All characters appearing in Spider-Man are copyrighted to Marvel Entertainment and Stan Lee. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of TVfan.
Note: this story begins shortly after the "The Other: Evolve or Die" story arch, which is recently completed in the Spider-Man comics.
A New Life
By TVfan
Chapter 6: Other Worries
Avengers Tower
One of the things that Peter liked best about being part of the New Avengers was the fact that Tony had a great exercise room inside his tower, which allowed each and every Avenger to practice his or her skills without risking life of limb. At this moment, the room was being used for some basic 'web slinging' training.
"Come on, MJ, it isn't that hard," Peter said with a slight grin, "You just aim your wrist at the target, bring your middle and ring fingers back to your palm, apply slight pressure, and…"
Peter smiled as he heard the small 'thwip' sound that indicated that his organic web shooters had fired off a strand of webbing. The strand hit and wrapped around a plastic dummy, built to resemble a man, and if it had been a real person it would have held the person's arms down. Mary Jane, however, did not look pleased.
"Peter, I'm willing to train so that I learn to keep my powers under wraps," Mary Jane said firmly, "Not go gallivanting around with them."
"What?" Peter asked, "This can be useful to learn."
"How?" Mary Jane questioned.
"Well, we're not always together," Peter pointed out, "This could come in handy if you're alone and are attacked."
"I'd end up revealing my powers to the attacker," Mary Jane commented.
"Would that be worse then being mugged and possibly killed?" Peter asked, "Honey, I know you don't want to be a superhero, and I'm fine with that. But there are going to be times when you will have to use your powers. Some might be enjoyable. You like it when I take you web slinging."
"But then I'm only along for the ride," Mary Jane answered.
"You could go out on your own now," Peter pointed out, "And even if you decide not to do that, it will still be useful for when you have to use your powers."
Mary Jane sighed, "Fine."
Mary Jane then aimed her wrist at another plastic dummy that Peter had set up for her to use as 'target practice' and breathed deeply. She then brought her middle and ring fingers back and pressed the center of her palm slightly. What happened next startled Mary Jane, but it happened so fast that she was unable to stop it. She heard a 'thwip' come from her wrists as a strand of webbing shot out and barely managed to hit the dummy that she was aiming at. What startled her was the feeling of her own organic web shooters making the webbing that she had fired out. It felt like something was moving just under her skin around her wrists. Peter had never told her what it felt like.
"Pretty good," Peter commented, "Your aim was a little off, but that will get better with practice."
"I really don't want to practice it," Mary Jane answered, "I want to make sure I don't web someone by accident."
"Which is good enough reason to practice," Peter pointed out, "After dealing with The Queen, adjusting to having my own web shooters as part of my powers, rather then as a mechanical tool was something."
"We were cleaning webbing out of everything for weeks," Mary Jane chuckled.
Peter chuckled at the memory and then looked at his wife, "We're here to help you, MJ. We're not going to force you to do anything you don't want to."
"I know," Mary Jane answered, "It's just that this is all still very new and frustrating and I'm not entirely used to it all."
"You've certainly gotten used to your pheromone powers," Peter smirked.
Mary Jane then nailed Peter in the mouth with a small batch of webbing. She could hear Peter mumbling something under the webbing.
"If you're just going to make jokes, you can stay like that," Mary Jane spoke.
After a few minutes of wrestling with the webbing, Peter managed to get it off without hurting himself.
"I'll behave, scout's honor," Peter answered.
"Good," Mary Jane answered.
"Well, let's continue," Peter sighed, "the pressure you used to pull of your little silencing act and to shoo out the webline at the dummy will work for web slinging or holding an attacker down. How long you apply pressure to your palm will determine how a long a strand you will launch."
"So, I press down for a long time, and I shoot out a long strand," Mary Jane commented, "I press down for a short time, and I shoot out only a short strand."
Peter nodded, "And controlling how much you use will help you deal with anyone who tries to mug you."
"Yes," Mary Jane nodded, "You've said that."
"I'm sorry," Peter said nervously, "This is the first time I've ever trained someone in regard to using their superpowers."
There was a brief silence for a moment. Then Mary Jane spoke.
"Why didn't you tell me what it feels like when you use your new organic web shooters?" Mary Jane asked.
Peter sighed, "I never thought you'd end up with similar powers, so it wasn't that important."
"It felt weird," Mary Jane said, "Like there was something under my skin. It didn't hurt, but it was a very new sensation."
"Yes, that would be your spinnerets working," Peter explained.
Mary Jane nodded.
"Try and see if you can wrap the dummy in webbing," Peter urged, "It will be trial and error, but that is essentially how I learned."
Mary Jane sighed and then tried again. Inwardly, she shuddered as she felt the spinnerets in her wrists fire out strands of webbing at the dummy. One strand missed entirely, and she ended up webbing the far wall with it, but the other managed to hit the side of the dummy, and wrapped halfway around the dummy.
