The Extraordinary Spider-Man - Vol 1
Chapter 25: Boiling Tensions
That night, Peter sat back in his bed, groaning. He had a bag of frozen peas on his ribs, and another on his head. He was also looking on his phone at articles about his rumble with Rhino and Scorpion. He then received a call from Gwen.
"Hey, Gwen. What's up?"
"Peter! Sorry for calling so late! I've been trying to make sure my house doesn't explode into chaos for the past few hours!" Gwen apologized. "My mom's been freaking out at my dad for all this supervillain shit."
"No, you're all good! Anyway, what's up?" Peter asked.
"Peter, I think you know what's up."
"This the part where you freak out and ask if I'm okay?"
"Of course. I always get worried when you go out, but this was just fucking insane."
"I'm fine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little battered."
"Well, no shit you're a little battered! A fight with both Scorpion and Rhino?!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Technically, it was me and Scorpion teaming up against Rhino. I'll explain later," Peter clarified.
"Well, that better explains why Rhino was taken in and the fact that Scorpion's on the loose now. Again."
"Speaking of which, where was Rhino taken?"
"My dad said he was taken somewhere called the Raft. Apparently some superhuman prison or something?"
"Sounds like the perfect place for him. And Scorpion if I take him in. Which I will," Peter declared.
"Pete, I can't stop you from going out there and doing what your gut tells you is the right thing-" Gwen started.
"What my gut knows is the right thing," Peter corrected.
"But I'll say the same thing as always. Just please be careful. Try not to be so reckless."
"I know I screw up every now and then, but I'll be fine. Honestly, I did better in today's fight with Rhino than I did in the last one."
"You're adapting and improvising. I'm proud. You still gotta learn how to properly fight though, bud," Gwen said.
"I'll try. Martial arts movies seem to be the best bet right now," Peter insisted.
"You know, my dad made me take self-defense lessons, so you could just go for those," Gwen suggested.
"Honestly, not a bad idea. Anything else your dad say that I should know?"
"Well, Justin Hammer was sent to the Seagate Penitentiary. Apparently, he was arrested for supplying Scorpion with the copelemia and potentially aiding him in his criminal activities."
"Honestly, that guy's been responsible for this Scorpion being a massive pain in my ass. Good riddance," Peter declared.
Carmilla's taxi pulled up to her mother's house, and she got out and went up to the front door. Ringing the doorbell, she waited until her mother came out.
"So, you're really leaving?" Monica asked her daughter.
Carmilla nodded. "I have to. After everything that's transpired in the past few months."
"I understand, sweetheart."
"Thank you. Is Edward here too?"
"Yes. Edward, come down!"
Monica's older brother came down. "You're really going, sis?"
"Yep."
"Sad, but can't say I blame you," Edward admitted. "Where are you gonna go, though?"
"Missouri. I got a friend there who says I can stay with her for a little while, and I'll probably find an apartment."
"Sounds good. I'm gonna miss you, Carmilla," Edward said, holding his arms out for a hug.
Carmilla hugged her brother. "I'll miss you too, Edward."
Monica hugged Carmilla afterward. "Take care, sweetheart. Love you."
"Love you too, mom."
Carmilla walked away from the house and into the taxi, ready to leave her old life behind.
In the Daily Bugle, Peter walked into Jameson's office, with his bruises concealed as always.
"Got photos for me, Parker?" Jameson asked, smoking a cigar.
"You got it, boss," Peter confirmed, handing Jameson an envelope.
Jameson opened the envelope and looked through the few photos that were taken. "Eh, whatever, decent, not bad, perfect! This one right here!"
Peter looked to see it was the photo of him struggling to get up while Scorpion shot copelemia at Rhino. "Of course it's the photo where Spider-Man's not even in action."
"Regardless, all three of these degenerates are getting exposed! And what the hell is it with these animal-themed criminals?! Also, I don't ask this enough, but how the hell did you get these pictures?!"
"I climbed on a pole and ran before the cops arrived," Peter lied.
"If you say so. Robbie!"
Robbie quickly walked in. "Yes, Jonah?"
Jameson handed Robbie the photo. "Take this photo. For this week's headline, 'Spider-Man, Scorpion, and Rhino Terrorize Abandoned Hospital!"
Robbie sighed before walking out. "Alright."
"$350 for the photo," Jameson offered.
