Chapter 7
Curt Connors came down into the kitchen to see his wife working up a storm. She turned around to see him enter the kitchen. "Morning, Honey? I have your plate on the table."
Curt did not reply. He went to his chair and pulled it out with his right hand and sat down. There in front of him was a plate full of cut up pieces of waffles and sausage smothered in syrup. He found himself staring down at his plate. How many times has he had come down to a plate with his food already cut for him like a little child. Martha meant well, but all this time, it was driving him nuts that he had to have help with almost everything. Missing his left arm, he couldn't even pick up his own son!
"Curt, is there something wrong?" Martha asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No, nothing wrong. I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for me. I love you so much,"
"I love you too," Martha knelt down besides him and kissed him across the lips. Little Billy on the opposite end of the table began to giggle seeing his mommy and daddy kiss. "You better eat, and I'll drive you to work when you're done."
Curt nodded as he began eating his waffles. As he did, his thoughts again began to drift. Soon, things were going to change around here. Soon, he will be a whole man again and enjoy playing with his son the way all fathers should. He will be able to hold his wife the way all husbands should.
* * * *
Peter was in his Spider-Man costume and swinging around New York. The thought that somehow Eddie Brock was going to find another way to get a picture of him disturbed him greatly. How was he doing it? No one was that lucky. The only way he could be doing it was if he was setting up those accidents himself, but he had no concrete evidence of that. He could have been doing a report on Mary Jane's play before the fire started and got lucky to get an even better picture. The amusement park can be explained away the same way. The Bank and the jogger was not so easily explained away.
Spider-Man's web senses began to tingle and he began to look around to see what was setting it off. Down below, one of the smaller buildings were burning. There was a lady screaming in terror on the street, being kept back by two fire fighters.
The last time he went into a burning building, it was a trap set up by the Green Goblin that nearly got him killed. He hoped to God that this was not another trap by some crazy lunatic who wanted him dead. Spider-Man swiftly swung low to the ground and landed on his feet on the sidewalk and took two steps towards the woman screaming and the fire fighters. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"My daughter is in there! Please save her, Spider-Man!"
"Don't worry, Ma'am, I'll get her," Spider-Man said as he turned around.
A hand ,grabbing him by the should, pulled him back around. "Don't do it Spider-Man. That building is about to collapse! I need everyone to clear back. There just not enough time!"
"I'm going in there. I have to save that girl!"
"You go at your own risk, Spider-Man. If you get in trouble, we're not coming in and getting you, no matter who you are!"
"I understand. I'll take my chances!" Spider-Man said, nodding his head. He turned around and fired a web line up at the corner of the burning building. He pulled himself off the ground and fired a web line across the street. He swung across the street and fired a web line back across the street. He made a U-turn in mid-air and swung towards the burning building. He went crashing through the third level window. He landed on the wooden floor and was now engulfed in smoke and surrounded by flames.
"Is anyone in here?" Spider-Man screamed.
There was no reply. He walked in deeper into the fiery building when his Spider senses went off. At that moment, A burning beam came crashing down towards Spider-Man. He made a leap through some flames to avoid being crushed to land in a small safety spot. The beam crashed to the floor and the floor collapsed. More of the floor began collapsing and Spider-Man began to fall through the collapsing floor.
He fired a web line and pulled himself back up onto the third level. "That was close."
Spider-Man continued through the burning building. "Is anyone in here?"
"Help me!" a young girl's voice screamed out.
Spider-Man headed towards the direction of the voice. "If you can me, keep talking!"
"Please, help me!" She responded.
He was now certain that he could locate the young girl. He rushed towards the location he heard the voice come from. There, standing in a corner was a eight year old girl. "I'm here!" Spider-Man said walking up to the young girl and knelt down. "Grab a hold of me! I'll get you out of here!"
The young girl wrapped her arms around his neck, her soot soaked face also soaked with tears of fright and from the smoke. Spider-Man fired a web line and began to swing towards the window that he had crashed into. He let go of the web line before crashing into the wall and landed on the ground. He made a leap out the window just as an explosion rocked the building, sending them tumbling out the window.
Spider-Man reacted quickly enough to spin another web line at the rooftop a few feet above his head, as the young girl lost her grip around his neck. Spider-Man snapped his left hand downward and caught her by the wrist. "Hold on!" Spider-Man screamed.
