Spider-Man: Year One- A Spider-Man Fanfiction
Summary: Lonely sophomore Peter Parker was the most gifted student at Midtown High, until one day when a bite from a genetically modified spider turned him into something else. Now, he's just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Follow his journey. Rated Teen.
Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man.
Chapter Ten
Unlike the last time he walked into Tombstone's office, Quentin Beck was lacking the swagger and confidence that was befitting a man of his talent and ability. That insipid bug had made a mockery out of his first public outing as Mysterio, destroying in one fell swoop all the work Quentin had done in the last few months. And now he was walking into, surely, a tongue lashing from his employer. This was sure to be unpleasant and possibly hazardous to his health. Tombstone was not known for his tolerance of failure.
Still, Quentin was too good of an asset to outright fire or execute on the spot. With his talents, and now working knowledge of how Spider-Man fought, he was sure to best the hero in combat the next time they faced each other. He would just need to convince Tombstone of that fact. After all, Tombstone was no great intellect compared to Quentin Beck. Manipulation would be easy.
The same blonde was sitting outside Tombstone's office, phone connected to her ear, and an irritated expression on her face.
"As I told you, Mr. Lincoln does not give interviews. Not even to the Bugle. Mr. Jameson will just have to find another story. Good bye."
She looked up at Quentin and smiled. "You can go in Mr. Beck, he's waiting for you."
"Thank you," he responded with a forced grin.
As always, Tombstone's office was a study in contrasts. Along with the fine ornamentation, in the middle and ragged as always, was that same punching bag. Quentin needed to remember that the bag would be the first thing to go when he finally took over this office and, more importantly, Tombstone's operation itself.
As he expected, when he turned his attention to the desk he found Tombstone sitting there with a leveled gaze and his hands clasped in front of him. To Tombstone's left, also as expected, was that buffoon Hammerhead. Both men were decked out in expensive suits, but still could not hide their thuggish nature from Quentin. It was almost laughable.
Quentin steeled himself for a moment and reminded himself of why he was here. He was here not in victory as it should have been, but nearly in defeat. That blasted bug had almost gotten the better of Quentin and it was a shame he would live with until he finally triumphed over his nemesis.
Right now, though, he had a different objective. His goal today was simple: Keep Tombstone from firing him. It would certainly take some of his persuasive nature, sure, but in the end it should not be too much of a test for Quentin. After all, he was true brains of this operation.
"Have a seat Mr. Beck," Tombstone finally addressed him, motioning with a wave of his hand to the chair in front of his desk.
Deciding that it was best to be contrite, Quentin sat down and waited for further comments.
"I was sorry to hear about your recent unpleasantness with Spider-Man."
"Yes," Quentin responded with a significant amount of deference, even though it pained him greatly to do so. "I must admit, I underestimated the hero. It will not happen again."
Tombstone nodded. "Normally, I would punish my employees dearly for this kind of failure. However, you have gotten closer to removing Spider-Man than any other before you. Because of that, I am willing to give you a second chance."
"It couldn't be this easy could it?" Quentin thought. He had to admit, he was surprised. From what he had heard about Tombstone, the man did not suffer disappointment easily. One did not reach his level in the crime world by being soft.
"But," Tombstone began. "The next time you face the hero will have to be under more structured circumstances."
"Of course Tombstone," Quentin had to be careful. Whatever Tombstone wanted of him, he would achieve. He would make himself invaluable, that was the only way he was going to be able to usurp the position he desired.
"Therefore, I have your next assignment."
Tombstone stood from his desk and turned to the flunky next to him. "Hammerhead, if you will."
Hammerhead stood as well and unrolled a set of blueprints onto the desk.
"These are the blueprints to the Oscorp building. I have reason to believe that the Kingpin has been funneling money into one of Norman Osborn's research projects. Naturally, I cannot allow this to happen. Your mission is two-fold. First, I want you to infiltrate Oscorp and figure out what interest the Kingpin has with Norman Osborn. Secondly, when he arrives to stop you, I want you to kill Spider-Man. Understood?"
Quentin nodded. "Yes Tombstone."
"Good, then you are dismissed."