"A good try," Peter spoke, "It's only your aim that is off. Give it some practice, and you'll be able to web anything as good as me."
"Should I be required to for self defense," Mary Jane answered.
Peter nodded and turned to leave, "Well, I have my patrols to get to. If you want to practice this you can, or you can work on that stress ball. Or find Jessica, and you can work on maintaining control over your pheromone powers."
"I have a rehearsal today," Mary Jane pointed out, "I think I'll just relax until then."
"On the ceiling?" Peter asked with a grin.
"No," Mary Jane said back, "I don't know who to do the wall crawling thing, and I'm not to keen on trying."
"Just think about clinging to the surface, and you'll cling," Peter said as he went out the door, "that's all I do."
"I'm not going to practice clinging to walls," Mary Jane said firmly as Peter went out the door, "have a good day."
Mary Jane then silently walked to a nearby window and waited quietly. After a few minutes, she saw Spider-Man come into her field of view and go off about New York and run his patrols. She knew the Hobgoblin was still heavy on his mind. She hoped he didn't do anything that would get him hurt, especially now that she felt she needed Peter with her more. To get used to everything that had happened.
Suddenly, Mary Jane felt her 'spider-sense' buzz inside her head just before she heard a voice speak behind her.
"You could go with him now, you know," Jessica Drew spoke.
Mary Jane turned to face the original Spiderwoman.
"I'm sorry," Mary Jane spoke, "what did you say?"
"I said you can go with him now," Jessica repeated.
"I said before that I don't want to be a superhero," Mary Jane insisted, "The fact that I have superpowers now, doesn't change that."
Jessica nodded, "But that doesn't change the fact that you worry about your husband."
"I don't want to wake up one day and find out that I'm a widow and that Peter won't be coming back this time," Mary Jane sighed as she turned toward the window, "And Peter has dangerous enemies."
Jessica put a hand on Mary Jane's shoulder.
"It's alright to worry," Jessica said, "I'd worry too if I were in your shoes. Married to a superhero. Powerless. Unable to help him."
"There have been times when I've wanted to help him," Mary Jane spoke.
"And now that you have the ability to help him, you don't want to be a superhero," Jessica commented.
"I never wanted to be a superhero," Mary Jane corrected, "I want to have as normal a life as possible."
"Then you'll have to put up with your husband putting himself in danger time and time again," Jessica commented, "and the way you worry, can not be good for you."
"You want me to become some hero?" Mary Jane asked.
"No," Jessica answered, "If I had my way, you wouldn't have even gained powers, especially since your powers mirror mine and your husbands. The last thing the world needs is another woman with spider powers running around. But, I can't change the past any more then you can."
Mary Jane nodded.
"We are who we choose to be, though," Jessica continued, "and every choice has its price. You choose to become a hero, and you'll have to deal with various nut jobs deciding to fight you. You choose to be 'normal' and you'll have to deal with worrying about your husband."
"It's quite the predicament," Mary Jane sighed.
"Yes," Jessica agreed, "Hopefully you'll make the decision that is best for you."
Elsewhere
"I don't like you hanging around here," Felix Jork grumbled as he walked through the hallways of the business that the Hobgoblin had hijacked, "It's bad enough that I have juggle between Liz Osborn and your boss."
"Would you rather have the Hobgoblin here?" Ricky asked.
Felix shuddered, "No, but Liz Osborn is going to be stopping here in a few days to inspect how we were able to pay for a new computer system, which we are still installing, without embezzling money."
"Liz Osborn?" Ricky asked.
"Yes" Felix answered, "The current CEO of Osborn Industries."
"Is this a routine inspection?" Ricky asked.
Felix sighed. He hated the fact that the Hobgoblin and bullied him into giving the villain control over the company, but the Hobgoblin was dangerous. The last thing he wanted was a super powered villain going after him. He constantly hoped that some super hero would bring him in. His fear of the Hobgoblin was partially due to news reports of the criminals activities and the fact that the previous CEO was Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin. Aside from the obvious Goblin persona, both Osborn and the Hobgoblin had rather unintelligent lackeys, which frustrated Felix. He wanted them gone quickly, and for some reason, the dumb ones never understood simple answers.
"No," Felix answered in a frustrated voice, "She wants to know how we could afford to order a new computer system without reporting it. She is concerned that we've embezzled money."
Ricky nodded.
"If your boss and whoever it was that he was working with didn't feel it was so necessary to destroy this company's computer system, I wouldn't be in this position," Felix grumbled.
"One, the partnership that caused your computer system to fail is no longer in effect," Ricky answered, "and two, the Hobgoblin never intended for your computer system to fail. It hurt his hopes for profit."
"Best intentions never change results," Felix grumbled.
"Do you want to hold our next meeting with the Hobgoblin present?" Ricky asked, "He would like to hear about your poor attitude."
"No," Felix said quickly.
