SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 12)
9:25 am Somewhere around Queens…
It was a strange feeling for Chameleon to be helped by the people Hammerhead had hired to hunt him down. Chameleon felt even more awkward sitting in front of Martin as the two sat inside a cab owned by Martin himself.
Chameleon still wearing the homeless man guise sat in front of the philanthropist anticipating any form of trap he may have fallen into. "Make yourself comfortable, Dmitri…I only wish to talk for now." Martin said.
"How do I know you aren't going to kill me?" Chameleon questioned. "I've been trying to understand you ever since you tapped in." Martin explained, "If you've seen my abilities, you know the kind of power I have with me. My powers lend me a certain persuasiveness as well as certain degree of mind control."
"Then you must know who Spider-Man is as well…" Chameleon answered. "Do I?" Martin asked surprised before laughing, "Unfortunately my powers only go as far as controlling people to do my bidding or make them see things they don't want to see. I can't see the truth through their minds."
"But you know who I am?" Chameleon asked. "Based on my dealings with Hammerhead…Yes." Martin acknowledged. Chameleon then let out a smile, "So…Martin Li. So-called 'philanthropist of the year'. Has a corrupt side to him."
"Corrupt is an ugly word. I always fight for the weak and I give back." Martin said seriously, "The city deserves people like me." Chameleon then looked at his wristwatch and rotated a part of it. An almost realistic looking image of Martin Li overlapped Chameleon's body.
Rather than acted surprised, Martin was impressed by the technology. Chameleon changed back before explaining, "I rather use prosthetics…" "Impressive…" Martin remarked, "I see why Hammerhead had hired you."
"In my lifetime, my abilities have helped sabotage and blackmail so-called 'heroes'. I can blow up a hospital using your likeness and everyone would believe it was you." Chameleon said, "Of course, we have DNA tests these days…"
"Let's not fight each other, Dmitri…" Martin insisted raising up his hand, "You are a talented man and a brave one to stand up against the likes of Hammerhead. You deserve more than just my sympathies." "You don't know my story…" Chameleon grumbled.
"I don't, not yet. But I feel the pain inside you." Martin answered, "Rather than kill you. I'd like to form an alliance between us. Think about it, if Hammerhead wins this fight. Nothing changes. Everything stays the way like before. Misery spreads…"
"Your forces and plans may have fallen, but I can help you rebound…" Martin continued, "As a man with power, I promise you a place in New York. You're more likely to lose if you deny this." Chameleon was sceptical of this proposal despite the insistence that Martin was always against Hammerhead since the start.
"If I deny this arrangement, I'd be finished… Perhaps, it is my best way forward…" Chameleon thought before peeling away his prosthetic mask revealing his white head and extending out a hand. "Deal…" Chameleon said as Martin's own hand clasped onto his. To Chameleon's surprise, Martin did not pull any supernatural tricks onto his mind which was a good step as of far.
9:30 am Midtown High School…
Peter's class in history had finished in which he was seriously bored with the World War 2 stuff he was lectured on. Walking out of the classroom, Peter headed to his locker and opened it up as he switched out his textbook for his advanced mathematics textbook.
As he closed the locker, he turned around just in time to face Gwen. "Oh hey Gwen…" Peter said as he confronted her. "Peter Parker, just the guy I wanted to talk to…" Gwen said smiling shyly. "Something important?" Peter questioned.
"To me, it is. For you? Uh… It's up to you really." Gwen babbled, "So…Uh, do you have any plans after school now?" "I don't know…" Peter replied curiously, "What are you thinking?" "Actually, it's my mum's birthday today and it's a special family occasion. We're going to Romita's for dinner and I thought it could be more fun, if I could… Find someone to go with me." Gwen stated.
"Oh cool…" Peter said, "So…What about other people? Have they said 'no'?" "Well, some of them are busy. I need someone who I can trust to bring along and make the evening special." Gwen said. "Is there something wrong with being with your family?" Peter wondered.
