Chapter 2: What's Wrong

In his lab at the Oscorp tower, Norman was on his computer, looking over the effects of the superhuman enhancer serum. Apparently, Norman's arrogance had gotten the better of him, as there were a few miscalculations in the protocol and tests. As a result, the serum was unstable.

"No, this can't be!" Norman exclaimed.

Norman looked through more files and data on the experiment, but it only further proved that the experiment was a disaster.

"Goddamn it!"

Norman threw the computer at the wall, shattering it. Norman then processed to have a breakdown in the lab.


Outside of the Midtown building, Peter was walking around the area, trying to get his mind off of things. Sitting on a fountain outside of the school, Peter took his books out of his backpack. Starting his AP Physics homework, Peter tried his very best to focus on nothing but Physics, but it was felt impossible at that point.

It was rare for a teenager to hold the burden of someone's death on their shoulders, and it was a feeling that nobody deserved. However, Peter wasn't a normal teenager, and he never could be.

"So the proton and neutron masses would essentially be the same equations, while the electron ma- DAMN IT!"

As hard as he tried, Peter couldn't stop getting the death of Valeria out of his head, and eerily enough, he still remembered every detail of exactly how it happened.

Peter angrily threw his textbook, which landed in front of a girl's feet.

"Dude, chill."

Peter looked up to see a familiar girl. The wavy blonde hair and blue eyes were recognizable as Gwen Stacy. A popular girl and honors student in one, Peter had never gotten to know Gwen all that well, but he had always considered her to be gorgeous, maybe just as pretty as Liz, if not prettier.

"Everything okay, Peter?" Gwen chuckled. "You look like you're gonna punch someone."

"So you know my name?" Peter scoffed, picking his book up.

"Don't be pushy. I'm here to be friendly. Clearly, you're in a crappy mood, so talk."

"Talk?"

Gwen sat next to Peter on the fountain. "Yeah, talk to me. What's going on?"

Peter shook his head. "You don't care."

"If I didn't care, why would I be asking?"

After a few seconds, Peter decided to open up. "Fine. Remember what happened to Valeria Toomes back in December?"

"Who would forget? It was terrible what happened to her," Gwen pointed out.

"I was there."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I work freelance for the Daily Bugle, and I was there when the fight between Spider-Man and Scorpion occurred. Scorpion wanted to lure Spider-Man over to him, so he attacked me and told me to bring him out. Valeria tried to stop me, but I went anyways. Then…"

Peter choked up a little.

"Everything else happened."

Gwen put her hand on Peter's back.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened. You were doing what was necessary."

"And by doing it, I-"

"Don't give me more of that bullshit. More people would've died if you hadn't called Spider-Man. Valeria would've been proud. You did the right thing."

"Oh, so she'd be proud that I let her d-"

"You can't hold that burden, Peter! Since you were there when it happened, I think you're just irrationally blaming yourself for her death."

Peter shook his head and got up to leave.

"I have to think about this a bit more," Peter sighed.

Gwen got up and walked with Peter on the way back to school.

"So, why were you outside? You like studying near the fountain, too?" Peter asked.

"Sometimes, for the same reason you do."

"Relaxing environment?" Peter guessed.

"Yep."


"C'mon, let's get out of here!" one of the thieves yelled to his partners as he ran out of the jewelry store.

It had been a rough day for the young robber, and he wasn't gonna get caught by the police because of the idiots that were his 'partners.'

Finally, the other two robbers got out of the store, holding as many bags of diamonds that they could carry.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" the second thief yelled.

The three thieves ran over to their getaway car, where they found the getaway driver unconscious.

"Surprised to see me?!" Spider-Man shouted, jumping in front of the robbers.

The robbers pulled out their guns, but Spider-Man shot webs at the robbers and slammed them together.

"You guys are just wasting your own time," Spider-Man mocked, grabbing one of the robbers and punching them in the face, knocking them unconscious.

The second robber threw a fist, only for Spider-Man to grab and crush it. The second robber fell to his knees, yelling in pain, but Spider-Man didn't even care.

"You think you can get away with this? If so, you're completely mistaken!" Spider-Man angrily declared as he grabbed the third robber and threw him right against the wall of the jewelry store.

The third robber tried to get back up, but Spider-Man shot a web at him, swung him over, and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down.

"That's what happens when you mess with New York!" Spider-Man shouted.

"What the hell?"

"He could've killed them!"

"Is he insane?"

Spider-Man turned around to see a bunch of shocked and angry civilians staring at him.

"Guys, you don't understand! I'm doing my job!" Spider-Man justified.

"Haven't you killed enough people?"

That one comment was enough for Spider-Man to lash out.

"Hey, I did all that I could!" Spider-Man roared.

The citizens were all taken aback by Spider-Man's yelling, and Spider-Man himself was even shocked. Overwhelmed with all the panic he was facing, Spider-Man swung away.


Herman Schultz was in his garage, finishing up his gauntlets that he made from leftover parts at the motorcycle shop he worked at.

A tall and muscular African-American man in his early 40s, Herman was a very peculiar man. As a kid, he had aspired to be a pro wrestler, but he never imagined he'd end up where he was now. He dropped out of high school during his senior year, and both of his parents were both killed in a car accident when he was 22. Years later, his wife had divorced him after being married for only five years, and all he had was a lousy job at a motorcycle shop , which didn't provide him a lot of money.

