Hello party people and welcome to the third chapter of The Marvelous Spider-Man.
Cabrera1234: Well the official love interest for this story is still undecided, so I guess you'll have to read and find out.
It was a beautiful morning and as if he'd been granted a miracle, Peter could be found sleeping peacefully like a log on a warm spring day. This was no miracle ok inthough, this was his body finally giving out after a long period of exhaustion as he had spent the last three days trying to track down The Enforcers, but of course to no avail. He was even constantly checking his police scanner to see if they popped up again and still nothing aside from a few petty muggings. After the helicopter crash it was like they never existed, no trace of them was left behind, that didn't stop him from searching though. So for once, Peter allowed himself some rest, but his alarm clock had different plans. After trying to ignore the machine's consistent ringing, Peter finally gave up, slamming his hand down on it to turn it off before getting up and starting his day.
Checking the dorm for his roommates, he sighed in relief as he found the place conveniently empty, though, this didn't surprise Peter as Harry had his classes in the morning and afternoon, meaning Pete wouldn't see him until the evening and their third roommate was practically a ghost, rarely ever coming into the dorm for anything, save for some books for class and change of clothes for showers, this made the guy unpredictable.
So Pete naturally got into the habit of sweeping the place when he woke up to avoid getting caught working on things involving the other side of his double life.
He was performing some quick morning stretches as his attention was caught by a small vibration coming from the nearby desk, looking over to see his new phone's alarm going off, smiling as he shut it off. Peter had finally caved in and got a new phone by day two as there was no way he could explain how his phone mysteriously disappeared. So far, the phone hasn't given him any regrets in his purchase, it was a definite improvement.
Although the young man's content smile quickly turned into a dreadful scowl as he reached under his bed and pulled out the broken remains of his right web shooter, collected after Spidey swung back through the crash site right as his webbing started dissolving; narrowly avoiding the police.
Funny enough, it looked fixable with the right components. He could make it as good as new, but alas he didn't have the funds for said components. Being the web designer for the Daily Bugle was good money but not good enough to buy a new phone and fix a $200 piece of equipment.
So the brunette haired young man decided to suck it up and do the best he could with what he had, but right as Peter got his tools out to try to at least salvage it, he got a phone call from a familiar blonde woman. '''The Devil works hard but it seems Parker Luck works harder. ''' he thought as he used the good web shooter to answer it and put it on speaker so he could continue tinkering.
"What's up Gw-"
"Do you enjoy doing this?!" Gwen said passionately over the phone. She was mad, and knowing himself, she probably had a good reason. "I swear Peter, sometimes I think that the only conceivable reason you would even think of setting your alarm 5 minutes early is just so you can make sure you're late."
This made Peter drop his tools in confusion and immediately pick his phone up. "Wait, I'm late? To what?" He asked, the gears in his head starting to turn.
"Please don't tell me you actually forgot, Peter."
'''Forget? What could I have forgotten?''' he thought to himself as the gears continued turning. "Wait, what's today?" He asked right as something clicked in his head when he saw the date marked on the calendar.
"AW CRAP! CONNORS!" Peter exclaimed as he began sprinting through his dorm for some clothes.
OoO~OoO
Peter could hear the wind blowing as it flowed past his ears while sprinting, he started shivering since drops of water were hitting him in the face while he ran with his backpack in hand. His hair was still wet because of the quick shower he took before running out of the door, not bothering to dry his hair.
Combined with the colder Autumn air, Peter was on the verge of freezing with his saving grace being the sweater with a jacket he was wearing underneath. With that, Pete continued to huff his way across the campus.
Peter winced as he felt the souls of his shoes skid across the concrete as he came to a hard stop when he had reached the staircase leading to his destination. However, at the bottom of said staircase, Pete noticed a certain blonde haired young woman with glasses that would frequent in and out of his life at the drop of a dime sitting patiently while reading a book. She was much better dressed for the weather than he was as she wore a simple pink hair band that matched with the zip-up hoodie that she wore with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, a great pair of jeans, and some black boots to finish it all off.
As Peter examined her, the girl simply continued reading her book until she laid her blue eyes on the last word of the chapter she was on. At that moment, she quickly closed the book stuffed inside of her backpack, one that was at complete capacity when it came to storage and looked like it could burst at any given moment, though Peter doubted that she would do anything about it if he told her.
