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 nor any property mentioned herein.
Chapter Twenty
"Turn around."
Of all the things Liz expected to see, Peter in a Spider-Man costume was not one of them. He stood before her in the red and blue, without a mask, that become familiar to everyone in Queens and probably New York since the first Youtube videos hit the internet. But it didn't make sense. Peter was Spider-Man?
Her first instinct was to think that Peter was joking. But that made even less sense. At a time like this, when going out there in that costume could get him killed, why would Peter decide to risk it? Better yet, why would he even have a Spider-Man costume? No, this wasn't a joke. She may not be as smart as Peter, but she wasn't stupid. He was Spider-Man.
Still, it took a minute for her mouth to catch up to her brain.
"What... how?" she managed to stutter out as Peter put on his mask. She could see it better now.
"It's a long story," Peter sighed. "You remember that trip that the Honors Bio kids took last year to General Techtronics?"
Liz nodded.
"We were there to see a symposium on genetic manipulation. Got bit by a spider. Woke up with the ability to bench press a truck and stick to walls."
"Peter, this is crazy."
"I'm well aware."
"No, this is literally crazy. You're a teen, you can't fight crime."
"Captain America made the same argument. I don't think it's gonna stick."
"You know Captain America? Wait, that isn't important right now."
"Liz, just take a deep breath."
Liz began pacing again, running her hands through her hair. "Take a deep breath? Petey, are you kidding me? You can't drop a bomb like this and expect it to be okay. All this time you've been Spider-Man?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Liz. It always seemed to be a bad time."
"And this is a better time?" she raised an eyebrow, arms cross her chest.
"No," Peter responded. "I've run out of time. I know you probably hate me right now. And I know you have a ton of questions. But, I've gotta deal with Shocker before he kills someone. I promise, when this is over, I'll tell you everything."
He fidgeted for a moment and despite herself Liz found the moment humorous. It was such a Peter gesture and it felt weird seeing it done as Spider-Man. She could slap herself for not seeing his identity sooner.
Still, she stood transfixed as Peter seemed to steel himself and straighten-up, transforming before her eyes into the hero she had seen videos of. He wasn't just her nerdy boyfriend anymore. He was something else.
His hand whipped out and a web shot past her onto the doorknob. Before she could ask a question, though, he was climbing out the window.
"Can't have Shocker knowing what room I was coming from. And I can't have you following me. That will dissolve in an hour. Stay safe."
Peter was out of the window the next moment, leaving Liz standing there gawking after him.
Eventually, she was able to compose herself enough to sit down at one of the benches in the room, a confused look still spread across her features.
And then she got angry. He had been hiding this from her for months now? Sure, when they weren't together she had no right to know. But this should have been one of the first things he told her. She deserved to know that her boyfriend had a higher than normal chance of being killed. Not even Flash hid something this massive from her and she was positive Flash tried to hide everything from her.
Did he not trust her enough to know? It wasn't as if he planned on telling her any time soon. No, they just got caught up in a really bad situation. Had this bad guy, Shocker or whatever, not chosen to come after Peter then he would have never told her. He would have let her continue on in ignorance until he decided she was important enough in his life that she warranted the truth. She was supposed to be important enough in his life that she warranted the truth.
And that just made her question more. Who else knew? Who didn't know? Did his aunt? Or Eddie? Or Harry? Or Mary Jane? Who else was Peter lying to? And what about Shocker? He was able to track Peter down at school. Did that mean he knew? Was Peter's secret about to be exposed to the entire world?
She glanced around the doorknob, covered in the webs Peter had left there to make sure she couldn't leave.
How did his powers work? Would they change her through contact? Was he radioactive or poisonous or nuclear or a million different options that could potentially damage her? And it wasn't like Peter was around to explain the science to her. No, he left her there with about a billion different questions swimming around in her head. The jack ass.
One thing was sure to Liz, he better not die. He better not die before he can answer all her questions.
But more importantly, he better not die because he was Peter. Because even though a few months ago she wouldn't have even looked twice in his direction. A few months ago, she would have laughed along with everyone else as Flash bullied him. Because a few months ago he didn't matter.
That thought made her feel sick. She was surprised that she was capable of believing that someone didn't matter.
But he mattered to her now. He was Peter and, somehow, he wound up in her heart.
He better live, because she couldn't stand the pain of him dying.
…
Peter crawled across the side of the school building, careful to avoid windows and any noise as he made his way. The last thing he needed right now was the distraction of his classmates.
He had enough on his mind.
He was going to tell Liz eventually, he reasoned. When the time was right. It was a big secret after all and they hadn't been dating that long. He just needed to know her feelings were real. He needed to know that his feelings were real. Well, it was real for Peter. And he hoped that it was real for Liz. He didn't need to lose her on top of everything else. There was too much at stake already.
