The Sensational Spider-Girl
Chapter I: Great Power
"New York City. If only everything down there looked as peaceful as it does from up here." the costumed heroine spoke as she swung through the city. It had only been a little over a month since she'd first debuted, but everyone already knew her as the spectacular Spider-Girl.
To the citizens of New York she was a lovely vision... as strange and seemingly alien as some goddess from the moon. Her costume consisted of a strapless and armless blue leotard with a generous v-shaped cleavage window that was covered by a web-like pattern with a red web belt pattern sewn on with a black spider symbol.
Her mask completely covered her face and hair and was all red with black webs and white eye covers. Her gloves and boots also followed the same pattern. Her outfit's spider motif was in reference to the eight-legged creature that had given her her powers, and it soon became familiar to all breakers of the law.
She wasn't alone however as her boyfriend Peter had been a big help in helping her hone her abilities and creating her spider-gimmicks. In fact he was the one who suggested she become a superhero in the first place. She never would've done anything like this if it had been just her. Without him she would've simply remained Betty Brant, secretary to J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle.
Betty Smiled beneath the mask when she thought about Peter, if things remained quiet maybe they could go out to diner tonight? That's assuming Jameson doesn't swamp her with work like he did last time. That man could be a real taskmaster at times.
Her thoughts were soon cut short by the sounds of sirens down below. Looking down she could see a line of Police cars in hot pursuit of a red convertible. The two men inside were taking potshots at the officers behind them, causing some of them to swerve and crash crash.
"This looks like a job for Spider-Girl." Betty commented before giving chase after the men. The two meanwhile remained oblivious to her as they were more concerned with losing the cops. He aimed his gun at the nearest car and began shooting at the windshield.
The officer behind the wheel swerved which in turned caused the car behind him to slam into the passenger side door. The following car behind them was forced to steer clear of the two and was sent crashing straight into a row of parked cars on the side of the road.
The impact caused the car to flip into the air in violent display of broken metal and shattered glass. Betty saw this and winced. She prayed the officers inside would be alright. He biggest concern at the moment was making sure the flying car didn't land on top of the crowd of frightened civilians.
Knowing she needed to move fast, the rookie her swung high into the sky and shot two web lines as the car. She then shot two more lines at the buildings behind her and quickly connected the webs. The car came to a dead stop just before it could crush the crowd.
The people present flinched at the sight of the incoming vehicle, expecting to be flattened, but soon calmed when they saw the the webs holding it in place. It was a sight they'd slowly grown accustom to over the last month, and what followed gilled them all with a sense of ease. The red and blue clad superheroes known as Spider-Girl.
Betty again felt a smile coming on as she swung past the cheering crowd of people she'd just saved. It honestly made her feel like the heroes in those comic books she used to read. It was sights like that that reminded her that she wasn't a freak. It was just like Peter said, she was a person with great power and great responsibility.
"Go get 'em Spider-Girl." someone called out.
They needn't say anymore as that was the plan. She swung faster and felt the wind rush by as she kept close to the ground, just slipping between the cars that were already on the road. In no time flat she was back on the trail of the two gunmen.
The man in the passenger side caught sight of her first and quickly made to reload his gun. "We've got trouble!"
It was then Betty felt an odd pull in the back of her head. The two men began to open fire on her and she swiftly began to dodge their fire. She twirled in the air with the grace of a swan and shot web-line after web-line to keep up with the speeding car.
The two men grew more and more desperate as she closed the distance. They couldn't hit her no matter how hard they tried. Where the rumors true? Was this woman even human? No one could just dodge automatic fire like this. It was impossible!
As they continued to empty their clips Betty finally closed the gap. She fired to web shots from her free wrist at the two goons, temporarily disorientating them. She landed on the trunk of the car just as the two men recovered and right before they could try to kill her again, she webbed both their hands together and tossed them into the air.
The two men immediately wrapped around a nearby streetlight and were left dangling by their arms. In the background Betty could hear their cries to be let down but ignored them as she hopped in the front seat of the car to pull over. She looked back at her handiwork with a clear sense of satisfaction. There was never a dull moment in New York City.
"All in a days work for Spider-Girl." she said to herself.
"I don't give a pica if the public thinks she's cut!" J. Jonah Jameson ranted. "I'd be Lucretia Borgia was cute too, and Tokyo Rose, Lady Macbeth and Dracula's daughter! But they're all menaces! And this Spider-Girl is the biggest menace of them all... taking the law into her own hands and swinging around in that indecent outfit!"
