"Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: With Great Power, comes Great Responsability. This is my gift. My curse. Who am I? I am Spider-Man."
-Peter Parker, Spider-Man (2002)
"An Extraordinary Spider-Man"
By the time my ears stopped ringing, I realized just how badly my body hurt.
Seriously, ow. What hit me?
...oh, right. How could I forget? I got hit by 80 pounds of pure unstoppable object. Groaning, I slowly got up, pushing away some of the debris out of the pile I was laying on. It took me a minute to realize that I was inside a building. Pretty ordinary, too. Maybe a government owned one? I noticed a counter with someone in it.
Speaking of which, I really gotta hand it to that old man. I'm pretty sure he just witnessed a guy dressed like he was some kind of thief get thrown through a wall by some kind of metal rhino, and yet, here he is! Just reading a magazine with his feet propped up.
Wouldn't that count as slacking off? No, wait. Focus, Parker. You were after a giant metal rhino, remember? Shaking off the aches in my body, I ran straight back to where the guy had thrown me, but not before stopping to talk with the old man for a bit.
"Heck of a day, huh?"
"Eh." the old man shrugged without looking up, turning a page. "Slow, really. By the way, you going to pay for that wall?"
I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. While Aunt May, despite my protests, gave me lots of allowance money, I'm pretty sure not even ten months worth of saving up would repair a broken wall and furniture.
"Can't you get the police to pay for it?"
"With Gragon as the chief?" the old man scoffed. "Kid, I'd have better luck asking Captain America for help!" He then looked up, maybe to bring up some kind of argument before he actually saw me and blinked. "...where's the spandex?"
This time, I blinked. Spandex? What in the heck was that supposed to-
"FREEZE!"
The hairs on my body went up straight as I looked at the hole in the wall, leading into the streets. Outside were four police cars, and around each were a few police officers wearing vests and handguns at the ready.
At the head of it was Police Chief Marlow Gragon, megaphone in one hand and a shotgun in the other.
"WE HAVE THIS BUILDING COMPLETELY SURROUNDED!" the man shouted as if I couldn't already hear. "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"
I rolled my eyes. Seriously? You honestly expect me to do that? Especially when I'm innocent here?! No wonder he and JJ are drinking buddies!
The old man raised an eyebrow, peering over the counter before turning back to me. "Sounds like you got a couple of fans." he said wryly. "You gonna bolt?"
"What else do you expect me to do?"
"Touche, kid. Just don't bust a window. I don't get paid nearly enough."
I nod and slip my goggles back on, shaking my arms. Okay, showtime!
Without thinking, just letting my gut and my instincts drive me, I stepped into view...and promptly jumped up to grab the jagged edges above me, grabbing onto them and flipping unto the side of the building. No sooner had I done so did Gragon see this as me resisting arrest and had the boys in blue open fire. With blackflips that would make even the gymists in school jealous, I made my way up the building and flipped unto the roof.
"Okay, now if I were a ten-foot tall rhinoceros, where would I be?" I muttered, looking around. I didn't have to look far because, in the distance, I found a pile of black smoke climbing into the air. I grinned. "Gotcha~"
Just then, the wind picked up. Whew, awfully breezy today. Then I heard the sound of whirring blades. Looking behind me, it was a helicopter. Police edition too, with another boy in blue holding a rifle, aimed right at me. I didn't need my goggles zoom function to see his finger pulling on the-
*staticstaticstaticstaticstatic*
Without warning, all the hairs on my body stand up straight. My upper body tilts to the right, easily evading the bullet.
Ah, my beautiful Spider-Sense. Where would I be without you?
I gave the boys in blue a quick handwave before I ran, using my abilities to jump up to the next building to try and get some distance before breaking off into a spring. In no time, I was at the edge and bouncing right off of it, wind blowing against me. I was pretty sure my hoodie came flying off, but I didn't care at the moment.