"Good," Ricky said firmly, "Do not make me use that threat again. Now, when exactly is Liz Osborn showing up here?"
"Two days from today at two in the afternoon," Felix answered.
Ricky made a humming noise, "Interesting, now is there anything that is needed to help your profits rise?"
"Nothing at the moment," Felix answered, "We're still working through the problems that the loss of our original computer system caused. Dealing with Liz Osborn is going to give us a lot of problems."
"I might be able to help you deal with that particular problem," Ricky said with a wicked smile.
Alley
Spider-Man hung on the side of the wall of a building as he looked at he two crooks he had webbed up, hanging upside down from a nearby light pole. Both crooks were struggling to get out of the webs that Spider-Man had wrapped them in.
"You know," Spider-Man commented humorously, "You crooks ought to think more before you try and attack me. I mean, I have the strength, speed, and agility of a spider, and you attack me with a pocket knife. Did you honestly think you could take me out that way?"
The two crooks grumbled under the webs that Spider-Man wrapped them.
"Mmmmm-mmmmm," Spider-Man mimicked, "You guys ought try out to be the new 'M&M' boys."
Spider-Man then shot out a new webline and began to websling about his patrol. He was still trying to find the Hobgoblin's base, and so far he hadn't come up with anything. He checked several old warehouses, but there was no sign that anything but rats had ever been in there. He went around another corner when suddenly his spider sense went off, and he released his webline and did a back flip before landing on the roof of a nearby building. He soon heard the sound of another pair of feet striking the surface of the rooftop behind him. He turned and was surprised by what he saw.
"Surprised, Spider-Man?" the Other asked.
It was the Other. The strange creature that had been generated after he had been resurrected after his 'death' from the disease that he had caught while battling Morlun again. It was covered in hard grey skin and it was impossible for him to tell what gender it was.
"But you're dead," Spider-Man gasped, "I saw you disintegrate into a thousand pieces."
"What?" the Other asked, "You're the only one who can come back from the dead?"
The Other then lunged forward and before Spider-Man could dodge, grabbed the hero by the neck and tossed him off of the roof. Fortunately for Spider-Man, his amazing agility allowed him to do flips and land easily on his feet on the pavement. Several people looked at the hero in surprise.
"Uh, hi," Spider-Man said.
The people then began screaming as several thousand small spiders cam crawling down the side of the building and then formed up into the body of the Other.
"You see, Spider-Man," the Other said, "Unlike you, I am not limited to a single corporate body. I can disintegrate and reintegrate at will. I don't have to worry about falling from great heights."
The Other then lunged at Spider-Man once more, but Spider-Man was able to dodge the attack and throw him against the wall of another building.
"Why are you doing this?" Spider-Man demanded, "I've done nothing to you."
"You were not to come back," the Other growled viciously, "It was your time to die, but the Great Weaver brought you back."
Spider-Man hit the Other with a powerful uppercut, but the creature only flipped up into the air to cling to he wall and looked down at Spider-Man.
"The other weaver sent me to deal with the Great Weaver's mistake," the Other said in a sinister voice.
The Other then dove at Spider-Man from it's position, it's claws bared at his target. Spider-Man caught the Other with a webline, and swung the Other out into the street. He had intended to throw the creature across the street, but a large truck came barreling down the street and hit the Other as it went. Spider-Man watched as the creature disintegrated upon impact. He waited for a few seconds, but no sign of the Other reintegrating himself was visible. He then sighed and went about his patrol.
Theater
Mary Jane was quiet as she walked into the theater that the play she was in was rehearsing. She remembered all her lines for the play, but that wasn't what her mind was focusing on at the moment. Her mind was still dwelling on the conversation she had had with Jessica earlier in the day. It was very true that she worried about Peter and his adventures as Spider-Man. He had very dangerous foes, and Peter was not exactly cautious when he was in costume. She always had to be concerned that he wasn't going to come back that night. Now, thanks to Tracer, she could join Peter. She didn't have to worry, but she didn't want to be a super hero. She wanted to be a normal person. That created the problem that Mary Jane was pondering over. If she chose to help Peter, she'd have to become a super hero, which she didn't want to do. If she chose to remain 'normal', she'd have to put up with worrying about Peter, which she wasn't terribly fond of either.
Mary Jane kept her thoughts private and did her best to hide the fact that her private life as 'Mrs. Spider-Man' was troubling her at the moment. As she reached for the door to enter the theater, she saw one of her female co-actors in the play coming up.
"Hey there, MJ," the actress said, "Feeling any better? Your husband came by a couple of days ago and said you couldn't come in, because you hadn't been feeling well."
"I'm doing much better," Mary Jane answered, covering up the fact that her mind was currently wrestling with tough problem, "I had a really bad case of the flu the night before and it just seemed to stick with me."
The actress nodded, "Glad you're doing better. Now, why didn't you tell us your husband was such a cutie."
