Chapter 1: Great Power
The sun was shining bright in New York City, as pedestrians walked across streets holding their cups of coffee and heavy suitcases. The pavements were especially crowded on Monday mornings. All of a sudden, a young boy ran through the crowd at quite a fast speed, shifting through the crowd and running past them.
"Excuse me! Sorry!" Said Peter Parker, as he ran to get to Midtown High. He couldn't be late for the 4th time.
"C'mon Parker. Can't be late again!" He thought to himself, but that's when he heard it: Police sirens coming from across the street, as a car sped its way through the street, with a police car chasing it.
"Ah, crap. Well, here we go again!" Said Peter, as he ducked into an alleyway to change into his outfit.
As the police car struggled to keep up with the speeding car, a red and blue figure swung past the cops and landed on the criminal's car, after webbing up the tires. He grabbed the criminal from the windshield and swung him back to the pavement, as the car slowly stopped and overturned.
"That's it for you now, you speed demon!" Joked the red and blue figure, as the cops arrived.
The figure shot a web in the sky, which stuck to a nearby building, and The Spider-Man swung away to Midtown High.
…
"Sorry I'm late… traffic was a nightmare!" Gasped Peter, as he reached his class.
"You're 17 minutes late again, Mr Parker, for the 5th time." Said Dr Otto Octavius, sternly.
Peter nodded as he took a seat next to Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy.
"Dude, start coming early. You don't wanna be the next Ned Leeds, do you?" Asked Harry, jokingly.
"Who's Ned Leeds?" Asked Peter, curiously.
"He was a senior who was expelled for coming late too many times. Turns out he had been doing drugs all that time." Said Gwen.
"Pay attention, all of you!" Snapped Otto. "Peter, I want to have a word with you after class." Said Otto.
"Uhh… Ok." Replied Peter.
"You're so screwed, Parker!" Mouthed Flash Thompson, who would constantly bully and annoy 'Lil Parker', as he called him.
After class was over, Peter approached Otto.
"Why are you coming so late, Peter?" Asked Otto.
"I told you, traffic." Replied Peter.
"That excuse got old a long time ago. Look, I know times have been hard for you these past 6 months, but try coming early next time, ok?" Asked Otto.
"I promise I'll try." Replied Peter.
As Peter walked outside, he ran into Flash Thompson and his sidekick, Carl King.
Carl pushed Peter to the ground. "What's the matter, Lil Parker? Can't get up?" Asked Carl sarcastically, as he and Flash walked away.
Harry offered to help Peter, but Peter got up on his own.
"I could take on those punks. Hell, one punch and they'd be eating out of a straw for weeks." Thought Peter.
"Hey Pete! Sorry to see that happen." Said a voice from behind.
Liz Allan stood behind Peter, as she helped him pick up his textbooks.
"Uh, yeah. No problem." Peter replied, shyly. He found it funny that even though he was confident and charismatic as Spider-Man for the past 6 months, he still couldn't talk to a girl as Peter Parker.
Liz walked away, as Harry whistled and walked to Peter's side.
"What?" Asked Peter, kind of annoyed.
Harry just stared at Peter, who finally got what Harry meant.
"Dude. Come on! You know how I feel about Gwen." Said Peter.
"I don't know, man. Things are always complicated with you."
That's when Gwen suddenly appeared.
"Hey guys! Come on, we're late to Mr Warren's class." She said.
Peter and Harry followed Gwen. Gwen was the most confident and extroverted person Peter had ever met. Meanwhile, Peter was the most shy and introverted person you would find. He could never even think that a person like Gwen would ever date a person like Peter.
…
Peter came back home and opened the door, ready to sit down on the comfortable, but decades old couch.
"May, I'm home!" He yelled. An old woman with grey hair walked out of the kitchen.
"Peter! Glad to see you're back. I've made you your favourite meatloaf!" Said Aunt May.
Peter sighed. Aunt May was super energetic and was always ready for a challenge. But after the incident that occurred 6 months ago, she had never been the same.
Peter tried not to think about it and started to eat his meatloaf. As he helped himself to the delectable meatloaf, he wondered how different things would be. How different things would have been had he not looked away that fateful night?
…
That night, Spider-Man sat on top of The Chrysler Building, still scared of going as high as The Empire State Building. He was listening to the police broadcast, hoping for something exciting.
"All units! We have a bank robbery on McFarlane street by a suspect known as Herman Schultz." Said the police radio.
"Finally!' Said Spider-Man, as he leapt off of the building and shot out two webs to two buildings, catapulting himself ahead, as he shot out another web from his left hand and stylishly swung his way to the bank.
Spider-Man was expecting to see armed robbers holding civilians hostage, but instead, all he saw was the bank door, which looked it had been burst open by a lot of force. Peter walked into the bank, only to see a man dressed in a padded yellow onesie with a brown jacket. He was carrying a lot of cash in the bags.
"Sorry to break it to ya, buddy. But you need to work to earn that money." Said Spider-Man.
"Ugh! He said you'd come. Well, might as well squash a bug while I'm at it." Said Herman.
He was wearing what seemed to look like vibro-shock gauntlets on both his arms, as he readied both of them, he shot out a massive shock wave at Peter. Luckily, Peter dodged them.
"Oh look… I was able to dodge them… what a shocker!" Said Peter, in a monotone and sarcastic voice. "Wait, that's it! The Shocker!" Said Spider-Man.
Spider-Man managed to punch Shocker, and got a piece of his fabric stuck to his hand.
However, Shocker managed to land a punch on Spider-Man, and a second vibrational blast sent Spider-Man flying out of the bank and into a police car.
As Spider-Man groaned and tried to get up, Shocker vibro-punched Spider-Man on the back of his head, then grabbed him and sent him flying down the street, and Spider-Man got hit by a speeding bus, knocking him down as Shocker got away.
…
"Oh man… I'd say something funny right about now, but I think all my ribs have been cracked." Lamented Spider-Man, as he slowly got back to his feet and decided to swing back home before the police came after him.
He entered his room through his window and took off his mask to examine the piece of fabric he found.
"I'll examine this closely at the school laboratory tomorrow. Might as well catch some sleep." Said Peter to himself, as lay down in bed.
Sadly, as soon as he closed his eyes, his alarm rang. Peter realized that it was time for him to wake up.
"Oh come on!" He groaned.
…
"Peter, are you okay? You look like a zombie." Asked Gwen, but Peter could barely hear her. He was waiting for recess so that he could go to the lab and analyse the fabric for any clues. Furthermore, he could barely stay awake after his fight The Shocker.
Soon enough, the bell rang and Peter rushed his way to the lab, completely avoiding Carl and Flash.
He headed to the microscope and put the fabric on the lens. He noticed a white powder on the fabric.
Peter took a sample of the powder and tested its properties. "Acetone." He said to himself. Peter quickly rushed to the computer in the lab and looked up accelerant factories in New York. One result came up: An abandoned factory in Hell's Kitchen.
"Great. I'll head there after school." Thought Peter to himself. However, when he turned around, Flash and Carl were standing in front of him.
"Whatcha got there, Lil Parker? You got that powder for your boyfriend?" Asked Flash, sarcastically.
"No, I made it for your mom. Think she'll like it?" Countered Peter.
"We should beat him up and teach him a lesson." Suggested Carl.
"You know, Carl. I love the fact that you keep getting decreasingly verbose." Said Peter, as Carl stared blankly.
Flash tried to punch Peter, but Peter's super senses kicked in, and he grabbed Flash's wrist and twisted it.
"Now you listen, "Eugene". Leave me alone and maybe I'll spare your arm." Said Peter, trying to sound as threatening as he could.
He let go of Flash, or Eugene's hand, as Peter walked back to class, leaving Flash wincing in pain.
…
Peter texted Aunt May that he'd get home a bit late, as he changed into his Spider-Man costume and swung over to the factory.
As he entered the factory through the skylight, he did not see anything.
"Well that's anti-climactic. Come on Herman! Come on out!" Yelled Spider-Man.
All of a sudden, a huge shockwave hit Spider-Man, and he was sent flying towards the wall.
Shocker stepped out of the shadows. "Last time was a warm up. Ready for the real fight?" Challenged Shocker, as he aimed another Shockwave at Spider-Man, who managed to dodge it by shooting a web at the ceiling and swinging up.
"Stand still, webhead!" Yelled Shocker, as he tried hitting Spider-Man with blasts, but
Spider-Man gracefully dodged all of them and landed a painful punch on Shocker's face. Spider-Man kicked Shocker's face and webbed his face up.
"What's wrong, Herman-O? Can't see me?" Taunted Spider-Man, but now, Shocker was enraged.
He backhanded Spider-Man with his vibro-shock gauntlets, throwing Spider-Man to the ground.
Shocker started to pummel Spider-Man to the ground, repeatedly punching his face into the hard concrete. Peter could barely think as his head was being smashed against the ground. Shocker grabbed Peter by the throat and repeatedly punched his ribs.
Herman then vibro-punched Peter away, sending him straight into the wall.
