Spider-Man : Hunted

part 6


" Amazing, " the scientist mused as they watched over the recording of the Wall Crawlers battle with the first Spider Slayer. " Look at how fast he moves. All our slayers are going to need a major overhaul. "

Jason Macendale stood beside him, his hands folded behind his back. " Tell me something I don't know, Smythe. "

The crippled scientist had daggers in his eyes. " This is the way science works, Macendale. Trial and error. It's just a matter of time before the project is declared a success. "

" Well don't go counting your Christmas bonusses before the cheque's cashed. " Macendale walked out of the room, very displeased with his colleague.

Alistair Smythe wheeled his chair down a walkway, to his main lab floor. Various robotics were scattered all over, failed versions of his current spider slayers. He flicked a switch on a panel on the wall, and the middle section of the floor slid open, revealing glass floor about a workshop underneath the scientist's office.

Various technicians were hard at work, building the new and improved Spider Slayer he had invented. He watched them at work with glee. His genius was realised at last. After Spider-Man had been defeated by his invention, he could make a fortune selling them as weapons for the military.


***


" Ow! " Peter cried out as Mary Jane dabbed at a wound on his arm with a piece of gauze.

She rolled her eyes. " Honestly, Peter, you're such a baby sometimes. "

He grinned at her. " I know. I hate the sight of my own blood. "

" Your costume is pretty torn up too, " she said, holding it up in front of her, revealing several rips in Peter's famous red and blue costume.

" Yeah, looks like I'm going to need to get out the old needle and thread again when I get home. " He brushed his hair out of his face. " It's a lousy job, but someone's gotta to it. "

Mary Jane fell silent, nursing the cuts and bruised on Peter's back. " Maybe you should talk to Harry about the spider slayer thing, " she said, obviously troubled about the whole issue.

" I doubt I'd be able to change his mind, M.J " Peter said, wincing as she dabbed at another wound on his back. " He swore on his father's grave he would have his revenge on... on well, me. "

Mary Jane shook her head. " He has to listen to reason. He HAS to. How can he be so cold blooded? "

" I know what it's like to have a loved one taken from you, Mary Jane. It's something we all deal with differently. Harry isn't being himself right now"

He sat upright and looked at the watch on Mary Jane's bedside table. " I'd better get going, M.J " He said and kissed her gently on the lips. " I've got to finish my studying for Doc. Connors' test tomorrow. "

" Big time super hero writing a test? " She grinned and kissed him again. " That's for good luck, Tiger. "

He grinned as he pulled his mask over his face and crawled out of her bedroom window. With a 10 foot leap, the hero was airborne and gone from sight within a matter of seconds.


*****


Curt Connors walked among the rows of students, all busy writing their chemistry exams. One desk was empty. Peter Parker's. The middle aged scientist sighed. The kid was a genius, but he just didn't seem devoted to his studies. The potential was there, if only he would work harder at it.

The door at the far end of the room was flung open, and Peter rushed inside. " Sorry I'm late, professor! " He whispered to his lecturer.

" You have an hour to finish the exam, Parker. You might as well call it quits now. "

" I can do it in an hour, sir. " Peter's blue eyes met Connors'.

The older man shrugged. " Okay. Get to it then. "

The younger man sat down at his desk, opened up his exam question sheet and immediatly started on his paper. Connors was amazed at how quickly he was working through it.

An hour later, he called out for the class to hand in their answer sheets. Parker had already finished in less than the hour he had.

" I trust it wasn't too difficult, Parker? " Connors asked sarcastically as the student handed him his papers.

" Nah, piece of cake, sir. " Peter smiled. He just loved teasing his lecturer. He knew it annoyed the man so much.

Leaving the classroom, Peter noticed a group of young men playing football on the grass outside. One of them was Flash Thompson. Peter lowered his head and continued walking, seeing the old school bully brought back memories he didn't want to recall.

" Hey Pete! " Flash called out. " Pete! "

Peter turned, hearing Flash running up behind him. " Hi Flash. "

" How have ya been, man? " Flash asked, shaking Peter's hand.

" Not bad. Listen Flash, I really have to run. "

" Sure. " Flash nodded. " Listen, maybe sometime you and Mary Jane could come and hang out with us, " he said, looking genuinely friendly.

" Maybe. " Peter agreed reluctantly. " I'll speak to her. "

Peter left the group, feeling awkward. He couldn't help but be somewhat distant to the football quaterback and his friends. He just didn't fit into their little world. He never would.

One of Flash's buddies came up to him and elbowed him in the ribs. " Yo, man, you for real about hanging out with Puny Parker? "

Flash grabbed his friend around the neck playfully wrestling him. " Yeah man, he's the one guy who can help me get my grades up. And he's not the geek he used to be in school. "

The other young men just laughed at him. " Parker will always be a geek. "


****

He looked at Mary Jane, not saying a word. " I knew you'd come. " Harry said suddenly, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the two of them.

" You have to call off the Spider-Slayer project. " Mary Jane said, biting her lower lip.

" Why? " Harry's dark brown eyes narrowed cruelly.

" I saw Spider-Man fighting one of those things the other night. Some innocent people could have been hurt. "

" That was Spider-Man's doing. " Harry defended himself. " If he hadn't caused the slayer to malfunction, "

" He'd be dead. " Mary Jane finished for him. " Life is not about revenge, Harry. You can't carry on living in the past. "

Suddenly enraged, young Osborn sprang up from his comfortable leather chair and flung his computer off his desk, sending it crashing to the ground. " Spider-Man deserves to die! " He yelled. " He ruined my life! "

Mary Jane's eyes popped wide open. She didn't know her friend to be this violent. She opened her mouth to say something, but then something else caught her eye. Outside Harry's window, a rather large spider was perched on the window sill.

She got up from her chair and walked to the window to inspect the strange looking creature. When she got close enough, she could tell that it was not an actual spider, but in fact, a small robotic arachnid.

Harry, who had calmed down by now, came to stand by her side. " That's one of the spider trackers. " He explained. " I figured it would be good to keep one close by to keep an eye out for Spider-Man when he comes after me. "

" So this is how you know where to send your killer robots? " Mary Jane asked, anger flaring up in her now.

Harry nodded. " Yes. We have thousands of them all over the city. They have tiny cameras, and when one of them spots the web head. " He snapped his fingers. " Bingo. A spider slayer is deployed to that area. "

The robotic spider scampered away, looking for a new vantage point to find Spider-Man, no doubt.

Mary Jane looked at Harry pleadingly. " Please Harry. You're hunting a man like he was an animal or something. "

" He is an animal. " Harry said coldly. " If you don't mind, M.J, I have a meeting in five minutes. " He motioned to his door.

Mary Jane shot him an icy look, turned and stormed out of Harry Osborn's office. At least now she had some information she could relate to Peter. He just had to be careful.