after school that day.
“Yeah, this is the house that Norman Osborn built with the blood of the people he forced out of business and absorbed into Oscorp,” said Harry lightly.
“You do mean blood in the figurative sense, right Harry?” asked Gwen but Harry just shrugged with a slight twisted smile on his face. “Is your father okay with us being here?”
“Dad’s not here, and besides you’re only be around for a little bit anyway,” said Harry as he walked around. “Still I could use the company, it’s been a while since the three of us had hung out, it does get a bit boring around here with just the servants, they’re not supposed to talk to me anyway, just clean the house, serve the food, run the press off, that sort of thing.”
“Then I suppose I really shouldn’t be here,” said Peter jokingly as he walked around, before he looked at an open door, something catching his eye.
“Dad’s home office,” said Harry without Peter even asking the question. “Nothing in there but a bunch of boring paper work, wouldn’t want to leave anything incriminating lying around after all.”
“No of course not,” said Gwen but she peered inside and saw several press clippings on the wall, all detailing Spider-Man. “You know Harry, your Dad is the last person I thought would be a fan of Spider-Man.”
“That’s because he’s not, he’s more obsessed about Spider-Man or rather his powers,” said Harry. “At least that’s what I gather, he’s been more secretive lately than when he wasn’t around, if that’s at all possible.”
“Your dad is devoted to his work, Harry,” said Peter.
“Devoted, obsessed, call it what you like, that’s all that Dad thinks about,” said Harry. “But never mind, with Spider-Man, at least I’ve gotten the one thing that Norman Osborn could never give me.”
“And what’s that Harry?” asked Peter trying not to sound too curious, otherwise Harry might find a way to start putting two and two together.
“A positive role model, someone to look up to, I guess it sounds silly and while I don’t take it to the fanatical worshipping levels that Flash Thompson does, I consider Spider-Man to be one of the best things to ever happen to the city,” said Harry. “He’s a mystery but at the same time, he seems down to earth and at the same time, someone that can be a positive influence in my life.”
“I’m sure Spider-Man whoever he is appreciates any support,” said Gwen.
“Even if he isn’t in it for the support,” added Peter in a would be casual manner.
“No and that’s great, but still having someone that for once is a positive influence in my life is great and I owe it all to Spider-Man,” responded Harry but at that point the door opened and Norman Osborn stood right in the doorway, looking at Gwen and Peter, with Harry spinning around. “Dad, I didn’t expect you to be home so earlier.”
“Plans change, Harry,” said Norman. “I don’t recall giving you my consent to have your friends here.”
“I figured you wouldn’t mind,” said Harry.
“Besides we were just leaving,” added Peter hastily as Norman looked at it.
“It isn’t as if you’re unwelcomed here, Peter,” said Norman calmly. “It’s just that some very important business executives are coming here soon for a dinner. The boring but the absolutely necessary side of Oscorp and Harry has to get ready. Still, I do hope to have you at Oscorp sometime this summer for an extended tour, without the veil of the Daily Bugle overshadowing your visit. Perhaps you can find something that is of interest to you, as once again, I would love to have you as part of the Oscorp family.”
“I’d be honored, Mr. Osborn,” said Peter.
“The honor would be all mine, Peter,” said Norman. “The brightest young man to come out of Midtown High since myself, just imagine the work we can do together.”
“You know Gwen is just as bright, maybe even brighter than myself at these things, so maybe she could come along,” said Peter as Gwen just stepped back, as Norman gave her a very cold look, before he turned to Peter and pulled the young man aside so only the two of them could hear.
“I know you’re obligated to say such things due to obvious reasons, but let’s not delude ourselves Peter,” said Norman in a calm voice, before he stepped over. “Harry, do show your friends the way out and get dressed, the dinner is in the next hour.”
“Yes, sir,” said Harry as he motioned for Gwen and Peter to walk out with him. “Can’t believe I have to suffer through this, no doubt Dad wants the perfect picture of a family man, I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.”
“Hey, at least your father will be distracted conducting business,” offered Peter.
