SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 2)

6:40 am Parker Residence…

Peter's alarm clock rang as loud as it is causing Peter to toss around and wake up from his sleep. "Man, I think Herman nearly made my skull open. Head still feels a little wobbly." He thought to himself as he shut the alarm clock off.

Reaching for his phone, Peter received one message from Philip Chang with the message reading, 'This is huge!' accompanied by a news article link. "Wait, the Daily Bugle? What in the world?" Peter asked as he opened by the link.

SHOCK ALARM FIGHT SHAKES THE COMMUNITY OF QUEENS

By Christine Everheart

Locals yesterday reported at the neighbourhood of Corona, a brawl between two different costumed men erupted near a local Queens Community bank. One man had been identified as the local vigilante of Queens known as 'Spider-Man' while the other was a recently released small-time safe cracker, Herman Schultz.

The context to the fight was said to have been erupted with the latter attempting to perform a robbery at the bank with two other men. Schultz who many are now dubbing as 'The Shocker' was seen donning a yellow suit and digital gauntlets in an attempt to bypass many of the bank's security measures.

It was not too long later that Spider-Man himself showed up in an attempt to stop them resulting in reckless property damage. One woman complained, "I used to be indifferent to Spider-Man but witnessing the fight really raises some concerns for me. I am fearful of people like the man in the yellow suit but I'd much rather have the authorities deal with this."

This comment raises an interesting topic regarding vigilantism. For years, there have been debates to impose tougher sanctions against those who act outside of the law. The mayor of New York briefly commented on this matter, "We've heard many different stories of vigilantism. The intentions may be good but overall, I insist that anyone in pursuit of justice should simply enrol in the police academy. It's a system that won't get you into trouble."

Herman Schultz is now in local police custody alongside his accomplishes, Jerry Wrightway and Paul Ingram. Spider-Man however has escaped with the police putting him on the wanted list. More information will be reported in the future.

"Okay that was a biased article towards the end…" Peter thought to himself, "But wow, the Shocker? If Herman wants to wear that suit then maybe I should call him by that name." Peter then dressed up and brushed his teeth for school.

As he walked downstairs, Aunt May was sitting at the table with her coffee and newspaper. "Did you hear about today's news, Peter?" May asked. "I sure did, Aunt May. It was sure shocking…" Peter answered before realising his accidental pun, "Sorry, didn't mean to make a pun."

Aunt May managed to laugh a little before she could say a word, "Peter, before you go. I want to let you know about the F.E.A.S.T. advertisement that came in the mail today. They're really asking for volunteers like you."

"Oh that? I already have a lot that's going on. I…" but before Peter could finish, May cut in. "I think you're at that age, Peter. You really need to form your future." May insisted. "I'm not rejecting this, Aunt May. I have a lot that goes on." Peter said.

Aunt May sighed before she talked, "Ben would be proud if you can seize an opportunity like this. Even at his age, he always had time for everything." Peter paused for a few seconds before answering, "Yeah…. He did."

"I gotta go, Aunt May. Love you." Peter said again as he kissed her on the cheek and left.

8:15 am Midtown High School…

Peter walked through the hallway seeing many of the students gathered around their latest edition of 'Midtown Special'. "Hey Parker," Peter turned around to see the school's editor hand a copy to him to which Peter saw what was on the front cover.

"Oh my god… My fight with Herman, it spread like a wildfire." Peter thought to himself, "I better talk about this with Phil later." "Hey dude!" Ned shouted startling Peter behind his back. "Ned, you gave me a heart attack." Peter hissed.

"Sorry but check it out…" Ned said waving his copy of the paper in front of him. "Yeah, I know. It's Spider-Man…" Peter said. "No, it's a big deal. We just had a major city brawl between two super powered dudes. Who knows what happens next?" Ned said giddily.

Peter started to notice that people were staring at him and Ned. "Okay Ned, chill…" Peter said, "It's not like you were there." "Hold on… Are you implying you were there?" Ned wondered. "What? No…" Peter insisted, "Come on let's get to class." Peter then dragged Ned with him.

