Author's Note: Hello, everybody! It's been a while, but I'm finally back at this story after extensive planning for this next arc! I'll admit, I don't always have everything planned in advance, but I try to get as much done alongside other writing projects I like to work on in addition to this. For the time being, I hope that this wait has been well worth it for you all and that you enjoy this next read! So without further adieu...
Marvelous Web-head #2: Career Criminals
The streets of Manhattan ensued in hectic chaos at the break of noon; an armored car sped through the streets, barreling through everything in its path. Many oncoming vehicles swerved to the side while others were unlucky as the armored car scathed their bumpers, swatting them away. Behind them a police convoy pursued, sirens blaring as they attempted to catch the speeder. Just another day for the Russian mobsters in an attempt to outwit the police.
Inside the armored car, a storm was brewing as four gunmen sat amongst the money they were protecting.
"The police are on our tail, Alexei!" a Russian mobster noted to his superior. "Shall we execute the distraction?"
"Do your worst, Leonid!" Alexei ordered as he scraped the car against the side of a tour bus. "Make them pray for mercy from Alexei Sytsevich!"
Leonid signaled his three other gunmen each of whom took a grenade from their weapons belts and placed a hand on their respective pins.
"Sewer openings incoming, ready?" Alexei signaled as he drove further. "Now!"
The gunmen opened the car's back door slightly, pulling the pins on their respective grenades, and letting them roll out into the streets. One civilian noticed and screamed as they rolled off the edge of the road and into the sewer openings. The criminals peered out the small windows in the back to notice the explosions going off underneath the street. Water sprayed up from the various manhole covers, creating a barrier between them and three of the cop cars that got left behind in the convoy.
"Did it work?!" Alexei asked.
"Almost," Leonid informed. "It delayed some of them, but there are still many on our tail!"
"You Mother Russia, you!" Alexei exclaimed violently. "Why must I do everything myself?!"
Without another word, Alexei slammed aggressively onto the breaks and drifted into oncoming traffic. The impacts of the oncoming vehicles slammed into him one by one, creating a pile up of unimaginable damage. He did not care what damage he caused as many weaker cars slammed into his armored car; he needed to get away with the money or else.
For the moment, however, he needed to keep the police at bay.
The gunmen blew open the door and opened fire on the police outside. The cops hid behind their vehicles attempting to draw their fire and wait for an opening to shoot. Alexei could do nothing, but watch from the front as he drew his AK-47, cocking it and preparing to hop out and open fire himself.
Before he could do so, however, he looked back to notice a long strand of web had latched onto one of his accomplice's weapons. The web then yanked the weapon out of his hand as he leaped for it to no avail. Stunned, Alexei watched as more webs latched onto his comrade's weapons, snatching them out of their hands and leaving them weaponless.
The car then began to rock around violently as commotion ensued behind him. Alexei continued to view the incident unfolding behind him as a blur of red and blue wrestled around with his now weaponless comrades. Each of his accomplices, including Leonid threw their share of punches and kicks toward this dashing daredevil of a vigilante, but the hero was too quick to let them deliver. The hero then proceeded to retaliate with his own set of combat moves.
"Look out, here comes the Spider-Man!" the vigilante exclaimed.
The car then jolted forward as two of Alexei's accomplices slammed into the window, a sticky substance holding them in place. He could not see what was happening as the commotion suddenly died down. Whatever this was, Alexei had no reason not to stay there and let it happen. He had to escape or else get taken down.
He exited the vehicle with his live AK and scanned all around for any possible sign of the vigilante - the Spider-Man as he so called himself. The police, unfortunately, had a line of fire directly toward him.
"Stand down or we will open fire!" the main cop called through a megaphone.
Just then, the blur of red and blue landed in front of him, assuming a superhero pose. Despite the fact that he was holding a live weapon, the vigilante remained undeterred. The hero rose as he assumed a pose of dominance over his potential combatant, displaying the spider symbol on his chest stitched between a webbing pattern that covered the red part of his suit. The hero's huge white eyes stared him down, ready to claim yet another victim of a potential beatdown. Knowing the reports of the last few weeks, Alexei stood in awe of what stood before him: he was now facing down the heroic being of the Amazing Spider-Man.