“And if the deal falls through, you can better believe it would be my fault,” said Harry but as they walked outside, they saw a clear view of the lights of several buildings blinking.
“What’s going on?” asked Gwen, as Harry looked forward, in recognition.
“It’s Morse Code,” said Harry as he looked it at. “It’s sloppily done Morse Code at that, but Spider-Man and battle and downtown and Electro, that’s about all I can read.”
“I’m actually surprised you could get that much out of those blinking lights,” said Peter.
“Yeah, my brain actually retained some information, who would have thought,” said Harry with a shrug. “Anyway, bye, Gwen, Pete, see you two tomorrow, if I don’t die of boredom.”
“So, some guy named Electro wants to fight Spider-Man downtown,” said Peter slowly as he turned to Gwen.
“I can make it home on my own, Peter, I’ll be fine, I’m sure the Bugle would want some photos,” said Gwen as she rushed off. The lights kept blinking, issuing the garbled challenge to Spider-Man.
-
Spider-Man moved in slowly, the blinking lights continued and there was something in the air that signaled that he was getting rather close.
“Okay, Electro, whoever you are, I know you’re down here, so why don’t you come down here and fight me!” called Spider-Man as he swung down but as he did, a lighting bolt shot through the air. Spider-Man just barely through himself to the ground and the lighting bolt struck a tree, causing it to be set on fire.
“You, I’ve been waiting for you, Spider-Man, you’re pay for what you’ve done to me,” said Electro as he blasted two more lighting bolts from his hands, but Spider-Man dodged them. “I should be able to finish you off in a zap!”
Spider-Man turned in an instant, getting a good look at Electro’s laughing. He clutched his chest as he began to laugh madly, in spite of the very dangerous situation he found himself in. It was just that Electro’s outfit seemed like the most ridiculous thing ever.
“Might I ask what you find so funny?” demanded Electro in an agitated tone, as sparks flew.
“Sorry, sorry, normally I take these things seriously, well mostly serious, I can’t help myself sometimes but…seriously…” said Spider-Man as he began to crack up into laughter. “Seriously, that outfit, what were you thinking. I mean those suspenders and that mask. You should change your name from Electro to Demented Starfish Man or something like…”
“YOU DARE MOCK ME!” shouted Electro as he raised his hands and several bolts of electricity shot right from them, right at Spider-Man. “I’ll show you what true power is, Spider-Man!”
A high impact lighting bolt was dodged by Spider-Man. Another one narrowly missed the web head, as Spider-Man kept moving.
“C’mon lighting bolts, is that the best you can do against me?” asked Spider-Man as he rushed forward, but the ground right below him was electrified which caused him to bounce up into the air. Spider-Man dropped to the ground and Electro rubbed his hands together, generating static electricity and caused sparks to fly at Spider-Man. He dodged the attacks, but he turned around and was blasted off his feet and landed with a thud.
“That Kingpin guy, he said I could control things with electricity, but we’ll see when I turn up the juice,” said Electro with a grunt as he knocked Spider-Man to the ground before he shot a bolt of electricity towards a car and he manipulated the car, so it drove right towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man winced, as Electro had continued to direct the car. “Even you can’t protect yourself from this power surge, Spider-Man.”
“Stop it with the corny electricity puns already!” shouted Spider-Man in a frustrated voice, before he reached forward and removed the gas cap off of the car, causing the fuel to leak from it. This appeared to do the trick as the car sputtered to a stop but Electro jumped forward and blasted Spider-Man right off of his feet. Spider-Man landed right in front of the electrical fence. “Oh boy, not good, not good…”
Thankfully, Spider-Man dodged out of the way before he was fried. Spider-Man was knocked right through the open gate, right into a construction site.
“I hope that one gave you a real, charge, Spidey!” cackled Electro but he moved forward. “What’s the matter, out of juice, well I’m just getting fired up! Circuitly you can’t hope to defeat my power!”
