"I don't feel so good," he said, overcome with nausea. He then ran to a nearby trashcan and the others decided to look away.
"So, do we, like, tell the Professor?" Kitty asked.
"And tell him what?" Scott said. "We saw a guy scale a tree and complete the fifty-yard dash in under a minute. We need a stronger case to bring to him."
"We could always get proof," Jean suggests.
The remaining X-Men around the table looked at each other in turn and smiled and nodded in agreement.Peter leapt across the buildings that decorated downtown Manhattan. He would have preferred to swing through the sky, but he unfortunately left his web-shooters at home.
"Matt is right," he mumbled. "Two months was too long for me to be outta this. Whew! I really need to get back into shape."
He then took a running leap, avoiding a couple air conditioner units, and his hands clasped hard onto a brick wall of the next building over. A bright flash got his attention as he began to crawl up it.
"Must be seeing things," Peter muttered as he got to the top of the building."Did you get it?" Scott asked Kitty, who was currently hiding in the backseat of his convertible.
"Oh, yeah," Kitty replied.
She showed Scott an image from her digital camera showing Peter Parker effortlessly scaling a brick wall. She scrolled through a few images, showing him leaping across buildings and executing unnatural acrobatic maneuvers.
"Better call the others and tell them what we got," Scott said, turning his car engine on.Professor Charles Xavier inhaled deeply as he calculated the situation before him. The synapses of his brain seemed to be firing on all cylinders as he thought through every possible outcome, and with the aid of his mutant psychic abilities, he came to a thorough conclusion.
"Checkmate," he declared as he maneuvered his queen to block his opponent's king from moving.
"Good game, Charles," the blue-furred, ape-like Hank McCoy said. "Of course you realize this means I have to beat you at a game of Trivial Pursuit."
"You can try." Whatever else Xavier was to tell his colleague had to wait. He detected a presence behind his office door. "Come in, Scott."
Scott entered in his X-Man uniform, having just finished a Danger Room session since he and the others got back from the city. "Professor, I have something to tell you."
"All right, I'm listening," Xavier replied.
He clasped his hands together and prepared to listen. The telepathic mutant listened intently as Scott told him everything about a possible mutant that showed acrobatic prowess on par with Kurt and could effortlessly scale sheer surfaces that even the teleporting mutant had trouble with.
"Scott, are you absolutely sure on this?" Xavier asked.
"Here's my proof, Professor," Scott said, tossing a series of digital pictures on the Professor's chess board.
"Does this young man have a name?"
Scott then pulled out an expired driver's permit from his belt and handed it to him.
"Peter Parker," Xavier said. "If he is indeed a mutant, I intend to find out why he's managed to evade Cerebro."
"That's a good idea, Professor," Hank added. "But I think we need to handle this delicately. After all, the young man is obviously aware of his powers and may not be all that thrilled about having to hide them."
"You're right, Hank," Xavier sighed. "I also fear that if we don't get to him first, someone else might. Scott, contact Wolverine and tell him to come home. I may need his help for this when we interview the young man tomorrow."
"You got it, Professor," Cyclops said with a salute and walked out of the office.
Xavier analyzed the picture on the ID and found it slightly odd that this Peter Parker shared a few similar facial features with Scott and simply chalked it up to a strange twist of fatePeter wandered out to the backyard, as usual, on a Sunday night to toss an overflowing garbage bag into a rusted garbage can just outside the house. He sighed as he dropped the bag in, the smell of rotten eggs seeming to pour of it.
"Good thing I skipped on that omelet this morning," he muttered.
He took a quick look around the small backyard and his eyes settled on the 1974 Oldsmobile resting in the makeshift garage on the other side. His Uncle Ben loved that car and he often wondered when Aunt May would sell it to pay the bills.
Loud shouting from the house next door took Peter out of his reminiscing. The backdoor opened and Mary Jane Watson came barreling out. She sighed as she leaned against the fence that separated the Watson house from the Parkers'.
"Routine, isn't it?" Mary Jane asked hypothetically. "You take out the trash, Philip says something about Madeline's cooking, she yells back, they fight, and I run out here to complain to you."
