Author's Note: I apologize for the long absence, but I have returned with a large chapter to hopefully suffice you for the time being! Also make sure to check out the note in the end for some "Marvelous" news. As always I encourage and appreciate reviews! Enjoy!

The Marvelous Spider-Man

Chapter 21: "The Spider-Slayers, part 2"

Previously . . .

Smythe has finally finished his Slayers with help from Kingpin and Beetle. He sent them after Spider-Man. The hero, however, got caught in the middle of a fight with Eddie Brock after catching a carjacker. Eddie abandoned his date with Felicia, and was mistaken by Smythe to be the identity of Spider-Man. At the Bugle, a Spider-Man impressionist with actual skills impresses a crowd in Times Square, which Peter wants to check out…until the Slayer breaks into the Bugle and kidnaps Eddie.

Meanwhile, Harry worries about Liz being at the Bugle because of the past of the business and his dad. However, his father tries to assure him that everything will be fine. In other areas, Gwen receives a business offer from a modeling agency in L.A., and Thomas is surprised when she considers it.

Aunt May takes a trip to New Jersey to have a secret meeting with SHIELD's colonel Nick Fury. How does she know him? What is her deal? She is being asked to search for secret files in Peter's parents old house…

Abandoned Parker Household, New Jersey

Today was a hard day for May Parker. She was forced once again to go back to the past thanks to Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. While he wasn't her most favorite person in the world, he was trying to help save the Parker legacy. It was difficult for May having to deal with it all, but she looked toward the future, knowing that if the truth was finally found and revealed, that it would all be over with.

It was something she's been hiding from Peter since he was a little child, it was something that she tried to hide from herself at times, thinking it would just go away like a bad dream. But Fury made sure that didn't happen. He made sure that May would somehow get caught up in Richard and Mary's dealings with SHIELD. Of course, they were more than dealings, but she called it that to hide the truth that Peter's parents were once agents of SHIELD.

She had arrived at the old Parker house in New Jersey. This was the house that Richard and Mary lived in after they got married. They lived there up until a few years after Peter was born, and moved to New York closer to May and Ben.

May felt a bit stressed visiting such an old and painful past, but she went on with it. She couldn't bear the thought of SHIELD agents trashing through this home until they found what they wanted.

She entered through the front door using an old key that was given to her a long time ago when she stayed and watched Peter while the parents were out on the job.

She wasn't a part of it at first. They actually did a great job of hiding it from her. While Richard did tell his brother, Ben, he was a part of SHIELD; he really kept the details hidden. They revealed it to May when she kept asking why they would go off for so long without a reason.

May began to cry as she walked into the house. She remembered the several Thanksgivings and Christmases shared at this house. She remembered the days when Ben and Richard would sit down and hope the Lions finally pull off an upset win, unless they played a New York team of course.

The old wood floor squeaked as she entered the dining room. Where she reminisced on the dinners and family games they had here. Finally she entered the family room where she found out that Mary was pregnant with Peter. It was a moment that changed her life forever.

May pulled off her gloves and put them in her pocket. She realized that she had to do some detective work here. She knew that Richard kept several secrets in his office, so she decided to start there. She walked around the hallway into Richard's office, and opened the door. She slowly walked around the desk and sat down in the chair.

Part of her didn't want to do this. She felt wrong going through Richard's things. As she scanned the desk with an emotional face, she came upon a picture of Mary and a 6 year old Peter, which showed that his parents still used this house even after they moved. It was the same year that Peter began to live with her and Ben. She suddenly became motivated.

She opened a few drawers and pulled out what little files were still there. The files were smothered in dust showing that they haven't been touched in years. She opened a few of them, not really wanting to read into detail, but when she came across one that had a huge "CONFIDENTIAL" written across it, she figured something big had to be inside.

She opened the file and saw it was registered by someone named Jack Fury. She assumed there was a relation, so she was on the right track. However, it didn't end there. She continued to flow through the files, she came upon something called Weapon X and the Super Soldier Program.

As May continued to read through the research, she discovered that these files were created sometime during the Cold War. She covered her mouth as she gasped for air. Richard and Mary were agents during the war with Russia. It appears that more happened behind the scenes than any news reports shared.

Quickly, she shut the files, and held her head down. She grabbed the files, and placed them in a book bag that she found under the desk.

