AN: I had originally planned to start this story later on. But with the recent death of Stan Lee, I thought that I could use this story to honor him. Because I think that Spider-Man is the greatest hero in Marvel; and to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a story where Jack becomes Spider-Man.
Which I don't get at all; because Jack Darby and Peter Parker are so similar. They're both responsible, and they're both heroes. I don't own Transformers Prime or Spider-Man. And oh yeah, I'm also going to try and combine the Spider-Man comics and movies, with TFP, just for fun. So this one's for you Stan.
Being a hero isn't the easiest thing in the world. If they're lucky, then some people figure it out quicker than most. But for young Jack Darby; it was a lesson that he had to learn the hard way. Even at a young age, he was raised to be responsible. But he never truly understood the importance of responsibility, until now. For some time, Jack had a relatively normal childhood. He had two loving parents. He did pretty well in school. He had a good stable home life. He should've had every reason in the world to be happy at this point.
But unfortunately, soon after that, Jack's life would enter into a tailspin. His father had left him and his mother, when he was still just a child. His dad just packed his bags, and left one day; without any explanation, or care in the world. This angered Jack, for a long time. To know that his father abandoned him and his mother.
Eventually, he had gotten to the point where he thought that they weren't good enough for him anymore. But as time went on; he stopped blaming himself, and realized that he would never know why his dad chose to leave. The only thing he knew for sure, was that he wasn't the only one who was hurt by his dad leaving.
So from then on, Jack made it a point to be there for his mom. He swore that he would never do what his dad did. He would never abandon those that he cared for. As the years went by; Jack got older, and more responsible.
He got a job so that he could help pay the bills; and take care of his own needs. He always made sure that his mother knew just how much he loved and appreciated her. He was a good son. As far as hobbies went; Jack discovered that he really enjoyed taking pictures. So as soon as he had enough money; he bought a nice camera, and joined the school's newspaper club.
His mom was thrilled that he had a hobby that he loved doing; and to know that he was doing good in school. However, she wished that he would spend more time with kids his own age; instead of just working, and hanging out with her, all the time. She knew that he cared about her; but she also wanted him to make some friends, and have a life. Although, he told her that as long as he had her, and she was alright; then he didn't need any friends. But thankfully, that all changed when he was fifteen years old.
That day started like any other; with Jack taking pictures of the other students throughout the hallways, for the school's newspaper, and the occasional website. Some of the people he took pictures of, were either on the basketball team, or members of the cheer squad. Sometimes he even took shots of the school's clubs, and most promising students; like the debate team, or the valedictorian, for example. Basically, Jack took pictures of anything that was news worthy.
Then when Jack was organizing the pictures he took on the school's bulletin board; the local bully named Vince, ran into him, and forced him into the wall. "Better watch where you're going, Darby!" He said in a smug kind of way, before he turned around and continued walking.
"Nice to see you too, Vince!" Jack said in a sarcastic tone. Then he went to his locker, to retrieve the books that he would need for his next class. Although, it was kinda hard to open his locker; considering that there were two teenagers currently making out in front of it.
He eventually got his books out of his locker; however, he did bump into the captain of the cheerleaders, Sierra. "Oh hey, you're Nick, right? The one who took all those good pictures on the bulletin board?"
"It's Jack, Jack Darby." He corrected her.
"Oh, Jack, sorry. It's just that-"
"No, I get it. I mean, we've only known each other since elementary school; but who's counting?" He said while making an attempt at a joke.
"Sorry, elementary school was a bit of a blur for me. Anyway, I was just wondering if you were free this weekend?" Jack couldn't believe that this was happening. He has had a crush on Sierra for years; and it looks like she was finally starting to notice him. "You see, I was hoping that you could take some pictures of my boyfriend's car; so I could give them to him as a gift." Then, just as quickly as he thought that his hopes were realized; they were destroyed almost instantly.
"Uh, yeah. Just let me check the old schedule; and I'll get back to you." He said with a less than stellar attitude.
"Great. Thanks a million! This really means a lot to me." She said before she walked off.
Sometime after that whole train wreck of a conversation; it was time for school to get out. Jack was getting ready to head home. But as he was leaving the building; he saw something that was just typical. Vince was picking on a kid that was smaller than him; while everyone else watched and cheered.
The kid that he was tormenting, was a boy who wore glasses, and had brown spiked up hair. His name was Raf Esquivel. Vince was currently holding him upside down, over a trash can; while trying to force old thrown away food into his mouth. "Come on, why aren't you eating? It's good for you." Vince mocked.
It was at that moment, that Jack decided to intervene. "Come on Vince, put him down!"
"Ah, Darby. You're just in time. Take a picture!"
"I'm not going to take a picture. Put him down! It's gonna be okay. You don't have to eat that." He said that last part to Raf.
"I said take the picture!" Vince demanded.
"I'm not gonna take it. Put him down!" By then, Jack understood that his request was falling on deaf ears. So he chose to try something else. "PUT HIM DOWN, VINCENT!" Then the whole crowd got quiet; because they all knew that Vince hated it when you used his real name. Just then, Vince put Raf down; and started to approach Jack. Jack wanted to help Raf; but before he could, Vince landed a right cross to his face, that sent him to the ground.
