In the Body of a Human Arachnid #1
I slowly started to open my eyes. I knew that something wasn't right as I couldn't feel my bed or pillow underneath me. Once my eyes were fully opened, I blinked a few times to see if this was just another dream that I've been having over the last few days. It wasn't a dream, as I could see I wasn't in my bedroom!
I was trapped floating in a red empty space, it was so large that I couldn't see where it ended as with how bright the colour red was it looked like it went on for quite a distance.
"..."
"!"
I couldn't speak!
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out! Not only did I disappear from my home, but I also lost my ability to speak! This had to be a nightmare, there was no other way to explain any of this!
I was about to try speaking again, but something caught my attention, and I turned my head to look at it. The rest of my body turn in the same direction as well.
My eyes were greeted to the sight of six letters that were all too familiar to me, as those letters had given me characters that I've had plenty of memories of, and made plenty of memories with, despite the fact they were never physically there.
MARVEL
The name of one of the two biggest superhero companies in the world had appeared in front of me and I was beginning to wonder if this dream was going to be Marvel-related.
Before I got a chance to think any further, however, a bright light appeared that forced me to cover my eyes with my arms. I thought I went blind for a second there before everything went dark and I felt the space around me starting to shift around and change.
I tried to open my eyes, but that was much harder than expected. I then felt my feet touch a solid surface on the ground, my body started to feel a little different, and voices started to call out a name.
"Peter? Peter, are you alright?" asked a male voice.
I finally opened my eyes and saw that I was in a room that was full of science equipment and computer screens everywhere. I also noticed that I was wearing glasses as well. I then saw two elderly people looking at me with worried expressions on their faces.
"Peter, are you alright?" asked the elderly woman.
Peter? Was she talking to me? And why do the two of them look so tall? I'd be about half a head shorter than them. Instead, I'm a few feet shorter than I should be for some reason?
"Argh!"
I felt something sting on my right hand as I looked down and saw a spider crawling away on the floor. I looked at my hand and saw two red bite marks at the center of my hand!
"Peter, what happened!?" asked the man, as he called my Peter again for some reason.
Wait a minute! Peter, spider, lab, spider bite!
... I'm... Did I just become Peter Parker/ Spider-Man!
T-This was a dream! It had to be a dream! There was no way that this wasn't a dream!
Just before my head could process any more of this information, I felt my head starting to hurt and everything started to get all fizzy wherever I looked. It must have been the spider bite that just gave me my powers. I looked at the two elders, which were most likely May and Ben Parker before everything went dark and I fainted.
I slowly started to open my eyes again and was able to see that I was in a hospital bed and I was wearing a hospital gown. I knew that this was most likely thanks to the spider bite. In some continuities, Peter either fainted from the spider bite or didn't, I guess I wasn't that lucky.
The door to the room opened, which allowed May, Ben, and a doctor to walk in.
"Peter, are you alright?" asked May.
"Well, I don't feel my headache anymore, so maybe I am?" I answered.
"It appeared what you got was an allergic reaction from the spider that bit you. Thankfully we were unable to find anything wrong with you and it didn't appear to change anything, so all you need to do is get a week's worth of rest and you'll be fine." explained the doctor.
He said that the spider bite didn't change anything? Hmph, if only he knew!
"You folks are lucky that Mr. Octavius offered to pay the hospital bill for you guys. Not saying that it was going to be expensive or anything, but it was still nice of him to do so for you." the doctor commented.
Wait a minute... Did he say, Mr. Octavius! As in Dr. Otto Octavius, who's better known as Doctor Octopus, one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies!
He paid for my hospital bill! Were the Parkers and I at his research lab? Why was he researching spiders? I can't remember a single continuity in which Otto Octavius' research led to the accidental creation of Spider-Man. In Earth 1610/Ultimate Universe, Norman Osborn was the one responsible for creating the spider that gave Peter his powers, but I can't think of any universe where Otto Octavius fills that role!
My thoughts on the matter disappeared when I looked into a mirror that was near the bed and noticed something about Peter's body, or I guess my body now. He looked to be younger than any teenager that I've ever seen for some reason?
"Uncle Ben... How old am I again?" I answered him. It was weird calling a fictional character 'uncle'.
The Parkers were confused on why I'd ask that question, but I was just as confused as they were about everything that was going on right now. I needed at least one answer to the tons of questions that I have floating around in my head right now!
"You're eight years old, Peter." said Ben.
My eyes widen in shock at the answer that I was given. I was eight!? I'm Peter Parker, I've just been bitten by the genetically enhanced spider that was created by Otto Octavius, and all of that happened when I'm still at the age of eight, which was seven years sooner than when it was supposed to happen!
What. Is. Happening!?
I sat at the back of the car as Ben drove May and me throughout the streets of New York. I looked through the window to see what the city looked like, as I've never seen New York in person. The only problem was that the more the car kept on driving down the road, the more I saw how few people were out on the street for a city with a population of nineteen million.
