SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 30)
8:45 am Daily Bugle building, outside…
Today, Peter arrived late for work and blamed the cold weather that was sweeping New York. It had arguably been the coldest day he experienced since he finished high school.
"Jameson is going to chew me out." Peter said as he wrapped his gloves around himself to keep warm.
After crossing the traffic, Peter was surprised to see a majority of the Bugle staff standing outside. Both Betty and Robbie were present however John himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, what's going on?" Peter asked approaching Betty from behind.
"Oh, hi Peter. We're all gathered here today because the cops and the media have entered the premise." Betty said upon hearing Peter's voice.
"Uh…What's going on?" Peter asked again.
"Sorry… It's just that…The Bugle is in a lot of trouble regarding a scandal." Betty responded, "Peter…I'm sure you're sorry to hear this… But, Frederick Foswell… One of our reporters was found dead yesterday."
At that instance, Peter's skin colour turned pale at the reminder of Frederick's death.
"Right, makes sense. An investigation is happening." Peter said.
"I hope Mr. Jameson is taking things well. This whole thing could affect the Bugle as a whole." Betty said in a concerned tone.
After a few minutes of standing, a group of police and some television news people walked out of the building. John followed fuming with his moustache twitching.
"Alright, everyone… Get inside quick!" John commanded while complaining about the cold.
The staff all obeyed the order while John managed to stop Peter as they entered the reception lobby.
"You're late, Parker." John grumbled.
"Yeah, I've-..." Peter tried to say before John stopped him.
"Cold weather? I can absolutely understand. I've just had the worst interrogation early this morning and I'm in both the mood of being angry and sad." John said.
"Mr. Jameson, I heard the news. I'm sorry to hear." Peter said in return.
John nodded silently in response and gave out a loud sigh afterwards.
"Parker… I gotta make some changes. First off… You're no longer obligated to work for me." John said.
"Wait, what?" Peter questioned.
"Yeah, you're fired. It's a shame… The Bugle is taking major hits financially and I'm afraid this is getting worse with the 'scandal' on our end." John said, "And I… Truly believe you were an excellent photographer. But pictures aren't in my interest anymore."
"Mr. Jameson…" Peter said in a defeated tone.
"Look, I bank on your photos of Spider-Man every day to make headlines. I know I'm making a stupid decision in doing this but we're on a tip of the iceberg with Foswell. I'm considering a future on how we can continue our 'just' reporting." John explained further.
"Well, you do bank on pictures to make the Bugle stand out. That's what makes the paper so great." Peter said.
"I'm glad you caught up on that. But you do realise what the term 'recession' means, right?" John asked.
Peter did not follow with a single word as he listened.
"Look, I hate firing people. And I understand there's trouble stirring up inside you, boy. But I am preparing for war. For legal action. And I have to manage my resources. Which is why the lowest paid need to go first."
Peter felt the weight of defeat hit him as John admitted his job termination. It was hard to believe the reasons he was fired, but Peter knew John was a good man at heart who was fighting his own demons.
"I'll leave then." Peter said.
"I'm sorry, Parker. You don't want to be dragged in the turmoil I'm facing." John apologised as he watched Peter walk off.
On the far end side of the reception, Betty watched as Peter left the building. John then walked towards her and before giving his word.
"Ms. Brant…Be ready for the next couple of days." John said.
9:15 am Secret meeting room…
Wilson and the three corrupt federal agent enforcers gathered for another meeting. This time they were seated for the aftermath of Frederick Foswell's death.
"Word is that the press has finished with the Bugle and so are the cops." Dan said with his arms crossed.
"I think we're in deep shit." Jack complained as he thought about the death of Frederick.
"Don't have any fears. I've thought of the next move." Wilson assured sitting comfortably in his chair.
"I think the kid Fred accompanied is a real danger." Ronald weighed in referring to Ned.
"Gentlemen…I'd like to thank you for sharing your concerns about today." Wilson said.
Wilson then threw the gun he used to kill Frederick onto the table.
"I have blood on my hands. But thanks to your support…I know this will be taken care of." Wilson said pointing at the weapon.
"No problem, do you still need the gun?" Dan asked.