Quentin nodded again and rose from his seat, crossing the room to the door. He had to admit, that went better than he expected. Maybe Tombstone finally realized that he was nothing without Quentin's aid. Maybe he realized that he was no match for Quentin intellectually or even physically.
No matter the reason, though, the result was clear. Quentin Beck was once again on his way to becoming the top crime boss in all of New York.
…
Tombstone had long ago learned how useful prideful fools could be. Stroke their ego enough and they will dance to any tune you play.
Beck was one of the biggest fools he had ever met. Better yet, he was a fool who considered himself superior to all other men. This was useful, for the moment, to Tombstone. But, soon that usefulness would end and so, too, would Tombstone's need to put up with this moron.
Removing his jacket and placing it on the table, Tombstone then crossed the room to his favorite punching bag and began working on his sets. On days like these, when a plan came together, working through these rudimentary techniques helped him refine his next step.
"Do you think that Beck can take out Spider-Man, boss?" Hammerhead queried.
"It really doesn't make a difference," Tombstone responded. "Best case scenario: Beck defeats the hero and, in the process, finds incriminating evidence about Norman Osborn and the Kingpin. We have one less hero in the city to deal with, the Kingpin loses some power, and I will be able to buy out Oscorp as L. Thomson Lincoln. Worst case scenario, Spider-Man defeats Beck and I no longer have to put up with that insufferable twit. Either way, I come out on top."
Hammerhead smiled. "I do love it when a plan comes together."
…
"So, Liz slept at your place after the dance?" Eddie grinned, nudging Peter with his arm. "And?"
Peter leveled a glare at his friend. "And nothing. She slept, I slept, and in the morning Aunt May made pancakes."
"So, you both slept, huh?"
"I was on the couch, Eddie. Come on, you know me better than that. I would never make a move on a girl with a boyfriend."
"And if she didn't have a boyfriend?"
Peter paused, looking down briefly. He first reaction was to lecture Eddie on using a logical fallacy to win an argument. But, he didn't know what he would do if Liz was single. He did, however, knew what Uncle Ben would want him to do.
"To be honest, I probably wouldn't do anything. I don't want to be the reason they break-up nor do I want to be the rebound guy. Neither of those sound particularly enjoyable."
Eddie laughed. "I don't know Pete. Being the rebound may get you two of the best weeks of your life."
"But what if I want more than that?"
"Do you?"
Peter was silent for a few more seconds. Did he want something more from Liz? Sure, he had thought about it on numerous occasions. But thinking about it and committing to a relationship were two separate thing entirely. Liz was every thing he wanted in a girl, especially now that he was getting to know her.
But, on the other hand, Peter was sure he would screw himself constantly. He had no idea how to be a boyfriend, let alone one good enough for someone like Liz. And he couldn't stand the thought of hurting her.
"I'll get back to you on that."
"Then I think you may have some things to figure out Pete. But be quick. A girl like Liz isn't going to wait forever and I really don't see her and Flash as some epic romance for the ages. They're no Yusuke and Keiko."
Pater raised an eyebrow. "That's your go-to for lasting relationships?"
"You're deflecting Pete. Intellectual disdain and sarcasm aren't going to solve this problem for you."
"You're right," Peter sighed. "It's just... I don't have any experience in this category. I could tell you the scientific formulas for love or lust or any of it, and I know they exist, but..."
"Sometimes science doesn't have all the answers. I forget how hard it must be some times for you to not have the answer at your finger tips. But nobody, not me or your aunt or anyone, has the right answer for this problem. And you can posterize and hypothesize all you want, Pete, but, in the end, you're just gonna have to jump in."
Peter gave Eddie a weak smile. "Thanks, bro, for talking this through with me. I really don't know who else I could have turned to about this problem."
"It's not a problem Pete. We may not spend every day together anymore, but you'll always be my little brother. I'll always have your back."
The two walked in companionable silence for a few moments before Eddie turned and looked at Peter again. "Listen, don't think too hard on it. You're not going to figure anything out today Pete."
"You're right."
"I always am, you should know that by now. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine."
Eddie chuckled. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have about fifteen minutes to find my girlfriend and get some exercise in before class. Have a good one Pete."
With a wave of his hand, Eddie left a bemused Peter in his wake.
