Yo! Kento here, and welcome to the part of the Electro arc and the sixth chapter of The Marvelous Spider-Man!
Lover of Marvel: This is indeed the college era, but he started being Spider-Man a year prior in his senior year of high school, it's just that he wasn't that active and the majority of New York didn't believe he was real.
Sunday Morning, Two Days Later
The morning light peeked through the windows of Peter Parker's dorm room, illuminating the space with a warm glow. Peter was already up and about, focused on sewing padding into his suit using some leftover rubber from his boots.
As he worked, he flipped through a series of photos he had taken during his recent fight with Electro. Peter was careful to choose only the ones that prominently featured Spider-Man, and he placed them in an envelope before setting it aside. Focusing back on his suit, he took notice of the place where his damaged web shooter should be, most importantly, he noticed how it was missing. Figuring that it must've broken off after his makeshift webnet maneuver, Peter simply added checking out Times Square for the missing piece to his list of things to do today.
A small snort interrupted his examination, and Peter looked over to see Liz Allen still fast asleep in his bed. She had been spending the past few nights with him, taking advantage of Harry's temporary absence and their third roommate's constant absence. Peter couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, and he let out a small chuckle.
Realizing he had been staring for too long, Peter checked the time and his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly finished sewing the padding into his suit and pulled it on, grabbing his backpack as he prepared to leave.
Before he left, Peter leaned down to give Liz a quick peck on the forehead, careful not to wake her. He then leaped out of the window.
As he swung through the city, Peter's thoughts raced. He had a lot to do that day, including picking up a package from the post office, meeting with J. Jonah Jameson, and attending his classes at Empire State University. Overall, Peter could feel in his bones that it was going to be a busy day.
OoOoO
Peter Parker nervously entered the Daily Bugle's office, knowing full well what he was about to face. J. Jonah Jameson, the newspaper's grumpy editor-in-chief, had been hounding his employees for weeks to get some clear photos of Spider-Man in action.
"Ah, what was your name again? As a matter of fact, it doesn't matter. What do you want?" Jameson growled as Peter approached his desk.
"Well sir," Peter replied, pulling out a folder from his backpack. "I brought you the pictures of Spider-Man that you've been asking for."
"WHAT?!" Jameson exclaimed, snatching the folder from Peter's hand. "Let's see them then,"
Peter watched nervously as Jameson flipped through the photos. He had spent hours staking out the city, waiting for Spider-Man to swing by, and had finally managed to capture some clear shots of him in action.
"These are... acceptable," Jameson said grudgingly. "But I'm not going to pay top dollar for them. I can get better quality from any amateur photographer on the street."
Peter knew that Jameson was bluffing. He was the only one who could consistently get clear shots of Spider-Man, and Jameson knew it.
"Sir, I understand that you're looking for quality photos, and that's exactly what I've got here. I'm willing to negotiate a fair price for them," Peter said confidently.
Jameson raised an eyebrow. "Negotiate? Alright, let's hear it then."
"Okay, how about $250 per photo, with an extra $100 if there's a villain in the frame?" Peter suggested.
Jameson snorted. "You're dreaming, Parker. I could get photos like these for half that price."
"But you won't get the same quality as mine," Peter countered. "And you won't find anyone else who can consistently get clear photos of Spider-Man like I can."
Jameson glared at him for a moment before grudgingly nodding. "Fine, $250 per photo, and an extra $100 if there's a villain. But I'm not paying a cent more."
Peter grinned, feeling victorious. "Deal. You won't be disappointed, Mr. Jameson."
As he left the Daily Bugle's office, Peter couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. He had managed to negotiate a fair price for his hard work, and he knew that his photos would be in high demand.
Gwen Stacy stood on the George Washington Bridge, anxiously waiting for Spider-Man to find her note. As she looked down at the water below, she couldn't help but feel a slight sense of terror. She had never been a big fan of heights.
She had been waiting for a while now, and she started to move to go home when suddenly she was swept up off her feet by a certain friendly neighborhood wall crawler. She screamed as she was taken into the air, nearing deafening Spidey in one ear in the process.
