-Chapter 9-

Aftershock

Flashback

At a bank, a wall was blown out, and a man with black hair and a matching chin curtain wearing a yellow bubble jacket with a black vest ran out, two hi-tech looking gauntlets mounted on his arms as he menaced the cops nearby.

"Outta the way, all of ya!" he ordered. "Just back off!"

It was at that moment Spider-Man dropped down.

"Herman Schultz, old buddy!" he greeted. "How long has it been, a week or two?"

"Oh no, it's you!" Herman let out, irritated.

"Well, you are kind of in my neighborhood."

Herman took aim at him with his gauntlets, firing a concentrated blast of compressed vibrating air that Spider-Man jumped out of the way of. As he landed, he aimed with his web-shooters.

"Here, I'll go easy on you this time. I'll only use my webs!"

Herman fired another blast at Spider-Man, forcing him to leap into the air and fire webs at his hands. They gummed up the works, the feedback unleashing a recoil that blew Herman back across the street, knocking him out cold. Spider-Man scoffed.

"Gold old predictable Herman. See you around, pal!

He swung away as police sirens approached.

Flashback Over

Herman was released from the Raft. He was given his personal effects and walked out, heading for Oscorp.

"That's it," he decided. "I'm going legit. My tech will see great use at Oscorp."

Norman stood, looking almost bored as Herman displayed his new gauntlets

"My perfected design," Herman boasted. "The Seismic Harness Construction Resource. With a press of the pump-action thumb trigger, I can project a concentrated blast of compressed air that vibrates at an intense frequency, which can be aimed at any direction. Watch."

He took aim at a sizable block of concrete, firing a burst that began crumbling the block away before obliterating it.

"Imagine the time and effort these babies would save construction workers, road builders…"

"Impressive... but ultimately impractical for such things," Norman dismissed.

Hermans face fell. "Say what?"

"Herman, think smarter, not harder," Norman insisted. "For regular tasks like demolition, conventional tools like dynamite work just as well and cost less. I'd have to sink a fortune to mass-produce those gauntlets of yours."

"So what? I came all this way for nothing?"

Norman thought for a minute. "Not quite. Perhaps you can solve a problem for me."

"What?" Herman asked.

"Not what. Who. You see, my company has been running into a few problems, courtesy of an annoying so-called superhero running around in red-and-blue long johns. I'm sure you know who that is."

"Spider-Man…" Herman scowled. "Yeah, I know him. The entire reason I came here trying to sell my gauntlets was because of him! There's no point trying to make a dishonest living with him around."

"Then what if we remove him from the equation?" Norman suggested. "He defeated you so easily before because your gauntlets were unfinished prototypes. But now... they aren't. I can even offer you a few things here and there to hide your identity and the like."

Herman still seemed unsure, so Norman pulled out his trump card.

"How about this? Help me destroy Spider-Man, and I'll help you market your gauntlets. Demolition may be out, but we can find other legal uses for them, I'm sure."

That was all it took. Herman nodded.

"Alright. I'm in."

Norman smiled. "Excellent."

Later, at the Daily Bugle, Peter walked out of Jonah's office, having sold him his latest batch of photos as he joined Eddie at the water cooler.

"Surprised J.J. hasn't scared you off for good yet." Eddie joked.

"To be fair, it hasn't been for a lack of trying," Peter admitted. "Jonah's so nasty, he bit a dog and gave it rabies. But he does pay good money for my photos."

"I'm more amazed he has cash to spare after he paid Matt Murdock to bail him out of the Scorpion fiasco."

They shared a laugh at that. Sadly, the fun ended when they heard a massive explosion. Everyone in the Bugle ran to see a wall had been blown out, and Jonah was being manhandled by a man wearing fancy gauntlets, donned in a suit consisting largely of yellow quilt patches.

"Talk, Jameson!" he ordered. "Who's the photographer who takes pictures of Spider-Man?"

"I don't know who he is!" Jonah insisted. "His stuff comes in the mail!"

"You're lying!"

As this went on, Peter slowly slipped out.

"I swear!" Jonah swore.

"He's the one who can take me to him! Now talk!"

"I'm telling you, I don't know! Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! In journalism, you don't reveal your sources!"

"Well, if that's how you feel-"

"Put him down, tough guy!"

The man tossed Jonah aside, turning to face Spider-Man at the hole in the wall.

"We were just talking about you, web-head." he greeted.

"Well, that's refreshing. Usually, Jameson's screaming about me."

The man pointed his gauntlet, forcing Spider-Man to narrowly dodge a blast.

"That tech…" he perked. "Herman Schultz?"