10:15 am, class break…

"I'm serious, Phil. I don't know if I want to continue this crusade now." Peter said as he walked back and forth. "Do you really think a couple of headlines is enough to make you quit?" Philip asked as he chewed on his carrot stick. "Hell no… It's just I'm not sure what I'm more worried about. The fact we could have caused the criminal underworld be on high alert or how close my identity can be exposed." Peter questioned.

"Please facing a dude who can shoot shock blasts or whatever is gonna garner pretty inevitable public attention. Besides, if you beat him, we basically made the criminal underworld fear us." Phillip confidently said, "Anyway, I just want to know… Does anyone else know about your secret?"

"Uh, not really. Just you Phil… I mean Ned is starting to snoop around a little. Aunt May might be close to knowing… But I know that they're good people." Peter replied. "Glad I'm the only one who knows. I'd like to keep that information safe." Phillip said smiling, "So are you really Spider-Man no more?"

Peter paused before he answered, "That'd be too far of a stretch. I mean I love the feeling of being him but I just need to be Peter Parker. Maybe we should let the authorities do their work or if we're lucky… We can have someone like Iron Man come down and help us."

"He's a public hero, dude. And he runs his own worldwide company. I don't think he's gonna care about our little neighbourhood." Phillip replied. "You think we can open our own multi-million company one day and that way Spider-Man will be legal?" Peter asked. "I'd like the idea; it'd make our work a lot easier." Phillip answered.

"Yeah… And I'd get it call it, 'Parker Industries'… Wait, no… Sounds very self- indulgent…" Peter said as he daydreamed. "Nah, I'd be fine. We have a 'Stark Industries' so I don't see too much of a problem other than competition." Phillip assured.

"Anyway, I think I'd like to say I'm gonna let Spider-Man go for now." Peter said, "I was thinking of going down to F.E.A.S.T. today and see what it's like there." "Uh yeah… Go for it," Phillip said, "I guess I can just go to computer club for the rest of the day."

3:15 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre, Queens

The F.E.A.S.T. building looked like a nice office building with at least two storeys. "Isn't this supposed to be our town hall?" Peter thought as he walked into the premise. To Peter's surprise, the place was pretty packed. There were tables, chairs and even beds spread out in the hall. It looked like a nice community of people who seem to have nowhere to go.

"Hey there, can I help you?" A girl with a volunteer badge asked. "Uh yeah… I just want to know about this place. I'm considering doing some volunteer work here." Peter answered. "Welcome to F.E.A.S.T. It stands for Food, Emergency, Aid, Shelter and Training. Mr. Li is actually here today, you can talk to him if you're interested in applying."

"Lead the way please." Peter said and then Peter followed the girl to the second floor where they came across an office door. The girl knocked before Martin Li, the man behind the organisation said, "Come in." "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Li. But we have someone who might be interested in this place." The girl said before leaving. Martin sat in front of a desk with a laptop in front him surrounding by books and awards that recognise the work of F.E.A.S.T.

"Ah, correct me if I'm wrong but you're from Midtown High right?" Martin asked in a polite manner looking up from his computer. "Yeah, you're absolutely right." Peter said with a smile which caused Martin to laugh a little. "That's nice to know." Martin replied, "Tell me what brings you to F.E.A.S.T. today?"

"Well I have an aunt who reminded me about this place," Peter answered as he was handed an application form from Martin. "Does your aunt work now?" Martin asked. "She works at a grocery store during the weekdays." Peter informed.

"That's good to know and how much does she make?" Martin wondered. "Enough to pay the bills…" Peter said as he wrote his details down. Martin then laughed again, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask such a rude question. We actually do offer paid work here at F.E.A.S.T., I'd be happy to offer her a job here if she is interested."

"Don't worry, wouldn't really hurt to ask…" Peter said as he signed the form and handed it over to Martin. Martin studied the application form carefully before he nodded at Peter. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Parker," Martin said, "We are kind of running short for today but there's still time if you want to prepare some food in the kitchen." "I'll check it out." Peter replied before he left the office.