How much did Shocker know about Peter's life? Enough to track him down, that was for sure. But what else did the villain uncover? Was Aunt May safe? Or Liz? Or Harry? Or Eddie? Hell, Peter was even worried about that windbag Jameson. He didn't deserve to be hurt because of Peter's secret. Nobody did.
And Shocker had proven effective at hurting Peter. Peter had superpowers. What chance did someone normal have?
It made Peter's course of action clear. He was going to deal with this problem once and for all.
After this it didn't matter. The Avengers and that secret agent Fury were going to go public with Peter's identity. Whether he liked it or not, this would be Peter's last fight as Spider-Man and he was going to make it count.
The main school hallway was wide enough to accommodate the massive amount of students that passed through on the weekdays. And, luckily, there were no lockers in the hall either. All Peter had to worry about were the doors to some of the classrooms and the entrance to the cafeteria.
Peter slid himself through a window in one of the boys' restrooms at the end of the hall. He needed to formulate a plan before he faced off with Shocker. This man was dangerous and proved he could fight Peter the last time the encountered each other. If Peter were being honest with himself, Shocker kicked the crap out of him. It wasn't going to happen that way again.
"Shocker's gloves are the key. Same with Mysterio. If I can get rid of his tech, I stand a much better chance of fighting him on even footing. My best bet is to web him up before he knows I'm there. I need to be quick. I can't afford any mistakes against this guy."
Peter opened the door of the restroom slightly and peered outside. Luckily for him, Shocker had his back turned. That would make it easier.
Peter, as quietly as he could, opened the door and slipped outside. The moment he had a clear view of Shocker, he shot his webs out and tried to pin Shocker's arms to his side. The villain turned quickly and sidestepped the webbing, it shooting harmlessly past him and sticking to a nearby wall.
"Spider-Man," Shocker greeted, turning around the face Peter. "You make a lot of noise."
"Shocker."
"You seem more quiet then the last time we fought."
"I don't have much of a reason to talk. You've gone too far," Peter responded through clenched teeth. "These people are innocent and you put them in danger."
Shocker seemed to analyze Peter for a moment. "Aren't you curious about how I found you?"
"Not really."
"Nothing you want to ask?"
"If you know who I am, then why not expose me to the police? It would be easier to take me down with New York's finest gunning for me as well."
"I didn't bother to find out your identity. I only need to kill you, not expose you. Frankly, I couldn't care less who you are."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I have no reason to lie to you."
"It really doesn't matter if he knows who I am or not. He still found me here. That isn't a good sign. Someone smarter could come along and figure it out entirely. If I manage to get out of this situation without the Avengers blowing the whistle on me or Shocker putting all the pieces together, I need to rethink the precautions I've been taking. Moments like these I envy Captain America and Iron Man."
"I also have no reason to destroy this school or any of your students," Shocker continued. "It's not what I'm being paid for."
"My students? He thinks I'm a teacher here. That may solve an immediate problem, but it will be something I'll have to be wary about in the future."
"I have no desire to fight you here Spider-Man. I would suggest you follow me," stated Shocker.
Adjusting his gauntlets, Shocker propelled himself away from Peter with an air blast, leaving Peter no choice but to follow in pursuit.
…
The office of the Bugle was in chaos. That was the best way Ned could describe it. He was having one of his rare mornings off when he got an urgent call from Jameson himself telling Ned that if he valued his job he would be at work in ten minutes. Naturally, Ned busted his ass to get to the office. The threat was idle, of course, because Ned was too good of an asset to Jameson to risk losing to another paper. But Ned wasn't willing to take the risk. Even through he had to cover the superhero stories for Jameson, he still had more freedom than he would at any other paper.
Stepping through the front door of the building, he was greeted with the staff of the paper calling out various times and reports of an incident he was sure he was about to be informed of.
His eyes glanced over to Betty, holding two phones to her ear and nodded frantically, who caught his eye and was somehow able to motion him to come over to her. As soon as he got there, she merely gestured with her head for him to go in to see the boss.
Jameson, naturally, was smoking a cigar and looked ready to pull a knife on any of his employees who gave him any news he didn't want to hear.
"About time you got here, Leeds. Five more minutes and you would have been canned, I don;t care what awards you won!"
"Sorry, J.J. Traffic was insane."
"I don't care about your excuses. An hour ago, Midtown High was attacked by that Shocker guy. News isn't coming out as much as we would like, but we hear he should up to find Spider-Man. I need you in the ground ten minutes ago."
"Shit, did that guy figure out Peter?"
"What do we know so far?" Ned asked.
"Only what I've told you. Get down there and get me the story. And make sure Parker's okay too. The kid goes to Midtown. He may be an annoying kid, but he's a good photographer and a good kid. Just... make sure, okay?"
Ned nodded.
"I hope he's okay too."
The door to the office flew open and Robbie rushed in, ignoring Ned entirely and slamming his fists on Jameson's desk.