"COME ON, DARBY! GET UP!" Vince shouted, as he continued to wail on Jack.
"I'm still not taking it." Jack said in between punches. He was referring to the picture that Vince wanted him to take.
After Vince was done beating up Jack, and the crowd dispersed; Raf went to check on him. "Thanks for the help. Are you gonna be alright?" Raf asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. And don't worry about Vince. He's always been a jerk."
"My name's Raf Esquivel." He said as he held out his hand for a handshake.
"Jack Darby." Jack said as he took the handshake, and got back on his feet.
"Wait, Raf Esquivel? As in the same Raf Esquivel that skipped a grade because he was a really smart eleven year old?" Jack asked.
"That's right. And I guess that makes you the same Jack Darby that took all those amazing pictures."
"What gave me away?" Jack murmured as a joke.
"Probably the camera hanging around your neck. That was pretty much a dead giveaway." Raf said with a chuckle.
"Well, I guess I better get home. But I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my mom. She's a nurse; and kind of a worrier." He said while pointing to his black eye.
"Well, maybe I could help you explain things to her. I mean, it's the least I can do for you trying to help me."
"That's nice, but you really don't have to."
"No, it's ok. I want to." It was then that, they both made their way to Jack's house. Jack was anxious to get this inevitable conversation with his mother, out of the way. As luck would have it, once he got home; he discovered that his mother was still at the house. She was just about to change shifts at the hospital; until she saw Jack come up to her with a black eye.
"Jack, what happened to you? Are you okay? Do I need to call the school?" She asked in a worried state of mind.
"Mom, it's ok. Vince was just picking on a kid, and I tried to stop him."
"Ah, it's always something with that no good Vince. So, who was he picking on now?" She inquired.
"That would be me." Raf said from almost out of nowhere.
When June looked down, she finally noticed that someone was with Jack. June was usually very observant. In fact, the only reason that she didn't notice Raf; was because she was so preoccupied with Jack's black eye. "And you would be?" She questioned.
"Rafael Esquivel. But you can call me Raf; almost everyone does." He said as he reached out, and shook her hand. When the pleasantries were done, he started to explain things to her. "You see, Vince was kinda dunking me head first into a trash can; and Jack saved me. But not before Vince could give him a black eye. Your son's a real hero, Mrs. Darby. You should be proud of him."
"Well, I am. But I also want you to go inside, and take care of that eye of yours; before you go to work." She told Jack.
"I will, later. But don't you think that I should make sure that Raf gets home safely first?" He asked.
She thought about it for a minute, and then said "Alright. But I expect you to take care of that eye when you get back, agreed?"
"Yes ma'am." Jack replied.
"Alright. It was very nice to meet you, Raf. I'm so glad that Jack finally has a friend." She said before she got in her car, and drove off.
After June left, Jack managed to get Raf home, safe and sound. When Jack met Raf's mother; he told her everything that happened. She was a little surprised, to say the least. She knew that Raf was the youngest, and probably the smartest kid to go to that school. But she didn't think that he'd get picked on because of it. "Thank you for protecting my boy, Jack. You know, in all honesty; this is the first time that Rafael has brought one of his friends home with him. And I was actually starting to believe that he didn't have any friends." She said while trying to be funny.
"MAMA!" Raf said in embarrassment.
"It wasn't a problem, Mrs. Esquivel. I was just happy to help. Well, I better get going." Jack stated.
"Wait, before you go; can I at least show you something real quick?" Raf questioned.
"Uh, sure." Jack said, not wanting to hurt Raf's feelings. When they walked away, Raf's mom began to smile. She was glad that Raf at last had one friend to talk to; even if he was a bit older than her son.
Raf took Jack on a grand tour of his house; which he thought would end at his room. Boy, was he wrong about that. The inside of Raf's room looked like a nerd's playpen. It was littered with textbooks, posters, action figures; and a computer with a few files open on it. But out of all the rooms in the house, Raf was really excited to show Jack the basement; or his lab, as he took to calling it.
The room had blueprints spread across one of the work benches. Some tools were scattered around the place. Lastly, there were some test tubes and beakers, that looked like they were part of a chemistry set. Jack was pretty impressed with the workspace that Raf set up for himself. "This is my lab. It's kinda where I go when I have a new idea to tinker with; or when I just want to be alone."
"Well, it's a pretty cool place you've got here. Other than my room; the only other place that I can be alone in my house, is the garage. And even that's not very private." Jack said.
But then Raf started to think about something. "Hey Jack, is what your mom said really true? Are we really friends? Because if we were; then I'd be willing to do all your homework for you. Or at the very least, help you with it." Raf said in an attempt to barter with him.
"Whoa, that's not how you start a friendship. Raf, if you want to be friends; then just ask."
"Ok. Jack, do you want to be friends?"