“Well, if you think you can beat me, then have at it, but I doubt you have watts enough to defeat me,” said Spider-Man, before he stopped, nearly slapping himself for the really bad pun. “Great, now you have me using them!”
Electro threw two more lighting bolts at Spider-Man but the web head avoided the attacks but as it turned out, they were not aiming for him. Rather they electrified two pieces of construction equipment. Spider-Man turned around, as his spider sense warned him at a giant wrecking ball moving towards him. He leapt up to dodge the attack, but Electro willed it around, with the wrecking ball swinging once again. A strand of webbing was shot right up on to a dormant crane, allowing Spider-Man to pull himself out of the way. Electro just sneered, before he caused the crane to operate. Spider-Man swung around, trying to hang on, but he was launched off right down to the ground. He landed with a thud, completely groggy as Electro flicked his fingers and a piledriver machine moved over, stamping on the ground, moving closer to Spider-Man. It was just a moment away from Spider-Man and was about to squash him completely flat.
At the last second, Spider-Man slid out of the way, before he bounced up to his feet. With a swift movement, he shot his webbing, in an attempt to disable the piledriver, but Electro jumped forward and zapped a wave of electricity with his hand. Spider-Man managed to avoid the impact, before he looked over, towards a stack of tires.
“Convenient, but I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth,” thought Spider-Man, as he webbed himself up.
“Not so fast Spider-Man, I’m not going to let you, volt out of here!” shouted Electro in an utterly crazed manner but Spider-Man grabbed one of the tires and flung them right at Electro. He zapped the tire down, but as quickly as possible, the Spider-Man flung tire after tire towards his enemy. Electro blocked most of the attacks, but after a spell, the tires covered him. He attempted to zap his way out of there, but found himself completely trapped.
“That should hope you for a while,” said Spider-Man in a disapproving voice. “Now I want you to sit down and think why you shouldn’t make a current of bad and extremely cheesy puns and also for making me use them…”
Spider-Man was cut off, when a figure appeared from behind him, made completely out of sand. The sand twisted into the form of Flint Marko and then the arm twisted into a large hammer. Spider-Man spun around, alerted by his spider sense, and he ducked one swing from the hammer but the second swing was not so lucky as he was knocked right on the ground. The sand figure stepped forward, before he raised his arm.
“Spider-Man!” bellowed Marko as he swung his hammer down, but Spider-Man rolled out of the way. The hammer smashed down onto the ground where he once was. Another swing and Spider-Man just barely pulled himself out of the way, before it smashed right towards him. “I got a score to settle with you, web creep.”
“What is this?” asked Spider-Man as he dodged another blow from the sand hammer. “National pick on Spidey day?”
“I’ve been waiting to tangle with you since you cost me that big payday,” said Marko as he swung his sand hammer down, but Spider-Man dodged the attack, before he attempted to wrap Marko up with webbing. It worked, for a brief moment, before the villain twisted himself out and his hand extended forward, before it grew to several times its normal size and knocked Spider-Man with a punch. The hero crashed into the side of the piece of the equipment and just barely had enough time to dodge before Sandman cracked him right in the face. “Stand still so I can bug squash you, you wall crawling, creep!”
“Now that hasn’t worked with any other criminal, so what makes it think you can work with you…” stated Spider-Man, before he trailed off. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced and I kind of like to mock my opponents by name.”
“The name’s Flint Marko, but that was another time, before I turned into this freak,” said Marko he tried to smash his enemy with duel sand hammers, but Spider-Man back flipped out of the way, before he bounced off the half constructed building and shot some webbing at his opponent, but Marko once again found a way to escape. “With this power to manipulate sand, you can call me Sandman!”
“Right, I bet you stayed up all night thinking about that name,” said Spider-Man dryly, as Sandman rose up and smashed down towards Spider-Man but the web head slid out of the way at the last second. Spider-Man was grabbed by Sandman’s hand that burst out of the ground and then flung right to the ground. Sandman raised himself up into the ground, and smashed down onto Spider-Man once again.