"Is it true?" he bellowed, fear apparent in his eyes. "Was there an attack at Midtown?"
"Yes," Jameson responded in a somber tone Ned was quiet sure he had never heard before. "I'm sorry to call you in on your day off."
"Screw that! My son goes there!"
"I know. Ned's going down there now and he's going to report to us the moment he hears anything. In the mean time, you're going to stay in my office with me and have a drink. I know you're worried, but there is nothing we can do about it right now except hope for the best. Believe me, I'm sure the cops and..." he paused, taking a breath that looked like it caused him physical pain. "Spider-Man are doing everything in their power to make sure Rand and the rest of the students are safe. You need to trust them."
Robbie's shoulders slumped, but he sat down in one of the chairs in front of Jameson's desk. "The moment Ned hears anything I'm going down there."
"I'll drive you myself," Jameson stated. Then he turned to Ned. "Leeds! What in the actual hell are you still doing here? Go do your job!"
Ned and rushed out of the door.
He wasn't thinking about the deal Peter had made with the Avengers. He wasn't thinking about his decision to expose Peter's identity. He was just thinking about his safety. His, Rand's, and all of the other students at Midtown.
"Peter, stay safe."
…
Smythe smirked as he watched the feed from the minicam he had installed in Shocker's costume. Spider-Man had taken the bait.
He turned in his chair and glanced at Wesley who was standing by their boss's side with a stony expression as he, too, watched the beginnings of the fight unfold.
"You seem upset Wesley, is something wrong?" he asked in an innocent tone.
"No."
"Really, if I didn't know any better I'd think the destruction of one of our employer's enemy didn't sit well with you. But that can't be the case, can it?"
"He hasn't been destroyed yet, Smythe."
"That's enough," their boss cut in, his tone leaving no room for discussion. "Wesley is right that he hasn't been destroyed yet. But, Spider-Man's defeat hardly matters anymore. It was nothing more than an incentive for Mr. Schultz to do better."
"What do you mean?" Smythe asked, genuinely curious, but also a bit angry. His plans have never been approved before and he was a bit miffed that it was turned on its head to serve some different purpose. Still, his boss never did anything without reason and it was probably better to hear the entire plan.
"Simple, the goal was never Spider-Man, I told you that before. Can we benefit from his death? Yes. However, he could still be a potential asset and I am hesitant to write him off at this early stage. The goal today is Oscorp. Norman Osborn wields too much power and influence in this city. So much so that he thinks me his equal. That cannot stand. There are also numerous technologies within Oscorp that I could put to better use than Osborn. The man is a brilliant scientist, after all."
"Sir," Wesley interrupted. "I still believe that Daredevil is a much bigger threat to our organization."
"And I agree with that. At the moment, Daredevil is a bigger threat to our organization. And I have a plan for that coming together as we speak. Gentlemen, it's time you were let in on the specifics of the "Hell's Kitchen Rejuvenation Project." It's my idea to control the damage Daredevil can do to our organization."
"What does this project entail, sir?" Wesley asked.
"What do you know about mutants?"
Smythe frowned. Even though he was not a geneticist, he was a scientist and he had a passing familiarity with the concept of mutants or Homo Superior, as they liked to be called. Beings born with special abilities greater than normal humans, benign or otherwise. Some of them were powerful threats if left unchecked because they were hardly ever trained to control their abilities.
He glanced over at Wesley and could tell from the frown the lawyer was wearing that he too at least had some knowledge of mutants.
"Mutants, sir?" Wesley asked.
"Exactly. In recent years, the government has begun a crack down on some of the mutants who have manifested powers they deemed too dangerous or proved to be threats in their actions. It just so happens that the prisons these mutants are being held in are owned and operated by Norman Osborn. After we destroy Oscorp, we can get majority control of what is left of the company and let these mutants out... accidentally, of course."
"But why would they attack Hell's Kitchen? How do you know they won't just flee?" Smythe inquired, suddenly curious about what his boss was planning.
"These mutants all seem to gravitate toward a singular leader named Magneto. If even a few of them decided to find him, the plan will succeed. As to why they will attack Hell's Kitchen, there is a scientist working out of that area named Bolivar Trask. Trask is something of a human supremacist; he believes that humanity should work to wipe out mutants before they wipe humanity out. He came to me a few months ago for funding of something called the Sentinel Program. If in a fit of conscious I realize that my errors in running these prisons lead to the escape of certain mutants and decide to back Trasks' program, letting it slip in the media that this program was about to be up and running, I believe these mutants will attack Trask."
"Turning Hell's Kitchen into a battlefield," Wesley smirked.
"Exactly. And, in the aftermath, Fisk Industries can lead the rebuilding process, making my company vital to the very lifeblood of the area. I believe that Daredevil knows who I am. But, what can he do against the man who is responsible for saving that portion if the city?"
End of Chapter Twenty
A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone. I hope you like the chapter.