"Unhhhhh… goddammit!" Said Spider-Man, as he tried to get up. Shocker punched him again and again and again, hoping Spider-Man would stay down for good. Peter began to feel like giving up and not fighting the punches. But that's when he thought everyone he cared about. If he died, what would happen to Aunt May? He couldn't do that to her. He thought about Harry and Gwen and Liz, how they'd want him to fight back. This is not what they would want.
It was not what Uncle Ben would want.
That name rang his ears, as a painful memory returned. As Shocker kept punching Peter down, Peter grabbed one of the gauntlets, with a surprising amount of force, and he crushed it in his hand.
Shocker looked shocked as Spider-Man got back up and kicked him in the chest. Herman was sent back feet away. Shocker began to charge up his last gauntlet, but Spider-Man webbed it up, causing it to overload.
"Ohhh Shiiiii…." Yelled Shocker, as the gauntlet exploded, and Shocker was knocked unconscious.
…
When Herman woke up, he was hung upside down by Spider-Man.
"I'm gonna ask this once. Who. Hired. You?" Asked Spider-Man, threateningly.
"Ahh I don't know! Some guy just called me up and asked if I was interested in working with his boss!"
"What else did he tell you?" Asked Peter, even more threateningly than before.
"He… he said his boss was called something!" Replied Shocker.
"What was his name?" Yelled Peter.
"They called him The Kingpin!" Replied Shocker.
Chapter 2: Welcome To Oscorp
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SPIDER-MAN OR ANY OTHER ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS THAT ORIGINATE FROM MARVEL COMICS. PLEASE DO NOT SUE, MY BROKE ASS CAN'T AFFORD SHIT ANYWAYS. ONCE AGAIN, DO NOT SUE.
"Are you kidding me? Spider-Man was out there stopping Shocker from robbing the bank, not working with him!" Lamented Peter, as he stared at a Daily Bugle headline which read:
"Shocker and Spider-Man in Cahoots!"
"That's such slander!" Commented Harry, annoyed by the headline and the editor, J. Jonah. Jameson.
"Actually Harry, slander is spoken. In print it's known as Libel." Replied Gwen, poking fun at Harry's grammatical error.
"Whatever. What's important is that this article is false!" Exclaimed Harry, as the trio walked out of school.
As Peter continued turning the pages of the newspaper, a tiny panel caught his eye.
"A photography competition for the Daily Bugle? The winner gets hired as a photographer for the Bugle, and the pay is quite high! If I could get some epic shots of Spider-Man, I may actually have a chance to win. God knows May and I could use the money-"
Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice.
"Peter Parker! How the hell are you?" Said the man, who Peter slightly recognized. Upon moving closer, Peter realized that the man was Harry's dad: Norman Osborn.
"Mr Osborn! It's great to see you!" Said Peter enthusiastically.
"I haven't seen you since the field trip to Oscorp. You've bulked up since then!" Commented Norman.
Peter chuckled. That day was the day he was bit by that irradiated spider, which gave him his Spider-Powers, and of course, gave him his strength and muscles.
"Yeah, I've been working out a lot!" Answered Peter.
"Well anyways, I came to invite you to an Oscorp demonstration I'm holding today evening in a few hours! Harry will be there, would you like to accompany us?" Invited Norman, smiling ecstatically.
"Uh, yeah sure! I would love to come." Said Peter.
"Wonderful! Harry, let's go and get ready for the demo." Said Norman enthusiastically to Harry, as Gwen and Peter left.
Norman took one last glance at Peter. Peter was everything Norman wanted in a son. Sometimes he thought of Peter as his son, but then again, he had Harry. He loved Harry, but Peter reminded Norman of himself when he was his age.
Peter wore his clothes over his Spider-Man outfit as he started to walk out of his house. It was 5 pm in the evening.
"Alright Aunt May, I'm going to Oscorp. See ya!" Said Peter to May, as he walked out of the house.
"Wait Peter! I need you to promise me one thing." Said May.
"Yeah, sure." Replied Peter.
"I want you to come back by 7 pm alright?" Said May.
"Oh yeah sure!" Said Peter hastily, as he was already late to the demonstration.
Peter arrived at Oscorp Tower, which stood tall in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It scraped the clouds, just as tall as Avengers Tower.
Peter walked in and made his way to the main laboratory on the 85th floor, via the glass elevator. As he moved up, he went past the Special Projects division, where he swore he saw mechanical wings. Ignoring it, he continued up until he reached the 85th floor.
He got out of the elevator and walked towards Norman, who apparently seemed to be yelling at another senior scientist.
"No Toomes! We need the harness ready now or there will be consequences! Do you understand me?" Yelled Norman angrily.
"But Norman, the harness isn't ready. If it malfunctions-"
"It's Mr Osborn. We're not friends, Adrian. I want the wingsuit ready right now." Said Norman calmly, with a threatening undertone in his voice.
The scientist apologized and walked away, and Norman's mood immediately shifted from angry to happy when he saw Peter.
"Peter! I'm so glad you could make it. Head to the Demonstration room on floor 60. Harry's there too! I'll be with you guys in a few moments." Said Norman hurriedly.
The brown haired businessman then walked out of the lab, and Peter went down to the demonstration room.
As he walked towards the elevator, he saw Norman shadily entering a locked room, which was closed by two steel doors. Peter's Spider-Sense tingled.
"Meh. It's probably nothing." Peter thought to himself, as he stepped into the elevator.
The demonstration room was quite empty, with rows of chairs and a huge stage at the end of the room. Peter spotted Harry in the front row and walked over to him.
"Hey Harry!" Said Peter, as he stood up.
"Hey Pete! Glad you could be here. Between you and me, these demos can get quite boring."
"Really, how so?"
"Well, most of the time dad is just talking about weapons for the military, like that exoskeleton armour they were working on a few weeks back."
"Well, let's hope this one's a little more fun."
The tiny crowd of people in business suits quieted down as Norman came on stage. Most of the businessmen stared at Peter as they sat down, wondering what a civilian like him was doing at this event.
"Hello, everybody! As you all know, my name is Norman Osborn, and I have invited all of you here to show you something revolutionary. Something that will exponentially help our military." Said Norman.
"Here we go again…" Muttered Harry, bored, whereas Peter was listening to it in awe.
"I give you… Project Vulture!" Exclaimed Norman.
A person came on stage, wearing what looked like a green harness. All of a sudden, the harness extended out two green mechanical wings, as the man started to fly around the room.
The crowd was in awe of the invention, as the flying man returned to the stage and the wings folded back into the harness.
"That was… Amazing!" Exclaimed Peter
"Yeah… that was, pretty good!" Replied Harry, surprised.
Norman continued, "But that's not all for today! I would like to announce my partnership with another company on developing this armour and much more. I would like to call upon, Wilson Fisk, owner of Fisk Industries!" Said Norman, on the podium.
Peter turned around and saw a huge bald man in a white stand up, and walk towards the stage. He walked to the podium and towards Norman, and shook his hand.
"We would love to continue our partnership with Oscorp!" Said Fisk, in a booming voice.
As Peter exited the demo room, he remembered how his Spider-Sense tingled back when he saw Norman enter the room.
"Might as well just check what it was all about. My sense tingled for a reason." He said to himself.
He moved back to the main laboratory and walked towards the steel doors. That's when he heard voices inside.
"That was too dangerous Norman! You could have put all of those people in serious danger!" Lectured one of the voices, to Norman.
"Enough Toomes! The project was a success, no thanks to you!" Yelled Norman.
"No thanks to me!? I invented the harness, it was my idea!" Yelled Adrian Toomes.
"Unfortunately for you, history won't see it that way. Adrian Toomes, you are fired from Oscorp Industries, effective immediately!" Said Norman.
"You'll regret this, Osborn. You'll regret this." Said Adrian, angrily. Without hesitation, Peter immediately ran back to the elevator, as an enraged Adrian made his way out of the steel door.
"How could Norman do that? He really is ruthless." Thought Peter to himself.
Peter finally reached home, half an hour late. As he tried to sneak in, he saw May sitting at the dining table.
"Hey Aunt May…" Said Peter.
"Peter, there you are! Where've you been?" She asked.
"Sorry, the demonstration at Oscorp took time." He replied.
"I told you to be back home by 7, Peter." Said May sternly. "This better not happen again."
"It won't. Sorry Aunt May." Replied Peter, fully understanding why May would be so paranoid about him being so late.
Adrian Toomes entered his rundown apartment, only to see a note on his door. An eviction notice.
"Oh crap!" Muttered Adrian, as he opened his door, only to find his crummy apartment empty, all his sensitive equipment in trash bags.
"No no, my life's work!" He yelled, as he frantically ran towards an alleyway, and towards the dumpster, hoping to find his blueprints there.
"Please be here!" He pleaded. The blueprints were there all right, but they were torn and crumpled.
Adrian quickly dialled his landlord's number.
"Mr Muggins, this is Mr Toomes. I just found out that I have been evicted and all of my stuff has been thrown in the trash!" He yelled.
"Mr Toomes, if you had paid your rent before its due date, this never would have happened." Replied Mr Muggins, in a very monotone voice.
