The Sensational Spider-man
Episode one: A hero Born pt. 1
Twenty-one-year-old, Peter Parker, arrived at ESU University and headed to Curt Connors office. He was going to be assisting Doctor Connors with an experiment on genetic cloning. When he reached the office, Doctor Connors turned to him with a smile.
"Peter, thanks for taking time out of your day to help me with this experiment. "
"I wouldn't have missed it. The work you're doing could have a major impact on the lives of the many people who are in dire need of prosthetic limbs", Peter answered with a smile.
"If this works, I'd like to approach Norman Osborn for funding of the project. That's why, tomorrow, I'll be showing him the research and data I've collected", Dr. Connors said happily.
"That's great news, Dr. Connors. What time will you start the experiment?"
"3:30", Dr. Connors replied.
"Alright, I'll be there", Peter said. Doctor Connors turned and could hear the phone ringing from his office and he looked at Peter.
Dr. Connor heard his phone ringing in his office, and turned to Peter before moving to answer it.
"Feel free to walk around. Just don't touch anything", he said seriously.
The phone rang for a fourth time, so Dr. Connors scurried to his office leaving Peter alone in the lab. Peter began to walk around the room, looking at the many experiments the doctor had in progress. Peter then walked around the room looking at the experiments that had been going on.
Peter's attention was then pulled to a spider exhibit with the words "Nano Healing Spiders" on a sign hanging over the habitat. Below the heading, was a description of the spider's abilities? Interesting, Nano-healing spiders. "Have the ability to heal themselves when injured", he read aloud. He then noticed that there were supposed to be two arachnids in the exhibit, but he only saw one of the black spiders flecked with red and blue. "I wonder what happened to the other one", he pondered.
Peter looked around for it but didn't see it. On the ceiling the spider was heading for a fake tree that was in Doctor Connors office. It crawls down the tree branch and make it way to a table where Peter was standing in front of.
On the ceiling, the missing spider crawled towards a fake tree in Dr. Connor's office. It crawled down the tree branch and made its way onto the table Peter was standing next to. It slowly made its way across the metal surface to where Peter's hand rested. The spider sank its fang into his flesh, causing its victim to yelp in pain. Then the spider disappeared without a trace.
"Ouch", he said as he looked down at his injured hand. The bite was swollen, red, and stung painfully. Suddenly he began to feel sick and the room started to spin. He made his way to Dr. Connor's office and knocked on the door.
"Yes, Peter. What can I do for you", the professor said as he opened the door.
"I don't feel very well, Dr. Connors, I think I'm going to head home and rest", Peter said his face pale.
"Alright, Peter, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget that Mr. Osborne is coming at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon", the doctor called.
Peter simply nodded before leaving the office. He made his way to where he'd parked his bike in front of the university, and bent down to unlock the chain securing it to the bike rack. He hopped on, and started to make his way home. At the house, he threw his bike to the ground and ran inside and up the stairs to his room. He entered his bedroom and quietly shut the door behind him.
"Peter", Aunt May called after witnessing her nephew's mad dash to his room.
She made her way up the stairs and knocked on his door. Peter is everything alright?
"Is everything alright", she asked waiting for an answer. Yes Aunt May. Just have a headache so I decided to take a nap.
"Yes, Aunt May. I have a headache, so I decided to come home to take a nap", Peter answered laying on his bed.
"Alright, dear. Call if you need anything", his aunt said as she turned to go.
Aunt May slowly descended the stairs and moved to reclaim her seat on the couch. She picked up her knitting needles and resumed working on her nephew's sweater. A while later, she studied her watch and noticed that it was a little after five. Her husband, Ben, should have been home hours ago. She heard the doorbell, and went to see who it was, a worried expression on her face. She opened the door, and found a policeman standing on her porch.
"May Parker", he asked in a serious tone.
"Yes, is there something I can do for you Officer?" Aunt May asked looking back at the policeman.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Mrs. Parker." The policeman replied.
"What kind of news", May asked with a quiver in her voice.
"It's about Ben Parker", The policeman answered.
"What about him? Oh dear, has something happened", she asked bordering on hysterics.
