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 Fourteen
"Pete! Hey, Pete!"
The overexcited voice of Harry Osborn carried across the grounds of the school, eventually reaching the ears of his best friend, Peter, making his way into the building.
Monday morning had come, and though Peter hadn't seen Liz since Friday, they shared quite a bit of texting and even some phone calls, speaking late into the night and irritating Aunt May to no end. Peter was happy, though, because at least he didn't have to explain his relationship with Liz to Aunt May.
And though they hadn't actually defined anything between them, Peter felt as if some sort of barrier had been crossed in his relationship with Liz.
"Seriously, Pete, you're on another world right now. I have some big news!" Harry exclaimed, red-faced and painting as he finally caught up to his best friend.
Peter raised an eyebrow, already guessing what the news could be, but playing along. "What's going on Harry?"
"Friday, my dad was held captive by some wacko in a fishbowl."
"I know, I was there taking pictures for the Bugle. Sorry I haven't checked in. it's been a busy weekend."
Harry shrugged. "It's okay man, I get it. Still, though, it must have been cool to see Spider-Man."
"It gets old after the first few times," Peter chuckled. "How's your dad doing?"
"He's doing okay, I guess. He's back at work if that means anything."
"That sounds like a good thing."
"You don't know my dad," Harry said. "I doubt a disemboweling would keep him away from the office."
The two chuckled, pushing through the throngs of students into the main hallways and near their lockers.
"So, what's got you all space case today?" Harry asked, leaning up against the locker next to Peter's.
"Oh... um... Liz and I may have made out this weekend," Peter admitted, running hand through his hair as he grabbed his books for class.
"What?!" Harry screamed, startling a a passing freshman who tripped over himself in confusion.
"It's not that big of a deal Harry," Peter sighed.
"Of course it is Pete! Your first kiss and it's a make out session with Liz Allan. What could be bigger?"
"Your dad getting attacked?" Peter rolled his eyes.
"Please," Harry waved a hand dismissively. "That shit happens every other week. It wouldn't be New York without a super villain attacking someone. I overheard my dad saying that it legitimized him in the eyes of some of his naysayers. But seriously, spill. I want to know everything."
"You're more excited about this than I am."
"Look, for some reason one of the hottest girls in school is attracted to you. The rest of us geeks aren't that lucky. I've gotta live vicariously through you."
Peter looked around. The hallway was packed with people and he still hadn't seen Liz. Before he told Harry or anyone anything, he needed to talk to Liz and find out just what was going on between them. "Fine, but later, Maybe at lunch and I can tell Eddie as well. I really don't want to have this conversation more than once today."
This time, Harry sighed. "I guess. But you have to tell me everything. I'll know if you leave out any of the details."
…
Norman Osborn, bedecked in his finest power suit, walked through the first floor of his company with a purpose. That purpose, of course, was to project the strength he lost when that buffoon assaulted him just days prior. It was unacceptable that he, Norman Osborn, had to beg for his life from a psychopath in a fishbowl with delusions of grandeur.
Norman felt himself the truest measure of a person struggling to overcome adversity and succeed. His father, the spiteful, hateful, man, had drank his entire company away when Norman was a boy and turned to beating his defenseless family to make up for his own shortcomings. Norman would almost pity the man if he wasn't such a monster.
Since he didn't have the money his dad had squandered to rely on, Norman had to rely on his intellect and his determination, traits he had in ample reserve. He sailed through high school and college with ease, setting up his current company mere months after graduating.
And here he was, twenty years later, the leader of a multinational corporation with hardly any rivals, save maybe Tony Stark.
Norman was rich, educated, successful, and powerful. So, it should have been no surprise that this loss of control would be so upsetting to Norman Osborn.
However, Norman was not one to dwell on the past. It happened and he had to move on. And his first step was simple, regain the power he felt he lost.
The Applied Sciences division of Oscorp was cutting edge in the most advanced scientific theories and techniques, specializing in advanced robotics. A large plethora of the top scientific minds in the country worked in this department and though none of which were at the level of Reed Richards, or Tony Stark, or even Norman himself, they were experts in their fields.
Well, maybe one of them was at the level Norman considered himself. But, he was an odd one. Even still, odd ones had uses.
In the far corner of the Applied Sciences division, separated from what one would have toured, where even the majority of the staff of the division would not entered sat a messy desk covered in papers only understood by the highest echelon of the scientific world.
Standing next to the desk was a stout man, short and pudgy, with stringy brown hair and small, beady eyes covered by thick glasses. He was wearing a stained lab coat over a messy plaid shirt and wrinkled khakis. If Norman didn't know any better, he'd assume the man was just one psychotic laugh away from being a super villain and, also, that the man was single.
