Chapter 2
Monday, November 1st, 2004
New York, New York
1:46 P.M.
Doc sipped his punch as he watched Peter and M.J. talk to their friends. Even though he barely knew them, he could see that they belonged together. They each seemed mesmerized by the other, holding hands tightly and sharing loving glances. Doc smiled and took Clara's hand. It was always nice to see someone find their soulmate. Just be thankful you didn't have to travel 100 years into the past to find her, kid!
Jennifer sighed as she looked at them. "They are so cute together." She happily laid her head on Marty's shoulder and looked up at him. "Remember when we were happy newlyweds?"
Marty nodded. "Nothing like knowing the girl you love is yours forever. And that knowledge just gets better with age." They kissed.
Douglas and Marlene had less favorable opinions. "They're acting silly," Marlene complained. "All kissy and huggy." Softer, she added, "Are we that silly older?"
"I dunno, sweetheart," Marty admitted. "Mom only saw you the once, and not with any boyfriends. And you didn't seem to have a girlfriend when I saw you, Douglas."
"I think we're gonna be silly," Douglas said, looking none too thrilled at the prospect. "Jules and Verne were silly too."
"Get used to it, squirts," Verne said, ruffling their hair playfully. "It's all part of growing up."
"Besides, when you're older, you won't care about being silly," J.C. nodded, hugging them. "Hell, I've still got a slight crush on one cute X-Man -- Nightcrawler, Dad," she quickly added, seeing Doc's startled look. "I got over the one on you years ago."
"You're weird," Douglas informed her.
"That's why I'm a graphic artist."
A white-haired woman approached the group, beaming. "I'm so glad all of you could make it," she said. "The look on Peter's face was priceless."
"I know, Aunt May," Jennifer said, giving the woman a hug. "Thanks for inviting us all."
"Well, I couldn't leave you out of Peter's special day. You're really the only family he has left." She shook hands with Marty and Doc. "It's a pleasure to meet you two face-to-face at last. I'm May Reilly Parker, Peter's aunt. You can call me May."
"It's very nice to meet you too, May," Doc smiled. "I'm Dr. Emmett Brown -- you can call me Emmett. This is my wife Clara, my sons Jules and Verne, and my daughter, Josephine Caroline."
"J.C. to most," J.C. elaborated.
"And these are Douglas and Marlene," Marty said proudly.
"Hi," the twins chorused.
May grinned. "They're adorable. Look just like their father too."
"Wait until they grow up," Jennifer whispered to Marty, who chuckled.
Peter and M.J. came over, Peter openly goggling at Doc while Mary Jane giggled. "Hi," Peter said, looking quite nervous. "Very nice to m-meet you, Dr. Brown."
"It's very nice to meet you too, Peter," Doc said, shaking Peter's hand. "Jennifer tells me you're into biology."
"Yeah, but I'm interested in a lot of physics, too."
"Good kid. Always best to have a well-rounded education. I made it a point to study things that didn't relate directly to my major in college. It helps keep the brain alive."
"That's what I think too, Dr. Brown," Peter nodded. "I've got a lot of different interests."
"Please, call me Doc. Most of my friends do."
Verne grinned at Peter. "Jennifer tells us you're the guy who takes pictures of Spider-Man. How'd you get that job?"
"Well, it was sort of an accident, really," Peter said, fidgeting a little. "I was at the scene of one his first take-downs, and I ended up snapping a bunch of pictures. I guess he saw me, because he later dropped by my place and offered to let me be his official photographer. When I asked him why, he said he knew he was gonna have tons of publicity, and that he might as well get it from a guy who can get the best shots. I accepted, and we've been working together ever since."
"Cool. You know him too, don't you Miss Watson -- well, Mrs. Parker now?"
"I do," Mary Jane giggled. "He's saved my life a number of times." She ticked them off on her fingers. "Once from muggers, twice from the Green Goblin, and once from Doc Ock."
"Holy shit," Marty said, eyes wide.
"Dear, please, not in front of the kids."
"Yeah. And he also showed me what I had with Peter, and why I shouldn't give it up," Mary Jane finished, gazing lovingly at her new husband.