"Dammit, that equipment was sensitive and you just threw it in the trash! I'm gonna sue you for what you've done!" Adrian continued yelling.
"You'll sue me? With what money, Mr Toomes?" Joked Muggins, as he hung up the call.
Adrian stood there, pure red rage coursing through his blood vessels. It was Norman's fault he was in this predicament. If Norman had paid him well, he would have been able to have a home to live in.
Instead Norman fired him and is taking all the credit for the invention Adrian made for himself.
"You have no idea what you're in for Norman…" He said to himself.
Chapter 3: Flight Of The Vulture- Part 1
Adrian put on his lab coat and took his badge from the dumpster where his things were thrown in. After his eviction, he was furious as ever.
Hoping his user ID hadn't been revoked, he hailed a cab on the busy street.
"Lucky I have some change in my pocket." He muttered. "Oscorp Tower. Make it quick." He told the driver.
"Today, Norman, you will regret messing with me." He thought to himself, anger boiling inside him.
Adrian walked through the sliding glass doors and towards the receptionist.
She seemed to be someone new, in her early twenties, whom Adrian did not recognize.
"Excuse me, Oscorp is closed. Who are you?" Asked the receptionist.
"I'm uh… Adrian Toomes, chief scientist of the Special Projects Division. And you are?" Asked Adrian, trying his best to keep a good poker face.
"Felicia Hardy. Intern Receptionist. I'm gonna need to scan your badge." Said Felicia.
"Oh yeah, of course." Bumbled Adrian, as he handed her his ID Card, which still reeked of orange rinds. He prayed that it wasn't revoked already.
"Okay, Mr Toomes. Make sure you get your work done quickly." Said Felicia, smiling.
Adrian smiled back and walked to the elevator, heading for the Special Projects Division.
He walked past all the lab equipment and walked up to a bulletproof glass case, locked by a keypad. Adrian punched in the code '1 9 6 2', and the glass slid open from either side.
"Still haven't changed the code. You're getting sloppy, Norman." Smirked Adrian, as he started to put on the green harness.
All of a sudden, Adrian heard security guards running up the stairs.
"Oh crap!" Muttered Adrian.
5 guards, wearing bulletproof armour emerged, each with handguns aimed at Adrian.
"Norman Osborn knew something like this might happen, so he put guards up here specifically for you, Toomes." Smirked one guard.
"That harness doesn't belong to you! It belongs to the army!" Yelled another.
"Belongs to the army? With this harness, I am an army!" Yelled Adrian, as he extended the huge, green mechanical wings from his harness and shooting a feather-shaped projectile straight at one of the guards' neck.
"FIRE!" Yelled one of the guards, as they all started shooting at Adrian.
However, Adrian extended his wings into a bulletproof wall in front of him, as all the bullets bounced off of it.
"Well, I'd stay for longer, but I've got work to do!" Said Adrian menacingly, as he quickly jumped out of the window behind him.
As Adrian fell towards the ground, he started the jetpack, which made him hover in the air. His wings now outstretched, he swooped down to the ground and pulled himself back up with ease.
"The Vulture Takes Flight!" He yelled, as he flew off into the night sky.
Peter quickly made his way to school, only to be assaulted by Gwen and Harry, who were holding a Daily Bugle newspaper.
"Peter! Did you read about what happened last night?" Asked Gwen.
"Um, no. Couldn't get late to school again." He said, spontaneously.
"Well, yesterday, a person broke into Oscorp and stole the experimental harness that Oscorp was developing!" Explained Harry, rather aggressively.
"What? When'd this happen?" Interrogated Peter, completely aghast.
"No Peter. The bigger question is, where was Spider-Man?" Asked Harry.
"Harry… I'm pretty sure Spider-Man was somewhere else, trying to save someone else." Replied Gwen, in an attempt to calm him down.
"Yeah. I mean, he can't be everywhere at once." Said Peter, reluctantly agreeing with Gwen, even though he knew where Spider-Man was: Sleeping soundly after finishing his Algebra homework.
"Well, yeah. But until Spider-Man catches this crook, I'm siding with Jonah Jameson." Said Harry, walking away. Leaving Gwen with Peter, who was feeling super guilty.
"Hey, so Pete, I know it's probably not the right time, but could you help me with some Chem homework after school? I'll help you with Biology in return." Asked Gwen, trying to persuade Peter.
"Yeah. Yeah sure!" Replied Peter almost instantly. "I'll see you at 6?" Asked Peter.
"Yeah, my house at 6, ok? Don't be late!" Said Gwen, as she hurried off to class.
Peter felt extremely guilty about what happened at Oscorp. Once again, he had ignored his responsibilities as Spider-Man in order to face his responsibilities as Peter Parker.
"Alright, let's see what New York has to offer today…" Said Peter to himself, as he put on his Spider-Man mask and leapt off of the building he was standing on.
"Let's see what I need to do as Spidey for now. Numero Uno! I find who broke into Oscorp and stop them. Second, tonight I'm gonna stop at least a minimum of 15 crimes. And finally, I need to figure out who this 'Kingpin' is". Peter said to himself.
It was almost 6 pm, and Peter decided to head to Gwen's place quickly. That's when he saw smoke arising from a nearby building: Norman Osborn's penthouse.
"Oh no!" Yelled Peter, as he quickly swung his way there.
"I can assure you, Wilson. We will bring the harness back." Said Norman, who was talking to co-partner Wilson Fisk in his penthouse.
"You better. That harness is exactly what I need for my ultimate goal." Replied Fisk, in a booming, stern voice.
"And what exactly is your 'main goal'?" Asked Norman.
"Just get the harness back, Osborn, or there will be consequences." Said Fisk.
All of a sudden, the window shattered as Adrian Toomes came swooping in and grabbing Norman by the throat, slamming him into the wall.
"Norman! You're gonna suffer for what you've done." He said threateningly.
"Adrian? Is that you?" Asked Norman as he was being choked.
"No. I'm The Vulture!" Replied Adrian.
Suddenly, a web stuck itself to Vulture's back, as he was pulled back away from Norman.
"Hey Big Bird! Wanna pick on someone your own size?" Asked Spider-Man.
"Dammit! I'll deal with you first, and then Osborn!" Yelled Vulture, as he swooped Spider-Man and jumped out of the window.
"Hey! I don't think you have a flying permit!" Yelled Peter, as he shot a web, escaping from Vulture's grip, and landing on the wall of a building.
Vulture shot feather-knife projectiles at Spider-Man, who flipped out of the way and swing-kicked Vulture right in the face.
"Aaaagh! You'll pay for that!" Yelled Vulture, as he grabbed Spider-Man by the neck and slammed him into the pavement, before throwing him into a nearby taxi.
"Ok, not cool!" Yelled Spider-Man, as he grabbed an empty taxi and hurled it at Vulture, whose wings sliced through the car.
"Ah crap!" Said Spider-Man, as Vulture swooped towards him, but Spider-Man backflipped out of the way and webbed Vulture's face, swinging him into the window of a clothes shop.
Vulture stepped out of the shop, with a pair of underwear on his head.
"Ha! I'm gonna call you Underwear Head!" Joked Spider-Man.
Vulture was beyond enraged. He swooped towards Spider-Man and started slamming his face repeatedly into the ground as the flew straight ahead at breakneck speed.
Spider-Man tried to fight back, but Vulture grabbed Spider-Man and threw him into a car, knocking him unconscious.
"I underestimated you, Spider-Man. My mistake, but I won't make it again!" Taunted Vulture, as he flew away.
Spider-Man got back up, every part of him hurting.
"Ohhhh my head…. Wait, I had to be at Gwen's!" He remembered, as he swung away to a nearby rooftop and tried calling Gwen.
"Hi Peter. Where have you been?" Asked Gwen, with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Gwen, I am so so sorry I wasn't able to come. I got held up! I promise I'll—"
Peter was cut off by Gwen.
"Look, Peter. I'll talk to you in school, okay." She said, as she cut the call.
Peter put his phone away and sat down.
"She said 'Peter' instead of 'Pete'. That's how you know she's still mad." Said Peter to himself.
Chapter 4: Flight Of The Vulture- Part 2
"Hey May! I'm home." Said Peter as he quickly rushed through the door, only to see Aunt May asleep at the table, her face buried in unpaid bills.
"I think it's best if I don't wake her up. Man, she has been working so hard, if anyone deserves a break, it's her."Thought Peter, as he walked up the stairs to his room.
He put his bag down and lay on his bed, thinking about what a crappy day it had been.
"I need to get a part time job or something. Anything that'll help us pay the bills. Hey… wait a minute! The Bugle photography job!" Thought Peter, as he quickly jumped out of bed.
"I should go see the editor tomorrow about the job. For now…"
Peter was barely able to complete his thought when he fell asleep.
Norman sat in his office, awaiting the arrival of his guest. Harry had gone to bed, so there was nothing to worry about. Wilson Fisk dare not touch him.
The elevator doors opened, and Fisk came striding out of it.