Spider-Man stared down Alexei Sytsevich through his sunglasses-like lenses, noting his bald head and the rhino tattoo plastered on his temple. With such a menacing animal on his person, Spidey would be more than grateful to pummel the daylights out of him like a school bully to a helpless victim. The criminal stood there somewhat frightened, finger shaking on the trigger while he attempted to keep a brave face.
"What's the matter, Russian mobster?" Spidey taunted. "Too much vodka in your system to pull the trigger?"
Offended, Alexei's face turned a deep red as he opened fire on Spider-Man. With spider-like reflexes, Spidey leaped out of the way, dodging all the bullets he fired while the man ran away toward the nearest alleyway. Unwilling to let him get away, he refocused his vision on the escaping would-be convict and shot out two webs to angle his descent toward his escape route.
"Oh no, you don't! Come back here!"
Alexei continued to fire a barrage of bullets as Spidey acrobatically dodged them while tumbling through the air. With the right amount of momentum and force, Spidey delivered a double-footed kick to Alexei's chest, sending the mobster tumbling to the ground with an unrelenting force. With the criminal now dazed, Spidey then webbed the gun out of his hand, quickly spraying more webs out of his web shooters to easily pin the man to the ground. Alexei snarled at his attacker as he looked onward toward where the gun landed.
"You're making big mistake, Spider-Man!" Alexei proclaimed in his thick Russian accent. "I return stronger and more agile next time!"
Not willing to hear his empty threats, Spidey webbed the man's mouth shut.
"You don't wanna know how many times I've heard that shit from crappy lowlives like you!" Spidey commented. "Now how about you start by finding some more original threats next time?"
Alexei screamed muffled underneath his webbed up mouth and squirmed as Spidey turned away. As per routine since last week, the police had begun their approach toward the rising Web-head in hopes to deliver him their congrats. The man leading the crowd was none other than Captain John Stacy.
"Great job apprehending that man and his accomplices, Spider-Man!" the captain complimented. "The damage they caused was much more serious than any petty criminal we've seen in the last week. We couldn't have done it without you."
"Glad I could assist you guys in helping bring them down," Spidey replied, perking his shoulders. "Sorry I arrived so late this time. Did anything serious happen before I showed up?"
"My men are examining the damage trail they left behind. Believe me when I say it looked pretty serious; accidents, explosions from the sewers, a pile up! Don't worry though, as long as you didn't do it yourself, you're not responsible."
Under his mask, Peter breathed a sigh of relief. As reassuring as it was to hear these words from the captain, he still bore the weight of responsibility to protect the city at any cost. If anyone had died because of him, he would never be able to forgive himself.
"Thank you, Captain Stacy," said Spidey. "I'm sure you guys got it handled from here!"
Spidey held out a hand to which the captain took it firmly.
"We do, but try not to be seen collaborating with us just yet. The mayor will be giving her announcement soon enough on the status of illegal vigilantes here. Right now that would look bad on our reputation and yours."
"Right, right…" Spidey agreed. "I understand. I'll just say I was talking to you for the time being."
"That's good enough, Spider-Man," the captain affirmed.
"Say, is it alright that I intimidated him with a little stereotype insult before I kicked his ass? 'Cause I wasn't sure if that was overdoing it or not?"
"Wisecracks don't save lives so much as they do delay the inevitable," the captain said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps consider dialing back on the quips and taking things a little more seriously."
Contemplating what to do next, Peter shyly accepted the captain's words thinking it could be of use somehow.
"Sure thing, Captain," Spidey affirmed.
A loud buzzer rang from Peter's phone attached to his suit. No doubt this was a text from the captain's daughter or one of their friends.
"Oh, man!" he exclaimed. "That's my cue to be somewhere else! Is it alright if I leave?"
"You're excused, Spider-Man," the captain affirmed. "Have a safe swing!"
"Thanks, Captain! I owe you a donut!" Spidey joked as he spun a web.