For the last month the middle-aged editor and chief of the Daily Bugle had taken what he considered to be a problem upon his shoulders... practically every issue of the newspaper he published blared virtually the same headline... 'WHO IS THE MENACING SPIDER-GIRL?'. It was a conundrum that at times kept him up at night.
Everyone in the Bugle simply let the man rant, when he got wound up there was almost no calming him down.
"Uh, sorry. Mr. Jameson's in a conference." Betty said into the phone from behind her desk. She'd long since changed out of her costume and into a simple long-sleeved green dress with gray heels. "I'll let him know you called Mr. mayor." her boss's constant ramblings used to fill her with annoyance but as of late she found herself more amused if anything. Maybe it was because he didn't know said menace was right under his nose.
She wasn't the only one who found his growing ire funny as Peter also found the newspaper owner's temper amusing. The geeky looking young man was seated on Betty's desk in his blue suit waiting to turn in his latest photos of New York's hottest hero.
"Ol' flattop's certainly in top for today. I'd hate to be around if he ever found out who Spider-Girl really is." Peter whispered.
"Just be grateful he never calms down enough to figure out how you get so many exclusive photos of our mysterious heroine, or how his secretary brings in so many facts about her for the reporters to write up." Betty whispered back.
"Enough already! This is a newspaper office, not a social club!" Jameson cut in, taking a long puff of his cigar. "I hope you and Ms. Brant brought me some dirt I can print on this masked menace!"
"Sorry Mr. Jameson, I just have the usual photos of her in action." Peter said before handing the square mustached man a yellow envelope. This was a plan devised by the two to capitalize on her newfound fame as a hero. Since she was hot news and everyone would want pictures, Peter knew he could make them a small fortune by selling those pictures to the Bugle.
Both of them needed the money, but none more so than Peter himself. He lived with his aunt and Uncle who raised him as if he was their own child and sacrificed a lot to make sure he had what he needed. As Peter got older he also got a better understanding of their financial situation and wanted to do whatever he could to pay them back for all they'd done for him.
Betty had gotten the chance to meet them on more than one occasion and they were without question the nicest people she'd ever met. She and Peter's aunt May bonded instantly and Peter's uncle Ben with the the most earnest person she'd ever talked too. That and he gave the best advice. She could see why Peter wanted to help them and she'd also help in any way that she could.
"Then get out there and find her!" Jameson bellowed. He then rounded on his secretary. "You too Ms. Brant! I want both of you out there, on the double!"
"Yes sir, Mr. Jameson." Betty smiled.
Fortunately for the pair finding Spider-Girl is as east as 1, 2, 3...
Peter smiled behind his camera when the flash went off. Once again he and Betty had managed to get some new photos for the Bugle to print in their latest issue. After Jameson sent them out they went to get lunch and spend some quality time together before duty eventually called. The day hadn't really been all that eventful and the pair chalked it up to Spider-Girl's influence.
So with not much happening on the ground, the duo decided to stage their own personal photo shoot. They waited till is was dark and then found a nice abandoned back ally for Betty to get change.
"Got it, honey. Now let's get a few of you lifting some heavy crates and walking on the walls." he said. Betty nodded. Once their photo session was done however, the two decided to call it a night. They weren't too far from Peter's house and since it was still quiet they could actually go out for diner, maybe get a pizza? "Well I'm beat. How about you get changed and we go out for dinn-"
"STOP! THIEF!" someone shouted.
As they walked out of the ally they could see a man blonde man in a red jacket running past them being chased by a beat cop.
"You've got to go after him before he get's away!" Peter whispered.
Spider-Girl raises her hand to to web-line the thief but all she receives is the sound of air. She was out of web fluid! "I... I can't! I'm all out of web fluid!"
The stunned officer looks on as the famous Spider-Girl does nothing. The thief had escaped. "He made it to his car! He's gonna get off scott-free!" he turns to the silent hero in anger. "What's with you, sister? All you had to do was use that super-strength of yours to hold him for a few seconds!"
"I... I'm sorry! I just couldn't-" Betty tried to defend before the cop continued.
"What's the matter, girlie? Was one two-bit hood a little too much for you?"