After swinging for what felt like an eternity, Spider-Man finally landed on the roof of a tall building. Gwen let out a breath of relief as she was finally able to touch solid ground again before immediately turning around and slapping the vigilante in front of her. Her hand hurt, but it didn't matter to her as she continued to rant angrily about how he had just come and swooped her up with no warning.
Spider-Man just stood there in silence, waiting for her to finish. Once she actually did, Spider-Man started talking, changing his voice so that Gwen wouldn't recognize it. "Miss Stacy, I request that you return the web shooter that you took."
At first, it looked like Gwen was going to give it back as she pulled it out of her backpack. But then she pulled her hand back and told the wall crawler that she had a few questions.
"What do you want to know?" Spider-Man asked.
Gwen's first question was an obvious one. "Who are you under the mask?"
Spider-Man responded with annoyance. "Next question."
Gwen then went on to ask him how he got his powers. Spidey once again gave her a false answer, "I was a world-renowned archaeologist on an active dig site, upon which I came across a spider totem, which gave me my powers but also horribly disfigured me, cursing me to live the rest of my life behind a mask. Next?" He said sarcastically, causing Gwen to roll her eyes.
She asked her next question, "How did you know that I was the one who left that note?"
Spidey froze for a second as the question caught him off guard. "I-uh... I saw you that night when Electro attacked Times Square, I saw you in the crowd and so when I saw you again on the bridge I figured that it was you who wrote it. Plus, the fact that you're a Police Captain's daughter also helped." Spider-Man lied through his teeth. The actual reason was that he had recognized Gwen's handwriting, but of course, he couldn't tell her that.
Luckily, she believed his lie as she threw him the web shooter. After catching it, Spidey noticed that it had been tampered with and immediately asked what she did to it.
"Oh yeah, after working on that rudimentary thing for almost an entire day, I made it better. I saw that it was fried, presumably from when you tried to web Electro, thus magnetizing it was the first thing I did, so now your webs can hold a charge. Heck, I even improved the PSI control. You're welcome." She said smugly.
Though, despite his annoyance, Spidey did bring himself to thank her properly. "Thank you, Gwen. You didn't have to do this."
"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I couldn't just sit back and watch as you risked your life for the city without helping you in some way." Gwen responded.
Spidey couldn't help but feel a bit grateful.
Gwen looked at Spider-Man expectantly, waiting for a moment to strike the question. "So, can I take the other web shooter?" she asked again, hoping for a different response.
Spider-Man sighed, "No, Gwen, it's too dangerous. Besides, I need both of my web shooters to fight crime."
Gwen's face fell, "But I could make it even better, and it could help you in the field. Please?"
Before Spider-Man could respond, they both looked into the city and noticed something going on, thousands of lights going out at the same time all across Manhattan and it didn't stop there, Spidey turned around to see the same thing in other boroughs. This was a city-wide Blackout, and clearly, this was no accident.
"This is not good," he muttered, grabbing Gwen and swinging across the city towards the only source of power in Manhattan. As they got closer, Spider-Man could feel his heart racing. He knew who was behind this.
When they finally arrived at the place where the prime suspect was born, his face was on every working screen in the city, on every jumbotron in Times Square. "Spider-Man, I know you're out there. You know where to find me. If you don't show, I'll continue to smother this city in darkness until you do."
As Electro's face disappeared, Peter had one clear objective on his mind: stop him and bring power back to the city because if not, hundreds would die in hospitals unable to treat them, thousands would die due to planes falling out the sky, and even more to the inevitable chaos of a city without power.
Spider-Man couldn't afford to waste any more time as he quickly repelled himself and landed on the ground, asking Gwen, "How quickly can we magnetize my other web shooter?"
Gwen responded, "Five minutes max, but in this situation, we'll need to use a car battery and some jumper cables."
Spidey nodded in agreement and quickly stopped a nearby police officer, requesting their help. With the two of them working together, they finished even faster than Gwen anticipated.
As Spider-Man moved to swing off, Gwen stopped him before he left, "Take me with you. Electro is at the newly built power plant, and Max Dillon used to be a colleague of mine. I have seen the Grid's core blueprints and can be useful to have on site."