She quickly left the office and walked swiftly out of the house. As she walked down the street back into town, tears ran down her eyes. There was so much more that she didn't know and didn't want to know. But somehow she knew that giving these to Fury would bring out the secrets that have been kept for decades.

Times Square

The giant robot was fast. Its rocket-like jets was helping it outrun Spider-Man quickly. He tried to catch up, but there was no hope. Soon the chase led over Times Square. Spider-Man was determined to not let it escape with Eddie. They may have been enemies, but he wasn't going to let him get kidnapped. More importantly, he wanted to know who was behind this and why they wanted Eddie.

However, Spider-Man was about to face another issue as down near the streets, the Spider-Man imposter was showing off and chanting below.

"Citizens of New York, are you ready to see the fight of a lifetime!" He shouted among the crowd. He had them bedazzled with several Olympic-like moves and abilities. They cheered at his performance and responded to his question with shouts of excitement.

"Be ready! Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will arrive soon and only one of us will be crowned winner!" the man said.

His voice was deep and demanding. Not the type of voice expected from someone with his looks. Whoever this guy was, he knew how to get attention. His intentions were unknown, he seemed to be a glutton for attention, but his skills were something to be worried about. At least that's what Captain George Stacy thought as he watched from the crowd. He had seen enough freaks to let this go unnoticed. As far as the rest of New York was concerned, he was just another street performer, but the fact that he was challenging Spider-Man, and had similar skills and a similar, if not uglier costume, was just another reason to be worried.

"Carter, I want you to take Macendale, and circle around the other side of the street, I want to keep an eye on this fella."

"Roger that."

"If I know Spider-Man, he'll be here soon . . ." George Stacy said to himself.

As he said that, Spider-Man landed on the street below flashing his famous pose.

"Ah, and there's the spider now." the imposter said.

Spider-Man walked up to him and faced him, "Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'll have you know . . ."

Spider-Man was soon interrupted by a quick right hook to the face. His spider sense flashed, but not fast enough. The crowd gasped as Spider-Man flew backwards and fell to the ground.

"Name's Tarantula . . . that's all you need to know for now at least. I want you to know I've been looking forward to this."

This guy's for real . . . and he doesn't pull his punches.

"Come on boy! Show me your real strength!" Tarantula shouted.

Spider-Man pulled up his mask to spit out blood, and then folded it over his lower face. He then began shooting web bullets at the masked man, who dodged them with ease as if he had reflexes as quick as Spider-Man.

"Ha, don't insult me. Your pathetic webs aren't living up to your potential. Give me a real fight!" Tarantula said as he knocked away a web bullet headed for his face.

He then rolled to the side shooting out a grappling hook from his wrist, which had grasped him at his neck. Tarantula pulled him in and threw him to the ground.

Spider-Man used his hands to support the impact, and flung back at Tarantula's face with his feet, knocking him back slightly; however, he was stronger than he looked. Spider-Man then shot a web at his ankle and pulled, causing him to fall back and land hard on the pavement.

"Who are you?" Spider-Man shouted.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough . . ." Tarantula muttered as he sprung back into battle.

Meanwhile, Unknown Location

Eddie's eyes slowly began to open. He shook his head as he tried to regain consciousness. He tried to move his arms and legs, but he was shackled down to a table that was placed at an angle.

"Uh, where am I?" He mumbled.

He looked around to see a large computer screen blacked out at the moment. The Slayer which had captured him was to his left, and in front of him was Alastair Smythe, sitting in his wheelchair.

"I see you're finally awake." Smythe said.

"Who are you? Let me go!" Eddie cried.

"Believe me, not even your spider strength can help you out of those locks. They're made of pure titanium steel."

"Spider strength?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Brock, I know who you are, and believe me when I say you are going to pay dearly for the death of my father."

"Your father? Dude, I don't even know who the hell you are! And I am not Spider-Man!" Eddie screamed.

"Shut up! I know you are! I saw you leave the alley, you write articles about yourself, and you just happen to be where he is!"

"You're insane!"

"Am I? Or is it the piece of scum here who shows the world he's a hero and turns around and murders the citizens of the city!" He shouted.

Eddie wasn't even trying anymore; he couldn't get through this man's head. He was clouded with the thoughts of revenge.

"What are you going to do?" Eddie asked.

"If it wasn't for some deals I had to keep, you'd be dead already . . . count your blessings, Spider-Man . . ." Alastair threatened.