Peter then helped himself find the kitchen on the first floor where he was welcomed by the smell of savoury stew. "Hey there, new guy," A blonde girl said walking about in the kitchen. Peter then recognised her as Gwen. "Gwen!" Peter said in surprise.

"Oh hey Peter, you here to give me a hand? Gwen asked as she prepared bowls of soup. "Yeah, it sure smells nice here." Peter said. "You talking about my perfume or the soup?" Gwen teasingly asked. "What? Of course, the soup," Peter corrected as he saw where the latex gloves were and went to put it on.

As he started working next to Gwen, he thought about asking her to the graduation party but a part of him felt hesitant. "So can you tell me anything about working here?" Peter asked. "Well there are a lot of nice people here for a start." Gwen said, "And I can put something on my resume when I apply for a full-time job. What about you?"

"I'd like to help people," Peter answered as he helped chop the vegetables. "Sure," Gwen noted as she went to check the soup. "Hey aren't you a friend of Mary Jane?" Gwen wondered as she turned off the heat. "Yeah, she used to be a neighbour of mine…" Peter informed, "Why?" "No particular reason, I'd just want to know if we share some connections." Gwen said.

"Yeah, she and I… We used to…" Peter stammered before Gwen cut in, "Date? That's so cute…Tell me, you got someone you want to take to graduation?" "Oh no… I'm not in the mood for dating right now. Got so much baggage." Peter laughed as he started tearing up from chopping the onions.

"Baggage? Wow, how did you even date Mary Jane in the first place then?" Gwen wondered. "It's not easy for me…" Peter said nervously before he realised the funny look Gwen was giving him. "OK, fine… Let's just get this soup delivered. There are people starving…" Gwen finally said.

At 4:15 pm, the volunteering service was done with each student volunteer ready to go home. "I hope we see each other again, Parker." Gwen said before she left. "So do I," Peter answered. As the two went their separate ways, Peter reflected on his meeting with her, "That was such an awkward girl talk, it almost felt like she was making moves on me. Man, what am I going to do?"

As Peter was walking, a part of him felt like he wanted to be Spider-Man. "I feel like I need to clear my head. Maybe I can try zip my way down to Rockaway Beach. Be nice if I could catch the sunset and the ocean waves." But before Peter could do so, he received a message from Phillip that reads 'Come to my house now!' Peter then groaned, "You gotta give me break, Phil."

5:30 pm Chang residence…

"Seriously Phil, we just had the arrangement that we put our crime fighting business to rest…" Peter said looking bored as he sat on the floor of Phillip's room. "I know… It's just that my life is mundane and I also when I was listening to the police feed, I heard some pretty sinister shit…" Phil said leaning against the wall on top of his bed. "Is this about Mr. Cavallaro again?" Peter asked.

"Yes him and the Shocker, Cavallaro is being referred to as 'Hammerhead' by the police. Even without that fight yesterday, there would have been an escalation of things," Phillip explained, "organised crime is not going away anytime soon." "So can you tell me about Hammerhead?" Peter asked.

"You ever heard of the Maggia?" Phillip asked. "The what?" Peter answered back. "It's an international crime syndicate dating back to the early 20th century in Europe. Organised group of men who make their money through illegal stuff. There are so many families involved; it's like a pie chart." Phillip said.

"Well, I guess I can try paying him a visit now that I know who we're dealing with…"Peter replied. "Heard he's guarded in his little penthouse, the police don't get into his block that easy with the way he mounts his fortress. If the police try to use excessive force, he'd hire an air strike to bomb them out I bet." Phillip explained. "Okay so if his fortress is too dangerous to enter, why don't we try something else? Can we figure something out with Herman?" Peter questioned.

"Considering that suit he wore, I want to know what source he got it from." Phillip answered. "I agree and considering that his life might be at stake as well. Can you at least pinpoint where he's being held now?" Peter asked. "My sources say Middle Village precinct… I don't know why they didn't take him to the nearest… Though…" Just as Phillip was about to say more, he realised Peter had rushed out of the window ready to don his suit once again.