From Gwen's perspective, Spider-Man seemed to be considering her request. In Peter's head, however, the decision was already made. He quickly webbed her hand to the police cruiser and told her to stay put, "I'll handle this. You stay here and stay safe."
Peter even went out of his way to tell the officer who Gwen's father was to ensure she would get home safely. As he swung off towards the power plant, Gwen called out after him in disbelief.
But it was too late, Spider-Man was already swinging off towards the power plant. Gwen was left alone, her heart racing as she watched him disappear into the night, feeling frustrated and helpless. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing. She had to find a way to help.
OoOOoO
The power grid was almost completely out of control when Spidey arrived, he quickly spotted Electro, but he looked different, more human than before with his electricity glowing a burning yellow even brighter than before.
He watched as Electro commanded each conduit tower with the simple wave of his hands as if he were conducting a symphony, but it wasn't voices he was leading, it was electricity, and his music was the screams and cries of everyone within the darkness of the city... also some god awful dubstep.
After inspecting his future opponent, Spider-Man decided that the time for watching was over as he called out to Electro with a taunting "Yo Sparky!", immediately gaining his attention, but instead of getting annoyed at the Wall-Crawler's insulting nickname, Electro merely welcomed the presence of his adversary as he smiled smugly at him.
"I'm glad to see you could make it, Arachnid. This party wouldn't be complete without the guest of honor." Max said, a pain of venom in his voice as he continued talking. "As you see, I look nothing like how I did last time, I even got my body back thanks to this baby." He said, gesturing to the new suit he had on, Peter had hypothesized that it had been helping him conduct his powers better so they didn't leak out of his skin. "Speaking of, you like my new duds? What am I saying, of course you do! 'Cause even if this outfit is terrible, it's still better than those dingy ass clothes you clearly got from the thrift store. Look at ya, you not even the shit no more". Max spat out while Spider-Man sighed, mainly because Maxwell wasn't wrong.
Despite Electro's comments, Peter still tried to reason with him. "Come on, Max. It's not too late to stop this, you can still walk away from this a better man. All you gotta do is give the city its power back and come with me to Doc Connors and hopefully, we can cure you."
However despite his intentions, Spidey's words only managed to anger Max as the man of living lightning destroyed a conduit tower, cutting off power to an entire section of the city indefinitely.
"Cure me? Why, so I can become a nobody again? So you can demote me back to being no more than some Jackass' punching bag? Yeah, I don't think so." Max said angrily. "In fact, I made the key designs for this grid, and you know what? It's only fitting that I be the one to destroy it, so now I'm thinkin, after I kill you, I'm gonna take this city all for myself. Hell, with what I can do, I'd be nothing short of a God to them."
Spider-Man sighed once more as he realized trying to talk to Max was pointless, now was the time for action. "Yes, Max. Because I'm sure New Yorkers are going to be willing to worship a God named Sparkles."
Max chuckled a bit as electricity crackled around his hands, a familiar feeling. "Heh, and that was your last joke, Bugboy. Now it's time to end this! " Electro yelled as he powered up, electricity appearing on his face, forming a sort of star across as he launched himself at Spider-Man.
"For the first time since you became this, Max. I agree with you ." Spidey said as he let out a battle cry while leaping towards Electro.
The two were about to collide when Spider-Man flipped over Electro's head, using his web shooters to propel himself towards a large nearby water pipe. With a swift motion, he broke it open, and aimed the pipe at Electro, who blocked the stream of water with a blast of electricity.
"Is that all you got?" Electro shouted as he sent a large blast of lightning at Spider-Man, who deftly dodged it. Spider-Man grinned, knowing that he had to use his environment to his advantage.
Using the node towers around them, Spider-Man continuously dodged Electro by maneuvering around the towers. Electro kept dissipating and reforming around each tower, trying to catch Spider-Man. The Wall Crawler taunted him at each turn, and in a fit of rage, Electro broke another tower, sending the knocked off top half flying towards Spider-Man.
