Author's notes: This is just my take the Spider-Man origin story. Much in the same way the original Spider-Man movie could be Sam Raimi's take on the story or the Spectacular Spider-man TV show could be another, this is my own (hopefully) original take. Also please note that while Dr. Connors appears in the first chapter The Lizard is not the villain in this story. He's really here as an Easter Egg for now. Anyway, without further ado, I present my take on the Spider-Man story.
Enjoy!
The Marvelous Spider-Man
By
Jason Richard
"Ugh, I hate spiders," said Gwen Stacey to Peter Park, though neither of them knew just how ironic those words would be in a few minutes.
In his mind Peter, a skinny fifteen year old in a white shirt, jeans, and glasses, looked at the spider on the wall, wondering just how it had gotten inside. Their class was having a field trip in a laboratory at Oscorp. He thought, Phidippus audax, a common jumping spider in North America. However, what he said to Gwen was, "You'd better keep your distance then. He's a jumper."
Gwen, a pretty, blue eyed, curly haired blonde in jeans and a blue shirt, immediately moved away, making 'eww' noises.
"Gee Pete," said Harry Osborn, a short red haired and freckled kid. "That was kind of mean."
"What?" said Peter innocently. "Just giving her fair warning." And with that Peter took a picture with the camera around his neck. "By the way, tell your dad I said thanks for letting us see his lab for our field trip."
"I will," said Harry. "If he's home tonight."
In the white walled laboratory filled with all sorts of scientific equipment, including a giant laser in the back, Dr. Connors* paced back and forth talking to a crowd of students. Dr. Connors was a middle aged man with a pleasant demeanor, and was very enthusiastic about the new science he was presenting. The most striking thing about him, however, was that he had an arm missing, cut off at the elbow, and you could tell because his left sleeve hung too loosely for something to be there. However, he didn't mention it or say how he got it. He just talked about science, a very weird kind of science.
Dr. Connors said, "Neogenics is the science of taking the genetic traits from one species and applying them to another. One example is if we gave a cat a fish's ability to breathe underwater. That's an extreme case however. A better example would be if we gave a human being a lizard's ability to regrow a limb." He waved his stub of an arm. "Probably wishful thinking on my part though."
The class actually laughed as Dr. Connors inserted a small test tube into the side of the machine.
"This device, the Neogenic Transmitter, uses real samples the DNA of one species and applies it to another. However, simply taking genetic samples and injecting them into another host causes certain problems, so the Neogenic transmitter doesn't do that. Instead it uses a process called Eugenic Transcription. Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what that means?"
Peter's hand went up.
"It's like a copy machine," he said. "You use one DNA sequence as a base and alter the DNA of the target to match. That way you give the target the genetic traits you want but only with material already present inside the targets body. Just like a copy machine you still have the original DNA strands when you're done."
"That is absolutely correct. Well done. The radiation in the first machine is shaped by the DNA samples we give it and then used to bombard the DNA of our target."
As Dr. Connors started talking again, Peter felt pleased with himself, until he felt a balled up piece of paper hit him in the face. He looked over and saw Flash Thompson, a big guy and star of their high school football team. There he was in his sports jacket mouthing the word 'nerd' and laughing quietly with the other football players.
"What do they think is so funny?" said Peter.
Gwen put her hand on his shoulder. "Just ignore them."
Peter sighed, while Harry fidgeted at the sight of Flash.
On a screen in the back it showed an amoeba, an organism that looked like a bunch of link sausages, and another organism that was in-between, made of individual links but transparent like an amoeba.
Peter took another picture.
Dr. Connors talked some more about how They could only apply Neogenics to microscopic organisms at the moment, and in the meantime that same spider which had grossed out Gwen had climbed to the roof, discreetly lowering itself via webbing onto that very laser. It then climbed inside a crevice just as Dr. Connors, typing at a computer terminal, turned the machine on while pointing it at a petri dish. It made a sound like something whirring as it moved.
The device hummed and glowed with a green light, and it shot radiation at the petri dish. Peter grinned, impressed. Of course he wasn't just impressed with a light show; he was impressed because he understood the process it was catalyzing.
Thought the light show did make another good picture.
"Hey Harry," said Peter. "Is that cool or…" but he stopped. Harry was avoiding someone's gaze. Specifically Flash Thompson's gaze. Flash glared at Harry while cracking his knuckles.
As the flashing ended, the little jumping spider, now filled with radiation, jumped out of the machine to a student's hat, then to a backpack and to other things, working its way towards the back of the room, landing on Peter's sleeve.
"Harry?" said Peter. "Did Flash beat you up again?"
"No," said Harry timidly. "I just gave him my money."
Gwen looked over with a fierce look in her eyes. "What was that?" she said. "He's still hassling you?"
One nervous look from Harry was all she needed to turn and face flash, only for Peter to get in her way.
"Get out of my way Peter," she said, glaring. "He wants to date me, he won't hit me."