Instead, I let my webs do their jobs. With some added pressure to the button with my middle and ring finger, my webs shoot out and latch itself to the nearest building. Rather than hit pavement, my body swings and blows through the air, all the while leaving the cops behind me.
Nothing beats web-swinging!
Seriously, you can't get this kind of rush anywhere else. Flying through the air like this was insane, honestly. First time I did it, I was scared out of my mind. Now, it's freaking awesome! The wind rushing through you, that moment when you let go and find yourself flying through the air at the height of a swing, and then come down when you make a new thread? Best part of this whole thing.
...still, this super-hero gig is harder than I thought it was going to be. I can still feel the bruises from getting the shit kicked out of me by that oversized lug. I really need to ask something, though. And while we're at it, why the heck is he some giant humanoid rhino? Is he a mutant?
No, wait, Now isn't the time to be thinking. I have to get to him fast before I-
"SWEET MOTHER OF-!"
I didn't need my Spider-Sense to see the car heading straight for me. Twisting my body, I disengaged my old webbing and shot a new one, pulling myself out of the way and letting the car hit the street, bouncing into an alleyway and blocking the entrance. I landed on the wall, looking to see if there was anyone inside it. Thankfully, the car was vacant.
Frowning, I zipped up to the rooftop. It wasn't one of the biggest buildings in Brooklyn, but it did let me see all the crap and stuff flying through the air over yonder, where the big guy was rampaging. What is with this guy? What's he even doing? Is he heading somewhere? Just going nuts for some random reason? I don't get it. Maybe he just likes destroying stuff?
Whatever he's doing... I need to stop this guy.
Shaking my legs and arms and fingers, giving my neck a quick crack, I ran towards the edge and jumped, body falling before I shot out a web, swinging at the end of my descent and pulling upwards before letting go, firing off another one and flying around the corner. I was about to hit a brick wall, but I wasn't worried about it. Instead, I pulled off a wall-run that'd make the Prince of Persia jealous before bouncing off and going back to my web slinging.
I should be getting close to the big guy right about-
*staticstaticstaticstaticstatic*
-now! Sensing an oncoming threat, I turned my head just in time to see a flying piece of concrete fly over my head and severe my webbing, sending me to the ground. I landed perfectly on all fours like some kind of cat, though let me tell you, it wasn't totally perfect. I do not think fingers are meant to bend that far back! Straightening out my back, I looked up to see the big lug straight ahead.
...aaand he's glaring right at me.
"Hoo boy." I muttered to myself as the big guy released a snarl, hot breath visible before pounding the ground with his foot, getting ready to charge at me at any second. "Talk about a way to spend your Saturday morning!"
The big guy - let's call him Rhino from now on, shall we? His eyes burn for a moment before he comes charging straight at me, feet crushing the concrete pavement beneath his feet and throwing aside any cars in his path. I swallowed the massive lump in my throat, bracing myself as I tensed up, ready to bounce. Three seconds. Two. One! I shot off a web, pulling myself out of the way in time to avoid the Rhino's charge before I twist around in mid-air, firing a web onto his back.
Then I realized how bad of an idea this was.
"Son of a &%$# !"
Oh god, I hope Aunt May never hears me swearing like that! Wait, why am I thinking about that right now?! I'm currenly holding onto my web for dear life, hoping to God above it doesn't break and that I don't get smashed into a building right this very minute! I felt like I was fishing, but at the same time being the fish struggling to get off the hook. No, scratch that. I'm the fish trying to stay on the hook, or whatever! Rhino didn't stop. He was still charging forward, uncaring if anyone was in his way.
If it weren't for the souped up strength that spider bite gave me, I'd feel like I was in the middle of a messed up rodeo and ready to fall off any second. Why, oh why, did I skip gym class?
Eh, oh well. No use griping about it now. I pulled myself up my makeshift rope, trying my best to hold on. Rhino, however, was not making it easy. I couldn't tell if he was running someplace or just running around mindlessly or-OH CRAP WALL WALL WAAAAALL!