"Okay," Peter muttered.
"Now scram."
Peter left the office and walked up to Betty and Ned.
"Another bash Spider-Man session?" Betty asked.
Peter nodded. "Yep."
A week later, Mac walked underneath a bridge, doing nothing but self-pity as he reflected on everything. He remembered everything. His past. His desire to join the military. The enthusiasm he and Hammer shared for the Super Scorpion Experiment. The hatred in his heart after learning about what Osborn did. His rivalry with Spider-Man and anyone who tried to kill him. The alliance he had with Tombstone. The first and last times he ever saw Carmilla.
"Give me your money, fucking freak."
Mac turned around to see a gang member aiming a gun at him. A few of his fellow gangsters were behind him.
"Holy shit, it's that Gargan guy from the news!" one of the gang members exclaimed.
"Crap, now I recognize him!"
"I think it is him!"
"MacDonald, huh? You wanna get me a Big Mac?"
"Step the fuck away right now. Before you regret it," Mac threatened.
"We probably shouldn't mess around," a gang member pointed out.
"True. Didn't this guy lose his wife or something?"
"Dad! You know that Valeria girl I told you about?" Harry asked his dad, who was walking over to his office.
"Let me guess. Got a date?" Norman guessed.
"Well, not technically. Maybe. I asked her to hang, and she's coming to pick me up now. Figured I'd let you know-"
"Harry, contrary to what you may think, I don't always have time to listen to all your high school drama. I have an important meeting with Mr. Fisk now.
"But it's not drama, it's-"
"Go hang out with your friend, Harry. I can't talk right now," Norman interrupted.
Harry simply nodded and walked away. Norman closed the door to his office. Fisk was looking out the window.
"Sorry about my son," Norman apologized.
"Eh, kids. What can you do?" Fisk acknowledged.
"Anyway, it looks like we have a victory on our hands."
"It's a win, but there's still further action we need to take. First off, you're positive you wiped any trace of your interference with that scorpion experiment?"
"Absolutely. Hammer was an idiot. He didn't get rid of the evidence when he could've, and for that, checkmate."
"Well, Tombstone ended up being smarter," Fisk admitted. "Looks like our little gang war with him isn't gonna cease for a little while."
"Don't say that. It's like you said. You can fight your way out of the tightest situations, as can I. A little more planning, and we should have a solid plan of offense," Norman mused.
"What about Scorpion? You know he's coming for you, right?"
"Yes. And I'll be ready."
Mac hurried back to the abandoned warehouse he had been hiding in for a week. His clothes and face were stained by blood, and his fists were bruised. He opened the door to the closet, where his Scorpion armor was hiding. As he faced it, he knew what to do.
"I'm done waiting. You're dead, Osborn."
At her desk, DeWolff was sipping a cup of coffee until she started hearing screams in the precinct. She, along with a few other cops, pulled out her gun and got up. As she approached a door, a cop was thrown right through it.
"Shit!" DeWolff yelled as Scorpion burst through.
DeWolff and the other cops shot at Scorpion to no avail as the villain punched DeWolff into a desk. Scorpion then fought through the other cops, throwing and punching them aside. He then made his way to the cells, where he found Herman Schultz sitting in one of them.
"Son of a bitch, it's you!" Herman exclaimed. "I tangled with you and Spider-Man back in December!"
"Yeah. Well, I have a proposition for you if you're interested," Scorpion offered.
"What are you talking about?"
"It involves a lot of money and a hell of a lot of fun."
Herman chuckled. "I'm in."
Scorpion ripped the bars off the cell. "Where do we get your equipment?"
"They probably have it in the evidence room."
"Let's go."
Scorpion and Herman ran out of the cells, encountering more cops. Scorpion easily took care of them as Herman used him as a human shield. They made their way to the evidence room, where there was a glass display of Shocker's gauntlets and armor.
Herman smiled. "Shocker's back, baby."
Peter was swinging around that night, looking around for action. He landed on a billboard, looking on Instagram, specifically stalking Gwen's profile. His Spider-Sense eventually started tingling, and he looked to see a familiar shockwave on the ground.
"Perfect," Peter said as he swung down.
Shocker was blasting cars aside, with people running away in fear. Peter landed in front of him.
"Well, if it isn't Shocker," Peter chuckled. "Didn't I put you away a few months ago?"