"You wanted to see me, Wilson?" Asked Norman, fully aware as to why Fisk was here.
Fisk slammed his fist on the office table. Norman barely even flinched.
"Where. Is. Adrian. Toomes?" Asked Fisk, threateningly.
"We have it under control, Wilson. Luckily, we both know a person capable of bringing him in." Replied Norman, calmly.
"Who?"
Norman got up and turned around to face his huge window, overlooking the Manhattan skyline.
"Spider-Man came close to stopping him today evening. We use him to send Toomes to prison, and then, I have men on the inside who can deliver the Vulture harness and wings back to us." Explained Norman.
"And how are you sure that Spider-Man can bring in Vulture?" Countered Fisk.
"I just am." Replied Norman.
Peter rushed out of Mr Warren's class and noticed Gwen and Harry talking.
"Hey guys!" Peter said, enthusiastically.
"Hey Pete! What's up?" Asked Harry, while Gwen just stared in the other direction.
"Hey Harry. Do you mind if I talk to Gwen for a bit? In private?" Asked Peter.
"Oh yeah, sure." Said Harry, as he walked to his History class.
"Hey Gwen. I truly am sorry for not showing up. I just got really busy and-"
"Pete. It's okay. Plus, I may have overreacted a bit. You have a lot on your plate right now and I understand. I'm sorry for acting so irrational." Replied Gwen, apologetically.
"Oh. Yeah sure it's okay!" Replied Peter, feeling relieved.
"Dammit! Spider-Man keeps interfering in my plans. I need a way to make Norman suffer for a long time. Killing him won't be enough." Lamented Vulture.
He had an entire board hung up on his wall, trying to figure out different ways to make Norman Osborn suffer.
"Norman took away my job, what I loved most! Now, it's time for him to lose what he loves most…" Said Vulture, menacingly as he took a pin and pinned another picture to the wall.
It was a picture of Harry Osborn.
Meanwhile, across town, Peter swung his way to The Daily Bugle. He entered the lobby and walked up to the elevator and to the top floor.
Peter was greeted by a very busy workplace, with reporters running around with pens and newspapers.
Somehow, Peter managed to survive the stampede and made his way to the office of the editor: J. Jonah Jameson.
As soon as Peter entered his office, his ears were brutally attacked by the sound of JJ's screaming.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! THIS WON'T HELP US SELL PAPERS!" He yelled.
"Uhhh Mr. Jameson…" Said Peter.
"SHUT UP! YOU'RE FIRED!"
"But… I don't work here sir…"
"WELL THEN WHY ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME?"
"I'm here for the photography job sir…"
"SO WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CHINESE NEW YEAR?" Said Jameson, gesturing Peter to sit, next to a more muscular, blonde haired man, who looked to be about Peter's age.
"What about me?" Asked another man, who Jameson was originally yelling at.
"Oh right, you. YOU'RE FIRED!" Exclaimed Jameson.
The man left and Jameson finally turned his attention to Peter and the other person.
"So, who are you two?" Asked Jameson, who looked like he had calmed down.
"I'm Peter Parker." Said Peter.
"And I'm Eddie Brock." Said the other person.
Jameson took a deep breath.
"So, you both want to be a freelance photographer for the Bugle. Well, we can't have two, so I have a little task. Whoever gets the best photos of Spider-Man gets the job!" Exclaimed Jameson.
"You got it sir! I won't fail you!" Said Eddie, as he left the office.
Peter simply nodded and left, feeling a little intimidated by Eddie.
Harry entered his huge penthouse, half expecting his dad to not be there. But there he was, sitting at the coffee table, as if he was waiting for Harry.
"Hey dad." Said Harry.
"Good to see you too, Harry. I trust you got back your Biology exam paper?" Asked Norman.
"Yeah." Replied Harry, somewhat disappointed as he handed out his exam paper to his father.
"A B grade? In Biology? Pathetic, Harry. I expected so much more from you. You're an Osborn! You can't be getting such disappointing grades!" Said Norman. Although, he didn't look shocked at all.
"I'm sorry dad. It's just, I'm no Peter Parker when it comes to science." Lamented Harry.
"You should be. Learn something from him, Harry. He is your best friend, after all." Retorted Norman.
Harry had had enough. He was so sick of being compared to Peter by his father.
"Yeah? Well, why don't you adopt Peter then? He's down a father, isn't he?" Shot back Harry.
"Harry Osborn, that is not how you talk about others!" Norman replied, his voice raising a bit.
"It's just, you keep comparing me to Peter, as if you're not happy with me!" Countered Harry, tears starting to well up in his eyes.
"You ought to be more like him! He's more of an Osborn than you are!" Countered Norman, finally yelling.
All of a sudden, someone came in blasting through the window, shattering the glass.
The Vulture stood between Harry and Norman, a menacing smile on his face.
"Toomes." Said Norman.
"Osborn. Finally, I can have my revenge. No Spider-Man or anyone to stop me!" Shouted Vulture, as he swooped towards Norman and knocked him against the wall.
"Dad no!" Yelled Harry.
"Ah yes. The person whom I had actually come for…" Said Vulture, walking towards Harry menacingly.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Shouted a fourth person, as Spider-Man jumped in through the shattered glass and kicked Vulture in his face.
"Run!" Shouted Spider-Man, as Norman made his way to the stairs, followed by Harry.
However, Vulture shot out a grappling gun, or feather, in this case, from his wings which locked themselves onto Harry's leg.
"AAAAH!" Yelled Harry, as he got dragged back by The Vulture.
Vulture quickly grabbed Harry and swooped out from the broken glass and into the skies above.
"No!" Exclaimed Spider-Man, as he shot out a web onto Vulture's legs and got dragged out of the building as well.
Spider-Man was now dangling off of a web stuck to Vulture's legs, who was carrying Harry higher and higher. Peter let go of the web and stuck to a nearby building
"You, are going to pay for the sins for your father committed!" Shouted Vulture, as he let Harry go.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Yelled Harry, as he plummeted to the streets below.
"NO NO NO NO NO!" Exclaimed Spider-Man as he jumped off of the wall and shot a web at Harry. The web stuck to Harry as Spider-Man pulled him back up with just enough force to stop any of his bones from snapping.
Harry got pulled back to Spider-Man, who swung him to a safe rooftop.
"Run! And call the cops!" Said Spider-Man, as Harry ran.
Peter quickly webbed a camera nearby, as he prepared to go head-to-head against The Vulture.
"Hey Big Bird! Why don't you come down to Earth?" Joked Spider-Man, as he shot a web at Vulture and yanked him down to the rooftop.
"You'll pay for that!" Said Vulture, as he swung his sharp metal wings at Spider-Man, who dodged them with a series of flips.
He shot another web at Vulture and yanked him forward, before kicking him straight in the chest.
"OWWWW!" Yelled Vulture, as Spider-Man delivered a flurry of punches to Vulture's chest, before finally jumping on his back and trying to pull out the harness.
"NO!" Exclaimed Adrian, as he jumped off of the building and started to fly at breakneck speed, with Spider-Man still dangling on his back.
"I give this flight a 0/10! Why are there no seatbelts?" Joked Spider-Man, but he was barely hanging on.
"Soon you will be nothing but a red and blue stain on the pavement!" Mocked Vulture.
That's when Peter had an idea.
"If I angle his wings upward, I can actually cause him to crash down. Safely, of course!" He thought, as he shot two webs at both wings, from either web shooter.
Peter started to pull them up, as Vulture started to descend in a slope, all while slowing down.
"What are you doing? No!" Yelled Vulture, as both him and Peter both crashed onto a beach, slowly and horizontally.
"Oh man… I am never, ever booking that airline again…" Said Peter, exhausted, as his suit was ripped and one eye lens was cracked.
Out of the smoke, the Vulture swooped and knocked Peter back to the ground, before grabbing him and slamming him to the ground again.
"This is the last time you interfere, Spider-Man!" Said Vulture, as he aimed the sharp tip of one wing at Spider-Man's chest, ready to impale him.
Luckily, Spider-Man moved away at just the right time, and kicked Vulture in the face again, before shooting two webs at one wing, and pulling him down.
Spider-Man then jumped on Vulture and started to punch his harness repeatedly, and then pulled the covering, exposing its wiring and circuitry.
Before Peter could anything though, Vulture flew up with Spider-Man still on his back.
Then Vulture fell down on his back, landing on Spider-Man.
"AAAAAGHHH!" Yelled Spider-Man. However, he managed to pull out all of the wiring, causing the wings to stop functioning.
"Noo!" Cried Adrian, as Spider-Man got up and webbed him down.
"That's it Toomes. You're grounded!" Chuckled Spider-Man.
"I simply wanted Norman to suffer like I have. I wanted revenge. You're just a kid, you wouldn't understand what revenge is…" Said Adrian, as he heard sirens.
"Believe me Adrian, I do. And it's not healthy to keep it in your heart."
Said Spider-Man, as he swung away.
"Well, why are you two bozos here?" Asked Jameson.
"Well, I got you pictures of Spider-Man." Said Eddie, as he showed pictures of Spider-Man swinging, but they were taken from very far away.