"Well, I don't know. I'll have to think about that. Of course we're friends. Bring it in!" Jack said in a humorous way, before he and Raf initiated a cool handshake. "Look, this has been a lot of fun; but I really need to go. See you tomorrow at school?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Raf said with a smile. After Jack left; both him and Raf finally felt a little bit better about today.
time skip: a few months
Jack was now sixteen years old; and Raf had just turned twelve. As time went by; Jack and Raf's relationship quickly began to intensify. First they were acquaintances, then friends. Then Jack sorta became Raf's unofficial lab assistant; and then finally, they became best friends. There were times when Jack would come over to Raf's house after school. Either to do their homework together; or to help Raf test out the newest invention that he made in his lab. Or sometimes they just wanted to hang out.
There would also be occasions where Jack and his mother would be invited to have dinner at the Esquivel household. As a result, both June, and Raf's mother; also became good friends. Both were happy to know that their kids got along so well. They knew that neither of them had any friends; so it was good to know that they both managed to at least make one friend.
Raf had a big family; and Jack met almost all of them. Except for his dad. Jack never got a chance to meet him; on account of him always working. Then one day; Jack's life would take an unexpected turn, when he got up and ready for school in the morning. He grabbed his backpack, and his camera; and then he came downstairs to speak to his mother. Only for her to have to tell him something as well.
"Oh, Jack. I almost forgot to tell you; your Aunt May and Uncle Ben are going to be visiting this week." Jack was a little surprised to hear that. He loved Aunt May and Uncle Ben; but he didn't know why they chose now to visit. It wasn't anyone's birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. So why pick now to travel all the way from New York, to Jasper?
"Well, that's odd. Did they say why they were coming?" Jack asked.
"Yes. Apparently, they're on vacation; and just wanted to see us."
"Well, when do they get here?"
Not two seconds after Jack said that; the front door opened, and a voice said "Oh, about right now. Now come give your aunt and uncle a hand with these bags, will ya?" The voice came from an elderly man who wore glasses, and had gray hair. He was accompanied by a woman who had black hair that was turning gray.
Their names were May and Ben Parker. Jack then helped them with their bags; and gave them both a hug. "Wow, you're getting tall. Last time I saw you, you had to be at least knee high." Uncle Ben said with an obviously exaggerated tone. Then Ben went to greet June, and said "And how's my favorite little sister doing?" Before he hugged her.
"Okay, first of all; I'm your only sister. And second, I've got a full time nursing job; and a sixteen year old son. So by definition, I'm not so little anymore." June said as they ended the hug.
"True, but you'll always be my little sister." Ben stated. Then Jack remembered what he wanted to talk to his mom about.
"Oh, mom. Did you sign that permission slip for today's field trip?"
"What field trip?" Ben asked.
"The one to the new Oscorp research facility that they put up in Vegas." Jack answered.
"Oh, well that's just typical. First there's an Oscorp building in New York; and now there needs to be one in Nevada. You just wait; I bet you that they'll decide that there has to be one in every major city across the world, in the next five years" Uncle Ben said.
"Maybe, but Raf really wants to go; and I told him that I'd go with him." Jack answered.
"Who's Raf?" Ben inquired.
"He's Jack's best friend." June said as she handed Jack the permission slip. May and Ben were surprised to learn that Jack finally had a friend; but June said that she'd fill them in later. With that all being said; Jack left to go meet up with Raf.
Jack was going to meet Raf at his house, so they could walk to school together; the same as they did everyday. When he got there, he saw Raf exit his house; and Jack took that as a sign of him being ready to go. Until his dad followed him out the front door. Raf's dad was only slightly taller than Jack. He wore a gun on his hip, and a badge that was presented proudly on his shirt. "Rafael, I think you might be needing this." He said as he handed Raf his backpack.
"Oh, thanks. Uh, Jack, I'd like you to meet my father, Miguel Esquivel."
This is the first time that Jack ever met Raf's dad; and he wanted to make a good impression. So he shook his hand, and said "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Esquivel."
When the handshake ended, Mr. Esquivel said "So you must be the famous Jack Darby. I've heard a lot about you from my son, and from my wife, Gabriella. Rafael has told me all about how you protected him from the school bully. You know, I'm something of a protector, myself."
"My dad is actually, the sheriff of Jasper." Raf said.
"Well, I want to assure you that I'll take care of Raf while we're on this field trip. I won't let him out of my sight. And I won't let any of the bullies touch him." Jack stated.
"A responsible young man, impressive. Your parents must be very proud." Mr. Esquivel said.
"I live with my mother. She is proud." Jack answered.
After they were done talking; Jack and Raf started to walk to school. "Your dad seems like a pretty nice guy." Jack murmured.
"Yeah, now that he knows that you're reliable. I'm surprised that he didn't deputize you right there on the spot." Raf responded. Jack chuckled at Raf's attempt at a joke, while they continued to walk. When they got to school; half of the day was filled with attending classes. Then it was time to get on the bus, and embark on the field trip. They gave the teacher their permission slips; and then found their seats on the bus.