"You never asked," Mary Jane retorted, her mind only slightly distracted by the basic gossip, "and he's mine. You can't have him."
"Relax, I don't go after married guys," the other actress smiled, "but man is he cute. Does he have a brother?"
Mary Jane shook her head, "No he was an only child."
The woman gave a sigh and then said in a joking voice, "Makes me wish cloning was legal."
Mary Jane shook her head with a heavy sigh, and thought to herself, "If only you knew the truth."
Under Manhattan
"So, an Osborn is going to be visiting my company," Kingsley commented with an intrigued smile.
"Yes, Liz Osborn," Ricky answered, "The current CEO of Osborn Industries. Apparently, Tracer's little computer crash program has gotten her very upset."
"More then likely she's there to wonder where the company was able to order a new computer system," Kingsley commented, "A good CEO wants to make sure that if anyone is embezzling money, it's only the CEO."
"The computer crash was to give you an advantage," Tracer commented from the screen he was trapped in, "With their old files gone, they couldn't prove that anybody but you owned the company."
"Which is only possible because I have the company's ownership documents," Kingsley smirked, "and by that I mean the ORIGINALS. A photocopy would never hold up in court. But your crashing of their original computer system would have meant that I'd have to start over from scratch. I came here to make some quick dough while the super heroes were currently having problems. I didn't come to start everything over from scratch. Thankfully, they got all their coding and programming down on paper, so I'm not going to fall too far behind."
"Is money all you think about?" Tracer asked.
"Yes," Kingsley smiled, "And insulting me is not going to persuade me to reactivate you. You actually look good on that screen."
Tracer's image only growled at Kingsley. Kingsley meanwhile turned his attention to Ricky.
"Now when did you say Ms. Osborn is going to journey to my company?" Kingsley asked.
"At two in the afternoon in two days," Ricky answered.
"I feel a little field trip coming on," Kingsley commented, "With NORMAN Osborn out of Osborn Industries, perhaps I can muscle my way into that company as well."
Kingsley then let out a great laugh, "Yes! That's it. In two days I will take over Osborn Industries!"
"She's likely to have guards with her," Ricky commented.
"They can't stop me," Kingsley smiled, "All are likely to be muscle headed morons. One pumpkin bomb, and they'd be taken care of."
"I could easily deal with them so that you wouldn't have to waste the effort on the security guards," Tracer offered.
"Oh?" Kingsley commented, "The master is willing to serve the 'tool'?"
"I never said you were a tool," Tracer said back.
"Your robot did, and that is good enough for me," Kingsley argued, "Now you can deny it all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you were using me."
Avengers Tower
Spider-Man returned to the tower in early evening with some frustration as his thoughts dwelled on the appearance once more of the Other. The past several days had been a track meet of villains who had supposedly left New York for retirement and were hiding from the law. First the Hobgoblin came back from hiding in some deserted location. Then the shocker that Tracer had returned, despite the fact that Spider-Man had strangled the villain with his webbing when the villain had made his first attack on the Avengers Tower. Now the Other had returned despite the fact that he had seen the creature disintegrate into thousands of little pieces and disappear down a storm sewer.
Now the Hobgoblin's return could be easily understood. The Hobgoblin had merely left New York for somewhere, and he could have simply come out of 'retirement'. That was easy to understand. Many people retired from certain tasks and then came back. That happened all the time.
Tracer's return was understandable. Tracer was a robot. It was possible that Tracer had multiple 'shells' hidden somewhere, and when one was defeated, the basic programming was sent to another and activated to replace the one that was defeated. From what Spider-Man understood about robotics from Iron Man and his occasional talks with the Human Torch about Reed Richards's experiments, such a thing was not impossible.
The Other was a question mark as far as Spider-Man was concerned. It had revealed that it could disintegrate and reintegrate itself at will, which was something that Peter could only understand if the creature was really a collection of smaller beings with a collective consciousness, but in his first confrontation with the Other and in his most recent battle with the Other, it appeared that the creature was not a collective of smaller beings but a single being. Which would suit the mystical nature that the Other claimed. Spiders weren't communal animals. He might have understood if the Other represented something like ants or bees, which lived in colonies. But the Other represented the same thing his 'name' did. And spiders were solitary creatures.
Spider-Man took off his mask and prepared to resume his life as Peter Parker for the evening and walked down a hallway towards the bedroom that he and Mary Jane shared. He found it empty and began to change into a pair of jeans and tee shirt. He still looked frustrated as he finished pulling up his pants when he felt his spider sense buzz slightly. He looked up to see Mary Jane standing in the doorway.
"You okay, tiger?" Mary Jane asked, "You look rather frustrated about something."
"It's nothing," Peter answered with a sigh, "I couldn't find any sign of the Hobgoblin and another old/new villain has come out of the woodwork."
"Old/new?" Mary Jane asked.
"It's the Other," Peter explained, "that creature that appeared after I came back to life. It came out of nowhere and attacked me."