When she finally got the ticking bomb of junk finally zipped up, it was then that she finally looked up and acknowledged Peter's presence, " Oh! Hey Pete!" Gwen said in her usual high voice tone, acting aloof as if she didn't know he was standing there.
"Hi, Gwen, not that I mind it, but what's with the friendly mood?" He asked while slowly backing up, hoping it went unnoticed. "With how you sounded over the phone I thought you'd be ready to break me in half when I got here."
Gwen simply giggled to herself as she stood up. "Well I would if you were actually late."
"... what do you mean by that?"
"It means check your phone."
Peter did as instructed and proceeded to check his phone, and for the first time this morning he looked at the time. "Oh I'm five minutes early." He said in monotone until it clicked.
"HOLY CRAP I'M FIVE MINUTES EARLY?!" He exclaimed as Geen started laughing herself half to death while Peter simply stared at the time on his phone. It went on like that for a good minute until Peter finally regained his composure. "What did you do?"
"I finally came up with a tangible contingency plan for Parker Luck." She answered, recomposing herself also but still giggling throughout each word."
" How?"
"I'm not telling you, if I did, your luck would just find a workaround. For now, that plan stays within my brain and my brain only." She said, quickly grabbing his hand and running up the stairs with him in tow. "Now come on, let's hurry up and get inside the lab, we've got a good impression to make."
"Yeah okay, Batman."
The lab in question was the Empire State University Lab and they were there because upon accepting their scholarships to ESU they were offered a full ride internship at the university's lab, albeit a unpaid internship, but something nonetheless. Being the science geeks that they are, they both accepted without hesitation.
Coincidentally, this just so happens to also be the place that made the genetically engineered spider that bit him, thus giving him his powers, fortunately his powers didn't start manifesting until after his hospital trip and didn't even make a blip in his medical charts.
Besides all that, when the duo finally made it inside the lab, Peter started to feel warmer as he made it further inside the almost perfectly temperature controlled lab. Him and Gwen gazed in awe as they looked around the room, it somehow looked even better than the last time they had seen it.
The two continued to stand there shoulder to shoulder until they both were caught off guard by a sudden voice. "Hello there! You guys must be the new interns!"
They both turned their heads to see a familiar blonde man with glasses and a missing appendage rushed over to meet them. He looked to be in his mid to late 30s and he wore a simple lab coat with the right sleeve folded up over a yellowish beige button up. This man's name was Dr Curt Connors, the lead scientist at this facility and arguably the best the university had to offer, this was the man that he and Gwen were going to work directly under, albeit as interns.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but I'm sure as you two know science never sleeps!" He said. Peter had noted that the guy was rather chirpy so early in the morning, especially for a guy with only one arm. "So how long did I keep you kids waiting?"
As if on cue, right as Gwen opened her mouth to answer his question, there came another woman in a lab coat that answered the question for her. "Actually according to the clock they're right on time, so I guess you'll have to save those "why I'm late" excuses for another day, Sweetheart." She finished, kissing Connors on the cheek.
"I guess so, honey. Where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced, I'm Doctor Curt Connors," he introduced himself, extending his left hand in greeting. "And this is the second head scientist and my wife, Dr Martha Connors."
"Pleasure to meet you both. Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy I presume?" Martha asked as Peter extended his right hand to meet the good doctor's while examining the odd couple. '''From how she carries herself I can tell she's a lot more grounded than her husband, unlike her he can't seem to get his head out of the clouds, I guess if a missing arm can't ruin your mood nothing can.'''
"Oh uh yeah, that'd be us. Me being Peter of course!" he said anxiously, rubbing the back of his head while doing so.
"Parker huh? Wait, where have I heard that name before?" Curtis asked in confusion, rubbing his chin while doing so, until he recognized Peter's sweater. "Right! You're the kid that got bit by one of our old spiders that got the project shut down." He said rather cheerily. "I'm glad to see you got the puke stain out of your sweater!"
Peter and Gwen both grimaced, Peter because he remembers having to hand wash the sweater for hours to get this thing out and Gwen because she remembered her and Harry having to help hold Peter up in getting some on her, safe to say she burned those clothes.
"Oh so you remember me?" Peter asked nervously, a chill running up his spine as he did so.