"How sweet," J.C. said with a smile. "You two look like you belong together."
"That's the general consensus, yeah," Peter blushed. "Heck, most of the guests have been asking us why we didn't do this sooner."
"Well, why didn't you?" Marlene asked with innocent frankness.
"Marlene!"
"No, it's okay," Peter said, smiling at her. "Because my job can get really dangerous sometimes, Marlene. Taking pictures of Spider-Man can be fun, sure, but it also means getting up close and personal with some pretty nasty villains. I didn't want Mary Jane to get put in danger because of me."
The twins nodded, eyes wide with awe. "You're a very brave man, Mr. Parker," Douglas said.
"Come on, call me Peter."
"Do you know the X-Men too, Peter?" Jules asked, a sly gleam in his eye.
"Yeah, a few. Spidey's friends with them. They helped each other with that Pyro fiasco back in 2003."
"We read about that," Doc nodded. "The reason we asked is that we know the X-Men too. Dr. Hank McCoy is a close colleague of mine."
"I've met Dr. McCoy. He had nothing but praise for you -- Doc." Peter grinned a little as he said the nickname. "You two worked together to help stop the Legacy Virus, didn't you?"
"It was mostly Hank's work," Doc said with a blush.
"But he admits you got it to work, and saved it from being taken over by Shaw Industries."
"All it was was a misplaced subscript," Doc blushed harder. "Anyone could have figured it out."
"Doc, stop being so humble," Marty said. "You're a smart guy. Admit that you figured something out that no one else did."
"And your theories on temporal physics are remarkable too." Peter grinned. "You wouldn't believe the number of times I wished for a time machine. . . ." Mary Jane giggled.
The Browns and McFlys laughed too, casting each other a few knowing glances. "I can hear you on that," Marty said. "I was always late to class in high school. Must have served 50 detentions for it."
"Oh, yes, the ever-present problem of being someplace on time. I nearly failed one of my college classes because of constant lateness." He sighed. "I really try to be on time, but -- well, half the time, something comes up, and I have to go photograph Spider-Man in action."
"Don't your teachers understand about your job?" Doc frowned. "I taught college myself back in the late 50s and 60s, and I knew some students who had trouble coordinating their schedules. I made sure to cut them a bit of slack, as I understood their need to work."
"They do, I think I just end up wearing on their nerves," Peter admitted. "You know, I wanted to ask you something about your time travel theorems."
"Ask away."
"Well, in your theoretical experiments, you said that time travel would work best in a stainless steel environment. What about other metals? You didn't go into too much detail as to why they wouldn't be so effective."
"It's all a matter of construction. I've been doing some experiments with iron, and that's been working well. . . ."
As Peter and Doc began to throw ideas around, M.J. turned to the others. "It's great to meet some other members of Peter's family."
"It's nice to finally meet you too," Jennifer said, shaking her hand. "Although I feel like I know you already, from Peter and Aunt May's letters. They always talked a lot about you."
"Hope it was all good talk."
"Always, dear," Aunt May said reassuringly, patting M.J.'s shoulder.
"So, Mary Jane, what do you do?" Verne asked. "Are you a science whiz like Peter?"
"Heck no," Mary Jane laughed. "I'm an actress and a model. I recently finished an off-Broadway run of The Importance of Being Earnest."
"Bet you got rave reviews," Jules smiled.
Mary Jane blushed. "Well, yeah, I did. I also got a call from a Broadway producer a few days ago. He really liked my performance and wanted to know if I'd be interested in starring in his next play."
"Hey, that's great," Marty said happily. "What's the play?"
"Fiddler on the Roof. I've got the choice of Tzeitel or Chara. I'm not sure which one I want yet -- I'm gonna read for both and see which I prefer."
"Well, whichever one you choose, I'm sure you'll shine," Jennifer said.
"Thanks. So what about you guys? I mean, I know Marty is the rock star and Dr. Brown is the genius scientist. . . ."
"I was a biology major in college," Verne offered. "I'm currently working at the local zoo."
"He's a Dr. Doolittle," Marlene said proudly. "He talks to the animals, and the animals talk back. They all love him."
