Great Responsibility

Nick sat by himself in the Gotham Police Department. He paid no mind to the police officers casting looks of pity on them. He internally prayed that this was all just a nightmare.

But it wasn't a nightmare...his parents were really dead.

"Nick Styles?" Nick looked up and saw an elderly woman with white hair and wearing a brown trench coat. "I'm commissioner Barbara Gordon. Let me say first of all that I am deeply sorry for your loss."

Nick just nodded as he continued to look down sadly.

Gordon gave the kid a sympathetic look as she sat down next to him. "I just want you to know that we will do everything thing we can to get justice for your family."

Nick still didn't say anything. Gordon knew that he was still grieving so she got up to give him some space. "Your grandfather should be here any moment."

"I saw them."

Barbara stopped and turned to look at Nick in surprise. He hasn't said anything since being here and now he's speaking.

"I saw a group of Jokerz riding on a bridge near my parents." Nick said solemnly. "I thought the bridge lead uptown, so I thought they were safe."

Barbara looked at the kid in sadness. "Unfortunately, that bridge was currently under construction. They must have turned back."

Nick seemed to get even more sad. "I should have called someone."

Barbara knelt down to his level. "Listen to me kid, none of this is your fault."

Nick didn't say anything as he continued to silently cry.

An elderly man in his mid-sixties came rushing in to the station. He looked around frantically until he spotted Nick and ran towards him. "Nick!" The man called out.

Nick looked up and saw the man, then ran up to him. "Grandpa Joe!" Nick gave his grandfather the biggest hug as they both cried in mourning.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." Joe said as he hugged his grandson. They separated and he looked into Nick's eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Nick continued to cry as he tried to let it all out.

A Half Hour Later...

Grandpa Joe brought Nick to his home. They had to stay at the police station a bit longer so that way they could sign a few paperwork. Since Grandpa Joe was Nick's only living relative, Nick was going to be staying with him. They soon made it to the house.

Joe opened a door to a bedroom and let Nick walk in. He was carrying a suitcase that had some of his stuff that survived the fire. It wasn't that much however.

"This was your father's old room." Joe said. "I never changed it that much."

Nick looked around as he stared at the room. It had a simple desk with a lamp on it, a bed at the corner, a bookshelf on the far side of the wall, and a few posters with just random stuff. All in all, it was just a simple bedroom.

"Do you...do you want anything?" Joe asked.

"No thanks, I'm good." Nick said as he set his stuff down.

Joe nodded. "Okay, well I'll just prepare dinner then." Joe then left, feeling that his grandson wants to be left alone.

Nick sat down on the bed and opened his suitcase. He looked through it before he pulled out a framed picture and set it on the desk. The picture was of him and his parents as they were vacationing on a beach. Nick remembered that vacation all to well. His parents had to sell almost a million sandwiches in order to pay for that vacation. He was thankful that this picture survived the fire.

"I'm so sorry." Nick said as he stared at the picture.

/

One week...

It's been one week since the accident. Nick hasn't gone back to school since, but he was now. He walked into the halls and saw that everyone was giving him a sympathetic look, but he paid them no mind. It was all over the news

He stopped walking when he spotted Nelson Nash in front of him. They stared at each other for a brief moment, in intense, before Nelson walked away.

If Nick didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he heard Nelson whisper 'sorry.'

"Nick." He turned around and saw Terry and Dana walking up to him. "Oh god...we're so sorry." Dana said as she hugged him.

"Look man, if there's anything you need..." Terry said as he placed his hand on Nick's shoulder.

"Thanks, you guys, but I just need to be alone right now." Nick said as he walked away.

"Poor guy." Dana said with sympathy.

"Just give him time, Dana." Terry said. He understood that his friend was going through a tough time and he just needed a little time to himself.

Nick went through the day as mundane as possible. He barely was paying attention as he was thinking to himself.

'How could this have happened? Why did this have to happen to such good people.'