6:10 pm Middle Village police precinct…

Peter landed on the side of the precinct building while he overhead two cops talk about Herman on the rooftop. "How long does he have?" One officer asked. "He's safe for now. The boss doesn't want to put him out of his misery yet." The other answered. "Great, Sounds like we might have corrupt cops…" Peter thought to himself.

As Peter started to carefully wall-crawl across the building, he managed to find extra secure windows that he believed held the prisoners. He peeped into each cell until he could identify Herman and his black hair. Herman looked miserable in one corner of his cell wearing his orange jumpsuit.

Peter gently tapped the glass window to catch his attention to which he responded by walking up to his window with and opening it. "What do you want?" Herman asked unhappily. "I want some honest answers, Herman and I want to keep you safe." Peter promised. "You can't, just let me rot in prison." Herman replied.

"Your boss, Mr. Cavallaro… Hammerhead. Tell me about him." Peter requested. "You don't want to talk here; he's got eyes all over Queens. He had me moved here for the sake of 'protection'." Herman cynically answered. "I'm sorry I can't get you out, buddy. But could you at least tell me how you got your suit and stuff? It really helps…" Peter insisted.

"Why should I tell you?" Herman questioned. "Because I'm trying to stop your boss and I proved that by stopping you." Peter answered. Herman hesitated before he decided to spill out some information. "My suit was manufactured at a place called Mason Consolidated Repairs. The suit, not the gauntlets. I made the gauntlets myself." Herman explained.

"Thanks Herman, just remember to pretend none of this happened. Stay safe please." Peter then jumped away in pursuit of his next destination. Once Peter found a safe place to perch, he rang Phillip about his information, "Phil, you've got Wi-Fi now right? Get me some information on Mason Consolidated Repairs."

6:45 pm Mason Consolidated Repairs…

Finding a warehouse with the words, 'Mason Consolidated Repairs' above a small garage door, Peter took the time to observe his entry. "No open windows but hopefully there's an opening somewhere else." Peter commented before figuring out the ventilation systems for the place.

Peter opened up the grate on top of the roof and snaked his way through the system until he found himself in the main entrance room of the warehouse, "Okay, lots of shelves and other stuff but I feel like I'm gonna ruin someone's business today." Peter then tiptoed across the room using his adjustable eye lens to scan the environment before noticing that the walls do not have consistent structural patterns.

"Secret door?" Peter wondered as he pressed his hands on the wall until he felt the door move. Finally one part of the wall moved aside to reveal a hidden room that caught Peter's interest. "Whoa…Is this a secret workshop? Man, I am jealous…" Peter said as he looked in awe at the setting.

Exploring the room, Peter found things that made him almost forget about his objective. "Whoever this guy is, he has all the materials, all the tools he has to make what I really need. Oh my god… If only I could… No, gotta focus… Hammerhead must have plans here on what he's been up to."

Peter looked around until he opened up a locker with rolled blueprint storages and carefully opened up each to reveal weaponry plans. "Wait…Most of these blueprints came from different companies including Oscorp… Okay, so this guy is definitely not that original."

Before Peter could read anymore blueprints, his 'Spidey-sense' suddenly went off alerting him to someone's presence. "Crap, crap… I gotta put all of this back together." Peter said as he scrolled the blueprints back up but he was too late when he saw a man in a blue welder suit standing in front of the secret doorway.

The man seemed to be of average height and a little overweight. He also wore glasses as well as a shaved beard on his face. "Uh hi…I was just putting things back together…" Peter said as he sheepishly put the last blueprint back into storage. The man then took out a bladed weapon sizzling with hot plasma energy.

"Is that a plasma knife? Wow… That's futuristic." Peter said before the man started swinging the blade. Peter dodged and shot out a web before his attacker used the knife to cut the web off. "Oh no…" Peter said when he realised his webs were inefficient.

Peter then had to use his superhuman strength to fight off to which he was able to land a couple of hits against the man knocking off his glasses as well as knocking him into the wall. He then webbed away the handle of the plasma knife from the man to himself and deactivated it.