"No, he won't. He'll offer to stop hitting Harry if you date him."
"Oh Gwen," said Harry urgently. "Please don't go over there. Seriously, I can take losing twenty bucks if it keeps Flash off your back."
Gwen sighed, "That's sweet of you Harry, but I don't like him messing with you."
"Have you talked to your dad about this?" said Peter.
"My dad? Norman Osborn? A man too busy with his corporate empire to see his son more than five minutes a day? If at all? Yeah, I talk to him. He says I should fight my own battles."
Gwen clenched her fists. "I ought to slap him…and flash too."
"I know," said Peter. "But there's nothing we can do." He said that, but he actually thought Gwen was cute when she was riled up like this. "But believe me." He went on, looking at Flash, who was laughing at a joke with the other football stars. "I really wish there was something I could do about bullies like him," he said.
They stared at flash for a few moments, and then turned back to Dr. Connors, who was still talking. Peter picked up his camera to take another picture. At that moment Gwen saw, on Peter's hand, that same little jumping spider, inches from her own face.
Naturally she screamed.
"Spider!"
Every student in the room cleared from where Gwen, Peter and Harry were. Dr. Connors shouted for everyone to hold it several times. As peter dropped his camera he looked at his hand, and all eyes turned to him and his friends.
"What's wrong?" asked Dr. Connors.
"There was a spider on his hand!" said Gwen.
"It's okay," said Peter. "It's gone."
Then Peter noticed something. "Flash?" he said. As it was Flash was standing on a table looking at the ground nervously, his feet surrounded by lab equipment.
"Flash Thompson?" said Peter teasingly. "Are you afraid of a little spider?"
Flash tried to look cool as he stepped down. "Oh no," he said. "I just wanted to get out the way cause everyone else seemed scared."
"Really?" said Peter. "I thought you'd taken up table dancing."
Flash made a slashing motion with his neck while glaring at Peter.
"Alright! Alright!" said Dr. Connors. "Let's get back to my lecture." The class groaned and Dr. Connors said, "Hey! None of that!"
As everything quieted down Peter looked at his hand. The spider was gone, but in the confusion it had bit him. He was fine thought. It was just a little jumping spider. Bites were rare, but when they did happen they were usually harmless. His hand would just itch for a while. He'd be fine.
So he thought.
As for the spider, since it was struck with high levels of radiation, it eventually died, turning to dust which was scattered by the footsteps of the students as they left the laboratory.
….
After the bus pulled up to their school, Peter walked off with Harry and Gwen, suddenly feeling nauseous. The two of them, however, didn't seem to notice.
"Whoo Hoo!" said Harry softly. "Last day of school and the beginning of summer break! Freedom! Sweet Freedom!"
"Excited much?" said Gwen. "I know I…Peter? Are you alright?"
"Yeah," said Peter, holding his stomach. "I'm fine. I just, feel sick all of a sudden."
"You need help?" asked Harry. "We can walk you home."
"No Thanks. It's not far. I'll be fine. But…yeah…I'd better go home. See you."
"See you," said Harry and Gwen together while Peter left. They looked after him as he clenched his stomach, and wondered if he really would be alright.
….
Peter lived with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben in a little house just big enough for the three of them. It was a quaint home, the kind of house where you never expected anything to happen, but that wasn't the case as Peter knocked on the door.
Aunt May, a frail looking yet somehow elegant older woman answered the door, only to find Peter. His skin was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and he was shaking furiously. Aunt May almost screamed.
"Ben! Ben! Come quickly!" she cried as she caught Peter in her arms.
"What is it May!" said Uncle Ben, running in. Normally one would describe him as frail yet distinguished, but at that moment he was very concerned. He took Peter from Aunt May's arms and supported him, taking him to his room.
Peter barely knew what was going on, only that he remembered Uncle Bed lying him down and telling him that he would be okay. He spent the night in a feverish stupor, dreaming his friends running away as he turned into a giant spider. He passed the night like this, just wanting it to end.
….
Dr. Connors stayed up late, going over a few samples in that same lab. During his presentation with the class he had noticed an unusual spike the in the Neogenic Transmitter's radiation levels, so he decided to check every sample from that day.
He didn't notice anything strange, until he got to the sample that he had shown the class earlier. When he had shown it to the students it had looked just as he had expected, like an amoeba combined with Escherichia coli, the one certain students seemed to think looked like sausages. However, when he looked through the microscope and at the sample now it looked very different.
It was still transparent and came in links, but now each one had eight appendages sticking out from it. It was strange. He pulled away from the microscope and shook his head. The machine must have caused an unexpected mutation. It wasn't the first time, but he'd never seen a mutation like this.
It looked kind of like a spider.
He put away the sample in cold storage. Maybe he could get some interesting data on it later, or so he thought. For the moment, though, he didn't think much of the incident.
End of Chapter One