The bus drove for about an hour, before it reached the Oscorp building in Vegas. Then the students got off the bus, and entered the building. When they got inside, they were surrounded by all the latest in cutting edge technology; and a room full of scientists. All the other kids felt like they were out of place in this new environment. But Raf felt like he was in heaven. Jack always knew that Raf was really into science; so he would often try to be supportive of his interests.
Then a woman in a lab coat, came up to the group; and gave them a tour. One of the first things that she showed them, was the research that they were doing on some of the spiders, in a few of the different terrariums. "Many of you might not know this; but spiders are actually one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet Earth. For example, this spider has the ability to jump and catch its pray." She said as the spider jumped from branch to branch, in its cage.
Jack thought that it was pretty interesting; and wanted to take a picture of the spider. "School paper?" Jack asked; to which the woman agreed. But when Jack tried to take the picture, one of Vince's friends pushed him; and he missed the shot. But despite that, the tour went on.
"And this spider has the ability to spin a web, that is so strong, that it can actually support a tremendous amount of weight without breaking. And like most spiders; it can also lift several times its own body weight." She said.
Jack also tried to take a picture of this spider; only to be pushed yet again. "Leave him alone!" Raf said.
"Or what?" The bully asked.
"Or his father will arrest your father!" Vince mocked, while earning a snicker from his friends; before he grabbed Raf by the shirt. "What's daddy gonna do? Lock me up, just for picking on you?" Vince said to Raf; before Jack managed to get his friend away from him.
"Don't touch him!" Jack said as he and Raf got back to the tour. Then Jack saw a man with red hair, and a nice suit. He knew that the man looked familiar; but he couldn't place the face. "Hey Raf! Why does that guy look so familiar?" Jack said as he pointed at the man in the suit.
"Oh my gosh! Jack, that's Norman Osborn. He's only one of the smallest men in the world; and one of my top three favorite scientists. He's right up there with Dr. Octavius, and Kurt Connors." Raf proclaimed.
"Oh yeah, he's that guy who was in your text books." Jack said.
"Yeah, that's my dad for ya." A boy that was standing right next to them said. "He builds a new Oscorp building right here in Las Vegas; and then we just have to move here, so that he can keep an eye on it. Oh right, sorry; I'm Harry Osborn." He said as he introduced himself to them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jack Darby; and this is my best friend, Raf Esquivel."
"So, do you guys go to a school around here, or something?" Harry asked.
"Oh, no. We actually go to a high school in Jasper." Raf answered.
"Jasper?" Harry said.
"It's a small town, about an hour's drive from here. Honestly, most days there...can get pretty dull. But if you enjoy relaxing, and chilling out; then it can be a good place to call home. Life in Jasper is simple; and that's pretty much one of its best qualities, if you can call it that. You should stop by for a visit some time. Me and Raf could show you around, if you'd like. I know it doesn't sound like a good offer. But Jasper can be a nice change of pace. Especially if you've lived in a big city all your life. It really has that small town appeal."
"I'll think about it." Harry said.
"That's all I'm saying." Jack responded.
After the exchange between new acquaintances was done; they continued to listen to the tour guide. "And some spiders have an extrasensory ability to sense danger. A "spider sense" , if you will. And we've been able to combine these traits, into fifteen genetically designed super spiders."
"There's fourteen. One's missing." Raf said to the guide, as he pointed to the empty cage. The guide thought that the missing spider was strange; but ultimately chalked it up to the researchers doing more work on it.
But unknown to anyone; the missing spider was actually nestled in a web, high above their heads. "And over here, we have been able to extract the webbing from the spiders; and place them into these small pellets. Each pellet safely houses hundreds of meters of the adhesive material; to which we are still learning the applicational uses of." She said.
When Raf saw the webbing being placed into the pellets by machines; his head was instantly filled with ideas for new inventions. If the people at Oscorp couldn't figure out what to use the webbing for; then he just knew that he could. As the tour went on; Jack told Raf that he would catch up with him and the others. But he wanted to take more pictures first.
Jack took pictures of the spiders, and some of the equipment that they used at Oscorp. However, he was unaware that the spider from above, was slowly crawling down a web; and heading right for him. The spider landed on the back of his shirt; and proceeded to crawl up his neck, before it sunk its fangs into his flesh. "Ah!" Jack grunted in pain, as he grabbed his neck.
Then Raf came up to him and said "Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah. I think a bug bit me, that's all." Jack said while trying to brush it off. When the field trip was over; Jack and Raf got back on the bus, and went back to Jasper.
While walking home from school; Jack found something that felt an awful lot like a piece of thread, that was attached to the back of his neck. It hurt when he yanked it off; but when he did, he saw a spider hanging from the other end of what he now knew was a web. He stopped and said "Uh, Raf. I think I found what bit me." He said as he held up the spider.
"J..J...Jack, is that one of the spiders from Oscorp?" Raf asked, in a panic.
"If it is, then it could have been the one that went missing." He answered.
"Jack, this is serious. I mean, this isn't a normal spider we're talking about. It's an Oscorp spider. Who knows what they've been doing to it? And if it bit you, then you should probably go to the hospital. Or at least have someone look at the bite."