"Are you okay?" Mary Jane asked quickly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Peter answered, "I think I won the fight, but I don't know how big of a victory it actually was."
"You don't know?" Mary Jane asked.
"I threw it out into a street and it got hit by a truck and disintegrated into little pieces," Peter answered, "But I found out that it can do that at will, so I'm sure it's still alive somewhere. On top of this I have no real clue as to why the Other is giving me trouble. He seems to be connected to all the weird mystical stuff that Ezekiel brought into Spider-Man's life, which I still don't understand."
"Well, at least you beat him," Mary Jane commented.
"Yeah, I guess so," Peter shrugged, "I wish I could have caught the Hobgoblin, or got some answers out of the Other. Oh well. How did your day go?"
"Fairly well," Mary Jane answered, "I got through my rehearsal. We'll be ready to perform in a couple of days, and I didn't crush anyone's hand. So I didn't have any problems."
"Well, that's good," Peter said with a smile as he gave Mary Jane a hug, "Hopefully Spider-Man's life will allow me to come see the play."
"You could go to the show as Spider-Man," Mary Jane answered, "So long as you manage to see it once."
The Other's Lair
The Other sat quietly inside the church attic in a very sour mood. Spider-Man had managed to beat the creature using his webbing. Spider-Man, however, was unable to kill the Other and the creature returned to its lair. It slowly paced its lair and spoke aloud to itself, as if someone was speaking to it.
"He has not evolved, Dark Weaver, but he has managed to remain a decent opponent," the Other said to itself, "It will be a great victory for you when I defeat Spider-Man."
The Other paced quietly, nodding its head as if someone was talking to it.
"Yes," the Other spoke after a few moments, "He was surprised to see me, but he can not truly beat me. He fights as if I am merely a criminal. He will fall and fall quickly."
The Other then paused as it listened to instructions that no one else could hear. It then paused and turned its attention to a spider symbol it had carved into one of the railings.
"I had not intended on attacking him while in the form of his alter ego," the Other answered, "It would create trouble for myself."
The Other then cringed as if it were being scolded by something. A few moments later it looked down in a submissive manner.
"Yes, Dark Weaver, you are right," the Other said weakly, "If Spider-Man dies in either persona it is vengeance for the Great Weaver's mistake."
The Other then turned to a small window that it used as an entrance and exit to its lair. Its eyes narrowing with determination.
"I had not intended this for you Peter Parker," the Other said in a sinister voice, "But I have my orders. You have failed to evolve, and it is time that you are punished. You, Spider-Man will soon die, as Peter Parker."
Avengers Tower, Two Days Later
Mary Jane stretched as she moved into a sitting room where Jessica wanted to hold another training sessions with her pheromones. She felt she was getting better with controlling her powers. She felt she had learned to control her spider strength. It made her glad she had that stress ball to practice with. Peter was still going over teaching her the finer points using her organic web shooters. She managed to persuade him to just work on self-defense techniques. She would leave the web slinging to Peter. She found Jessica waiting for her with a small mechanical device in her hand.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Watson-Parker," Jessica said politely, "Are you ready?"
Mary Jane sighed slightly. Her pheromones powers were one of the things that creped Mary Jane out a little bit, but she felt that she was getting better with it. Although, her practice sessions with Peter had ended up rather romantically, she felt she was beginning to get a handle on controlling her pheromones.
"Yeah, I guess so," Mary Jane spoke with a sigh.
Jessica nodded, "Okay. I had Tony cook this little device up. It should detect your pheromones, so you don't have to worry about having a grumpy volunteer leaving right in the middle of the exercise. It will also have the ability to determine when you've quit producing pheromones. Once you've got full control, it should be like flicking a light switch."
"Some light switch," Mary Jane commented.
"Isn't it?" Jessica asked back, "Let's go."
Mary Jane slowly sat down in a chair and began to focus on the trigger that she could use to trigger the release of her pheromones. She hoped she had learned enough in her practice sessions with Peter to do well. Jessica only looked down at the device in her hand. She watched both the device and Mary Jane sitting quietly. After a few seconds, she saw the needle on the device jump up. She watched as the needle slowly climbed higher, indicating that Mary Jane was producing more pheromones of her own. Jessica could soon pick up the scent of Mary Jane's pheromones on her own.
"Very good, Mary Jane," Jessica spoke, "You're producing more then enough. You've gotten control over releasing your pheromones, now work to restrain them."
Mary Jane nodded and shifted what she was focusing her mind on. Instead of thinking about what would trigger her to release her pheromones, she focused on something that would trigger them to stop being released. Jessica looked at the device she was holding and patiently waited. After about a minute, a light turned on, which indicated that t could not detect any new pheromones being produced.
"You're getting better," Jessica spoke, "You've mastered releasing your pheromones, but you need to work a little harder on holding them back."
"Peter and I have been practicing," Mary Jane answered.