The girl was dangling three stories above the sidewalk, screaming in extreme fright. Spider-Man looked above him at his webline and the flames were starting to eat through his webbing. "Not good."
The web line suddenly snapped sending them falling. He quickly shot another web line, but the young girl and slipped through his hand. With his left wrist, he fired a web line which snagged onto her back. She was now dangling two and a half stories above the sidewalk. He slowly began to lower themselves down when another explosion and a wave of flames shout out of the building. The force of the explosion sent them flying away from the building as the flames instantly disintegrated all webbing.
Spider-Man came crashing down and landed hard against the top of a fire truck severely knocking the wind out of him. If he had been a normal person, he would be dead. The burning building began to come crashing down to the ground as the fire fights continued to fight the fire and keep it from catching the near by buildings on fire.
Spider-Man moaned as he painfully sat up. His entire head was spinning as he stood up. He looked down to see the woman screaming and the fire fighters surrounding that side of the fire truce beneath him. There was shattered glass from the fire truck and a huge dent in the side. "Oh God, please no!" Spider-Man muttered. There on the ground was the young girl right up to the side of the fire truck laying motionless.
"Is she…" Spider-Man began to ask, praying hard at that very moment.
The fire fighter looked up with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Spider-Man. She's dead." The mother screamed and wept bitterly over her daughter's body. "You did everything you could, Spider-Man."
A flash of light caught Spider-Man's attention from the other side of the yellow tape that was keeping pedestrians away from the scene. "Bummer, Spider-Man!" Eddie said, shaking his head.
Spider-Man shook his head in disbelief. "No…no it can't be. NO!" Spider-Man violently turned around and fired a web line and swung away from the mess.
* * * *
Peter sat upon the eagle Gargoyle high above the city on one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city. He held his Spider-Man mask in his right hand. His face was soaked from tears. He could not stop weeping. The image of the dead girl hunted him. "I've failed. I've failed as Spider-Man."
Peter stood up, sniffling. He turned his right wrist around and looked down at the soot stained Spider-Man mask in his hands. "It's over." He turned the palm of his right wrist downward and allowed the mask to slide out of his hand. The mask began to float away, downward into the city.
Curt Connors came down into the kitchen to see his wife working up a storm. She turned around to see him enter the kitchen. "Morning, Honey? I have your plate on the table."
Curt did not reply. He went to his chair and pulled it out with his right hand and sat down. There in front of him was a plate full of cut up pieces of waffles and sausage smothered in syrup. He found himself staring down at his plate. How many times has he had come down to a plate with his food already cut for him like a little child. Martha meant well, but all this time, it was driving him nuts that he had to have help with almost everything. Missing his left arm, he couldn't even pick up his own son!
"Curt, is there something wrong?" Martha asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No, nothing wrong. I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for me. I love you so much,"
"I love you too," Martha knelt down besides him and kissed him across the lips. Little Billy on the opposite end of the table began to giggle seeing his mommy and daddy kiss. "You better eat, and I'll drive you to work when you're done."
Curt nodded as he began eating his waffles. As he did, his thoughts again began to drift. Soon, things were going to change around here. Soon, he will be a whole man again and enjoy playing with his son the way all fathers should. He will be able to hold his wife the way all husbands should.
* * * *
Peter was in his Spider-Man costume and swinging around New York. The thought that somehow Eddie Brock was going to find another way to get a picture of him disturbed him greatly. How was he doing it? No one was that lucky. The only way he could be doing it was if he was setting up those accidents himself, but he had no concrete evidence of that. He could have been doing a report on Mary Jane's play before the fire started and got lucky to get an even better picture. The amusement park can be explained away the same way. The Bank and the jogger was not so easily explained away.
Spider-Man's web senses began to tingle and he began to look around to see what was setting it off. Down below, one of the smaller buildings were burning. There was a lady screaming in terror on the street, being kept back by two fire fighters.
The last time he went into a burning building, it was a trap set up by the Green Goblin that nearly got him killed. He hoped to God that this was not another trap by some crazy lunatic who wanted him dead. Spider-Man swiftly swung low to the ground and landed on his feet on the sidewalk and took two steps towards the woman screaming and the fire fighters. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"My daughter is in there! Please save her, Spider-Man!"
"Don't worry, Ma'am, I'll get her," Spider-Man said as he turned around.