“And once I get to done with you, the Kingpin’s next for what he did with me,” said Sandman as two sand fists flew right towards Spider-Man but he dodged the attack.
“The Kingpin?” asked Spider-Man, he had heard the name once from Electro, but he had not thought about it.
“Yeah, some big time crime boss, no the big crime boss in New York, but you don’t need to worry about him, worry about what I’m going to do to you,” remarked Sandman, as he swung a sickle like sand arm and cracked Spider-Man right in the ribs.
“Okay, that one stung, now I got to figure out a way to wrap this guy up, he gets stronger by the moment it seems,” muttered Spider-Man as two more swings with the sand hammer had narrowly missing Spider-Man. He continued to dodge and weave. Once again, he vainly attempted to wrap Sandman up in his webbing, but that worked just as well as it did the previous times he attempted it. Sandman twisted out and moved in for another attack.”
“Don’t you know by now?” asked Sandman mockingly as Spider-Man narrowly avoided another smashing attempt by the sand hammer just barely. “You’re little spider tricks don’t work on me!”
Sandman swung his hand and knocked Spider-Man for a look. His fist extended forward but Spider-Man dodged the attack, before he looked up, spotting an open bucket of tar and he leapt out of the way of another vicious Sandman punch. He dropped down and avoided the attack, before he webbed onto the barrel behind him. He pulled forward and sent the tar flying. The substance splashed onto Sandman. The villain struggled, in an attempt to pull himself loose, but it held his sand molecules together, just barely. He struggled.
“Once, I get out of here, Spider-Man…” stated Sandman but he was webbed in place and silenced. This time, it held him in place, at least for long enough, as Spider-Man slumped forward, breathing heavily after that battle. Electro was still captured, as was Sandman and the police sirens had arrived, with cars pulling up, with Captain George Stacy exiting.
“Spider-Man, I see you’ve managed to finish in time for us,” said Captain Stacy as he arrived.
“Yeah the guy in the tar, webbed up is Sandman, as you can guess by his really imaginative name, he can control sand and is hard to contain, the other guy is Electro, powered by electricity, I’d watch those two, they could be very slippery,” said Spider-Man. “Be very careful, they gave me quite a bit of trouble.”
“Absolutely, Spider-Man,” agreed Captain Stacy, before he turned with a business like tone. “Send for specialized back up, we’re going to need to contain these two…”
Spider-Man drowned out the instructions that Captain Stacy, was giving, remembering the last time that he came face to face with him, Spidey had punched him. Granted, it was because it was because he was under the influence of Mysterio, but that never stopped Spider-Man from feeling guilt before.
“I believe you can head out, Spider-Man,” said Captain Stacy. “We can handle this from here, thanks for the help, it’s much appreciated…”
“No problem and I’m sorry,” said Spider-Man which caused Captain Stacy to look at him. “For hitting you the other day…”
“No need to apologize Spider-Man, you were under the influence of Mysterio and had no control over your actions,” replied Captain Stacy sternly. “Don’t feel guilt over it, my daughter explained how close you came to dying, but I guess she and Peter figured it out in the end.”
“Yeah, thanks to both them,” said Spider-Man with a nod, as he raised his hand, before he pulled himself up but he turned, purely on a whim. “Captain, have you ever heard of someone who calls himself the Kingpin?”
“So you’ve heard,” said Captain Stacy carefully choosing his words. “Yes, the Kingpin is perhaps the crime boss in all of New York. He’s said to have consolidated all the gangs in a hostile and quite bloody takeover years ago in New York, into a criminal empire that is without peer. No one has been able to pierce the veil of mystery surrounding the Kingpin. Many think there’s no way it could be one person with the number of dirty businesses that he has his hands in but whoever the Kingpin is, he’s dangerous. I have hit so many dead ends regarding the Kingpin that I couldn’t even begin to remember, but the fact is he’s out there and he’s dangerous to anyone who stand sin his way.”
“And he was behind Electro and Sandman and maybe even Rhino as well,” mused Spider-Man, he turned to leave. “Right, thanks Captain, I’ll be sure to be on my guard.”