"The name's Shocker now. I'll show you why!"

Shocker blasted Spider-Man head on, knocking him across the room.

"My vibro-smashers have been perfected. No more flaws, no more backfires. Which means it's time for you to get squashed, Spider-Man!"

"Funny," Spidey mused. "I could've sworn I've heard that before."

He quickly dodged a second blast.

"Oh yeah. from every nutcase in a costume I've gone up against!"

He snagged him with a webline before sling-shotting into him, only for his kick to be bounced off, sending him back.

"Damn! What, is that old quilt you're wearing made of vibranium?"

Shocker advanced on Spider-Man, thumbs on the buttons.

"For months now, big bad Spider-Man's been making life hard for guys like me. But not anymore."

He fired at Spider-Man forcing him to leap up into the air, before a second blast blew him into a wall. Shocker blasted a third time, knocking Spider-Man through the wall and sent him crashing to the ground. Peter slowly got up, clutching his left shoulder in pain. Shocker glared down at him before blasting away part of a wall nearby, sending rubble and debris falling at him. Peter moved to dodge, only for a surge of pain to fly through his shoulder.

"Oh, this is gonna su-"

He was promptly buried in the debris. Shocker looked down, smirking under his mask.

"Good riddance, bug," he spat.

He walked off. After a few minutes, Spider-Man pulled himself out of the debris.

"Well, that hurt," he let out. "But hey, at least I'm not dead."

He started moving, only for his arm to flare up in pain.

"Ow!" he hissed. "Think I broke my arm or something. Damn it…"

He clutched his shoulder, managing to whip up a makeshift sling from his webbing before swinging off.

At the lab, Peni was looking over his arm as Peter explained what happened.

"So that super-loser Herman Schultz is the one who did this to you?" she questioned.

"Believe me, Pen. I'm just as shocked," Peter admitted.

Peni looked at him. "Tell me you didn't just say that."

"Well, excuse me for focusing on humor to distract from the searing pain in my arm. Now, what're we gonna do about it?"

"Go to the doctor?" Peni suggested simply.

"Peni, that would put me in a hospital. Which would freak out Aunt May. Which also runs the risk of my secret identity getting out."

"She's gonna find out about the arm anyway. You just need a good excuse as to why it's broken."

"Fell down a staircase? Cut myself shaving?"

Peni looked at him blankly

"What?" Peter replied. "I have a really hairy arm."

Peni snorted in response.

"No you don't. You're like one of those hairless cats."

"Hey! Just because I'm fifteen and only have three chest hairs doesn't mean that…" He trailed off, before finally slumping. "Okay. I'm starting to see your point."

"You actually counted your chest hairs? Peni asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't judge me."

"Uh, a little too late for that."

Peter remained firm. Peni sighed.

"Look, Pete. I'm not a medical professional. We have no idea just how bad that injury is. You either go to the doctor now and get it looked at, or let it get worse and risk needing that arm chopped off."

Peter sighed. "Alright, fine. But if word gets out that I'm Spider-Man, it's your fault."

Later, Peter and May were at Metro-General Hospital, getting his arm examined.

"Peter, how did this happen?" May questioned.

"I uh, fell off a fire escape getting Spider-Man pictures," Peter said quickly.

May sighed. "You need to be more careful. I know you feel you must be the man of the house, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself."

"Alright, Aunt May. I'll try to take it easy."

At that moment, the door opened and a nurse stuck her head into the room.

"Mrs. Parker, may I speak with Peter alone for a moment?" she requested. "It's nothing serious. I just need to ask a few questions."

"Yes, of course."

May stood up, leaving the room and allowing the nurse to enter and sit across from Peter.

"Mr. Parker... Peter… May I call you Peter?"

"Sure," Peter shrugged.

"My name is Claire Temple. I used to be an Army physician, then did a stint with SHIELD. Your X-Rays show multiple broken bones and injuries that no human could have survived."

"Uh... I lead a very active life?" Peter said simply.

"Of that, I'm certain. You see, I've seen similar injuries before... amongst the various superheroes and supervillains I've treated."

Peter froze up before registering what she said.

"Um... I'm sorry. Did you say multiple broken bones and the like? I just came in here for a bum arm."

"Some of them are older, at least by a couple weeks," Claire explained. "Others, like your arm, are fresher."

She sighed. "Look, Peter, I don't know which side of the equation you're on, hero or villain. But I advise you to take better care of yourself."

"Please don't tell my Aunt…" Peter pleaded.

"Relax," Claire soothed. "Why do you think I asked her to leave? I have no intention of ousting you unless you give me reason to. And you don't seem like a villain."

