His blood ran fast and warm. The city scape below him was vast and scary. He was afraid to return home. How could he not? There were witnesses. They all heard Ben call him Peter. They all listened to the conversation. The cops were bound to realize what was amiss. How many witnesses had seen him leap through the window a month earlier? The neighborhood would be in an uproar. He had no where to go. Aunt May and Uncle Ben had been Peters last family. There was no one else to take care of him. He would probably end up being cast off to some foster family. It was hopeless. The bullet wounds still had not closed. And Peter was beginning to feel dizzy. He was forced to tear off shreds of clothing to suppress the bleeding. The bullet was still enlodged in his leg. He needed to go home.

I needed to remove the bullet first of all. Not to mention a nice warm bed would suit me just fine. Of course... going home was also risky. Especially given the level of nosiness my neighbors seemed to take in the goings on of the neighborhood. So I headed on home. By rooftop of course... no better way to travel. Except when you have a bullet enlarged in your leg...

Peter slipped down the side of the house. Cautiously. He didn't want anyone noticing that he was returning. So he decided to take the scenic route in. He pushed open the kitchen window, breaking the locks off of it in the processes. His entry was not nearly as graceful. The world was spinning, and he fell, tumbling over the sink and landing on the floor with a thud. The wounds had begun to close now. Which meant if he didn't find a way to remove that bullet fast... he was in trouble. Of course, removing the bullet was much easier said than done.

It was an arduous and painstaking task. But he accomplished it, despite his severe light-headedness. He found his bedroom window had been repaired, and that his bed was warm and ready for him. He could have slept like a baby if it had not been for the terrifying nightmares haunting him.

In his dream. He saw Uncle Ben. The bullet piercing him. He saw Aunt May in the distance calling out to the two of them. It repeated over and over in his dreams. He had ignored the spider-sense. Why? Maybe he was too caught up in the moment... he didn't know. But he never responded to it, and so Uncle Ben died. It was his fault. He saw people. Pointing at him. Calling him a freak. The world was crumbling. People were dying. Then... a hand touched Peter. He snapped awake.

The cop looked at Parker. Parker looked at the cop. "Well, well... how the missing are found." Pete had nothing to say. He couldn't run. He had just hoped he'd hidden the bullet from his leg well enough that a thorough investigation would not turn it up. "I'm sure you perfectly aware your under arrest?" Shit. Pete thought. "WHAT FOR!?" The cop looked at him. "For the suspected murder of one Barnaby Jones, for the attempted robbery of a bank. There's more. Wish for me to continue?" Peter shook his head. The choice now was to run. Or to go with the cop, and attempt to clear his name. He could see it now if he ran. A total manhunt. The papers would read: Mutant Murderer on The Prowl. Of course if he WAS convicted... he could always escape. It is sort of difficult to contain a man who can bend the bars of his cell in two. "I didn't kill anybody. And I did NOT rob a bank." He was lying through his teeth. He just hoped it worked. Peter had changed since the spider bite. Not just physically. But personality wise. He no longer put up with other peoples shit. He was tougher, and far more street smart. But most of all, he learned to lie like the best of them. The officer snorted at him. "Then you won't mind coming with me now will you?"

Pete had been handcuffed, thrown into the back of the car, and dragged off. All the neighbors watched. "How did you find me?" Peter asked sadly looking towards the floor of the car. He was barefoot and underdressed. "Well its not very hard when you live right next door." Peter perked a brow. "Does the name Stacy ring a bell?" It hit Pete like a sack of bricks. Stacy. Gwen Stacy. It was her Dad. "Your Gwen's dad..." The officer nodded. "Yes I am. Your obviously very familiar with my daughter." Oh boy was Peter ever familiar with his daughter. He only fawned over her everyday since kindergarten. "Mr. Parker... let me have a talk with you..." Captain Stacy pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Now listen to me. I know you're a decent young man. Never caused trouble in your life. Never involved in anything shifty. At least not that I know of. Your aunt and uncle were very proud of you. I'm also familiar with the fact that you're practically a genius. So the question is why? Why did you run away? Better yet why did you come back?" Pete swallowed. "I ... I was home sick..." Stacy laughed. "You're lying through your teeth boy. I can tell your lying." Ok maybe Peter wasn't nearly as good as he thought.

"Really Peter. Did you even know about your Aunt May? How about Ben?" Pete nodded. "I knew. Ben came. He found me. " Stacy shook his head. "What did he have to say?" Tears welled in Peter's eyes. "Does it matter? I threw it in his face... I acted like a child and I ran away from my problems thinking that it would help everyone. And when I thought that I could get away.. Be alone.. Not cause anymore suffering... I....... I just created more problems." Stacy looked in the back seat of the car. "What do you mean? Peter.. Ben Parker was a smart man. Although I was not close friends with your family.. I still knew Ben enough to be able to say that he was wise. Did what he say to you... did it change the way you were thinking? The way you perceived your life? Peter?" Tear drops dripped from Parkers eyes. "Yes... but not until it was too late Mr. Stacy... not until... it was too late..."

Captain Stacy had taken the cuffs off and brought Peter for a walk. "Parker let me tell you something. I am breaking every rule in the book right about now. I should be draggin' you off to the jail. Especially under heavy suspicion of murder. And attempted armed robbery. But I am not. We are going to take a long walk... Parker. You and I." Pete sniffled a little. He did not know what to think, feel, or even do.