One day, Herman conspired to build something greater than anything he had built before. It wouldn't just be a way for him to make money, but it would also give him a thrill at life. He wanted his creations to benefit him.

It had taken about a year, but he finally thought he was done with his special gauntlets, which would shoot air blasts, vibrating at high frequency.

Putting the gauntlets on, he aimed his hands at a wooden board and shot the vibration waves, which blasted apart the board.

Herman brought out several more objects and started blasting them apart in excitement.

As he looked around at the mess he had made, he couldn't have been prouder. He had made a black and yellow bodysuit and mask to protect himself, and he was about to put it on for the first time.

His entire life, Herman had barely received any recognition or attention, but he was about to. He wouldn't only be the most notorious criminal in New York. He'd be a larger threat than the other crazy villains that Spider-Man had faced. He wouldn't make the same mistakes that the Vulture had made. He was gonna be smart about this.


"I never imagined you being friends with Gwen Stacy," Harry said.

"We've only known each other for a few days," Peter pointed out.

Peter and Harry were at a coffee shop, waiting for Gwen to arrive.

"You really are popular with the popular ladies, aren't you?" Harry teased.

Peter just looked down, his eyes becoming somber.

"Shit, sorry, man. I didn't mean it like that," Harry apologized.

"It's alright," Peter insisted.

Although Harry was always the jokester, Peter knew he was right. Liz Allan, Valeria Toomes, and now Gwen Stacy. Peter didn't say it out loud to avoid sounding arrogant, but he did enjoy being friends with the popular girls, particularly because he never thought it'd be a possibility.

"Not just Gwen. I never even would've imagined either of us becoming friends with Flash. The dude I've had to protect you from since elementary school."

Peter nodded. "Agreed. He's been really cool lately. Never would've expected that to happen."

As they continued talking, they saw Gwen walk in.

"Did I miss anything, losers?" Gwen jokingly asked, playfully hitting the two on their heads.

"Quite a lot, actually," Harry responded as he rubbed his head.

Gwen sat down, and a waiter walked over to her.

"Can I get anything for you?" the waiter asked.

"Mocha frappuccino, extra sweet," Gwen answered.

The waiter walked away, and Gwen smiled at Peter and Harry.

"So, I met Pete at the fountain outside of school the other day. How 'bout you, Harry?"

"Well, Pete and I have known each other since we were kids. I always had to defend him when he was being picked on, especially when it involved Flash. With my dad running Oscorp, Pete's really all I've got right now."

"That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that," Gwen said. "What's your story, Pete?"

"Just doing what I can with my life right now," Peter sighed. "Trying to help out my aunt with financial issues."

"You work for the Bugle, though. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Not when you have J. Jonah Jameson as a boss. I work freelance, so it's not a lot of money. Plus, the dude never shuts up about Spider-Man being a menace."

The waiter came over and gave Gwen her drink. Gwen took a sip and replied, "Neither will my dad, to be honest."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"The NYPD captain recently retired, so my dad's being promoted. He won't stop talking at home about how Spider-Man is a vigilante," Gwen said.

"Do you believe that?" Peter asked.

"No. In my eyes, Spider-Man has saved everyone he could save, and he's done what he can to make everyone feel safe. My dad and I tend to argue about that sort of thing."

Peter smiled. After everything he had been facing for the past couple of months, it was nice to finally have a supporter.

With the new knowledge that Gwen's dad was part of the NYPD, Peter decided to take advantage of that. "Do you know if they caught that Fisk guy yet? I keep hearing about him on the news."

"I'm not really not supposed to say, but from what my dad has told me, he's still on the run. He's planning on doubling his business," Gwen confessed.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked, nervous.

"Well, you know how he's a crime lord?"

"Yeah, the biggest in New York."

"Well, he's planning on doubling on that. He's gonna open more warehouses and hire more staff to create weapons so that they can recruit new people to kill Spider-Man. I guess Fisk is still pissed that Spider-Man put his friend behind bars."

"Who's his friend?" Peter questioned, pretending he didn't already know.

"Adrian Toomes."

"Really? That Vulture guy?"

Gwen nodded.

Harry shrugged. "Dude's a psycho."

"People like him deserve to be behind bars," Peter growled.

The talk about Fisk got Peter thinking. After he had gotten bitten by the spider, a majority of his problems had all started when Fisk entered the picture. He was the one who hired Kraven, broke out Adrian, and overall put a huge weight on Peter's career as a hero. Peter couldn't let Wilson Fisk become even more powerful than he already was. He needed to find him and stop him...quickly.

"I have to go," Peter lied as he stood up. "I told my aunt I'd be home by now."

Running out of the coffee shop, Peter fled home.

"What was that about?" Gwen asked.

Harry chuckled, unsurprised. "He does that a lot."


In his bedroom, Peter was on his laptop, researching Wilson Fisk.

Any amount of information would probably be useful at this point. He knew about Fisk's success, but he needed to find out more. Did he have a secret hideout, somewhere where his plan could unfold?

Either way, Peter knew one thing for sure. Wilson Fisk wasn't gonna hurt anymore people. And he was gonna receive justice.


Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Next chapter: Spider-Man vs. Shocker.