Peter always found it a bit odd that M.J. referred to her parents by their first names but decided not to ask her about it. From what he had seen from Philip and Madeline Watson wasn't the exact picture of a happy family, even before M.J.'s sister, Gayle, moved out.
"Perhaps, but do you think it would work the other way around?" Peter asked.
Mary Jane shook her head. "No way. You'd run up to your room, slam the door, and not come out till it was time for school."
"You know me too well, M.J.," Peter chuckled.
Mary Jane's voice suddenly became solemn. "At least, I thought I did. I really am sorry about what happened to Gwen but you have to at least attempt to move on. I mean, we tried to give it a shot after…that, but you were never the same."
Peter sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. So, how are things with Flash, now that you two are dating?"
M.J. suddenly had a puzzled look on her face. "Who said we were dating?"
Peter now shared an expression of equal confusion. "Big guy, red hair, wears a letterman jacket? Doesn't like to be called by his real name?"
"He said that, did he?" M.J. said.
"Yeah, as he and his starting line-up tried to knock my lights out," Peter replied dryly.
"Guess I need to have a talk with Eugene," M.J. said.
The two teens shared a laugh at the knowledge of Flash Thompson's real name.
"Well, he has been a bit dilusional since Liz dumped him," Peter stated.
"Yeah," Mary Jane agreed. "I hope she's doing all right."
The shouting inside the Watson house intensified and then immediately quieted down after the sound of a vase, an apparently expensive one, being dropped on the floor.
"I gotta go, Tiger," the redhead said. "See ya 'round?"
"Yeah, see ya," Peter replied.
Mary Jane smiled weakly and ran back into her house. After a few minutes, Peter walked to the backdoor of his house.
"If she's not with Flash, then that means…I still got a chance!" Peter exclaimed. "Whoo-hoo!"
He then went in, feeling the happiest he ever felt in two months. He hoped nothing would ruin this, but unfortunately, he did not know what would wait in the coming morning.When Monday morning rolled around, the teacher strike was still in effect, or that's what the school district said in the New York Times. They had hoped to have it cleared up by Wednesday.
A black limo pulled up across the street from the Parker house at around 6 a.m. Professor Charles Xavier was busy in the backseat going over a list of printed material that Hank McCoy had provided him with. The list comprised of various little tidbits of information on Peter Parker. According to his school records, he has a perfect attendance record, straight-A's, and in the running for valedictorian at his high school. Xavier didn't really care much for that, for he was looking for any sign of when his abilities activated.
When he couldn't find anything, he sighed in defeat. The backseat opened and a wheelchair ramp extended out to the street and he wheeled himself out. The driver, a rugged-looking man clad in a black shirt and faded jeans, stepped out and swore when his snakeskin boots came in contact with a puddle just outside the car door.
"These were brand-new too," Logan muttered. "This better be worth it, Chuck, 'cause I don't like gettin' my boots dirty for nothin'."
"I assure you, Logan, it will be worth it," Xavier assured.
He wheeled himself up to the Parkers' porch and found himself stuck since the porch has no easy wheelchair access. A few minutes passed and Xavier was lifted off the ground by Logan with a hefty grunt.
"Thank you, Logan," Xavier said, as he was being lowered in front of the door. He then rang the doorbell and an elderly woman immediately answered the door.
"Yes, can I help you?" the woman asked.
Xavier cleared his throat. "I hope so. My name is Professor Charles Xavier, this is Mr. Logan, and I was wondering if I could perhaps speak to a Peter Parker that lives here."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Xavier, but unfortunately, my nephew is currently not here," May Parker said. "He left early this morning, for an errand of some sort."
"Do you know when he'll be back?" Xavier asked.
"If I knew that, I'd be psychic."
Xavier smiled slyly. "Yes, and it's a shame that most parents aren't."
