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 Seventeen
Peter exited the school the same way he did every day, headphones on and oblivious to the world. It hadn't been a particularly stressful day, but he was tired nonetheless and ready to go home. The rest of the students rushed past, but Peter decided to take it slow. It was rare that he didn't feel the desire to web sling home, but Liz had practice this afternoon and Peter found himself with a bit of free time. Once got home and threw his stuff done, he would probably patrol for a few hours and make sure the city was safe. But that was about it.
Since his bout with Mysterio at Oscorp, the criminal element had largely stayed away from areas in which they knew Spider-Man could be found. A vigilante was one thing. They could be fought. A hero who could take on super villains, that was something else entirely. It was New York, it wasn't like crime was eradicated. But there had been a noticeable decline in the amount of criminal activity as of late. And that made Peter happy. And it made Ned Leeds happy. And that also made Peter happy. A pleased Ned wouldn't be spilling his secret anytime soon and Peter could keep his promise of helping the little guy. This "break", so to speak, had now extended to the first day of Christmas vacation.
It was also beneficial for his new relationship. Peter had realized early on that maintaining this secret and dating Liz would be difficult. But it was manageable if done correctly. His job at the Bugle gave him ample reason to duck out of events early if he needed to act as Spider-Man. He hated lying to Liz, but he felt that it was for the best. He didn't want to drag her into this part of his world unless there wasn't another option. He didn't want to see Liz hurt. And he just knew that this secret would hurt Liz in more ways than one.
Despite the sun beating down overhead, the chill in the wind was enough for Peter to pull his uncle's old pea coat around him further. Even with the sweater and jeans he was wearing over his costume, the cold New York winter could still manage to get to him. He needed to be careful; it wouldn't do to get sick when he needed to be helping people on the streets.
Just as he was about to finally put some music on and enjoy his otherwise bitterly cold walk home, Harry and Eddie appeared at his side, both wearing large grins.
"Will you look at this Osborn? It seems we finally found Pete away from his girlfriend for the afternoon. I say we kidnap him and do unspeakable things to the corpse."
"I don't know Eddie. Hiding the body could be a real bitch."
Peter rolled his eyes, but smiled. "You two are hysterical. Real comedians."
Eddie snickered. "It's good to see Liz hasn't robbed you of your rapier-like wit."
Peter smirked. "I learned from the best."
"The sarcasm from the two of you is just amazing, you know that?" Harry joined in, throwing his arms around both of them.
"Hey, Pete, did Osborn find a sense of humor?"
"I believe so, Eddie. Who would've figured?"
A limo pulled up to the school, stopping in front of the three boys.
It was Harry's limo. Well, his father's limo. But the three boys were used to this by now. After all, it wouldn't do to see Norman Osborn's son walking home from school. No, they had an image to protect.
Normally, the driver of the limo would rush out of the vehicle and make sure he had the door opened for Harry before Harry had even made it to the car. Today, however, was different. The door to the backseat opened first and Norman Osborn stepped out, phone attached to his ear.
"Dad?" Harry asked, clearly confused by this turn of events. Peter could understand why. The last time Mr. Osborn had picked Harry up from school was the first day of kindergarten.
Mr. Osborn held up a finger and silenced his son. "Yes, just get the specs to Otto as soon as possible. Thank you again for your time, General. Good day."
He closed the phone and turned to the three boys. "Sorry about that, but a general in the United States Army is not someone you just hang up on."
"Dad, why are you here?"
"I have the rare day where the rest of my business can be concluded from home and I promised your mother I would take her Christmas shopping. As much as the woman likes to shop online, it's good to humor her every now and again. Keeps things civil. As for why I'm outside your school, I have a proposal I wanted to discuss with Peter."
"With me, sir?" Peter asked, clearly surprised. He spared a quick glance over to Harry who was glaring down, seemingly trying to burn a whole through his shoes.
"Yes, of course. You see, Peter, every summer Oscorp runs an internship for some of the best and brightest New York schools have to offer. This program is offered to high school juniors who have been shown to succeed in the sciences far beyond what is normally expected of someone their age. It is, of course, a very exclusive internship. Only two are offered a year. Normally, the two students selected would work with the one of the top scientists at Oscorp, but this year is different. I will be mentoring one of the students personally. And I would like that student to be you, Peter."