"It's a gift," Verne shrugged.
"I followed Dad into science as well, although my speciality is chemistry," Jules said. "I'm currently working at Statler Toyota while I wait for any lab jobs to open up. Been there for two and a half months now." He grimaced. "I don't really like the work, but it puts food on the table."
Mary Jane nodded, making her own face. "I waitressed down at a dive called the Moondance Diner before I got my big break. I know where you're coming from."
"Yeah. Well, things can only get better. . . ."
"That's the spirit, Jules," J.C. said encouragingly. "As for myself, I'm a graphic designer. I generally work with print accounts, but I cross over into other sorts of work occasionally." She grinned broadly. "I helped design the new X-Men costumes recently, in fact."
"Hey, that's cool! I take you're the one responsible for the new, more colorful look then?"
"All me," J.C. said proudly. "Black pleather, though not without its charms, gets boring after a while. And the X-Men are such individual characters -- why should they all wear the exact same outfit?" She pulled out a pad of designs. "So I took the basic design and tried brightening it up and adding a few accessories."
"Yeah, I can see," M.J. gently teased, marveling over J.C.'s liberal use of bright yellows and blues.
"Hey, I like bright. Which is funny, actually, considering my favorite color is purple."
"I see. What about you and Clara, Jennifer?"
"We're homemakers," Jennifer shrugged. "I sell stuff on eBay sometimes -- mostly old junk we don't need anymore -- but I'm happy to stay home with my kids." Douglas and Marlene both beamed and hugged her.
"The same here, although I currently don't have any kids to stay with," Clara said, eyeing her children.
"Not this again," J.C. groaned.
"Come on, Mom, we're still young," Jules said. "You'll have grandkids eventually. I mean, I do have a girlfriend now. That's a step in the right direction, isn't it?"
"And what are we, chopped liver?" Douglas asked, a wounded expression on his face.
"Of course not! I love having you two around," Clara said, picking him up for a hug. "That's why I want grandkids. I want more little ones over. Besides, wouldn't you like some playmates?" Douglas nodded, smiling again.
"I hope you're not thinking like that, Aunt May," Mary Jane needled her new in-law.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't say no to you and Peter having kids right away," May shot back. Mary Jane grinned. "But I'll understand if you want to wait. You both have very busy lives, after all."
Doc abruptly burst out laughing. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Clara, I love this boy!"
Peter abruptly became rather solemn. Doc's laughter died. "Peter? Did I offend you somehow?"
"No, Doc, it's -- well, the last person who said that about me was Dr. Octavius," Peter admitted. Mary Jane went over and put her arm around him. "It brings back a few bad memories."
Doc suddenly felt rather awkward. "I -- I see. I'm sorry about that. I knew Dr. Octavius myself, I met him at a scientist's convention. He told me about his ideas for the fusion generator and the actuators." He shifted a bit uneasily. "I admit, I was more impressed with the arms. They seemed like such a useful laboratory aid."
"Yeah, too bad they make you go nuts," J.C. said sarcastically.
"It wasn't the arms, it was what happened to the arms," Peter said defensively. "He was hit with a huge shock from the machine which fried them. I was there. It wasn't his fault!"
J.C. went red from embarrassment. "Sorry, Peter, I didn't mean to sound that flip. I forgot he was one of your idols."
"It's all right," Peter muttered. "It's just -- he seemed to have it all together. His inventions and his wife. He was a huge inspiration for me." He smiled over at Mary Jane. "If I have anything near the marriage he had, I'll be happy for the rest of my life."
"I know the feeling," Doc admitted. "I was a little jealous of him and Rosie when we first met. He encouraged me too, told me the right girl was waiting for me." He gazed adoringly at Clara. "And she was."
"Did he give you that line about feeding her poetry?" Peter grinned.
"Yes, he did. Although in my case, feeding her Jules Verne worked much better." Clara giggled and kissed him on the cheek.
Jennifer laid a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Peter, are you all right? You seem a little mopey in general."
"I've noticed it too," Mary Jane said with a frown. "Has something happened?"
"Well -- yeah," Peter confessed. "I managed to get someone fired from The Bugle."
