Chapter 2
"With Great Power"
The next two days were somewhat agonizing. Peter was bitten by some spider that was clearly the result of some weird experiment. He wasn't dying but at times it sure felt like it. He was completely bed ridden. Everytime he tried to eat something he'd vomit. Everytime he tried to stand up he'd feel dizzy and collapse. Aunt May and Uncle Ben were, of course, worried. Peter tried to reassure them. At least they weren't so panicked as to take him to a doctors office.
Harry and MJ frequently come by to check on him, especially MJ. One or both of them were in each of his classes so they would take notes for him in school and bring by his schoolwork. The first night he was sick MJ even slept over. She did that a lot over the years. May and Ben allowed it because they knew Peter and Mary Jane were good kids who wouldn't try any funny business while they were in the house. Her own parents were too busy fighting to even notice that she was gone.
To any outside observer Mary Jane Watson looked like she had it all. She was the most attractive and popular girl at Midtown High. Every boy wanted her and every girl wanted to be her. Appearences, in this case, were very decieving. Her father, Phillip Watson, was the walking definition of uber-asshole. He was a bitter man with a violent temper made worse by his drinking. He would mentally, and sometimes physically, abuse both his wife and daughter. Her mother, Anna, was a kind and loving woman but years of being married to Phillip had broken her spirit to the point where she let him walk all over her and Mary Jane. Thank God for Peter. Her friendship with him was what kept her sane all these years. One of the reasons Mary Jane and Peter were so close is because his home was her sanctuary. When she was with him it felt like all of her problems just magically went away. Small wonder that over the years her feelings of friendship evolved into something more. Yes, she was helping take care of Peter because she was worried about his well bieng but she probably would be spending a lot of time with him if he were perfectly fine too. It was better than the screaming, cursing and shattered dishes that always awaited her at her own home.
One the morning of the third day Peter woke up feeling great. He felt completely rejuvenated. He sprang out of bed with more energy than he felt in a long time. The last time I felt this energetic he thought was when Aunt May and Uncle Ben took me on a surprise trip to Disney World when I was 8. He walked over to the mirror and recieved a pleasant surprise. He'd only been wearing boxer shorts and now saw his shirtless torso in the mirror. Instead of stick arms and a build so skinny as to show his ribs he now had muscles. He wasn't super ripped, he didn't look jacked up on roids, but he had muscles with clear definition. He even had six pack abs.
Dude, I look like a buff stud!
Peter admired his new body in the mirror. He then noticed something else: he wasn't wearing his glasses. He wasn't wearing glasses and he could see just fine. His face still looked boyish but it was handsome, made moreso by the fact that his glasses no longer hid his eyes.
"Peter," May called from downstairs, "How are you feeling, dear?"
Peter said "I feel...fine." The girls would totally go wild if they could see me now.
Later, after he'd showered and dressed, Peter was at the table having breakfast. He was having seconds and thirds of everything. This did not go unnoticed.
"Well, well, well," said Ben, "Someone's got their appetite back."
With relief in her voice, May said "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Peter."
Peter said "I feel great."
May, with motherly concern, warned "Just don't overdo it, dear. You don't want to have a relapse."
Peter said "Don't worry, I won't."
Ben said "Ah, The vigor of youth."
Midtown high, later...
Peter was in the cafeteria having lunch. Harry sat next to him and said "Well, someone's feeling better."
Peter said "Are you kidding? I woke up feeling like a million bucks."
Harry briefly glanced at MJ, eating with her other friends at the 'cool' table, before turning his attention back to Peter. He had a teasing smile on his face.
"I can't imagine why."
Peter asked "What's that supposed to mean?"
Harry said "Come on, Pete. You know."
Peter said "Actually, I don't."
Harry said "Come on, dude. For the past three days MJ's been spending all of her free time at your house."
Peter said "Because she lives next door, I was sick and she was worried about me."
Harry said "Come on, dude. Don't seriously tell me you didn't seal the deal with her."
Now a little annoyed, Peter said "We're just friends."
Harry said "Not that either of you would have a problem being more."
Peter said "I suddenly want something bad to happen to you."
With a chuckle, Harry said "Come on, bud. You and MJ are totally crushing on each other. It's so obvious a blind man could see it."
At this point, Peter glanced over at the 'cool' table. This time, he didn't care if anyone caught him staring.