As Alastair wheeled past the computer, a spider-seeker's view suddenly showed on screen, "Spider-Man detected." A robotic voice said.

"What? Impossible . . ."

Eddie's heart suddenly slowed down slightly as a video of Spider-Man in a fight with the Tarantula showed on screen.

"Hmm . . ." Alastair thought to himself.

"What did I say . . ." Eddie said.

"Doesn't matter . . ." Alastair wheeled over to his Spider-Slayer and starting firing up its throttle.

"Wait! Aren't you going to release me? I am no use!"

"Believe me, you are . . ." Alastair replied.

"As what?" Eddie cried.

"Leverage."

OsCorp

Liz never knew how tough it was being a secretary, especially for a highly regarded scientist like Norman. He constantly was receiving messages and had meetings scheduled. It wasn't all that bad though. Norman had a lot of time set aside for working in his labs. During that time, Liz really had the time off. She would answer the phone occasionally, but if Norman allowed, she would take the time to go out. Right now, Liz was just packing up before she had to leave when Gwen unexpectedly entered the building.

"Gwen? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to set an appointment with Norman." Liz joked.

"No, actually . . . this is something kind of important." Gwen said.

Liz showed concern, "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Actually I was hoping that we could go somewhere and talk about it." Gwen said.

"Well, Harry's going to be picking me up any time now . . ."

"Oh good, maybe he can help too."

"Is this about Thomas?" Liz asked blatantly

"Not really . . . I mean, he's involved . . ."

"Say no more, I'll just go tell Mr. Osborn that I'm leaving." Liz said with a smile.

Gwen leaned on the front desk while Liz went into the labs, during that time, Harry walked in.

"Gwen, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I need to talk with you and Liz about something important." Gwen said.

"Oh . . . is this about Peter?"

"What? No . . . why did he say something?"

"What? No I just . . . you . . . I don't know, I'm bad at guessing and . . ." Harry looked around awkwardly, "Where's Liz?"

"She'll be back in a second." She answered.

Harry and Gwen now stood there awkwardly, both of them flashing each other a smile that the other responded too.

"So, how's Peter doing?" Gwen asked reluctantly.

"Oh, he's good . . . today's MJ and his one month anniversary . . ."

"Oh has it only been a month?"

"Yeah . . . only?"

"Oh it's just it seems they've been together forever!" Gwen said, laughing slightly, "but wow, good for them."

Harry cursed himself inside knowing that was a stupid answer to her question. Although she was able to get over the fact he had moved on, she hadn't fully gotten over him yet.

Thankfully for Harry, Liz had finally returned to stop the very long minute from lasting any longer.

"Hey, Harry, mind if we go to a coffee shop with Gwen real quick?" She asked her boyfriend.

"Oh, yeah, no problem." He replied.

Coffee Shop

Gwen sat across from Liz and Harry who were listening to Gwen's latest predicament.

"So, I really think it's a great opportunity, and I probably won't even get the job, but I think . . . I think it's something to look into."

Liz looked a little worried, "But Gwen, L.A. is so . . . so far away"

"I know, but we're talking about one of the biggest modeling agencies in the country! And they chose me! – A small New York girl with a little experience in front of a camera."

Liz wasn't convinced, Harry, however, took more of a positive outlook.

"Gwen, I think you should go. I mean, you might or might not get the job, but hell, the trip to L.A. is an experience in itself."

"That's true." Gwen replied, "Thomas is totally against it. Like, he doesn't want me considering it."

"Supportive." Harry commented, earning him an elbow from Liz.

Harry rubbed his arm, "Look, Gwen, I'm just saying I would go in a heartbeat. How long will you be gone?'

"Just a few days. If I do get the job, they'd give me free flights back to New York to move there."

"Not a bad deal." Harry said.

"You want it, Harry?" Liz added with a bit of anger in her voice, "Gwen, I understand this is your decision, but what about school? What about your friends? What about Peter?"

"Why separate Peter from my friends?" Gwen asked suspiciously.

"Don't pretend you still have feelings for him Gwen. I know you wish there was something more between you two. I've seen the way you and Thomas walk around. There is no spark, and you know it. Moving to L.A. isn't going to solve those problems!"

Gwen was silent. She stood up and grabbed her jacket, "Thanks for the help, Harry." Gwen left without acknowledging Liz on her way out.