The web took him high into the air away from the captain's men. As he swung away, he took in an aerial view of the accidents that had occurred along Alexei's trail; it was times like these where he wished he could be in many places at once since he was often so busy busting other criminals at the scene. Until he figured out a way to clone himself or got himself a sidekick, whichever came first, he would have to find a better way to deal with multiple crimes occurring simultaneously. As long as the police had his back, though, he knew he could trust them to handle most of the street crimes while he was away or preoccupied.
So glad the police can trust me now after last week's fiasco at Oscorp! Spidey thought, reminiscing about the Vulture incident that happened on the night of homecoming. And I thought the captain would never change… Anyway, I gotta see who texted. If it's Gwen, I just hope I'm not in trouble.
Spidey ripped his phone off a specially made coating of web he attached to himself to ensure he didn't lose his phone while swinging and fighting crime. Although it took some effort to get it off, he unlocked it with ease to discover a text from Gwen Stacy. To his relief, she wasn't scolding him.
"Harry, MJ, and I are at the pizzeria in the mall food court if you're looking for a place to meet us. Hope you're having fun fighting crime or whatever you're doing! Don't worry, I won't tell them. 3"
Peter blushed upon reading the heart at the end. Their relationship was clearly getting stronger since he confessed a week ago and now she was sending him hearts at the end of her texts. This excited Peter's young heart.
Awww, she does care, he thought. Let's swing there and retrieve my backpack! Hopefully no one stole it or else there'll be a serious ass-beating for whoever did.
After swinging a little further, Spidey carefully and calculatedly landed himself in an alleyway near the grandeur of the Manhattan Mall near the Empire State Building. He did not wish to be seen in broad daylight changing out of his costume. Once he got to the dumpster area toward the emergency exit, he found his backpack still visible behind a wall of webs that he himself set up so he could go fight crime and not have it get in the way.
Good thing my webs hold up to an hour, Spidey affirmed himself. I might have to figure out a way to make it last longer if possible. Maybe someday!
Checking to make sure no one saw him, Peter removed his mask and ripped the backpack out of his webbing to ensure he got hold of it. He removed his gloves and reached into the bag, taking out his traditional long sleeves, jacket, and pants that suited the colder weather he was experiencing. This being his first autumn as Spider-Man, he now had a much better excuse to wear these sorts of clothes all the time. Hopefully, when he reached his friends in the food court, they - Harry and MJ at least - would understand his excuse. Surely though, Gwen might have something to say now that she had the ability to come to his defense.
The crowd of the Manhattan Mall buzzed away in conversation as Gwen Stacy and her friends, Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson, sat patiently waiting for their friend, Peter, to arrive. All the crowd noise and all the juicy food aromas sure made everyone anxious to order to eat as they were getting hungry for a nice Saturday afternoon lunch. Whatever the case, though, this was like Peter to be fashionably or unreasonably late to come to the hangout. Even so, Gwen now understood why that was, but she refused to let even her closest friends know. She didn't want to go broadcasting his secrets to the world.
She sat there as she watched Harry, his hand cupped in MJ's, tap his foot and wobble his head in boredom. He needed his friend to be there so they could eat.
"Is Pete really on his way?" Harry asked impatiently. "He should've been here, like, five minutes ago if I'm guessing how long it's been."
"I'm sure it was just an estimate, Harry," Gwen reassured. "You know he can be off by a few minutes from time to time."
"I hear ya it's just… He's taking so long that my stomach's impatient. Someone tell him to hurry up," Harry continued.
"Don't worry, Harry, I know him. He usually has an important errand to run before he gets here. As long as he takes care of that first, I know he'll be here."
"You seem a lot more relaxed and understanding of Tiger's late tendencies, sister," MJ chimed in. "Is there something different between you two?"
"Well…" Gwen looked off shyly searching for words to explain her newfound change. "Let's just say we've been… Getting to know each other better this last week. It's like he's showing a different side of himself to me for a change."
"That's good news for you guys!" MJ replied. "I hoped something would happen sooner or later."