Spider-Man's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge the falling debris, and he broke off a chunk of the tower and slung it at Electro's head. Taking advantage of his opponent's disorientation, Spidey slingshots himself into Max, punching him over and over as the two tumble through the air.
Finally, Spider-Man was able to get his hands on Electro, and the two crashed to the ground. Electro wrestled Spider-Man to the ground, returning every blow that the hero gave him. After a few moments, Electro paused, unintentionally allowing Spider-Man to catch his breath.
"Ready to give up?" Spider-Man quipped, confident that he had Electro on the ropes. But Electro wasn't done yet.
In a burst of electricity, Electro sent a surge of energy directly into Spider-Man's face. Peter's head was ringing, but he thanked his lucky stars that he chose today to sew in that rubber padding. With a kip-kick, he sent Electro flying into the air.
Now back on his feet, Spider-Man shot a web line from each web shooter, hitting their target and reaching Electro. Time seemed to slow down for Peter as he watched the electrical current travel down his webs and into his web shooters. This time, each one retained perfect functionality.
"Oh I love you, Gwen Stacy!" Spidey quietly whispered to himself with the success of the magnetized web shooters as mentally thanking the blonde girl for the upgraded web shooters before pulling on Electro and swinging him through the air, forcing him to collide into as many nodes as he could before finally yanking down on the webs as hard as he could, forcing Electro to hit the ground so hard that his body dissipated into a massive wave of electricity that blasted Spidey back.
Peter's head was buzzing, and this time not because of his spider-senses as the residual electricity around his body flickered and dissipated, Spidey groaned as he quietly tried to remotivate himself, "Come on, get up Pete. You're fine, it's your muscles, bones, and organs.", He whispered to himself as he lifted himself onto his knees and looked up to see multiple nodes glowing while emitting a familiar shade of yellow electricity, "'Oh no.'" he thought.
As a large bolt of electricity bounced back and forth between the nodes, with each node that was struck Peter could start to hear the forming of a tune, one that he recognized all too well, "Itsy Bitsy Spider? Oh I hate this song!" he yelled as the electricity struck him in his back sending him rolling forward.
As Spider-Man tried to regain his footing he was once again struck, this time in his side and this pattern would repeat itself multiple times over, each time with Electro hitting Spidey with a flurry of punches and zipping off before the Wall Crawler could recover.
"Tired already?" Electro taunted as he flew and directly into Spider-Man, sending him straight through a node and continuing to bounce him around between the towers like a pinball before suspending him in mid-air, using his electricity like shackles to hold him so that he would stay in the air and couldn't move.
"Bet you didn't see this coming." Max taunted before he was unexpectedly hit by a police cruiser and sent flying, temporarily knocked unconscious, allowing Spider-Man to hit the ground.
Spidey groaned in pain as he slowly got up, looking over at the police car to see Captain George Stacy exiting the vehicle, rushing over to Spider-Man in a timely fashion.
"Looks like we're even." the older man said as he helped the costumed hero onto his feet.
"Now fill me in, how do we stop this guy and get power back to the city?" George asked, which made Spidey stop as the hero realized something. Each time Electro has excessively used his powers, he has also needed to get more power, to recharge, like a battery, a living battery .
It was at that moment Spider-Man realized how to stop Max, immediately standing upright, Spidey turned to Captain Stacy with an idea, "Okay I've got something. Are you familiar with what happens when you overcharge a battery, sir?" Spider-Man asked him.
"Yeah, it explodes." the Captain promptly responded.
"Exactly, there's only so much power Electro's body can hold at one time, like a battery, if he intakes too much, he'll explode." Spidey explained. "We just have to overload him."
"Wait but that doesn't make sense. He's absorbed all the power in the city and contained within himself. How can we overload him if we don't even know how much he can take?" George inquired.
"But that's it, Captain. He isn't containing it within himself, he's containing it within the grid itself." Spidey continued. "Electro isn't simply sucking up all the power, he's controlling where it goes, redirecting it and using the plant as a recharge station whenever he's low on energy."
Captain Stacy nodded, finally understanding what Spider-Man was saying and he was planning. "Okay then. So we use his own powers against him via--"
"--force feeding him electricity until he can't take anymore and forcibly discharges the city's power." The Wall Crawler finished. "Exactly right, sir."