"No, it's not like that." Gwen said rolling her eyes, "I mean come on, I just want to ask if you're interested. I promise I'll pay the money for your food." "Oh gosh, Gwen… I think it's okay if I can afford things myself. Anyway… Is Flash Thompson not available to you?" Peter joked.
"Ugh…" Gwen said starting to feel annoyed. "Hey, could you give me a moment to think about all this?" Peter requested as he started to think through his head. To Peter, it was all clear. Gwen is harbouring some feelings for him. This had to be clear since the start when Gwen purposefully said 'tiger'.
"Remember the times where you had to ask MJ out?" Peter reminded himself. Peter understood the pressures that were being felt. It should be his moment to return the favour for someone else. Gwen is a nice girl and she certainly is fun to hang out with.
But there was another concern in Peter's head and that was Spider-Man. What will people like Hammerhead or the recent Inner Demons do if Spider-Man was not there? What is Chameleon up to now and what could he do to hurt him now?
Peter wrestled with this and thought about the last two times that happened when he was Spider-Man. "My aunt got hurt and plus I barely understand where to go with the Inner Demon's stuff. I guess for once, it's time to restore my sanity." Peter thought, "Spider-Man needs his break. Peter Parker needs to come back for once."
"You know what, Gwen?" Peter said catching her attention, "I will say 'yes'. I'll go with you." Gwen's eyes lightened up, "Really?" "It's definitely a first between the both of us. Why not take the chance?" Peter said.
"Lovely…" Gwen said as she prepared to leave, "Be there around 5 pm." "Wait, before you go…" Peter said as Gwen turned around, "You think Aunt May can come along as well? She'll love this, trust me." Gwen thought to herself before giving out an answer, "Sure, I'll try see if there's more room."
4:30 pm Forest Park, Queens…
Jonas Harrow waited in a near empty parking lot area and nervously walked about awaiting for Hammerhead to arrive. Sure enough, a black SUV rolled right through and parked close to him. Two men from the front seat got out with Hammerhead and another man getting out from the back.
Hammerhead saw Jonas and went forward to embrace his friend. "Jonas, lovely to see you here in this lovely park." Hammerhead said as he wrapped his arms around his friend before letting go. "Yeah…" Jonas said nervously as he looked around trying to see if there were witnesses.
"Sun's getting real low…" Hammerhead commented looking at the orange sky, "Most people would want to go home and hang out at places like Time Square." Jonas watched Hammerhead move around while the men stoically stood there with guns in their hand.
"As you can see, gentlemen. I've assembled you all here in this secluded environment surrounded by Mother Nature herself." Hammerhead said pointing out the trees surrounding them. "Anyway," Hammerhead continued, "We all know that our friend, 'Mr. Negative' has stepped up big time ever since the recent mob boss in Chinatown got slain."
"Mister Negative?" Jonas questioned confused by the name. "Yeah, is that the name we're giving for the lead guy now?" One man asked. "Exactly… We know that good guy, Martin Li is a psychotic crime lord beneath that philanthropy suit." Hammerhead explained.
"Then why'd we hire him?" One of Hammerhead's men asked. Unimpressed with the remark, Hammerhead dusted off a pair of silver knuckles from his pockets and put them on. The man's facial expression turned fearful as soon as Hammerhead grabbed him by the collar and beat him with them.
Hammerhead stopped punching as he watched the man fall to his knees and cover his face as it was bleeding. "We don't make smartass comments in the Maggia if you ain't the leader…" Hammerhead said looking away as the man covered his face. Jonas stood firm at the sight of his boss's aggression as well as the rest.
"No one panic…" Hammerhead said, "We might have a chance to deal with this." Suddenly, a police car with a siren alarm arrived leading to Hammerhead's men to draw out their weapons. Two policemen got out of the front once the siren was turned off. With weapons still drawn on them, the backdoor of the police car was opened up.
Eel, in his costume got out of the vehicle causing the men to lower their weapons in recognition to one of the Maggia's allies. "Mr. Lavell, glad you can join us." Hammerhead greeted. "Likewise, Mr. Cavallaro." Eel said as he went up to shake Hammerhead's hand.