"Peter would love to..." Harry began.
"It's rude to interrupt others when they are speaking, Harry," his father admonished with a stern, withering glare. Harry immediately went back to looking at his shoes. "So, what do you say Peter?"
Peter was stunned. Sure, he knew he was gifted in science. Everyone who knew Peter knew he was gifted in science. But he never thought Norman Osborn knew about his talent, or cared. To hear that one of the wealthiest men in the country was interested in being his mentor was flattering. And it could open opportunities for Peter that he had only dreamed of.
On the other hand was Harry. Peter felt guilty for the positive attention he received from Norman Osborn. He had felt this way since had been friends with Harry. Especially since Harry only received scorn from his father.
Deciding he needed to be diplomatic about this, Peter smiled at the older man. "I'll have to go home and discuss it with Aunt May, sir."
Mr. Osborn nodded. "A wise answer. Let us drive you home and we can discuss the venture further with your aunt together."
Eddie chose this moment to intercede. "Actually Mr. Osborn, Pete and I have plans already and my car is just over in the student lot. Thank you for the offer, sir."
Mr. Osborn seemed irritated for a brief moment and his eyes flickered menacingly over the form of Eddie, before he seemed to finally compose himself and nod. "Very well. Do make sure to talk to your aunt as soon as possible Peter, the offer will not be around indefinitely. Come along, Harry."
Without even another passing glance, Mr. Osborn returned to the car, Harry following behind, eyes still glued to the ground.
"Bye, Harry," Peter called, only to receive a halfhearted wave in return.
The two boys stood there for a minute and watched the limo drive off, before Eddie spoke again. "I don't know what it is, but that guy really gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, I know," Peter responded. "Thanks for bailing me out back there, I didn't know what to say."
"No problem, Pete. Listen, let's grab a bite to eat and then hit the comic book shop and we can discuss it if you want. Despite Osborn being a total creeper, the offer is a really good one and I can tell you're overthinking it. Besides, we haven't had a bro day since you got a girlfriend and it's past time I gave you some pointers. Everyone knows I'm the one looking out for you and if you suck it's gonna look bad on me."
"Where were you the other day when all I had to play for her in the vein of romantic music was Badfinger?"
"Badfinger?" Eddie repeated with a snort. "You poor child, it's worse than I thought."
…
Peter and Eddie sat at one of the tables in Nelson's Deli, a local secret that only the residents of Forest Hills knew anything about. They were lucky today, it was before the dinner rush and they were the only two in the restaurant. Old Man Nelson was nice enough, having known the two boys most of their lives, if you could get past him crowing about his son, the defense attorney.
"And I'm tellin' ya boys, he and that partner of his, Matty, the two best lawyers in the city. Of course Franklin is the better lawyer, but I might be biased. And those two are so humble. Even with all their fame and ability, still workin' out of Hell's Kitchen," the older man said with a grin. He paused and turned back to the counter of the deli when someone called his name. "I'll be back to get your order in a minute. The old lady is callin' for me."
After he was safely out of earshot, the two boys cracked up a bit.
"You know how you know Old Man Nelson is old school?" Eddie asked. "He still calls Clinton, Hell's Kitchen. That area hasn't been that bad for forty years. It's not a bastion for the working class anymore. It's a bunch of finance guys and actors now."
"Let him have his fun," Peter responded. "What else does he have to talk about?"
"His super lawyer son who's gonna cure cancer, become president, and marry a supermodel."
"Fair enough."
The two sat in silence for another moment.
"So, listen Pete," Eddie began in a more serious voice than before. "You wanna talk about Osborn's offer."
"I don't think I'm gonna take it, Eddie."
"I figured you were gonna say that. If you want my opinion, I think this opportunity is too good to pass on."