"Mega crap. What about you, Presley?" Prodded Jameson.
"It's Peter."
"Do I care? Show me the photos."
Peter showed him the photos: Close ups of Spider-Man fighting The Vulture.
Jameson's eyes went wide, as Peter expected him to give him a compliment.
"Crap. But not Mega Crap like Ramirez's photos. Congrats Patrick! You got the job. Now get out of my office."
Peter was way too happy to correct Jameson, as he walked out with a huge smile on his face.
Fisk returned back to Norman's office. Harry was in the hospital for his injured leg.
"Looks like you were right. Spider-Man did bring in Toomes. Except the harness was destroyed." Said Fisk.
"Forget that. My son nearly died!" Exclaimed Norman.
"Take care of your priorities Norman, lest I release the… information to the public." Threatened Fisk.
Norman calmed down. "So, why are you here? Other than to complain about your dirty work not being done?"
"Now… the real work begins." Said Fisk.
Chapter 5: Attack Of The Sandman
"He's run into the Oscorp testing facilities!" Exclaimed the cop, as him and three others chased down the convict.
Flint ran for his life with the medicine, and climbed the barbed wire fence, regardless of the barbed wire that cut his skin. He ran and ran, desperately as the sand made it tougher for him to run.
All of a sudden, someone shot a white rope-like thing to his legs and pulled hard, causing him to stumble into a metal pit of sand.
"What the hell?" Asked Flint, as the man, dressed in red and blue jumped into the pit.
"People need that medicine, y'know." Said Spider-Man, as he web-yanked the medicine from his Flint's arms.
"Exactly!" Said Flint as he tried punching Spider-Man, but Spider-Man dodged out of the way and kicked Flint, before backflipping out of the pit.
"Well buddy, looks like you're stuck here for a while. Wait till the cops come, ok!" Chuckled Spider-Man as he swung back to the cops.
"Dammit!" Yelled Flint.
Norman Osborn watched all of this unfold. "Just as in planned. Now Stromm!" Ordered Norman, as Dr Mendel Stromm hesitantly pressed a button.
All of a sudden, three huge mechanical arms sprung from the bottom of the pit.
"What the hell?!" Asked Flint, bewildered.
The arms started to whir at an incredibly fast rate, swirling the sand everywhere, as they sprayed some experimental chemicals into the sand as well.
The experimental sand stung Flint's eyes and entered his cuts.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Flint yelled in pain as the sand completely covered him. "HEEEEEEELPPPPP…" Flint's voice was drowned by the sound of the arms whizzing around, throwing the experimental sand his way, entering his body.
The arms stopped whirring, and Flint's body has disintegrated into seemingly nothingness.
The cops rushed to the pit. "Where is he?" Asked one.
There was nothing but a huge heap of sand in the pit.
"Must've climbed out. We'll get him later." Said another cop.
From Oscorp Tower, Norman chuckled. "Kingpin will be pleased." He said under his breath.
Peter shut his locker, only to turn around and see Liz standing behind him. "Hey Pete!" She said.
"Hey L-Liz! What's up?" Asked Peter, fumbling with his words.
"Well, I was hoping you would come for the Halloween party I'm organizing." Said Liz
"Uh yeah sure! Is it okay if I bring Harry and Gwen?" Asked Peter.
"Yeah, sure! The more the merrier." Said Liz, as she walked away, smiling.
I see sparks fly…" Joked Harry, as he whistled towards Peter.
"Stop dude…that got old months ago." Chuckled Peter. "Plus, how's your leg?"
"Eh it's better. Still hurts when I run though." Said Harry.
"Well, I hope it gets better." Said Peter.
Flint came to in a sterilized room, strapped to a metal stretcher.
Norman stood next to him. "Flint Marko." He said.
"You're that Oscorp guy, aren't you?" Asked Flint, confused and his speech slurred.
"What do you remember last?"
"All that sand…and Spider-Man!" Said Flint, angrily.
"Exactly. Let's focus on the sand part for now. Concentrate on the sand for now. Feel one with it." Said Norman, in a very calming voice.
Flint closed his eyes and remembered that moment. When all of the sand went through his skin. He felt his whole body violently vibrate, as his legs felt weightless.
"Focus Flint. Feel like sand, and slip out of the straps." Continued Norman.
Flint felt weightless as he seemingly fell off the table and rematerialized himself, from sand!
Flint was confused beyond belief, as he saw his entire body made of sand.
"What?" Asked Flint.
Norman laughed. "Looks like the project is a success! So Flint, what do you want now?" Asked Norman.
"I want the medicine for my daughter." Said Flint, still in little disbelief.
"Now you can go get it. With no one to stop you!" Said Norman, as Flint walked out of the room.
Peter stood on a rooftop, after just having stopped a mugging and a car robbery, and got pictures for JJ Jameson.
"All units, all units, robbery at Baker's Pharmacy. Suspect identified as Flint Marko." Said the police scanner.
"Flint Marko huh? Sounds familiar. Oh well, might as well stop him and call it a night." Said Spider-Man, swinging towards Baker's Pharmacy.
Flint ran out of the pharmacy with bags of medicine, but Spider-Man landed in front of him.
"Hey you're that guy from yesterday, aren't you?" Asked Spider-Man.
"Yeah, with a couple of improvements!" Exclaimed Marko.
Spider-Man punched his chest, but his hand got stuck in his chest!
"What the crap?" Exclaimed Spider-Man in disbelief, as Flint made a sand-fist out of his right hand and punched Spidey into a taxi.
"Call me Sandman." Said Flint, as he took the bags and ran off.
"Uh-uh!" Said Spider-Man, as he shot a web at Sandman's back, but Sandman pulled the web towards him and made a hammer out of his left hand, and brought it down on Spider-Man's back. He then kicked Spider-Man into a shop and ran away.
"Oh goddammit…" Groaned Spider-Man as he climbed out of the shop with a top hat on his head.
"Shit! I'm late. I gotta go-OH MY BACKKK!" Exclaimed Spider-Man as he swung away. "Dammit my back!"
Peter sneaked through the window in his room and switched on his computer.
"Pretty sure that pit I threw him in did something to him. I should have handed him to the police myself. Another criminal on the lose due to my irresponsibility." Peter scolded himself, as he looked up Flint Marko.
"Bam! Flint Marko was a construction worker put out of employment. His wife divorced him when he turned to crime to pay the bills, and his daughter is badly sick. I can't help but feel bad now." Said Peter. "He lives in East Harlem."
Peter was beat and he wanted to sleep, plus he had homework to finish. But Sandman was still out there, and he had to be brought to justice.
"One night without sleep is doable. I need to stop Sandman." Said Peter, as he put on his mask and swung out of the window.
"Emily? Penny?" Asked Flint, as he climbed through the window of his house.
Emily was standing in the kitchen. "You shouldn't be here." She said.
"Emily. I got Penny's medicine."
"No. You stole it." She countered.
"It doesn't matter! Penny will be okay now." Said Flint.
That's when a five year old walked into the kitchen to investigate the commotion.
"Daddy? Is that you?" Asked the girl.
"Penny! Oh thank god! Daddy got your medicine." Said Flint.
"Mommy said you were a bad person." Said the girl, as she moved away from Flint.
Flint went from happy, to confused, to angry.
"What did you tell her?" Asked Flint, through gritted teeth.
"The truth Flint. I-"
"WHAT DID YOU TELL HER?!" Shouted Flint, as he made a fist out of sand and punched the wall.
"OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL!?" Shouted Emily.
"Tell me now you witch! What did you tell Penny?" Shouted Sandman.
All of a sudden, Spider-Man came crashing through the window and kicked Sandman.
"Sorry to come crashing in! Ha, I've been waiting all week to use that one!" Chuckled Peter.
"THAT'S IT!" Exclaimed Flint, as he lunged at Spider-Man and crashed through the wall, out of the building and landed on a car.
Spider-Man barely had time to breathe when Sandman started pummelling him with a sand-fist.
Spidey webbed a lamppost and pulled it down on Sandman.
"Eat this!" Yelled Spider-Man, as he threw an abandoned car on Sandman, who simply split his body into two to dodge it, and then rematerialized himself.
"Ok that's new!" Said Spider-Man nervously.
Sandman made a baseball bat out of his right hand and swung it at Spidey, who got knocked into a building.
"Wait. Sand and water do not mix!" Thought Peter.
Peter ran out of the shop and webbed Sandman's face.
"Hey Sandy, over here!" Exclaimed Spider-Man as he ran up a building.
Sandman jumped up the building, and made a huge fist to punch Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man dodged just in time, and Sandman punched through the water tower, causing water to gush out onto Sandman.
"AAAAAHH!" Yelled Sandman, as he turned solid and fell off of the building, and landed unconscious.
"Whoo! And now I've got sand in my shorts!" Said Spider-Man.
"Dammit! Osborn said I'll be able to take you down!" Groaned Sandman, as he was taken away by the cops.
"Osborn? Norman Osborn?" Asked Spider-Man, confused as Sandman was driven away to jail.
