To the reviewers, whom I thank:
To daveykins: Hope you are.
To moonjava and Teckla: Can't wait, eh? I'm just killing you with suspense, heh heh.
To Agent Silver: Long time no see! Yes, computer failure sucks, I was almost driven mad when my local internet company shut down for two weeks and then I discovered the pile-up of email alerts and spam. Anyway, I really hope I won't have to wait for your input until spring break, because by that time Children of Six should be done, you know how fast I update, and I like your input. Yes, our girl goblin Noreen is going to be one of the New Sinister Six...but as for the others...(wicked supervillian grin) let's not ruin the surprise, shall we! You will be more pleased of the fact that a point you raised in "My Only Love and Only Hate" is answered in this chapter! Read on!
On to the story! With great power comes great responsibility...and with great superhero comic books come a whole bunch of fanfiction! Whether old or new, read and review!
Chapter 3: The Unlikeliest Superhero
Mary Jane asked Austin to talk to her privately.
"May tells me that you have the arms," she said. "Can you show me?"
Austin untied his coat, revealing the four huge steely blue tentacles, rather like skeletal snakes. Four three-clawed pincers opened to reveal the sharp blue lights that served as their eyes. "You're…not afraid?"
"I've had experience with them," she said evenly. "May also tells me that you can fully control them, even though your inhibitor chip was destroyed. That's remarkable willpower you've got there."
"It's hard sometimes," said Austin.
"Tell me how you got them."
Austin sensed somehow that Mary Jane could be trusted with this. So he told her.
"It's not your fault, Austin," she said finally.
Austin looked up at his girlfriend's mother. "It's not? I'm the one who put them on, Mrs. Parker. I should have known better."
"So what do you want to do? Remove them?"
"No," Austin replied. "They won't let that happen. I just want to—you know—make a difference. Make up for all the harm my father's caused this city."
Mary Jane Parker rested her hand on her chin, thinking. Finally she got an idea.
"Austin…have you ever thought of becoming a superhero?"
"What?"
"You could help the city—and May. You could establish an identity separate from your father."
Austin blinked. "Could I pull that off?"
"Well, you've already got powers and a good heart—you just need a costume. If my husband could pull it off, so could you. I believe in you."
May walked into the basement, watching her mother at the sewing machine. She was sewing together pieces of shimmery green and silver fabric. Austin was sitting on the couch next to her, reading the newspaper.
May smiled. "I heard what you're trying to do, Mom. You're gonna turn my boyfriend into a superhero."
"Austin and I just agreed that you'd like a partner in crime-fighting, May." Mary Jane turned off the sewing machine. "Try this on, Austin."
Austin came out of the bathroom shortly, with the green tights on. "Does this make me look fat?" he quipped, to much laughter.
Mary Jane looked at her watch. "Peter should be home from work by now."
There was a click of the keys in the door, and a moment later, he was outside the door, looking at his daughter, wife, and the boyfriend.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Mom's going to turn Austin into a superhero," May grinned.
However, Peter had a rather different perspective on seeing his daughter's tentacled boyfriend in green tights. He burst into laughter.
"Austin…you know how much you look like your father?"
Austin's face turned red. He pushed past Peter and walked out the door to the bathroom. "I'm going to take these off."
"Whoa," said Peter. "Was it something I said?"
"Austin never had a relationship with his father. Frankly, he has nothing but contempt for him," MJ said quietly.
Peter blinked. "Why didn't Austin tell me he hated him so much?"
"Honey—you never asked."
Finally May and MJ came up with an idea Austin could tolerate. Peter, grudgingly coming to the conclusion that another superhero in the family was better than a potential supervillian, presented him with an old costume from the back of the closet. It was entirely red, except for a blue hoodie sweater with a red spider painted on the chest. Austin was sorely tempted to ask Peter where he got the costume from, but Peter only said, "It's a long story, Scarlet Spider. It involves a clone and your dad's ex-girlfriend." This was just enough information for Austin to decide he didn't want to hear the story. Peter also began to teach Austin how to use the arms in a combat situation, even though he himself was only a secondhand source.
"This is it," said May, pulling on her mask.
"The big one," agreed Austin, pulling on his mask. "Is there going to be something?"
"This is New York City. There's always going to be something. There it is," May said, pointing. "A mugging."
"Thought there were going to be some big guys, some supervillians around," muttered Austin.
May laughed. "Don't be impatient. You have to eat the vegetables before you move on to the banana split. Follow me."
Before the mugger could say "eight arms," his gun was webbed right out his hand, and a tentacle was lifting him right up in the air.
Spider-girl examined the gun. "Dear, dear, don't you know there's an assault weapons ban in this city?"
"I know about you, Spider-girl," the mugger said. "But who the hell are you?" he addressed the fledgling hero in the long blue coat.
"Just the long arm of the law," Austin smirked. He tossed the criminal up to May, who promptly webbed him to the wall, where the police would most likely find him later.
"There you go," said May. "Your first capture."