"Don't worry, I'm not," Peter assured. "So... now what?"

"You seem to heal faster than a normal human," Claire noted. "That arm and everything else should be better in a few days, as long as you don't overexert yourself."

"That I can do," Peter assured.

At Oscorp, Shocker gloated about his victory to Norman.

"I made the bug look like a chump," Shocker boasted. "Blew up a building and dropped it on him. He's toast."

"Did you actually check for a pulse?" Norman pressed. "Verify a body?

"I-I dropped a damn wall on him! Squashed him flat! I think it's safe to assume that-

"It's safe to assume nothing!" Norman snapped, causing Shocker to recoil in surprise. "Spencer Smythe made that exact same mistake with the Spider-Slayer, and you want to know how that turned out? He was blown up in his own lab!"

"How was I supposed to know?! Just give me another shot at him! This time, I'll make sure he's dead!"

"You better. Or our deal is off, and you're history, Schultz."

The next day, Peter and Peni met up outside of school, Peter's arm in a sling.

"Keep taking hits like that, and people are gonna get suspicious," Peni remarked. "We gotta come up with an alibi for the future."

"Any ideas?" Peter asked.

"Taking up extreme sports on the side? Basketball or volleyball, maybe?"

Peter snorted. "Right. Bookworm Peter Parker, sports star."

"Better than trying to explain away a sprained arm by cutting yourself shaving."

"Yeah, yeah."

As they headed in, Peni sighed.

"Look, Pete. Falling off a fire escape snapping photos may have worked this time, but what about the next big injury? People are gonna catch on sooner or later; nobody's that clumsy."

"I'll think of something."

"Let's hope so."

"Hey, Peter!"

Peter and Peni looked up to see Liz approaching.

"What happened to your arm?" Liz asked.

"I was snapping photos of Spider-Man's fight with that quilted guy on a fire escape," Peter said quickly. "Leaned a bit too far out and fell off the ladder."

Liz winced at that. "Ouch. Well, could've been worse."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Peter whispered under his breath.

Liz seemed to be thinking for a moment, then nodded.

"Maybe I can make it better for you. You wanna go out for coffee after school?"

Peter and Peni blinked, exchanging confused glances.

"Uh… you sure that's okay?" Peni asked. "What would Flash think?"

"Flash is my boyfriend, not my master," Liz pointed out. "I'm allowed to hang out with male friends, aren't I?"

"Right…" Peter nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Great," Liz assured. "See you then."

She walked off, leaving Peter and Peni alone.

After school, Peter and Liz met up at Q's Cup of Joe at Midtown, taking a seat.

"I'm not gonna need to brace myself for Flash giving me a four-story atomic wedgie tomorrow, am I?" Peter questioned.

Liz giggled. "Of course not. Yeah, he was a bit irked that we agreed to have coffee, but I can be very persuasive."

"Lucky me," Peter deadpanned.

"Don't let him get to you, Pete. He's not as bad as you think."

"Believe it or not, I kinda know. We used to be friends."

"Seriously?" Liz asked. "He's never mentioned that."

"That's because it was before he was brainwashed by jock culture. That, and my parents passing away, is why we drifted apart."

"Oh…" Liz looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," Peter assured. "I don't remember that much about them anyway. Just stories my aunt and uncle told."

At his downcast look, Liz quickly decided to change the subject.

"So… you looking forward to the homecoming dance?"

"Kinda," Peter admitted. "I wasn't planning to go at first, but Aunt May talked me into it. Insisted I needed to 'have fun and be a kid' once in a while."

"Got a date yet?" Liz asked.

"Peni and I talked about going together. As friends, of course. You planning on going with Flash?"

"Not sure yet," Liz admitted.

"Really? Why?"

"It's just, things between me and Flash have been rocky. The usual couple stuff. We've considered taking a break."

"Ah. I see."

"It happens…" Liz said simply.

At that moment, they heard an explosion, followed by people screaming.

"Spider-Man, come out and face me!" came the Shocker's voice. "We have unfinished business!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Peter muttered.

They ran out, seeing the Shocker going on a rampage.

"It's that freaky quilt guy!" Liz exclaimed.

Despite the situation, Peter couldn't help but snort.

"I gotta go," he began to go, before freezing up. "Uh... 'cause the Bugle... will want photos."

"Peter!" Liz objected. "Your arm!"

"I'll be careful," Peter assured. "Besides, it's something I gotta do."

Liz hesitated, then nodded. "Just try not to fall off a fire escape this time!"

They hurried away in opposite directions, Liz for her house, and Peter down an alley. With some difficulty, he managed to change into his Spider-Man suit and swing out to confront the Shocker, who was lurking near the subway.