Peter wasn't surprised by Eddie saying he should take the internship. Eddie was always looking out for Peter's best interests. And the internship would be huge. It could help with college and even a future career. But there were other factors to consider. The first was his life as Spider-Man. He didn't know how much time he would need to devote to the internship and his first priority needed to be helping the people of the city. Any less would be shaming Uncle Ben's memory. The second was his photography job. Peter liked having extra pocket money that he didn't need to bum from Aunt May. And cutting into that could hurt his future date prospects with Liz. Not that he felt Liz was shallow enough to dump him if he didn't have a job, but he wanted to be dependable for her. Third was his relationship with Liz. It would cut into the time they could spend together in the summer. Peter didn't like the idea of Liz having nobody around her, especially if her supposed friends continued to be such incredible d-bags. Finally, there was his friendship with Harry. Even though Harry tried to throw Peter at the internship earlier, Peter knew it was only to appease Harry's father. Peter spending most of his days right alongside Norman Osborn wouldn't sit well with Harry and it could damage their friendship and, more importantly, Harry's already fragile sense of self. He decided to voice the last of these concerns first.
"What about Harry?" Peter asked, banking on Eddie understanding just how loaded of a question it really was.
"I get it Peter, but if he's really your friend he'll understand. He might be pissed at first, but this opportunity is yours because of abilities you have that Harry doesn't. That I don't. I've known you your entire life Pete and I've never seen you fail at anything remotely related to science. You understand these concepts better than most men who have worked on it their entire lives. Harry understands that too. He can't be mad at you for exploiting your abilities. He has other talents and, hopefully, Norman Osborn will see that some day. But even if he doesn't, that isn't your fault. Liz will see it the same way, because I know you'd be bringing her up next. Anything else bothering you about this decision?"
Well, Peter wasn't ready to broach the subject of Spider-Man with Eddie, or anyone for that matter, so he went with the weakest of his arguments. "There is my job at the Bugle."
"Do you want to be a photographer for the rest of your life Pete?" asked Eddie with a pointed stare. They both knew the answer to that question.
"No."
"Then it doesn't matter. And if you're worried about cash, I believe this is a paid internship. I doubt Norman Osborn would let these minds be poached after they graduate college. He's gonna do everything in his power to ensure that OsCorp is their first destination for a job in the future. You really have no reason to say no. You know?"
"I guess so. I'll run it by Aunt May when I get home."
The roar of sirens rushing down the street stopped the conversation for a minute and the two boys turned in confusion to follow the noise. More sirens quickly followed, as did a panicked mob of civilians rushing in the other direction.
"Boys," Nelson called, rushing over. "There was an attack about two blocks east. Some wacko who was shooting air bullets or somethin'. They're evacuating the entire area. We've got to go."
Both boys jumped from the table and followed the older man outside.
Peter glanced around the crowd as it shuffled down the street and away from the scene. Someone shooting air bullets? The police couldn't handle something like that. He needed to get there and soon. But first, he needed to get away from Eddie, a task easier said than done as Eddie went straight into protective big brother mode.
He grabbed Peter by the arm and started to pull the younger man after him. "Come on Pete, we've got to get out of here."
Peter let himself get dragged for a few feet as he searched for a way out of this situation. "It's a good thing I'm wearing my costume under my clothes like always. That will make it easier when I can get away from Eddie. Hopefully, he runs into someone in this mob and I can jar my arm away. If not, I'll have to steer him into someone. Either way, I need to get away and deal with whatever is going on. Hopefully, I can also get a hold of Ned. He may have a better idea of the situation."
Eddie continued to navigate his way through the crowd when Peter found his opening. Thirty or so people were congregated, trying to split into two separate directions as they moved away from the scene. Peter could also see a cop directing the flow of the crowd. The moment Eddie hit the crowd, and a random stranger's shoulder, Peter jarred himself from Eddie's grip and allowed himself to be carried away from his friend.
"Pete!"
He could hear Eddie calling, but he didn't turn around and switched his phone off to avoid Eddie calling him. "Well, there goes hitting Ned up for information. But, it needed to happen. Sorry, Eddie, but duty calls."
…
In his suit, but still holding his camera, with his street closed stashed hidden on a billboard advertising Stark Industries, Peter swung through the New York air back to the whatever was happening. Maybe the police had the situation under control. Maybe they didn't. Maybe the Avengers were there. Peter didn't know. But he did know that he could help out and that was all that mattered.
Arriving on the scene, he noticed the police had put up a blockade about a block in any direction form the center of a traffic square. Standing in the square was a figure, dressed in black from head to toe, holding up his hands in a threatening manner.
