Chapter Two: Somebody's Watching Me
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Peter Parker
"How are bacteria classified according to the production of organic material for their energetic metabolisms?"
"Um…" I duck under the meaty fist shooting towards my face. "Well, most bacteria are heterotrophic."
"What'd you say, punk?" The pissed off would-be mugger growls as he sends two especially aggressive punches towards me. I jump up easily, landing in a crouch on top of a dumpster. His fists slam into the metal with a resounding clang before he jumps back, cursing and yelling in pain, clutching his injured hands.
"Sorry, wasn't talking to you," I say, stepping casually off the dumpster and back onto the ground. "Studying for a test. You know how it is, right man? Microbiology is a bi-woah!"
The mugger is swinging a rusty metal pipe towards my face. I duck under the first blow, then reach up to grab the pipe as he swings it a second time. "Not a science fan, huh? That's ok, it's not for everybody."
"What about other bacteria?" Ned asks, his tinny voice coming from inside my mask.
"Uh, some are autotrophic, like chemosynthetic and photosynthetic bacteria. Photosynthetic-hey, careful with that, you're going to hurt yourself-photosynthetic bacteria use photosynthesis like plants."
I fire off two webs in succession, both of them pinning the guy's hands to the brick wall behind him with a loud thwack. He grunts as he strains to free himself, his arms thrashing wildly. I catch the pipe he'd been swinging at me before it can hit the ground, then twirl it deftly in my hand.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen," I say, jabbing the pipe in the mugger's direction. "Is why you stay in school."
"Nicely done, Spiderman," Ned intones with a grin in his voice. "Hey, any chance you can bring that pipe by my place? It's like the perfect size for me to make a lightsaber handle for my Mace Windu cosplay."
"Dude, sick idea," I say appreciatively, holding it out in front of me to examine. He's right, it's totally ideal for a lightsaber. I give it a few swings, twirling and spinning it like I would if I was a Jedi Master, which, if I was in an alternate universe, I so would be. I miss it on the last spin, my hands fumbling for it as one end of the pipe smacks against my head.
"Ow!"
The mugger lets out a derisive snort of laughter, and I fire off another web that covers his mouth. He glares at me over his gag as Ned says, "Smooth, man. If that had been a real saber, you would be toast."
"Shut up," I say to both of them, setting down the pipe to pick up and uncap the sharpie I'd stuck in one of the slots where my web fluid containers are stored. The mugger growls and shouts at me from behind the web firmly clamping his lips shut as I begin writing across his forehead.
"Hold still," I reprimand. "You're messing me up. There we go!"
I look at my handiwork, slightly sloppy thanks to the mugger's movements, but still legible. "Mugged an old lady" is written in crammed letters across his forehead. "Ooh, wait a sec. I forgot," I scribble "From Spiderman" on his left cheekbone. "There!"
"Hey Karen, let the police know we have a present for them?" I request as I pick up the discarded pipe and shoot off a web to pull myself up onto the roof of the apartment building nearby.
"On it," Karen replies cheerfully.
God, it feels good to be doing this again, to have her assuring voice in my ear, to have all my suit's functions easily accessible. It feels good to be home. I'm never taking Queens for granted again. Or Earth for that matter.
"Alright, ready for the last question on the study guide?"
"Hit me," I say, launching myself off the rooftop and free falling for a second before firing a web across the street to a towering billboard, my body easily swinging up, up, and then thump! My feet stick to the enormous coca-cola bottle depicted on the sign, my left hand reaching up to stick to it as my right hangs on to Ned's souvenir pipe.
"Ok, what is meant when it's said that a bacterium is an obligate anaerobe?"
"They are living organisms that don't survive in the presence of oxygen," I say easily. "Dude, this test is going to be a breeze."
"I know. I don't know what Abe was complaining about."