Liz stared angrily at the table, while Harry sat beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned in on him, beginning to tear up.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Liz asked.

"Liz, you know Peter's still a subject to be avoided with Gwen." Harry said.

"I just don't understand how she could get up and run to L.A. and leave us all behind! It's like she doesn't care!"

"She cares enough to come talk to us before making her decision. She cares enough to talk to us despite her own boyfriend telling her not to. Gwen's old enough to make her own decisions, Liz, and she has to do what's best for her."

"I don't want to lose her, Harry . . . we've been such good friends and . . ."

"Liz, she may not even get the job."

Liz thought over what Harry was saying. He was getting really good at being a motivational talker, and making sure you knew when you were wrong. Liz was wrong and it was even worse of her to bring in Peter as an excuse. She just didn't want to lose her closest friend since high school. However, to not support Gwen wouldn't be a good friend act, and it was also selfish.

"I'll call her tonight . . ."

Daily Bugle

"Wow, what a mess." Ned says as he shoved some more bricks out of the middle of the office, trying to clear a path.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life, Ned." Robbie said.

"Do you think it's one of Stark's?" Ned asked.

"Possibly, but Stark wouldn't be the one behind it. I don't understand why it would want Eddie."

"Well, Pete flew out of here pretty fast, so I'm thinking Spider-Man's probably on the trail if Peter's on the trail."

"Maybe I'll call him, and see what he has found out . . ." Robbie said, walking over some more debris and bricks that covered the floor eventually making it to the corner of the office.

Ned, meanwhile, looked over toward his desk, and noticed Betty was still cornered up against the wall, staring down the floor. Ned walked over and sat down beside her.

"You okay?" Ned asked.

"I'll be alright . . . just, a little shocked is all."

"Tell me about it."

"Is this what our job consists of, Ned? I mean, we report everything we can on daily news. It's such a harmless job, but then suddenly we have an inside on the red and blue vigilante, and we've dealt with mutated men and large robots . . ."

"I'm sure this is what every news station goes through, Betty."

"I'm serious, Ned . . . think about it, we put our lives on the line every day we come to work just because you never know what kind of weird phenomenon Jonah or Peter is going to get us caught up in."

Betty was really worried. Although the Scorpion and Lizard weren't dealt with at the Bugle, she had an interaction with the Chameleon, and the building was almost brought down by a large, robotic creature.

"Hey . . ." Ned said, as he placed his arm around her, "Don't worry. This is just a string of bad luck, okay? And if anything happens, I'll be right here to protect you."

Betty leaned over on Ned for support, "Thank you."

Ned smiled as he felt her head rest on his shoulders. Robbie walked back over and smiled at him. He had been waiting for months for Ned to finally make his move on Betty. They had flirted back and forth for a while now and even Robbie had tried to encourage Ned in some ways. Ned smiled back at his boss as he comforted his friend.

Times Square

Spider-Man lay on the cold pavement. He knew it was cold because his part of his costume was ripped under his arm and his leg. He was literally in one of the toughest battles he's ever faced. Spider-Man wiped the blood off of his exposed arm and faced up against a well-trained Tarantula. There wasn't a mark on this man. It was like he was invincible. Spider-Man couldn't hit him head on. If he managed to get a few good hits, they were quickly countered with twice the strength.

Spider-Man slowly stood up. The crowd around them was starting to get worried. At first it looked like it was all fun and games, but even the cops were beginning to near their weapons.

"How much are you willing to fight, Spider-Man?" Tarantula taunted.

Spider-Man felt as if he was risking his dignity by fighting him. He was just a weirdly dressed man making fun of the hero; however, Spider-Man felt something bigger was at plan here. This man was for real, and not just a street performer.

"What do you want from me?" Spider-Man asked.

"Nothing . . . I think I've proved my point." Tarantula said.

". . . And that is?" Spider-Man continued to ask.

Tarantula smiled smugly. It could be seen by the crowd that he was proud of his victory over Spider-Man. He may not have been down, but the way the battle was going, it was obvious.

"That question can be answered at another time. Just know that this isn't going to be the last of me you're going to see. And not just you . . ." He turned to face the crowd, "but all of New York!"

Spider-Man began to charge Tarantula as he made his speech, but before he could strike, a large explosion caught the two super powered individuals off-guard, as well as the crowd, who began to scatter and scream.