Hammerhead then turned his attention to the police officers. "Well, if it isn't my two favourite boys in blue…Frankie and Reynard." Hammerhead said as he walked up to them, "How are your days?" The two police officers hanged their heads in shame as they knew they had failed something.
"Cat caught both of your tongues?" Hammerhead asked before getting serious. "Let me ask… DB-127. The police's new arsenal in taking out the vibranium stocks. How is it that cops under my payroll fail to prevent something like this from getting approved?" Hammerhead asked with a hint of anger.
The police officers at first did not speak before Frankie spoke. "We're just regular officers, we don't have the authority to influence the final decision." Frankie explained. "Really?" Hammerhead asked before grabbing him by the collar.
"When I pay you, I'd expect work done for me. Why is that filth allowed to seep into the hands of authorities?" Hammerhead demanded to know. Frankie was nervous as he saw that Hammerhead still had his silver knuckles on him, while he tried to come up with an answer.
"It's not that easy, boss …" Frankie uttered, "We can't bring ourselves to physically destroy it. Its properties are all over the place…" Hammerhead let Frankie go and added his thoughts, "Our vibranium crisis is irrelevant now and now we have put up with the bullshit Mister Negative is conjuring up. Does anyone here have a solution on what to do?!"
"Perhaps, I do…" Jonas added catching Hammerhead's attention. "You have something to say, Jonas?" Hammerhead asked. "Speaking of this crisis, I understand that we're dealing with some form of negative energy that our former friend can control." Jonas explained.
"Enlighten us." Eel requested. "There's a place around town owned by Roxxon that I know hides secrets regarding interdimensional energy." Jonas explained, "If we could go there, there's something we might use to fight back."
"Roxxon?" Hammerhead questioned before giving it some thought, "Of course… That would be a start. Be more specific…" "There's an energy harnessing device well-hidden from the public's eye. We can cook up something special from that device and it hit Mister Negative's crew like radiation." Jonas said.
"How the hell do you know this stuff?" Eel asked in disbelief. "Edward… Do you think sewing a piece of vibranium into Joseph's head was easy?" Jonas replied. "Thanks for that input, Jonas." Hammerhead said turning his attention to the police officers.
"So Reynard, you're gonna miss working with Frankie?" Hammerhead asked. "Not really that much, boss…" Reynard answered not even looking at his partner's terrified eyes. "Oh, Frankie…Doesn't seem like anyone's going to miss you." Hammerhead sighed as he checked his silver knuckles.
Rubbing his two silver knuckles together, Hammerhead grabbed Frankie by the head violently without warning. The crime lord repeatedly punched the officer's face until the life out of him was snuffed out while Frankie weakly tried to fight back.
His partner did not bat an eye. Hammerhead's men just stood there. The only ones reacting to the violence were Jonas who turned away a little while Eel bit his lip as he watched his boss beat a subordinate of his to death.
"I'll make it quick for you…" Hammerhead said as he ordered one of his men to put a bullet into Reynard's head. With one shot from a handgun, the two police officers laid dead on the floor with Hammerhead looming over. "Clean up the carcasses, gentlemen." Hammerhead ordered his men.
The men dragged the bodies of the police officers into the SUV leaving Hammerhead alone with Jonas and Eel. "Mr. Lavell, call in more reinforcements. We're gonna trash some of the authority buildings down if we're going to save this town…" Hammerhead ordered. Eel nodded and went away using the police car driven by the two police officers.
"Alright, Jonas…Show me this place." Hammerhead said turning his attention to him as Jonas went to his car.
5:05 pm Romita's Restaurant…
Peter wore his best suit at the suggestion of Aunt May as they walked into what appears to be mostly an Italian restaurant. "Honestly, I don't need to be this formal…" Peter complained to May. "Oh, Peter…This isn't just dressing to impress a girl. This is about looking good in front of a family." May said in her best red dress.
"Hey Peter!" Gwen called out from a round table next to a window with her mother and little brother. Peter waved as he and May walked over to the table. Gwen's mother, Helen, a blonde got up to greet the two of them. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Stacy." Peter said shaking Helen's hand. Aunt May and Helen also exchanged cheek kisses before sitting down.
