The Oscorp committee and military personnel scattered as they sensed the world collapsing around them. The infrastructure of the building quaked, glass shattered, and furniture toppled over. In the midst of the chaos, they tripped over each other and attempted to escape the room. Norman Osborn watched as his plans collapsed around him, no one caring about his presentation. All focus turned to the chaos surrounding and nothing he did could calm them.
In a moment's notice, it was as if the empire he built was crumbling around him.
To Osborn's surprise, an army of bandit-like gunmen came pouring through the front and side doors. Their shots echoed off the walls as they shot whatever personnel stood in their way. Left with no other choice, Norman dove for cover behind the podium, hoping that his large build would not be exposed behind the thin mic stand. He never expected this to happen, which was why he arrived at this presentation without any means of self-defense. And so he sat there helplessly, watching his kingdom fall to ruin all around him, his master plan no longer relevant in the eyes of many. The best he could do was hide and wait if not grab a weapon and start fighting.
"Osborn!" a voice screeched like a vulture from above.
Norman shot his gaze upward to notice a green, bird-shaped silhouette dive bombing him rapidly. He attempted to dive out of the way, but was hardly quick enough to avoid the figure yanking him off the ground. The figure's foot talons gripped his suit's shoulders hard enough to pinch the skin beneath his clothes. In a rare moment of weakness, Norman wailed as his heavy figure soared through the air; the mysterious vulture-like person carried him high into the atrium airspace without a care for his personal safety. The higher he ascended, Norman looked up to make note of who was doing this and recognized immediately who his attacker was.
"Adrian Toomes!" Osborn exclaimed. "I should have known you were serious about getting back at me!"
Toomes looked down to face Osborn eye-to-eye. "I'm not so much Toomes now, I'm the Vulture!" he spat.
"A fitting name for an old buzzard like you," Norman insulted.
"I said Vulture!" Toomes scoffed. "Are you deaf?"
"Not as deaf as you'll be when I slice those pointy ears off!"
"Wrong answer!"
Toomes threw Osborn upward, releasing him from his grip. The arc of his throw sent him flying through the tall atrium. Norman yelled, shocked and fearing this to be his demise yet maintaining a stern, authoritative demeanor nonetheless. Just as Norman's fall arched downward, Toomes flew by, gripping him back up by the shoulders and hovering him over the commotion below.
"Toomes, stop!" Osborn demanded sternly. "What is your goal in this? Interrupting my showcasing, hiring a criminal gang to assault my audience, destroying my property? You'd better explain yourself!"
"This is my means to an end, Osborn. You've damaged my reputation and credibility by stealing my ideas for tech flight. And so I am offering you a deal: you will announce that Adrian Toomes is the genius behind tech flight and pay me all that I'm owed if, and only if, you publicly apologize for stealing my invention! Do we have a deal?"
Norman, stubbornly set in his ways, didn't have to think hard about what to say next.
"I never apologize and I don't fork over any of my fortune to people who don't deserve it. You'd either have to earn your way or get out of here before I have you arrested right now!"
"Then it's farewell for you, Osborn!"
Vulture retracted his foot claws, dropping Norman as gravity took the latter several stories down. With a wail, Norman Osborn feared this moment to be his last and shut his eyes, anticipating the immense pain and mess that would come with splatting on the pavement.
And then, without warning, an invisible hand came scooping Norman up by its firm, but powerful grip. The force of the hand collided with his mass like several atoms combining electrons. Norman opened his eyes to find that, in his near-death fall, he had been saved by none other than the city's red and blue knight in shining armor, Spider-Man.
"What?! Spider-Man?" Norman and Adrian questioned simultaneously.
"The one and only!" Spidey boasted, swinging around the place to get away from the Vulture. "Seriously, guys! Can't we work out a more peaceful solution?"
"There are no peaceful solutions with this freak!" called out Vulture. "Just stolen ideas and ruined reputations!"
"Sir, what's he talking about?" Spidey turned to ask Norman.
"I don't know," Norman denied. "Now put me down or else we'll have problems!"