"Sorry pal, but that's your job! Maybe the lady just didn't feel like hurting the guy!" Peter finally cut in. Betty didn't need to get chewed out right now when she already felt horrible for letting a crook get away. Besides, she had a thing about her super-strength, and that was she didn't want to use it on people in way that could hurt them. It's one of the reasons he'd worked so hard on developing her spider-gimmicks in the first place. Carefully he began to lead her away from the disappointed officer. "Come on, let's go find a phonebooth or someplace private where you can slip out of that costume and we'll go to my house. Uncle Ben and aunt May are having roast beef night."
Hearing that made Betty feel a little better. "That sounds wonderful, Peter."
Later that night as Peter and Betty approached the Parker residence they instantly knew something was wrong. "A police car? In front of our house? What could've happened?" Peter said aloud. Betty felt just as concerned as Peter and followed closely behind as he ran up to the officer in front of his home.
The officer quickly grabbed a hold of him as he almost knocked him over in his sprint. Recognition soon fell over the cop as he'd seen pictures of the young man when he'd entered the home with his partner.
"What happened?" Peter asked, worry evident in his voice.
The officer steeled himself to deliver the bad news. "Brace yourself son. Your uncle Ben has been shot... murdered."
Just like that it felt as if the world had shattered to pieces. Ben Parker was dead. "Uncle Ben... dead! No! No, it can't be!"
Betty saw the tears in Peter's eyes at hearing the news, she could also see her vision had grown misty. She was crying too. She hadn't known Peter's uncle for very long but he was an amazing individual. Kind, caring, and above all else understanding. And now he was gone.
She gently reached out a hand to his shoulder. ""Peter... I'm sorry..."
Sadness soon gave way to rage. "Who did it?! Who shot him?!" he screamed at the officer.
"It was a burglar." the officer answered. "Your uncle surprised him, but don't worry, we've got him trapped. He's at the old Acme Warehouse at the water front. We'll get him."
Betty's fists tightened. The old Acme Warehouse. "I've got to go..." she whispered as she began to slip away. "I've got to get him."
Betty ran behind the Parker house and slipped inside before she quickly stripped out of her civilian clothes and into her costume. She knew the old Acme Warehouse. Jameson once crusaded to have it torn down as a possible death trap. She slid on her mask and double checked her web shooters. It was a good thing Peter made more before he went out for the day.
She crawled out the top floor and headed to the roof.
The old Acme Warehouse had been abandoned for years, the killer could hold off an army in that moldy rotting dump. But he wouldn't hold off Spider-Girl. She had to catch him, for Peter's sake. Once she made it to the roof she began to swing away away. The warehouse was clear across town, but that wouldn't be an issue for her.
As she looked out over the city she couldn't help but admit to herself that she really enjoyed this other identity. The only time she felt free and non-restricted was when she was Spider-Girl. It was almost like... she was really two people in one.
Sirens blared around the old Acme Warehouse. The rundown and boarded up structure was the perfect place for a criminal to hold up in case things got dicey. Betty arrived just in time to see four squad cars parked out front with cops around every corner and searchlights on nearly every window.
The man who killed Peter's uncle was waiting just inside and whoever he was, she wanted him first.
Deep within the building's structure the gunman waited, hunkered down behind a pair of crates. He straightened his cap and held his gun close while he looked through the planks in the window. He had a good vantage point to pick them off in case they tried anything funny. "All I gotta do is hold 'em off until the moon dies down. Then I oughta be able to slip away in the dark."
"That's pretty brave talk for a little man with a big gun." a voice mocked.
The crook was startled. As far as he knew he was the only one in here. Had one of the cops already got through? "That's a chicks voice, but up here...?" he said as he nervously began to look around. It was dark in the warehouse but lit up just enough for him to see where he was going. Then a sudden glow of a searchlight shown through the planks. He had to squint his eyes but he could swear that something was right above him. "Huh? Who's on the wall?"
The light got brighter and soon his eyes shot wide open. "What the...?!" It was a person! There was a person sticking to the wall?!
Betty looked down at the killer with hard eyes behind her mask. "Surprised to see a girl coming after the big bad murder? Well you're about to be even more surprised after what you did to that poor boys uncle!"
The mans flight instincts soon kicked in and he began to run. Spider-Girl was after him now. It was one thing when the cops were out to get him, but now a superhero. He couldn't fight her. She'd tear him apart. He tried to cut through a pile of crates and race for the stairs but she was already there blocking his only means of escape. He tried to go back the way he came but a wall of web blocked his path. She had him boxed in now. There was nowhere left to go.