"Alright, then what do you need me to do?" George asked, ready to move.
"Firstly, you'll need to get inside the control hub and find the main terminal for a lever to reset the system. In the meantime while you're doing that, I'll be distracting him." Spider-Man explained while stretching as he watched electricity crackle between the nodes, which told him that Max was waking up. "I can reconnect the main power cables and hook up Sparky to them as well, I just need you to pull that lever when I give you the signal."
"Got it. Consider it done." Captain Stacy once again nodded, understanding his task and began jogging towards the control hub before Spidey spoke again.
"And sir?"
"Yeah?" George stopped, turning around.
"When I give you the signal, I need you to pull that lever, no matter what." The Vigilante said stoically.
"Spider-M-"
" No. Matter. What." Spidey cut him off before walking towards his awakening opponent, battle ready.
Instead of trying to yell out a response, George Stacy simply gave the hero another heading on before making his way inside the hub.
Looking back at Captain Stacy one more time to watch him make it inside the control center safely, Spider-Man looked back to where Electro was waking up and time slowed down as he saw a face that he hadn't seen in a long time.
It was Uncle Ben, however he was just standing there in front of the police cruiser, looking at Peter and smiling, but not saying anything as the illusion of his uncle disappeared and his face replaced by an enraged Electro who was flying at him while reforming, causing Spidey to snap back to reality as he dodged of the way.
Once again using the nodes to his advantage, Spidey once again engaged in a twisted game of Ring around the Rosie with Electro, slowly reconnecting the main power cables in the center of the station each time he passed by, a detail which Electro failed to notice due to his aggravation thanks to the hero's insistent taunting.
After a few laps, the patch up job was finished, with the webbing between the cables looking like a sort of interconnected web, now it was time for the hard part, connecting Electro, and what better way to do that than using himself as bait.
Stopping just before the reconnected cables, Spidey shot a web ball at Electro's face, temporarily blinding him as the arachnid themed hero with the web away make sure each end would hold as Electro ripped the webbing off of his face and yelled as he stared daggers at the hero.
Spider-Man, smirking under his mask, threw one last insult at Electro before shooting a webline on each side and bracing for impact as he goaded the villain into firing a continuous stream of electricity at him, his chest taking full brunt of the initial blast as he was electrocuted.
Although he felt like he was about to pass out, Spidey started looking past Electro and in the distance Spidey could see Captain Stacy in the window of the control center.
So with a new found determination, Peter bit down on the pain and pulled down on the web, pulling into the path of Electro's blast before yelling out at the top of lungs, "DO IT NOW, CAPTAIN! DO IT NOW!".
George had done it. He had pulled the lever that started the total rest, and in a sudden outburst, Spidey was blasted away. The station's systems reset, and Max Dillon was left grunting in pain as he felt himself being overloaded. With each passing moment, he felt weaker and weaker, his body barely able to handle the immense power coursing through him.
For a brief moment, Max considered letting go, surrendering to the electric current that was consuming him. But he couldn't give up now, not when he was so close to achieving his goal. He gritted his teeth, his eyes clenching shut as he tried to focus all of his energy on containing and controlling the power.
The electricity surged within him, threatening to overwhelm him completely. Max could feel his body beginning to shake, his muscles spasming as he fought to control the power. But it was no use. The current was too much for him to handle.
With a final, guttural scream, Max reversed the current of electricity in a violent burst that sent him hurtling across the station, releasing power back into the city. He slammed into the ground with a sickening thud, his body writhing in agony as the power flowed out of him uncontrollably.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, slowly, the power began to ebb away, leaving Max weak and exhausted. He struggled to stand, his legs shaking beneath him as he staggered towards the exit.
But it was too late. The police had arrived, and they were waiting for him. Max could see the flash of their guns as they aimed at him, their voices shouting for him to surrender. He knew he had no choice. With a heavy heart, Max Dillon raised his hands and allowed himself to be taken into custody.
Spider-Man watched from the top of the node tower, his heart heavy with sadness as he saw his former colleague and friend being led away in handcuffs. He had always known that Max had a good heart, but he had been blinded by his own ambition. Now, he was paying the price for his mistakes.