The little brother, Simon was playing a console game and only waved before focusing on his game. "Nice interior…" May commented looking around as she sat. "It is one of the finest…" Helen agreed, "It's nice to meet you two by the way. Helen Stacy." "May Parker…" May answered back.
"Five minutes late…" Gwen groaned eyeing Peter. "Gwen…" Helen said reminding her of her manners. "Sorry, I got caught up in a wardrobe malfunction." Peter admitted embarrassingly. Gwen giggled while the little eleven-year old brother, Simon briefly looked up before going back to his game.
"Well, we don't need to hear that story…" May said before Peter could embarrass himself even further. Helen checked her phone and sighed, "Still stuck in traffic." "Dad?" Gwen asked. "Yep, although I think his work is more of the problem." Helen answered before putting the phone away.
"So Mr. Parker…" Helen wondered, "How do you know my daughter?" "Well, we've been in the same high school like ever since." Peter explained, "We kind of known each other for a while but ever since we worked at F.E.A.S.T. we got close."
"There's your simple story, mum…" Gwen said. "Close? So are you really dating her?" Helen questioned looking at Peter suspiciously. "Well, you see…It's only really the stage of friendship. I honestly…" Peter tried to say.
"Oh, silly me. That was a rude question." Helen said laughing, "How about you tell us about yourself?" Helen then smacked Simon's hand to get his attention. "Simon, put away the game. Mr. Parker is in the midst of introducing himself." Helen ordered as she took the console out of his hand.
"Ugh, mum…" Simon complained before he had to listen. "I actually lived in Queens my entire life. I was born in Forest Hills…" Peter started to speak. "Coincidentally the same place our beautiful daughter was born in…" Helen cut in. "Mum, please…" Gwen added in order to avoid embarrassment.
"So… Uh… I live with my Aunt May. It's just me and her." Peter said putting an arm around her. "What about your actual parents?" Helen asked. "I've never knew them. I don't know who they were exactly." Peter said, "But I had my aunt and uncle with me growing up."
"Where's your uncle now?" Helen asked. Peter sighed before May had her word in the conversation. "My husband has passed away…" May stated. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry…" Helen replied feeling a little guilty. "Peter was friends with MJ, mum. And he was her boyfriend…" Gwen stated changing the subject, "That's until she moved away…"
"Oh, really? Gosh, what a lucky person you are to go out with a girl like her…" Helen giggled. Peter felt red in the face as he saw Helen and Gwen laugh with even Aunt May joining in. Only Simon was indifferent as he couldn't care less. "I always wonder what do girls see in me…" Peter thought to himself.
"Here's the garlic bread fresh out of the oven…" A waiter said coming to the table and placing a basket with the bread in the middle. "Oh joy, George is really gonna miss this…." Helen said in disappointment as the delicious smell of the bread filled the table.
Just as they were about to eat in, George in his police uniform walked into the place searching for his family. People who were dining were concerned seeing a police officer walking in a restaurant but went back to minding their own business as they realised George was joining his family for dinner.
"Happy birthday, honey…" George said as he tried to kiss his wife on the cheek. Helen however was not impressed and stopped him. "How about you sit down instead? This is a special occasion and you still decide to show up in uniform." Helen commented.
"Well, I figure showing up as early as possible is a better way to make up for things than spending too much time changing." George said sitting down. "Well, you're late anyway…" Helen said rolling her eyes. George then greeted his two children, "Gwendolyn; Simon… How are you two?"
"Cool, dad. We're not just here to celebrate mum's birthday but also Gwen's date with her new boyfriend…" Simon said. "Shut up…" Gwen replied irritated, "I'm good too, dad. It's nice to see you here." "Oh right…" George said, "Who are these two by the way?"
"Honey, these two are the Parkers. The woman on the left is Mrs. May Parker and the boy on the right is Peter Parker." Helen introduced. "Oh hello there, Mrs. Parker. I'm George Stacy, I'm an officer from the NYPD at the Forest Hills Precinct." George stated getting up to shake May's hand, "I heard a lot about your work at F.E.A.S.T."