"Listen, and listen well, no one here has to get hurt. But, if you interfere, I will kill you without question. All I want is Spider-Man," The figure said. "When he gets here, don't get involved or there will be causalities."
Peter's eyes widened when he heard his name come from the criminal. "Well, that's typical."
He took stock of the surrounding officers, noting they were in riot gear, and nodded. It looked like they were taking this seriously, at least.
His eyes continued to scan the surrounding crowd until, by some fortune, he found Ned angrily talking on his phone, isolated and near an alley.
Landing next to the man and in the shadow of the buildings Ned was standing by, he tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey,"
Ned jumped slightly. "Jesus, kid! Don't sneak up on me like that."
Peter winced. "Sorry, I didn't want to alert the crowd or the cops."
"It's good you're here. Any reason you haven't been answering your phone?"
"Yeah, I was with a friend when this went down. I had to avoid him somehow."
"Makes sense," Ned nodded. "Ignore the angry messages I left you. And delete them when you get the chance."
"So, what's going on here?"
"The usual. Some nutcase in a costume calling you out. What did you do to piss this one off?"
"Like always, I have no idea who this is."
"Anyway, kid, be careful out there. And give me your camera, I'll get your shots for Jameson. He called earlier to make sure you were down here."
Peter handed the camera over and nodded. "Thanks Ned, again."
"No problem. Just take care of this quick."
…
Peter landed in front of the villain, who nodded in greeting.
"Spider-Man," the villain said in a short, clipped tone.
Peter took a minute to look over his opponent. The man was a bit taller than Peter, but so were most, and covered in a black costume. Looking closer, the mask the man wore had eye pieces of a similar nature to the ones Peter wore himself. The costume was of some material Peter couldn't identify with just a cursory glance, but there seemed to be insulation sewn through. On his arms were a pair of gauntlets, silver, with some kind of dial on the wrists and a small humming emitting from them. "Those must be whatever he is using to produce these 'air bullets' Nelson was talking about. And they seem to be electronic if that hum is any indication. Shit, better stay away from his hands until I can find some way to get around that."
"Well, you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?" Peter asked.
"They call me the Shocker."
"The Shocker?" Peter asked in an incredulous tone. "Really? What, was Finger Bang already taken?"
"Cute."
"Listen, I'm sure there's a story behind that name that is filled with Freudian symbolism, but I need to ask: What did I do to you?"
"Nothing."
"So, this is for shits and giggles?"
"No, it's for a paycheck."
"A paycheck?" Peter responded in a flat tone. "You want to kill me and possibly level half of New York in this fight for a paycheck."
"Yes."
"Well, I hope it's worth it."
The Shocker didn't respond, instead he flicked the dial on his gauntlet and sent an air blast at Peter. Luckily, Peter's Spider-Sense alerted him to the danger and he was able to jump to the side and dodge the attack.
The Shocker again sent another blast in Peter's direction, who was able to dodge.
"If that's all you got, this fight is over. Why don't you head home and come up with a better name. I'm sure we've both got better things to do."
Again, the Shocker just fired another air blast in Peter's direction.
Peter was able to dodge the majority of the attack, but the vibrations that hit him caused him to stumble a bit. "So, he's sending out shock waves with those gloves. At least that explains the name. I could try to web him up, but there's no guarantee I'll hit him if we're both launching attacks at once. Worse still, there are still cops on the scene and one of them could get hurt. I should try and move this fight somewhere a bit more quiet and then get close and finish him off."
"Hey, Finger Bang," Peter called out with a chuckle. "Why don't we take this somewhere private and you can show me how you got that name?"
Without waiting for an answer, Peter shot a web and launched himself off the ground. Once he had swung a few feat, he turned to see the Shocker still giving chase on the ground.
Nodding, he turned his attention to a nearby apartment building, equipped with a fire escape, and pulled himself on to the roof.
"Good, that should give me a few minutes to come up with some kind of strategy to fight him."
The Shocker paused at the base of the fire escape, before turning the dials on his wrists. Then, surprising Peter with the cleverness of the solution, he blasted himself off the ground using the shock waves as a propellant to get airborne and grab the railing of the top level of the fire escape. Quickly, the villain pulled himself to the roof and stared down Peter, before turning the gauntlets down again.
