Ch 3

Spider-Man didn't know what had hit him. A loud BOOM, followed by a fiery explosion filled the air around him. He was smashed with rubble, and he fell down onto the hard concrete. He heard people screaming. He heard so many things. The demolished building fell onto him, and he was covered before long. The citizens circled around the pile of bricks. Whispering and gasps filled the silence. The waited for the rubble to move, but it did not. Nothing moved except the fire that had caught onto the stones from the explosion.

Rubble just piled onto him, all at once. He screamed out each time one hit him. Before he knew it, he was completely covered. Spider-Man thanked his private spider-god that he was still alive; no man could survive that! Before long, Spider-Man thought he was going to pass out. He felt his head pounding and his body being crushed. But he knew if he did pass out, the pressure of the bricks would surely crush his lungs until he was dead.

"This is gonna hurt." Spider-Man said as he prepared for his action. He lunged his arms out forward and smashed through the rubble so air could get through. He coughed lightly and regained his strength for a few minutes. Then he sunk his hands underneath the stone on his chest and he lifted it up. Slowly Spider-Man got to his feet, making the rubble fall from his torn costume. He stood up straight, in an indescribable amount of agony, and threw it aside.

He bent over and grabbed his aching back. "Thanks for all your help, folks!" Spider-Man moaned to the starting citizens in sarcasm. "Anyone have any Advil?" "Spider-Man, look!" A lady shrieked. The Sinister Six was fleeing the offices, no doubt taking advantage of Spider-Man's condition and dilemma. "Let the cops do all that. I feel like I was run over by a truck!" He spun a web line and swung his way across to the Daily Bugle offices, over the reporters and lines of people, to find Johnny Storm. He entered the window in which he'd spotted a little extra light.

"Johnny?" "Spider-Man! Are you alright, buddy?" " Yeah, I guess. Man, that apartment fell like a stone!" Johnny chuckled as they exited the building through a broken door, and they were bombarded by noise and people. They backed up slightly. J. Jonah Jameson barged through the crowd, standing in front of the news cameras with the tow super heroes. "He loves the camera." Johnny laughed as Jameson pointed at the two of them. "Spider-Man! I should have you arrested!" "I just saved your ass!" "You completely destroyed my building!" "Jameson, a few minutes ago I was sitting against a wall listening to you lecture me on how to be a hero. I did what you advised me to, and now your blaming me?" "I have no clue what you're talking about! You're a menace to this entire city!"

Johnny must have seen the steam come from Spider-Man's ears, because he instantly held him back. "Jameson, you bastard! I don't get one fricking ounce of respect around here! I almost died when an exploding bomb covered me in rubble!" "Yeah, you destroyed that building, too!" He yelled. Spider-Man lunged at Jameson, ready to punch him to Jersey, when a dozen cops surrounded the perimeter.

"Spider-Man! Freeze! Hands on your head, both of you!" Spider-Man and the Human Torch reluctantly did so. "Guys, I do not have time for this! I need a doctor!" Spider-Man said, explaining his shredded tights. "How about we have you explain the property damage you've caused that equals to over a hundred thousand dollars, first?" "I'd love to go down to the station, maybe you could give me a tour when my head isn't spinning!" "Spider-Man! Finally! Your under arrest!" Jameson yelled at him. The police said they'd arrest him, too, if he didn't shut his mouth. Just as the policeman brought out handcuffs, a huge hover vehicle came into sight. It landed right in front of the burning apartment that had exploded.

The Fantastic Four hopped out of the car. "Johnny Storm! What kind of trouble did you get into now?" His sister said, running over. "Officer, I'm terribly sorry for the trouble, but these two men aren't the ones to arrest. Those in that group the 'Sinister Six' are the ones to be after!" Mr. Fantastic announced. "These hooligans cost the Daily Bugle over a hundred thousand dollars in damage!" Jameson interrupted. The Thing made the ground shake as he walked over. "We do property damage all the time, and we don't have to go to jail for it. Now, let 'em go." He ordered in a deep, nerve-shaking voice. The officers quickly let them walk over to the others. Jameson stated cursing, saying he'd arrest him himself, when Spider-Man quickly zapped webbing onto his mouth. "Now I wont have to listen to you for an hour, you bastard."