"Of course! If you hadn't gotten bitten that day, the board would have never forced us to scrap that dead end cross-species project, then we would've never made the breakthroughs with the eels that we have to this day!" The Doc excitedly said as he started walking towards another section of the lab, gesturing for the young adults to follow.
Doing as he requested, the pair turned around at the corner after him to see a large water tank filled with tons of electric eels; they looked on in awe as Dr Connors continued speaking. "These are our genetically modified electric eels, even just one of these little guys can generate almost enough electricity to power an entire building. The whole tank of them can generate enough to the entire campus, and they've been doing so for the past month."
While Gwen continued to look on in amazement, Peter's thoughts only grew more and more concerned. '''Only one for a building? A couple for an entire city block?! Definitely makes me wonder what I'm truly capable of now.''' he thought to himself, looking down at his hands in a mix of curiosity and shock, as it was only just a few days ago that he broke a helicopter in half and walked away relatively scratch free. Peter only continued to think in deep thought until Gwen spoke up.
"Wow, you two really did all this yourselves, Dr Connors?" She asked, a fire burning in her eyes that Peter knew all too well, she was excited, meaning nothing in this lab will save until she figured out how it worked. Curtis simply smiled at the girl until he saw Martha walking over with another man in tow.
"Well Martha and I can't possibly take all the credit." He responded, using his good arm to grab the guy his wife was walking with, pulling him to the side. "If it wasn't for this guy and his amazing mind for electrical engineering, the idea for the eels would have been dead in the water."
"You flatter me Doc, but all I did was drop a few grids, it's nothing really." The guy said, becoming more flustered as he started scratching the back of his head. He looked to be an average-sized African American man, Peter assumed he was probably around 19 as he looked just as young as him and Gwen, if only a bit older.
"Nonsense! You are an irreplaceable help to this team." Connors responded, wrapping his arm around his companion, who, examining the pair standing in front of him, decided to introduce himself.
"Hi uh, my name is Maxwell Dillon, b-but you can just call me Max, a-as I'm sure you've guessed, I'm the resident electrical technician. I just keep the grid up and running." Max said awkwardly, smiling just the same.
"I'm Peter and this is Gwen, we're the new interns." Peter returned. "Still, despite what you may think, this is really impressive. I can't believe you guys managed to do this in just a year."
"And the surprises don't stop there, Bro." A new but familiar voice said as Gwen and Peter turned around to see a face just as familiar. It was the face of his few childhood friends, someone who was there even the plane crash that took his parents, as that same plane crash also took his. "I understand if you don't recognize me, I'm not exactly the baby-faced giant from Midtown." He said in reference to his still growing stubble.
"Wait… Eddie? Eddie Brock?" Peter said in shock.
"In the flesh, Bro!" Eddie laughed, snatching up the young man in a big bear hug.
Hours later, Peter could be seen in full Spidey gear on a rooftop, looking down on the city below. After catching up with Eddie and the Connors, he and Gwen had left for their classes with the pair saying their goodbyes when Gwen reached hers. Peter on the other hand? He only has one night class today at nine and it was currently six, which meant he had time to kill and how better to do so than to swing around looking for trouble?
'''It was nice seeing Eddie again. Catching up after all this time."' he thought, flipping off of the rooftop, descending into the city below before pulling himself back up with a web swing. '''But I've got things to do and Enforcers to find, now what does the city that never sleeps have for me tonight?"'
Unfortunately, as it would turn out, the city that never slept seemed to be sleeping as Spidey swung around for an hour straight with no action. The city was completely peaceful aside from some petty muggings here and there. Pulling his phone out of its designated pouch in his hoodie mid-swing, he turned it on to see it was now 7:42. Pete yawned as his eyes grew more bored with what was on his screen while he scrolled on Quicky, seeing random posts until he stumbled upon one from Harry's account, the picture featured his friend at a club having the time of his life. Peter couldn't help but zone out as he grew a bit jealous.
Suddenly, while the wall crawler was zoned out he felt a familiar ringing in the back of his head, he grew annoyed while he tried to ignore it until the very last minute when he realized he what it was, but it was too late as Spidey was blown out of the air by what felt like to him was a very angry vibration wave. Landing on a nearby rooftop, Spider-Man groaned in pain as his entire body felt jittery as if every muscle in his body was being tased at once, he started looking around, examining his surroundings in an attempt find his attacker but to no avail as he felt a pair of large boots hit the ground behind him.
