DISCLAIMER: None of the Spider-Man characters belong to me. They are the sole property of Marvel, Inc. and Sony Pictures (based on the 2002 movie).

RATING: PG (for some minor physical violence and language)

SUMMARY: Spider-Man (Peter Parker) faces a menace he's never imagined before.

DEDICATION: This goes out to my cross-country team for all of their loyal "support" in my Spider-Man obsession! They still learn to live (and run) with me despite the fact that I have my very own Spider-Man 12" poseable doll. I have to give them credit!



Severed light makes its way through the shadows of the evening sun. Laziness ensues at this hour in New York, when business men and women welcome solace in their homes after a hard day of work, when kids do their homework, and when Spider-Man swings into action.

In a millisecond, there is pure and beautiful silence. Spider-Man's slow and steady breathing comes to a halt as he is catapulted into mid-air by his incredible webs that are spun from his wrists. The setting sun illuminates a stoic face, masked to show no emotion, but deep inside is fighting the contortions most common with love and hate.

Love.hate.where is the thin line that separates them from each other and other emotions? Peter is confused and is sure that he is unfocused in his thoughts since the morning sun rose in the sky. Unfocused.and definitely unloved by the city that he desperately protects from evils unfathomable to the naked eye.

Suddenly, there are gunshots from down below, amidst the tall buildings and dark alleys.

'Well, looks like we have another distraught guy with so much low self- esteem that he resorts to hurting people to get attention. What is this world coming to?' he thought as he plummeted below to the scene of the crime.



"Shut the hell up and give me what's mine!" Isaac roared, tears of anguish rolling down his cheeks as he brandishes a 9mm pistol-aimed directly at a frightened woman in her early 30's.

The two of them are alone and in a dark alley. Wind rustles a newspaper between them, and everything seems to be in perfect equilibrium around them- outside of the vortex of lost emotions and damaged hearts.

"Please calm down, Isaac.please.you're scaring me." Linda whispered in curdled fear and distrust. She looks down at her forearm-grazed by a bullet and now furiously bleeding. She is worried, scared, and is praying that there is a God that will help her out of this.

"'Please calm down?!!!' What the hell is that supposed to mean? After so many years of the emotional pain I've suffered.you are a cold-hearted liar and a menace to mankind! You deserve to die for what you have done to me and others," said Isaac, unaware of the blue and red suited hero silently approaching him from behind.

"What are you talking about? I've never done anything to intentionally hurt you. You." Linda trailed off as Spider-Man came into view.

"Well hello there! Nice of me to drop in at such an opportune time!" Peter said as he swung down onto Isaac, kicking his powerful legs into his upper back and knocking him down in the process. The gun falls to the ground, abandoned. Linda backs off until she hits the brick wall of the alley behind her.

Isaac, confused and a little bruised, contemplates what the heck just happened. Just when he's doing this "intense" thinking, Spider-Man makes ample use of the time by binding Isaac's body with his sticky webbing, making Isaac inert and unable to reach the gun lying on the ground a few feet away from him.

"Wow, that was amazingly easy. I figured a guy like you would have put up a better fight. Guess you can't when you are scared shitless, huh?" Peter remarked, noticing the man's frightened and angry gaze.

The police sirens wail tirelessly in the distance, but are approaching. This is Spider-Man's signal to leave. But something tells Peter to stay for a moment-there is something eerie about this scenario.

"Ma'am, are you alright? You need to get to a hospital before you bleed to death," he says, unaware of the exact meaning of her cold and heartless stare.

"I am now, Spider-Man. Thanks for the um, assistance.but most of all, thanks for your heart," Linda said stoically. 'He's all mine now.' she thought rhythmically. The blood continues to pour freely from her arm, but it doesn't seem to bother her.

Peter is seriously confused, but is not fazed. 'Okay, what's up with this woman?' he wonders. "NOOO!!!! Don't listen to her! She'll kill you just like she's going to kill me and my friends!!!" Isaac yelled to Peter, still encased in the cocoon of webbing.

Nevertheless, his attempted efforts of helping his attacker out are in vain and too late.

Suddenly, Peter felt lightheaded and dizzy. The world around him was tunneling in on him, limiting his vision and consciousness greatly. 'What the heck is going on?' Peter wondered. His last thoughts were of Mary Jane Watson before he finally blacked out and landed on the ground with a thud.