Rhino skimmed across the pavement, ripping up a carpet of the stuff and turning around the corner. I nearly hit the wall, but managed to put my still slightly suckish acrobatic skills to use and started to run across it. I think I could make the Prince of Persia jealous by doing this. When I ran out of wall, I leaped off the edge and fired off another web at Rhino, this time closer to his neck. Maybe if I could somehow steer him, I could get him away from the city. Or maybe someplace where I can deal with him more easily. But where? C'mon, Pete! Think!
I caught sight of a crane, hanging up from a small building close by as Rhino changed directions again, this time towards the right. If he continued on this path, he'll be heading straight for Queens.
AHA! I got it!
Now, let's turn this Rhino ride into a real bull ride, shall we?
Zipping up, I landed on the nape of his neck, grabbing the ridges of his body. The way he stomped around and shaked made it really hard to keep myself in one place. Once I was able to get a steady foothold, I shot out several streams of webs, hooking around the guy's jaw and shoulders. Gripping the webs as tightly as possible, I decided to check if this would work. I just needed to get him to the Construction site near here!
Tugging on the left webbing, I pulled as hard as I could. My experiment proved triumphant as Rhino was forced to lean, turning around as we hit an intersection. Good, I could control the guy! Then I started to feel resistance. Obviously the big lug did not like being ridden. I just had to keep him on a tight leesh, as best as I could!
*staticstaticstaticstaticstatic*
Wait, what?!
Sensing danger incoming, I looked over my shoulder and promptly had to turn my head to the side, avoiding a bullet that promptly burrowed itself into Rhino's neck. Not that he felt it. This guy's skin is something else! I looked around, maybe thinking there was a sniper somewhere nearby. Sure enough, there was: in a police helicopter.
"Oh, are you for real right now?!" I couldn't help but shout, feeling more than a little angry. Seriously, the hell?! I'm trying to get this guy out of here, you $$! No wonder vigilante's hate the cops so much! "Knock it off!" Doubt they could hear me, but hey. It helped me vent. I looked back forward and promptly pulled on Rhino's body again, forcing him to turn. It wasn't a perfect turn, though, as he body-slammed into an apartment complex, leaving behind a sizable impression. "Sorry about that!"
Not that they could hear me, like the cops. Still, it was worth apologizing. Hope I didn't break anything. Oh! There's the construction sight! And then my Spider-Sense went off again, warning me of another sniper bullet. Ducking, the bullet whizzed over my head. It dug into Rhino's skin, further than the first one this time.
And it royally pissed him off. Just as we got into the construction yard, with a half finished building still in the metal frame stage, Rhino snarled and roared, sending spit everywhere as he violently performed a 90 degree spin, throwing me off his back. As ashamed as I was to admit, I was scared shitless, being thrown like that. If it weren't for these acrobatic skills, which were still shit by the way, I think I would have slammed right into a steel girder and get knocked the crap out. I grabbed on to one, throwing myself back forward towards Rhino, who repaid the police for firing at him by digging his fingers into the concrete and pulling out a large rock of earth straight from the ground.
Then he proceeded to hurl it right at the helicopter. They were already in the process of leaving, seeing what the big lug had in mind, but the tail was struck. The resulting force caused the helicopter to shake, and some of the boulder also destroyed a half a wind blade, thus causing the thing to start spinning out of control.
I cursed, once again hoping that Aunt May didn't hear that before I fired off a web, swinging past Rhino and straight towards the helicopter. At the rate it was spinning and smoking, I wasn't sure what was going to happen first. The helicopter exploding in mid-air, or it crashing. Either one didn't sound very good. Adrenaline was rushing through me like the urge to reach the bathroom before you crapped your pants in mid-transit. I bounced up top of another apartment complex before jumping on top of a water tank. The helicopter was way too close to the buildings now.
It was now or never!
"Parker Luck, don't fail me now!"