"I'm afraid so. He was killed by a man trying to steal his car", the officer said, his tone sorrowful.
"Oh no! Was the man who did this caught", May asked, tears coursing down her cheeks.
"I'm afraid not. I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Parker", the policeman said before turning to go.
"Thank you", May whispered before closing the door.
As the door clicked shut behind her, May fell to her knees, her tears falling in earnest.
"How am I going to tell Peter? He'll be devastated", she wondered aloud.
May slowly got to her feet and made her way to her room. She grabbed the photo of Ben from her nightstand and lay down on her bed, clutching the frame to her chest before crying herself to sleep.
The next morning, Peter got out of bed feeling much better than he had the night before. He looked at his hand and found that the spider bite had gone before getting dressed. The cop turned and headed back into his car. Aunt May closed the door and stood as the edge of the door. She fell to her knees and tears fell from her face. He went downstairs and noticed that his Uncle Ben wasn't at his usual place at the head of the table eating breakfast. Aunt May found Peter in the kitchen, eating a piece of toast.
"Peter, I see your feeling much better", she said.
"Yes mam, that good night's sleep I got really helped."
"I'm glad you slept well, dear", May answered with a preoccupied glance in her nephew's direction.
Peter noticed her anxious expression and spoke.
"Aunt May, is everything alright? Where's Uncle Ben?"
Suddenly the elderly woman wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Your Uncle Ben was killed last night", she said, her reply muffled by his shirt.
"How? Who killed him", Peter asked pulling away.
"The police don't know yet. The man escaped before he could be taken into custody. They do know that Uncle Ben was speaking to him before he shot and killed him. The man stole his car and escaped."
"So, they still haven't caught the man who did this", Peter asked, anger flashing in his blue eyes.
"No, not yet. According to the police, the man may have had an accomplice", May answered sadly.
The fact that his uncle was truly gone, his Peter hard as tears coursed down his cheeks.
"It's my fault, I should have gone with him", Peter said guiltily.
"Peter Parker, none of this is your fault! Your uncle knew that you were busy", Aunt May replied
Peter left the kitchen with a heavy heart, walking slowly up the stairs and closing his bedroom door behind him. As he sat on his bed, staring at the floor, his tears began to flow freely as he remembered what his uncle told him. "With great power, comes great responsibility", came Uncle Ben's voice in his memory.
He placed his hand palm up and suddenly webs shot from both wrists. Peter wondered how he was doing it, and noticed that his eyesight had drastically improved as well. He thought for a moment, and wondered if the spider bite had changed him.
"What did that spider do to me", he pondered aloud.
He shot more webs at random items in his room, like his bedside lamp and desk. He then cleared away the mess and wondered what else he was able to do. An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he hurriedly grabbed pencil and paper. He sketched a few designs for a suit that would be red, and decided to call himself Spider-Man.
After he was satisfied with his drawing, Peter went to grab one of his textbooks on his desk. The book slipped from his grasp, leaving a small paper cut on his index finger. The cut healed on its own seconds after it happened, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
"The cut closed, but how", he muttered to himself.
He reached for his pocketknife on his nightstand and made a small incision across his thumb. He squeezed the cut, causing a few drops to fall onto a glass test strip before placing it underneath his microscope. He noticed that there were n (antics) in his bloodstream.
"Whoa, I wonder what else I can do?"
Peter looked at his watch and noticed the time. He couldn't believe it was nearly 7:30 a.m. and he was supposed to meet Mary Jane at the university in twenty minutes. He quickly grabbed his coat and bag before running out the front door. He got on his bike and sped towards the university. He was fifteen minutes late when he finally arrived, so he hurriedly chained his bike to the rack before running towards the entrance of the building. As he entered, he saw Mary Jane waiting by the door.
"Hey Tiger, you're late again", the redhead said with a smile.
"I know MJ, and I am so sorry", Peter said apologetically.
"It's ok. I heard about what happened to your uncle, and I am so sorry for your loss", Mary Jane said with a compassionate expression.
"Thanks, MJ. It's hard to believe that he's actually gone", Peter answered with a sad shake of his head.
