Sunset painted New York's streets blood-red. Russell jogged through crowds, spotting his dad's firetruck parked at an office building. A figure dangled high above, onlookers gawking. His dad was on another mission—a quiet city hero.
Russell raised a hand to wave, but his pupils shrank.
His dad, setting up a ladder, stood in the building's entrance. A figure burst out, spotting him in the way, and pulled a dagger.
Schlick!
The blade plunged into Russell's dad's abdomen. The attacker, a crazed middle-aged man, sneered, blood on his face. Firefighters roared, lunging, but the man fled.
"Dad!" Russell's cry caught in his throat.
He didn't hesitate, chasing the attacker, grief fueling his speed.
Time seemed to freeze.
Above, May reached for her web-shooter, but James stopped her. His fingertip glowed emerald, the Horse Talisman's healing energy silently flowing into Russell's dad.
On the ground, Russell's dad steadied, touching his healed abdomen in confusion. His colleagues stared, baffled, as the crowd gasped. No one knew what happened.
The attacker vanished into an alley, Russell in pursuit.
"We're not going after him?" May asked James.
James shook his head. "Let's see his choice."
In the dim alley, Russell's eyes were bloodshot, backpack slapping his back as he ran. The attacker hit a dead end, turning with a bloodied knife. "Stay back, kid!"
Russell answered with a flying kick.
Clang! The knife fell, the man crashing into the wall. Russell grabbed his collar, fist raised, wind whistling.
"Please, don't kill me!" the man sobbed. "My daughter's in the hospital, needs money!"
Russell's hand shook. Sirens neared. "Repent in jail," he said, releasing him, knowing he couldn't kill.
May clenched her fist atop the roof. "Nice! He passed perfectly."
"Not enough," James said, watching.
As Russell relaxed, the man's eyes flashed. He pulled a hidden gun from his waist.
Bang!
The bullet grazed Russell's ear. Instinctively, he grabbed the dropped dagger and stabbed.
"Urgh!" The man clutched his bleeding neck, collapsing.
Russell staggered back, staring at his bloodied hand. "I… killed him?"
Clang. The dagger fell.
He slumped, ears ringing. His dad's injury, the sneak attack, his counterstrike—it all happened too fast.
"Good job."
A deep voice snapped Russell's head up. Two figures stood behind: a man in black armor and a girl in a red-blue suit.
"Who are you?" Russell asked.
May lifted her mask. "Your dad was—"
"Stabbed, badly hurt," James cut in, crouching to Russell's level. "But you chose to save, not avenge, and made the right call in a life-or-death moment."
As he spoke, James's eyes glowed red, vaporizing the attacker's body. Russell gaped. "Wait, what's happening?"
"Scene's clean," James said, standing. "Now, I've got a proposal."
May bounced over. "Wanna be a superhero?"
"Spider-Man?" Russell blurted, eyeing May's suit, his shock giving way to clarity. "You're Spider-Man? Wait, wasn't he dead? Never mind, my dad's injury?"
James nodded. "Healed. Not every hero needs to lose someone."
The alley echoed with fading sirens. Russell looked at his steady hands, asking, "If I'd killed him with that punch?"
"You'd lose your shot," May said, glancing at James for confirmation.
"Justice needs restraint, but not endless mercy for evil," James said.
May grinned at Russell. "So, kid, wanna be a superhero? Spider-Man style!"
Russell glanced at the firetruck's distant lights, police closing in. Wiping blood from his face, he smiled firmly. "Let me check on my family first."
---
Late at night, Russell sat on his bed, fingers tapping his knee. Moonlight dimmed as James and May floated silently outside his window.
"Whoa, that entrance," Russell whispered, opening the window. "My parents are next door!"
May flipped inside, scanning the room. "Thought it over? Wanna be New York's coolest hero?"
James was direct. "Your choice."
Russell took a deep breath, eyes flicking between them. "If I become a superhero, what do I give up? School? Family? Normal life?"
James shook his head. "Nothing."
"What?"
"No one sacrifices anything. Spider-Man still goes to school," James said, a glow at his fingertip. "Being a hero's a choice, not a loss."
May chimed in. "Like me! I binge shows and eat junk food."
Russell laughed, hesitation gone. "I get it!" He stood tall. "I'm in!"
James nodded, touching May's shoulder. Energy rippled. May's eyes widened. "James, my spider-sense is going wild!"
"Relax, I'm sampling genes." James's pupils shimmered. "Mutant spider DNA, Parker family traits, neural response patterns… copied."
He turned to Russell, touching his forehead. Blue energy surged into him. Russell shuddered, veins glowing like liquid sunlight, bones popping, vision sharpening. He heard his parents' steady breathing, saw dust motes' paths, sensed May's web-shooter's mechanics three meters away.
"Ugh!" Russell collapsed, sweat beading. When he looked up, his palm stuck to the floor.
"24-hour adjustment period," James said, withdrawing his hand. "Pain sensitivity's doubled. Don't stub your toe."
May tossed him a USB drive. "My dad's—er, my universe's Peter Parker's—suit designs. Change the colors and you're set!"
Russell flexed his powered fingers. "Why me?"
James drifted to the window. "We didn't choose you. You chose to stand in front of that store."
In the moonlight, May winked. "Hero or villain, that's up to you."
They vanished into the night.
The room quieted. Russell stared at his hands, then rushed to his desk. His pencil danced, sketching a red-blue suit with a small firefighter emblem on the chest.
Outside, James and May lingered. "Just leaving him?" May asked, perched on a roof.
"He'll fly or fall. That's the best test," James said.
May smirked. "Bet he's in the hospital in two weeks, pounded by Kingpin's goons!"
A thud and muffled yelp came from the room—Russell hit the ceiling.
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