The Extraordinary Spider-Man - Vol 1
Chapter 6: Capable
Likenesses used
Julianne Moore as Emily Osborn
Michael Barra as Cashier
China Anne McClain as Glory Grant
"Listen, Fisk, I already told you. Ordway took care of the experiment. Now that it's tampered with, the competition will be out of the way," Norman said on the phone. "Believe me when I say there's nothing to worry about."
"Norman! Dinner's ready!" Norman's wife called from the dining room.
"Coming! We'll talk about this later," Norman concluded before hanging up the phone.
Norman walked out of his office, directly going into the dining room, where Harry and his wife Emily were ready to eat.
"Emily, dinner looks beautiful as always. Harry, how's school going?" Norman asked.
"Good, actually. I've been doing better in algebra," Harry proudly responded.
"I assume that new friend of yours has been tutoring you?" Norman correctly assumed.
Harry looked down at his food. "Yeah."
"Harry's a smart boy, Norman. He probably put in a lot of the work himself as well," Emily defended.
Harry smiled. "Thanks, mom."
Norman nodded. "Fair point. Regardless, I would like to meet this new friend of yours. Peter, right?"
"Peter Parker."
"He sounds like a nice young man. Does he have a girlfriend or something?" Norman asked.
"Well, there's this one girl he really likes. Gwen. We've been getting to know her, and she's really cool," Harry replied.
"Interesting. Maybe you could invite them and their families over on Thanksgiving for dinner. The company would be nice," Norman suggested.
"That's a great idea. It'd give us a chance to get to know your new friends more," Emily agreed.
"Not a bad idea, honestly. Yeah, I'll totally bring it up," Harry decided.
"Aunt May, I'm home!" Peter called out as he entered the house.
Instead of a response, Peter only heard crying in the kitchen. Concerned but unsurprised, Peter walked into the kitchen, where Aunt May was crying at the table.
"Aunt May?"
Aunt May looked up, trying to wipe her tears away. "Oh, uh, hey, Peter."
"Are you okay?"
"Not really."
Aunt May continued crying, and Peter sat down next to her, putting his arms around her.
"It's okay, Aunt May," Peter assured.
"No, it really isn't," Aunt May sobbed. "I-I just miss Ben so much. I knew it was gonna b-be difficult, but this…"
"I know how you feel, Aunt May."
"It's just, it's never gonna be the same. It was always the three of us as a family. But now that he's actually gone… it's-it's all gonna change," Aunt May blubbered.
"May, I promise it's all going to be okay," Peter promised. "It's been rough for me too, but I've just been trying to get through it all."
"And that's the thing, Peter. I just can't!"
"Aunt May-"
Aunt May got up, trying to take a deep breath.
"I'll make you a coffee," Peter offered.
Aunt May nodded, prompting Peter to go over to the coffee machine.
"You know, a lot of people say that you don't know what you have until you lose it. But the truth is, I always knew I had Ben. Even through the worst of times," Aunt May reminisced. "Despite every fight we ever had, I always knew and told myself, 'this man loves me with all his heart.'"
"Must've been a wonderful feeling," Peter said.
"Still is. I don't know if I can ever stress this enough, but there was nobody else for me other than Ben. He truly understood me. He literally saved me when I needed it."
"He was always a great man."
Aunt May sat back down. "He always liked to think the best of everyone."
"I'll never forget how much he always talked about spreading compassion to others," Peter sighed. "I know for a fact I'm always gonna remember the last advice he gave me before he died."
"Peter, don't-"
"Why shouldn't I?"
The coffee was finished, and Peter gave the mug to Aunt May.
"I mean, he told me that with great power, there must also come great responsibility. It seemed like bullshit at first, but it's like I said at the funeral. I know what it means now," Peter declared.
"Peter, I know that's what he said, but I don't know," Aunt May admitted. "I'm not sure I can really ever…"
"Aunt May, don't."
I'm sorry. I'm just not sure I'll ever be able to properly honor him."
"What makes you think that?"
Aunt May started drinking the coffee. "I-I know you know what that whole responsibility thing means. But Ben always knew how to keep things running."
"May, stop right there!"
"Peter!"
"Aunt May!"
Peter sat down, tearing up.
"Aunt May, don't you dare for a second think that you're incapable. You're far from it. Do you remember how many times I ever needed advice? You were always there for me when I needed it. When I was lonely, you were there to be a friend to me. When I was in a bad mood, you were always there to comfort me. In the worst of times, you were always there, Aunt May. I know Uncle Ben's proud of you. You're more capable than you realize."
Aunt May continued crying as she hugged her nephew, who was starting to shed tears as well.
