Approximate Word Count; 2,100
2013:
Disposable Copy
DISABLED SUPER HEROES: THE SCORPION I?
by
Mark Meredith
One would naturally bet usually that the Scorpion I, Peter Spiderman Parker's enemy from the Spiderman cartoons were never a super-hero, if one were the average person on the street! Ah, that person on the street would be wrong, though! Mr. Gargan the Scorpion was a good person three times in comic book history! The story begins in the comic book, The Amazing [Spiderman] # 19, when Spiderman met Spiderman's most powerful enemy of all!
In 12/1964 at 3:00 PM, Spiderman was leaving Midtown high school, Liz Allan saying, "So long, Pete!" to Spiderman.
Spiderman said in return, see you tomorrow, Liz!
Meanwhile, next to a garbage can across the street a stranger flicked his cigarette, thought, " Petey! He's the one!" began to follow Petey.
There was a new menace entering Petey's life but who was he? Who was the detective-like figure that was shadowing Spiderman? What was his name, what, what, what? Will we ever even know the name of this person or is he just a mystery-man hired professionally by some crime lord that one will never find out his name?
The average reader is dying to know right now about something that she or he may never know!
At Spiderman's very own version of the Daily Planet, named the Daily Bugle, Spiderman's boss J. Jameson was looking at an unwanted-by-Jameson proofread article that an overly proud editor put on Jameson's desk because the editor thought it was interesting. The article was about some nut scientist that could artificially mutate small animals to have the traits of other completely different animals.
Walking away from Jameson's desk throwing the article pages in the air behind him as Jameson walked Jameson wished that a scientist would invent something useful to Jameson to get rid of Spiderman! Jameson thought about how Jameson wished there were someone stronger than Spiderman that Jameson could hire to beat up Petey. Jameson realized something important in that article as Jameson had an idea, ran quickly back to the article on the floor next to Jameson's desk. Jameson scanned the article for the address of that scientist, found it.
Next month in The Amazing [Spiderman] which was the next day for Spiderman when Petey, Petey was heading back towards home after school as Petey when Petey got a good look at the silent stranger standing next to the neighbor's fence close to the sidewalk, standing on Petey's front yard! Spiderman was on one side of his house, there were too many cars passing by on the cross street on the other side so Spiderman threw a web bat, made out of Spiderman's web line, soaring past the stranger to distract him. Spiderman swung into Spiderman's room quickly, being unnoticed! The next morning Spiderman walked to the Daily Bugle building with Spiderman's shadow following, went into the building.
The mysterious man thought that Petey was just going to waste time talking to young Spiderman's girlfriend so the man went to talk to his boss. The silent stranger raced up a building to the back door of an office, passing a water pipe in the back hallway. After the tail knocked on the door, a voice told him to, "Come in!" the mysterious silent man talked to the broad-shouldered shadowy figure that he had called last issue whom had directed his actions.
Boss, I just wanted to let you know I'm still trying, but so far I haven't been able to, the stranger babbled as his boss finally said the silent stranger's name interrupting him.
"Mac Gargan! Just the man I want to see! Never mind your report! I've lost interest in Pete'!" said the man in shadows as he stepped into the light, revealing who he was. The figure in the shadows was Jameson!! Petey went to the Daily Bugle; talked to Jameson's secretary who was talking to a reporter Miss Brant was also dating. Petey tried to pretend Petey didn't care, be polite as the nice guy, Ned Leeds talked about how Jameson just sent Leeds on a flight to Europe on assignment, why didn't Petey come along with Miss Brant to drop Leeds off?
Just then, Jameson burst out of Jameson's inner office front door with Gargan, heading towards the street. Jameson blurted to Jameson's secretary "I'll be gone for a few hours, Miss!"said again, C'mon Gargan! I'm in A hurry! Petey finally found out from this who was behind a man Petey recognized that was following Petey.
Not only did Petey find out that, but also Petey now knew the name of the man that was following Petey! Spiderman wanted to find out what Jameson was up to, maybe confront Jameson about where Jameson was going to, catching Jameson red handed. Petey had to be there for Miss Brant because Miss Brant wanted to ride back from John F. Kennedy airport with Petey. Later, Jameson, Gargan had gone to the laboratories of, the scientist, Stillwell when Stillwell was in the middle of mixing chemicals in giant bottles in Stillwell's grasp when Jameson, Gargan went into Stillwell's lab.
Jameson marveled at how Stillwell had mutated a rat so that it could breathe water, Jameson offered Stillwell ten thousand dollars to skip apes, experiment one time only on a man. Stillwell never, ever did jobs-for-hired pay but Stillwell was a struggling scientist, had to replace some of Stillwell's scientific equipment or go broke, stop being a scientist, experimenting. Stillwell said that the experiment could be dangerous to a human being but Gargan didn't mind, being paid $10,000 dollars as well. Stillwell was afraid of doing the experiment, because Stillwell had told Jameson, Gargan that Stillwell suspected that the changes on Gargan's body would do something to Gargan's mind.
Jameson, Gargan wouldn't listen though. Stillwell desperately needed the money though so Stillwell labored on with Stillwell's conscience bothering Stillwell. Stillwell decided to give Gargan the abilities of a scorpion, which would give him greater strength than Petey! The Doctor gave Gargan the powers of a scorpion, which is an insect that is the natural enemy of an arachnid (spider).