"First the Shocker says he's working for a man called Kingpin, then The Vulture shows up with revenge against Norman, now Sandman was working for Norman?" Asked Peter to himself.
"Wait a minute…" Peter's eyes went wide.
"Could Norman Osborn be The Kingpin of Crime?"
Chapter 6: Enter The Kingpin
"Well, if Norman Osborn is The Kingpin, Harry might be in danger." Thought Peter, as he swung to Norman's penthouse.
"But I shouldn't sneak in and rummage through his penthouse unless I'm at least 62% sure. Luckily, I know an old foe who worked for The Kingpin, and he's still rotting in jail." Said Spider-Man, as he turned away from the penthouse and made his way to the Chinatown Precinct of the NYPD.
When he reached the roof, he saw Gwen's dad on the precinct's rooftop: Captain George Stacy.
"Ahem. Hello Captain!" Said Spider-Man, a little cautiously.
"Spider-Man! Y'know, I could arrest you right now…" Replied George.
"Yeah, I figured. But I really need your help. Is Herman Schultz still in the holding cells?"
"The Shocker? Oh, you're right on time. He's being moved to Rikers within the hour. Why do you need him anyways?"
"He was working for "The Kingpin". At least, that's what street thugs call him."
"The Kingpin of Crime, huh? We've been trying to hunt him down for a few months now. Who do you think it is?"
"First let me talk to Shocker so I can confirm my suspicions." Said Spider-Man
"Fair enough. But I can't let the precinct know that I'm negotiating with a vigilante. I'm only doing this because my daughter thinks very highly of you." Said George, as he walked back into the precinct to get Shocker.
"She does?" Thought Peter, to himself.
5 minutes later, George returned with Schultz back to the rooftop, where Spider-Man was waiting.
"C'mon Captain, why am I up here- Oh not you again!" Whined Schultz, when he saw Spider-Man.
"Great to see you too, Herman! Gotta say, you're not so threatening without your suit." Mocked Spider-Man.
"Why'd you wanna see me, Webhead?" Retorted Shocker.
"Let's just cut to the chase. Who is The Kingpin? Who hired you?" Questioned Spider-Man.
"How the heck should I know? He called me on my phone and had a disguised voice. He gave me my outfit and promised 7 figures if I was able to complete my job."
"Right. You've already told me all of that. Wait! He promised 7 figures?" Asked Spider-Man, super intrigued.
"Yeah. I didn't question it. Just decided to take the money." Continued Shocker. "Another thing: While he was talking, I heard someone's name be called out. Hardy, or Harley, something."
Spider-Man's eyes went wide. "Got it. Thanks Herman, but you're still going to jail. And thank you, Captain Stacy!" Said Spider-Man, as he swung away.
Spider-Man swung back to Norman's penthouse.
"I'm pretty certain Norman Osborn is The Kingpin. Time to make sure." Said Spider-Man to himself, as he swung through an open window and landed in the main hall.
"Norman's office is upstairs. I should check it out for evidence to bring Captain Stacy." Thought Peter, as he stealthily crawled the walls and made it to the top floor.
All of a sudden, he heard a sound and he quickly jumped to the ceiling, as the elevator opened up and Wilson Fisk came striding out, walking straight into Norman's office.
"Fisk? What's he doing here, and so late?" Thought Peter, as he quickly entered through the doors before they closed, while still stuck to the ceiling.
Norman was sitting at his desk, buried in papers as Fisk walked towards him.
"Marko's in prison. Your plan didn't work." Said Fisk.
"Wilson. This was all part of my plan."
"Shocker and Sandman are both in prison, and so is the Vulture harness. I couldn't care less about Adrian Toomes, but the harness is necessary. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is still out there throwing wrenches into our gears." Said Wilson, in a calm, yet threatening tone.
"Sandman has very…unnatural abilities. And he's in the same prison as Toomes. Marko trusts me and he could retrieve the harness using his talents. As for Spider-Man, well, there's no reason to kill him." Explained Norman.
"If we kill him, Osborn, we eliminate the possibility of him ever meddling in my takeover."
"There are other vigilantes, like that Devil, who could undo our operation. Besides, Spider-Man saved my son's life." Replied Norman.
"Very well." Said Fisk, as he walked out of the room, with Norman following him.
Spider-Man dropped down from the ceiling, completely shocked.
"Does Harry know about this? He's in serious danger." Thought Spider-Man, as he walked towards Norman's desk.
There were papers scattered everywhere, papers on different projects for military exoskeletons.
"This is crazy. If these prototypes get on the streets, there would be absolute carnage." Said Spider-Man.
He found a paper, with an address. "A warehouse in Hell's Kitchen. Seems sketchy enough." He thought.
He glanced at his watch. It was 2:49 am.
"Meh. Aunt May will never notice." Thought Peter, as he swung away to the warehouse.
Peter entered the warehouse, only to find it completely empty. It was really small and dimly lit.
"Well this isn't creepy at all." Muttered Peter.
Suddenly, Peter's Spider-Sense went crazy as the door opened, as Wilson Fisk walked in, surrounded by 5 guards.
"Spider-Man. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Said Fisk.
"Outta my way, dumpling. I just want Norman Osborn." Said Spider-Man, trying his best to intimidate Fisk.
Fisk barely looked fazed. "I'm going to give you two choices. One, you stop interfering in my business. Or two, I kill you right here." Said Fisk, threateningly.
"How about I go with number 2 and I improvise." Joked Spider-Man.
Fisk put on his white coat as Spider-Man charged at him. Spider-Man jumped to kick him in the face, but Fisk grabbed his leg and slammed him against the wall with a loud thud. He then grabbed him and threw him across the room.
"Ouch…" Groaned Peter as he got up. He shot a web at Fisk's face and started delivering punches at Fisk's chest.
The punches barely seemed to have any effect on Fisk, as he ripped off the webbing and grabbed Spider-Man's arm, slamming him to the ground.
All the guards stood and watched as Fisk dragged Spider-Man by the neck and choked him against the wall.
"You shouldn't mess with people who fight back." Fisk said, with gritted teeth.
"Unfff…You need a breath mint…" Choked Spider-Man, as he kicked off of Fisk, and then pulled him down, causing Fisk's face to connect with his knee.
"AAAGH!' Yelled Fisk, as Spider-Man uppercutted him and kicked his shin.
Spider-Man then jumped on Fisk's back and tried to get him to stop, like a bullfighter.
"C'mon Fisk, I've had a really long night. Why don't you just tell me where Norman is-WHOAA!" Shouted Spider-Man, as Fisk grabbed him and flung him off. Peter landed hard on his back.
"You still think Norman Osborn is The Kingpin? Pathetic." Mocked Kingpin, as he kicked Spider-Man metres away.
"So who is it? Is it you, Big Chungus?" Asked Spider-Man.
"You finally got something right." Mocked Fisk, as he brought his boot down on Spider-Man's chest.
"AAARGGHH!" Groaned Spider-Man. "God, did you eat half of the entire Earth? You look so old I bet you ate all of the dinosaurs to extinction!" Spurted out Spider-Man.
"Got any more fat jokes? Or are you going to hear me out?"
"Don't have any choice now, do I?"
Fisk got his boot off of Spider-Man, who somehow managed to stand up.
"I'm gonna give you a chance. Since you already know you can't defeat me, you can either, One: Join me or Two: Quit being a vigilante." Said Fisk, as he started walking away with his guards.
Spider-Man shot two webs at Fisk's back, but Fisk turned around and pulled the webs, causing Spider-Man to be pulled towards him.
Fisk punched Spider-Man straight in the face, cracking one of his eye lenses. He then grabbed him and slammed him across one wall, and then pounded him onto the ground with an ear-splitting thud. Fisk's white coat was covered in stains of blood.
'I'll give you time to think about it." Said Fisk, as he walked out of the warehouse, leaving Spider-Man unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
Peter came to, every part of him hurting badly, except he wasn't in the warehouse.
"Where…where am I- AAH!" Screamed Peter, as he tried to get up, but his chest stung excruciatingly.
He was on a couch in someone's apartment, and all of a sudden, someone entered the room. Someone wearing all red, and a mask with two tiny horns.
"You…you're…" Spider-Man's eyes felt heavy.
"Daredevil." Said the man.
"From…the news…yeah…" Peter said
"Try not to move too much, your ribs are badly swollen. You're lucky to be alive." Said Daredevil.
"You didn't take off my mask, did you?" Asked Peter, worriedly.
"I'm blind anyways, so wouldn't really make a difference. I have heightened senses though." Replied Daredevil.
"Heightened senses, huh? So what, you can hear through walls and heartbeats, that type of thing?" Guessed Peter
"Pretty much. Going after Wilson Fisk, huh? That's stupid. Brave, but stupid." Chuckled Daredevil.
"What are you, The Wilson Fisk expert?" Said Peter, sarcastically.
"I've been trying to take him down for the last 9 months. Even if you put him in jail, his lawyers are excellent. Plus he pretty much owns half of the police force. He'll be in jail for 3 days tops." Explained Daredevil.