"Th-thank you, Peter! I love you so much."
"I love you too, Aunt May."
The next day, during lunch, Peter and Harry were eating at a booth in the school cafeteria.
"Thank God it's Mexican rice bowl week. These things are phenomenal," Harry said, scarfing down his bowl.
"Talk about Chipotle 2.0," Peter praised, eating his bowl.
"Like, it's got everything. The steak is perfectly cooked, the pico de gallo is amazing, and this guacamole, holy shit."
"Alright, Gordon Ramsay," Peter chuckled. "Also, always ask for extra sour cream. Always the right move."
"Yo, Parker."
Peter and Harry turned to see Flash and Liz walking over.
Peter rolled his eyes. "Great. What is it now?"
"What do you want, Flash?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"Look, I'm not here to start shit, okay? Pete, I didn't know about what happened with your uncle until after it all happened. Not saying it excuses what I did. But I want you to know I'm sorry. For real," Flash apologized.
Peter and Harry looked at each other for a little, not knowing what to say. A few seconds later, Peter looked at Flash.
"Thank you."
"I'm really sorry too, Peter. Just know your thoughts are with me," Liz promised.
Peter nodded. "Thanks a lot, Liz."
Flash and Liz walked away.
"Do you really think he meant it?" Peter asked.
"I'd say he did. Dude's still an asshole, but I think he really was sorry," Harry guessed. "How's everything been with you and your aunt?"
"Not gonna lie, yesterday was tough for her. But I did my best to help her out."
Harry looked down at the table. "That's all we can ever do."
A few seconds of silence passed by.
"Anyway… my parents and I were talking, and we thought it'd be cool if we invited you and Gwen, along with your families, over for Thanksgiving dinner. What do you say?" Harry offered.
"Seriously, man? Honestly, that'd be great! Thanks a lot!" Peter exclaimed.
"No problem, man. Gwen will most likely be cool with it too. It'll be a fun time."
Meanwhile, Flash and Liz were walking back towards their table.
"See? You did it. You didn't even need me to come with you," Liz praised.
Flash shook his head. "Yeah, I did. I couldn't face the dude alone."
"Flash…"
"I'm serious, Liz."
Flash and Liz sat back at their table, where Kong, Sally, Rand, and Glory Grant were.
"Where'd you guys go again?" Kong asked.
"Oh, we just went to go see if there were any more chicken tenders," Flash lied.
"Bro, why look for those when it's Mexican rice bowl week?" Rand commented.
"Yeah, like seriously," Glory agreed.
Flash sighed and looked down, and Liz turned around to look at Peter and Harry, with concern flowing through her eyes.
"Mac, I'm home!" Carmilla called, walking down to the basement.
A shirtless Mac was effortlessly lifting a massive barbell with one hand, and smiled when he saw his wife.
"Hey, babe! Look at this! Can you believe it?" Mac exclaimed.
"It's amazing!" Carmilla admitted. "It's like you said, Hammer really outdid himself!"
Mac dropped the barbell. "Understatement of the century. Do you know what this means for the military? Soldiers will be even more powerful. Imagine a damn army of those."
"It'd be… wow."
"I will say, things have been much easier for me since this all happened," Mac said. "It's like a huge weight's been lifted."
"That's all you ever do down here," Carmilla joked.
Mac chuckled. "True, but you know what I mean. I just feel like I can do whatever the hell I want."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"No, really. Carmilla, you don't know how free I feel."
"Look, it's great that you have these new powers, but-"
"But, it's amazing," Mac interrupted. "I don't see a reason to worry about it, and neither should you."
"Mac-"
"I'm gonna go upstairs and make dinner," Mac quickly stated, proceeding to walk upstairs.
"Okay, you barely ever make dinner," Carmilla pointed out, following her husband.
"I know. Just using it as an excuse to get away from you," Mac bluntly said.
"Excuse me?"
Once they got to the living room, Mac turned to Carmilla. "You need to stop worrying, babe. It's all gonna be much better."
"Mac, I feel like you're getting a bit too confident-"
"It's got nothing to do with confidence! You just need to stop nagging me and let me have my fun!" Mac responded, annoyed.
Carmilla's eyes started to grow more stern. "First off, stop interrupting me. Second, you're not invincible."
"Says you."
"Jesus, Mac!"
Mac rolled his eyes in disbelief. "I'm going upstairs."
"Don't you dare walk out on-"
"Just shut up! Shut the fuck up and let me enjoy this! Christ, I don't think you realize how capable I am of everything!"
Carmilla's jaw dropped. Mac was frozen for a few seconds before running over to the wall, jumping up to the stairs and leaping over them, running upstairs. Carmilla sat on the couch with her hands to her mouth, crying.