"He's more of a chemistry guy," I reply as I shoot off another web to swing back across the street, waving to a kid pointing at me and tugging on his mom's jacket. Swinging in a crisscrossing movement back and forth across the street is usually the easiest way to build my momentum. This time I don't let myself land, but fire off another web as my body reaches the highest point of its upward swing.
"Well, so are we," Ned points out. "I think he just likes to complain. You know the other week he was going on and on forever about the increasing price of vending machine snacks?"
"Ugh," I agree, adding a somersaulting flip midair before pressing my ring and middle fingers to the bottom of my palm. The line shoots off into the distance, snagging on someone's balcony, the line going taut as my body flies through the air. "Yeah, I heard he went on for fifteen minutes about it before MJ shut him up with a statistic about the amount of people without fresh water in Africa."
Ned chortles. "Yeah, that was awesome."
Below me, traffic begins to steadily congest as thousands of New Yorkers get off from work to head home. I see the train up in the distance, the tracks steadily curving above the streets beneath it. Hmm maybe I will catch a ride back towards Ned's neighborhood. Traffic means May will probably be home soon, which means I should be too.
"Speaking of MJ," Ned's voice turns sly. "How's that going?"
"How's what going?" I ask innocently, changing my course to head towards the train.
"Uhuh. You are so whipped."
"I am not!...What does that even mean?"
"I...actually don't really know. But whatever it is, that's you."
I roll my eyes even as a sinking feeling pulls on my stomach.
MJ hasn't been texting me much since she left a few days ago for a political rally with her mom. She could be busy...or she could be mad at me still for our disastrous last conversation and the way I hadn't contacted her for weeks beforehand.
To be fair, I'd been kidnapped and dropped in an alien jungle where I'd been hunted like an animal by a Predator-like alien species called the Dravec, but she didn't know that. Because she doesn't know I'm Spiderman. And when I tried to tell her, it...hadn't gone well. Which of course, by that I mean I didn't tell her.
Now I'm forced to wait anxiously for her to get back so we can talk, and I can finally tell her the truth.
"You're thinking about her right now, aren't you?"
I scowl under my mask, swinging up and over the ledge of a tall office building to land on its rooftop. "No."
"Whu-tshhh," Ned exclaims in an over the top impression of a whip cracking.
It's so ridiculous I let out a laugh, jogging across the rooftop to perch on the ledge.
"Dude, that is not how a whip sounds."
"How would you know?"
The smile drops from my face, a chill shuddering through my insides. A whip is the slide of leather against the ground, whispering like a slithering snake. A whip is a whistle of wind slicing the air. A whip is a sharp, violent crack, tearing and searing and burning. I shudder as a phantom pain lances across my back. I know exactly what a whip sounds and feels like, can remember it with outstanding clarity.
Bucky on all fours, the Dravec behind him, its arm raised, and then-
"Peter? You still there?"
"Yeah," I give myself a mental shake and eye the tall streetlight I plan to aim my next web at.
A jolt runs through me, a panicked skittering of nerves shooting down my spine, feeling like an army of spiders.
Oh god.
My head whips to the side, spotting the danger immediately, and my body throws itself into action. Without hesitating, I fling myself off the edge of the building, my stomach lurching as I freefall before firing my web. I swing, my muscles tensing as my momentum builds, and at the peak of my arc, I release the line and flip forward once before my feet slam into the asphalt, my body moving into a defensive stance as I throw up my hands, the pipe clattering to the ground.
The red toyota slams into me.
I clench my teeth, digging my legs into the ground as my fingers curl around the metal. I halt the speeding vehicle right in its tracks, the impact forcing me to take one single step back before I heave myself and the car forward.
There's screaming behind me, screaming all around. My lenses narrow on the driver, a man who's maybe in his forties, with several days worth of stubble around his slack jaw, and red rimmed eyes that seem to have trouble focusing.
Anger hits me, swift and hot, but I release the damaged vehicle and whirl.
"Are you okay?" I ask quickly.
The young woman's eyes are wide, shocked, and her chest is heaving with tight, panicked breaths. My eyes move to her white knuckled grip on her stroller, and to the sleeping infant inside.
