3
"Mary Jane Watson!" yelled Peter in his Spider-Man voice. His sense told
him that this building was the one. It was an abandoned factory, or lab,
with empty chemical bottles scattered around. Peter picked one of them up
and looked at the green label. "OsCorp." He said. "MJ! Mary Jane, where are
you?" Peter felt a tear loosen the tight grip of his mask. "MJ!" His voice
faltered slightly. "MJ?" There was more silence. Moonlight came in slithers
through the blocked-up windows.
"Spider-Man?" said a small, hoarse voice.
"I'm coming!" Peter started to run but realised he'd crack the bottles. Attaching a web to the ceiling, he swung from metal beam to beam, surveying in the dim light the hundreds of bottles and rats that scuttled around. The rats were playing at first but then, looking more closely, they were hurting eachother quite badly. "They're killing eachother!" Peter whispered in shock. "They must be..insane."
"Spider-Man?" said the voice again. Peter pulled at the last web and walked over to the voice. One of the moonbeams flashed on copper hair.
"Mary Jane!" he whispered. Pulling down some more of the board covering the window. MJ was tied to a chair; her gag had fallen round her neck, tears streaming down her face. Undoing the knots, Mary Jane fell off the chair in pure exhaustion. Peter scooped her up and supported her in a hug. She cried gently into his shoulder.
"How did you call Peter?" he said in his Spider-Man voice.
"My phone. Before they.." she started to cry again.
"Hush," said Peter, stroking her hair. "Who took you?"
"Well, I got into the cab, late for a rehearsal, and then he took me to the theatre but before I could get out, he pulled me back in the cab." Peter held her tighter. "These guys were all dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. They drove me here when..he.."
"Who, Mary Jane? It's painful but you have to tell me." She swallowed.
"It was him, Spider-Man." "Who? MJ, tell me!"
"The Green Goblin." Peter loosened her from his grip. She looked up at him. "I'm sure it was him. And, Peter, there was someone else."
"Peter?" he said. "I'm not Peter, Miss Watson."
"Then why did you call me MJ?" MJ just started to realise herself.
"Peter mentioned you and called you that," said Peter, making up excuses as he went.
"Tell me, who are you?" she said, wiping her eyes. "You kiss like Peter." Peter remembered that kiss in the graveyard.
Trying to be Spider-Man he said, "Peter kissed you?" She blushed.
"In the graveyard." Inside his mask, Peter went redder than his uniform.
"I want to show you something." He said, still as Spider-Man. He swung his way back to the door, carrying her. He swung all the way back to his apartment, saying nothing to her, trying to stop her taking his mask off. Landing inside, he put her down on the couch.
Realising her surroundings in her dazed, still terrified state, Mary Jane put her hand to her mouth. "My god, Pete?" the red and blue clad figure stood there, motionless. "It all makes so much sense now! Thanksgiving, the cyclist clipping your arm, you calling me MJ.."
Peter sighed. Taking off the mask slowly, he turned around and looked deep into her eyes. She gasped and shook her head.
"Tiger..?" He nodded. "God.." he sat down beside her.
"You had two crushes on the same guy." He said, smiling in awkwardness. She touched his face gingerly, as if about to slap him. That's it, Peter thought as he braced himself.
She hates me.
"I had seen his face after all." Said MJ in awe.
"What?" said Peter.
"Remember in the hospital? You were looking after Aunt May and I told you about my crush on Spider-Man. 'He's saved my life twice and I've never even seen his face.' It wasn't true. You did prepare me. You did say that I knew who you were." She touched his face and where the 'cyclist' had cut his arm. She drew in closer and he turned away.
"MJ, I found out something about Flash."
"Him?" she said, tired and confused.
"Yes. I saw him and, stopped him, robbing a woman."
"Flash? Three shocks in one night," MJ shouted angrily. She's reacting worse than I thought, thought Peter. She got up from the couch. "Don't you think that's quite enough Spider-." He stopped her.
"Please, MJ, my neighbours."