Peter watched the street below from his high-up vantage point on top of a Stark Enterprises office building. He was currently dressed in a red sweatshirt and blue sweatpants, and his gray-and-red-gloved hands grasped a pair of tinted visor-style snowboarding goggles. It wasn't his usual costume, which he hadn't worn since his girlfriend died, but he figured no one would be able to recognize him by his hair alone.
"Penny for your thoughts, Spider-Man?" asked a male voice from behind him.
"Hey Matt," Peter replied, putting his goggles on.
He stood up and faced his friend, Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen. He was clad in a red leather costume that came with a helmet-style mask with horns and a DD emblem on his chest.
"Went back to the basic red, I see."
"I chose 'Daredevil' for a reason, web-slinger," the blind lawyer stated. "After all, the black and red combo felt more along your lines."
"Those were the days, weren't they?" Peter said wistfully. "How are things between you and Elektra?"
The blind man's eyes visibly rolled. "Why is it whenever we meet you have to ask about her?"
"Because you have a girlfriend and I don't," Peter answered.
"Oh. Right. She's fine but she'll be going back to Greece by the end of the week. Speaking of which, how are things between you and Mary Jane?"
"I still got a shot," Peter responded with a wide smile. "The universe loves me!"
"You say that now, Web-head, but just you wait," Daredevil warns. "Just remember, life has its ups and downs."
"Yeah, and with great power comes great responsibility."
"Speaking of which, I gotta get to court or else leave Foggy to fend off the wolves by himself." Daredevil brandished a billy club from his holster and pressed a button. The top section of the club disengaged itself with powerful force, trailing a steel cable into the distance. "See ya, Pete."
The blind man jumped from the building and sailed through the air. Peter waved to his friend before choosing a different direction. A nylon-like substance launched itself from Peter's wrist and caught on the next building over. He then fell from the building and swung out over the city, letting out an excited shout.Peter, having ditched his sweats for more conventional clothing, opened the door to his house and found Aunt May sitting in the living room talking to a bald guy in a wheelchair. There was another man, one that looked ready to tear the place apart from the way he was puffing on his cigar.
"Ah, Mr. Parker," the man in the wheelchair said. "So good to finally meet you."
After hearing the man speak, Peter suddenly found himself reminded of Patrick Stewart.
"Peter, this is Professor Charles Xavier," Aunt May explained, "and he runs a school for gifted young people. And this is Mr. Logan. What exactly is it you teach, Mr. Logan?"
"Art," Logan replied gruffly.
"Gifted how?" Peter asked, trying to keep his nervousness down.
"Sit down and we'll talk about that," Xavier stated.
Peter nervously scanned from Xavier to Aunt May to Logan and finally took a seat on the old couch by the wall.
"Now, then, as I was telling your aunt, I run a school for exceptional young people and I would like you to join," Xavier explained.
"O-kay," Peter said, letting the information wash over him. "Just out of curiosity, where exactly is this school?"
"Bayville," Xavier answered flatly.
"Bayville?" Peter repeated. "Never heard of it."
"It's about an hour or so away from here so it wouldn't be too far from your aunt," Xavier stated. "Of course, you'd have to live at my school with the other students."
"Why, that sounds wonderful," Aunt May said. "Peter could certainly do with more friends."
"I got friends," Peter said defensively.
"The only 'friend' of yours I've seen lately is that 20-something blind man and you should be with people of your own age, even if Harry is in rehab. Besides, you were never the same after what happened between you and Gwen."
Peter exchanged a quick glimpse from his aunt to Xavier. "I'll tell you this, Professor. If I decide to go to your school, you better have a couple of good reasons, because if you don't, I'm stayin'.Peter Parker's room for nearly 17 years, which had been disheveled for just as long, was packed away in a series of cardboard boxes that littered the floor. His red and blue shirt was stained with sweat, the result of the house's heater not working properly. Plus, he had nothing better to do on a Monday off from school.
"'I'm your aunt, you need to be with your peers, and I say so'," Peter said in a mocking voice as he stashed the last of his clothes into a duffle bag. "Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. No more Flash, no more sadistic bus driver that refuses to stop for me…but no M.J."