"There you are," Shocker hissed. "I've got a big score in mind, and there's no way in hell I'm losing it because of some clown in red tights!"

He fled down the tunnel. Spider-Man swung down into the tunnel, still clenching his arm.

"Damn. This thing hurts like crazy," He quickly uses his webs to make a makeshift sling. "This should hold up for now... hopefully."

Suddenly, his spider sense started going off, forcing him to leap out of the way of a blast.

"C'mon, Shock!" he called. "You know I can't let you run around down here without a chaperone!"

"Should have stayed dead, bug boy!" Shocker called back.

As he advanced down the tunnels, Spider-Man was forced to dodge side to side as Shocker rained blasts at him.

"That the best you got?" he called.

Eventually, Shocker took off running, Spider-Man chasing him into an older portion of the subway system.

"You need to learn a lesson, Spider-Punk," he declared. "And Shocker's School of Hard Knocks is now open!"

"Please," Peter scoffed. "I find it hard to believe you have any class, let alone a whole school worth."

Shocker took aim, firing on Spider-Man and forcing him on the run. He dodged around different blasts, trying to work out a plan.

"C'mon, think! There's gotta be a way I can get around that suit of his and take him out…" He looked around, seeing the old, weathered stones and machinery of the tunnel. "And I think I just found it."

"It's over, Spider-Man!" Shocker swore. "You've made a jackass out of me for the last time!"

"You don't need my help for that! Look in the mirror lately?"

"Funny guy! We'll see how funny you are when you're forced to breathe out of a straw!'

He fired in a rage. Spider-Man dodged every blast, causing him to hit the structural supports of the tunnel.

"Better than having to look at myself in that outfit!" he shot back. "Seriously, is the only reason you call yourself Shocker because the Human Quilt was already taken?"

"Don't you dare mock me!" Shocker shouted.

"I mock. I'm a mocker."

Spidey leapt onto a pillar as Shocker blasted at him, he quickly made his way to the other side as the blast hit, knocking off the pillar. Spidey quickly used his good hand to shoot two web lines at nearby columns.

"I'm also a puller, a tugger, a yanker…"

He yanked the columns, the walls shaking ominously as rubble began to fall. Realizing his mistake, Shocker ran for the tunnel opening as Spider-Man did the same. However, he was unable to get out in time before he was knocked down by some debris and pinned. Spider-Man rushed over, checking his pulse and verifying his suit protected him from the worst of it.

"And that's what you call 'bringing down the house.'"

Later that evening, Norman and Alistair watched a news report of the Shocker being taken into custody. Norman fumed, his face turning red before he threw the glass in his hand across the room.

"I can't believe this!" he ranted. "I throw everyone and everything I've got at him, and Spider-Man keeps making them look like a bunch of girls!"

"You know, you're lucky human resources isn't here to hear you say that." Alistair deadpanned.

"The point is, we need to find a new means by which to capture Spider-Man," Norman insisted. "Fury's deadline draws nearer with every passing minute. I will not lose the OZ contract to Alchemax!"

"What do you suggest?" Alistair asked.

Norman didn't answer, instead sitting down to think it over.

Meanwhile, Peter made it home, going over to May and passing her his latest paycheck.

"Here," he said. "This should help cover some of the bills this month."

"Thank you, Peter," May replied.

After a moment, she took a few dollars, handing them back to him.

"Aunt May, what're you-?"

"You don't need to give me every last dime you earn," May assured. "At least keep ten percent of each paycheck for yourself. Use it to do what you want."

"You need it more than I do," Peter insisted.

"Peter, please. You work hard for this money. The least you can do is keep a piece of it."

"Well…" Peter began.

"Besides, I recently got a job myself. The FEAST shelter in Chinatown."

Peter perked. "Really?"

"I went down there a few days back to help out. I'd been spending too much time in the house after what happened to Ben, and needed some air. Mr. Li offered me a job, and I accepted. My way of finding some light in the darkness."

"That's… awesome," Peter remarked.

"Now, take the ten percent, I insist," May urged.

"Alright, you win," Peter took the money. "Now that that's done, I'm gonna take some aspirin and get some sleep."

He rubbed his bum arm with a wince.

"Does it hurt?" May asked in concern.

"It stings a bit. I'll be fine."

Author's Note:

So... yeah. Shocker's plotline here is taken a bit from Shriek's from Batman Beyond. He got sick of losing to Spider-Man, tried to go legit... but it didn't work out.

And we got a little Peter x Liz down here.

Please R&R. Until next time!