These thoughts kept plaguing his mind throughout the day. The Commissioner and his grandfather kept telling him that it wasn't his fault, and while it didn't feel like it mentally, he still felt like it was in his heart.

'Why didn't Batman do something to help this city?'

He gets that the original Batman was never seen for almost forty years, so he's probably really old by now, but he could've at least prepared the city. Instead, he just disappeared.

After class was over Nick was just about to leave class, but was called back.

"Mr. Styles, a moment please." Professor Connors said.

Nick walked up to him till he was standing in front of Connor's desk. "Yes, Professor?"

"Please, have a seat." Connors said, as Nick did just that. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your parents." Connors said with sympathy.

"Thanks Professor, you and everyone else have said that." Nick said. He didn't mean to say it like he didn't appreciate it, but he was slightly getting tired of everyone saying that.

"Yes, but I understand the tragedy of losing a part of yourself." Connors said as he gestured to his prosthetic arm.

"Oh...I'm so sorry Professor." Nick said genuinely.

"It's alright, son. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here." Connors said gently.

Nick nodded with a smile as he walked out of class.

Connors got up from his seat as he went back to his office. It was quite a clutter as there was paper with schematics and different chemical formulas all over the wall. He walked to the far side of the wall and stared into the glass container that had a few lizards inside.

After feeding them some crickets, he sat down on his desk. He turned the computer on and typed furiously. He watched as a computer simulation showed a dog with three legs on it. The dog began to grow its missing leg back. The simulation then showed the dog dying, and the word 'ERROR' flashed on screen.

Connors sighed in frustration. "I'm so close...I have to be."

/

Nick came back home as school was done and was about to head up to his room.

"Nick, wait." Joe said as he was sitting by the table.

"Gramps, what are you doing?" Nick asked in confusion.

Joe didn't say anything until he got up. "Come with me."

Nick was confused at first, but did follow. He was led to a door in the back and Joe opened it. Nick looked down and saw a staircase leading down. "I didn't know we had a basement."

"There's more." Joe said as he turned on the lights down the stairs. He started walking down with Nick following.

When they reached down to the lower levels Nick was amazed by what he saw. It was like he was inside a miniature laboratory with different equipment and tons of books. He saw a desk with a variety of chem equipment, from beakers and a centrifuge. Another desk that had a pretty state of the art computer.

"What is this place?" Nick asked in amazement.

"This was your father's." Joe said before he smiled at Nick. "And now it's yours."

"Really?" Nick asked in surprise.

"You are so much like your father in so many ways. He was a scientist before he met your mother." Joe explained.

"I never knew that." Nick said in surprise.

"Before you were born, he vowed to revolutionize the science community and make Gotham a better place." Joe said. "He met your mother in college and not long after graduation, she had you. Whenever your father had time he would come back here to continue his work while also working at a sandwich shop."

"He really did all of this?" Nick asked as he looked at the pieces of paper that was spread across a desk.

"After you were born, he worked extra hard to try and make this city a better place. His mind was a great power, and you were his responsibility." Joe walked up to his grandson and placed both his hands on his grandson's shoulders. "Remember Nick...with great power, comes great responsibility."

Nick watched as Grandpa Joe was about to head upstairs, but he stopped him. "Grandpa Joe..." Nick called out, stopping his grandfather. "Thank you, for everything, and I love you."

Joe smiled. "I love you to." He said before going back up the stairs.

Nick looked around the lab for a bit. He had to admit, for one that was in a basement, it was pretty state of the art. He went up to what looked like a closet and opened it. He saw a safe that looked like it required a four-digit code. He pressed it a few times, but it wouldn't open. He tried his father's birthday, then his mother's, but it didn't open.

'Maybe...' Nick thought. He typed in his birthdate and the safe opened. He looked at what was inside and was surprised by what he saw.