And It was quite a chat Mr. Stacy and I had .... Mr. Stacy reminded me of Uncle Ben. And that is what finally sealed the tank that has trapped me within this life... the nobler path...

Deep down Stacy knew what he was going to do. Even though it went against everything he learned in the academy, even though it went against the rules. He wanted to let Parker leave. "Now Mr. Parker. Tell me. What's going on?" Pete sighed and looked up at the Captain. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. And I know that's how most of these stories start. That's why ... That's all I'm saying. Because this time its the truth." George grabbed the boy by the shoulder. "Listen Parker. You have only one option right now. And that is to talk to me. Otherwise you WILL be hauled off to jail." Pete sighed. "It started with an experiment... on a spider...." And so Pete dove into the story. Detailing his time away from home. His short lived wrestling career, the death of Aunt May, and Uncle Ben and finally his return home.

"In that bank. Ben told me something. That I realize now is more than true.... With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility. I had this ... this mutant power... this freakish ability in my hands. But I did not take responsibility for it. And he knew that. And I paid the price one must pay for such mistakes." George Stacy was speechless. Somehow though, he knew it was true. It was not totally unbelievable. After studies of the videos from the bank. And a little logic. He knew Parker wasn't lying. The Captain bit his lip. "Parker... I never saw you. You never returned to your house. And we never had this little talk. I doubt you could be proven innocent. The evidence stacks against you. And the fact that you AREN'T innocent... makes it a lot harder. I suggest you leave town. Take the money from wrestling and start a new life. While... its not right that I do THIS... I'm still going to do this. Hopefully... What's happened will make you a different person. If you return to this city Peter... and I bust you. I will take you away. So be gone..." Stacy turned and began his walk the other way. "And get yourself some clothes... you'll need them.."

Peter watched the man walk the other way. He turned his back on the matter. Let Peter go. But where could Peter go? He had no where. School was gone forever. Home was a place that he would never again be able to return to. And all he had was the money. $30,000. It was a lot. Especially considering he didn't wrestle for long. It was enough to etch out a new life though. Except... it was blood money....

That night. Was probably the coldest I have ever felt. The dead of winter. It was a lonely time. I had no home. No family. No safety. just powers. And a heavy conscience...

Peter watched the city below him. Snow began to fall. He felt it between his toes. He still had money down on the motel room. He would finish out his stay there and then find somewhere to go. His clothes rippled in the wind. The sun was setting, but was hidden behind the clouds. Loneliness consumed him. Who could he talk to? Captain Stacy? Probably not. After all. He had said that if he ever saw him in the city again he would bust him. A tear fell from Petes eye. "No one knows... what its like to be defeated and mis-treated... behind blue eyes..." He muttered softly.

Norman Osborn sipped his wine, as he watched the television. "The man hunt continues for 16 year old Peter Parker. Whom is a prime suspect in the deaths of several people, and an attempted robbery of a local bank. Captain George Stacy stated in a press release that 'whether or not Parker was involved in these crimes is still unclear, and there will be further investigation'. In other news... hope shines on a suffering orphanage, which risked being shut down by city officials, when an anonymous donor gave nearly twenty thousand dollars to help support the orphanage and-" Osborn shut the TV off as a knock came at the door. He stood and went to answer it. Otto Octavius stood in the doorway. "Norman. Have you seen the news?" Osborn nodded. "Why yes... I have."

"So then you know about the Parker kid?" questioned Octavius from behind his thick sunglasses.

"Very much so." Grunted Norman. "How are the test results?"

Otto smiled. "Excellent. I believe the serum i have conjured up is ready for human testing. If it hadn't been for the Parker kid. We would probably still be in the early stages."

Osborn laughed. "Indeed. But now that he has gone missing... I somehow doubt the fact that he will stay away from the media. We need to find him. And quickly. We could easily be shut down, if word got out that we had a lab accident which created a mutant kid responsible for several deaths."

The doctor nodded. "Indeed Norman. I am already looking into finding a solution to his disappearance issue..."

Osborn gave a dark grin. "Excellent. And while your coming up with your little solution... I on the other hand.. have a serum to test."

Honestly you can't expect that I would have given away ALL the money. After all... I have costumes to invest in. Webbing to test... and I need a meal every so often. I chose this life. For my own redemption...

Pete walked throughout his house. The last time he would ever see it. He grabbed what he needed. Raided the fridge. And worked with some clothes. Of course he took pictures with him as well. They were the only way to hold on to his memories. Dust floated through the air around him as the sun began to rise. Shining in through the window, and melting the snow outside. He looked out his window. And across the way he saw into Gwen's bedroom. She was brushing her hair. Preparing herself for school. For another day of an ordinary life. She turned towards the window, to open it. And she noticed Peter. Nothing was said obviously, but at that time they shared a moment in each others eyes. She smiled. Why was she smiling? Didn't she know Peter was a wanted criminal? He smiled back. Then, walked away from the window. Looking over his shoulder, and he slipped out the back door. Bidding a farewell to his home. Where he would go and for how long he did not know. But Peter Parker needed to atone for that which he had done. And atone he would. From behind a mask hated by most, and feared by the others.

Next: Aftershock

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ok ok ... your probably saying this sucks and I dont blame you. I tried taking it in a new direction.. and I personally think it came out choppy... because I sort of winged it as I went along... just let me know what you think... I do hope to make the story get progressively better... i just... still haven't found that groove I want so bad...