"Why, thank you…" May replied, "Nice to know that you work close by." "Oh, to you. Mr. Parker. Peter. Nice to meet you in person too." George said shaking Peter's hand. "Likewise, Mr. Stacy…" Peter said as he nervously shook George's hand. "Wow, tight handshake…" George said sitting down.
As everyone was finally seated, there was an awkward silence at first. "Well, what are we waiting for? Dig in while it's hot…" George said grabbing a piece of bread. "Oh, sweetie. I do have a gift I want to give you after all this…" George said to Helen as he munched the bread.
7:30 pm Oscorp Innovation Centre, Flushing Meadows-Corona
With Hammerhead's plans being loud and bombastic, Martin Li and Chameleon were keeping things relatively subtle. Martin Li was not yet ready to take his Inner Demons crew to new heights just yet as he was interested in keeping his public integrity safe and not fall into a scandal.
"We'll gather all we need to take down Hammerhead. But first… As a friendly gesture for our alliance, I have a gift I'm offering you." Martin said as the car turned to the direction of their destination. "It better not be possessing me…" Chameleon warned in his real-life appearance.
"It won't be. For you, it will be a gift of wonders." Martin promised. "What gift of wonders?" Chameleon questioned. "You'll see…" Martin said smiling. The car pulled over in front of an Oscorp building stationed nearby.
"Oscorp?" Chameleon questioned, "What are we doing here?" "There is a special device prototype located in this building as well as some data files worth collecting from here. I want you to perform your talents there." Martin requested.
"Mr. Li, since the beginning of my fight for freedom against Hammerhead, I have been dreaming to put away my old life and retire peacefully." Chameleon said. "And look where you are now…A trapped and helpless victim who has lost almost everything in his struggle. You can't do this all by yourself." Martin insisted.
"I can forgive you… For all the terrible sins you have caused. Especially those who have died for my organisation." Martin said leaning forward to an unsure Chameleon. Chameleon looked into Martin's cold eyes slowly and soon agreed to the task. "Okay, I'll do this job to show off my capabilities." Chameleon said.
"Good…Now, here's the task." Martin said as he turned on a tablet next to him. Martin flipped the electronic device over and showed a picture of 60 year-oldish looking man in a lab coat, "This is Dr. Eric Schwinner, one of the chief scientists working at the Oscorp Innovation Centre. He's the one person who has access to most of the information held classified in this building."
Chameleon studied the details of the man carefully before using his wrist watch to holographically change into the appearance of him based on the image. "You'll need to read up on his work when you go inside. We want this to be as authentic as possible." Martin instructed before handing the tablet to Chameleon.
"If you have anything you want to ask, use that device. Make sure it comes back in one piece." Martin said. Chameleon stared at the Oscorp building before nodding. "You got yourself a deal…" Chameleon said as he prepared to leave, "Oh yes, what voice does this person have?" Chameleon then stopped.
Martin then grabbed out his phone and played a clip of Dr. Eric Schwinner explaining a product of Oscorp, "Every day, we work… We are closer to developing Oscorp's new fabric shifter helping you to suit up in the latest fashion. Effectively reducing intensive labour in the past, we're making it easy for you to dress for success."
"Recorded…" Chameleon said before opening up the car door and out to the front of the building. Chameleon examined the building to be at least five levels which made it feel like there isn't much ground to cover. "Should be easy…" Chameleon said to himself.
Chameleon then noticed another car stop by next to the car Martin was in. Four people, three men and one woman in demonic masks walked over and approach him. "We're here to provide assistance…" One man spoke. "Distractions?" Chameleon wondered.
"We're here to disable security systems…" The woman added. Chameleon nodded, "You better know your plans…" Chameleon wasted no time talking any further and walked through the automatic glass door of the building.
Like much of Oscorp's properties, the interiors were sterile looking with flashes of white. Chameleon strolled through the hallways and looked for any sign of security cameras. He was hoping the crew helping him would do their job competently in disabling them.