"Believe me something did happen," Gwen said, looking off to reminisce about the wonderful upside down kiss they shared in front of the school alone on homecoming night. It was perhaps the most romantic episode of her entire young life and she had nothing better than to experience it with Peter of all people. Her old boyfriends in elementary and middle school could eat their hearts out for all she cared.
Before she could explain, however, Peter appeared in the crowd, scanning for his friend's position.
Once Peter caught sight of his friend group, he waved them down, a beaming smile plastered across his face.
"Howdy friends, folks, guy pal, gal pals, whatever!" Peter addressed them inclusively. "Sorry I'm late as usual, I had to run a quick errand for… My aunt!"
"Don't worry, Gwen told us. Still, why is it that you're always late?" Harry asked as his stomach grumbled. "Especially when I'm hungry?"
"Einstein always said time is relative. Maybe I'm not late, maybe you guys are early."
Harry gave a stern glance while MJ smiled and Gwen giggled at his genius joke about a genius. She stood up to cup his hand in her's.
"Oh, Peter… Always using humor to brighten things up!"
Peter blushed at her romantic gesture, excited by her smooth, girly touch.
"Say, Pete, I've been noticing something between you and Gwen," Harry noted, changing subjects. "Last month you were hesitant to tell me anything was happening between you guys. And last week you said you were planning on kissing her at homecoming. Is that what this hand-holding is about?"
Peter and Gwen exchanged glances, both nervous to say anything, but confident they could at least tell him something.
"We've been getting closer, but for now we're still working things out," Gwen admitted.
"Like I told you then, we're taking it one step at a time, Harr," Peter followed. "No need to rush, am I right?"
"Right… Still, I reckon we should rush to get pizza before the line gets too long. I'm starving!" Harry exclaimed.
"...Okay then, Harr. You're the man of the hour!"
The couples got up to tend to the dwindling line at the pizzeria. It didn't take too long for them to order, nor did their order take forever much to Harry's appreciation. As they ate and talked about the usual riff raff happening in their lives, Harry chowed down on his share of sausage and mushroom pizza slices, MJ informing him to slow down in case he were to get a funny or scarf them all down before anyone else had a piece. Peter and Gwen were rather fond of this and savored their bites all while feeding each other as a couple on a fun double date. Moreover, Peter was glad Gwen was there to save his ass from scolding given that Harry was getting impatient and upset. Her attitude toward his tardiness clearly changed on a dime after his big reveal last week. There was nothing more he could ask for in a relationship with her.
Once they were done eating, the friends got up and headed for the Halloween costume store located in the opposite wing of the mall. The store may have only showed up once a year, but it always made them excited to get to choose new costumes in order to be someone else for one night. This year, however, Peter already had the costume covered; his Spider-Man suit could easily double as either a homemade or store bought Halloween costume that, as far as he knew, would not arouse suspicion on Halloween night. It would be the only time he could go out and unmask himself as Spider-Man to people other than Gwen so that no one would suspect a thing.
As MJ and Harry veered off to pick out costumes for themselves, Peter and Gwen strolled to the ancient Egyptian-themed costume section of the store. Since she already knew who he was going to be, she still needed help choosing a look that would suit her and her interests.
While they did so, a TV displaying a news broadcast on the wall above them caught Peter's attention. On the screen stood New York's mayor, Susan Waters, at the city hall podium making an announcement. Her aging appearance gave off similar vibes to Aunt May with her wrinkled skin, graying hair, and pronounced features.
"...Therefore, as mayor of New York, I declare that any and all superhero vigilantes of anonymous identities are legally allowed to operate at any time of day!" the mayor declared.
She stood there smiling as the crowd cheered. Hearing and seeing this, Peter couldn't help, but break a smile himself.
"Makes you happy, doesn't it?" Gwen asked, leaning in.
"Yeah," he declared. "I felt so illegal after operating to take down the Russian mob in their getaway car earlier."
"I'll bet. Didn't my dad say that he would keep your partnership under wraps until the mayor said otherwise?"
"Basically, yeah. We talked out in the open a few times, but he must have said some things to indicate that we weren't collaborating. Now, we can collaborate out in the open and no one will give a damn!"