Vulture snarled, swooping in for Osborn as Spidey carried him over his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, Spidey turned and webbed Vulture in the face, blinding him instantly. With that out of the way, Norman anxiously anticipated the moment that the Web-head, whom he could care less about being saved by, would set him down on solid ground. Spidey then brought Norman to a walkway lining the atrium, setting his feet on the floor regardless of how high up above the tower floor it was.
"Are you doing okay, Mr.…?" Spidey asked, pretending to not know Norman's name.
"Norman Osborn," the man stated. "I'm sure I would've been fine without your help. All I ask for you to do now is teach that old buzzard a lesson in proper negotiation and put him in his place!"
"Will do, Mr. Osborn!" Spidey agreed. "And just so you know, a simple 'thank you' goes a long way!"
New York's local hero turned and swung away, leaving Norman on the elevated walkway groaning. For him, that would be the last time anyone put him in such a powerless position. Getting scooped up and held at a fatal drop height, falling and needing to be saved by some juvenile superhero of primary colors. For all he knew, Spider-Man had the strength to knock old Toomes on the jaw and possibly unconscious. If he could do that, then maybe Norman would have to advance his research findings and possibly discover a way to replicate his powers.
After all, his company prided itself on advanced science. In his mind, anything was possible.
Following the race to save Norman Osborn, Spidey let out a temporary sigh of relief. Sure, it was good to finally save a falling damsel in distress - even if he was heavy, ugly, and bossy - but he still had numerous issues to tend to within the vicinity of Oscorp Tower. Several bandit-like criminals had taken both military and Oscorp personnel hostage; Shocker had gone straight for much of the escaping personnel, blasting away anyone who looked important; and the Vulture was still owning the skies - struggling with webbing no less, but still very much active. Long story short, the fight was far from over. Unlike the last two times, though, he would be sure to bring his A-game no matter what.
One false move in such a dire scenario could very well be his last. Best he kept quipage to a minimum.
Focusing his Spider Sense on his surroundings, Spidey proceeded to partake in the shootout happening on the ground floor beneath him. He webbed a man's gun out from under him as he propped himself up with it, causing the man to slip.
"Hey!" the criminal exclaimed.
With barely even a remark, Spidey swung the man's gun around and bonked him on the head with it, violently incapacitating him. A barrage of criminals carrying Oscorp seismic blast weapons - "blasters" as Peter liked to shorten it - then turned to open fire on the hero. Without thinking, Peter dodged the shots simultaneously and webbed the leading man in the face, causing him to struggle pulling it off. While another criminal got distracted trying to help him, Spidey used this opportunity to smash their heads together, throwing them to the ground without injuring them.
Spidey turned and yanked another criminal toward him, tumbling over to kick him in the face before then turning to web the core of another blaster, overloading it and causing it to malfunction. The criminal barely knew what hit him as he fell unconscious from the blast.
Huh, so that works on the weapons, Spidey thought as he continued to fight. Wonder if-
Peter was then caught off guard by numerous Spider Senses going off at once to a point where he could barely detect the incoming attack. A blast from yet another seismic weapon grazed his suit's shoulder, tearing it and blowing him back into one of the stone pillars supporting the building. Through his eye slits, he could just barely make out the brightly colored silhouette of none other than Shocker. The dangerous man looked none too happy, ready to boast about God knows what.
"Impressive y'all survived the Vulture throwing ya in the river. Is that why you're off your game, bug?" Shocker asked.
Peter gripped his side, noting blood in the spot where his suit tore. "Nah, just getting acquainted with the rules!"
"Rule number one: my town, my turf!" Shocker boasted, pointing at himself.
"I guess y'all forgot I'm the sheriff around these parts!" Spidey boasted back.
"When I'm finished with you, you'll wish y'all had drowned in the Hudson like a prisoner chain ganged up the river-"
"Yeah, yeah! Again with the metaphors!"
Shots fired from Shocker's wrists as Spidey flipped around, dodging them with enough speed and agility to outrun the world's fastest cheetah. Bits of the building quaked and debris kicked up as the blasts struck the walls and windows behind where he shot. As he passed all the fighting and military personnel ducking for cover, Spidey used this opportunity to take out criminals targeting him, getting them caught in Shocker's blasts and throwing them unconscious due to minimal protection.