Slowly she began to advance on him and he could almost feel the anger radiating behind that mask. He felt as if he was suffocating. "Let me just in form you now that there's nowhere on earth you can hide from me! That old man you killed was somebody special... special to someone whom I happen to love!"
The man literally had his back against the wall now. He was sweating and could feel his arms shaking. He had to do something. He had to get away. Slowly he lifted his gun, but his aim was unsteady. Before he could even try to pull the trigger he line of web latched onto the barrel and and yanked it out of his grasp.
"Now let's see if your still so tough..."
He was defenseless...
"Let's see if the the big brave criminal who took the life of an elderly man..."
She had him by the collar.
"Is just as brave against a young girl!" she shouted.
"N-no... please!" he begged.
It didn't do him any good. She pulled her fist back... and slammed it hard into his face. Instantly his world faded to black when the hit connected and he was sent down crashing down stomach first to the floor. Betty took a deep breath as she almost didn't realize she'd been trembling. Despite her anger she made sure to pull her punch as much as she could so she wouldn't cause any serious damage.
She leaned down and looked over the now disarmed and unconscious man. Her punch had sent him and his had to the ground. Slowly she turned him over and when she did she felt her eyes nearly pop out of her skull. It couldn't be. She lifts him up for a closer look and the longer she stared the more her body began to shake. All semblance of victory turned to ash in her mouth.
"T-that face! I-It's you! You're the one who ran past me earlier! The one I could've stopped, but didn't!" fresh tears started to well up in her eyes behind the mask. This was all her fault. Peter's uncles dead because of her. If only she'd grabbed him when she had the chance.
It was only the sound of broken wood that brought her out of her funk. The police had broken through. She couldn't stay here. She needed to leave. What she does next is expedient and without words. Her thoughts are heavy, as if the guilt weighing down her soul. She webs of the killer and proceeds to take her leave. As she does she can hear the praise of the officers for her efforts, but they don't fill her with any kind of joy or happiness. She didn't deserve praise. This whole thing could've been avoided if she had only done her duty. If she hadn't been so afraid to use her strength then Peter's uncle Ben would still be here.
Peter sat on the front porch looking up the sky, he'd finally gotten his aunt May to go to Anna Watson's while he waited for Betty to come back. In this quiet moment he thought back about his uncle, about those simpler times. He could still remember when he'd taken him out fishing when he was still just a boy. He couldn't catch a fish to save his life without help.
"Did you think it was gonna be easy, boy? Huh? Did you?" Ben lightly teased as he watched Peter struggle with his fishing rod.
"I can't do it uncle ben, you know my rotten luck!" he complained while he fought to reel in the fish.
Ben smiled of course while Peter began to slowly get more control. "Nonsense. Boy, Good or bad luck is nothing but the right or wrong mixed with up with opportunity, preparation, and confidence..."
Peter finally got enough control to finally reel the fish. A big one too.
Ben placed a proud hand to his shoulder for his success. "Now I know you were prepared because had a hand in that. We're looking square at opportunity."
Peter took a moment to wipe his eyes at the memory. It was always one that stood out to him. Right as he finished a lithe dropped on the lawn in front of him. It was Betty, still in costume but without her mask on. "Betty! Spider-Girl! Y-your mask!"
She didn't care at that moment if anyone saw her, she ran into Peter's arms and cried. "I'm sorry." she reaped. Over and over again like a broken she apologized. Peter wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"Sorry for what?" he asked.
She'd been dreading that question since she'd began the long swing back to him. She held nothing back. She told him everything. "It's my fault your uncle was shot! If I had stopped him when I had the chance then he'd never have been here tonight... and... and..."
"It's alright." he whispered gently. "You can't hold yourself responsible for uncle Ben's death, Betty. You couldn't have know." Peter didn't blame her. How could he? Betty couldn't see the future. There was no way for her to have known things would've turned out like this.
"But I am responsible, Peter. He's gone because I didn't fully realize in time what you told me. That... with great power, there must also come great responsibility." she continued to cry as she looked him in the eyes. She could see just how red his were from crying too. "I promise... I won't make that mistake again. As long as I live... Spider-Girl will never shirk her duty again."
She leaned into his chest and he leaned his head against hers. "Come on, let's go inside so you can get changed and we can head over to Anna's."
Betty nodded and allowed Peter to lead her inside. As he did she thought about her life from here on out. Robbers, killer, beware... Spider-Girl was here to stay."
END...