But Norman had met his wife on numerous occasions and he learned long ago not to judge a book by its cover. It never helped in business to lose a potential asset because of appearances. After all, that was what the back corner of the office was for. And it wasn't like Norman had to sleep with him, he didn't care what the man looked like.
The leading specialist in atomic physics, the man was also a brilliant inventor, allowing Norman to green light numerous projects that the board would have found dangerous in less qualified hands.
The rest of the corner of the room was a large glass chamber, completely sealed save for two small openings currently covered by retracting sheet metal. Of the labs in the entirety of Oscorp, this room was the most sealed due, in large part, to the dangerous experiments that took place in the small chamber necessitating the use of a harness with mechanical arms to even manipulate the atomic material within.
The harness itself, also designed by the man Norman was observing, was strapped to the scientist's back as he pored over the contents of his desk in deep thought.
"Dr. Octavius," Norman called jovially, moving toward the man. "How are the experiments progressing?"
"Fine, Mr. Osborn," Octavius replied in his usual clipped manner.
"And what are you working on?" Norman replied through gritted teeth. Every time he spoke to Otto Octavius, Norman needed to remind himself that the benefits of keeping Otto on staff far outweighed any unpleasantness.
"The project you assigned me last week. Harnessing gamma radiation for human growth potential."
"Have you been hampered at all by the recent attack?"
"No."
"Is there anything more you need?"
"No."
Norman nodded. "Very well. If I can assist you with anything Otto, just let me know."
Walking away from the man, Norman felt an odd sort of relief. Octavius was the kind of scientist who would follow directions for the sake of scientific advancement. As long as he was involved in the research, he didn't care much for what the research was used for after the fact. Norman, on the other hand, he had a vision.
Since the appearance of the Hulk a few years back, Norman had an idea floating in his head. It was obvious to anyone with a scientific background as extensive as Norman's what had happened to that behemoth. He had obviously experimented with gamma radiation. Since then, Norman had been funneling money into research to purify irradiated substances to a point where they were no longer harmful to human beings, but still kept their more desirable properties. Gamma radiation was the goal, the endgame. If he could figure this out, he would have access to the next Super Soldier serum. Imagine the contracts that Norman would receive from the government if he could produce something on a massive scale. He would be the most powerful man in the country, maybe even the world.
That was why he was working with the Kingpin. As loathe as he was to admit it, the funding he received from the crime lord was enough to keep this project off of his books and away from his board. That kind of freedom allowed Norman, and Octavius, to experiment in... less than ethical ways. It was also why Norman spent a significant portion of his own wealth to piece together the identity of the Kingpin. Norman never liked to be at a disadvantage and with the knowledge of Wilson Fisk's nightlife, he wouldn't be.
Reaching his own private elevator, Norman whipped out his cell and dialed a very familiar number.
"I take this phone call means everything is still intact?" Fisk asked instead of a greeting. The man was always quick to the point. It was something Norman actually liked in the criminal.
"Yes. According to Dr. Octavius, nothing that occurred during Mysterio's attack damaged his research in the slightest. Our timetable remains unchanged."
"Good. Anything else?"
"Have you found out anything about the attack?"
There was silence on the other end for a minute. "I believe it to be the work of my chief rival, Tombstone. It is being taken care of."
"I should hope so. You stand to gain as much from this project as I do."
…
Hanging up with Osborn, Wilson Fisk sat the phone down and folded his fingers together, resting his chin on his clasped hands. Osborn had always been slimy and ambitious and with just enough intelligence to be useful. He would allow Osborn to think they were partners until it was useful to move against Osborn if he had to. That time was soon approaching.
If he were being truthful, Osborn was much smarter than himself. But he was also arrogant. Arrogance in one's abilities always made them easy to exploit, especially those arrogant in their intelligence. They never believed themselves stupid enough to be manipulated and, easily enough, fell into traps.
While the kickbacks from Osborn would be substantial, and power behind the throne was appealing, there was honestly much more to gain from ruining Norman Osborn than helping him. Wilson was a businessman and Oscorp was the competition. The competition that could soon be under his control, extending his power into scientific fields he hadn't had access to yet. That was Osborn's fatal mistake. In order to truly take over the world, one needed their hands in every pie, not just expertise in one subject.
Wilson watched for a moment as his associate, Smythe, wheeled into the room. If he had to hazard a guess, this conversation was going to be about Spider-Man.
Time to change the plan. Two birds with one stone.
"Before you start Smythe, I think now is the time to remove the bug from the game."
"What changed your mind, sir, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Tombstone is much too close to our deals with Osborn. And if Spider-Man is gunning for Mysterio's employer, he may learn something. We need to scrub the project and start from scratch."