Shocker growled with heavy anger, stomping his feet with a great vibration. "Little vermin!" he exclaimed. "Causing me to take out my own men! We'll wipe you out on this floor!"
Managing to hone his hearing in on Shocker's words, Spidey actually heard every word the man said. "The only thing that's getting wiped is the floor… With you!"
Spidey shot out two webs in the Web Strike position, targeting them at Shocker who shielded himself with his gauntlets. The webs attached to his gauntlets as Spidey thrusted himself at his attacker. Learning from his previous mistake, Spidey actually managed to flip over Shocker just moments before he would have impacted his suit. Shocker then fired his shot at Spidey, but was met with fruitless results.
"What in the blue blazes?!" Shocker exclaimed.
Once he touched down on the other side of his foe, Spidey threw out a kick across the madman's legs, tripping him up onto the debris-filled floor. Spidey then proceeded to tackle his foe, wrestling with his gauntleted wrists in order to prevent him from firing once more.
"Cool gadgets!" Spidey quipped. "Know where I can get some?"
"No where you'd ever fit in, bug boy!" Shocker insulted.
"Not a boy - a Spider-Man!"
Without another witty remark, Spidey turned and filled both firing mechanisms chalk full with web fluid.
"Yawl darn it!" Shocker exclaimed. "How 'bout some-"
Once Shocker sat up and attempted to fire, the shockwaves backfired on him, shaking him to the core the way he did Spidey the other week. Spidey watched as the now helpless villain quaked and tasted defeat with his own two gadgets. Shocker grunted as the internal mechanisms for the gauntlets erupted into two tiny explosions, incapacitating him as he fell to the ground. His gadgets emitted smoke as he fell Spidey webbing him to the ground to ensure he stayed down.
"Now you know how I feel when I fall into a food coma after late night pig outs at the Silver Spoon," Spidey quipped. He searched all around him to find that the Criminal Deputies were now in conflict with some NYPD personnel who bothered to arrive on the scene. The last battle seemed so distracting for Spidey that he hardly noticed, but was grateful nonetheless.
Wherever was Captain Stacy though?
"Well, it looks like the cavalry has arrived!" Spidey noted. "Now where's Big Bird?"
"I'm here!" Vulture screeched as he dive bombed Spidey from above. "And the name's Vulture!"
Unlike Norman Osborn, Spidey had the capability to leap high into the air, flipping over the Vulture with precision. As the Vulture flew under Spidey, the bird was unable to turn on a dime, giving Spidey the opportunity to web onto the Vulture's foot. Yanked along by the Vulture's flight and turbulence, Spidey attempted to climb his web and get closer to his enemy, but was thrown off by the amount of swerving and turning Vulture did through the air in an effort to lose him.
"Let-go!" the Vulture demanded. "What is your stuff even made of?"
"That's classified material!" Spidey retorted. "Now hold still!"
"Never!"
Vulture continued to swing Spidey around throughout the airspace of the tower, the two passing by many shootouts between the criminals and cops. Twirling and tumbling through the air, Vulture's humming harness vibrated past every person within earshot of it. During this time, Spidey forwarded all his super strength in an effort to hold on and not lose his foe.
There eventually came a moment where Vulture turned toward the outward window-covered face of the tower en route for an unbroken one. Hanging on for dear life, Spidey braced himself as Vulture shattered the window in the shape of his wingspan. As they flew through, Spidey adjusted and contorted his form in order to ensure he didn't get cuts from the hole in the window. Thankfully, no glass shards rained down on him - except the criminals wrestling with the police below.
Out of options, Spidey got the bright idea to aim his web shooter toward the Vulture's wing, attempting to get a good aim on it before they would collide with the building ahead. Though his aim was a little off, he succeeded in spraying his web all over Vulture's right wing, distracting Vulture enough to where he groaned and attempted to reach to get it off. Losing control of his flight and steady air turbulence, Vulture collided head first into the concrete exterior of the building directly in front of him. Spidey used this opportunity to swing downward off his web and attach himself to the wall, facing Vulture above him who was nearly dazed from the impact.
"Still learning how to control that thing, Vulchy?" Spidey asked, noting the blood on Vulture's forehead.