"Ma'am, are you hurt?" I take a step towards her, my lenses widening as Karen scans both her and the baby, showing no sign of any injury.
More pedestrians are pouring onto the crosswalk, several of them reaching for the woman and repeating my questions. Others have their phones out, a couple of them calling 911. Most, I note with complete disgust, are either videoing or taking pictures.
"Look whachoodid...ta my car, man."
I turn at the slurred voice to see the driver, hands on his head, fingers gripping his thinning hair as he gapes at his wrecked vehicle. "You rrruined it. You...oh man...oh shiiiit."
I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the odor of alcohol oozing off of him. "You're kidding me, right? You nearly killed them! How drunk are you?"
Sirens sound off in the distance.
Drunk guy blinks at me, his brows furrowing in confusion and distress before he turns to start stumbling towards the sidewalk.
A web shoots from my wrist, snatching his arm and yanking him back towards his car. He staggers into it with a grunt, and I fire a more condensed burst of webbing at his wrist and hand to hold him in place against his car. "You're not going anywhere until the police show up, pal," I tell him.
My spidey-sense prickles faintly beneath my skin, all over, making me on edge. I glance around, turning in a half circle, but the vehicles at this intersection are all stopped, and the pedestrians are doing nothing but taking pictures and videos or striding forward to help.
The danger is gone. I stopped the car, saved the civilians.
So why am I still on alert?
Shaking my head, my eyes fall to the ground.
"Crap," I mutter. Ned's metal pipe is warped and bent, half crushed beneath the tire of the car. I turn back to the woman on the crosswalk.
Her baby is now clutched to her chest, and I can see her hands trembling. The woman's glassy green eyes meet mine. "Thank you," she says shakily.
"No problem," I step forward. "You uh...take care."
The sirens grow louder as several police units arrive on the scene. That's my cue to leave. I give them an awkward little salute and shoot a web up towards a far off balcony, swinging up and away.
Scattered cheers and applause break out as I leave, heading once again back towards the train.
"Dude, that was insane," Ned says, his voice tight with excitement. "If you would have been one second later…"
I shudder, not wanting to think about it.
"That's going to go viral. Saving babies always goes viral. I mean, so do videos of cats being scared by yodeling pickles, but that's besides the point."
"Yodeling pickles?"
"It's actually a thing. You can get them on Amazon."
"Good to know. Isn't your birthday coming up?"
"Ha-ha."
I actually make a note of it to get for Cooper's birthday. He'd probably appreciate it, and it would drive Clint absolutely insane, which, bonus.
"You know, thanks to this sick tech Tony Stark hooked up for me in my room, I can download the footage from the street light cams to get the save from multiple angles. This is SO going to boost my YouTube channel."
I snort. "Using your powers for good, I see. Mr. Stark would be proud."
"Hey, he only specified I wasn't allowed to hack into HIS stuff."
"Hey, sorry about the pipe, man," I say seriously as I finally pull myself up to the tracks. I fire a line to the back of the train, the speed of it lifting me off my feet as I swing alongside the tracks for a moment before lifting myself up to sit on top of it. My feet dangle over the edge as I rest my hands on the metal top of the train.
"No worries. Just keep an eye out the next time a criminal tries to beat you with one."
"Can do. Text you later?"
"Sure, sure. Guy in the chair over and out."
Leaning back to put my weight on my hands, I yawn beneath my mask and wonder what May is making for dinner. A faint chill tingles across my neck and shoulders, making me shudder.
There's that feeling again.
There is no immediate danger, but something is definitely off, and my body doesn't like it one bit. My eyes and lenses narrow as I cast glances around me, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary. And Karen's sensors aren't picking up anything odd either.
Something's off, like...like something's watching me.
My heartbeat picks up, my breath quickening in my lungs. The tall buildings around me loom, condensing and swelling and darkening as they close in, looking more like towering trees and tangled vines where power lines should be. The streetlights below me glare red.