"Yes," Jessica commented, "About that. The two of you need to keep it down while you're 'practicing'."
Mary Jane couldn't help but blush.
"So when does your play start tonight?" Jessica asked.
"At six," Mary Jane answered, "Peter and Aunt May got great seats. I can't wait."
"I'm sure you'll do a great job," Jessica said politely.
Mary Jane smiled, she enjoyed normal conversation.
Elsewhere
Liz Osborn slowly walked into the conference room that was currently occupied by one man, Felix Jork.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Jork," Liz said in as firm a voice as she could manage.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Osborn," Felix answered.
Liz nodded and sat down at the end of long table and put her briefcase up on the desk. Two security men stood near the door.
"I'm going to come straight down to the point," Liz began, "I know the Hobgoblin wreaked your computer system recently, and I know that was terrible. But, what concerns me is that three days ago, I got a report that you've ordered a new computer system. Now, while I know you had to order a new system, I noticed that you did not use the standard procedure to order this system."
Felix nodded silently.
"This makes me concerned that you have been embezzling company money, and that you simply used that money to pay for the system," Liz continued, "Now, the fact that you lost money in the deal isn't necessarily bad, since replacing the computer system was going to cut into company profits anyway, but the fact that you embezzled money, that means you've been lying about how much you've been earning."
"I haven't embezzled any money," Felix answered looking very nervous.
"Then how were you able to pay for the computer system?" Liz asked.
"I've had the help of a generous man who gave me the funds to pay for the computer system," Felix answered honestly.
"You can't do that!" Liz gasped, "It's only going to attract attention that we can't handle. Not to mention that we owe this man now, and who knows what he'll have us do to pay him back."
Felix became even more nervous. Liz didn't miss this then moved to question him about his look.
"Why are you looking so nervous?" Liz asked.
Felix said nothing and began to back his chair away as the sound of a jet engine could be heard through the closed door. Liz turned back to look at the door, only to see it explode in front of her. The doors fell down to the floor, crushing the security men that Liz had brought with her. What frightened her was what followed the explosion. First she saw the glowing red eyes and then the cowl and mask of the Hobgoblin.
"You!" Liz gasped in surprise and fear.
"Yes, me," the Hobgoblin smiled, "And you must be Liz Osborn. A pleasure to put your life in danger once again."
"What do you want?" Liz demanded as she backed away.
"Oh, nothing much," the Hobgoblin thought aloud, "For starters you can leave this company alone. After all, I'm the one with the ownership documents."
"You stole them!" Liz answered.
"Details, details," the Hobgoblin smirked, "the point is, the documents are mine and this company is mine. I don't like you wanting to run my business."
The Hobgoblin then began tossing a pumpkin bomb in his palm. Liz watched it nervously.
"Do you understand me?" the Hobgoblin asked.
Liz continued to watch the pumpkin bomb bounce in the Hobgoblin's hand. Fear gripped every cell of her body.
"Sure," Liz answered, "I'll do whatever you want. Please don't kill me."
"Oh, I don't intend to kill you if I don't have to," the Hobgoblin said with an evil smile, "In fact, you could be quite useful for me."
"Useful?" Liz asked as she continued to back away.
She then tripped and landed on her bottom and began to crawl backwards away from the Hobgoblin's glider.
"Yes, useful," the Hobgoblin smiled, "You see, you are currently running Osborn Industries, one of the country's most prosperous companies. I could make a fortune off of Osborn Industries."
"You want the company?" Liz asked.
"Just the money," the Hobgoblin smiled, "I'm a wanted felon, you see. I can't run any business legally. I need someone to be a 'front' for me. To say my words. To do what I want. To give me my money."
"You… you…" Liz began, unsure of what to say, "You can't do that!"
"Oh?" the Hobgoblin asked, "I can't."
"I won't let you control Osborn Industries covertly," Liz tried to speak firmly.
The Hobgoblin gave an evil grin and pulled a tape recorder out of his pouch. He then tossed it to Liz on the floor.
"Play that," the Hobgoblin ordered.
Liz slowly picked up the tape recorder and pressed the 'play' button. She was then horrified by what she heard.
"Were you a good boy today?" Liz heard her own voice speak.
"Yes, mommy," her son's voice answered, "Drew a picture of Spider-Man and daddy."
"What were they doing?" Liz's voice asked.
"Jumping jacks," Normie's voice answered.
The tape then stopped there. Liz looked up in horror at the Hobgoblin who was still grinning. He then moved his glider forward and snatched up the tape recorder.
"If you don't do as I say, I can make sure that that little boy of yours never lives to draw another picture of Spider-Man or the Second Green Goblin," the Hobgoblin said coldly, "It's your choice. Your company's freedom? Or the legacy of Norman Osborn?"
"He will never be like Norman Osborn," Liz answered, "Leave my son alone."
"So, you'll pay me my money?" the Hobgoblin asked.