Captain Stacy looked up to see the cause of the explosion – the Spider-Slayer. It had returned for the true Spider-Man.

"What the (%*#?" Captain Stacy muttered under his breath.

The Slayer hovered down above Spider-Man who had taken just about enough punishment for one day. His battered-up masked allowed him to get a clear vision of what was surrounding him. He knew it was the Slayer that took Brock. With no energy to fight back, he took relief in the fact that he would get a chance to rest before having to save Brock, and take down whoever was behind this. The Slayer sent two tentacles out of its chest to grab the wall-crawler around his waist and pull him into a small compartment in its large mechanic body.

"Captain?" Carter commented from behind, holding his pistol in hand, "What do we do?"

"I haven't got the slightest idea . . ." He said.

Ellis Island

The Spider-Slayer flew over the river and was soon at Ellis Island. The large robot flew above an abandoned parking lot. The ground began to shake, and the floor opened up to reveal Smythe's hidden laboratory.

A couple moments after, Spider-Man woke up chained up on a table right next to Eddie Brock. Peter could see through the hole in his mask that this was no joke. There was enough technology in here to make Norman Osborn giddy.

"Hey." Spider-Man said to Eddie with a worn out voice.

"Shut up." Eddie said.

"Right . . . Why are you caught up in this?" Spider-Man asked as he began to scout the area. No one was around except for the deactivated Spider-Slayer.

"They thought I was you." Eddie scowled.

"Me?" Spider-Man laughed just to annoy Brock, "Who's they?"

"Some creep in a wheelchair and his big boss." Eddie answered, looking away from Spider-Man, not even wanting to look at him.

Suddenly a door opened from behind the large computer, and Alistair Smythe wheels out, "Spider-Man." Smythe said, holding back the hatred as much as he could.

"Who are you?" Spider-Man asked.

"I am Alistair Smythe. I have built these Spider-Seekers, and the Spider-Slayer."

"Smythe . . . why does that name sound familiar?"

"Maybe because it was the name of my father, the one you murdered."

Spider-Man jerked back in surprise. He didn't expect him to make an accusation such as that, at the same time, he continued to think about who the father was.

"Whoa, Alistair, I have never killed anyone in . . ."

"Bull$#*! I know all about what you did! Kingpin told me all about it. The kind of person you are."

"Kingpin? It's no wonder you're confused; the man's a crime lord!" Spider-man fought back.

"But who's the real criminal here . . . you."

"I didn't kill him!"

"Say what you want, I know the truth, and now I'm going to find out who the true murderer is." Alastair said as he approached Spider-Man, planning to remove his mask, with Eddie Brock right behind him.

But once again, Spider-Man was saved by a dramatic entrance from another villain. An explosion caused fire and smoke to enter the room as the Beetle flew into the lab.

"Beetle?" Spider-Man said.

"Jenkins, why are you here?" Alastair yelled, angry at the interruption.

"To retrieve the package."

"I told Kingpin I will let him have Spider-Man when I am done!" Smythe yelled in return.

"Plans change." Beetle said as he shot a rocket from his arm toward Smythe, Brock, and Spider-Man. The rocket caused Smythe to fly out of his chair and onto the computer. Brock and Spider-Man were then knocked loose from the floor, but were still chained to the tables.

Smythe pounded his fist on the keyboard, "That Liar! Slayer, Activate!" Smythe commanded as Beetle flew above it, but the mechanic villain was on top of it all.

He dropped a small EMP grenade onto the floor, the same type he used against Iron Man a few days ago. The radius shut down the slayer instantly, while Beetle stayed far away from the blast range.

"No! How dare you!" Smythe screamed as he fell down to the floor. Meanwhile, Spider-Man continued fiddling with the locks around his wrists and legs. He looked over to Eddie Brock who was completely unconscious from the blast.

I am so confused right now . . . Spider-Man thought to himself

Beetle took out his two last grenades from his belt, and tossed one toward the computers, and one to the Spider-Slayer. The explosion destroyed the slayer, causing pieces of metal to fly all around the lab. The computers were obliterated as well, causing an injured Smythe to cover himself on the ground.

After the noise settled, Smythe scanned around the lab. His anger grew even more as he realized all his work has been destroyed.

"Do you know what you've done!" He screamed at Beetle.