Jack could see that his friend was a bit frightened; so he decided to try and calm him down. "Well, I don't feel all that bad. But I'll tell you what. How about we wait a while; and then if I start feeling not so good, I'll go to the hospital, ok?"
"Ok." Raf sighed, and said in agreement.
"Good. Oh, and don't tell my mom about the spider bite. Ok? You know how she worries." Jack said. Raf agreed to his request; before Jack handed Raf the now dead spider. But when Raf asked what he was supposed to do with it; all Jack could say was that he didn't know. But whatever he did; it would certainly be a lot smarter than whatever he could think of doing with it. After that, Jack left for home.
After Jack got home; he was so tired, that he went right up to his room, and fell asleep. Whatever that spider bite did to him; it also made him very exhausted.
When Jack woke up the next morning, he was amazed at how good he was feeling. He felt great; better than he has in a long time. While he was getting changed for the day; he caught a glimpse of his shirtless form, in the mirror. He was never out of shape; but he wasn't in shape either. He was always kind of lengthy.
Yet for some reason, when he looked in the mirror; he suddenly had bulging muscles. His whole upper body was covered with biceps, pecks, and abs. He tried to figure out what could have caused this; but then he remembered that Raf was really worried about him being bitten by that spider yesterday. It was an Oscorp spider that bit him. So it was probably the only explanation that made any sense at this point.
"A spider bite...gave me abs?" Jack murmured to himself. He was a little freaked out, to be sure. But he also reveled in the fact that he went from dud, to stud, in just one night. After he was done admiring his new look; he chose to put on a shirt, and face the world. But then he realized that it was the weekend. So the good news was that he didn't have to go to school. But the bad news was that he still had to go to work. Weekend or not, the drive thru was almost always open; and people's got to eat.
But just then, Raf came to visit Jack at the Darby household. He knocked on the door; and when June answered, he said "Hello Mrs. Darby. Is Jack up yet?"
"Hello Raf. Well, it's still a little early; so I'm not sure if he is or not. But, is there something that I can help you with?" She asked.
"No, not really. I just wanted to show him something. And to check up on him; after that spider bit him yesterday." But then Raf covered his mouth, as he realized that he just let the secret slip.
"What spider?" June asked.
"Spider, what spider? I don't see a spider anywhere." Raf said as he tried to defuse the situation. But by the looks of it, he failed; because June was already marching her way towards Jack's room.
Not long after that; she barged her way past his door and said "Let me see the spider bite!"
"Dang it, Raf!" He said as he learned that the jig was up.
"Let me see the spider bite, now!" She repeated. Then Jack pulled down his collar, to reveal the bite to his mother.
It would be a lie to say that his mother wasn't concerned about his welfare; so she chose to press the issue. "Jack, this bite could be infected. Maybe you should come down to the hospital with me; so I can get it looked at."
"Mom, I've never felt better in my life. I don't think that the spider was poisonous. But I told Raf that if I start feeling bad; that I would go to the hospital."
"Promise me that the minute you start to feel sick; that you'll let me take you to the hospital! Then, and only then, will I go along with your plan." She said.
"I promise." He said.
"Alright then. Well, you better get going. Raf said he's got something to show you. And it wouldn't be right to keep him waiting." After their conversation was concluded; Jack met Raf downstairs, and the two headed for his lab.
When they arrived at his lab; Raf showed Jack the new invention that he was working on. One work bench was littered with blueprints, and design specs; and the other had a lot of parts that were going together to form some strange device on it. When Jack asked what they were supposed to be; Raf began to explain it to him.
"Remember when we went to Oscorp; and we saw them putting the spider's webs into those pellets? They said that they were still trying to understand all of its uses. Well, I think I've found one." Raf said, excitedly. Jack took a closer look at some of the parts that Raf was using. He recognized the web pellets from Oscorp; but there were other parts that looked strange to him. But the strangest thing about the other parts, was that they looked like some thrown together household items.
"I ordered some web pellets from Oscorp. And thankfully, since there's now an Oscorp building in Vegas; I didn't have to wait too long for them to get here."
"Wait, you ordered them? From where, online? Raf, you don't even have a job yet. Or a credit card, for that matter. So how could you have possibly bought anything from the internet?" Jack questioned.
"Well..." Raf was hesitant to say.
"Raf?" Jack continued to press him for answers.
"I...may have, took my parent's credit card, without their knowledge; and used it to buy what I needed." Raf admitted.
"Seriously, Raf? You know that they're going to be mad at you, once they find out." Jack stated.
"I know, but I thought that I could figure out a way to fix it later. Look, I will handle this, I will. But first, can I please show you why I brought you here?" Raf pleaded.
Then Jack let out a sigh, and said "Fine. But just remember that you will eventually have to settle things with your parents."
"I know, and I will." Raf said.
"So, I took the web pellets, and placed them into these devices that I made out of some old wrist watches, and spare parts. Now hopefully, if I'm right; then they should theoretically be able to shoot the webbing out of them like a cannon. And once I'm finished; they could be adjusted to either fire off a sturdy web-line, or a series of quick shots." Raf explained.
