Anything in Italic means the character is thinking.
Popularity and the Danger
After several minutes of searching through possible hideouts that Joker could use, Batman was starting to wonder where Peter and Alfred were, it did not take so much time to show someone around the cave. He decided to wait a bit more time, the sensors on the computer would have warned him if someone left the cave. After all, Peter's love for his gadgets was probably the reason for his lateness.
I just hope he's not doing anything dangerous, on second thought I'll go get him. Batman decided when he realized the young hero could be playing with dangerous artifacts.
"Mr. Parker, I am not certain you should be making modifications on your gear without Master Bruce's approval, it is his material after all, even if you are now on our side. I still have trouble believing you are the young man who was flabbergasted by his new room." Alfred declared as a mask-less Peter was examining his web-shooter.
"Yeah I thought that I was going to be able to keep the secret longer, no wonder he's called the world greatest detective, no one was able to figure me out so quickly. I myself was surprised when I figured out that the happy playboy billionaire was in fact a rather dark hero with a tragic past as well." Peter answered.
"Tell me, who told the truth, Spider-man or Peter?"
"Both stories had some truth in it, how I got my powers, my uncle and my biological parent's story and my resolve were true."
"Then what did you hide about the full extent of your powers?" a gruff voice said in the darkness.
"Let's just say I was not ready to scare all of you into thinking I was a menace just yet Batman, does it bother you that I made some upgrades to my web-shooters?"
Batman raised a brow, surprised that he actually managed to make an upgrade. He must be quite gifted in science and technology.
"I would rather you don't touch something without me knowing, somethings here are dangerous items that could kill you."
"I guessed that, but I'm just looking to make a few upgrades to my suit, I'm having a bit of trouble making real progress since I never saw some of those toys."
"Yet you seem to be making something." Batman said as he saw the web-shooter plan on a table behind Peter, surprisingly, he did not recognize the formula for the actual webs. When Peter saw his look, he decided to speak up.
"I can't really explain, I think the spider that bit me somehow transmitted some instinctive knowledge of what enzymes and materials I needed to make the webs. Speaking of which I'm starting to be low on web-fluid so could I borrow the lab?"
"You may, but know that I will watch you, just in case your curiosity could put us in danger. Be cautious."
"Thanks, now I can AOH!" Peter lightly cursed as he cut himself while tinkering with web-shooter. "Those things really need some maintenance, it's been a while."
"Alfred bring him to the…"
"No biggie, I heal quicker than normal human, which will make it gone in a few moments, it's just a small cut."
"You have a healing factor?"
"It's limited, I can't heal from a damaged bone or serious injury in moments, but I still can in hours or sometimes a day or two while normal humans would take weeks or months. Don't expect me to be a bullet sponge." He said while smiling and then, remembering the location of the lab since the first test, went on his way.
Batman saw a drop of blood on the table and decided to take a sample for examination. He said he was bitten by a radioactive spider, I must be sure his blood is not dangerous as much as actual radiation exposure.
He went to the Bat-computer and put the sample for an examination, the lab was not required for a simple analysis, but it would take more time.
In the lab…
After a bit of tinkering, a few minutes (and some help from Alfred who stopped him from touching certain materials) Peter finally managed to make a substantial reserve of web-fluid, he felt lucky Batman had so much technology. He did not feel too good for some reason, every time he thought about the Green Goblin or the thugs that attacked Barbara or the Penguin who attacked Batgirl he felt some sort of tingling. It was not his spider-sense, it was some sort of tension.
Probably just some tension, can't let this get in the way of my objective, I must find this new threat, all I know is that it will come from this world. Madam Web would have told me if the threat came from another world like me, at least I think so. So far so good, made some new friends, met a girl, got some money and even managed to make both Spider-man and Peter Parker be liked by some people. Peter thought as he recovered from his dizziness.
Back with Batman…
When the analysis was finished, it revealed that his blood could indeed be dangerous if it was ingested or transfused because of the radiation and the DNA difference, but was not harmful if not assimilated somehow. Although the analysis also revealed traces of what seemed to be some sort of black particles in his blood cells, the computer was not powerful enough to really give some answers for this, he would need the lab scanner for this.