Instantly flipping around to try to defend himself, Spidey was instantly met with another shockwave, with this when somehow packing even more of a punch than the last as it sent him flying further back, close again they hit the ledge and roll onto the roof of another building. Not even bothering to check his surroundings again, the Spider-Man felt his spider senses go off once again as he quickly rolled out of the way of an extremely fast kick coming from his attacker cladded in yellow in a net patterned outfit.
" Oh? You actually dodged that, bug? Well I'll be damned, looks like I'm about to owe Dan 60 bucks." The man in yellow jest, turning around to look at his target through the green visor embedded in the mask of his suit. "So for the sake of my hard earned money, let this next shot kill ya, pest!" He said as he blasted at the Wall Crawler once more, his target flipping out of the way and onto a close wall, living up to his nickname while studying his attacker.
"Okay, I'm an arachnid first of all, and -Wait! I recognize that crappy voice that you call an accent. Arizona, is that you?" Spidey grimaced inside of his mask as he quipped. Running along across the wall as Montana shot a continuous vibro-blast at him, the masked vigilante just barely managed to flip out of the way, shooting a web-ball at the Enforcer's face as he landed, temporarily stopping his attacks. "Okay buddy, where'd you get your new digs? Because whoever your tailor is, they're clearly better at designing costumes than I am, as you can see."
Spidey watched as Montana made a 180 and aimed one of his two gauntlets in Spidey's direction, reminding him that his opponent was still temporarily blind, "Sorry, poor choice of words." He said before launching himself at Montana, punching him in the face, sitting the criminal sliding across the roof. Launching himself again to continue his assault, the arachnid-themed vigilante felt his spider senses ring again as Montana rolled on back, blasting Spidey away from him with both gauntlets; sending him to the other end of the roof, landing on his back, his head hanging off the ledge.
The Wall Crawler's sixth sense rang once more throughout his head as he looked up to see Montana getting to send another blast, aiming for his head this time. Spidey quickly moved his entire body to the side, watching the stray vibro-blast hit the busy street below, '''Gotta move this fight. ''' he thought, using his flexibility to flip onto his feet, entering close quarters combat with his opponent.
Spidey was throwing punch after punch, only to find that Montana was the better fighter as every hit the vigilante threw was blocked by his yellow netted dance partner, but he wasn't having much luck either as every punch he threw couldn't connect that's Spidey dodged around him until Montana threw a punch his gauntlet on, completely missing his opponent and hitting the wall of the building behind him, the powerful blast sending chunks of the wall off the building, falling towards the civilians below.
" NOOO! " Spidey yelled in concern, jumping off of the roof, leaving Montana unattended as he maneuvered through the air the best he could with only one web shooter and swung through the sidewalk, moving people out of the way of incoming debris. Spider-Man moved as fast as he could as he moved everyone out the way, kicking a chunk of debris into pieces to stop it from impacting a moving car and even catching a larger piece to stop it from crushing a family of five. He told them to run away while he held it up, they complied as the parents grabbed their children and ran away.
Thinking for a split second that his work was done, Spidey felt a familiar vibration blast them in the back as he was about to throw away the debris, sending the Wall Crawler flying down the sidewalk into the middle of an intersection. "Seems you forgot all about me, Bug." He taunted; blasting his red and blue foe into the ground at his gauntlets' highest setting, laughing maniacally as Spidey yelled in pain. "Do ya get it now, Bug? You've been sentenced to death by the chair. This is your execution, but since that doesn't seem to be one by…"
" ... I'll be the Shocker that knocks your lights out, for good! "
Despite yelling his lungs out in agony, Spidey still had the strength to speak and so spoke what could be his final words. "If that was your attempt at a cool villainous banter before trying to kill the hero then for everybody's sake leaving the banter to me !" Spidey taunted as he used his good web shooter and webbed some nearby debris and flung it towards him and Shocker, sending the super criminal flying down the street.
Shocker quickly got up from the blow and tried to blast his target again, but was distracted by the sound of police sirens in the distance. Spidey quickly used the opportunity to escape and was gone by the time Shocker turned around.
" God fuggin' damn it!" He swore, thinking quickly, he dashed off into a nearby alley before putting his index and middle fingers to his ear, turning on his earpiece inside his mask. "Hammerhead, I can report that the suit's effective against the bug, although I'm sorry to say, he ain't dead."