He reached in and pulled out a type of blue fabric of some kind. It shined like metal, but felt so smooth like silk. He felt around it and could tell that it was really durable. He looked back in the safe and saw a disc. He picked it up and sat down by the desk that the computer. He inserted the disk in and watched.

"Let's see...according to this disc the fabric is made out of...Unstable Molecular Fabric?!" Nick said in amazement. "It says here that it's supposed to be more durable than any form of protective clothing. Highly adaptable to the environment as to protect the wearer of any form of heat or cold."

Nick looked at the fabric and then at the chem set. He then looked into one of the cabinets and saw fresh supply of chemicals. His father must have restocked not long ago. A crazy idea popped in his head, but he wasn't so sure.

He looked up and made his way to his backpack. He pulled out his laptop and typed on it. He pulled up his file on all the Batman stuff he had. He stared at it for a while before his grandfather's words popped into his head.

"With great power, comes great responsibility."

Something caused Nick to look up at the ceiling and saw a spider in its web. Something in Nick changed in that moment, something that made him understand what his father meant.

He stared at that file he had on Batman before clicking the DELETE button.

/

After a few hours of working on the fabric Arlic finally finished it. He had to cut it very hard and very precise due to the durability of it. After that he grabbed a red spray paint can and decorated it.

After finishing with body of the fabric he picked up a mask and placed the finishing touches on it.

He heard a ding and looked towards the centrifuge as it stopped spinning. After taking the test tube out he picked up another test tube with a strange liquid and poured a drop in. As soon as that drop made contact with the liquid, it spread out and exploded with a sticky like substance.

"Success!" Nick cheered.

After that was finished, he grabbed the fabric and headed out to do what needed to be done.

/

A group of at least eight guys wearing ski masks were busy robbing a jewelry store.

One robber took his gun and smashed a glass container with it. "Jackpot!" He cheered as he put all the jewels in the case inside a bag.

"Hurry up, we've got 15 minutes till the cops arrive." One of the other robbers said.

"Relax," a much more muscular robber, obviously the ringleader, said calmly, "we've got all that we need." They made their way out the building and ran down the alley.

One robber was all of a sudden tripped up by something and then was yanked up into the shadows.

"What the..." the ringleader said when he stared at the spot his crew member was. "Where's Ritchie?!"

The others pointed their guns frantically in different directions trying to find their comrade.

"MMMPH! MMMPHMMPH!"

They pointed their guns and flashlights up and saw Ritchie all tangled up...in a web?

The others were so stunned, they didn't see a figure jumping down behind them. The figure grabbed a guy by the shoulder and kicked him so hard he crashed into another guy, knocking them out.

"What the?!" The boss exclaimed as he and the rest turned around.

The figure they saw revealed himself to be wearing a full blue bodysuit that covered him from head to toe. He had a red like design on his arms that led all the way up to these blades sticking out of his forearms. He wore a mask that had a red designed that seemed to resemble eyes.

The most distinguishable design was the red spider symbol on the front side of his body that resembled a skull.

The figure picked up one of the bags they dropped and looked inside. "Geez, isn't a diamond a girl's best friend?"

"What the...who are you supposed to be?!" The boss exclaimed in surprise.

"Neighborhood watch, been getting complaints about the noise you're making." The guy taunted.

"Forget this!" The boss shouted in frustration. "Just shoot him already!"

Before any of the robbers could pull the trigger, the guy threw the bag into the air, causing them to get distracted. The hero then ran forward in great speed and uppercut one of the guys. He pointed both his hands and clenched his middle and ring fingers. He shot two web lines and they latched onto the guns of two of the robbers. He yanked the guns out of their hands and sent them crashing into the heads of two others, disorienting them for a moment.

He shot a glob of web at the face of the boss before he could fire, blinding him. He turned his attention back to the two guys he unarmed as they charged at him. They tried punching him, but he parried and dodged each of their blows. One of then tried to throw another punch, but the hero caught the fist and redirected it to hit the other guy.