"Argh!" she screamed. "I don't believe you! This is just so different..I.." she swirled around on the spot. Peter got up and caught her in his arms. He laid her down on the bed. His spider-sense swirled round his head again. Grabbing his mask, he left, taking one look at the sleeping MJ.
"Spider-Man?" said a small, hoarse voice.
"I'm coming!" Peter started to run but realised he'd crack the bottles. Attaching a web to the ceiling, he swung from metal beam to beam, surveying in the dim light the hundreds of bottles and rats that scuttled around. The rats were playing at first but then, looking more closely, they were hurting eachother quite badly. "They're killing eachother!" Peter whispered in shock. "They must be..insane."
"Spider-Man?" said the voice again. Peter pulled at the last web and walked over to the voice. One of the moonbeams flashed on copper hair.
"Mary Jane!" he whispered. Pulling down some more of the board covering the window. MJ was tied to a chair; her gag had fallen round her neck, tears streaming down her face. Undoing the knots, Mary Jane fell off the chair in pure exhaustion. Peter scooped her up and supported her in a hug. She cried gently into his shoulder.
"How did you call Peter?" he said in his Spider-Man voice.
"My phone. Before they.." she started to cry again.
"Hush," said Peter, stroking her hair. "Who took you?"
"Well, I got into the cab, late for a rehearsal, and then he took me to the theatre but before I could get out, he pulled me back in the cab." Peter held her tighter. "These guys were all dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. They drove me here when..he.."
"Who, Mary Jane? It's painful but you have to tell me." She swallowed.
"It was him, Spider-Man." "Who? MJ, tell me!"
"The Green Goblin." Peter loosened her from his grip. She looked up at him. "I'm sure it was him. And, Peter, there was someone else."
"Peter?" he said. "I'm not Peter, Miss Watson."
"Then why did you call me MJ?" MJ just started to realise herself.
"Peter mentioned you and called you that," said Peter, making up excuses as he went.
"Tell me, who are you?" she said, wiping her eyes. "You kiss like Peter." Peter remembered that kiss in the graveyard.
Trying to be Spider-Man he said, "Peter kissed you?" She blushed.
"In the graveyard." Inside his mask, Peter went redder than his uniform.
"I want to show you something." He said, still as Spider-Man. He swung his way back to the door, carrying her. He swung all the way back to his apartment, saying nothing to her, trying to stop her taking his mask off. Landing inside, he put her down on the couch.
Realising her surroundings in her dazed, still terrified state, Mary Jane put her hand to her mouth. "My god, Pete?" the red and blue clad figure stood there, motionless. "It all makes so much sense now! Thanksgiving, the cyclist clipping your arm, you calling me MJ.."
Peter sighed. Taking off the mask slowly, he turned around and looked deep into her eyes. She gasped and shook her head.
"Tiger..?" He nodded. "God.." he sat down beside her.
"You had two crushes on the same guy." He said, smiling in awkwardness. She touched his face gingerly, as if about to slap him. That's it, Peter thought as he braced himself.
She hates me.
"I had seen his face after all." Said MJ in awe.
"What?" said Peter.
"Remember in the hospital? You were looking after Aunt May and I told you about my crush on Spider-Man. 'He's saved my life twice and I've never even seen his face.' It wasn't true. You did prepare me. You did say that I knew who you were." She touched his face and where the 'cyclist' had cut his arm. She drew in closer and he turned away.
"MJ, I found out something about Flash."
"Him?" she said, tired and confused.
"Yes. I saw him and, stopped him, robbing a woman."
"Flash? Three shocks in one night," MJ shouted angrily. She's reacting worse than I thought, thought Peter. She got up from the couch. "Don't you think that's quite enough Spider-." He stopped her.
"Please, MJ, my neighbours."
"Argh!" she screamed. "I don't believe you! This is just so different..I.." she swirled around on the spot. Peter got up and caught her in his arms. He laid her down on the bed. His spider-sense swirled round his head again. Grabbing his mask, he left, taking one look at the sleeping MJ.