Shaking his head to prevent unconsciousness, Vulture stared down menacingly at Spidey, reaching to yank the webbing off of himself in two different areas.
"You're the one who needs to control yourself and the affairs you get involved in!" Toomes spat back. "Thrice now you've come between me and my attempts to ruin Norman Osborn. That's three times too many! If you wish to keep your life, leave now or I'll be forced to splat you on the pavement!"
"So this is all about trying to get back at Norman Osborn of all things?" Spidey asked, surprised. "Seriously, don't you have a better hobby than trying to take revenge?"
"Osborn stole my idea for a tech flight invention. My whole life I've never been successful enough to take credit for anything, even while I was an inventor for the CIA. Getting back at him will be my glorious attempt to take credit for what is rightfully mine and take over the company! Only then will credit be given fairly amongst Osborn's employees."
"What's the use, old man?" Spidey asked genuinely. "You'll be just like all the other guys who seek revenge; wanting so badly to take what they took from you. And where will that lead you? Wanting more! I wouldn't do that if I were you. This much I know from experience."
Having thought of that philosophy on the fly, Spidey noticed just how similar Vulture's motivation was to the time he tracked down, cornered, and attempted to kill Uncle Ben's killer with all the power he had acquired since the spider bite. If this could be a wakeup call for Vulture, hopefully he wouldn't have to deliver the smackdown on him.
"Your experience may differ from mine, Spider-Man, but if you think you can soften up this old man with your words of wisdom, think again! All thieves like Osborn deserve to be brought to justice outside the law! You would understand if the police were after you. Now back off or I'll be forced to take extreme measures!"
"Not gonna happen, Beaky!" Spidey declared, assuming a fighting stance. "I made a promise to take down freaks like you and deliver them justice - the right way!"
"Very well then!"
Once more, Vulture dove toward Spidey, the Web-head dodging out of the way and grabbing onto Vulture's leg. Hoisting himself up, Spidey thrashed a kick toward Toomes's chin, webbing himself onto his body and grabbing hold of him. Unleashing a bunch of punches onto Toomes's chin, Spidey left many bruise marks in his place as Vulture attempted to throw him off, but Peter kept insisting that he keep a hold of Vulture. No longer would he allow himself to slip and fall in the midst of the dangers of being up high - he was too sticky for that anyway.
As Vulture boosted toward the ground, he and Spidey continued to wrestle in midair all while plowing through a cluster of criminals barring their way. At this moment, Spidey did not care to make a sly remark as he was focused on taking out his combatant instead. Vulture then changed his trajectory to maneuver upward toward the endless expanse of night sky, ensuring that Spider-Man looked him straight into the eye.
"Since you insist on getting the best of me, let's see how you handle it when the odds are in my favor!" Vulture declared as they neared the top of the tower.
Dragging Spider-Man up above the tower, Vulture pushed him off of his body and left him to fall. In an effort to swing and catch himself, Spidey clicked his web shooter only to be met with the unsatisfying reality that nothing came out.
"Oh no," Spidey uttered desperately, realizing his doom was among him.
"Enjoy your demise!" Vulture shouted, flying away.
Peter's heart raced as gravity took him to the streets, himself worried that, if he didn't act fast, he wouldn't be able to save himself in time. Luckily, having learned from his previous encounter where he used up all his webs on Shocker, he managed to create some spare web cartridges on his way out to fight these guys. Reaching into his web shooter's brace, he removed the cartridge and inserted it into the shooter as the street neared ever closer. Just moments before he would have splat like a bug on the pavement, Spidey shot a web out from his spare cartridge thus saving his life in the most spectacular way possible.
"Woohoo! This competition's really heating up!" Spidey quipped. "Now the score's Web-head: 1, Gravity: 0!"
With little time to congratulate himself, Spidey searched around through Spider Sense for where Vulture may have gotten off to. Now where is that-?
Up above in the airspace surrounding the tower, Spidey made out the silhouette of Vulture in a scuffle with the same police chopper from earlier. The chopper emptied its rounds toward him while Vulture managed to dodge them with ease despite the webbing attached to his form.
No! No more! Spidey declared in his mind.