"No." Wilson ordered, "Next step, I want a thorough clean-up of anything Foswell left behind. That includes Mr. Ned Leeds."
"Is that necessary?" Ronald wondered questioning the morality of the plan.
"We've tumbled with some bad weeds in the past. It ain't surprising." Jack assured.
"Are we going to ignore Spider-Man? He's still kicking." Dan wondered.
"Our first clean-up of Foswell will bring him forward." Wilson explained briefly.
"And what about Fred's legacy at the Bugle?" Dan asked.
"My lawyers will take care of it." Wilson replied.
5:30 pm Upper Manhattan…
It had been a long day for Peter after being fired by Bugle. Peter spent the rest of the day alone as he used this opportunity to take a trip around Manhattan. Whenever possible, he would steer clear from public eye and climb up buildings to enjoy the city view.
"I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself. But New York has gone crazy." Peter said to himself as he took a bite out of a burger from some fast food joint he ordered.
Sitting in view of the entire cityscape, Peter reflected on everything that had happened both when he was and was not Spider-Man.
"Seriously, aren't there supposed to be other 'superheroes' living in New York? Where the heck are they?" Peter questioned, "I mean sure there's a Spider-Gwen."
As Peter began to check on his phone, his Spider-sense began to tingle at the sound of emergency sirens.
"Still glad about getting the tingle back." Peter commented as he prepared himself for the incoming danger.
Looking around, Peter noticed an increasing amount of black smoke rising in the air from the distance.
"A fire? Guess I'll go check it out." Peter said leaving his food behind.
5:45 pm Flowerbed Apartments, Upper Manhattan…
Fire trucks were stationed around the apartment block in flames. The firefighters worked hard to evacuate as many of the residents as much as possible.
"It's getting hotter. How many people are still in there?" One fireman shouted as he pointed the hose at the area of ignition.
Spider-Man arrived on scene witnessing the fire crew do their work while seeing residents fleeing the flaming complex. Using his Spider-sense, Spider-Man heard the cries of people who were still stuck in building.
"At least four people I think." Spider-Man noted before springing to action.
Jumping into a window, Spider-Man picked up the first people who needed help. An elderly couple who were struggling to get up amidst the rising flames.
"Hey, I gotcha." Spider-Man said attempting to help both people up.
As Spider-Man reached back to the window, he shouted for the attention of the firefighters on ground.
"Hey, guys! Take care of these two!" Spider-Man yelled using his spider-web to lower the two elders down.
The firefighters scrambled to action as Spider-Man carefully lowered the two down while the flames continued to burn. Sweating beneath the homemade costume, Peter felt as if he was losing breath.
"Two more." Spider-Man murmured before jumping out of the building for fresh air.
The next person was a teenage girl screaming in desperation as the floors around her broke apart from the flames. Climbing up further, Spider-Man broke the next window to help her.
"Hello, it's your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man." Spider-Man called alerting the girl's attention.
Jumping over, Spider-Man landed where the girl was before swinging her out of the apartment as the floor, she stood on fell apart.
"Okay, take a deep breather now." Spider-Man said as he lowered the girl quickly to the ground.
The last person trapped required Spider-Man to climb higher and search more thoroughly. Following the sounds for help behind an apartment door, Spider-Man knocked it down with his strength and continued to follow the sound.
The sound was heard behind a cupboard which had a padlock in place. This alarmed Spider-Man to a degree.
"Who the hell?" Spider-Man questioned before using his strength to pull apart the padlock.
Inside, Spider-Man was shocked to find a little girl dressed in yellow trapped. Her hair was a little orange and her eyes were green. Both traits reminded Spider-Man of Frederick Foswell. The little girl reacted with fear at the sight of Spider-Man.
"It's okay, I'm here to save you. This place is-." Spider-Man pleaded while opening his arms out.
The little girl remained scared, if not distrustful which caused Spider-Man to panic.
"Come on, please!" Spider-Man begged before thinking his mask was scary.
The situation then prompted Spider-Man to peel back his mask and show his friendly face as Peter Parker.
"Better now?" Peter asked.