Either he hid some things from us, or he himself as no idea of these strange particles. I guess time will tell us, I won't bother him now about that, it may just be some part of his mutation. But I will make sure later.
He then saw Peter coming back while looking a little off-balance.
"Are you all right Peter?"
"Yeah yeah, just some sort of tension. Tell me, do you have some sort of color-changing material?" Batman raised a brow at this.
"I have a prototype of personal cloaking device and some adaptive armor, but I don't know how it would be useful with your speed. I actually advise we make you a new suit altogether, this one is not really discreet during the night." Peter looked at himself, looking a little offended.
"Maybe, but I'm not changing during the day, this is what Spider-man looks like in public. I'm not looking to make everyone afraid. I'd rather people love Spider-man than fear him."
Batman frowned a little, but conceded him the point, maybe people needed some positive image during the day, image that would still protect them. He himself did not really care, but Spider-man seemed to have some experience, he would let him have his chance.
"Fine. Alfred, get his measurements and send them to Lucius, stay discreet about details though, I have things to do." He then went to the lab himself to complete the analysis. Leaving his two friends behind.
"At least he did not object about me keeping my red and blue suit."
"He seems troubled by something…Ah I think someone is surprised." Said Alfred while looking at something behind Peter.
He turned back to see Batgirl looking at his face, looking very surprised.
"Yeah some stuff happened in little time Barbara." Peter said while smiling. "Don't be angry, he did not tell me, I figured out myself." He assured. Alfred left the two alone and went to the lab.
"How on earth did you manage to become part of our family so fast?"
"Well first my name is Peter Parker. And this is what happened…"
Later…
"So you figured Batman's and my identity in a few days. Even if he would never admit it out loud, he must be pretty impressed." She said with a small smile. "I for one is relieved that he will stop being cautious about you like before."
"Yep, glad too. Speaking of relieved, how did your father react when he heard about…"
"Actually I was here to tell that to Bruce, but since you're here…My father would like to see Spider-man, I don't know why, but you seemed to have made an impression."
"My guess: I saved his daughter from a gang of criminals." He half-laughed, half-said.
Peter heard a sound from the computer and when he saw the screen he saw that the giant computer had completed the search Batman started.
12 hideouts to check? It could be long if we don't split up, this Joker guy could move while were searching…I have an idea.
He looked at the time and he saw that it was almost morning, Peter Parker had a job, and then it will be Spidey's turn.
At the lab…
Batman had trouble believing this: He had seen strange things, invincible kryptonians, gods, extradimensional beings, immortals. But he rarely saw a life form inside a life form. If the computer was to be believed, the black particles seemed to actually be microscopic alien particles that were attached to Peter's blood cells. He would need to make further tests to see if these…creatures were dangerous to Peter.
I don't think Peter knows of these, he would have told us before, he would be anxious at least. In my experience, parasites that are burrowed like this reacts mainly to trauma, stress or sudden change in the host. I'll keep an eye on him until the tests are done, just to be sure. With this last thought he went back to the others, noticing the time.
A few minutes later…In the manor
"I still have trouble believing you managed to hide a giant cave under the biggest manor in town…" Peter said after leaving the cave and seeing the manor with everyone, now normally dressed.
"Since we now know your occupation, I think that your job changed. You will no longer clean the manor, you will clean Gotham when needed, Peter Parker is free, as the rest of us during the day. I will surely receive your new suit before tonight, you will be surprised to know that Barbara sent some ideas to Lucius for your suit." Bruce said, adjusting his tux.
"Don't tell me, I wanna keep the surprise. But I think Peter will stay in the manor. Spider-man will go search for your guy."
"No." Was the simple reply of Bruce. Peter raised his brows. "We do this together, no arguments."
"All right chief, well I gotta go see the commissioner anyway, he wants to see Spider-man. See you soon!" And with these words Peter left the manor to go to the closest changing spot he could find.
"You seem in thoughts Master Bruce, what did you see from the lab results?"