"Wait, half of the police force? How does New York not know about this?" Asked Peter, shocked.
"Wilson Fisk has been working on his criminal empire for the past 2 years. His influence runs deep through the police force and other places too. He's like a poison that you don't even know is inside you, until it's too late." Continued Daredevil.
"But, it's not too late, right?" Asked Peter, worriedly.
"No idea. He seems to be escalating his plans, though." Replied Daredevil.
"Yeah, and Norman Osborn seems to be working with him." Added Peter
"Wait, why Norman Osborn? He must have something on him. He's most likely blackmailing Osborn." Suggested Daredevil.
"Yeah. Wait, what time is it?" Asked Peter
"5:54 am" Replied Daredevil
"Oh crap! I need to leave…OUCH!" Groaned Peter.
"Careful!" Warned Daredevil.
"I'm fine, but we'll talk about this later." Said Peter, as he slowly and painfully swung away.
Chapter 7
Peter painfully swung back home, just in time to catch a couple more hours of sleep. His ribs still hurt like hell, and his left leg felt like it was made of concrete. He felt super lightheaded and his head was throbbing, as he collapsed on his bed.
Peter woke up, feeling a little well rested.
"Hey Aunt May." Groaned Peter.
"Pete? What happened? Why do you sound so tired?" Asked a concerned Aunt May.
"I think I'm really sick. Like, every part of me hurts."
Peter nearly stumbled down the stairs due to exhaustion. Luckily, Aunt May was there to help him keep him balance.
"Peter, I don't think you should go to school. I'll inform your teacher. For now, take some rest and I'll make some Chamomile Tea." Said Aunt May.
"Thanks May. I don't know what I'd do without you." Said Peter, weakly, as he went back up to his room.
Peter quickly closed his door and sat back on his bed, his head still exploding. He couldn't stop thinking about the events of the previous night. Wilson Fisk being The Kingpin, Norman Osborn: his best friend's dad working for The Kingpin, and the ultimatum that Fisk had presented him with while he was busy mopping the floor with him. He also couldn't stop thinking of the man who had saved him: Daredevil.
"Who is Daredevil? He told me he was blind, so that's weird. After May brings the chamomile tea, I think I'll start investigating." Thought Peter.
Peter took a look at his suit. Working for The Kingpin was one of the choices Fisk had offered him, and that was completely out of the question. No matter how much money he would make, there was no way in Hell that he was gonna do The Kingpin's dirty work.
"Here you go, Peter." Said Aunt May, as she entered his room with tea, while Peter was busy contemplating.
"Aunt May?"
"Yes dear?"
"If you wanted to do the right thing, even though it was very dangerous, and possibly life-threatening, would you do it?"
"Well see, you should always walk the right path, even when there is nobody left. If the journey ahead is life threatening, it is your duty to be prepared to face those challenges head on." Replied Aunt May.
"Okay. But what if you weren't the only one doing so. What if there was someone else who could do the life threatening, right thing?"
"That is entirely up to you. If you feel like risking your life isn't worth it, no one is stopping you. Just know that you may be condemning the other person who has taken your place." Continued Aunt May. "Why are you asking me this, Peter?"
"Oh it's for some English Narrative that we had to write for homework. Thanks for clearing my thoughts, Aunt May."
"No problem Peter. Come to me whenever you need help." Said May, with a reassuring smile, and left.
As Peter sat on his bed and continued to think about his big decision, he saw something poking out of his bag, where he had stuffed his suit.
"Hey what is that?" Asked Peter, as he begrudgingly got off his bed and limped to his backpack.
There was a business card inside the bag, placed in one of his secret suit pockets.
"Nelson and Murdock, Attorneys at Law? What is that?" Thought Peter. There was something on the back of the card. A symbol: "DD"
"DD? Oh! Daredevil. This must be his address. He must've given it to me when I was unconscious." Thought Peter, as he read the address.
"Hell's Kitchen, huh? Ironic." Smirked Peter. "I think I'll go today." Thought Peter, but then he saw his tattered Spider-Man suit, and thought about his choice.
"Or maybe I'll go right now as Peter Parker." Said Peter, as he headed to his window, as soon as he tried to lift his leg out of the window, he winced.
"Or maybe I'll go in a couple of hours. Just need to sleep for a while."
Peter paid the taxi driver and got on the sidewalk. There was a red building with a wooden door.
"This is the place, I guess. I need to know more about this Daredevil. Checking this address should be a good start." Thought Peter. He tried the door, but it was locked.
"Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." Said Peter, as he walked to the back of the building. There was a window about 3 floors above.
Peter crawled up the building and to the window. He peeked in and saw no one in the office.
He opened the window and gingerly put one foot in, and then the other.
"All right, Daredevil. Let's see what you've got hidden here." Said Peter, as he walked around the place to see why Daredevil left him this address.
"He may have saved my life. But I have to be wary. For all I know, he could be working for Fisk." Thought Peter.
He walked into another room, where there was a desk and a laptop. On the desk, there was a picture of a brown haired blind man, wearing red glasses and holding a red and white cane, with another blonde man and another blonde-haired woman. The three of them were holding coffees and laughing.
"Blind man. Bingo! Gotcha, Mr Matt Murdock." Said Peter, to himself.
There was something more peculiar, however. There was a red scarf on the desk, along with a framed picture of another woman. This woman was black haired, with a triangular face and a fierce smile. A letter was near the picture, from a woman called "Elektra."
Peter was about to open the letter.
"Ahem. You really should keep your hands to yourself, Spider-Man." Said a calm voice.
Peter was startled as he dropped the letter and looked up. The blind man was standing in the doorway, presumably Daredevil.
"How did you know who I am?" Asked Peter.
"Pretty obvious seeing as how I could hear your ribs scraping against one another, indicating they were swollen. Also, no one else can scale such a high wall and enter through a window." Explained the man.
"I'm guessing that Daredevil's secret identity is Matt Murdock." Said Peter, trying his best to sound like a detective.
"Yeah. And I'm guessing you're a high-schooler who is wayyy out of their depth when it comes to vigilantism." Replied Matt.
"I'm Peter. Peter Parker." Said Peter
"Any particular reason why you're here? That too without your onesie?" Said Matt
"It's not a onesie. Yeah, I had come to determine whether you were just another one of Fisk's thugs." Replied Peter
Matt squinted curiously. "Your heartbeat fastened. That's not why you're here, are you?"
"Well, no. You see, Fisk or Kingpin, gave me an ultimatum. I either work for him, or I quit being Spider-Man. If I do neither, he'll turn me into the ginormous bowl of mashed potatoes I'm guessing he eats for dinner." Joked Peter, though there was a tinge of seriousness in his voice.
"And I'm guessing you're considering quitting after the pummelling you received last night." Replied Daredevil.
"Pretty much." Said Peter.
Matt gestured Peter to sit on the couch as he sat down too. "See kid, I've fought longer than you, and I'll tell you straight, it's not easy. I've had my fair share of near death experiences, but I never stopped. I realized, that if I don't do what's necessary, then who will? When you can do something to prevent something bad from happening, but you decide not to, and then when that same bad thing happens, it's all on you." Explained Matt.
"Yeah. I can't let people get hurt knowing that I could've done something to stop it." Said Peter, as Uncle Ben's words started to ring in his head.
"With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility." Said Peter.
"That's a good philosophy to live by. Who told you that?"
"My uncle. He died because of my inaction."
"You know, my father always said, a person who goes down fighting is a true hero."
Peter looked back at the desk, and saw the picture of the black haired woman.
"Who's that?" Asked Peter.
"Someone from my past. I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Assuming I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, you will. Fisk can kiss my ass."
Matt chuckled, as Peter got up and walked out of the window.
Peter knew what he was going to do. He wasn't going to let his Uncle down. He was going to put his suit on again, and save the city he loves. He didn't care about whatever his enemies would throw at him. He was going to take the war to Wilson Fisk.
He was back in his bedroom as he walked towards his suit. He took out the mask and stared at it.
"I Am Spider-Man. And no one can take that from me. No One!" He thought.
Chapter 8
Peter rushed to school, actually managing to come early for once. Sadly, coming early meant that he would run into Flash Thompson and Carl King more often.
"Hey-O! Check it out, Puny Parker's back!" Taunted Flash.
Carl continued booing Peter, as Liz walked up to him.
"Ignore them. Anyways, I'm glad you're back! I kinda need your help." Said Liz.
"Yeah sure. What's the issue?"
"Homecoming is in a few weeks, and we need to set up the gymnasium. Gwen agreed, and well, you know how Flash always says he has more important stuff to do-"
"I'll be there. After school?"
"Sure. After school."
Peter walked to Otto's class.
"Mr Parker! Early for once?" Chuckled Otto, as Peter took his seat. He winced as his ribs hurt when he sat down. "I would like to talk to you after class." Continued Otto.
Peter made his way to Dr Octavius' office. The office was cluttered papers on the desk, with a shelf lined with awards.