Slowly, the little girl reached out with Peter quickly grabbing her as everything surrounding them burnt down. The smoke was also getting unbearable with Pete barely getting a breath of fresh air. With no choice, Peter jumped out from the window carrying the little girl in his embrace.
Jumping from ten storeys high, Peter made the choice to use his back to soften the blow of protecting the girl while getting hurt in the process. With a loud thud, Peter landed on top of a car destroying it while still holding on and blacked out.
6:00 pm…
Peter slowly opened his eyes to the evening sky and realised his face was exposed in public prompting him to put the mask back on in hopes no one will recognise him. There were multiple police vehicles approaching as they arrived at the scene.
"Stay where you are!" An officer shouted.
Getting up, Spider-Man looked around as the authorities surrounded him while he held onto the unconscious girl.
"Hey…" Spider-Man responded as he picked up himself up.
"Are you hurt, sir?" An officer asked.
Spider-Man stood up feeling wobbly and carried the girl with him.
"I will be fine. Maybe look after her." Spider-Man said stretching his back after putting the girl down.
"You just fell ten storeys!" The officer cried.
"Yeah? I'm Spider-Man, I can swing through the air and flip the bird against gravity." Spider-Man responded.
Without another answer, Spider-Man quickly shot a web and left the scene. Finding a building rooftop to rest by, Spider-Man took the time to catch his breath.
"Never fell ten storeys. I could've been dead already… At least it wasn't as bad as Tombstone." Peter said peeling back his mask and breathing in the air.
7:30 pm Somewhere around Queens…
Late at night, a lone homeless man sat near a local park drinking a bottle of locally brewed New York beer. This was a problem Wilson Fisk had been set on dealing as part of his campaign to take control over Queens.
"Somehow fresh in this kind of weather." The man cackled as he continued to drink while his knees were kept warm by his blanket.
He then stopped drinking by the time he heard a rustle in the bushes.
"Huh? Is there a rat or a squirrel here?" He drunkenly began to ask.
It was getting pretty late and most people at this day would be staying indoors to keep warm.
"Maybe it's a dog or cat?" The man asked again.
After questioning again, the man soon got spooked by the sight of a green grotesque face with hair features; cat-like eyes and long pointy ears. Before screaming, his mouth was gagged by a piece of cloth drenched in some sleep-inducive chemical.
Somewhere in the sewers…
In his monstrous form, Miller dragged the petrified homeless man to his new hideaway home. The place he chose had been refurbished a little with the stuff he stole at the Raft.
"Mr. Rodríguez, I've either brought back dinner or our next experiment." Miller commented as he threw the man in front of him.
"We'll get back to the surface soon enough." Miller said, "We'll get back at everyone who have ruined our lives."
7:30 am Parker residence…
Peter had trouble sleeping prompting him to wake up early as he walked down stairs to meet Aunt May.
"You know you can afford to sleep in, Peter." May said as she cooked up some poached eggs.
"Sorry, I couldn't sleep." Peter sighed as he sat down.
"I know it's not your fault, Peter. But things at work just happen." May said referring to Peter's recent firing and the incident related to the Bugle.
"May, I know this will be tough on you. I-." Peter tried to say.
"Nonsense, Peter. If anything, it will make me stronger. I'll be glad to lend you a bit of pocket money again. Besides, I think this is an opportunity to improve your mental health." May said as she turned off the stove.
"Thank you, Aunt May." Peter said as he watched her put the eggs down in front of him.
"You might want to catch up with Gwen again, if you are interested." May suggested.
"Yeah…" Peter said in a monotonous voice, "Maybe, I'll turn on the television while we're at it."
Pressing the power button on the remote control for the television nearby, Peter was greeted by the morning news report.
"Today's report continues the investigation for the death of acclaimed Daily Bugle reporter, Frederick Foswell." The news anchor reported.
Peter's eyes lit up a little and began to listen in on the report. The television flashed images of Frederick before cutting to live footage.
"Last night, police have arrived at the suspect's residence in Forest Hills, Queens and arrested prime suspect, Ned Leeds." The news anchor continued.
"Ned?!" Peter said in surprise.
TO BE CONTINUED…