"Sheesh, that was your partner and you just hit him?" The figure said in fake surprise. "So much for honor among thieves."

The figure ran forward and did a backflip, causing him to kick one of the robbers in the chin. He launched a web line at the other guy and sent swung him into the wall. The other two regained their senses and ran towards their attacker. The hero jumped up high and landed on one of the guy's shoulders. He did a twirl that sent the guy crashing into the ground, while shooting so many web globs at the other guy he was pushed to the wall and pinned there.

The boss managed to get the web off of his face and saw the damage this guy did to his gang. He glared at the hero with hate filled eyes. "You're going to pay for that, freak!"

He grabbed one of the guns on the floor and started shooting. The hero remained calm as he started to swerve his body smoothly and dodged each shot with ease.

"What the...?" The boss said in complete bewilderment.

The hero shot a web line and yanked the gun out of his hands. "Didn't your mother tell you it's not alright to point a gun."

"That's it!" The boss said as he charged at the hero.

The hero dodged each punch and grabbed the guy by his jacket, and then tossed him over his shoulder, sending him crashing into the wall. He got back up and went right back into it, but the hero jumped up high and kicked the guy in the head. The gang leader spun around in disorientation before he regained his senses...only to be met by a punch in the face by the hero, knocking him out.

The hero looked around and saw that all the robbers were taken down. "Well, that's that."

/

Commissioner Gordon got out of the car as she made her way down the street where a bunch of cops were keeping some civilians out of the way. She was called upon while she was working on the Styles case. She inwardly made a promise to that poor boy that she would get justice for him and she intended to keep it.

"What do we got?" Barbara asked as a cop walked alongside her.

"We got a call about eight guys who to robbed that jewelry store." The officer said.

"How much did they make off?" Barbara asked, wanting to know full details.

"Nothing. They were stopped just before they could get away." The cop said.

"Our boys caught them in time?" Barbara asked.

"No, they didn't." The cop said a little uneasy.

"Then how were they stopped?" Barbara asked with her eyebrow raised.

The cop looked at her with uneasiness as they made their way in the alley. "This you got to see to believe."

As they entered the alley, Barbara looked up and her eyes widened at what they saw. All eight robbers were bundled together and hanging up in a net that looked like a spiderweb. She saw that all of their mouths by gagged by webs as well.

Gordon walked closer; her eyes still focused at the scene. "You found them like this?" She asked.

The officer nodded as he handed her a plastic bag. "We also found this in the...web."

Barbara looked at the bag and saw a card inside. She looked closer and saw writing on it.

Courtesy of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

'I wonder if this is how dad felt back in the day?' Barbara thought.

/

Nick sat down at the edge of a roof on a building. He stared down at the mask he made with a smile on his face.

When he took those robbers down, he felt good. Like he truly did something to help protect this city. Now they were being sent to prison and all that they have stolen were being returned to where it belonged.

The suit and the web shooters worked perfectly, and his powers helped have him an advantage. His grandfather was right, 'with great power, comes great responsibility.'

"My father wanted to use his inventions to help this city, now I can make it happen." Nick said.

'Batman can't protect this city anymore. It's time for a new chapter for Gotham. This city is filled with good people who need protecting and I'm the only one who can do it.'

'Who am I?'

'I'm Spider-Man.'

/

And so, Spider-Man is born!

Okay I know that this is already so early in posting this chapter, but I couldn't help it.

Anyway, yes, my character Nick has the Spider-Man 2099 suit, minus web Cape. If you want a full view of it go on YouTube and watch the gameplay of that suit on Spiderman PS4, which is an amazing, spectacular, and downright awesome Spider-Man game!

I've been talking to my friends and they made valid points on my character having the 2099 suit in this story, as it really fits in this kind of environment of future Gotham, plus it's an awesome suit!

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now and I'll see you all next time.