Chapter One: Just the two of us
New York November 2014
Mike Chen was dying. Twenty-three and bleeding his guts out. This was a simple fact. He watched as his world got blurrier, watched as Connor clutched his body,started to get up to take down the men behind them.
"I've lived a good life."
Many people didn't know he wasn't just a secret agent. He was something different. 5 years ago, he'd embarked on a journey to become someone else. The Secret Spider-Man.
Just like that his life began to flash before his eyes
2003
He was 12, in his father's lab. Messy black hair covering his eyes. He looked at himself, tired, bruised. He'd gotten into a fight with some rich kid. Something about being a "bastard son" He slammed his fist on the table.
"Damnit Dad!" He shouted.
His father looked up.
Ed Cheng was a 39 year old man. A scientist, friend, skilled at his field. The one thing was not good at though was being a father. He'd left his girlfriend Michelle in 1991 inadvertently getting her pregnant. He'd had another son 7 years later, with his wife Sarah. He'd made mistakes in his life. More than he'd care to admit.
"Michael, we've gone over this."
Michael sulked. His father always gave a lecture about mistakes, that you can't change them or the past. That the damage was done. But was he really his son? There was Connor and Chrissy his sister, the ones that he barely spent time with, because of work.
Work.
He didn't understand what it was. Only that it made his life worse, his dad going back and forth.
He stormed out. To hell with this, he walked out. A little boy toddled his way down the hall. Connor looked like him, as much as it pained him to admit it.
He bent down.
"What's the matter squirt?"
The boy sniffled. "Why do my mommy and daddy fight?"
Michael had heard about this, the fighting the yelling all of it. Connor looked worse for wear, disability aside.
"They've got issues, buddy."
The boy looked like he was about to cry.
Michael looked inside himself, he needed to be supportive, he was technically his older brother and that's what he needed to be now.
"But I'll always be here for you."
"Really?"
"Really."
The little boy allowed himself to be picked up.
"Let's go watch TV huh?"
Michael realized something. They were in the same situations, but their parents didn't care, so they only could trust each other. Help keep each other on the right path. It was that day where Michael grew up,he had to otherwise Connor would have no one there for him.
It was just them, and he was for once OK.
So Mike hated his dad and at one point Connor growing up. This is more of a side story, but will connect to Unstoppable, as death isn't the end for Mike.