"I'm so excited for you!" Gwen said, nudging him on the shoulder. "Just try not to do anything that'll make anyone revert the laws on you, okay?"
"Not gonna happen, Ms. Stacy. My uncle always said, 'with great power comes great responsibility' and I abide by that!"
"I like that. I'm sure it helps keep your power in check."
"Always."
Gwen smiled as they continued to sift through the costumes until she found the perfect one to match her persona: Cleopatra. She may not have had a personality or history similar to the popular Egyptian ruler, but she was a figure that Gwen found fascinating and thought would be a fitting look for her on Halloween night. It wouldn't match Peter's Spider-Man costume in any way, but it would be fun no less. They had the school's Halloween carnival to look forward to after all.
They met back up with Harry and MJ, the latter of whom had selected her costume from the store while Harry claimed that he already owned pieces of clothing that would make up his costume. Ever so unexpectedly, they got into a line where their good friend and Peter and Gwen's former supervisor, Liz Allan, was working as a cashier for the store. Of all the places Peter expected her to work, this place seemed least likely to be a place a girl like her could make a living. Even so, he wouldn't judge her based on where she worked just like how he never judged her for getting injured in a cheerleading accident on the football home opener. She was still a helpful supervisor in the homecoming committee and Peter would never forget that.
Once it was Gwen's turn to check out, Peter leaned up against the counter and spoke to Liz as she worked.
"Hey, Petey! Hey, Gwen!" Liz exclaimed. "Decided to check out the Halloween costume store now did ya?"
"Oh, we were just getting costumes, that's all," Peter replied. "I actually didn't know you worked here yet!"
"I just started last week," Liz explained as she grabbed the bag containing Gwen's costume and scanned it. "I needed something physical to keep me healthy after my injury last month. Couldn't afford to just simply sit around and supervise like I mostly did on the committee."
"So you decided to get a job in the meantime," Gwen stated. "That's great! Peter and I still need to look into that for ourselves. Won't we, Peter?"
Gwen gave him a look that indicated she was serious about this. Almost, Peter was taken aback by her demeaning stare gazing right into his soul.
"R-right, of course!" he stuttered. "Gotta pay the bills somehow, right?"
"That's why I felt the need to get one," Liz said as she hit the pay button on the register following Gwen swiping her card. "My parents were also pressuring me to get a job to help out with finances. Since my parents and my brother, Mark, all have a job, I figured now was a good time to get one!"
"Believe me, that would be great if I could get one! I just need to find the right avenue. Can't just take a generic job like Burger Frog, now can I?"
"Oh, Peter," Gwen chimed in. "Even if you flipped burgers for a living, I sure wouldn't judge you!"
"Thanks," Peter replied. He turned to Liz. "Anyway, it was nice to see you, Liz! If I get a job, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I hope you have fun on Halloween!"
"I will, actually. My cheerleading team is doing an apple bobbing fundraiser at the Halloween carnival next week," Liz explained. "You should bob for apples and support us financially if you plan on coming!"
"Oh, believe me, we will!" Peter said slyly.
Gwen then grabbed her costume and took the receipt as Liz handed it to her. "Have fun working here and we'll see you in school!" she said as she waved to Liz.
Harry and MJ then strode up to the checkout counter while Peter and Gwen walked away to wait for them outside the store. It was one thing for Peter to have friends encourage him to get a job no matter what it was. Even so, he barely knew what he wanted to do given all the talents he possessed. While a circus performer with his level of acrobatics sounded somewhat fun, he didn't think it would be cool enough for someone like him. Besides, unless places like Oscorp or ESU were offering paid internships, he didn't know whether he could find something to cater to his love of science. There was also photography, but he didn't have enough finances for a camera that would suit the job. No matter what though, Peter would head home to have a discussion with Aunt May about what to do regarding a part-time job whilst he was still in school. Surely, she could provide some wisdom on his uncertain situation in life.
Thank you to whoever came back to this story and I hope you look forward to whenever I come out with the next parts!