That night, Peter was walking home on the streets. He pulled out his phone, about to text Aunt May.
"Come on, let's go!"
"Hurry up! Let's get this done quick."
Peter looked up to see three men running over to the 7-Eleven across the street. Sighing, Peter pulled off his backpack and ran into a nearby alley. Inside the 7-Eleven, one of the thugs pulled a gun on the cashier, prompting him to throw his hands up.
"Hand over the money! Now!" the thug demanded.
The cashier started pulling out the cash, while one of the thugs walked over to find some Doritos.
"Seriously, dude?" one of the other thugs asked.
"I'm hungry, man," the thug responded.
The door was kicked open by Peter, who was wearing his wrestler costume. Peter stepped aside to dodge a bullet from the thug, and grabbed his arm, punching him across the face.
"Back off, assholes. Right now!" Peter demanded as the other two thugs ran at him.
Peter grabbed one of the thugs, slamming him against the wall. Peter punched him in the face, though the third thug pulled him off, throwing him against a shelf of snacks, causing them to fall everywhere. One of the thugs ran over and threw a punch, only for Peter to dodge and kick him down. The other two thugs ran at Peter with knives, though he jumped over them. Peter kicked one of them from behind, and threw him over one of the shelves. Peter's enhanced senses started warning him. He turned to see the final thug running at him with a knife. Peter turned his head to dodge, though the knife got stuck in Peter's hoodie.
"Get off me!" Peter yelled as he grabbed the thug, who was still holding on with the knife.
The thug yanked the knife off, ripping Peter's hoodie. The thug then kicked Peter in the chest, and from behind, another thug grabbed Peter's head and slammed him against the shelf, breaking the sunglasses on Peter's mask.
"Gah!" Peter groaned as he fell to the ground.
The two thugs started kicking Peter, though the teen managed to sweep one of the thug's legs, knocking him down. Peter jumped back up and punched the last thug in the gut, knocking him down. Groaning, Peter turned to the surprised cashier.
"Call 911," Peter instructed.
"Already did. They're on their way," the cashier said.
"My advice, kid? Get a new costume. No offense, but you look like a dork," one of the thugs advised.
"Shut up," the cashier demanded.
Peter turned to the injured thugs. "Do any of you know anything about that Queens carjacker from two weeks ago?"
Two of the thugs continued to groan in pain, while one of them muttered, "What?"
Peter groaned. Sighing, he looked at the scattered snacks on the ground, and grabbed a bag of Sour Cream and Onion LAYS and two OREO containers. He walked over to the cashier.
"Dude, you serious? On the house for taking those guys out!" the cashier exclaimed.
"Thanks a lot, man," Peter thanked.
The cashier smiled. "Thank you, dude."
Peter left the 7-Eleven with his snacks, frustrated but hungry.
In his room, Peter sat at his desk, scrolling through his laptop. On one tab was research about the potential killer. On another was his father's late research on the molecular adhesive. The third tab was blueprints for prototypes of mechanical web-shooters.
"You can't have a spider that can't shoot a web," Peter mused to himself.
On Peter's desk were some old watches and a few chemicals. Next to Peter's bed was a suitcase with B.P. imprinted on it. Peter walked over to the suitcase and opened it up, revealing Ben's red-and-blue spandex wrestling gear from high school. Pulling it up, Peter teared up a little.
"Peter! Time for dinner!" Aunt May called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, just a second!" Peter called back.
Peter looked back at the suit.
"A few modifications and we're in business. I won't let you down, Uncle Ben."
Disclaimer: Spider-Man and any other Marvel characters are created and owned by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. I do not have any ownership over them.
Sorry this one is a tad bit late. Had homework to deal with, and I've been zooming my friends a lot. Even with how much of a pain and horror this virus is, we can still keep in contact with others and do things virtually. Yet, I still want to go outside. Have to apologize again for the wait for this being a day or two longer than usual. Thanks to all those who've continued reading.
We're close to the origin story being finalized. I know this may seem like a slow burn, but the development of Peter Parker's transformation into Spider-Man was very important to me. I know I keep saying this, but I promise things'll get much more exciting and intense, particularly for Peter and Mac.
As always, favs, follows, and reviews always keep me going, and the support you guys have shown has been amazing. And as usual, the next chapter will be out around next week! See you guys soon!
Guest - Haha I appreciate how enthusiastic you are for changes in the lore! A bro shipping between Peter and Mac would certainly be something… though you'll have to keep reading to figure out what happens next with them! And as for Blane, I can't reveal any spoilers, but you'll see what'll happen to him!
-redbird12