"I followed orders to make sure none of this gets traced back to Kingpin . . . including you." He said as he pointed his laser guns toward Smythe. Spider-Man realized this and angled his trapped hand toward Beetle, shooting a web line that hit right on his arm.

The hero pulled the web as much as he could being contained, which wasn't much, and caused the laser to hit just to the left of Smythe. It burned a nice hole right into the floor. Smythe looked over at Spider-Man in confusion, and then over to a small control panel near the tables Spider-Man and Brock were attached to.

"Pest." Beetle said, as he aimed his laser at Spider-Man now.

But he wouldn't be hit, Spider-Man kept up an assault of web bullets to distract him as much as possible. This gave Smythe the time he needed to crawl over to the control table, and smash a button with his fist. This caused the locks around Spider-Man and Eddie's arms and legs to be opened, releasing them. Spider-Man quickly took advantage, leaping from the ground into the air, barely dodging a laser that burnt through the tables.

Spider-Man shot a web line at the Beetle, using him as a stable point to launch himself. He led with his foot and kicked Beetle square in the face. breaking that large yellow glass eye that covered his face.

Spider-Man then zipped up to the ceiling, while Beetle recovered from the attack. Two missiles were revealed from a compartment in his back. Spider-Man's spider-sense began to warn him of the missiles, but not just that. He soon realized what two small missiles would be able to do to a small underground lab.

As the missiles launched toward the ceiling, Spider-Man quickly swung out of the way, and toward Beetle. He shot a couple web bullets to distract him, and then grabbed him around his neck. They were still airborne as Spider-Man hung onto him.

"Get off!" Beetle struggled, but with no luck to get Spider-Man off his back.

The Wall-crawler watched the ceiling begin to crumble from the impact of the missiles, as he held onto Beetle.

"Smythe! This place is coming down, get out of here!" The hero yelled to him.

Smythe did as he told and crawled for the exit, while Spider-Man continued to struggle in mid-air with Beetle, who finally got the upper hand by grabbing his right arm, and tossing him over his head. Spider-Man landed on the ground though, right next to Eddie Brock.

"This all makes sense now. The attack on Stark Industries, the battery needed to charge the large robot. Kingpin must really be pissed if he's willing to send so much money just to get rid of lil ol' me."

Beetle prepared to shoot another laser at Spider-Man, who was prepared to defend another attack. However, he didn't have to. A large piece of rock came crashing below towards Beetle, Although he being crushed under the debris, he was now, under assault by several pieces of debris falling down from the missile attack.

Spider-Man was at the exit holding Brock over his shoulder, "You know, you really gotta learn how to handle those weapons indoors."

Spider-Man quickly swung outside where Smythe was waiting for him. The doors were open above from Beetle's entrance, and there were already a few civilians surrounding the area, as well as cops due to the large amount of commotion they were making.

Spider-Man quickly swung both Eddie Brock and Alistair Smythe up to the parking lot, and went back down to make sure Beetle hadn't escaped. He ran into the lab, to find him shooting off debris as he made his way toward the exit.

"Come on! Get out!" Spider-Man shouted.

Beetle turned around and took his advice. Firing up his boosters to full power, he flew out of the lab, into Spider-Man, knocking him down on the ground, and out of the underground lab. Spider-Man quickly stood to his feet, but Beetle was already long gone, and the several citizens and policemen watched as he flew away into the distance.

Later . . .

Captain Stacy, Dewolffe, Macendale, and Carter arrived at the scene shortly after, allowing Spider-Man to clarify what happened. Eddie Brock quickly jumped at the opportunity to blame him for all that happened, but Captain Stacy sent him home after he took advantage of him last time. Alistair Smythe sat down on a bench overlooking the scene. He had a puzzled look on his face as he examined all that happened in the past month. From his father dying, to being approached by Kingpin, to creating dangerous equipment like Jenkins' suit and the Spider-Slayer.

"I know who your father is now." Spider-Man said as he stood next to Smythe, with Captain Stacy by his side.

Smythe didn't respond, he was about to go to tears after what just happened.

"I pulled him out of a fire at OsCorp. He was one of the few people that had ever been appreciative of what I've done."

A tear ran down the side of Alistair's face as he remembered his father.

"I know how you feel. I've been hurt in the same way you have. There's nothing like losing a father, or someone who practically was like a father."

Alistair held his head down, wiping away the tears. He looked up to Spider-Man, who's costumed was all ripped up from the recent fights he had been through.