At the table, MJ was in the usual conversation with her other friends, all of whom were jocks, cheerleaders and shallow mean girls.
Betty said "...so I said 'no way would I date a guy with such a lame car'."
Laughing, Liz said "That's so cool, Betty."
MJ, putting on her best poker face, said "Yeah, cool." If by 'cool' you mean incredibly stuck up and pretentious.
At this point, MJ saw Peter staring. She immediately stared back and waved. She fervently hoped this would be the day he finally worked up the courage to actually come over and hang out with them. Before she could signal him over, however...
"Earth to MJ." said Betty.
This snapped MJ out of her trance. Before she could say anything Liz said "Why is that geek Parker staring at us?"
MJ wanted to say that so-called 'geek' was actually her best friend and tell her other friends to stop treating him like a lower form of life but she chickened out.
"I..um...I really don't know."
At that moment, Peter suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his head. It was so strong that he looked in the direction of where this tingle felt the most intense. Flash Thompson was giving him a VERY hostile glance.
That afternoon...
Peter was walking home from school when he heard a familiar, angelic voice call out to him.
"Hey, Peter, wait up."
Mary Jane walked right up to him. Peter asked "Where's the cool club?"
MJ said "I ditched them. I'd rather spend some time with you."
Peter was about to tell her what her other friends would think if they saw them walking together but MJ gave him a cute, pleading look. He never could say no to her when she looked at him like that. As they walked together he said "I'm sorry I was leering at you today."
With a warm smile, MJ said "I'm not."
Peter gave her a questioning look.
MJ said "I wish you'd sit with us sometime."
Peter said "MJ, all your other friends hate me."
MJ said "So I should just keep pretending I don't know you just because my other friends don't know just how amazing you are?"
Peter said "MJ, we both know how it works. They find out you're secretly friends with the biggest geek in school and you can pretty much kiss your popularity goodbye."
Which is unfair on so many levels MJ thought as she said "I guess. I don't have to like it, though."
Wanting to change the subject, Peter said "So, how are you otherwise?"
MJ said "A little worried about you. You seemed pretty out of it these last few days."
Peter said "You didn't have to blow off your other friends just to keep an eye on me."
MJ said "No, I didn't have to. I wanted to."
Peter asked "Why?"
MJ answered "Duh, Pete, you're my best friend. Heck, sometimes it feels like you're my only friend."
Peter said "That can't possibly be true."
MJ said "Well, you are pretty much the only one at school who knows the real me. That's why I wish you'd hang out with us. You're a great guy, Peter. It sucks that I'm the only one who knows just how wonderful you really are."
Peter said "Well, maybe after high school. When I'm studying to be a scientist and you're breaking into modeling."
MJ said "Me, a model! No way!"
Peter said "Well, you definitely have the looks for it."
She hoped he didn't notice her blushing as she said "Thanks. Funny thing about looks, though, they don't last forever. I wanna be known for more than just a pretty face and sexy body."
Genuinely interested, Peter asked "What do you wanna do after we graduate?"
MJ said "Go to college. Study journalism and education."
Peter asked "Major and minor?"
"Double major."
Impressed, Peter said "Ambitious, and gutsy."
MJ said "Thanks. I wanna either be a crusading journalist or a teacher who actually cares. What about you?"
Peter said "College. Study something like chemistry or computer science. Maybe go so far as to earn a doctorate."
MJ said "Cool."
Surprised, Peter said "You think so?"
"Of course."
Without thinking, she put her arm around him. She was stunned by what she felt under his shirt.
"Whoa!"
"What?"
MJ said "You have muscles. You always told me you were ashamed of being so scrawny, but you're actually pretty buff. You really need to work on your confidence."
Peter wanted to say something but couldn't think of the words. He and Mary Jane started to get lost in each others eyes.
She said "Where are your glasses?"
He said "I don't need them anymore."
MJ said "You have beautiful eyes."
Peter said "So do you, MJ. So do you."
They were once again at a loss for words as their faces inched closer together. The urge to kiss was suddenly overwhelming. Their lips were almost touching when he felt it again. The same tingling sensation in his skull that he had earlier at lunch when Flash was giving him that menacing look. This time it was accompanied by an overwhelming urge to move over to one side or the other and shove MJ to the side as well. The urge was so strong that he immediately did it, shoving MJ off to one side as he slid to the other. Just in time to avoid being grabded from behind by Flash Thompson.