"Wait a minute! You mean that you MacGyvered a pair of Web-Shooters, out of some old wrist watches, and spare parts?" Jack knew that Raf was smart; but this all was starting to feel like some next level stuff.
"Web-Shooters? That's a good name for them. It's fun to say, and easy to remember. Maybe I'll use that. Yeah, Web-Shooters. I like it!" Raf said with joy laced in his voice. "Anyway, I was hoping that you would help me test them." Raf said.
"Sure thing." Was Jack's only response.
So Jack strapped them on his wrists, while Raf taught him how they worked. He told him that the trigger mechanisms would rest in the palms of his hands; and that they would require pressure from his middle, and ring fingers, to activate them. Jack pressed the button to fire them. But as soon as he did; he was rewarded with a painful electric shock. "Ow!" He said as he released the buttons.
"Huh? I guess I still have a few bugs to work out." Raf commented.
"Yeah, I'd say so." Jack murmured.
"Well, I'll get it eventually. Oh, by the way; I forgot to ask. How are you feeling after that whole spider bite thing? I mean, you're not sick or anything, are you?" Raf asked.
"Quite the opposite, in fact. When I got home, I slept like a log. But I woke up this morning, feeling great; more than myself even."
"Well, that's good to hear, at least." Raf said. Then when it was time for Jack to leave; Raf told him goodbye, and that he hoped that the spider bite continued to cause him no harm. Then Jack left for work.
The weekend had come and gone, in almost the blink of an eye; and it was time to get back to school. When Jack woke up, he realized that he'd be late for school, if he didn't hurry. So he got dressed, and swung by Raf's house. If they wanted to walk to school together, then they had to hustle. Raf was down in his lab, as usual. But when Jack found him; he was still working on his Web-Shooters. "You're still working on those? Raf, if we don't hurry; then we're going to be late!" Jack said with urgency.
"No. Actually, I just finished working on them. And I still need you to test them for me." Raf said.
"One, we're going to be late if we don't get a move on. And two, you've been working on those things for two whole days now. Remember what happened last time? The dang things shocked me when I tried to use them. And then the time after that, they exploded; and my face got covered in webs." Jack reminded Raf.
"I know that there were a few...setbacks." Raf said.
"Oh, ya think?" Jack murmured.
"But I know I'm getting close. I know it. Just please test them out for me, Jack! Please!" Raf begged.
"Ok, fine. But it's going to have to be after school; because we are running late." Jack sighed, and said in annoyance; as he took them from Raf, and strapped them onto his wrists. Thankfully, they both made it to school, with time to spare. As the day seemed to fly by, Jack could be seen eating lunch at a table in the school's cafeteria.
But then an Asian girl with a pink streak in her hair, walked right by him. Then he started to get a weird tingling sensation in the back of his head; right before the girl slipped on some spilt juice. Both her tray, and her food, went flying. Thinking fast, Jack caught the girl; and proceeded to catch the falling food, on her tray.
"Wow! Great reflexes! Thanks!" The girl said.
"Don't mention it." Jack responded.
"Oh, hey, you're Jack Darby. The one who took all those pictures. I think I was in one of those. I'm Miko Nakadai; the new foreign exchange student from Japan." Jack smiled at Miko's friendliness; before she said "Well, see ya." She then walked off with her lunch. Jack sat back down at his table; but then he noticed that a fork was stuck to his hand, for some reason.
When he couldn't shake it off, he tried pulling at it; only to find it connected to a thick layer of webbing, that lead back to one of his Web-Shooters. He must have accidentally set off the triggering mechanism. Then he unknowingly pressed the button again; wrapping the tray at another table, in a web-line that was thicker than the last one.
"Well, I guess they work." Jack said before he yanked at the tray. The tray went flying towards Jack. He managed to dodge it; but then it unfortunately hit Vince, and splattered food all over his shoulder.
Fearing the worst, Jack got up, and left the cafeteria. However, everyone saw the tray follow him on a strand of webbing, including Vince. Jack was in no mood to deal with Vince, so he got to his locker, and prepared to leave; but then the strange tingling in the back of his head returned. He could sense everything around him; including the oncoming fist that was heading right for his head. He moved just in time, but his locker wasn't so lucky. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you, freak?" Vince said as Jack backed away.
"Vince, it was just an accident." Sierra said while a crowd of people followed her.
"My fist breaking your teeth, that's the accident." Vince said to Jack.
"I don't want to fight you, Vince." Jack said.
"I wouldn't want to fight me neither." Vince responded before he got into a fighting stance.
Vince threw punch after punch, but Jack dodged every one of them; almost as if they were moving in slow motion, compared to him. Then Vince tried to clothes line him, but Jack ducked at an inhuman angle to avoid the hit; before he returned to his full upright position. When Raf and Miko entered the crowd, she said "I think I should help him." But when one of Vince's friends tried to rush Jack from behind; his head started to tingle, and he did a reverse somersault, before he landed back on the ground.
"Yeah, but which one?" Raf said offhandedly. Vince's friend decided to leave it to him; however, it was at that moment that Miko chose to step in. She got in between the two of them, and told Vince to back off. Then Vince shoved her; only for Jack to catch her in his arms, bridal style.