"Wilson Fisk." Alistair muttered.

"What?" Spider-Man asked.

"Fisk . . . Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin."

Spider-Man and Captain Stacy were shocked. They had just been given information on the leader of one of the biggest criminal organizations in the world.

"Take him down." Alistair said, as he pulled into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a cross hanging off the end of it. He held it in his hands, and closed his eyes.

Spider-Man turned to leave Alistair alone, and turned to Captain Stacy, "Well . . ."

"You just realized he just accused one of the biggest philanthropists in the city as a crime lord."

"Captain! This clears up everything. It explains where he is able to use all this money to gather dangerous technology. It explains why Fisk had a confrontation with the Green Goblin a while ago, and now we know where to go! We can stop it all right here!"

"I wish it was that simple Spider-Man, but we have no hard evidence! Plus, this man has all the resources in the world to get out of a trial, there's no way he could be taken to court, if he really even is the crime lord."

Spider-man looked back at Alistair, and then back at Captain Stacy, "Trust me, he's telling the truth." Spider-Man said.

Gwen's Bedroom

She lay down on her bed, staring down at the ground. She continued to think over the situation of the job offer and everyone's perspective. Thomas didn't want her to go in fear of losing her. Harry was being supportive. Liz was just being selfish as Thomas by only caring about herself. She still felt like she was missing something though.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She turned around to her nightstand, and grabbed the cell phone, which caller id showed Liz. Although she was hesitant to answer, she did.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hi Gwen." Liz said softly.

Gwen didn't reply as if she was waiting for her to say something.

"Look, I'm sorry about today, at the coffee shop." Liz said, "It's just right now, I would hate for you to leave me, I mean, you're my only girlfriend here, and I didn't mean to sound like a jerk and the truth is I know it's a good opportunity for you." Liz continued, ". . . and as a friend, I should be encouraging you to follow your dreams."

Gwen smiled a little, although she was upset about the whole thing, Liz was too good of a friend to stay mad at her.

"Thank you." Gwen replied.

"And also about Peter, I know that it's still a subject that shouldn't be brought up like that. I'm glad for you and Thomas, really, but I do think that you should at least ask him like you've been asking us. He is still one of your friends."

"I don't know, Liz . . . Peter and I have been so distant since our talk. It's like we've changed."

"I still think it's a good idea." Liz said.

Gwen looked over at a picture of her and Peter she still had up on her dresser. He was on the other side of a picture of her and Thomas. Even if her and Peter were never a thing, she always wanted to remember the good times she had with her friends.

"Maybe . . ." Gwen said.

"Just think about it. If anything, he would appreciate it." Liz said.

Kirby Steakhouse.

Peter arrived at Kirby Steakhouse and quickly changed into a blue-buttoned up shirt, black slacks, and a blue and green striped tie that he picked up from his house before heading here.

He was glad he didn't wear the costume underneath his clothes as he was already sweating badly from nervousness, and he didn't need the extra heat. He was about fifteen minutes later than the date was set, as he arrived to the table to see a beautiful Mary Jane dressed in a sexy gold dress that was just revealing enough to cause Peter to choke on his greeting.

"Mary Jane, I am so sorry I am late, I got caught up at the Bugle and . . ." Peter stuttered as he looked upon her, "wow . . . you look beautiful." He muttered.

"It's okay, tiger, I understand, this has become a slight habit I've gotten used to." She smiled.

"You are way too nice to me." Peter said as he sat down at the table. A candle was in between them setting the perfect mood for a one month anniversary.

"The night ain't over yet." MJ replied.

Peter smiled back at her, as she rubbed her leg across his, If this keeps up, I hope it never does.

As the waiter took their orders, and brought them their drinks, they began to chat about some more personal things.

"So how is Aunt May doing?" Mary Jane asked.

"She's getting better. After the whole Max Dillon fiasco, she began to breakdown a little bit. She felt like she put me in danger as well as herself. I don't know if she's ever going to forgive herself for it. I try to make her feel better, but . . . I don't know."

"Oh, the poor thing." MJ said.

"Right now she's in New Jersey."

"New Jersey? What is she doing there?"

"Top secret . . . like really, I have no idea. She told me it had to do with my parents, so I gladly backed off the subject."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking." MJ said.

Peter sighed. It was always difficult bringing up his parents."