"What?" Peter asked. "Afraid you're gonna hurt me?"
"No."
"Might as well end this now," Peter though grimly, before rushing in for an attack.
He reached the Shocker within a few seconds and threw a quick right, catching the villain in the chin. The Shocker stumbled back a bit, but was still coherent enough to dodge the next blow Peter sent his way.
Peter swung again, catching only air, as the villain contorted himself to dodge the blow and send a kick of his own.
Jumping back a foot, Peter regrouped and the two squared off with each other. "He might be more skilled than I thought. Gotta end this quick."
Again, Peter brought himself closer to the villain and swung. This time, the Shocker caught Peter's fist and flipped him over his back, sending Peter skidding across the roof.
The Shocker moved forward and kicked Peter to the edge of the roof and off, sending Peter tumbling toward the ground.
Dazed, but still somewhat with it, Peter managed to shoot out a web and swing himself back on the roof, this time with a few feet between himself and the villain.
"I can't stay far away and trade pot shots with him. And he's a good fighter. My only choice is to overpower him with this next blow. Better make sure I punch him toward the roof, I don't need to become a killer."
Peter was vaguely aware of the sound of an approaching helicopter, but ignored it. It had to be the news or something covering the fight.
Steeling himself, Peter rushed forward to the villain and punched with all his might, his eyes widening when his attack sailed right over the Shocker who ducked just in time.
It was then that Peter realized his mistake.
The sound of the helicopter got closer, but Peter wasn't concerned with that. He had extended himself too far in his attack and now he was wide open. Worse yet, the gauntlet Shocker was wearing was crackling with electricity.
Peter felt a white hot pain rush through his stomach as the Shocker punched him. Another two blows came in quick session, each taking the air from Peter. A fourth came against his arm, easily dislocating his shoulder and increasing the already escalating pain further. The fifth hit the same punished shoulder. The sixth was a blow to his rib cage, cracking two of them easily. The seventh, another to his gut. Peter dropped to his knees and was about to fall completely, but the Shocker grabbed him by the head to keep him at fist level. The next blow Peter felt was an electric fist to the face, disorienting him completely.
Peter was dazed, hurt, and his senses were out of whack. Worse yet, he was about to be killed.
The next blow that came was also electric, and was also against his face. This time, however, the Shocker let go of Peter and he spun backwards, hitting the roof at a sickening angle and crumbling to the ground a few feet away from the villain.
"Well, this is it, huh? Aunt May and everyone are gonna be pretty sad. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Uncle Ben."
Peter was able to vaguely lift his head to watch the villain come closer. Any second now and that would be the end for Peter.
But, suddenly, the villain stopped.
"It's not worth the effort right now. I got what I needed," the Shocker said. He raised his arms and shot another shock wave out, but straight over Peter's head. Peter looked up as he felt the vibrations pass over him, but when he turned back the villain was gone.
Peter groaned and pulled himself up to his knees. Taking a second to steady his head, he shakily pulled himself to his feet to go after the villain. The moment he made to move, however, a strong hand fell on his shoulder, halting him completely.
"I think not, young man," a commanding and rich baritone said from behind him.
Peter turned around and nearly gasped. Of all the things he thought he would see today, this was as far down the list as any of them.
Standing a few feet away from Peter, in front of a black helicopter, was a figure he knew well. Everyone in New York could pick out the red and gold armor that signified Tony Stark, the Iron Man. Standing next to him, and with his hands on a pistol, was an older man Peter didn't know. He was bald, dark skinned, and wore an eye patch.
But the figure holding Peter with his hand on his shoulder was more famous than even his companion Iron Man. He was tall, and well built, wearing a star-spangle colored, modified military uniform and carrying a round shield of the same color scheme. On his face was a mask with an 'A' embossed on the front. But Peter could see his eyes, blue, and knew from their firm, steely gaze that he wouldn't be moving until they wanted him to.
The man was a soldier out of time and the most legendary hero alive. And Peter knew better than to pick a fight wounded. Hell, even at full strength he doubted he could fight Captain America.
End of Chapter Seventeen
A/N: Shocking, I know. Ignoring my puns for the moment, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. More to come soon.