The Extraordinary Spider-Man - Vol 1

Chapter 18: Unappreciated

The Enforcers walked into the dining room, where Tombstone was eating chicken stir fry with noodles.

"Looks like it was productive," Tombstone observed.

"You weren't kidding when you said he was a joke," Ox remarked. "Little man barely stood a chance."

"Little being the keyword. Based on the way that lil punk was talking, he was a kid for sure," Montana said.

"Yeah, well, he gave you the hardest time of all of us," Ox pointed out.

"Regardless, he barely has a sense of fighting. All he does is throw around punches and kicks hoping to even get a hit in. He's not properly trained at all, and he relies a bit too much on his webbing. He's a superhuman for sure, because his strength and durability were admittedly impressive," Fancy Dan explained.

"I believe you guys. After all, I saw the whole thing through the tiny cameras in your suits. Though I'm not gonna deny having some ounce of respect for him. You can tell the kid's trying hard," Tombstone admitted. "Still, he's an annoyance. And Mac is the one that'll have his head."

"For the record, I didn't do that badly against him," Montana excused.

"Not at all, but it goes to show that a whip and a gun are still something he can contend with," Tombstone replied. "Not that I don't have respect for your capabilities."

"So, what's the next course of action with Spider-Man?" Fancy Dan asked.

"We'll figure that out soon. Whether that involves you guys or not is to be determined," Tombstone answered.

Ox shrugged. "Got to admit. I kinda had fun tangling with him."

"You would," Montana remarked.

"The bottom line is that we're dealing with an inexperienced and immature little vigilante here. He should be even easier than I anticipated, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate him," Tombstone declared.

The next night, crawling into his bedroom window, Peter quickly threw off his mask and collapsed on his bed. He checked the time on his phone, which was 8:17. He laid in bed, receiving a call from Gwen a few minutes later. He picked up.

"Gwen?" Peter muttered.

"Peter! My dad just got home and told us about what happened yesterday! Are you okay?!" Gwen exclaimed.

"What, yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I got my ass handed to me, but I'm fine."

"Jesus, who were they?"

"Don't know. One was a big guy, another was some cowboy, and the other dude was some martial artist."

"My God, talk about crazy."

"Yeah, it was one shitty night if you ask me. I get attacked, and then your dad comes down on me so hard, forcing me to get out of there. Yeah, it sucks," Peter ranted.

"Look, Pete. You know how I feel about my dad. But, the truth is-"

"What? The truth is that he just doesn't like vigilantes for whatever reason? Seriously, I'm out there doing my best and he doesn't even appreciate that!"

"Peter, I know how you feel. He's a really tough guy, and I'm doing my best to change his mind. Unfortunately, there's nothing else I can do for now," Gwen sighed.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for the help," Peter sarcastically thanked.

"Excuse me? Peter-"

"You know, I trusted you. Seems like nothing's come out of that."

"Peter, we literally talked it through and everything. I even offered you help!"

"Wanna know the worst part? I literally took down my uncle's killer, who's also a notorious serial killer, and I'm still the fucking villain."

Peter hung up the phone, walking over to his mirror and taking his costume off. The bruises on his face and torso were pretty bad, prompting him to cringe.

"Thank God May's not home yet," Peter sighed as he walked off to find the concealer.

"So, we're all still thinking about going with New Orleans as the theme," Valeria told Harry at a table in the school library.

Harry jokingly put on a confused face. "I wonder whose genius idea that was?"

Valeria laughed as she hit Harry's shoulder. "I get it, you came up with it. It was an amazing idea though, and most of the board is down for it."

"You think we'll end up going with it?" Harry asked.

"Most likely, honestly."

"Great! Any update on the games?"

"I know for a fact that we're gonna have Mario Kart there, and the silent disco is a no brainer," Valeria said. "But we're also working on finding more chaperones for the dance. Unfortunately, not as many teachers are as willing as I'd hoped."

"I'd ask my parents, but knowing my dad well, he's gonna be busy. And my mom's not into that type of stuff," Harry sighed.

"Yeah, I know what that's like," Valeria related.

"What do your parents do?"

"My mom works as a florist, and my dad's an electronics engineer. You?"

"Well, my dad's the CEO of Oscorp, and my mom's a real estate agent."

"Oh, that was dumb of me to ask," Valeria chuckled. "Son of Norman Osborn, after all."

"No, not dumb at all! But yeah, it can be difficult. Especially when he's so caught up in his work, he doesn't have much time for me or mom."