"I'm sure it is. My Aunt told me this morning after she spoke with your Aunt May. If you need anything, Peter, just know I'm here for you", MJ said placing her hand on his arm with a gentle squeeze.
"I will, thank you. How about I take you out for coffee later to make up for my tardiness this morning?"
"I'd like that", she said with a grin.
"Pick you up at eight", Peter asked.
"That's perfect", Mary Jane said with a nod.
Peter watched Mary Jane as she walked away, heading to her first class, before making his way to his locker. He put in the combination then opened the metal door to place his coat and bag inside. As he shut his locker, he noticed Harry waving at him down the hall. He waved back and then began to make his way through the throng of people to greet his friend.
"Hi, Pete. MJ told me what happened, and I'm here for you if you ever need anything", Harry said seriously.
"Thanks Harry. I wish I could get my hands on the guy who did it. If I'd been there, maybe I could have done something", Peter said, guilt squeezing his heart in its iron grip.
"Like what, Pete", Harry asked confusedly.
"I don't know Harry, something!"
"Do the police have any leads", Harry asked.
"No, the guy escaped in my uncle's car", Peter said angrily.
"We'd better get to class. By the way, did you get up the nerve to ask MJ out", Harry asked changing the subject.
"Yeah, I did. I asked her to have coffee tonight to make up for being late for our study date this morning", Peter answered.
"What did she say", Harry prompted.
"She said yes", Peter grinned.
"Just don't be late for your date, Pete. I'll see you later", Harry said clapping him on the shoulder.
Peter and Harry parted ways, both headed for a different classroom. Later, at nearly 3:30, Peter left his class and made his way to Dr. Connor's laboratory. When he entered, he found the professor speaking with Norman Osborn. Norman saw Peter come in, and moved to shake his hand.
"Harry told me what happened to Ben. If you need any help paying for the funeral or making any of the arrangements let me know", the man said kindly.
"I believe my Aunt has everything under control, but thank you for offering Mr. Osborn", Peter answered with a smile.
Norman Osborn nodded then turned his attention back to Dr. Connors.
"Dr. Connors, I only have a few moments before I need to get back to the office. So, let's get on with the experiment, shall we?"
"Certainly, and thank you sir for agreeing to come to the test."
"Thank you for having me", Osborn said with a nod.
The experiment began when Dr. Connors pressed a button that started up the machine. After about ten minutes, the cloned forepaw of a rat emerged from the machine.
"Amazing! Can the device create human limbs yet", Norman Osborn asked in awe of what he'd just witnessed.
"No, not yet. However, with your funding I would like to try", Dr. Connors replied.
"Congratulations, Dr. Connors", Peter said.
Norman Osborn excited at the success of the experiment, shook the doctor's hand and said, "Yes, congratulations are certainly in order. You've got the funding, but I would like regular updates on your findings."
"You'll get those updates." Dr. Connors replied.
Osborn's cellphone began to ring; he pulled it from his pocket and turned to address Peter and Dr. Connors.
"You will excuse me, I have some business to tend to. Oh, and Dr. Connors. Order anything you need, and just send the bill to Oscorp Industries", Norman Osborn said before leaving the room.
Peter walked back to his locker, and took out his coat and bag before making his way to where his bike was parked. He unlocked the chain, and started home. As he was going along, when a van lost control and headed straight for him. He could see the van in his bike's rearview mirror, and suddenly a feeling came over him telling him to move out of the way. He leaped into the air, his hands and feet attaching to the brick wall as he watched the van plow over his bike before running into the building next door.
"Wow, a spider sense and sticking to walls", the thought to himself.
Peter crawled to the roof of the building and sat on the edge, staring out over the city. His thoughts turned to Uncle Ben and he again remembered the phrase the older man had often spoken.
"With great power, comes great responsibility", Peter said aloud, "With my new abilities, I can help people and become a hero."
He rose from his position on the edge of the building, and headed home. He used his shirt to cover his face, as he used his web slinging to swing home.
Once there, he climbed through the window of his bedroom. He covered his face with one of his shirt. He web slings back to the house. Peter sat down once again, and began to design his suit to conceal his identity and help him become a hero to the city of New York. The uniform took a week to create. When it was finally finished, he put on the suit and became Spider-Man.