Red. Red eyes-red lights in the trees-claws reaching for me-
I'marabbit-I'marabbit-I'marabbit-
"Incoming call from May Parker."
I jolt, heart hammering as New York settles back around me. Releasing a shuddering breath through my mask, I rub at my forehead, then clear my throat.
"Hey May," I say as evenly as I can as her face pulls up in my lenses' sensors.
"Hey kiddo. What are you up to?"
"I'm...on the train back home. Just gotta stop and pick up my backpack on eighth street first," I tell her, cracking my neck from side to side.
"When you say you're on the train, do you mean you're in it, or you're actually on top of it?" May asks with a raise of an eyebrow.
"The second."
"Ah. Am I going to see anything on the news later that will ruin my otherwise pleasant day?" her tone shifts to dangerous territory.
"Er...I saved a woman and a baby from being hit by a car," I tell her as casually as I can. "Otherwise, it's been a pretty quiet day."
Aunt May doesn't need to know about the mugger with the pipe. Besides, it wasn't like I was lying. He had been quiet once I'd webbed up his mouth.
"Uhuh. Well, hurry home. I screwed up the first round of teriyaki chicken, but nailed the second. I think. So that means you have a mountain of dishes waiting for you to do them after dinner."
I stifle a groan. Dishes aren't my least favorite chore, but scraping burned bits off of pots and pans are a task and a half for me. If I don't scrub hard enough, nothing happens, but if I put too much pressure, my hand punches through the bottom of the pot.
May had not been pleased the last time I'd ruined one of her brand new le crueset pans she'd just gotten as a very generous Christmas present from Mr. Stark.
"Yes, Aunt May. Thank you, Aunt May. I'm exceedingly grateful for all that you do, Aunt May," she intones for me.
"Thank you, Aunt May," I reply dryly with a roll of my eyes. "Be home soon."
"Hey, are you ok? You sound a little off."
I wince. Shit. "Yeah, I'm good. I just...uh...it was a close call. With the lady and her baby. That's all."
No need to worry her just yet.
"I'm proud of you, kid. Larb you."
"Larb you, too."
I lay back on the train, covering my masked face with my hands.
Karen chooses that moment to speak. "My sensors show an increase in blood pressure and shortness of breath, indicating the beginnings of an anxiety attack. Are you alright, Peter?"
"You already sent the info to Mr. Stark, didn't you?"
"As per protocol. Yes. Studies suggest that putting your head between your knees and taking deep breaths can help."
"Thanks, Karen," I sigh.
All things considered, it's a freaking miracle my PTSD is as mild as it is. Sam says people can suffer way more severe side effects from experiencing less in life.
Buried beneath a warehouse. Fighting my girlfriend's dad on a jet plane. Getting kidnapped and tortured by Hydra. Injected and possessed by Venom. Abducted and then hunted by aliens.
All before my sixteenth birthday. Yeesh. No wonder I'm as screwed up as I am. Still, could be worse. And hopefully from now on, things will start going a little better for me. Hopefully. Somehow, I have a sneaking suspicion that fate is laughing at that particular thought of mine.
I let out another sigh, putting my hands under my head. I'd hoped to mess around with the Nintendo 64 I'd found at a junk shop tonight, but it looks like that's out of the picture with the chores and homework I still have left.
Oh well.
Maybe I'll text MJ after dishes, see if she responds.
The prickling at the base of my neck intensifies for a brief moment, causing me to stiffen and sit up, looking wildly around me. But then the feeling is gone.
I shiver, scrubbing at the back of my neck.
I'm being paranoid. It's just residual crap from my time with the Dravec. My spidey senses haven't adjusted back to normal life yet. That's all.
That's...that's all.
A/N:
*Mrs. Doubtfire voice* Helloooooooo!
YOU GUYS! You broke my fanfiction records! 63 reviews on the opening chapter? I can't even right now! SOBS! Like holy fuh-reaking crap. 63 reviews. I still can't believe it. I am in awe of you guys and so incredibly thankful. The review replies are going to end up being as long as the chapters themselves! LOL!