"Dude, I feel you. My dad's been working on this huge flying project, and he's been really excited about it. I don't blame him, but at a certain point, it's like he doesn't really care about making time for family."

"Damn. Guess we can both relate. It's been tough dealing with it, but planning this dance with you and everyone else has honestly been pretty great. It's especially been distracting me," Harry said with a smile.

"Same. You're really lucky to have Gwen and Peter, though. They seem great."

"They are. Though I'll admit, and this has to stay between us, it gets really annoying how my dad talks about them."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever they get brought up in any way, my dad will go on some tangent about how smart they are, especially Peter. I doubt he's remotely aware of how unappreciated I feel."

Valeria put her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Aww, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Thanks for letting me quickly vent."

"Anytime."

"Sooo, to quickly change the subject, your dad wants to fly? Like Falcon? Hell, like Iron Man?" Harry asked.

Valeria shrugged. "Something like that, I guess."

Gwen then approached the table with Charlie. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Gwen," Harry replied. "S'up, Charlie?"

"Not much. We just got out of chem club. That good old stuff," Charlie awkwardly answered.

"So, how's planning for the dance coming along?" Gwen asked.

"It's been better, thanks for asking!" Valeria responded.

"Is Peter gonna show up?" Harry asked.

"Not sure," Gwen blandly said. "Maybe not."

Meanwhile, Peter was standing near the entrance, watching them. He specifically glared at Charlie, and walked out of the library. He walked over to the locker room, and went inside. After changing into his gym clothes, he walked into the school weight room, getting on a bench press set and lifting up a massive barbell.

"Stupid Charlie. Fucking nine curfew. Captain Stacy," Peter grumbled to himself as he did his set.

"Yo, Pete! Looking great, man!" Rand complimented as he walked by, holding a dumbbell.

"Thanks, Rand!" Peter quickly replied as he continued doing his set.

The ringing of the security alarm alerted the four thieves that they should move faster. The thieves threw their bags over their shoulders and ran out of the jewelry store.

"Man, best score in two months," one of the thieves commented.

"Shut up!" another thief responded.

At that moment, a web yanked one of the thieves back into the store.

"What the-" one of the thieves started before Peter swung out of the store and kicked him in the chest, knocking him down.

"Shit!" another thief yelled as he pulled out a gun.

Peter shot a web at the gun and yanked it against the thief's chin. The fourth thief ran at Peter with a charging fist, only for the latter to grab his arm and punch across the face. Peter then threw him against the ground, webbing him down. The remaining thief charged at Peter with a knife, only for Peter to jump over him. Peter shot a web at the thief's back and yanked him over, punching him in the face. The thug fell to the ground, only to get picked up by Peter and punched in the stomach twice. The thug desperately threw a punch, only for Peter to dodge and kick him across the face.

"Let's wrap this up quickly, okay?" Peter asked, webbing the thug's hand to the wall of the store.

"Screw you!" the thug responded.

Peter webbed the other thug's hand to the wall.

"Hey! Come on, let me go!"

Peter proceeded to shoot more webs at the thug to his protest.

"Stop it! Help!"

Peter webbed the thug's mouth shut.

"It's 'cause of people like you that this city can be such a shithole sometimes. I do my best, and nobody seems to care. Hell, I'm the only one out there who actually gives a shit! A part of me just wants to be done with it all. Done with everything being my fault," Peter vented.

Sirens were then heard, and Peter turned around to see a cruiser heading over. Two cops came out and aimed their guns.

"Freeze!" one of the cops yelled.

"Get down on the ground now!" the other cop demanded.

Scoffing, Peter mockingly held up his hands. "You serious? This is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Freeze!" the cop repeated!

Peter quickly shot webs at the guns, yanking them over. Throwing them to the side, Peter walked up to the cops.

"I just did 90% of your job for you, and I've been taking down all those superpowered freaks in the past few months! And that's how you repay me? Tell Captain Stacy to wake up," Peter ranted.

"Don't you dare disrespect our captain," one of the cops angrily said.

More sirens were heard, and Peter turned to see two more cruisers coming. Peter quickly ran and swung off.

"So, what's next?" Justin asked Tombstone and Mac as they sat in Tombstone's office.

"If only we could just get to the part where I smash Spider-Man's skull. And slice Norman Osborn's throat," Mac said.

"As tempting as it is to cut to the chase, we still have to be patient. Right now, we know that Spider-Man's an inexperienced kid. In terms of Norman and Fisk's alliance, we know nothing new," Tombstone stated.