"Ah Peter! Great to see you." Smiled Otto.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yeah. I have a friend of mine. Dr Curtis Connors." Said Otto
"The biology expert? I've heard a lot about him."
"Well, I do see that you have a knack for Biology and Chemistry, so I was hoping that you would go to his office this week and meet him." Explained Otto.
"Sure, I'd love to!" Said Peter, enthusiastically.
"Wonderful! I'll let him know you'll be meeting him soon." Said Otto.
Peter swung to the rooftop where Matt told him to meet him. He had managed to sew up most of the cuts in his suit, but not all of them.
He found Matt, in his Daredevil outfit, standing on the edge of the rooftop.
"So, this is what The Devil does every night?" Asked Spider-Man.
"Glad to see you came. See those thugs down there?" Gestured Matt, to the alleyway below them. Four goons were loading in weapons into a truck.
"Yup. Let's go kick their-"
"No, wait! If we follow them, they can take us to their hideout." Explained Matt.
"But we already know they're Fisk goons."
"Fisk isn't the only crime lord in New York. These guys work for Leland Owlsley, or as he goes by now, The Owl." Explained Daredevil.
"The Owl? Huh, what's next, The Bat?" Joked Spider-Man.
"He's ruthless. Worse than The Kingpin. I'm guessing that Kingpin is working with Norman Osborn to dethrone Owlsley." Continued Matt.
"So it's a brewing gang war?" Asked Peter.
"Not necessarily. We need to get ahead of it." Replied Matt.
The goons got in the truck and drove away. Daredevil took out a tiny device and threw it at the truck.
"I call it The Devil's Eye. It's basically a tracker connected to my phone." Explained Daredevil.
"Nice. So, we just wait till the tracker stops moving"
"Yup."
"So, you still haven't told me who that woman in the picture frame was." Said Spider-Man.
"If you must know, her name is, or was, Elektra Natchios. When I started out as a vigilante, she was my girlfriend, and eventually, we started fighting crime together." Explained Matt.
"What happened to her?" Asked Peter.
"It was a secret society called The Hand. They're basically secret ninja-like assassins run by The Owl. About a year ago, they captured her and killed her." Continued Matt.
"Oh man. I'm so sorry." Said Peter.
"It's okay. Foggy and Karen helped to make me come to terms with it. They're the two people in the other picture." Said Matt.
"It's never easy when you lose someone you love. My parents died in a plane crash, and my uncle died at the hands of the criminal I let run." Said Peter, woefully.
"Is that why you wear the mask? To pay for your sins?"
"I wear it to make sure that no one else loses someone to criminals."
"Me too. My father was a boxer: "Battlin' Jack Murdock." One day he was instructed to lose the fight of his life by the previous mob boss, Sylvio Manfredi. Instead, he won the fight and was gunned down in an alleyway." Said Matt.
"Well, people like us make sure that no one else goes through what we did. It's our job. Our responsibility." Said Spider-Man, reassuringly.
"Yeah. Hey, looks like the tracked stopped in South Hell's Kitchen." Said Daredevil.
"Let's go." Said Spider-Man, as he swung way.
Norman Osborn walked into his office, only to see Wilson Fisk sitting at his desk, holding a framed picture of Norman and Harry.
"Fisk? What is the meaning of this?" Asked Norman, angrily.
"Nothing. Except Sandman is still in prison. So is Shocker. So is Vulture." Said Fisk, his voice getting angrier with every syllable.
"I'm working on it-"
"Work faster! Unless you want the world to know about Globulin Green-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Yelled Osborn, unexpectedly.
"What did you just say?" Asked Fisk.
"Tell the world. I'll expose you for the criminal you are!" Retorted Osborn.
"No one would believe that philanthropist Wilson Fisk is secretly The Kingpin. Secondly, you'd be digging your own grave as even if I do get arrested, they would arrest you too as an accomplice." Said Fisk.
"Just give me time. They'll be out of the prison soon." Said Norman.
"Tonight." Ordered Fisk.
"Maybe I haven't given you enough incentive. How's your son Harry doing, anyways?" Asked Fisk, in a little threatening voice.
"Leave Harry out of this. I'll get it done." Said Norman.
"Tonight." Repeated Fisk, as he put the frame down and walked out of the office.
Norman had had enough. Once Fisk left, he walked to his desk and opened his laptop. He opened the folder: GR-30, otherwise nicknamed Globulin Green. A formula meant to increase strength and agility.
"Now, Fisk. We'll see who's the boss of who." He muttered.
Spider-Man and Daredevil made their way to the tracker. It went underground into the sewers.
"Are we gonna go down there? Down in the sewer?" Asked Peter, a little disgusted.
"Yes. Don't breathe too much." Joked Matt, as he jumped down the manhole.
"Oh great. Well, way down we go." Muttered Peter, as he followed Matt.
"Be careful. Hand Ninjas can be silent." Said Daredevil.
"Relax. My Spider-Sense will detect them." Replied Spider-Man.
They went deeper into the sewers, and then Daredevil suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What happened?" Asked Spider-Man.
"I can hear the tracker beeping." Said Daredevil, as he tried to focus his hearing, and found the beeper in a corner.
"Oh shit. It's a trap!" Yelled Daredevil.
Before Peter's Spider-Sense even kicked in, 5 ninjas dropped down behind him, with swords and nunchucks.
One spun their nunchucks, hitting Spider-Man in the knees and knocking him to the ground. Daredevil managed to spin kick one of them, but got knocked down by another.
Spider-Man got up and webbed one's sword away, then grabbed one's nunchucks and pulled him to the ground, onto another ninja, knocking both out cold.
Daredevil got up and threw a baton on one's head, then used his nunchucks to knock down another, then flipped over one and kicked them on the back, before Spider-Man webbed the ninja and kneed him in the face.
"Well, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Chuckled Spider-Man.
"These were trainees. Uninitiated by The Hand." Explained Daredevil.
"So these guys led us here to kill us. But they failed? If The Hand wanted us dead, then why didn't they send their best?" Questioned Spider-Man.
"Unless this was a warning." Said Daredevil.
"And of course it was!" Said a booming voice, as another voice boomed. A red-orange haired Irish man walked in, surrounded by 10 ninjas.
"Leland Owlsley." Said Daredevil.
"Daredevil. And the new Spider-Kid. Hope you understood my warning." Said Leland.
"Oh we did pal. We just don't care." Said Spider-Man.
"You should. I don't need vigilantes like you interfering in my takeover of New York. Besides, I have a very powerful ally to assist me."
"Who? A leprechaun?" Asked Peter.
Leland moved to the side, as a red-suited woman walked past him. She was black-haired and had a triangular face.
"Oh my god." Said Peter. 'It's…it's her."
"El-Elektra?" Asked Matt, completely taken aback.
Elektra didn't say a thing as she moved back into the shadows.
"Well, I hope that's enough to convince you to not mess with me. Wilson Fisk has Norman Osborn with him, I've got an army." Laughed Leland, as him and the ninjas, along with Elektra, walked out of the sewers.
Matt could barely say anything.
"You okay?" Asked Peter.
"No. Oh god, they must have used…I need to go! I'll see you tomorrow." Said Matt, as he rushed away.
"Hey!" Yelled Peter. "Oh great, now I smell like shit. Figuratively and literally." Thought Peter.
Flint was the last to leave the prison yard, as everyone made their way back to the cell. All of a sudden, a guard walked up to him, blocking his way.
"What do you want?" Asked Flint.
The guard took off his cap, as he started to peel back his face, which was a mask. Under the guard's mask was another white mask.
"What the hell?" Asked Flint, confused.
"Flint Marko. My name is Dimitri Smerdyakov. I work for Norman Osborn. You know what to do now." Said Dimitri, as he unlocked the power inhibitor collar around Flint's neck.
There was sand all around Flint in the yard.
"A helicopter will land on the helipad. Bring Herman Schultz and Adrian Toomes with you. I'll be waiting." Said Dimitri, as he ran out of the gates.
"This is where the fun begins!" Grinned Flint, as he made himself into a huge fist, and slammed the roof of Wing C, breaking it instantly.
Sandman entered through the roof, as he unlocked the cell of The Shocker.
"You work for Osborn too?" Asked Herman.
"Yup. Go to the evidence room and bring your gear, as well as The Vulture's, and then head to the helipad on the roof.
Herman nodded as he rushed away. Prisoner's started to scream and bang the bars. Guards started to make their way up, but Sandman flooded the stairs with sand.
Flint walked to Adrian's cell and broke the lock. "Osborn needs you." Said Flint.
"I'm not working for that shmuck!" Complained Adrian.
"Do you wanna leave this shithole or not?" Asked Flint.
Toomes thought for a while, then sighed and joined Flint.
The trio made their way to the helipad, where a helicopter was waiting with Dimitri.
"Come on, let's go!" Yelled Dimitri in his Russian accent.
All three of them got in.
"So, why does Osborn need us?" Asked Shocker.
"He needs you, and so does The Kingpin." Said Dimitri.
"And what do they call you? I assume you have a nickname like us judging by your white mask." Asked Vulture.
"In Russia, they call me The Chameleon."