-
Bullseye stood on the building below, as he watched Spider-Man swing through the sky, with great contempt.
“The web head’s just defeated Electro and some guy calling himself Sandman, couldn’t really hear much of it, boss,” reported Bullseye.
“Marko must have survived his little accident after all,” said Kingpin thoughtfully. “How intriguing.”
“Shame, he didn’t knock off the web creep, both those two goons are being taken off,” muttered Bullseye, as he fingered the dagger in his hand, before he held a note in the other. “And he knows who you are, Kingpin.”
“As I had planned, now for the final test regarding Spider-Man,” said the Kingpin. “Just send a message Bullseye, don’t accidentally kill him or you’ll be next.”
“I don’t do accidents,” grumbled Bullseye as he held his dagger, attaching the note right to the dagger, and flung it.
Spider-Man spun around, his spider sense alerting him of danger. The dagger connected right to the wall, attaching the note to the wall. He looked up and saw a flicker of a figure, but he had quickly departed. Walking over, he saw the note was addressed to him. Detaching the note from the bent dagger, Spider-Man unfolded it to read it.
“Spider-Man, I have sent the super villains after you and if you want them to stop, come to the basement of the abandoned Silvermaine Industries Corporate Headquarters in Manhattan at precisely five o’ clock tomorrow morning,” read Spider-Man as he continued to read the note. “Come alone. If anyone is caught with you, they will be killed immediately. Do not come a second sooner. I look forward to meeting you and by now, you have figured out who this is.”
Spider-Man turned and crushed the note in his hand.
“Alright, Kingpin, you want my attention, you got it,” said Spider-Man as he swung up, preparing to play the Kingpin’s game, at least for now.
-
“Find everything you need, Gwen?” asked Captain Stacy as he arrived back at the station, where his daughter was sitting in front of the computer.
“Just about, give me another few minutes, thanks for letting me use the computers, the one at home is on the blink again,” said Gwen with a look of frustration, as she had tried to use hers for a project but it had something wrong with it. Being who her father was, the station was always open to her.
“I know, I’m wondering why we even got that new computer, I mean, the one’s at the station are older, but at least they don’t break down every other week,” said Captain Stacy with a laugh. “Had to deal with a situation, with Spider-Man once again, two criminals calling themselves Electro and Sandman, but I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, thankfully Spider-Man’s shown up, this new breed of super powered villains is not exactly what I was trained for, although if you believe what Jonah says in his paper, he’s the cause for it but that’s really trying to figure out whether the chicken or the egg came first.”
Gwen returned, no doubt Peter would fill her in on the details, before she continued to work at the computer, as her father walked off to file some paperwork. Seconds later, a familiar figure walked by. While he was concealed with a hat and a coat, there was no mistaken that mustache anywhere. It was J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle publisher slipped inside an office. Gwen got a good look at the door, marked “GARGAN”. Under the pretext of collecting some paper from the printer, Gwen attempted to listen in.
“So, you want me to investigate this Parker kid,” said a gruff voice. “Think he might be into something…”
“I just think he knows more about that wall crawling menace than he lets on, so follow him around, see what he knows or doesn’t know, I’ll pay you Gargan, you know I’m good for it,” muttered Jameson in a low tone of voice, but just loud enough for Gwen to hear.
“Fine, Jonah, but it’s going to cost you, I’m a high end private detective, not some babysitter of fifteen year old kids,” said Gargan. “My work is among the best…”
“That’s why I’ve hired you, Gargan,” said Jameson. “You’ve brought drug lords and corrupt politicians down with your skills, you can find out what some teenager is up to.”
Gwen turned and walked away, she had enough. She moved from the station quickly, trying not to look too guilty, before she pulled out her cell phone and tried Peter, but there was no answer. She walked off, if all else fails, she could catch Peter at school in the morning, she just hoped that Gargan would not catch onto anything incriminating before that time.