A hand ,grabbing him by the should, pulled him back around. "Don't do it Spider-Man. That building is about to collapse! I need everyone to clear back. There just not enough time!"
"I'm going in there. I have to save that girl!"
"You go at your own risk, Spider-Man. If you get in trouble, we're not coming in and getting you, no matter who you are!"
"I understand. I'll take my chances!" Spider-Man said, nodding his head. He turned around and fired a web line up at the corner of the burning building. He pulled himself off the ground and fired a web line across the street. He swung across the street and fired a web line back across the street. He made a U-turn in mid-air and swung towards the burning building. He went crashing through the third level window. He landed on the wooden floor and was now engulfed in smoke and surrounded by flames.
"Is anyone in here?" Spider-Man screamed.
There was no reply. He walked in deeper into the fiery building when his Spider senses went off. At that moment, A burning beam came crashing down towards Spider-Man. He made a leap through some flames to avoid being crushed to land in a small safety spot. The beam crashed to the floor and the floor collapsed. More of the floor began collapsing and Spider-Man began to fall through the collapsing floor.
He fired a web line and pulled himself back up onto the third level. "That was close."
Spider-Man continued through the burning building. "Is anyone in here?"
"Help me!" a young girl's voice screamed out.
Spider-Man headed towards the direction of the voice. "If you can me, keep talking!"
"Please, help me!" She responded.
He was now certain that he could locate the young girl. He rushed towards the location he heard the voice come from. There, standing in a corner was a eight year old girl. "I'm here!" Spider-Man said walking up to the young girl and knelt down. "Grab a hold of me! I'll get you out of here!"
The young girl wrapped her arms around his neck, her soot soaked face also soaked with tears of fright and from the smoke. Spider-Man fired a web line and began to swing towards the window that he had crashed into. He let go of the web line before crashing into the wall and landed on the ground. He made a leap out the window just as an explosion rocked the building, sending them tumbling out the window.
Spider-Man reacted quickly enough to spin another web line at the rooftop a few feet above his head, as the young girl lost her grip around his neck. Spider-Man snapped his left hand downward and caught her by the wrist. "Hold on!" Spider-Man screamed.
The girl was dangling three stories above the sidewalk, screaming in extreme fright. Spider-Man looked above him at his webline and the flames were starting to eat through his webbing. "Not good."
The web line suddenly snapped sending them falling. He quickly shot another web line, but the young girl and slipped through his hand. With his left wrist, he fired a web line which snagged onto her back. She was now dangling two and a half stories above the sidewalk. He slowly began to lower themselves down when another explosion and a wave of flames shout out of the building. The force of the explosion sent them flying away from the building as the flames instantly disintegrated all webbing.
Spider-Man came crashing down and landed hard against the top of a fire truck severely knocking the wind out of him. If he had been a normal person, he would be dead. The burning building began to come crashing down to the ground as the fire fights continued to fight the fire and keep it from catching the near by buildings on fire.
Spider-Man moaned as he painfully sat up. His entire head was spinning as he stood up. He looked down to see the woman screaming and the fire fighters surrounding that side of the fire truce beneath him. There was shattered glass from the fire truck and a huge dent in the side. "Oh God, please no!" Spider-Man muttered. There on the ground was the young girl right up to the side of the fire truck laying motionless.
"Is she…" Spider-Man began to ask, praying hard at that very moment.
The fire fighter looked up with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Spider-Man. She's dead." The mother screamed and wept bitterly over her daughter's body. "You did everything you could, Spider-Man."
A flash of light caught Spider-Man's attention from the other side of the yellow tape that was keeping pedestrians away from the scene. "Bummer, Spider-Man!" Eddie said, shaking his head.
Spider-Man shook his head in disbelief. "No…no it can't be. NO!" Spider-Man violently turned around and fired a web line and swung away from the mess.
* * * *
Peter sat upon the eagle Gargoyle high above the city on one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city. He held his Spider-Man mask in his right hand. His face was soaked from tears. He could not stop weeping. The image of the dead girl hunted him. "I've failed. I've failed as Spider-Man."
Peter stood up, sniffling. He turned his right wrist around and looked down at the soot stained Spider-Man mask in his hands. "It's over." He turned the palm of his right wrist downward and allowed the mask to slide out of his hand. The mask began to float away, downward into the city.