"Spider-Man! You look dreadful!" "Well thank you!" He said in a bad mood. "You okay, Pal?" "No! No matter what I do, no matter now hard I try, I never get respect around here! I run for my life, they call me yellow. Now I save hundreds of lives, and I'm being arrested for property damage. It's like they love to point out my mistakes and shove them in my face every time I do something! Soon they'll say I contaminated the water and brought a plague onto their houses!" "Well, how are 'ya feel'in?" The Thing asked, to change the subject. "Like I was hit with a ton of bricks…literally!" Spider-Man snapped back. Mr. Fantastic cleared his throat, "Well, Spider-Man, would you like to come to our medical facility?" "Nah, I think I'll go home and but ice packs on all my bruises." "Are you sure?" Invisible Woman asked. "Yeah, besides, I'm missing Oprah." Spider-Man said as he spun a web and started swinging away. "That boy really worries me." Sue Storm said aloud to her teammates. "Yeah, well, lets go home. Spidey may have turned down the medical facility in our H.Q., but I never refused!" Johnny said as he 'flamed on' and raced the Fantasti-Car to their base.

"Oh, your under arrest, Spider-Man! Freeze, Spider-Man!" He mimicked as he spun a web line across Times Square. Jesus, Give me a break! He passed Iron Man along the way, and he waved in an uncanny mood. Once he reached his apartment, he was ready to collapse. What a day it had been! Spider-Man threw off his tights and mask, threw them in the back of his closet, and bandaged up all the slashes on his arm (He lost account at fifteen) and then he iced the day's worth of bruises. He plopped his sorry ass onto the couch and flipped on the television. The news was the first thing that came up, and, of course, it was about him. The headline was Spider-Man Resists Arrest, how typical! The attractive blonde reporter stated she was discouraged the she, or any other newscasters, could get a statement from him. "Oh yeah, right, what am I gonna say? 'I'm sorry I saved your lives and damaged a building, and almost got myself killed?' Hrm…too modest." He said aloud to himself.

They showed footage of he and Johnny being 'saved by the hover-car', as the reporters called it, and his entire nightmare of a day was played back before his eyes. The screen changed to show him and Johnny, plopped up against the wall, while Doctor Octopus was holding the teenage girl in his metal arms. A subtitle appeared on the screen. He read it slowly: Spider-Man did not spring into action and save this terrified young girl; he watched. "That's it! I'm tired of being the bad guy!" The grumpy Peter Parker said. Callers were on the phone line now. "Spider-Man should have to pay like anyone else should!" One caller demanded. "Spider-Man's just a big bully with super-powers!" Another insulted (Obviously J. Jonah Jameson is loving this). Peter changed into his costume again so he could swing around town and clear his head. As he was throwing the tights on, another caller came onto the news. "Spider-Man's a disgrace to good super heroes like the Fantastic Four and The Avengers!" Figures, thought Peter as he pulled down the mask. He shut down the television with his handy-dandy remote as he opened up a window.

The misty fog made it difficult to see that night. Spider-Man spun his web and maneuvered past unseen buildings using his spider-sense. After he almost crashed into a billboard for the Daily Bugle, though he wished he had broken it, he decided that a nearby rooftop was a good place to clear his head.

He thought his life. I haven't called Mary Jane in a while. She's probably been worried sick that I almost got arrested today. And Aunt May. What a selfless woman. I really should go visit her. He looked around the rooftop he was on. There was Times Square. And over there was the Fantastic Four head quarters. And the Brooklyn Bridge…

Spider-Man's head started to throb. The Brooklyn Bride. The place where Gwen Stacy died. She was his first love, his one, true love. And she died right there, in front of his eyes. He stopped tired to stop thinking about it, but he couldn't figure out his feelings. He loved Mary Jane, but he loved Gwen, too. Would the same fate befall upon her as it did Gwen? No, he told himself. The Goblin won't hurt her. Not anyone, anymore.

He agreed with his subconscious that that was enough painful memories for the night, so he stood up and started to swing through the mist again. Suddenly, a cry for help pierced the silent air around him. He tried to trace the source of the distress call, but could not until after the second one. He froze on his web line. It was coming from there! That place that was the key to so many answers and so many memories. He hurried, now, quickened his pace. As he went closer, more images of the past flashed before his eyes. He swung into a pylon and climbed all the way up to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. He peered down through the mist. There was a young girl, crying. Spider-Man went in for a better look at this girl. He thought about what was going on. She has blonde hair…her smile….omigod…it's Gwen!