"It's fine, this was just a test anyway. If the bug's not dead then so be it, as long as you or the suit aren't compromised." The man called Hammerhead spoke through the earpiece.
"Don't worry, I've dodged the cops." Montana assured Hammerhead, "But this isn't over, he only escaped cuz he was more slippery than I thought and I was only one man" he reasoned, his head turning for a solution until he finally found one, "Tell Ox and Dan to get ready…"
"And tell The Big Man that I'll have that Pest's head served on a silver platter to him before the weekend's over."
Peter sat in his dorm room, staring blankly at the textbook in front of him. He had been trying to study for his upcoming chemistry exam, but his mind kept drifting to the events of the previous night.
"How could I have been so careless?" he muttered to himself. "I should have seen that ambush coming."
It had been a day since his devastating defeat at the hands of the newly-christened villain known as Shocker. The encounter had left him battered and bruised, both physically and mentally. He had tried to shake off the defeat, to remind himself that he was Spider-Man, a hero capable of overcoming any obstacle. But try as he might, he just couldn't bring himself to get out of bed.
He lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind replaying the events of the previous day over and over again. Shocker's powerful gauntlets had sent shockwaves through his body, leaving him stunned and helpless. He had tried to fight back, but it was no use. Shocker had easily overpowered him and left him battered and bruised, he had just barely managed to escape.
This was his very first defeat as Spider-Man, as every criminal before now never had the chops or method to deal with the power gap, but now that they did, Peter was uncertain of what to do next.
The sound of his phone buzzing on the desk beside him pulled Peter out of his thoughts. He reached over and picked it up, seeing that it was a text message from his best friend, Gwen Stacy. "Hey, are you coming to the lab today? We have a lot of work to catch up on," the message read. Peter sighed, knowing that he couldn't avoid his responsibilities forever.
Peter Parker sighed as he trudged through the crowded campus of Empire State University, his head hanging low. He couldn't shake the feeling of defeat that had been hanging over him like a cloud ever since his last battle as Spider-Man. He had been on the losing end of a fight against the Shocker, and the villain had escaped once again. It was a blow to Peter's confidence, and he was starting to wonder if he was cut out for this superhero business after all.
As he walked, he couldn't help but feel like he was letting everyone down - his friends, his family, and especially the city of New York. He was about to turn down a side street, ready to head back to his dorm and wallow in his misery, when something caught his eye.
Across the street, he saw Flash Thompson - the former bully who had made Peter's life a living hell back in high school - helping an elderly lady across the road. Flash was leaning down, his arm outstretched to support the woman as she slowly shuffled forward with the aid of a cane. It was a small gesture, but it struck Peter as odd. Flash had never been known for his kindness, but here he was, going out of his way to help someone in need.
Peter paused, watching as Flash and the elderly lady made their way safely to the other side of the street. As they walked away, Flash turned and caught Peter's eye. For a moment, the two of them locked gazes, and something passed between them. It was a small moment, but it was enough to give Peter a spark of inspiration.
He wasn't sure where this sudden burst of motivation came from, but he knew that he had to act on it. He needed to get back to his dorm room as quickly as possible and repair his broken web shooter. It was a tough job, but he knew that he could do it. He had always been good with his hands, and he was determined to get his gear back up and running.
With a renewed sense of purpose, after texting Gwen that he couldn't make it, Peter made his way through the crowded campus, weaving through the throngs of students and faculty with ease. He had always been fast, and he put that speed to good use as he raced back to his dorm room. Once he was inside, he got to work, pulling out all the tools and spare parts that he needed to repair his web shooter.
It was a long, tedious process, but Peter was focused and determined. He worked through the night, his hands moving with a surety and confidence that he hadn't felt in a long time. As the hours ticked by, he lost track of time, completely absorbed in the task at hand. Finally, as the sun began to rise, he sat back and admired his handiwork.
The web shooter was good as new, and Peter felt a surge of excitement as he tested it out, firing off a few practice webs. He was ready to get back out there and take on the Shocker, and this time, he was determined to come out on top.
But he wasn't just going to rely on his web shooter this time. He had a new "toy" up his sleeve - a gadget that he had been working on in secret, something that he hoped would give him the edge he needed to take down the Shocker once and for all.