"Well you know that they were killed in a plane crash, and practically dumped me on my Aunt and Uncle. But I can't help thinking that there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I was so young that I barely even remember them. Who they were, what they acted like, what kind of parents they were. I remember one time I was nine, I accidentally called Aunt May 'Mom'. She responded in tears as did I because it showed how quickly I forgot who my true parents were. But there's just something about them that always puzzled me as a kid. Why they were always gone. Where did they go? Why would I always spend a week or two at Aunt May and Uncle Ben's."

"I'm sure it had nothing to do with you." MJ said

"I would be lying if I said that didn't cross my mind a few times."

Mary Jane stretched her hand across the table to grab Peter's, "Sometimes Aunt's can be the best mom's anyway."

"Isn't that the truth . . ." Peter replied, holding her hand in his.

As he said that, the waiter brought out two plates of thick and juicy steak. He placed them down on the table as Mary Jane and Peter released hands, and finished their dinner date.

Later that Night, Peter's Bedroom

Peter lay on the floor against the bed wearing a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. He looked around his room which was as clean as it had ever been. He was hoping to finally push the limits with Mary Jane tonight. As they have been dating, he has heated up, and she has cooled off. He was hoping to change that.

However, in the corner of his mind, he still couldn't help but think about the topics covered over dinner. His family, his past – it was something he hadn't dwelled on in a long time, mostly because he wanted to forget about it. But as he thought about it more and more, nothing made sense, and the fact that Aunt May was so secretive about it didn't help either.

A knock on his door quickly interrupted his thought, "Come in." Peter said, still sitting on the ground.

Mary Jane opened the door and walked into the bedroom wearing nothing but black lingerie. A smile crept across Peter's face slowly. She knelt down above him on the ground, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her back as he kissed her back.

"To think, I thought you were cooling off." Peter said.

MJ stood back up and went over toward the window in the bedroom, "Tiger, I'm just heating up." she said as she pulled the string causing the blinds to fold closed.

New Jersey

Aunt May sat down in a small park. The aura of the lamppost caused her to have an eerie feeling out in the dark. It was cold. She was covered in a thick coat. She had the book bag sitting beside her on the bench.

Shortly, Nick Fury arrived, wearing the same black leather outfit her wore earlier today and carrying the same case.

"May I?" he said, asking to sit down.

"Please . . ." May replied.

She pulled out the files from the book bag, and handed them to him. She was obviously trying to get this over with quickly.

Nick opened the files, and scanned over them quickly. He nodded and placed them in his briefcase.

"You did good, May. I can't thank you enough for this."

"Is this the proof you need? Are we finally through?" She asked desperately.

Fury sighed, "May, I don't know if this is ever going to get swept under the rug. You have to realize what is at stake here. Richard and Mary and being treated as traitors to their own country. Do you realize the offense here?"

"I understand, Fury, but I know my family and the type of people they were, and they would never betray anyone." May replied.

"I believe you, but the odds are stacked against them. My father knew that, and he tried to help them . . . I'm only trying to do the same . . . believe me, your legacy depends on it."

"And the only reason I'm doing this for you is so Peter will never have to deal with it . . . ever." Aunt May stopped for a moment, and then continued, "Why did you never tell me that they were soldiers in the Cold War?"

Fury turned his head; there were things he never told May. He should've known that she would look in the files.

"They weren't soldiers, they were spies. While there was a huge political fight on the surface, we knew, we just knew, that there was something going on deeper in Russia."

May sat there, scared and nervous, but still intrigued by the secrets that were kept.

Fury sighed once again, "May . . . you are probably the only citizen of the United States that is going to know this . . . but, we were right."

Next Chapter: Thrill of the Hunt

Author's Note: Well there it is! The latest chapter of "The Marvelous Spider-Man"! It's been a real great ride writing this series of now 21 chapters. I never thought I would make it that far. I want to thank all the fans of this series and all those who reviewed my chapters. It means a lot and by no means will I leave you . . .

While I realize that my posting this has been somewhat sporadic the past year, I do want you to know I don't plan I leaving. I just have to find the right times where I am inspired to write, and while I hope this doesn't continue as much as it has, I am beginning to write another Marvelous series in the background. I want to continue more with Spider-Man before I post it though. Just know that it's in the works! Do stay tuned for updates on this new series, as well as future posts of the Marvelous Spider-Man!