"Nothing alarming yet, don't worry. If there is a reason to worry I'll handle it."
"I'm going to see my father." Barbara said. "I want to see this." And she also left.
"Well sir it seems you still must prepare for the convention, after all the recent events I am sure you forgot about it, and you still have to go shopping." Alfred said, silently laughing as he saw Bruce's expression almost turn to horror.
"It's a shame that almost everyone in this convention will only be there for the sake of being here, not for any real discussion."
"They don't have your reasonability when it comes to actually make something with their money." Alfred said smiling.
Bruce put on a nice suit and started to mentally prepare himself for the night…and the day for once.
At the GCPD…
Spider-man was hanging upside-down in front of the main entrance. He knocked, waiting for an answer. After a while a police officer opened the door and jumped when he saw the hero.
"Hi, I'm here to see Commissioner Gordon, can you please sir inform him of my presence?" Spidey said in his most exaggerated official voice.
The cop recovered from the scare and closed the door. Peter waited a few moments, after a while the door opened again and Gordon appeared. A severe expression on his face for some reason. He looked at Spider-man, who got down from his web to stand in front of him, showing once again that he was a few centimeters shorter than him. The commissioner then smiled a little.
"Spider-man, it is rare to see you on command, usually we have to be in danger. It is nice for once to be able to meet under good circumstances."
"Tell me about it, I heard that you wanted to see me, so I thought that I would rather meet you while we were safe than when an entire block was about to be blown to bits."
"The reason I asked for you is that I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter, I don't know what I would've done if she had been taken by those men."
"No reason to thank me, if I did not help, I would not be able to live with it either."
The commissioner waited for a second then spoke again.
"Follow me Spider-man." He opened the door again and Peter followed him while being a bit uncomfortable with all the cops and secretaries staring at him, stopping what they were doing.
"Why is everyone staring? Is there something on my mask?" he asked while rubbing his mask a little. The bad joke had the wanted effect and tension was relieved as most of them chuckled a little and resumed their work. Eventually Gordon guided him in a stairwell. When they reached the top, Peter saw the Bat signal…and Barbara waiting for them. He blanked a little but regained his composure quickly.
"My daughter is safe thanks to you, it is the first time I express gratitude towards someone else than Batman for saving someone, for a good reason."
"Which is?"
"Because nobody cares about helping others besides the Bat family and you, I don't know who you are nor what is your motive, but I honestly don't need to know. Take this as thanks." He extended his hand who was containing a very small silver badge. Spider-man examined it for a few moments.
"What is it?"
"A gift from me, basically something to prevent cops from getting the wrong idea, you have enough to worry about without some zealous police officers getting in your way."
"I'm very grateful sir, but I don't do what I do for privileges or rewards…"
"Think of it as personal thanks, you saved what is most precious to me. I am helping you to do your job easier. I must go work, my daughter wants a word with you if you have time." With this he put the badge in Peter's hand and went down the stairs. Nor Peter nor Barbara talked until they heard the door close.
"A word with me?" he said, amused.
"You can say that, I don't know why Batman was so bothered about you, I never met someone so selfless yet so alive." Peter was looking like a burning tomato under his mask.
"What do you mean, alive?"
"Batman is as selfless as you, but he is almost never proud nor happy of his or others accomplishments, he does not take a break, if it was not for Alfred, he would over-exert himself. You manage all that while still having the humor and happiness of someone who never saw Gotham before. I've been asking myself a question, and Bruce asked me to ask: What happened to you when you saw those thugs about to attack me? When I told Bruce the details he was curious that you were suddenly more serious.
"Well…I…uh…I just saw them and I saved you, I could not think about what could happen otherwise." Peter was again feeling weird, almost as if his insides were yearning for something.
'This is pretty deep coming from a superhero, I'm not sure Batman would approve of such passion in saving me of all people." She said with a smile that made him smile under his mask. He then realized it's been a while and his father could start having the wrong idea.
"It's not that I don't enjoy your company, but I gotta go, don't want people to think there is something between Spider-man and the commissioner's daughter, I also have to do some research."