Stillwell gave Gargan, Stillwell's serum to drink to make Gargan's body a little bit more super-human so that Gargan would survive the electric treatments, Gargan's muscles beginning to stand out to Stillwell, Jameson! Gargan then stood on a metal conductor circle on the floor of the lab, held on TO two handles with Gargan's mighty fists as the Doctor ran a specific current of electricity through Gargan's body! Then Stillwell gave Gargan the mechanical scorpion tail connected to Gargan's protective costume that made Gargan the Scorpion!
At the airport, Spiderman wanted to talk alone with Miss Brant about why Miss Brant was dating Leeds at the same time as Petey but Miss Brant was confused about Miss Brant's attraction. Miss Brant said that Miss Brant didn't want to think about sad things like breaking up with Leeds or Petey. After Miss Brant, Petey lived for the moment, enjoyed Miss Brant's, Spiderman's ride less than an hour to town. When, young Spiderman got back Spiderman still wanted to confront Jameson, get some information from Jameson about what Jameson thought Jameson was pulling.
Spiderman knew Jameson would have been gone, back, by now but Spiderman wanted to crawl into Jameson's window, bother Jameson in Jameson's office. Perhaps then Spiderman could get Jameson to admit something or Spiderman might pry something out of Jameson. Jameson seemed actually glad to see young Spiderman, like it was a pleasant surprise. It seemed as if Jameson had a sinister motive as Jameson invited Spiderman in, to have a chair.
Petey wanted to make fun of Jameson but Petey knew that it was a trap so Petey sprung off the building to spin a web-line, swing off somewhere else like usual. Jameson was stalling Petey so that Gargan could attack Petey but Petey so that Gargan could attack Petey but Petey wasn't buying it. Just then, Gargan jumped from the ledge above Jameson's window over Petey's back, causing Petey to let go of Petey's web line, fall on the roof of the building across the street. As Petey landed on Spiderman's feet like a cat, Gargan right behind Petey, Gargan sidestepped around Spiderman's side as Petey tried to turn, Gargan curled Gargan's scorpion's-tail around Petey's side.
Gargan's tail went around Spiderman; hit Spiderman in the chest. Petey punched Gargan in the chin in retaliation with a left cross, with Spiderman's spider strength. Petey thought that Gargan was an average human with a Bionic tail, would fall over blacked out instead Petey thought was a brick wall that Petey had punched! Suddenly with one mighty blow, Gargan punched Petey's as Gargan reached slowly Gargan's tail behind Spiderman's lower right leg, tripping Petey.
Having won against Spiderman, Gargan stood on the corner ledge of the building Gargan beat Spiderman on, raised Gargan's arms in triumph! Stillwell, doing some research as a follow-up for the unprepared, rushed, sudden experiments Stillwell did for Jameson in Stillwell's laboratory, Stillwell found that Gargan was much more powerful, deadly than Stillwell first thought. Gargan yelled to the streets below victory, yelling, "He never had a chance!" cheering! Gargan turned against Jameson, humankind then suddenly, realizing that Gargan could do anything in that city because the city was the Scorpion's!
Gargan climbed down the corner of the building to jump onto an armored car, grabbed the edge of the car's roof, then ripped the roof off! Gargan took everything of value, dispatched the guards! Jameson had watched the whole thing from Jameson's office window, quickly called Stillwell because Jameson's little experiment backfired, Jameson thought Stillwell could do something. Stillwell found Gargan on the street sidewalks as Stillwell ran, running up behind Gargan in the middle of Gargan's mad rampage.
Thank Heavens I found you! Stillwell called out to Gargan, "Perhaps there's still time!"
Gargan looked back saying suddenly, "What do you mean? Time for what?"
Stillwell, panting, Stillwell's forehead sweating Stillwell showed Gargan the bottle of antidote serum saying, for you to take this serum! Unless you drink it quickly, you'll never be able to change back again! [Moreover], you'll lose all sense of [right, wrong]!
Gargan turned toward the other corner of that building that Gargan was standing next to, climbing up the building, dismissing Stillwell with a shove backward from Gargan's tail. Gargan began to climb the building with Gargan's bag like a kid climbing to his tree house, saying, you're too late! I never want to change back again.
Stillwell said, "No! You [have] to take this! I can't live with the knowledge that I'm responsible for you!" as Gargan began to climb the building's stone blocks Gargan's tail held the loot-bag on the top of it by having the rest of the tail curl up, over it, holding it in place.
Gargan climbed the building's corner as Stillwell climbed after Gargan up, up, to a dizzying height! Stillwell called after Gargan, no! Come back! [You have] to listen to me!
Gargan said back, get back to the ground, you fool! You [cannot] follow me! Stillwell had crawled up three stories with the bottle in Stillwell's hand but Gargan was right about the doctor not having the opposable thumb strength of a scorpion's pincers. Stillwell's hands slipped, Stillwell seemed to stand there stuck forever in the air, in a split second that lasted longer than it did with Stillwell's hands not touching the building before gravity grabbed Stillwell, got the momentum to practically peel Stillwell's body falling backwards off of the building-side.
Stillwell, with one foot still on the edge of a cinderblock, losing Stillwell's balance tripping backwards made one last ditch effort to throw the serum up, over at Gargan. Maybe if the bottle broke on Gargan, splashed the serum all over Gargan's skin the chemicals would save Gargan's Scorpion mind! The flask of serum broke, shattering pathetically on the side of the building next to Gargan, missing. The chemicals splashed all over the side of the building, wasted.
Gargan smiled down at Stillwell, watching Stillwell plunge to the ground, thinking to Gargan's self,
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