A Dark Beginning

Peter had days like anyone where he didn't want to go to work. In fact, everyday was one of those days. It was getting quite monotonous: Jameson called and yelled at him to come over, Peter gets ready and heads over to the Bugle, Peter gives him his pictures, Jameson calls it crap and Peter receives minimum wage. This day however, would be different.

"Parker!" Jameson called from behind his office desk, lighting one of his infamous cigars.

Peter soon arrived through the office door, his hair a bit messy and was accompanied by Jameson's secretary, Betty Brant, who sported her neat, short haircut. "Good luck," Betty whispered into Peter's ear before heading out.

"Parker, this is my son John," Jameson projected while pointing toward his brown haired son sitting in a chair that was across from Jameson's desk.

"Nice to meet you," Peter said as he approached John and shook his hand.

"Same here," John said politely as he let go of Peter's hand. "Wait, are you a friend of Mary Jane?" Jameson was about to speak some dirty words about the red head but John shot a deadly look at his father, silencing him.

"Yeah I am," Peter replied nervously. Peter knew that the subject of Mary Jane would be tense.

"How is she?" John asked, his eyes like that of a kicked puppy.

"Oh she's fine," Peter said simply, unnecessarily rotating the lens of his camera.

"We're not here to talk about girls!" Jameson interrupted, putting a cigar into his mouth. "Parker there's a new demonstration at the NOVA institute next week and they're conducting an experiment on a material that my son found in space. I want you to go with him to get some coverage on it. Eddie will also be following for the article."

"Isn't Eddie a photographer?" Peter asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well now he's a journalist okay!" Jameson ranted. "Be at the NOVA institute tomorrow and my son and Eddie will meet you okay?"

"Right," Peter said as he walked out of the room.

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Mary Jane sat on a stage chair in her still going play, "The Importance of Being Earnest." She was on stage and stayed silent for a while with an itch on her back. It took all of her will power and acting skills to resist the urge to scratch it.

"Are you glad to hear it?" Jason, the new character playing Algernon asked.

"I am glad to hear it," Mary Jane or rather, Cecily, answered, her face scrunching slightly at her itch.

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"Mary Jane, are you okay?" Peter asked as the two walked along the street across the Lyric.

"Why do you ask Pete?" Mary Jane chuckled while leaned her head against Peter's shoulder as well as wrapped her arms around Peter's right arm.

"You looked a bit off today."

"That was an itch," Mary Jane answered faintly, turning her head away in embarrassment.

"An itch?" Peter asked, using all his spidery strength to suppress his overwhelming laughter bubbling inside of him.

"Don't laugh!" Mary Jane said, wrapping her arms around Peter's tighter.

Then, a blonde woman that Peter recognized as the woman from the car crash bumped into them, breaking Peter and Mary Jane apart. "Sorry," she apologized before disappearing through the veil of the crowd.

"Hey, I know her," Mary Jane commented as she reconnected with Peter. "She's Elektra Natchios."

"Really? Huh." Peter said, confused.

"Something the matter?" Mary Jane asked, sliding her fingers into Peter's left hand's grip.

"Nothing."

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Peter, John, and Eddie found themselves the following even at the NOVA institute main research and demonstration lab. Many reporters from news channels were there, local as well as national. There were also journalists, photographers and even a few scientists.

"This place gets a lot of publicity doesn't it?" Eddie asked rhetorically. He fumbled through his hair for his pencil lodged in between the top of his ear and head.

"Amazing, I've never seen such incredible machines!" Peter said, in awe at the marvel of machinery around him.

"Nerd. Guy like him doesn't deserve to be a photographer." Eddie murmured under his breath.

"Peter, Eddie, come on." John called, beckoning the two to come to a large stasis tank placed in the middle of the room. The two walked quickly toward the crowd gathering around the tank. As they got near, a skinny man who Peter and John recognized as Dr. Simons walked toward the front of the tank and the talking in the crowd quickly died down.

"Welcome esteemed colleagues, reporters and press members to the NOVA institute." Dr. Simons began. "You are gathered here today for one specific reason, discovery. For years we have been searching for ways to find the perfect source of energy as well as ways to cure diseases like AIDS or heal fatal wounds."

"This should be good," Peter whispered into John's ears.

"No doubt Peter," John whispered back.

"I give you this tiny black space rock, thanks to John Jameson's efforts," Dr Simons said gratefully, holding a black rock as well as pointing a finger of acknowledgement at John Jameson. The crowd clapped as John gave a wave to the crowd. Dr. Simons then opened the tank, put in the rock and slid the tank back closed like several weeks ago. He then turned the machine on, causing a gas to flow into the tank. The rock vibrated and quickly formed into a black slime, floating in the middle of the air. People watched for a minute in awe at the phenomena occurring before them.

"That's hot!" Eddie yelled foolishly, causing several people in front of him to shoot him several looks. Eddie lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you an innovative new source of energy and medicine," Dr. Simons said eagerly, pointing to the black substance developing in the stasis tank behind him. The black goo started to grow and develop letting out noises that seemed to be screams.

"Dr. Simons, can you prove this new…substance is safe, unlike a previous attempt at new energy by Otto Octavious?" a male reporter asked.

"I assure you that this is far more than safe…" the doctor started to say before the substance formed a tendril and broke through the tank, grabbing the doctor by the neck and throwing him into a wall, killing him.

"Run!" a woman screamed. The black slime slithered out of the hole in the tank, forming several tendrils from its body.

"Let's get out of here Parker!" Eddie ordered, turning to face his fellow press member. Peter however, was gone before John and Eddie even made a move. A few seconds later, Spiderman appeared, jumping in from an open window in the ceiling. "Spiderman!"

"Everyone hurry and exit!" Spiderman demanded, jumping down to the floor, shooting web balls at the black slime. The slime batted away every single attack with its tendrils and then leaped at the masked man. Spiderman did a front flip over it and landed on a nearby wall. Spiderman took the moment's break to look for anyone that was still in the building and only saw John and Eddie running toward the exit.

"Move it space boy!" Eddie yelled as he pushed John to the floor, taking the opportunity to escape through the door.

"What a nice guy," John said sarcastically as he got up. The black goo did not give him a full chance to recover as it crawled swiftly over to John. John turned to see it coming and tried to escape but the slime shot out a tendril and tripped John and pulled itself toward him.

"You really attached to it aren't you?" Spiderman asked John as he swung in on his web and pulled John free, carrying him across the room. "When I give the signal, run toward the door," Spiderman whispered as he got into a ready position. The goo however, decided to flow into a nearby drain in the flow, quickly going down through the small holes, disappearing.

"Weird," John said, completely confused.

"You're telling me."