Some of the employees already left the building which made sense for a job like this to be pulled off. The only thing Chameleon was concerned with was the fame of the person he was impersonating. Walking down the hallway towards an elevator, Chameleon came face to face with an elderly security guard.
"Dr. Schwinner? You're still here." The security guard spoke. "Yes, indeed…" Chameleon answered before looking for any sign of the guard's nametag. He then spotted the nametag on his white shirt, 'Baxter Bigelow'. "You working overtime, Baxter?" Chameleon casually asked.
"Why, indeed. People much prefer being cops compared to security guards these days it seems. Everyone just wants to move around." Baxter said before coughing a little, "Excuse me, just me and my old age." "Don't stress yourself, Baxter. This place is too important to be robbed." Chameleon answered back.
"Of course…" Baxter said using his fist against his chest, "I don't get tired doing this job. Anything important you need to do?" Chameleon did not know what to say except demand coordinates of where Dr. Schwinner's research was.
"Yes, I'm having a bit of trouble accessing my stuff. I think I lost my key card…" Chameleon spout out as he noted that the elevators need specialised scanning access. "Key card? Oh dear… Hey I'll help you." Baxter said as he got his own card out.
Despite his veteran appearance, Chameleon could already sense the naivety of the security guard. "An old fool…" Chameleon thought as he watched him scan his card. "It's here…" Baxter called out as Chameleon followed behind.
Inside the elevator, Chameleon watched Baxter press the third level button. "Most of the scientists have called the day off. Bunch of youngsters just wanting to do leisure…" Baxter spoke. Chameleon said nothing as he was trying to think of what to do next.
"I have a question, do you know where I hide my research?" Chameleon asked. "I'm sorry, but I thought you know." Baxter replied. "No," Chameleon laughed, "I meant if you know. If you spend a lot of time walking around this place." "Oh, that's up to you. Your workplace is pretty encrypted. I need your eyes and finger prints to see all the stuff you're working on." Baxter commented.
Again, Chameleon listened before he said his words, "I just need to go through some test runs… And then I'll call it a day off. It's for…Quality assurance." "Oh I understand…" Baxter said. The elevator reached the third floor and opened up. "Well, you're lucky that going down is free. Hopefully we can get that key card of yours replaced. Good night, doctor…" Baxter said as Chameleon stepped out.
"Likewise…" Chameleon said without turning his back on him. After the doors closed, Chameleon was relieved to know he didn't need to maim someone in the process of infiltration. After all, being a former spy should mean that things go as discretely as possible rather than the chaos he did when attempting to be a crime lord.
Searching the corridors, Chameleon found the door leading to the work. Dr. Eric Schwinner's name hung on the door with the exact security measures described by Baxter. For the eye scan, the security measure was easy to bypass due to the realism Chameleon's holographic imagery can produce. The finger scan however was tough due to the specificity of the technology.
The solution to this issue was solved when Chameleon used the wrist watch's functionality to scan traces of fingerprints that were previously left by Dr. Schwinner. Scanning the fingerprints, Chameleon implemented these onto his fingers and finally opened up the door using the mock fingerprints.
Inside was a secret lab of sorts, the kind that Oscorp would hide from the eyes of the public. Chameleon made eye with all that was around him. There was a near transparent flexible suit inside a glass cylinder. "This must be the scientist's project." Chameleon thought before looking at the supercomputer next to it. Walking over, he attempted to open it but the computer was encrypted with an eye scanner.
Using the same method to get into the lab, Chameleon gained access to the database and looked over important files. He clicked into a database file that had the public IDs hundreds of different people associated with Oscorp. Examining his wristwatch device, Chameleon realised that he could download the data and implement the appearances of many people.
Impressed with his findings, Chameleon was grateful for the new technological upgrades that Martin had dug up for him and proceeded to take what was in the lab.
