Ch 5
Peter Parker woke up the next day with aspirin by his bedside. He wondered why he'd put it there, and then remembered what had occurred last night. Mary-Jane had left it there after he came home from the Brooklyn Bridge, where the Green Goblin set him up with a Gwen Stacy hologram. But even before that, the Sinister Six had nearly killed him, and he was almost arrested. It should have sounded like an average day for a super-hero, but it didn't. Spider-Man was running his own life. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't Spider-Man be another guy and Peter Parker have his own life as well? Why did they have to counter-attack each other so much? Peter wondered if Captain America, or Johnny Storm, had that problem. Then he realized something…Johnny and the others were loved by the public! Well, maybe not Jameson, but by the people. He tried to think of how he was different from them. Then it hit him…they didn't wear masks.
Was that it? Was the answer to life's problems in the column of unmasking himself? But, how could he? He'd break Aunt May's heart, Jameson would fire him and be calling the cops to his place every second, and the super villains would know how to attack his weak spot…his heart. How could he go around with his face showing? That couldn't be the right choice to make. But Spider-Man was a bad influence on Peter Parker. Spider-Man gets in the way of everything, and Peter Parker makes being Spider-Man dangerous. Heck, he's competing with himself!
He flipped on the news after taking the medicine that had been left out for him. It showed Rhino, a huge guy in gray armor with a horn on top of his head, smashing into stuff. "That's nice." Peter said aloud as he chugged down some milk. He was in a really bad mood if he wasn't hurrying to the rescue. He figured if the city hated him, they didn't need him. But once he saw Rhino fleeing the cops and going into the park where children play, his better half made him swing into action.
He arrived there in the knick of time; Rhino had the girls' after school kickball game huddled close to the gate that was behind home plate. Spider-Man leaped off on top of the gate and yelled, "Hi playmate, sorry I'm late!" The girls looked up and saw the man in the trademark tights. Rhino charged forward, making the teenagers leap out of his way for their lives. Spider-Man hopped down behind him. "Sorry, Cuddles. I don't feel like being splattered all over the wall today." "I ain't giv'in 'ya a damn choice, Wall Crawler. How do 'ya like that?" Rhino spat out in a nasally voice. "I really don't like that, Rhino, because I feel bad for you. Your so damn stupid, you don't get it. And I don't know why I feel so generous. Let me lay it out for you, big guy. Okay, have you ever stopped me before?" Rhino didn't answer. "No. Have I ever kicked your ass before? Yes, I have. Now, I came here to take all my anger and frustration out on you, but that wouldn't be the 'super hero' type thing to do, would it? No, no it wouldn't. So, my point is, if your not too confused and still with me, that you will go peacefully to jail, or you can face me, angrier than I've ever felt before. Do you understand, or is that too complicated for your peanut-sized brain?" Rhino starred at him, confused and amazed. "Uh…" He started. "That's what I thought. Well, I'm not gonna wait for an answer, so put 'em up, 'It's clobber'in time'!"
Spider-Man, impressed greatly by his grand imitation of The Thing, leaped high into the air and came down fast. As he fell, he took his fists and slammed them on the massive man. Spider-Man, not letting up the attack, kicked him into the gated area behind home plate. Next, in one motion, Spider-Man webbed the man's large feet together and pulled him down. He landed with a hard bang, and told him he'd give up. Spider-Man, extremely satisfied with himself, webbed Rhino the ground. "I can't believe it!' Rhino exclaimed. "What, that I whipped your ass again? Don't be, it'll happen often if…" "No," Rhino cut off, "Your moves. You never stopped. I'm…I'm…" "Impressed?" "Nah. Man, you were a monster out there! A crazy, psycho monster!" "Sorry, my sympathy meter is totally out…did you just call me a monster?" Spider-Man said, struck back by his remark. Monster? Was that the right word to describe him? All he did was fight, did that make him a monster? No, no. He wasn't a monster! The Green Goblin was a monster! He was a hero…wasn't he? Spider-Man shook his head. "I'm not a monster. I'm the good guy," He told the man webbed to the floor. "A monster is someone who murders and does unspeakable things. I, sir, am not a monster." He walked away from the large man and kept on heading for the forest of trees. I'm not a monster, he told himself as he was hidden in the rush of tree bark and shrubs. A monster…how can that be? I'm a hero…not a monster. Is that what I'm seen as? A monster?
What a harsh name it was, and Spider-Man took the insult very seriously. Normally, a super villain's insult was not even considered as a threat. How could the dumbest of all of them have such an impact on Spider-Man's ego? He leaned against a tree trunk and slumped down on his butt. Big Time Super Hero, he thought sarcastically to himself. The Green Goblin was one of his worst enemies, he was a monster. Was he really like him? Spider-Man had always known they were both similar, but was he a monster, too? Was he becoming what he tried to destroy? A monster? Spider-Man looked at his covered hands. They were dangerous weapons, he'd realized that. And he also realized that the rules he lived by were slowly being broken. 'With great power, comes great responsibility'. He'd always lived by that one sentence. And now, he felt like he'd forgotten it existed, forgotten the most important lesson he had ever learned, taught by the smartest, strongest man he'd ever known; Ben Parker.
Spider-Man stood up and clenched his fists. From now on, he'd take on the responsibility he was chosen for, and live up to the name 'super hero'. He'd been ignorant, and felt sorry for himself this whole time. Well, he thought, it's time now to end what has been started. Just as he was about to sneak out of the woods in the park, he heard someone coming. Spider-Man charged a jump and leaped onto the tree branches, like a huge bird stalking oncoming prey.
Johnny Storm cut through the brush with his team, calling for Spider-Man's name. Spider-Man responded to their cry, then fell from the tree. "Hey, Johnny. Shouldn't you be waiting someplace else," Spider-Man greeted. "You might start a forest fire." "Ha ha, very funny." Johnny grunted. The Fantastic Four had showed up a lot lately, and it was time to use that advantage. "I've been thinking…" Spider-Man started. "Finally!" The Thing laughed. "…I'm going after the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six." Everyone looked at him oddly. "You do remember what they did to us last time?" Johnny asked. Spider-Man nodded. "But I have a responsibility. I need to stop it." "And what's this about the Green Goblin?" Sue Storm asked. Spider-Man sighed. The others could tell this was personal. "A few years ago, The Green Goblin kidnapped a young girl that went by Gwen Stacy." Everyone nodded, remembering the newscasts that had detailed the even. "I knew her. Not just as Spider-Man. We…we really knew each other well, I mean really, really, well." "You loved her, didn't you, son?" Mr. Fantastic asked. Spider-Man nodded. "A lot. Well, she died on the Brooklyn Bridge, and I've never been able to forgive myself," Spider-Man stopped for a moment, remembering that day, and all the screams. "Last night, I was looking at that bridge, when I saw her. Gwen. She was alive. I went over to her, but she literally jumped off the edge, wanting to die. I went after her. But, she wasn't real." Spider-Man stopped there, thinking of all the pain he'd felt that night. "The Green Goblin did it, didn't he? He created an image of her to get back at you." Mr. Fantastic guessed. Spider-Man nodded. "A hologram." "How do you know it was from him?" Invisible Woman asked. "On the projector he'd set up, there was a note." "What did it say?" Spider-Man stopped. He gulped, leaving everyone in suspense. Images of Gwen, the bridge, the note and the Goblin filled his head and made it feel like it would explode. Spider-Man said it low and with his head down, "Gotcha."