"Aunt May, why are there so few people out on the streets?" I asked.
May and Ben looked at each other with concern, as if I said something I wasn't supposed to. I was really starting to get worried about what was happening here.
"It's dangerous to be outside, Peter. Someone could get hurt if they don't stay where it's safe." said Aunt May.
"What's so dangerous about New York that everyone wants to stay home? Is it a pandemic?" I asked nervously.
"Well, something like that, but it's not exactly a virus that's spreading everywhere." replied Ben.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"It's best that you don't worry about it, Peter." said May.
I decided that it was probably best not to ask further and just end the conversation right there. I looked out the car window to see what the city looked like and my expectations for New York were not met, in a very bad way!
The sidewalks on the side of the road were full of cracks and were damaged to the point that they needed to be completely replaced, the road was full of potholes that made our ride bumper than it should be, buildings had broken windows and doors, not to mention the huge holes that looked like they were made by an explosion!
It was clear that something was up with this New York was not the average one from any normal alternate universe from Marvel. Something was behind all of this and something needed to be done!
We finally manage to make it home to 20 Ingram Street and parked in the driveway which lead to the house. I got out of the car and looked around the neighborhood and it honestly looked pretty nice. A cozy place where you can walk around free of worry, but this being a comic book universe meant that I know that wasn't the case and that trouble could appear when I least expect it to!
"Well, that trip certainly took a surprising turn, didn't it?" laughed Ben.
"Ben, Peter ended up going to a hospital, how can you make a joke like that?!" May asked with a crossed tone.
"The doctor said that Peter was fine and that he just needs a week to rest up, May. He's our boy, so he's not going to be hurt that easily, ya' know." replied Ben.
"He's right, Aunt May, I can't go down that easily!" I said with a smile on my face.
"Ya see! That boy's not going to let this little sidetrack ruin his first week of summer!" smiled Ben.
Wait a minute... Summer!? This summertime!? This is great! I now have more time to wrap my head around what's going on and what to do about it.
"I think I'm going to go to my room and rest for a bit." I excused myself.
"That's probably a good idea, dear." said Aunt May.
Ben opened the door to the house and I walked in. I went up the stairs and opened each of the doors I could find in order to find Peter's, or in this case, my room. I found it and walked in to see what it looked like.
Peter's room looked to be pretty normal for a kid of eight years old. It had a bed, a shelf that was full of science books that most kids at this age wouldn't understand, a closet that was full of clothes to wear, a desk to work on, and it had a window with red curtains covering it.
I walked over to the bed and sat down on it before I laid my back on it to rest and think about everything that had just happened.
!
I was suddenly struck with a great idea!
If I just closed my eyes and tried to fall 'asleep' when I open them and wake up again, I'll be back in my room and it'll prove that this whole thing is just some random dream!
I closed my eyes and waited to get tired and fall asleep. It was a task that was easier said than done, as I wasn't really that good at falling asleep when I wanted to, but I was a heavy sleeper when I did get to sleep, so this was going to take a while.
I slowly opened my eyes after a good sleep and started to rub them with my knuckles to get rid of whatever sleepiness I had left in them. One thing for sure was that I just had a weird dream in which I became Peter Parker, but never got the chance to be Spider-Man due to the dream ending before I could.
My eyes suddenly went as wide as dinner plates at I looked around the room to see that this wasn't my room! It was the same one in my Peter Parker dream!
I got out of bed and walked out of the room to go downstairs to see what if this really was all just a dream. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I looked around the living room and could tell that this definitely wasn't my house.
"You feeling alright, Peter?" asked Ben as he walked by.
"I-I-I'm fine, Uncle Ben. I just needed to get up and stretch my legs a bit after my nap." I lied.
"Well, you certainly look well-rested." smiled Ben.
"I think I'm going to go back to my room and sit down for a bit. I need to think about a few things." I replied, only this time it wasn't a lie.
"You do that, son. It'll help you get better." Ben replied to me.
I just quietly walked up the stairs without saying another word to him. I then started to make my way back into Peter's room, but I decided to stop at the bathroom in order to see which Peter parker I looked like the most.
I entered the bathroom and looked at the mirror. My hair was brown, but it was also a bit short as well. It wasn't long and combed to the sides like Peter from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics and TV series, cause that was my least favorite hairstyle for any Peter Parker. My hair and face looked like I was the Peter from Earth-50302, The Marvel Age comics for younger readers. I liked the way my hair and face looked, so I left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom.
There, I sat down on the bed and started to think about everything that had just happened this morning.
I got reincarnated in the body of Peter Parker and in a different Marvel Universe than normal, I was bitten by the spider at eight years old instead of fifteen, I wasn't on a class field trip, but with Aunt May and Uncle Ben during summer vacation, Otto Octavius was the one researching and paid my hospital bill, and New York is in a lockdown state for some reason.
I had somehow got to switch bodies with my favorite superhero! The only remaining questions are why and how?