"Hammer, I'm gonna ask you one more time. My wife didn't suspect a thing when you guys talked?" Mac asked.

"Nope. As far as she and the public knows, you're nowhere to be seen," Justin confirmed. "But wait. How the hell does that work when you were bailed out?"

"I have a couple superior cops on my payroll. They took care of the identity of the bailer. Next time Mac goes out in that suit, he'll simply be an escaped and deranged creature on the loose," Tombstone explained. "Though I have to ask, Mac. Do you have any idea of what you want to happen after exacting your revenge on Norman and Spider-Man?"

"Somewhat. But that's not the point. I want to fuck with Spider-Man before killing him. Torment him to his worst and weakest points of vulnerability. And when he's on the curb suffering, bleeding out slowly… that's when I'll end it."

Justin's eyes widened a little. "Well, I think I may have an idea. Any of you ever heard of copelemia?"

"Beats me," Tombstone answered as Mac shook his head.

"Didn't think you did. It's one of the rarest and deadliest poisonous substances alive. Is it fatal, yes. To a superhuman like Spider-Man, no. It's clear he has some sort of healing factor, so it'll probably fight off a good amount of the toxin. But one of the side effects? Hallucinations. And I'm talking the worst kind."

"Interesting," Tombstone noted. "Psychologically dismembering him before going in for the kill. I like it."

"Thanks! I've got resources and connections, so it may take me a decent amount of time to concoct it, but I think this could really work."

"Sounds like a plan. When I get the chance, I'm injecting some of that in Osborn as well," Mac vowed.

"Remember, we have to give it time before you strike Norman," Tombstone said.

"Why? He and Fisk don't have any leverage on me, especially after that press conference I held. Hell, I had more than him until Mac killed Ordway," Justin argued.

"Watch it, Hammer," Mac threatened.

"Couldn't you find some way to hack into Norman's payment records of Ordway?" Tombstone questioned.

"I'm a scientist, not a hacker. But we could try to find someone to handle that. Until then, the copelemia's my number one priority."

That same night, Norman was in his office, talking to Fisk on the phone.

"So, is it safe of us to assume that the recent attackers of Spider-Man were hired by someone?" Norman asked.

"I know they were. They're known as the Enforcers, specifically some of the deadliest assassins in the underworld," Fisk explained.

"It's worth noting that they didn't even kill Spider-Man. According to NYPD Captain Stacy, They just beat him to a pulp and left him there until he arrived."

"Then they were most likely testing him. In preparation for an incoming assault."

"You're probably right. They likely have a pretty good idea of his capabilities now, so it's clear they're planning something. Most likely with Scorpion," Norman pointed out. "The question is, what? What can they do that won't risk screwing up any of their images?"

"Not sure yet. But we have to prepare for something big." Fisk said.

Norman sighed. "Did you even find out who bailed Mac out?"

"Not yet, my men are still working on it. Whoever covered it up did it well."

"Whether we find out or not, we have to create our own defenses. Once Scorpion and Spider-Man are out of the picture, we can strike Hammer."

"In that case, I'll contact Aleksei and ask for an update on that experiment. I know he'll be more than enthusiastic," Fisk confirmed.

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.

Newest chapter is out, and hope you guys enjoyed it! Damn, planning the rest of this volume out has been hard, but I hope in the end, the final product will be more than enough to satisfy you guys! I'm continuing to further develop the characters and their relationships, so I hope it's engrossing you guys!

I'm an Illinois resident, and we recently entered Phase Four, so thank God Illinois handled this coronavirus and quarantine situation well for the past few months. Let's hope it can stay that way, but let's also hope that every other part of the world will also get better. Just keep staying safe and washing your hands, and that'll further help life return back to normal.

As always, favs, follows, and reviews are always appreciated! Three weeks into my Spanish class, and only one left! Hell yeah!

Rollerparty - Thanks for the favorite! You always were persistent on a Batman reference lol! And thanks for the feedback on the Enforcers battle! Peter's schedule will definitely get more complicated for sure.

Guest - No spoilers on future heroes, so guess you'll have to keep reading…

Fate-Be Changed - Yes it did, indeed.

Marvel Nerd - Thank you! And lol shoutout to you for giving me the idea for the cameras.

Guest - That was actually a great idea for a joke! Don't be shocked if I end up using it in the near future!

Geek4Life - You'll see what happens with the two of them!

SpideyXBC - Thanks! I'm planning him out, so I think you're in for a treat…

Teller-Story - Lol I can't say I'll have that, but I hope you end up enjoying how I handle him!

-redbird12