"You what?" Mary Jane asked disbelievingly. "Who?"
"Eddie Brock. He was another photographer and reporter on the staff."
"Is he the one who wrote that story about the Sin-Eater about a month back?" May asked.
Peter winced. "Yup. Poor guy took a major blow with that one."
"What happened?" J.C. asked, curious. "I remember there being some sort of scandal with the perpetrator being misidentified. . . ."
"That was Eddie," Peter nodded with a sigh. "He got what he thought was the real deal to confess to the murders, but later Spider-Man took down the real guy. Eddie's credibility took a real hit. And then, just about a week ago, he got assigned to write a story on Spider-Man. He wrote it down and asked me to take a look at it with him. I correct him on a few mistakes, he writes the final draft -- no big deal right? That is, until Jameson sees it. I guess the extra information I gave Eddie put too positive a spin on his story. And at The Bugle, you never put too positive a spin on Spidey. Jameson started yelling at Eddie, Eddie yelled back -- and then, in front of the entire office, Jameson calls him a two-bit hack and fires him." Peter groaned. "I feel so guilty. Eddie was a friend of mine, and I got him canned. I should have just left well enough alone with that article!"
"Peter, you didn't know what would happen," Mary Jane said soothingly, running her fingers through his hair. "You were just trying to help him out. It's Jameson's fault for overreacting like that -- as usual."
"I know, but. . .damn it, Eddie didn't deserve what he got. And I haven't even been able to get in touch with him and apologize. When he walked out of the office, it's like he walked off the face of the earth!"
"Well, getting fired by your boss in front of everyone sounds like one heck of a traumatic experience," Marty said. "Probably he just needs some time to get his act together again."
"Maybe. . . . His girlfriend did break up with him the day before too. . . ." Peter sighed again. "I still feel really guilty though. I let him down."
Marlene wrapped her arms around Peter's legs. "You need this," she said firmly.
"She's right, Peter," Jennifer said, also hugging him. "This wasn't you fault. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it."
"Exactly," Doc nodded. "You don't need to feel guilty about this, Peter. It was an honest mistake. I'm sure Eddie wouldn't want you to feel guilty either."
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2004
New York, New York
8:42 A.M.
"Two-bit hack. . . I hope you feel terrible about this, Parker!"
Edward Brock, better known as Eddie Brock, slammed his foot into a nearby dumpster. He was feeling more bitter than usual today. Maybe it was the knowledge that his supposed "friend" had gotten married yesterday to a gorgeous model and actress. Or maybe it was because he had just been rejected for his fifth photography job in a row. None of the newspapers and magazines seemed to want him now that he'd been fired from The Daily Bugle. Or maybe it was because he had struck out once again on the dating scene. There were few things in life more embarrassing than being stood up by a woman, after all. Whatever it was, Eddie was pissed at the world because of it.
He leaned against the wall, brooding to himself and trying to ignore the pain in his foot. As usual during this past week, his thoughts turned to Peter Parker. I can't believe that little prick would betray me like that. I thought we were buddies. We ate lunch together, we developed shots together, we swapped Spidey stories -- he seemed like such a decent guy! And then he turns around and stabs me in the back by pretending to help me with that Spider-Man story. I mean, what did I ever do to him?
Well -- I did kinda shut him out when he first arrived on the staff. . . . And I guess I was sort of honing in on his territory by doing all that Spider-Man stuff. . . . But come on, Peter doesn't have exclusive rights to the guy! Spidey's a part of New York! He doesn't belong to anybody!
Then again, probably the only reason Jameson even keeps him on is because he always gets such great shots of the wall-crawler. And those photos are how Pete stays alive -- I saw that apartment he lived in, yeesh. I should be glad I've got enough saved to keep up the rent on my place. But -- did he have to get me fired?
Eddie groaned and put a hand to his head. Despite his anger, he couldn't help but like Peter. They had shared some really good times together before that whole mess-up with the Spider-Man article. It was making him feel rather schizophrenic -- half of him wanted to talk to Peter and see if he had meant to get him fired, while the other half just wanted to beat him up and be done with it. I hate having what feels like two voices inside my head. It makes things so confusing. Oh, well, could be worse. I could be Doc Ock and have four voices inside my head.