I do apologize for the length between updates. Wish I could say it won't happen again, but between working full time, meeting the love of my life, moving out into my own place, and all the craziness that is my life, I don't think I've written more than a handful of words in MONTHS. It's been so painful having all this creativity and no time for an outlet! But I can't complain too much, because it really has been great. Just busy.
Speaking of! I am typing this to you on my brand new laptop! (Courtesy of the new boyfriend. OH MY WORD I FOUND SUCH A GREAT GUY! SQUEE!)
Anywho, that's probably way too much about my personal life.
I am still beyond excited for this fic and all the upcoming ones in the CMFU. NO, I will not abandon this fic or this series, no matter how far apart updates are. YES, I will be sticking it through and finishing it until the very end! So don't worry! It just may take me awhile. But when I'm not drowning in the craziness that is my life, I am busy thinking up a million scenes and scenarios for this fic and all upcoming fics.
Special thanks as always to my beta and inspiration, PippinStrange! If you guys haven't read her work, I would strongly advise that you head over to her page. Not only are her fics incredible, but she posts WAY more regularly and quickly than I do! LOL! My current obsession is Into Oblivion, a Marvel take on the Lord of the Rings that feels more canon than canon! It's absolutely amazing and you cannot freaking miss it. Her other works are out of this world good, in character, hilarious, action packed, edge of your seat, gasp aloud, sob with how AWESOME they are. SO go give her some love and enjoy some high quality fanfiction!
lovecandies4ever: Thank you so much! I'm excited as well! :D
JuliaApril: Thanks! Hope you enjoy!
Heroes21: AHHHH...maybe. Lol.
.Seven: Gah thank you! Lots of fun things to expect in this fic!
StarStepper: LOL! I am too! :D
Puppens101: Lol! Don't fall off the bed! XD Peter is definitely not going to take this lying down that's for sure. ;)
precious831: Thank you very much!
Lilyflower58925: THank you! Yeah, Peter doesn't get much of a break in my fics. Poor kid. In this case, Gargan has a grudge against Spiderman, and his own attempts to bring him down have proved fruitless. Enter Kraven. ;) It's gonna be wild!
cargumentluv: LOL! Dude that cracked me up! I know the feeling! ;) XD
Up-In-The-Clouds1285: Thanks!
PippinStrange: FRIEND! I posted a chapter! LOL! It's been waaaaaaay too long. This fic is all for you pal! You amaze me and inspire me everyday!
Mojomonster: Eee! Glad to hear it! Sorry about the wait!
trucejopseh: He's a great one isn't he? SO excited to do my interpretation of him!
LoonyLovegood1981: Hello pal! I'm so happy to be back! Even if it's not as often as I want to be back! lol. It'll be awhile before I get published, IF I do, but I will definitely keep you guys updated!
RedHood001: Thanks! Excited to use Kraven, and while this will be a Peter centric fic, there will definitely be other Avengers involved!
Alisha: Thanks!
DarylDixon'sLover: For sure
Tightpants182: Gah thank you! Taxidermy creeps me the hell out too. Kraven is a real piece of work. Peter is in for it, that's for sure.
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Clara Brighet: SQUEE! Your review made my day! "HUNTED IS OUT!" Gahhhh you guys! Your fangirling KILLS me! I love hearing about your texts! Seriously thank you guys so much!
purpleflame2: Heck yes! Me too!
icotnoir: No he cannot! lol
Guest: Thank you so much! I love incorporating stuff from the comics and other media and try to interpret it like the MCU would but with my own spin :D
CrisStarTina: Done! :D
xSapphirexRosesxFanx: ;)
QueenBookDragon: Hey there fellow Queen. I can't believe how fast you read my series! Wow! Thank you for doing that! Also so happy to hear how much you like my work! I had not previously read The Most Dangerous Game before starting this fic, but had heard of it. After reading your review, I downloaded the audible version and YEESH. SO freaking creepy. Will definitely be incorporating some easter eggs and themes from that book. ;)
Celeste621: Thanks Celeste! Peter definitely has a lot of trauma to work through. Luckily he has a lot of help, and the fact that he's so young will of course be working in his favor.
carajiggirl: Thank you for reviewing! It means the world to me!
monkeybaby: Yay!