"You the owner of this place?" Peter asked. "Phineas Mason and you're invading my property…" The man answered. "Okay, Finney… Tell me what exactly does Hammerhead make you do?" Peter asked again. "Ways to snuff you out, he's making my business profitable in return…" Phineas replied.

"Fair enough, you wanna tell me how you got a bunch of plans that aren't yours?" Peter asked referring to the blueprints. Phineas gave Peter a snicker before answering, "He's got good connections. Good ones that a kid like you wouldn't want to mess with."

"You know, I should be arrested for entering your premise. But I busted your business for illegal manufacture of dangerous items. You shouldn't tinker about with things that aren't yours." Peter said as he picked up the blueprint storages off the ground. "I'd sue you in court, you ignorant child!" Phineas threatened.

"And how are you gonna do that if you don't know who I am?" Peter said walking away with the blueprints. "Come back here!" Phineas yelled as he tried to grab him. "Besides, blueprints like these are confidential. Why not just stick to repairing stuff that benefits society? Like a little kid's teddy bear? Peter joked leaving Phineas to himself.

After leaving the warehouse, Peter examined the blueprints carefully again. One of them was the basis for Shocker's suit. "Wow, the specs on this suit are kind of crazy. One of these days we're going to war with suits like these." Peter thought holding the blueprint in his hand, "I think I can use these first before I return it to where it came from."

7:15 pm Middle Village Precinct…

After the massacre of Hammerhead's men, Chameleon made his way to the Middle Village precinct disguised as a police officer he had maimed recently. His next motion of plan was based on the recent news between Spider-Man and Shocker.

Greeting the police officers at the front of the door, Chameleon scrolled through bypassing security using the original police officer's ID and facial features. As he entered, he took out three little sticky grenades out of his pockets and smiled.

Two officers were always on patrol on the cell level making sure the prisoners were on their best behaviour while being detained. Chameleon casually strolled up to the officers naturally and asked without his native accent, "Evening officers… How's it going?" "It's doing fine, man. It's just that our VIP has been sulking a little too much." One officer replied, "What are you doing here?"

Without an answer, Chameleon took out a stun gun and shocked the officer to unconsciousness. The other officer tried to shoot him before Chameleon threw a knife into his neck. Grabbing the key card off one of the officer, Chameleon strutted into the cell keeping Herman captive.

Herman was in shock the moment Chameleon came in as the disguised police man. "You're here to end me, aren't you?" Herman asked. "No…" Chameleon calmly answered. "Then who are you?" Herman asked. Chameleon slowly and briefly peeled his face up to reveal his pale white face which spooked Herman.

"It's you…" Herman said in a traumatised manner. "Don't worry; I don't work for Hammerhead no more. He's a loose end…" Chameleon assured in his Russian accent. "Then what do you want?" Herman asked. "Follow me…" Chameleon replied.

Leading Herman away from the cell, Chameleon took him by the arm and exited the precinct leaving behind the three sticky grenades he had with him. He shot every other officer in his way as the bottom floor of the entire precinct was engulfed in flames.

"Get in…" Chameleon said to Herman as they got into the car and drove away. "If you're not working for him," Herman questioned, "Then what are you planning to do?" "Look at the backseat behind you." Chameleon answered as they drove. Herman then saw his Shocker costume lying there at the back. "Your gauntlets are also with me…" Chameleon added.

"Why am I donning that costume again?" Herman asked in a concerned manner. "Because I need your expertise and I need your help to take care of another problem…" Chameleon explained. "What do you want?" Herman wondered. "I want you to help me find Spider-Man and kill him…" Chameleon answered.

11:15 pm Parker residence…

Peter sat in his room pondering on the blueprints and thought for so long on how his current suit compares to what the new design could bring. "That fabric really softens the blow of things, huh?" Peter thought, "That's one Spider idea noted. Also seeing as how much military stuff gets created at Oscorp, wouldn't it be brilliant if I made something like a web grenade or a… Web mine? Hm, you know what? Continuing to be Spider-Man might actually be worth it after all. I gotta rest now… Good thing it's the weekends tomorrow, gives me plenty of time to work this out."

TO BE CONTINUED…