With new life breathed into him, Peter sprang into action. He quickly got dressed and made his way to his closet, where he kept his Spider-Man suit. He slipped it on, feeling the familiar weight of the hoodie on his shoulders, and fastened the mask over his face.
He was ready.
He swung out the window and into the city, his senses on high alert. He didn't have to wait long for action. A few blocks away, he heard the sound of sirens.
Captain George Stacy and the NYPD arrived at the scene of the bank robbery, where they were met with chaos. The Enforcers, a notorious group of criminals, were in the process of looting the bank, while the bank's security guards lay unconscious on the ground.
But the Enforcers were not alone. Shocker, a ruthless villain known for his powerful sonic blasts, was with them, using his powers to blast anyone who tried to stop them.
Captain Stacy quickly took charge of the situation, barking orders to his officers. "Alright, listen up! We need to get in there and take down these criminals before they cause any more damage. Be careful, they're dangerous."
The officers nodded and started to move in, cautiously entering the bank. But just as they did, a loud thump could be heard outside.
"What was that?" one of the officers asked.
"I don't know, but stay alert," Captain Stacy warned.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in a red and blue costume swung in through the bank's window, landing gracefully on the ground. It was Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood hero.
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare," Spider-Man joked, his web shooters at the ready.
As the Shocker and The Enforcers continued their robbery of the bank, they grew increasingly impatient. They had been at it for what felt like hours, and still, there was no sign of Spider-Man.
"Where is that damn wall-crawler?" Montana, aka the Shocker, growled as he paced back and forth in front of the teller counters.
"Don't worry, boss," one of the Enforcers, a burly man named Ox, assured him. "He'll show up. He always does."
Just as Ox finished speaking, there was a loud crash as Spider-Man swung through the shattered window, landing gracefully on the floor in front of the robbers.
"Sorry I'm late, Colorado," Spider-Man quipped, his mask concealing the smirk on his face. "I was just finishing up some web-slinging errands."
The Shocker snarled and pulled out his gauntlets, charged with vibrational energy. "You won't be making jokes for much longer, Bug. There ain't no escaping me twice."
"Oh boy, a villain with a terrible name and an even worse fashion sense," Spider-Man said, rolling his eyes behind his mask. "I hope this doesn't become a recurring situation."
The Enforcers, consisting of Ox, and Fancy Dan, both charged at Spider-Man, but he was quick on his feet, dodging and weaving as he took them on. Ox swung a massive fist at Spider-Man, who easily dodged it and countered with a swift kick to the stomach. Fancy Dan tried to sneak up behind him, but Spider-Man was too quick and caught him with a punch to the face.
The Shocker, meanwhile, was firing blasts of vibrational energy from his gauntlets, narrowly missing Spider-Man as he swung around the room, using his web-slinging abilities to dodge and counterattack.
"You're surprisingly good, Bug. After the beatin' I gave ya, I thought you would have settled for hanging up the mask and pajamas" the Shocker said through gritted teeth. "But it definitely doesn't hurt for my paycheck to be buffed, so please, make my year."
"Says the guy with the cheesy name and the ugly yellow and red gimp suit," Spider-Man shot back as he dodged another blast of energy. "But speaking of your paycheck, who is the idiot stupid enough to employ the likes of Marko and O'Hirn?"
"Sorry, Bug. That's for us to know and for you to be too dead to find out." Montana retorted as The Enforcers regrouped.
Ox was the biggest challenge between them, when Fancy Dan was the speed Ox was the brawn and it wasn't hard to figure out why he was called Ox as he grabbed Spidey by the neck and choke-slammed him into the ground, his body hitting ground so hard that it bounced back to the air which left him wide open for a double kick to his side from Fancy Dan, sending him crashing into a nearby desk, for Shocker to finish off the combo with vibro-blast, sending him even further back.
Spider-Man felt a familiar sensation jet through his body as it ached, remembering the injuries it had received during his bout with Shocker in round one. While formulating a plan in his head, Spidey slowly got onto his feet, making a mental note of the positions his opponents were in as they surrounded him, closing in for the kill. But this time, Spider-Man was ready for them, using his web-slinging abilities to take them down one by one.
After webbing his feet together, Ox went down with ease with a well-placed knee to the face, while Fancy Dan was taken out with a swift kick to the stomach which sent him through a wall. Leaving Shocker was the last one standing, but he was as cool as an iceberg, his eyes filled with murderous determination.