Flash, accompanied by his jock buddies, towered over Peter and looked ready to kill.
"What do you think you're doing, you perv?" Flash growled.
Peter said "Walking home."
Flash said "And sexually harrassing a girl who's way too good for you."
It was obvious that Flash didn't see that MJ wanted to kiss Peter as well. He only saw the class loser trying to plant one on the most popular girl in school and assumed he was coming to the rescue.
MJ said "Flash, stop it. He didn't do anything."
Ignoring her, Flash said "Time for an ass kicking, Parker."
He threw a punch which Peter easily dodged, to everyones surprise.
Peter said "Flash, it's just a misunderstanding."
Flash snarled "So's my fist breaking your face, loser!"
MJ shouted "FLASH, STOP IT!"
Too focused on Peter to notice MJ, Flash threw another punch. Peter dodged this one with ease as well. Flash was so hell bent on throwing Peter a beating that he was deaf to MJ's cries for him to stop. It didn't help that his buddies were egging him on. MJ's cries of "STOP IT!" and "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" were drowned out by cheers of "WAY TO GO FLASH!" and "KICK HIS ASS, MAN!"
Finally, Flash threw a powerful right punch that Peter easily blocked with his left hand. Flash tried charging at Peter like a rampaging bull only for Peter to knock him back as if it were nothing. Seeing that he needed some help, two of Flash's buddies tried to tackle Peter from behind. Peter leapt up and did a mid air back flip over their heads. He landed perfectly behind them. MJ stoped screaming as the sight of this had stunned her speechless.
Flash charged at Peter with the intention of slamming him to the ground. Peter immediately threw a punch. His fist hit Flash so hard that he flew back through the air and crashed into a trash can. His buddies ran over and were amazed by what they found. Flash had been knocked unconscious. Suddenly, Peter felt the tingle again. Two of Flash's buddies looked at Peter with bloodlust in their eyes.
"YOU'RE DEAD, LOSER!"
Finding her voice, MJ shouted "PETER, RUN!"
Peter immediately turned and ran as the two bullies gave chase. He ran around a corner into an alley as the bullies pursued him. The bullies, meanwhile, were not sure what was weirder, Peter taking out Flash in one punch or the fact that he could run fast enough to make the track team look like a bunch of cripples. Peter knew he couldn't keep this up. The two guys were running backs who did track during the off season. Desperate, Peter let his instincts take over. He jumped up and seemed almost suspended in mid air. He watched as the bullies ran beneath him...five stories beneath him.
The danger was over. As Peter calmed down he noticed that he was still high up and haden't come down. That's when he recieved his next shock. He was sticking to the side of a building by his hands and feet.
"No way!"
He turned around and continued to cling to the wall. He was five stories up and had two more stories to go until the roof. He took his right hand off of the wall and placed it higher up. He repeated the process with his left hand, then each of his legs. He was actually crawling up the side of a building.
"This...is...AWESOME!"
He reached the roof and crawled up. He was so high on excitement that he didn't notice a slight tingle in his skull as someone was watching.
A few minutes earlier...
"PETER, RUN!"
MJ was relieved when he did as she said. Relief gave way to fear as two of the guys chased after him. She now had just one thought.
THAT'S IT! I'M SICK OF LOOKING THE OTHER WAY WHILE EVERYONE PUSHES MY BEST FRIEND AROUND!
MJ immediately ran after the bullies that were chasing Peter, fully intending to give them a piece of her mind when she caught up with them. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and forgot the bullies. Something beyond belief now had her attention. There was Peter, sticking to the wall five stories above the ground. Her jaw almost fell to the pavement as she gasped in shock.
"no...freaking...way!"
She stared in amazement as Peter crawled up the wall. She saw him go on to the roof. Next, she saw him leap from one roof too another as if it were nothing. One leap covered two buildings. It wasn't long before Mary Jane lost sight of him. She stared for a full minute. Finally, she spoke.
"That...was...sooo...COOL!"
Her shocked expression now gave way to an excited smile.
Parker residence, evening...
Peter sat alone in his room contemplating the situation.
I got bitten by a monster spider and now not only do I have muscles and perfect eyesight but I can do things no other human being can do. How cool is this? I can stick to walls, jump incredible heights and distances, sense danger and I was even strong enough to lift a parked car like it was nothing.
He tried to figure out where these new abilities came from. It was immediately obvious.