He slumped onto his now-stripped bed and picked up a red-and-blue costume by his side. It had a series of cuts and nicks, mostly around the knuckles, and a section of the left leg had been ripped apart. One of the eyes in the mask had been torn out.
He sighed and dropped the torn up costume in an otherwise empty box marked "Memories."
"At least that Xavier guy didn't come here because of my abilities," Peter thought aloud.
"Peter!" Aunt May called from downstairs. "Mary Jane's here to see you!"
Peter's eyes opened wide and jumped to the floor. He then looked to his door and saw Mary Jane come into the room.
"Hey Tiger," M.J. said. "Looks like you're movin'."
"Yeah, unfortunately," Peter replied.
"Where ya goin'?" she asked.
"Some school for 'gifted' people upstate that my aunt is making me go to," Peter answered. "Ever hear of a place called Bayville?"
"Oh, yeah. Gayle moved out there. Said it's a good little city, but nothing compares to New York."
"Maybe you can stop by for a visit," Peter offered.
"Careful, Tiger, or else I might think you were putting the moves on me." Mary Jane crept closer and ran her hand through Peter's hair. They were almost mouth to mouth when Aunt May's voice cut through the air.
"Peter! Are you finished packing yet?"
"Yes, Aunt May!" Peter shouted back. He then turned to M.J. "The moment's gone, isn't it?"
"I'd say so. Gimme a call as soon as you can."
"Will do."
"I'll hold you to it." M.J. winked and walked out of his box-riddled room.
Peter slumped once more on his bed and groaned. "So close, yet so far."The mood around the Xavier Institute elevated to a fever pitch as the various students frantically went through the school, actually Professor Xavier's inherited home, making sure everything was clean and ready for the new kid for when he arrived the next day. Not too many of them knew what the new guy could do but they were told to avoid blatant use of their powers until he got settled in. The Professor's reasoning being that he may not now that he's a mutant or had been in the company of other mutants.
"Look at 'em go," Wolverine commented to the man on his right. "You certainly know how to create a stir, Chuck."
Xavier chuckled. "Perhaps, Logan, but I do hope Mr. Parker appreciates what I have done for him. After all, from what Hank managed to dig up on him, he may not have much of a family in the coming years."
"Yeah, the way his aunt is almost hangin'." The Canadian mutant removed a cigar from his back pocket and lit it up. "Listen, I'm gonna head out for a few hours. See ya at dinner."
Xavier bid his friend a farewell and went back to observing his students cleaning up the institute. He felt a small amount of pride as they worked, especially since they haven't resorted to using their powers just yet.Wolverine stood out on a small hill that overlooked Bayville. He absently puffed away on a cigar as he stared out over what he called home for now. A familiar scent was picked up by his mutant-enhanced nose and he quickly flicked his cigar away.
"What do you want, Fury?" he asked.
"Easy, Wolverine," came a deep voice. "I just came to talk."
A man easily six-foot tall came out from behind a small tree line. The most distinguishing feature about this man was the eye-patch he had on his left eye.
"What're ya doin' here, Fury?" Wolverine asks again, almost growling. Three six-inch metal blades pop-out of his hands with a SNIKT! "I ain't gonna ask again."
"I just came here to talk, Wolverine," Fury replies. "Put those things away before you hurt somebody."
Logan begrudgingly did so. "So what's SHIELD want with me?"
"It has recently come to my attention that you have a new student joining your school," Fury states.
"Yeah, that's right," Wolverine admits. "What about it?"
"Keep an eye on him, Wolverine. There's more to Mr. Parker than meets the eye, as it were."
"Never figured you for jokes, Nick."
"Being the head of a top-secret government agency gives you plenty of free time," Fury explains, a sly grin on his face. "Be careful, though. When pushed into a corner, Mr. Parker can be quite the scrapper."
"All this worry about a 17-year-old kid? Why?"
"His parents were some of our top agents. Remember Richard and Mary Parker?"
"So that's why the name sounds familiar."
"Exactly, so be careful." Fury crept back into the tree line and disappeared altogether.
"How does he do that?" Wolverine muttered, before getting on his bike and gunning the engine.