Vince proceeded with his assault, while Jack continued to dodge, with Miko still in his arms; until he found an opening to gently set her down. The fight went on until Jack grabbed one of Vince's punches; and squeezed it with great pressure. Then he delivered a strong punch to Vince's chest; that sent him sliding across the floor.
"Jeez Darby, you are a freak!" Vince's friend said. Then the full weight of the situation, hit Jack like a ton of bricks.
"Jack, that was amazing!" Raf said. Then Jack ran away, out of shame. He ran and stopped in one of the alleyways behind the school. He saw a spider web on one of the walls; before he looked at his hand and noticed that there were tiny hairs growing out of the tips of his fingers. He started to think about the spider that bit him; and how the bite was affecting him. Then he got an idea, as he placed his hand on the wall; and proceeded to climb up it. He claimed up the wall; and stopped to look back at the ground. He was blown away to find himself sticking to the wall, high above the ground.
Jack was now on cloud nine, as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. When Jack came to a stop on one roof, he rolled up his sleeves to look at his Web-Shooters; and then he thought of a few new ways to test them out. He fired off a few shots, before he managed to connect a web-line to the adjacent building. He tested the web-line; to see if it was strong enough to hold his weight. The line was sturdy, yet flexible.
He hesitated for a bit; but then he jumped off the building, while yanking on the line like a bungee cord. As a result, he landed on the adjacent building. He then proceeded to web-zip, and swing, from building to building. Although, the buildings in Jasper weren't very tall; so he couldn't get much altitude. When Jack was back on the ground; he remembered that he left all of his stuff at school. But when he went back for them, he was immediately caught, and called into the principal's office; where both the principal, and his Uncle Ben was waiting for him.
After Jack left, the school called his house; only for Uncle Ben to answer the phone, and be brought down to discuss what Jack did. The principal explained to Uncle Ben, that not only did Jack get into a fight with another student; but he also left without getting permission from anyone.
As Uncle Ben and Jack were leaving; they stopped in the middle of the hallway, and Uncle Ben asked him "Was what I heard in there true? Did you beat and humiliate that boy?"
"Well...yeah. But this guy deserved it. I mean, he's been picking on me and Raf for a long time now."
"Oh, so all of this was about getting even? If so, then I guess you must feel pretty good about yourself. Am I right, or am I wrong? Tell me!" Uncle Ben said. But when Jack said nothing; Uncle Ben knew that his unanswered question, was confirmed. "That's what I thought. Honestly, Jack, you're too good of a kid to be getting into petty squabbles with other students.
And I think it's high time you learned that actions have consequences. I was going to spend some time catching up with your mother; but your Aunt May wanted to go into town today. So, how about as punishment; you take your Aunt May out on the town tonight. Ok?"
"Yeah, ok." Jack agreed.
"Good." Uncle Ben responded.
"Uh, Jack. I don't want to alarm you; but there's a girl who's looking at you, right now." Uncle Ben said, before Jack turned around to see Miko staring at him from across the hall. "She's pretty. You should go talk to her." Uncle Ben said before leaving.
Miko approached Jack, and said "So, how much trouble did you get into?"
"Uh, it wasn't too bad. They just called my uncle down here; and he gave me a stern talking to."
"Well, even so. It was still cool to see you knock Vince on his butt."
"Yeah, well, I'm not sure that my Uncle Ben would agree with you on that one. He thinks me getting into fights at school, are stupid."
"Well, he'll probably get over it; or at least go easy on you, once you tell him what a jerk Vince was being."
"I don't know about that; but uh, I'd like to see you again. Maybe we could go hang out sometime?" Jack asked.
"Uh, yeah. That'd be great." She said.
"Great! Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Oh, you can count on that." Miko responded.
"Ok, well, see ya." Jack said as he left with a smile on his face.
When school finally ended; Jack headed straight for Raf's house. Then Jack told him what started the fight at school; and about how the Web-Shooters suddenly started working. However, he didn't tell Raf what he did after he ran out of the school. For some reason, he didn't feel comfortable enough to tell him about that.
But for Raf, the most exciting part of the conversation; was knowing that the Web-Shooters actually worked. So he and Jack spent the next couple of hours in his lab, talking about new ways to improve them. Then Jack's phone started to ring; and the caller ID said that it was Uncle Ben. Only then, did he realize how late it had gotten. So without answering his phone, he said goodbye to Raf, and went home.
When Jack got home; his Uncle Ben was waiting for him by the front door. "Didn't you forget something?" Ben said, before Jack's phone started to ring again. "No, don't answer that! But I'm glad it's working. You owe your aunt an apology, big time! Be a man! Get in there, and apologize!" Then he and Uncle Ben went inside to find Aunt May, and his mother, waiting for them.
"Aunt May, I'm sorry."
"Honestly, Jack, you don't have to apologize to me."
"The hell he doesn't!" Uncle Ben said.
"Uncle Ben, I'm sorry. I was helping Raf in his lab; and I just lost track of time."