I fired off a web and started swinging. In a few seconds, I was right under the helicopter. Hoping to god the freaking thing wasn't going to explode, I zipped up, dashing straight inside. The sniper was unconscious, and the pilot was trying fruitlessly trying to get control back and safely land the thing. I grabbed the sniper, throwing him on my shoulder before heading up to the cockpit, pulling the pilot out. She was shocked to see me, the guy she was chasing after, rescuing her, but I wasn't really in the mood to hold a conversation.
With the cops in hand, I booked it right out of the helicopter, hopping off and landing square on my toes. Behind me, the helicopter finally gave out and exploded, becoming a charred falling object with pieces flying everywhere.
Huh. Who knew burnt metal smelled so bad?
"Th-thank you..." the pilot said, clearly shaken as I set her and her partner down. "T-thank you so much."
"Eh, wasn't any biggie." I told her. "Just tell Gragon not to shoot at me first chance he gets?"
Doubt it would happen, but hey! Worth trying, right?
I swung my way up to the best vantage point, hoping to find Rhino. I doubt I could steer him back towards the construction sight, but it was the best plan I had in mind. I looked back at the path of destruction he created and I couldn't help but stare, my gut twisting in a way that I really didn't like. Cars were thrown around like cheap toys, some stuck in buildings and others overturned or sitting on their sides. The streets were littered with large footprints, concrete cracked up all to hell. The streets were devoid of anyone passing by. Not that I didn't understand. If you saw a giant rhino coming down at you, you'd run the heck out of Dodge as fast as you can.
Even still... It hurt. Knowing I couldn't have stopped this rampage sooner.
Even worse, I couldn't find Rhino. As in, anywhere. With a guy as big as that, there would be people screaming and cars flying. But no. There was no sign of him anywhere.
Either he knows a magic trick...or he can shrink his size.
I sighed, shaking my head. "Way to go, Parker." I muttered to myself. "Your first big bad super villain, and you let him get away." This had been my first real break in this whole super hero business. Up until now, I was dealing with gangsters, two-bit street thugs and bank robberies. Then I meet this giantt Rhino and suddenly I find myself on the verge of a real breakthrough. This was my first real super villain! If I took the guy down, then JJ would have to write something good about me!
Yet the guy still got away. Man, this sucks!
Suddenly, my phone went off. I went cold when I heard the ringtone. Oh boy. Steeling my nerves, I pulled out my phone and answered the call, hoping to god I had accidentally set Undertaker's ringtone for someone else.
"Um, h-hello?"
[Peter Benjamin Parker. Is there a reason why I just saw you on the news, chasing after a giant rhino running around the city?]
It was Aunt May.
I am so dead.
My name is Peter Parker. I'm just your average kid living in Queens, leading an average life. You know, high school stuff. Like, being the runt of the litter and being picked on by the jocks.
So, I'm sure you're all probably wondering why I'm dressed up like some thief or burglar or something. The answer is, well, pretty simple. You see, one day, when my school went on a field trip to Oscorp Laboratories, I got bit by this radioactive spider.
Just, hear me out a sec, okay? You see, when I got bit, I was in hell. I felt like vomiting for a week. It hurt to move. Could barely sleep. Got so bad I had to go to the hospital. Then, one day, everything changed. Suddenly, here I am, feeling better than ever. Healthier, even. Hell, I'm sporting a pretty cool sixpack. I don't need my glasses anymore, either!
I was better than I had ever felt before. But the surprises didn't end there. Oh no. Far from it.
Of course, I didn't expect those changes to bring me here. Thinking back on it now, everything used to be so simple. All I had to worry about then was just getting by, dealing with bullies and handling tests. Now I'm fighting super villains and monsters that would make you crap your parents.
Sometimes, I wish, I could just go back to the simple life. But I can't. Especially not now.
I don't know if you've ever let someone down, got your ass kicked or straight up failed. But those are the moments that define us. They push you further than you've ever thought possible, and force you to make choices.
No matter what the cost.
My name is Peter Parker. Everyone else knows me as Spider-Man.
This is my story.