-
“Okay note to Aunt May, saying that I had to leave early to do some research, but I’ve promised to get some breakfast before school, providing I’m still in one piece because this totally reeks as a trap to kill me,” thought Spider-Man as he dropped down. “Oh, and I have to get a new cell phone, because Electro totally fried mine. I sure hope no one tried to call me the other night.”
Pushing the door open, ready for anything, he walked inside before he headed down the basement stairs. The building was in disrepair, having not been used for years and with every step, Spider-Man kept himself ready.
His spider sense flickered, just in time to avoid a dagger whizzing right by his head. The dagger hit the wall and Spider-Man turned around, to see a bald headed man stand right in front of him and threw another dagger right at Spider-Man. His spider sense was just quick enough to avoid the dagger, whoever this guy was, he had tremendous accuracy. Spider-Man propelled himself forward and pulled the third dagger out the hand of his attacker with a strand of webbing.
Bullseye grunted, before he threw himself forward. His hands proved to be just as deadly as an weapon he could throw or would in this case, if Spider-Man had dodged out of the way. Bullseye dropped down, before he picked up a piece of pipe and lobbed it expertly towards Spider-Man. With a clang, it caught Spider-Man right in the chest and staggered the hero. Another dagger was thrown right at Spider-Man but he ducked and dodged, before he propelled himself feet first against Bullseye. Bullseye was struck full on in the chest with both feet and knocked to the ground. The hitman pulled himself up and grabbed a chain and swung but Spider-Man ducked it before he pulled the chain from his hands with his webbing. With great ease, Bullseye was flipped up into the air, before he was webbed upside down by his feet from a section of piping.
“So, if you’re the Kingpin, I’m not impressed,” responded Spider-Man as he looked at his struggling enemy, who was looking like he would rip Spider-Man to shreds if he was given a chance.
“You don’t need to be impressed by him, Spider-Man,” said a voice that caused Spider-Man to turn around and he saw a monitor on the wall flipped on, revealing a silhouetted figure with an obviously distorted voice and two men dressed in suits walking from a side entrance. “Bullseye, prodigal as his accuracy may be could not pass for the Kingpin of Crime. That honor would be for myself and myself alone.”
“Why did you send all of those super villains after me?” demanded Spider-Man.
“I assure you I didn’t do it out of any ill will towards you Spider-Man,” said the Kingpin with a chuckle. “It was merely a means as to test your abilities. I rarely trust the word of others, but now up close, I have seen that you are more than able to hang with some of the most dangerous people in the city.”
“You could have injured or even killed countless people,” said Spider-Man, in an irritated voice which caused the Kingpin great amusement.
“No need to take it personal, Spider-Man, it’s merely business,” responded the Kingpin calmly. “You’ve passed your tests with flying colors and now you have been deemed worthy to be employed by the Kingpin.”
“Employed by the Kingpin?” asked Spider-Man as if this entire matter was absurd. “You mean work for you?”
“Now you’re catching on,” responded Kingpin. “And not just work, be one of my chief enforcers, dealing with any threats to my empire. And if you wish, I will give you the occasional super powered menace to really put your skills to the test.”
“So you want me to be your personal enforcer, your personal attack dog, and take out anyone who opposes you,” said Spider-Man as if he could scarcely believe it.
“Now you get the picture and as you can see, I pay well,” said The Kingpin as one of the men in the suits opened a briefcase, revealing stacks and stacks of one hundred dollar bills, more money than Peter Parker or Spider-Man had ever seen or will ever see in his life. For a brief, weak moment, he was sorely tempted, he would never have to worry about not having enough money to take care of Aunt May or anyone else for that matter. A few years with the Kingpin could set him up for life. “All I ask is you turn a blind eye to my less than ethical operations.”
That statement brought Spider-Man crashing back down to reality and brought him to his senses, as he recalled what happened to Uncle Ben, the last time he turned a blind eye. He felt dirty considering it even for a minute.
“I can’t just turn a blind eye Kingpin, no matter how much money you shove under my nose,” said Spider-Man firmly.
