PROBLEMS MOUNTING
It was now a relatively calm evening in New York, and the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is swinging high above the city streets. As he shot one web-line after another, he appeared to make turns without even looking where he was shooting and swung by pure instinct through the city he knew so well. And the reason for this was because he appeared to be in deep thought over the past events. "Great," he thought himself agitated as he shot another line after another. "...not only do I, along with the rest of the Avengers have to deal with some Iron Man wannabe and his posse trying to take our jobs as Earth's Mightiest Heroes but now, thanks to J.J., 'Peter Parker' has to help glamourize them!" As Spidey swung past another skyscraper, he begins to think back to what happened after the battle with the Zodiac...
...More specifically, to when he arrived at the Daily Bugle, but back in his regular clothes as Peter Parker, the Bugle's freelance photographer and takes an elevator to the very top floor of the building. Upon arriving, he sees numerous reporters at their desks typing on their computers and appeared to be a typical peaceful day, but as soon as Peter stepped out of the elevator, he is beyond startled when he hears the loud noise that he should be used to hearing by now, but it's so loud and demanding, it almost makes him jump out of his shoes.
"PARKER!" yelled the loud, angry echoing voice of the Daily Bugle's Editor and Chief, J. Jonah Jameson, who is sitting in his office with the door wide open.
And thus, upon hearing his name Peter quickly jogged passed numerous working reporters over to Jonah's office. "And thus my day just went goes from bad to worse," he said under his breath, and finally arrived at Jonah's office and surprised to see that Jonah was not alone. For in the office with the grumpy editor were that of his fellow editor and confidant, Robbie Robertson and his former secretary turned reporter, Betty Brant. "Y-Yes, Mr. Jameson?" asked Peter in his usual nervous tone, knowing that he was the man in charge and for the sake of helping Aunt May pay the bills, did not want to say or do anything that would make him fire him.
Jonah himself looked at his watch before looking at Peter with his usual stern expression. "One second late. Normally, this'll result in me firing you and having you thrown out of my building. But lucky for you, kid, I need you for an assignment."
"Assignment?" asked a confused Peter.
At this point, Betty quickly steps in to answer the bewildered teen. "Yeah, it's about that Iron Patriot guy who helped the Avengers earlier this afternoon."
Hearing the mention of the name of the supposed hero catches his attention, and thus turns to Betty with an attentive but slightly more serious look. "Really?" asked Peter, who then notices everyone looking at him with a somewhat surprised expression about his sudden interest in the subject. Realizing that he might be appearing 'too interested' in the story, at least as a teenager, thus forcing him to change his demeanor back into a shy one. "I-I mean, really? Because yeah, I think I know the guy you're talking about. That guy dressed like Iron Man, but colored in red, white and blue? Because I remember seeing a guy like that while I was pushing my way through the crowd on my way over here."
It was here that Jonah's eyes grow wide with anger upon hearing what Peter just said." What?! And you didn't even bother to take pictures while you were there?! Oh, Parker, you are so...!"
By pure instinct, as with always dealing with Jonah's temper, Robbie stepped in with his hands up to cut Jonah off mid-sentence and, as usual, try to talk some sense into him. "Whoa, whoa, Jonah, take it easy!"
As Peter watched Robbie try to calm their cantankerous boss, he stood there angry at himself for getting so caught up in fighting alongside the Avengers, he did forget to take pictures of the event.
Finally, once he calmed Jonah down, Robbie turned his attention back to Peter. "But yeah, Peter, that guy. And if you were there, then you must know that he said that he was going to hold a press conference at the U.N. to unveil his team."
As if on point, Betty walked over closer to the young wide-eyed Peter that she always saw had great talent with the camera, as well as seeing him as a friend. "And since I'm going to be there, I could use a good photographer to help me get pictures for the story. That being you."
"Oh, uh yeah, sure! Count me in!" Peter replied excitingly, trying his hardest not to sound like an excitable teenager and tried to be professional for the sake of keeping his job so he could continue to help his Aunt May pay the bills.
Jonah only gives Peter a narrow brow. "And for your sake, they better not suck, kid! Because if they do, I'll kick you out of this place so fast, it'll make your head spin! Get Me?"