"Oh, he was with his friend? Your Aunt May, my wife; had to go into town all alone, and in the middle of the night, where any number of things could have happened to her. And all because you were hanging out with your friend."
"Ben, sweetheart, Jasper is a small town; and I am completely capable of walking through it without getting hurt."
"You will not defend him!" Ben stated.
"I'm not defending him." May said.
"You are defending him." Ben repeated. "Listen to me, son. You're a lot like your father. And that's a good thing. It really is, Jack. I mean, he was my best friend. When he told me that he wanted to marry my sister; I was over the moon with excitement. And I don't know why he left, no one does. As a matter of fact, the only person who would know that, is him.
But at one point in his life; your father had a philosophy, a principal, really. He believed that if you could do good things for other people, then you had a moral obligation to do those things. That's what's at stake here. Not choice, responsibility." Uncle Ben lectured.
"That's nice. I mean, that's all well and good. So, where is he?" Jack questioned.
"What?" Uncle Ben replied.
"Where's my dad? He didn't think that it was his responsibility to be here to tell me this himself?"
"Oh, come on. How dare you!" Uncle Ben said.
"HOW DARE I? HOW DARE YOU!" Jack yelled, before he walked out the door, and slammed it; which caused it to break. Both June and May thought that it would be a good idea to just let Jack cool off for a bit. But Uncle Ben followed him regardless. Jack needed to be away from the house for a while; so he went to a convenience store, and tried to buy himself a bottle of Mountain Dew. But he was short by two cents; and the cashier was being a real jerk about it.
He said that Jack not having enough money to pay for his soda, wasn't his problem. When Jack got the message, and was starting to leave; the next person in line, knocked something off the counter, and the cashier had to pick it up. The man who knocked the stuff down, had long blonde hair, and wore sunglasses; and he used the distraction to rob the cash register.
But when Jack saw what the thief was doing; he threw him his soda, in order to buy his silence. By the time the cashier found out what happened; the thief was already out the door. The cashier asked for Jack's help in chasing after the thief; but all Jack had to say was "Not my problem." The thief ran down the sidewalk; until he tripped and fell. Then a gun fell out of his pocket, and onto the ground.
Unfortunately, this was seen by Uncle Ben; as he was walking down the same sidewalk. In a great moment of courage; Ben wrestled with the thief, over the gun, in an attempt to stop him. But when the gun went off, Ben fell to the ground, and the thief got away.
Jack heard the gunshot, and went to investigate. When he saw Uncle Ben laying dead on the ground, with blood seeping out of his torso; he ran up to him. He placed his hands on the wound, in an effort to stop the bleeding. "No, Uncle Ben! Hold on! CALL AN AMBULANCE! SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE! Uncle Ben, stay with me, please!"
Sometime later, Jack made it home; while being accompanied by a few policemen. Sadly, Uncle Ben didn't pull through; and it was up to the police to inform the rest of the family. They said that the man who shot Uncle Ben, was a street criminal who was a resident of Las Vegas. He probably thought that it would be easy money to simply knock over a few convenient stores in a small town, like Jasper.
June and May were both devastated by what happened to Ben. June lost a brother, and May lost a husband. When the police were leaving, Jack asked if he could have the sketch of the man who killed Uncle Ben. They said that it would be ok for him to keep it; since they already had plenty of copies. Then they left, right after they promised Jack that they would catch the man who did this.
Sometime after the police left; Jack sat alone in his room, up against the wall. Then he saw that he had a new voicemail from Uncle Ben. Jack figured that his uncle must have sent it while he was out looking for him. He started to listen to the message; but then he stopped after a few seconds. He just couldn't live with the shame of what he did. "I'm sorry, Uncle Ben! I am so sorry!" He said while tears started to stream down his face.
AN: Sorry that the chapter's probably a little long; I just wanted to add as many details as I could, so that it would be more believable. Honestly, I would have added more, but I felt as if it was long enough already. And to all you hardcore Spidey fans out there, yes I did combine parts from the Toby Maguire movie and the Andrew Garfield movie. But I did say that I was going to be combining elements from multiple source materials.
So anything Spider-Man is fair game, from the movies, to the comics, and possibly the video games.And if you didn't like something, then that's all you have to say. So please don't go out of your way to insult me in the reviews, be honest but fair. Because Spider-Man is sacred to me, he's the very thing that made me love heroes; and the very thing that made me want to become one.
Oh, and I was going to use an OC for Jack's aunt and uncle, but then I just decided to go full Spider-Man. And since no one who watched the show knows what Raf's parent's names are, I just decided to make some up; and I did the same thing with the part about Raf's dad being the sheriff. So next chapter, Jack becomes Spider-Man; so see ya then.
Also, I wanted to clarify that I did in fact rewrite this whole chapter. Just to clean up the grammar, and to fix the meeting between Jack and Harry. And I know that the way Jack talked about Jasper to Harry might have sounded like a sales pitch, but I needed to find a reason for Harry to come to Jack's hometown. So now at the very least, the idea of visiting Jasper has been planted in Harry's head.
STAY AWESOME!