Osborn Labs was doing some kind of experiment that involved mutating spiders. One of the subjects of the experiment got out and bit me. The poison from the bite must've mutated me too. It's the only possible explanation.
Peter grinned as other possibilities occured to him.
I could really cash in on this. YouTube videos, TV appearences, the whole thing. With these powers I could become rich and famous.
He started to think of nicknames.
Peter Parker, the boy wonder...God, that's cheesy. The Human Spider...that's a possibility. No, that's lame. Peter Parker, the Incredible...no...theSpectacular...no...
He remembered what MJ said.
" my other friends don't know just how amazing you are"
That's when it hit him.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Satisfied, he now tried to think of a way to reveal himself.
Something big. Something that a lot of people will see at once.
Peter looked at the latest issue of The Daily Bugle. Something in the classified section caught his eye. An ad that read...
Amateur Night At Madison Square Garden
Do you have what it takes to tackle a real professional wrestler? Find out this weekend. One Thousand Dollars to anyone who can last five minutes in the ring with wrestling sensation Super Stud. Beat a real wrestler in a locally televised event for fame and glory. Costumes a must.
Peter grinned. A locally televised wrestling match was the perfect venue for Spider-Man's debut.
Midtown High, the next day...
School has just ended and Peter is at his locker getting his things. He's approached by Mary Jane.
"Hey, Pete."
Peter said "MJ, what's going on?"
MJ said "Well, I was...see...I was hoping...well...if you aren't doing anything Friday night maybe you'd like to...I dunno...see a movie with me."
Peter said "If I didn't know any better I'd think you just asked me out on a date."
MJ said "Well...you see..."
Peter, totally misreading MJ's signals, said "Relax, I'm kidding."
MJ was so nervous that she didn't think to correct him.
"Peter, if...well...if it was a date..." words escaped her. She'd accepted plenty of dates from jocks and pretty boys, but this was Peter. She was tongue tied because this time it was a guy she was interested in for more than just status points. Peter, on the other hand, thought she was afraid people would think she was romantically interested in him and that's why she was nervous. It simply didn't occur to him that she might actually be interested.
"I can't," he said, "I...um...I've got something to do."
MJ asked "What?"
Peter used the first excuse he could come up with.
"A science project...Yeah...for...um...extra credit. Maybe some other time."
He left before she could ask any questions.
Did he just blow me off to do homework?
Madison Square Garden, Friday night...
Peter walked into the venue in his street clothes with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The bag contained the costume he'd made for the event. He saw the sign up line for amateur night. When he reached the sheet a woman who was taking sign ups looked at his five foot six frame and struggled not to laugh.
"There's no featherweight divison, short stuff."
Peter said "I know, sign me up anyway."
The woman's jaw droped.
"You're serious!?"
Peter nodded.
"Fine," said the woman, "You understand that we are not legally responsible for any injuries you might, in your case will, sustain while participating in the event."
Peter said "I know the risks."
The woman handed him and said "Good luck, you'll need it."
Backstage area, a short time later...
Peter has just changed into his costume. The ensemble was blue and red spandex with web patterns in the red portions, a small black spider emblem on his chest and a more cartoonish looking red spider on his back. The look was complemented by a red ski mask with the eye holes replaced by two large lenses that functioned like two-way mirrors. He could see out but no one could see in. He walked to a mirror to check himself out. He liked how the costume was tight enough to show off his muscles.
It chafes a little on the crotch, my nuts feel like they're in a vice. Still, I look like a total badass.
The arena, a short time later...
The announcer, who looked like Vince McMahon in shades was doing the introductions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to amateur night. In tonight's exhibition event amateurs will face off against a star pro wrestler. Whoever can last five minutes will win ten thousand dollars. And now lets meet our superstar. You know him, you love him, the ultimate man, the Tsar of Testosterone, The Master of Sex, God's Gift To Woman Kind...SUPER STUUUUUDDDDDDD!"
Super Stud stepped into the ring. He was massive. At least six foot four with muscles the size of watermelons. His costume was white spandex pants with ruby sequins and red sequinced boots. On the crotch was sparkling red lips opened like a woman's mouthe eager to recieve...something. He had long flowing blond hair and a chisled face. Taking the microphone, he said "Never fear, sexy ladies. Super Stud is here. The Prince of Pleasure."
Peter watched from behind the curtain as the ones before him each took their turns. Super Stud made short work of every single one of them. Finally, it was Peter's turn. The announcer walked to the curtain.