"Y-Yes, sir!" Peter nervously replied but knew that deep down, he was just trying to motivate him to try harder...despite being a tad abusive towards him.
After giving his warning to Peter, a confident Jonah sits back and puts his hands up as if to present something. "Now then, banner headline. Thunderbolts: Solution to the hero problem."
Hearing Jonah speaking his planned name for the story, Peter, Betty, and Robbie couldn't help but collectively give him a confused look and ask him this in unison. "Hero problem?"
"You heard me!" Jonah responded. "The perfect solution to those super-powered menaces like the Avengers, as well as numero-ono on my menace list, Spider-Man!"
At this point, Betty soon stepped up to question this notion. "Uh, Jonah, eyewitnesses, as well as the news cameras, saw that the Iron Patriot and his accomplice had their faces covered. So, wouldn't that put them..."
"Hey, don't get me wrong, Brant!" Jonah responded irritably. "I trust these Thunderbolts as much as any other masked weirdos who try to take the law into their own hands!" In the midst of his ranting, Jonah momentarily catches a glimpse of a picture of him smiling with his son, Colonel John Jameson, who at this time was wearing a N.A.S.A. jumpsuit and standing in front of a space shuttle. That day at seeing his son on his first space mission was the wonderful, proud day that Jonah had of his son. Before the infamous 'Colonel Jupiter' landed John in a padded cell in Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, one of many things in which Jonah blamed Spider-man for. As Robbie, Betty, and Peter see Jonah look at the picture of his son they all look upon him in pity. But it is Peter who feels the most remorseful, for he shares in Jonah's notion that 'Spider-Man' was the reason for his boss's pain since it he who battled and apprehended him. Finally, Jonah lets out a cocky scoff to show his staff that he was still the tough boss they all know him to be and tried to hide his pain. "Besides, I just think the title will really get under Stark's skin, that snot-nosed arrogant snob."
Upon hearing Jonah's rip on Tony, Peter lets out a somewhat disappointed sigh but still felt sorry for him as he still felt partially responsible for his son being in Ravencroft.
Afterward, Jonah turns his attention back to Peter and the others. "Well anyway, this could be the story of the century, and I want the Bugle's name written all over it! So tomorrow, you get down to that conference, get the story, the pictures, and have it on my front page! Get me? Good! Now get going! NOW!"
...Back in the present, the fully suited Spidey finds a stopping point on a nearby rooftop and lands safely and crouching on the ledge, still thinking about the predicament he's in. "So, just to recap," he thought. "Here I am, Spider-Man, reserve member of the Avengers, having to help discredit my team as Peter Parker by snapping pictures at a press conference to another team of costumed weirdos, one that's trying to take away the Avengers role of the city's protectors! Can this possibly get any..." Suddenly the Web-Head stops himself in mid-thought as if he tried to stop himself. "Nope! No, I know how this works! I say 'can't get any worse' and then chaos happens! But you know what, maybe it's something police can handle, and that'll leave to just sit back, relax, and take a moment to look at the glorious view of the Big Apple." At one moment, Peter pulls out his cellphone from his sew-in pants pocket and goes to speed dial his house. "In fact, maybe I'll let Aunt May know that I'm on my way home after a long..." Suddenly, before he could press a button, the Web-Head feels his spider-sense tingle, prompting him to lean back and narrowly dodge a laser blast. As he pops up, Spidey stands up and look straight ahead to see where it came from. And what he saw caused the Web-Slinger to look in irritation. "You cannot be serious!" thought the annoyed Spidey as he finds out that he landed right across the street from the Wakandan embassy, and on the rooftop, the fully suited king of Wakanda himself, the Black Panther, finds himself fighting for his life against three men. One wearing green and orange armor and appears to be covered with constant moving rings, the other wearing a bright red suit with a purple faceplate and with a small, disk-like emitter on his right hand. Upon seeing the Wakandan King, as well as his fellow Avenger, being attacked and knowing that he must act to save him, the annoyed Spidey let out a grunt as he shot a web-line and zipped toward the Wakandan embassy to aid the Black Panther. "Okay, conscience, you win again!"