Smythe's eyes widened in shock. "Just what did you have in mind, sir"
"When you asked me how best to defeat Spider-Man weeks ago, I mentioned hiring Herman Schultz, known on the streets as the Shocker. He is a consummate professional with an impeccable record."
"I know of him. He robbed that fleet of armored cars a few years back, right under the nose of Iron Man even."
"Exactly. I want you to hire him to take Spider-Man out. But, I want the battle to happen at Oscorp. If he manages to kill Spider-Man, perfect, but he needs to trash Oscorp completely in the process."
"What do we gain from that?"
"When the company goes under, we buy it cheap and keep the staff Osborn hired around with more lucrative deals then anyone else in the scientific world. We then have access to their patents, ideas, and projects. Just one more piece of the world controlled by the Kingpin."
"And what of Tombstone?"
"This plan takes precedence. If we succeed, then Tombstone will never have the power in the city to challenge me. If we don't, then we'll worry about him."
Smythe nodded, a smirk on his face. "I'll make the calls."
…
Lunch that day was an interesting affair. Peter sat at his usual table with Harry, and Eddie who he had texted earlier to meet them. From the glare he was receiving from Felicia, Peter figured she had wanted her boyfriend to herself today and "bro time" was ruining her plans. As he glanced to his older brother and best friend, the latter shaking with excitement, he smiled. It was a wide smile he hadn't worn since before Uncle Ben died.
"So, I have news for you guys that Harry heard the beginning of," he began. "On Friday, I was with Liz."
"With, like on a study date?" Eddie asked.
"More like with, like with her tongue down his throat," Harry responded.
Eddie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Way to go Pete!"
He reached a fist across the table that Peter bumped with a bemused expression on his face.
"So, how was it?" Eddie asked, wiggling his eyebrows for effect.
Peter chuckled. "It was nice. We haven't really defined anything yet, but I think it may be the real thing. We've been texting since it happened."
"You haven't defined anything yet?"
"Not really. I figured we'd talk sometime this week and figure out what we were. I mean, we're still getting to know each other after all."
"Don't be an idiot Pete, talk to her now," Harry practically shouted. "You can't let this chance slip by. I would sell you to Satan for a chance with a girl like Liz."
Peter rolled his eyes. "Are you sure Liz is worth being in debt to Satan? Maybe Asmodeus or Aamon, but not Satan himself."
"Guys, as much as I enjoy your random bits of obscure nerd knowledge, Harry is right. You need to talk to her and soon," Eddie interrupted. "Or now."
Peter followed Eddie's line of vision until he found Liz, sitting alone at one of the tables usually occupied by the popular crowd. It seemed as though her friends were still giving her a wide berth since her split with Flash. Not that she she seemed to mind, there was a wide grin on her face that only increased when she caught Peter staring at her.
"Are you sure, Eddie?" Peter began, breaking his gaze from Liz. "I mean, I don't want to interrupt her lunch or anything. Maybe I should just text her later."
"Be a man, Parker," Eddie responded. "She's all alone, now is the perfect time. Besides, Liz isn't the type of girl to just kiss someone without meaning it. She obviously likes you."
Peter nodded and stood up, wavering a bit on shaky legs that shouldn't have been possible for the likes of Spider-Man. Suddenly, she seemed a lot further way than the few feet separating them.
"C'mon Parker," he mumbled to himself as he moved toward her. "You're a freaking superhero. You can talk to a girl."
But even Mysterio didn't inspire this much fear in Peter. It was one thing to talk the way they had. It was another thing entirely to claim they were dating. What if she wasn't ready? What if she regretted her actions? What if she laughed at him? Peter didn't think he could survive Liz laughing at him. She was still Liz Allan and he was still Peter Parker. They cam from two different worlds. This wasn't a story. In real life the geek never got the girl.
But Peter persisted, moving toward the table. It seemed as if the entire cafeteria had gotten quiet. Peter spared a quick glance around, and sure enough, the entire room seemed to be looking at him as if they knew what was about to happen. Peter didn't really do well with most public activities, he was positive rejection wasn't going to be the exception to that trend.
Liz, too now, watched as Peter walked over. At least the grin never left her face. That was a comforting thought. Maybe she wouldn't be cruel in her rejection and let him down with only minimal embarrassment.
"Hey Liz," Peter said, in a pitch he hadn't heard in his voice since puberty. "I think we should talk."
End of Chapter Fourteen
A/N: Not much to say about this one, I hope everyone enjoys. Quick note for my readers to see who actually reads my author notes. The first five to review this chapter and mention their favorite character so far will get some information about the sequel to this story. Specifically, they will learn the special guest planned. Until next time, peace.