NZ Guest: We probably won't be seeing any Asgardians in this one, but I'm not ruling it completely out. ;)
Kirby Lane: Lol! Thank you very much! The large ensemble was definitely a challenge that I very much enjoyed, but I am super excited to scale it down. Not that there won't be PLENTY of Avengers showing up throughout. Bucky will definitely be involved as he's somehow become a part of Peter's core group. I still can't believe how that happened, since I never actually planned for it when I started writing Paint it Black!
maili-chan: Thanks so much! That makes me so happy to read! Still lots more to come!
NCC-1701-Z: Gah thank you! He is super fun to write. Villains always are. ;)
Thebookworm33: I have not read The Most Dangerous Game actually! Or, I hadn't until after I posted chapter one, and then I got a couple reviews referring to it, so I downloaded it on audible and gave it a listen to. SO CREEPY. YIKES! Glad I did! Will definitely be leaving some easter eggs and references throughout! THanks SO MUCH for your amazing review! I'm so glad you loved RIders! and how often you've read this series! WOW! THANK YOU!
Chocolate369: You don't have to apologize at all! ANy and every review I get is super appreciated! I am super excited for the future encounters and how the two will play this out. There will definitely be plenty of Avengers in this fic, even if they won't be focused on as much as the last fic. Sam will play a big role, as will Tony, Happy, Pepper, Bucky, and a few more. ;) Thanks so much for reviewing! I so appreciate it!
skullcandyklive: Ok so this question had me scouring the web for hours unable to find exactly who I pictured as Kraven. Closest I could find was Liev Schreiber, only with darker hair and a fuller beard. His Russian accent is pretty great, and he is an intimidating guy. :)
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BrieferCat: Thanks! :)
Verinorina: LOL! Poor Peter. XD It does have potential!
Shannon O'Gorman: Gosh thank you so very much! The Sinister Six and Kingpin are SUPER intimidating. I don't know if I'll include them in this series, but would love to write them someday! Lots of big time and intimidating villains coming up in the CMFU, including another original and very different take on a Spiderman villain.
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AppleSpongeCake: Good lord I forgot how violent your threats can be. XD
Guest: Yo thank you
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NW nightwalker Hp: Me too! ;)
gamma1243: Ok, so your review made my life. Nearly made me cry. And definitely made me read it several times with the biggest grin on my face. Those are the kind of reviews that gives us writers fuel to write and inspiration to keep going. I am so ridiculously honored that you went through my series and thought so highly of it. Your kind words made my heart so happy, you have no idea. A lot of love, sweat, tears, blood, the whole shebang goes into this series, and when people take the time to leave me reviews like that because they love it as much as I do, it seriously gives me the major feels. I fangirled over your fangirling SO hard! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Seriously. Can't say it enough. Thank you for blessing me with your review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that the rest of the series lives up to your expectations!
Unbelievable. I am still just so blown away by the amount of reviews and kind words. You guys don't even know how much it means to me and how much it inspires me to keep going. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Truly.
Also, no new updates on my original novel, other than now that I have a higher quality computer, I can hopefully break some ground on that final draft as well as outline the sequel!
Hopefully it won't be as long until the next update, but in case that it is, I apologize in advance and thank you for all the reviews and support! LOVE YOU GUYS!
COMING UP:
Weekends are spent at the Avengers compound training and meeting for sessions with Sam Wilson to work through Peter's PTSD from all the horrors he's experienced in the past year alone. Are Peter's spider senses going haywire from residual trauma? Or is there an unseen threat lurking in the shadows?