7:45 pm Romita's Restaurant…
"You got any aspirations on what you want to be when you grow up?" George asked Peter as he tucked into his risotto. "Scientist…Like a lab assistant for people." Peter answered, "Or maybe I can be a baseball player…" "Baseball? Wow, I'm surprised…" George answered back.
"I remember when I was little, my uncle used to take me to see the New York Mets play their games like all the time. At first, I didn't care about the games… But one day, they actually hit a homerun and…They won." Peter said, "I won't forget that day." "Well, I can tell you… The New York Mets are now one of America's best teams in sports right now." George replied.
"True… I just wish my uncle was there to see that." Peter said as he played around with his Bolognese spaghetti. "This food's great…When's the cake coming?" George wondered. "We've only just got the entrees, George. Relax…" Helen said patting her husband on the back.
"OK… So what else do I want to say? My daughter already covered the relationship ground between you and her. Oh yes, Gwen do you have any career aspirations you would like to share?" George asked. "I'm kind of on a similar path like you, Peter. Except I'd wanted to be a drummer…" Gwen said.
"Didn't you tell me you wanted to be a musician?" George questioned. "It's kind of the same thing. Except I personally think I'm a terrible singer." Gwen said. George laughed, "You still sing with me whenever we're in the car together." "I think the two of you really need to decide what's best for you…" Helen added, "Not that I want to be the judge of things."
"Hey dad, can you tell us if you've seen Spider-Man lately?" Simon asked. "Oh, yes. Would anyone like to hear stories from work?" George asked. "Ugh…" Helen replied indicating she isn't a fan of the vigilante. "Well, it seems like we have a majority vote." George said.
Peter, Gwen, Simon and even Aunt May all tuned in to listen. "So last time on 'George and Spider-Man', the two of us worked together to bring down the pesky Beetle and the turbulent Cyclone. Those are their villain names, don't judge me… The next case we did brought our attention to Chinatown…" George started.
George looked around to make sure people were minding their own business before continuing, "Deep in the worst parts of Chinatown… Uh… Spider-Man fought a lot of bad guys." Peter laughed a little but tried to remain a little serious as he recalled how the events there turned out.
"I gave him a walkie talkie and he never reported back…." George said giving everyone a look in the eye, "The next thing that happened? The news reports that the old triad boss in Chinatown went out. Leaving me hanging on certain things…"
"I hope he doesn't mean that I committed murder…" Peter said in his head. "End of story. Oh, by the way… May, I'm glad you made it here in spite of what happened with you recently. I'm sorry if it's a bad time mentioning it." George said to May. "It's okay, I faced arguably bigger problems when I was younger…" May replied.
"Like what?" Peter questioned. "Stuff like nearly marrying a criminal myself. Thank heavens for your Uncle Ben, Peter." May said in response to Peter. "Ah, look what's come right out of the kitchen…" George stated as the waiter came back with parmigiana.
"Ugh, is that eggplant, dad?" Simon asked. "Sure is, but when it tastes good, the flavours will get to you." George answered. "Dad, can I ask you something?" Simon asked again. "Sure thing…" George said. "I've been making a comic based on Spider-Man, I was wondering if you could give it to him when I finish?" Simon requested.
George patted his son on the back, "Sure…I gotta make sure I meet him though." Peter smiled as he was glad that he was inspiring people like him just as people like Iron Man or Captain America did. Before, the parmigiana could be tasted George was interrupted by a text by Captain Saito.
"10-24, assault happening at Forest Hills police precinct?" George read and got up, "Uh… Listen, I got some troubling news I need to take care of at the precinct." "Really George?" Helen asked annoyed. "Oh I gotta give you that gift right away…" George said as he got out a small present box for his wife.
"Dad… You're gonna miss the cake." Simon said. "Then leave some for me…" George said pushing in the chair before hurrying off. Peter knew something was up and decided to make an excuse to follow George. "Ah, Aunt May… Guys, I really need to use the bathroom now." Peter said.
"Go ahead, honey…" May approved as Peter got out of his seat. Gwen took note of the coincidence before telling Aunt May, "There he goes again…" "It's typical after dinner…" Aunt May assured her.
TO BE CONTINUED…