"Y'know you can't possibly keep this up forever, Spider-Man," the Shocker said, sweat dripping down his brow. "Eventually, you'll get tired."
"I don't tire out, New Mexico," Spider-Man replied, his voice dripping with confidence. "I'm a superhuman, remember? It's kinda the point."
"I'm not talkin' 'bout the fight, Dumbass!" Shocker growled, keeping one gauntlet aimed at Spidey at all times. "I'm talkin' about this superhero gig you've got going."
"Yeah? what about it?"
"From the sound of your voice and the looks of your…costume, I can only assume that you're new at this and that you thought this job was going to be pretty easy, but from the way I whooped your tail the other night, I can tell that you've realized that you were mistaken." Montana spoke, unknowingly detailing Spidey's exact thoughts just hours before that very moment.
"From that fight, I can tell that you had no idea that the criminal underworld had tech like this so readily available, and I'll tell you now my employer isn't the only crime boss that can get their hands on some shit like this." he gestured towards his gauntlets to empathize his point. "So if you do manage to escape from me today… a piece of advice: Quit. Stop playing this ridiculous game that you've decided to participate in."
"No. I can't quit, not as long as the people in this city need my help." Spider-Man stood his ground.
"With as many criminals that are in this city alone, how do you plan to stop them all? You can't, cuz at the end of the day you're only one man. You need to quit."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'm sorry to tell ya, Bug…" Shocker exhaled and aimed at Spidey, his gauntlets glowing with energy.
"...But you're going to die doing this."
Luckily, he managed to dodge Shocker's first attack, flipping through the air and landing behind him. He shot a web at the Shocker's gauntlets, trying to disarm him, but the Shocker was too quick. He pulled his arms free and sent another shockwave at Spider-Man.
Spidey was thrown back by the force of the shockwave, but he quickly regained his footing. He launched himself at the Shocker, delivering a powerful punch to his stomach.
The Shocker doubled over, but he didn't stay down for long. He swung his gauntlets at Spider-Man, sending another shockwave his way. But Spider-Man was too fast. He dodged the attack and countered with a series of quick punches and kicks, trying to wear the Shocker down.
The two of them fought fiercely, their fists and feet flying as they battled across the bank. The Shocker was powerful, but Spider-Man's speed and agility gave him the edge. He managed to land several hits, but the Shocker refused to go down. Finally, growing tired of the continuous back and forth, Montana set the gauntlets to the highest setting and aimed at the wall crawler with murderous intent.
But Spider-Man was ready for him, and right as Shocker was about to fire, Spidey threw a web grenade right between his opponent's hands, trapping them in a web ball while the gauntlets went off. Resulting in a small explosion that destroyed the web ball and sent Shocker flying back into a wall.
Shocker made a thud as he hit the brick wall, his gauntlets shorting out as he hit the ground. As Spider-Man stood over him, panting but otherwise looking no worse for wear.
"Looks like the Shocker's shock is all used up," Spidey joked, putting his hands on his legs to catch his breath. "But kudos! Your evil monologuing has gotten better."
But it seems that his long awaited break was still out of reach as if right on cue the police came bursting into the bank. "NYPD! HANDS TO THE AIR!"
Spider-Man froze at the sudden surprise, making no sudden movements aside from doing what he was told and putting his hands in the air, looking around to see seven different police officers, all with their guns trained on him while the others gathered up The Enforcers.
Captain George Stacy burst into the bank, his team of NYPD officers following closely behind him. They also immediately trained their guns on Spider-Man, who was standing over the unconscious form of Shocker.
"Freeze, Spider-Man!" Captain Stacy shouted, his voice echoing through the nearly empty bank.
Spidey, with his hands still raised in surrender, let a sly grin spread across his face. "Now is that any way to greet your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Captain Stacy?" he quipped.
Captain Stacy scowled, clearly not amused by the joke. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering, assault, and numerous other crimes."
Spidey rolled his eyes. "Come on, Cap. You know I'm just trying to help keep the city safe."
"By breaking the law?" Captain Stacy countered.
Spidey shrugged nonchalantly. "Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. Or, you know, take down a super villain."
Captain Stacy sighed, clearly frustrated. "I'm not going to argue with you, Spider-Man. You're coming with us."
Spidey's grin faded as he realized the situation was getting serious. He couldn't afford to get caught by the police, not with his secret identity at stake.