"Yes," Liz said weakly, "You can run Osborn Industries."
"Don't look so glum, woman!" the Hobgoblin laughed, "Officially you still have your job. You just have to do what I say and send me a certain percentage of your profits."
"Find," Liz said weakly, looking down.
"Very good," the Hobgoblin smiled, "I'll be sending an asscoicate of mine by your main offices in a few days to work out the details. He will say the word 'goblin' to your security, and they will escort him to you and then leave. If they do not, well, let's just say, your son's never been on the business end of a pumpkin bomb."
The Hobgoblin then left the room laughing.
Midtown High
Peter sat quietly looking over the homework that his students had done the night before. They were currently working on a quiz, so he was taking the opportunity to get his grading done, which he needed to do since his life as Spider-Man always kept him rushing to get his grades turned in on time. Of course, his frustration with recent events was still bothering him. He hadn't seen or heard from the Hobgoblin since his failed attack on the Avengers Tower. The Other, had also disappeared again, and Peter was still concerned about dealing with both of them and trying to make sure that he was there to support Mary Jane as she continued to get used to her new powers.
He paused in his work to look down a single ticket that lay next to his computer. It was a ticket the play Mary Jane was in, and they were having their first performance tonight. He was actually looking forward to seeing the play. His day so far had been rather decent. His students worked hard, and he associated as little as possible with the office staff. He hadn't seem much of Flash, as the new gym teacher was really getting into the role. A night at the theater with Aunt May to watch his wife perform would be the best thing to relax his mind from all his troubles.
All the students finished before the bell rang and were already lining up at the door as it rang.
"Don't forget to read Chapter Twelve for Thursday!" Peter said as the class hustled out.
Peter quietly ended his day as the students rushed out to head home and do their homework. He heard Flash was already starting practices for the basketball team, so he wasn't having to worry about Flash and his amnesia, which was still on his mind. It was three thirty, the play didn't start until six, and he and Aunt May needed to be there no later then five thirty. Peter then began walking briskly towards the Avengers Tower. He had just barely enough time to get back and perhaps shower, if he hurried.
Avengers Tower
"I gotta get going Aunt May," Mary Jane called out as she dashed for the elevator, "I'll see you and Peter at the theater!"
"Break a leg dear," Aunt May called after, "and remember it's an expression!"
Mary Jane nodded as the doors shut and her elevator then began its descent to ground level. Aunt May then turned to Jarvis, who was busy dusting off a nearby statue.
"Are you sure you can't come?" Aunt May asked the Avengers's butler.
Jarvis looked to the elderly woman and saw that she was inviting him to come along.
"A trip to the theater would be lovely, Mrs. Parker," Jarvis answered, "But I have family visiting this evening, and I can not go tonight. Perhaps some other time. I understand Mrs. Watson-Parker's play is performing on multiple nights."
Aunt May nodded, "Yes the play will be performed for the next week. I could buy a pair of tickets for a later performance if you wish."
"That would be lovely," Jarvis answered.
Peter arrived ten minutes after Mary Jane left and rushed for the bathroom that adjoined the room that he and Mary Jane shared. He showered as fast as he could, scrubbing with soap and rinsing with water. It was five in the evening when he arrived at the Avengers Tower elevators, and found Aunt May waiting.
"Sorry I'm late, Aunt May," Peter said as he pressed the 'down' button.
Aunt May checked her watch and then said, "You're right on time, dear, but we will need to hurry."
Peter nodded as he entered the elevator, holding an arm in front of the door sensor so Aunt May could get into the elevator. Once they got to the street level, Peter quickly hailed a cab and gave the cabbie directions while Aunt May got into the cab. It would be close, considering how thick traffic was, but it would be the quickest way to get to the theater in time. As they went, however, neither Peter nor Aunt May notice a small grey spider clinging to the hubcap.
Off Broadway Theater
Mary Jane carefully put on the make-up she was required to wear for the play, humming softly as she did so.
"You seem rather excited," an actor who was just passing by commented from the door.
Mary Jane smiled, "Yes, I really like this play, and I've had a good day today. My husband's schedule has tonight open, so he will be here tonight."
"And I thought it was because you'd be near me," the actor joked.
"Only on stage," Mary Jane answered.
It was exactly five thirty as Peter and Aunt May approached the ticket office. Peter handed his ticket and Aunt May's to the teller. The teller looked at each ticket and the pulled up a map of the interior.
"Okay, Mr. Parker, this is your seat," the teller explained as he pointed to a seat in the middle section, and squarely in the middle of the room.
The teller then pointed to a marked seat close to the stage on the room's left side.
"And this is your seat, Mrs. Parker," the teller explained, "Please hand your tickets to the usher."
"Wait?" Peter asked, "Our seats should be together. I know I bought tickets for seats that were next to each other."
"I'm sorry, sir, but those are the seats that the tickets you have are for," the teller said, "It is possible that you could have made a mistake while ordering the tickets."