He sighed and turned to face the building. Eddie had no idea why he'd chosen to brood about his life around a church. He wasn't a particularly religious man. The area just felt safe to him.
Or, at least, it had until that dumpster had started levitating.
Eddie backed away, staring as the metal box lifted high into the air. Automatically his hands went to the camera hanging around his neck. Somebody would pay money for an incredible shot like--
"I'm impressed. Most people run screaming when I show off."
Eddie spun around. Standing behind him was an old man in a grey suit and cape. One hand was extended in front of him, almost theatrically. Eddie recognized the man immediately -- Eric Lenscherr, a. k. a. Magneto, scourge of humanity and the X-Men. He stared silently, wondering if he should run before the dumpster ended up on his head.
Magneto smirked. "Struck speechless, I see. No matter. I prefer not to waste time on idle chatter." With a causal wave of his hand, the dumpster smashed to the ground. "So, what's your name?"
"Uh -- Edward. Edward Brock." Eddie glanced left and right. "Um, you're not about to make me some sort of 'example to humanity,' are you?"
Magneto chuckled softly. "Not this time, Mr. Brock. You have nothing to fear from me. In fact, I have a little proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
"Yes. One of my new associates, a Mr. Harry Osborn, needs some assistance with one of his latest experiments. Specifically, he needs a guinea pig to test it on. And he's willing to pay the guinea pig quite handsomely."
"Whoa, stop right there," Eddie said, holding up his hands. "I wouldn't touch Osborn with a ten foot pole. First the Green Goblin steals his suit and glider from them, and toasts the board of directors. Then they end up funding Doctor Octopus's crazy experiment. I think it's the family business to fund experiments that go out of control and destroy innocent lives."
To his surprise, Magneto actually laughed. "They don't have the best track record, do they? Don't worry, Mr. Brock, this one is very simple. Mr. Osborn has created a special super suit, and he needs to learn its full capabilities."
A suit. That sounded safe enough. Still, Eddie was suspicious. "Why doesn't he just try it on himself?"
"Because he can't. The scientists working on the suit won't let him." Magneto came a little closer, a sly smile on his face. "I hear things, Mr. Brock. And apparently that whole Green Goblin fiasco started when Norman Osborn decided to experiment on himself."
Well, that certainly explained how he'd gotten the suit and glider. But why mention that to him -- unless to somehow sweeten the deal. Yes, that was it -- try on the suit, get paid, and have a juicy little story to sell to any of the tabloids. But was it worth it? "I should just call the police on you," he said threateningly. "Take some pictures to prove it was you here."
"You could," Magneto agreed reasonably. "But what would that get you?" He glanced disdainfully at Eddie's shabby suit.
Magneto had a point there. Eddie had never been exactly rolling in dough. And without a job, his funds were dwindling quickly. If he did what Magneto suggested, he have at least enough to get him through the next couple of months. Still, Oscorp? That seemed to be begging for trouble. It would take a truly desperate man to work for them.
Eddie decided that he was that desperate. "I'll do it," he said. "But the payoff had better be spectacular."
Magneto smiled, almost cruelly. "I'll make sure of it. Welcome aboard, Mr. Brock." He shook Eddie's hand. "I'll have my other associates pick you up at this location at 8 o'clock tomorrow and take you to Oscorp."
"I'll be here."
Tuesday, November 2nd
8:52 A.M.
The phone rang in Harry's office. Harry snatched it up, nearly spilling his first drink of the day. "Osborn here."
"I've found your subject. A Mr. Edward Brock. He'll be at Oscorp tomorrow."
"Excellent. It's been a pleasure working with you, Magneto. I'll see you tomorrow." Harry hung up, feeling very pleased with himself. "We've got our patsy Dad. By tomorrow afternoon, we'll see if that suit's up to taking down the bug."
Wonderful. I'm so proud of you, my son. You've certainly proven me wrong.
Harry grinned widely and took another gulp of alcohol. "Thanks Dad. The wall-crawler is definitely going to pay this time."