If I had somehow managed to switch bodies with a fictional character and the Marvel Universe was real, did that mean that this was the work of a higher God-like being that somehow manage to reach my world and bring me here? What purpose did it have bringing me here and turning me into Peter Parker?
I not only had Peter's body, but I also seemed to have his brainpower as well and most of his memories too! I'll think about looking into them later, but now I need to figure out how I'm going to live in this world as Peter Parker since I am him now.
Do I become Spider-Man, or not?
Both becoming Spider-Man and not becoming him had their fair share of pros and cons each, but I couldn't really ignore the fact that being a superhero would be too good to pass up as it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
I decided that maybe I should hold off on making a decision for now. I need to relax a bit and see what the rest of the house looks like since I'll be living here for the foreseeable future.
I left the room and walked back downstairs in order to see what was happening. I found that Uncle Ben had turned on the TV and it was on the news, which was reporting about a supervillain attack!
I looked at the man that was attacking a TV studio and saw that it was Supercharger! The first villain that Spider-Man ever fought when he was still trying to become a TV star! He first appeared in the comics in 1996's Amazing Fantasy #17!
The news reporter started talking...
"Earlier this morning, the supercriminal that is known as Supercharger, attacked a TV studio for unidentified reasons, yet his rampage had taken the lives of thirty people that were crushed by debris that fell during his rampage.
This is, unfortunately, the case nearly every day, as more and more criminals with superpowers are showing up and have been for the last year and a half. Police, Swat, and even S.H.E.I.L.D agents are struggling to fend off those criminals, but many lose their lives as they just aren't strong enough to stand up to the capabilities of these villains.
The supercriminals are increasing in numbers and will most likely run the city if they aren't opposed soon. We can only hope that a miracle will come soon to help us all!
This is Aaron Amberson, signing off.
"What is this city coming to?" sighed Aunt May.
So that's why the city was so damaged on the way back from the hospital. All of the people with superpowers so far are villains!
Does that mean that there's no Iron Man? No Captain America? Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Falcon, Thor, Fantastic Four?
Did any of them even exist in this universe, or are they too young like me?
People are living in fear, poverty, and stress with all those bad guys running around without anyone strong enough to stand up to them!
My mind's been made up, I'm going to become Spider-Man!
This city needs a hero, and I need to be that hero!
The only problem is that I'm a lot younger than the original Peter Parker and I can't just put on a costume and go out fighting without knowing what I'm doing. I may have seen plenty of superheroes in action in cartons, comics, and movies back in my world, but I still can't just copy them and learn from the mistakes that they made. I'm going to have to put off being Spider-Man for a few years and spent most of that time training my abilities!
"Seeing all that smoke from all the damage kind of reminds me of all the smoke bombs that are used in that ninja movie I once saw." said Uncle Ben as he tried to make some kind of positive comment on the horrible situation on TV.
I didn't think much about what Uncle Ben said at first, but after a moment my brain started to lock on the word 'ninja' for a bit longer. I suddenly remembered a video that I saw back in my world on the interest, it explained the origins and skills of ninjas, as well what fictional characters had said skills, even those that weren't meant to be ninjas. Spider-Man appeared in that video, as his skills were very ninja-like and very accurate that he could be mistaken for a ninja if he just dressed like one.
My big brain had just come up with one of the best ideas ever! Not only will I train myself to be the best Spider-Man I could possibly be, but I'll also train to use my skills to become an awesome ninja!
Think about it: sneaking around in the shadows, using stealth to its greatest advantage, martial arts in close-quarters combat, using different kinds of weapons to fight, etc. I could be a much more effective Spider-Man as a ninja!
I'm going to be stuck keeping my powers and skills a secret for a while in order to make the most out of them, but in a few years, New York will be home to an amazing ninja Spider-Man!
Hi there!
Hope that you guys enjoyed this first chapter, as I'm making my own Spider-Man/Marvel story!
It was only a matter of time that I'd make a Spider-Man story, as he's my favorite superhero. I can relate to him on so many levels, as a few of the things that Peter experienced in his personal life have happened to me.
I was inspired by I'mjusttryingtofindmyway's 'The Spider' fanfiction, which is really good and I'd recommend checking it out. While I liked the story, there were a few things about it that I didn't really enjoy, but that's just my personal opinion. Which is why I created my own Spider-Man story with the same concept, but now I can do it my way!
Just a fair warning, the next eight or so chapters will be mostly about Peter's training and home life, before he becomes Spider-Man, but a few interesting things will happen, so stick around to find out what they'll be!
I also decided to have Peter train to be a ninja as well as Spider-Man, as I believe a ninja Spider-Man will be much more effective in combat as to Peter's hero career as a whole.
P.S. I'm also publishing this first chapter on my birthday! So to anyone who has a birthday on April 24th just like me and is also a Spider-Man fan, consider this my birthday present to you all. Happy Birthday!
I hope that you guys find this first chapter to your liking. I'll be back soon with the next chapter!