"Yes, you did. I'm still down to tango if you are though!" Shocker declared as he shot an air blast at Peter.
Peter jumped over the blast and swung over to kick Shocker in the chest, knocking him down. However, Shocker countered with an electric punch to Peter's face, along with a kick to the chest. Peter shot a web at the gauntlet, only for Shocker to blast Peter off.
"You're still such a novice, aren't you?" Shocker mocked, shooting another wave.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same about you," Peter countered, jumping over the wave.
Peter shot some web darts at Shocker, who deflected some of them with his gauntlets. Peter swung over and dodged another air blast, proceeding to punch Shocker across the face. He then sweeped Shocker's legs, knocking him down. Shocker shot an air blast at Peter, who quickly dodged it. Shocker got back up and shot a massive blast. Peter tried to swing away, though the frequency of the blast hit him at the last second and sent him flying to the ground. As he started to get up, Peter's Spider-Sense started tingling. He turned around, only to be smacked in the face by Scorpion's tail.
Peter woke up on top of a building, with Scorpion standing in front of him.
"Rise and shine, Spider," Scorpion said.
Peter quickly got up, only to be punched in the face by Scorpion. Peter threw a punch, only for Scorpion to grab it and punch him in the face again, before knee bashing in the face, knocking him down. Scorpion then kicked Peter in the side and grabbed him, raising him above his head and throwing him down, smashing part of the roof.
"Shit," Peter groaned as he tried to get up.
Scorpion kicked Peter in the face, before grabbing and slamming him against the chimney of the rooftop.
"You're probably expecting me to kill you," Scorpion said.
"If you wanted to, you would've done so already," Peter responded.
"Smart kid. Before I do anything else, it's time you finally understand my perspective. Time you finally see why I'm doing all this."
Disclaimer: Spider-Man and any other Marvel characters are created and owned by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. I do not have any ownership over them.
Here with the newest chapter! Two more left after this! Feels so crazy that I started almost half a year ago! Hope you guys have had a great week so far. Hell, I hope the beginning of school has been good for you guys, as I assume a decent amount of you have started or will start. Also, I beat the main story campaign of Batman: Arkham Origins, though I didn't complete all the side missions, especially the Riddler. Hell, I left before I could. Speaking of which…
I just moved into college at UIUC, and it's honestly been awesome. I don't start my junior year for a week, but living on my own has been legit dope so far. It's such a new experience living alone, and it's awesome. I met up with a friend today to explore the town and campus, and it's better than I expected! Definitely a change from two years of community college. I've gotten to know my awesome roommate for the past four months, and he moves in on the 20th. Should be exciting!
The two final chapters of Vol 1 will be out in the next two weeks. Expect the Vol 1 finale to especially be exciting, and if you wanted teasers for Vol 2, then be very excited. Thanks again so much for sticking with me, and as always, favs, follows, and reviews are always appreciated!
Rollerparty - Lol I knew you'd appreciate that! And who knows how he'll feel about it? I remember loving the movie when it first came out, but upon subsequent rewatchings, I really grew to dislike it. And I'm glad you're excited for Vol 2! Expect exciting things! I also remember you asking me at one point what else you could read about Spider-Man. Unfortunately, most of these stories haven't updated in a really long time, but I really liked Cking91's Spider-Man: Years One and Two, and AI David's Web of Spider-Man: Origin. ShadowStrike234's The Invincible Spider-Man is another great read, as is ThePurpleArcher24's The Spectacular Spider-Man, and I was previously part of humanspidertobey's Along Came a Spider-Man Vol. 1-3.
ShadowStrike234 - Thanks, I'm glad you're excited! And yes he did. I know it's a video game, but I still question how tf Riddler got his shit everywhere in all the Arkham games. Like, it's ridiculous. And who knows how Harry will feel…
Fate-Be Changed - I figured you of all people would appreciate the team-up! I hope you like where their conflict goes at the end of the volume!
Marvel Nerd - Yes he did! And truth be told, not sure where I'll go next with him! You never know though!
Teller-Story - No spoilers, but you'll see where his arc goes!
Guest - Lol it'll most likely be the theatrical cut he'll see first.
BruceDianaWayne - Thank you, that means a lot to me! I'm glad you care so much about Peter and Gwen becoming romantic, because I have been focusing a lot on their chemistry. Hopefully you'll be satisfied with whatever happens between them!
-redbird12