"Sorry, Captain, but I'm going to have to pass on that offer," he said, before launching himself out of a nearby window.
The police officers unloaded their guns towards him, but Spidey was too quick. He swung through the air, narrowly dodging the bullets as they whizzed past him. One bullet managed to graze his thigh, causing him to wince in pain.
But he didn't let it slow him down. He continued to swing through the city, leaving the bank and the NYPD far behind.
As he swung towards his ESU, Spidey couldn't help but wonder how long he could keep up this double life. He loved being Spider-Man, but the constant risk of being caught was starting to take its toll.
But he knew he couldn't give up. He had made an oath to protect the city, and he intended to keep it, no matter the cost.
Peter was walking out of his night class, his backpack slung over his shoulder as he limped across campus. He had a slight limp due to a bullet grazing his thigh earlier during the confrontation with the NYPD. He had managed to escape, but not without taking a hit.
As he walked, he was surprised to see Liz Allan approaching him. They didn't talk much, but she has started being nice to him. "Hey Peter," Liz said, a friendly smile on her face. "How's it going?"
"It's going okay," Peter replied, trying to keep the conversation light. "Just trying to balance school and everything else."
Liz nodded sympathetically. "I know how that is. But what's up with the limp? Did you hurt yourself?"
Peter hesitated. '''Well I can't exactly tell her the truth about what had happened.'', so he came up with a half-assed lie.
"Yeah, I fell during a run this morning," he said, hoping she would believe him.
Liz raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Are you sure that's all it is? You look like you're in a lot of pain."
Peter sighed. He couldn't keep lying to her. "Look, I can't really talk about it. It's kind of a long story."
Liz nodded understandingly. "I get it. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just here to listen if you need someone to talk to."
Peter appreciated her understanding, and the two of them continued walking across campus, talking about their classes and plans for the future. As they made their way to the stairs leading up to the dorm building, Liz suddenly stopped and pulled Peter close.
"Since you don't want to tell me the truth about what happened to your leg, how about you make it up to me by taking me on a date next week?" she whispered in his ear.
Peter's face turned bright red as he stuttered out a response. "Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds great."
Liz gave him a quick peck on the cheek before running inside the dorm building, leaving Peter standing there, a blushing mess.
As he walked back to his own dorm room, Peter couldn't believe what had just happened. He had always had a crush on Liz, but he had never thought she would be interested in him. And now she had asked him out on a date.
He couldn't wait to go on that date and see where things went with Liz. But at the same time, he knew he couldn't let his guard down. He was Spider-Man, and he had a responsibility to protect the city. He couldn't let his personal life interfere with that.
But for now, he was just going to focus on the date and try to enjoy himself. He deserved a little bit of happiness, after all the danger and stress he had faced as Spider-Man.
As he lay in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling, Peter couldn't help but smile at the thought of his upcoming date with Liz. He had a feeling it was going to be a great night.
It was a dark and stormy night, the kind that made Curt Connors feel uneasy. He had always been a light sleeper, but tonight was different. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as his wife Martha slept soundly beside him. He couldn't help but think about his missing arm, the one he had lost years ago in a lab accident. It was a constant reminder of his own mortality, and it weighed heavily on his mind.
Curt tried to push the thoughts out of his head and focus on something else, but it was no use. He was too restless, too anxious. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was no use.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side, letting out a sigh of frustration. He needed to clear his head, and he knew just where to go.
He stood up and made his way to the bathroom, unlocking the door and flipping on the light. He went to the medicine cabinet and opened one of the locked drawers, pulling out a small vial filled with a glowing green liquid.
It was the formula he had been working on for years, the one that would allow him to regenerate his lost arm. It was a risky endeavor, one that had never worked in the past except sometimes on small mammals, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was worth it.
He stared at the vial for a moment, letting the temptation wash over him. He could feel the power of the formula coursing through his veins, and he knew that if he took it and it worked, he would be able to regenerate his arm and finally be whole again.
In the end, Curt couldn't bring himself to take the risk. He put the vial back in the drawer and locked it, turning off the light and heading back to bed.
As he lay down, he couldn't help but think about what could have been. He knew he had made the right decision, but the temptation was always there, lurking in the back of his mind.
He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, knowing that in the morning, he would face the day with a clear head and a renewed sense of purpose.