"Our next challenger is ready for his shot at glory and ten thousand dollars. Can he last five minutes in the ring with Super Stud? Let's find out. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Amaaaaziinnnnnng Spider-Man."
The curtain fell back. Peter, as Spider-Man, made his way to the ring. Nervous didn't even begin to describe how he was feeling. It didn't help that the divas taunted him all the way down to the ring. Peter stepped into the ring. Super Stud took the microphone.
"Well, well, well, what have we here? The Ultimate Man versus the Ultimate Insect."
Peter said "Spiders are arachnids, not insects."
Super Stud thought Geez, if I didn't know any better I'd think he's a high school science geek.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match. Super Stud immediately charged at Spider-Man. Spider-Man effortlessly leapt over the wrestler's head and landed on his feet with perfect balance. Super Stud charged again. This time, Peter leapt up and landed on top of him, forcing him to the floor. Peter felt he'd already won, but Super Stud threw him off. Peter felt like an idiot for that one. After all, his Spider Sense gave him ample warning.
Watson residence, Queens...
Mary Jane was in her room watching TV. As she scrolled through the channels she was lost in thought.
The other day we almost kissed. He wanted to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me. I've had a secret crush on him for so long. After we almost kissed I thought he felt the same way about me. How could I have been so stupid?
She continued to surf through the channels.
I asked him out and acted like a total spaz. He blew me off like it was nothing. He even gave me an excuse that was totally lame.
Now, she looks sad.
I guess, to him, I am just a friend after all.
She stops on a channel. It happens to be televising the wrestling match at Madison Square Garden live. She's watching Spider-Man dodge all of Super Studs attacks. She read their names at the bottom of the screen.
Super Stud versus Spider-Man. Why does that spider guy seem so familiar?
MJ watches Spider-Man's moves. They look just like the moves Peter used when Flash and his buddies jumped him the other day. When she saw Spider-Man dodge Super Stud by leaping so high he almost hit the rafters she noticed how it looked like when Peter dodged two of Flash's buddies. Too much like that. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.
Oh...my...GOD!
"Peter!"
Madison Square Garden...
Super Stud charges again. This time, Spider-Man grabs him by his belt buckle and raises him up over his own head, on one arm without even straining. As the crowd gasps in awe Spider-Man throws Super Stud to the ground so hard it shakes the whole ring. Super Stud gets up and charges at Spider-Man again. Spider-Man grabs him with both hands and lifts him up again. He then throws Super Stud down once more and leaps on top of him. He uses his spider strength to pin Super Stud down until the bell rings. Releasing his defeated opponent, Spider-Man raises his arms in triumph as the crowd goes wild. The announcer walks up to him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our winner has done the impossible and defeated Super Stud. Let's hear it for The Amazing Spider-Man!"
The crowd shants.
"SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN!"
At the Watson house...
Mary Jane is still watching the event on TV. She's so excited for Peter that she does a fist bump.
"Yes! I knew you could do it, Pete! I just knew it!"
Madison Square Garden, a short time later...
Peter is in the event manager's office, still wearing his Spider-Man costume. The manager gives him a $50.
"Now get outta here, kid."
Disappointed, Peter said "Fifty bucks. The add said ten thousand."
The manager said "Yeah, for five minutes. You took him out in three."
Peter said "You lied to me!?"
Tha manager said "Way it goes, kid. Go cry to mommy."
Dejected, Peter walked out of the office. As soon as he left someone else came in. This man looked very rough around the edges. He had a shaved head, raggedy clothes and tattoos on his neck. He carried an empty bag with him. Throwing the bag on the desk the man pulled a gun out of his jacket and aimed it at the event manager.
"Put all your money in the bag, NOW!"
A minute later, Peter was still in the hallway when he heard the door to the office swing open. The armed robber ran out with all of the money.
The manager shouted to Peter "Stop him! He just robbed me at gunpoint!"
Peter, wanting to get even for being ripped off, let the thief run right by him and let him get away. Once the criminal was gone the manager got right in Peter's face.
"Jesus, whatsamattawitchu! You coulda taken that guy in one hit!"
Peter smugly said "Go cry to your mom about it."
With that, Peter walked away happy that the sleazy promoter had gotten his comeuppance. He promptly forgot about the whole thing as he went to the changing area to change out of his costume before going home.