Peter looked as if he was about to blow a gasket when Aunt May put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be fine dear," Aunt May spoke, "Let's not make a scene."
Peter sighed and handed Aunt May her ticket. The two then made their way toward the doors.
Church Attic
The Other sat quietly as a small grey spider climbed in through a crack in a window that was opposite the one that the Other used as its entrance and exit. The Other lifted its head and looked at the spider as it came closer.
"A theater?" the Other asked the spider, but didn't listen for an answer, "Again you hide amongst many. Unfortunately now, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, you have done this for too long. You will die tonight."
The Other then rushed towards its exit and began leaping toward the theater that the smaller spider had told it where the Other's target was.
Off Broadway Theater
The play was actually a very good one, and got Peter's mind off of the fact that he had somehow made a mistake while purchasing the tickets. He waved politely to Mary Jane when she came on stage. She didn't break out of character, but Peter knew she saw him. The play had just come to a scene where Mary Jane was talking with a male actor when a familiar buzzing went off inside his head.
On stage, Mary Jane was enjoying the performance. She wondered why Peter was in one section and Aunt May was in another, but that was something she could figure out later. Her focus was on the play itself.
"The real problem," Jeremy, one of her costars, spoke, "Is that we can not find the gold with Harvey's knowledge."
"And Harvey…" Mary Jane answered just as her own spider sense went off.
Her line was cut off as the Other suddenly charged through ceiling down on Peter in the audience. Screams were heard throughout the theater.
"What the hell is that?" Jeremy asked.
"I don't know," Mary Jane answered as her spider-sense went off again as several views began to rush the stage to escape the creature.
Mary Jane moved quickly, lifted up Jeremy and got him into a corner as the panicked viewers ran towards the stage's back entrance.
"Wow," Jeremy gasped, "have you been working out?"
"Yeah," Mary Jane answered not paying attention as she peaked out around the curtain.
The Other landed directly on Peter, who couldn't do anything because it would reveal himself as Spider-Man. The creature's impact broke the chair that Peter was sitting in, and people quickly began to scream and run away.
"Now you die," the Other growled at Peter and raised its claws to strike at him.
"I think not," Peter said back and pushed with his legs, knocking the creature off of him.
The Other flew off of him and landed in a few seats that had already been vacated. Peter looked around to see the entire audience fleeing the area. Some running back towards the exits. Others were rushing the stage, joining frightened actors and stage workers.
"What have I done to you?" Peter yelled at the Other.
The Other lunged forward and punched Peter in the face before he could dodge the attack.
"Simple," the Other growled, "You have refused to evolve. The Great Weaver made a foolish mistake in bringing you back. I intend to rectify that mistake!"
Mary Jane gasped after she heard the Other's comment. That creature intended to kill him, and there were still a few people in the theater, so he couldn't change into costume, if he even brought it with him. She had to do something. She couldn't let that monster kill her husband.
"Mary Jane," she heard a voice speak to her.
She new Jeremy had panicked and left earlier, and from the sound of the voice, she knew was Aunt May.
"Aunt May, you need to get to safety," Mary Jane spoke.
"And what about you?" Aunt May asked.
"I can't let that creature kill Peter," Mary Jane said, "He can't get into costume with the few people still struggling to get out."
"He didn't bring it with him," Aunt May spoke, "Tonight was to be a night off from being Spider-Man."
May Jane immediately began to step forward, but was stopped when Aunt May grabbed her arm.
"You'll need a costume if you're going to go after it, yourself," Aunt May spoke.
Mary Jane turned to look at Aunt May with a surprised look on her face.
"And I have a costume for you," Aunt May said weakly.
Mary Jane sighed. She knew she didn't want to wear spandex, but given that Peter was in danger, it didn't look like she had much of a choice.
"Fine," Mary Jane spoke, "Let's get to a dressing room. This way."
Peter flew through the air before impacting a wall after the Other had thrown him. He quickly looked around to see that all the people in the audience had fled. He then raised his hands and shot out two webbing strands at the Other, wrapping the creature up.
"You've bothered me for the last time," Peter said firmly as he raised his fists.
The Other merely raised its arms, breaking the webbing strands and raised its claws at Peter once more.
"Yes," the Other snarled, "this will be the LAST time I 'bother' you. You will be dead before this is over."
The Other then lunged at Peter once more. Peter managed to catch the creature, and the two began to push against each other, like two football linemen, blocking against each other.
"You are still a worthy opponent," the Other said in a cold voice, "but it is time for you to die!"
A voice with a heavy New York/New Jersey accent then cut Peter off before he could answer.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Peter then watched as person in a red and blue spandex costume land on the back of the Other knocking the creature to the ground. While Peter didn't recognize the voice, the fact that there was a spider emblem on the costume and the fact that the woman had bright red hair, he knew exactly who it was under the mask.
"MJ?" Peter asked.
To Be Continued…