…
Peter left his study hall later that day with Harry, his mind still in turmoil over his conversation with Eddie. It was a good thing he was a big enough nerd to be ahead in all his classes. He could afford a day of zoning out and not paying much, if any, attention to the teachers.
The main hall of the school at the end of the day served as an impromptu meeting place for the various groups of friends that hadn't been able to talk to each other during the day. As usual, Eddie was holding court over by his locker with Felicia holding on to his arm and glaring at Peter as he walked by even as Eddie gave him a small wave and a wink.
Peter didn't blame her though, he had taken up most of her boyfriend's morning free time.
On the periphery of the popular seniors, Flash leaned himself up against a locker and talked to Rand, his arms gesturing in a wild motion. When he saw Peter pass, a scowl quickly formed on his face and he made an attempt to get to Peter, but was held back by Rand's arm on his shoulder and a stern look from Eddie. Sally, standing next to Rand, was also glaring at Peter. She let her apparent displeasure be known through an uncreative use of her middle finger.
"Is there some reason the brain trust is glaring at me like I turned them all in for cheating?" Peter asked Harry.
Harry merely shrugged in return, but a voice from Peter's other side answered the question for the two boys. "Word of your after dance exploits has gotten around Tiger. Flash may be a bit slow on the uptake, but even he can see the writing on the wall."
"Mary Jane!" Peter exclaimed, quickly giving the girl a, mostly unintentional, once over. She had swapped out her dance attire for a pair of faded jeans and a Ramones tee. Even dressed as casually as she was, she was still the prettiest girl in the near vicinity. "Enjoying your first day?"
"Not as much as I'm enjoying the dram unfolding around you. I gotta say, Tiger, you attract an awful lot of attention for a proclaimed loser."
Peter gave her a wry smile. "One of my many talents, I guess."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think it'll blow over in a few days as long as you keep your distance from Liz and don't stir the pot," she answered, glancing over his shoulder and quickly grimacing. "I think I spoke too soon."
Peter followed Mary Jane's eyes down the hallway as Liz approached, head down and lacking the confidence she usually walked with. She moved to go stand with her group of friends, but caught Peter's eye for a brief moment and smiled. That moment was all it took for Flash to throw Rand's arm off and march toward Peter. He grabbed Peter by the scruff of his shirt and threw him up against a locker with enough force for the sound to echo and catch the attention of the few students not already watching their very own soap opera unfold.
Peter had to remind himself to play weak and allow Flash to try and hurt him, but still caught Eddie's eye and shook him off from intervening. As much as he appreciated the offer, this was something he would have to deal with himself. Besides, it wasn't like Flash could actually hurt him.
"Something you wanna tell me Parker? Trying to snake my girlfriend?" Flash asked, punctuating each sentence by slamming Peter once more into the lockers.
Peter realized that his usual sarcastic response would be the worst possible thing to do, he merely stayed quiet. He did however, unintentionally, manage to glance at Liz again, enraging the bully quarterback even further.
"That slut isn't going to help you, Parker. It's just you and me."
Flash could have insulted Peter all day long and Peter wouldn't have moved an inch. He could have have called Peter any name in the book and Peter would have taken it. He could have done almost anything to Peter and Peter would have accepted it. But insulting Liz was another matter. Insulting Liz was stepping over the line. Insulting Liz was enough of a justification for the beating that Peter was about to lay down on Flash. Peter had fought criminals and not been this angry. Peter had fought a super villain and managed to keep his composure. But now, Peter saw red.
Easily enough, Peter broke the hold Flash had on his shirt and was about to cock his fist back and let the asshole have it, when a loud, vibrating noise echoed off of the quarterback's cheek, stopping both boys from making any further moves.
Eyes wide in shock, Peter turned to see Liz with her hand still outstretched and fire in her eyes.
"None of this is Peter's fault," Liz said with cold steel in her voice. "We've been drifting apart for some time Flash. And today proves why. You're a bully and you're immature. And I'm done. I'm done Flash."
Liz turned on her heel and fled out the door of the school, leaving a gaping mass of students staring after her. It took a few moments, but Sally broke from her daze and ran after her friend. Flash, seething in anger, took one more look at Peter and stormed off in the opposite direction.
End of Chapter Ten
A/N: Well, here you go. I hope everyone likes Chapter Ten. As always drop me a review or a question.