"Maybe you're right, but…be careful."
"I'm Spider-man remember? Don't worry about it." He made a thumbs-up sign then jumped off the roof and swung away. Leaving Barbara to her father.
A few minutes later…
Three hideouts down, nine to go, if I see something I'll just call Batman. I'm feeling so weird…He thought while landing on the roof of a warehouse marked as a possible hideout for that Joker guy. He silently opened the window and stuck to the ceiling. He saw three men speaking while playing poker. He decided to stick around.
"I heard that this Spider-guy took down an army of Penguin's men by himself, even the Bat could not have defeated the entire warehouse alone." A man said.
"I'm pretty sure he's with the Bat anyway, how many costumed guy do you see around? They were all the Bat's sidekicks." Another answered.
"I don't think so, this guy makes pun, he talks and he's not as brutal as the Bat's small gang. No one got out with a broken arm or leg."
"He seems to be having fun, in a way he's scarier than the Bat because he does not even look like he's really trying. I heard from Penguin that the guy insulted him while being surrounded, the guy is not afraid."
"Well that's today's objective mate: see his behavior in front of fear." A familiar voice said. The Penguin appeared from the opened side-door of the warehouse. Spider-man frowned under his mask and had to restrain himself from jumping down. He pressed the small radio on the side off his mask he installed while in the cave so everything he hears will be transmitted to everyone on any Bat-radio. Hoping someone was hearing this.
"Our big guy is already on his way to the target, the clown dismisses this new guy as an amateur that will be gone soon enough. I'm not taking any chances. This new hero may be good at fighting, but I'm told that he saved the commissioner's daughter. Chances are, the commissioner and this new guy are on good terms now. So let's try his patience, he can't find us and he is in no position to stop the operation now. When he shows up, it'll probably be too late already and he'll have their death on his conscience. We don't want our men starting to give up because there is a new guy that patrols during the day. We have to break this guy before he believes he can make a difference." Penguin said with his usually gruff voice.
"You will do nothing…" Peter whispered to himself as he felt the burn again.
"So gentlemen, I would be pleased if you would inform the clown of our little operation. He might admit he's wrong for once. Soon the Spider will be gone and the day will become ours again."
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Peter said while falling on one of the three men.
"The Spider! How!?" The Penguin yelled.
Without saying a word Spider-man threw two webs at the remaining men and smashed them together, knocking them out instantly. He then stood up in front of Penguin and walked towards him, making him back up in fear.
"I thought I was a puny amateur? What makes you so scared?" Spider-man asked while tilting his head.
Penguin's back hit the wall and he looked back at Spider-man's mask with wide eyes.
"You're not scary." He stood up. "The Bat is worse than yAH!" He yelled as Peter grabbed him by the collar and jumped to a high beam, dangling him over the ground. For some reason Peter was feeling the strange burn diminishing.
"You can't do it, you're a good guy…" Penguin said as he tried to pry Spider-man's hand from his collar, to no avail.
"Did you know that normally some birds eat bats? I suppose not, but know this: while vampire bats merely bite their prey for some blood then leave, spiders suffocate their prey to death in their trap, sometimes not even eating them. Don't push me and tell me what are you planning exactly, or I might think about dropping you and ask someone else, your men are surely even weaker than you. So?" Peter said seriously. He was exaggerating of course, he would never kill him, but he still found his face funny.
"Allright allright don't drop me! I sent some men and a titan infused soldier in a truck as fake shipment so they will drop in the GCPD by surprise, the plan is to make as much damage as possible before either you or the Bat came to make you give up on fighting." Penguin said really fast while sweating.
I can't believe he actually bought my threat…
"You really are stupid you know?"
"What?"
"You're so stupid that you don't even know the definition of hero: I wouldn't kill you. I may hit you once so you stop talking, but what would killing you do? I don't take lives." He then threw a web at the Penguin's foot and dropped him, sticking the other end to the beam, sticking him upside-down.
"I gotta go fast!"
Peter launched himself through the window and started to swing as fast as he could to the GCPD, hoping he would be there on time.
Hang on, please be alive when I arrive…