“A shame,” said the Kingpin. “But sadly, a reality I expected. Go forth Spider-Man and leave now. You will be allowed to live today, but know this. Those who oppose the Kingpin have their lives cut short. “
“I look forward the attempt and I will stop you and find out who you are,” warned Spider-Man as he turned his back, half expecting to be stabbed or shot but nothing happened, so he got off.
“You should have iced him boss,” said one of the henchmen.
“I will if he causes a problem,” said the Kingpin with a chuckle. “Regardless of what path he chose, I still would have won.”
“How?” asked the henchmen.
“These battles between the super villains and Spider-Man are bound to raise insurance costs through the roof and that benefits people who own such companies like myself,” answered the Kingpin. “I never lose, I just take paths that lead to different success.”
-
Peter walked forward, as Gwen rushed right towards him.
“Peter, you weren’t followed, were you?” asked Gwen.
“No, why would I be followed?” replied Peter in a confused voice.
“Inside and I’ll tell you all about it,” said Gwen as she grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and they walked inside. For once, Peter was actually on time, not only on time, but rather earlier.
“What’s the deal about me being followed?” prompted Peter.
“I was at the station last night, when I saw your boss walk into the office of a private investigator named Mac Gargan,” explained Gwen in a low tone of voice. “He hired Gargan to follow you around, he hasn’t figured it out yet, but he suspects you know more about Spider-Man than you’re letting on.”
“Guess, I’m going to have to be more careful from now on,” said Peter but he thought that if he was being followed, his spider sense would alert him of the threat.
“Yes, really be careful, Gargan’s one of the best, he’s been at this game for a while, according to Jameson, he’s gathered evidence to put away drug lords and corrupt politicians and who even knows what else,” said Gwen as she looked from side to side. “And maybe we better watch exactly how we talk about your…job in public.”
“What, I don’t think anyone’s caught on yet,” said Peter.
“But they will,” answered Gwen. “Just keep your eyes open for a while, eventually Gargan’s going to get tired of tailing you around.”
Peter nodded, he would have to agree. He had been a bit careless, even he would have to admit. The amount of times that Peter Parker rushed into an alley and Spider-Man swung out, it was a wonder that no one had caught him. Granted, he was extra careful to look but there were times where the crimes he fought mandated.
“You know, I’m ungrounded tomorrow, so let’s celebrate,” said Peter. “Maybe catch a movie or something after school.”
“That sounds like fun,” said Gwen brightly, with hope that there would be no need for Peter to assume his another identity but that was always hoping for too much.
-
At a government facility at the outskirts of town, two guards looked rather bored, as they stood outside a containment tank, containing a stocky, powerful man with dark hair, dressed in brown, put in stasis.
“Easiest job I’ve had, just watch some guy in a tank for eight hours, until our shift ends,” said one of the guards.
“Guy gives me the creeps,” said the second guard. “They say he’s a human Juggernaut, once he gets going, nothing can stop him.”
“Don’t worry, he’s in the tank, it’s safe, he won’t be breaking out any time soon,” said the first guard. “And if someone wanted to break him out for whatever reason, he’d have to get past us first.”
“A simple challenge, you sniveling Homo-Sapiens” declared a figure in a condescending voice, as the guards turned, but their weapons were ripped from their hands by a magnetic force. Two pieces of metal ripped from the wall, before they contorted, wrapped around the guards and held them in place. The next moment, the control panel of the tank was fried by a magnetic charge, and as a result, the containment tank failed. “This should keep Charles and his students busy while I carry out my plans.”
The tank sprung open as the prisoner exited. The man’s name was Cain Marko but he also was called the Juggernaut and he was not at all too pleased at being contained.
“Out of my way, you puny wimps,” growled the Juggernaut as he smashed open a glass case before he pulled out his helmet and placed it on his head, to complete the outfit. “Now to pay my dear step brother a visit and if his little X-Pukes get into the way, I’ll flatten them.”
The Juggernaut smashed through the wall, revenge on his step brother, Charles Xavier on his mind as he began to go on a rampage on his way to the Xavier Institute.