Boosting himself up around the tower, Spidey neared closer to the aerial scuffle to ensure that the Vulture did not see the former sneak up on him. Though it almost frightened him to swing up so high, Spidey focused on an opportunity to strike Vulture while he wasn't looking and made an effort to stay in his shadow. Once he got close enough, Spidey leaped toward Vulture and tackled him in midair.
"Knock knock!" Spidey exclaimed immediately before grabbing hold of Vulture.
Thrown off by Spider-Man's sudden force, Vulture took a second to look behind him and was taken aback.
"What?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "How did you escape that fall?"
"A guy like me is full of surprises!" Spidey declared.
With enough effort to crack Vulture's old back, Spidey pressed his leg into his back, hoisting Vulture into an upright position. While Vulture barely fought back, Spidey extended Vulture's webbed wing out toward the helicopter rounds firing, making absolutely sure not to put one through Toomes's body. A round immediately pierced the metal making up Vulture's right wing, causing him to lose control of his flight momentarily.
"NO!" Vulture exclaimed in defeat.
"It's alright, guys! I got it from here!" Spidey called out to the police chopper.
The chopper retreated as Spidey sat himself on the Vulture's back, the old man not even bothering to fight back.
"My wing! I-I can't steer!" Vulture exclaimed fearfully.
"If you're still airborne then how…?" Spidey asked himself. It was then that he noticed that the vibrations he had been hearing from Vulture's suit were emanating from the hump on his back. "Vulchy, your hump is what's making those sounds! Don't mind if I rip it out, now do ya?"
"No!" Vulture exclaimed the moment Spidey reached into the hump on his suit's back. Yanking out the internal wiring mechanisms, Spidey declared this to be a success while Vulture immediately started to fall toward the streets below. "You idiot! You've doomed us both!"
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Spidey asked slyly as he steered their trajectory toward the nearest building. With a blow to the head, Spidey found the right spot to knock Vulture unconscious, kicking himself off of the bird and webbing him to the underside of the building's overhang. Thankfully, he put him at the right height for the cops to take him down later.
Landing smoothly onto the pavement, Spidey scanned the area for any fighting occurring around him. Much of it had died out while only a few criminals were running or dropping their weapons in surrender. For the amount of work he did to take out the two main threats, he was really grateful that he could get the police to come to his aid without too much effort.
For what it was worth, Spidey gave himself a literal pat on the back for managing to accomplish the right thing when the city needed him most.
In the midst of the gunfire and police sirens blaring at the crime scene, Captain Stacy and his unit stepped outside the barricaded police area and approached Spidey where he hung the Vulture.
"Spider-Man, I must say I'm impressed!" the captain declared. "You drop in, take out many of these guys, and manage to save Norman Osborn all while we provide backup. You do realize what this means, don't you?"
Spidey stopped short, fearful of what the captain might say. "If this means I still have to come with you guys…"
"No need. I realized what a fool I've been," the captain proclaimed much to Spidey's amazement. "This was, by far, the most dangerous attack on the city since other heroes arrived in town and, were it not for you and your persuasion, I would have ignored it in favor of taking you down. That said, I do believe I owe you an apology. You're more helpful than I anticipated."
"Ah, well, thanks, captain!" said Spidey, still giddy about the fact that, although he gave the captain hints as to his identity, he still didn't know. "I'm glad you're starting to see things my way."
"Bare in mind, laws against vigilantes are still intact unless I manage to forward a suggestion to the mayor. For now, let's keep this little partnership safe from the Press and other sources so that I don't get into legal trouble with the city. Do we have a deal?"
"Deal!" Spidey declared immediately, reaching to shake Captain Stacy's hand.
Just what he wanted and more: some peace between his alter-ego and the police. Nothing could have been better about this moment.
"Now swing off now before anyone forces me to change my mind," Stacy instructed.
"Will do, cap!" Spidey declared, spinning a web. "Have fun taking these guys to prison!"
And just like that, Spidey swung off, leaving the captain behind. If this was what it was like working with the police for a change, he had a lot to look forward to.
Trust me, this was my most awesome chapter to write yet! But now Peter has some things to sort out with Gwen. Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion of Marvelous Web-head - Volume #1!