As the police car drove away, Spider-Man swung off into the night, his thoughts consumed by the events of the day. He knew that he had done the right thing, but it was a hollow victory. The cost had been too high, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed Max Dillon in some way.
As he swung through the city, Spider-Man couldn't help but wonder what would become of Electro. Would he ever be able to make amends for his mistakes? Or would he spend the rest of his life locked away, a cautionary tale for others to learn from? Only time would tell.
A Week Later
George Stacy leaned back in his office chair with a sigh, his mind preoccupied with paperwork and official reports. The past week had been filled with chaos and danger, but despite the fabricated story he had to tell the public, George knew the truth. He had worked with Spider-Man to stop Electro at the power station and had seen firsthand the effectiveness of the vigilante's methods. As his thoughts drifted, he was startled by a tapping on his window.
Turning to look, George was surprised to see Spider-Man gesturing for him to come up to the roof. With a wry smile, he made his way up the stairs to the rooftop. There, he found the masked hero perched on the edge, looking out over the city. George lit a cigarette and walked over, standing beside Spider-Man.
"Bold," he said, admiring the bravery of the vigilante. "What?" Spider-Man asked in confusion.
"I said that it's bold of you to come to a police station knowing that every officer here has orders to arrest you on sight," George clarified.
Spider-Man shrugged. "I figured it was worth the risk. Why aren't you trying to arrest me right now?"
George shook his head in amusement. "I have no idea. But I have to admit, after working with you last week, I've realized that the criminal underworld is changing, upgrading. Now whether that be a response to you or otherwise, I've realized that the NYPD is going to start needing you more often than we don't. So whether I like it or not, New York needs you, despite your methods."
Spider-Man perked up at this, clearly interested in what George had to say. "So what now?" he asked.
"Now, we establish a secret alliance," George said, a grin spreading across his face. "I'll overlook your vigilantism as long as you keep putting criminals away and saving the day. Just don't kill anyone, okay?"
Spider-Man nodded in agreement, and the two shook hands. As Spider-Man prepared to leave, he paused and asked, "How did you know that Electro and I were at the power station?"
"I didn't," George admitted. "But I had a little help from a private line on my walkie-talkie. A little birdie told me she saw you swinging that way and I couldn't resist the chance to take you both down."
Spider-Man looked confused for a moment before flipping off the roof and swinging away into the city. George watched him go, feeling a newfound respect for the Wall Crawler. He made his way back down to the precinct, ready to do his part in keeping New York safe with the help of his new ally.
OoOoOoO
Later that night, Curt Connors could once again be seen twisting and turning in his bed, his body once again feeling restless, ever since taking the formula he's been like this, but tonight has been the worst it has ever been. Not being able to take it anymore, Connors groaned as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, turning on the faucet to splash water onto his face.
The cool water helped clear his head a bit as he set both hands on the counter and leaned over it, looking up at himself in the mirror. He wiped away the sweat and water from his face with his hand, but that's when he noticed his hand, specifically his right hand, was back.
Curt blinked rapidly as his brain tried to process what was going on before it finally clicked, and when it did, his excitement was through the roof. He ran back into the bedroom, hopping over to Martha's side and shaking her awake as he ecstatically called her name.
"Martha! Martha! Wake up, you have to see this!"
Martha stirred from her sleep, tiredly asking her husband what was going on. Curt used both of his hands to cup her face, like muscle memory, she instinctively moved her left hand to go over his right and that's when she realized as she took his into her hands while crying happy tears.
"Curt, your hand! It's back!"
Curt beamed with joy and relief as he looked at his hand, flexing his fingers and feeling the warmth of Martha's touch. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked back at his wife.
"I can't believe it," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
Martha wrapped her arms around Curt's neck, hugging him tightly as they both cried happy tears. It had been so long since they had felt this kind of joy and relief.
For years, Curt had struggled with the consequences of his experimentation and the loss of his hand. It had been a difficult road for both him and Martha, but in that moment, they both felt a renewed sense of hope.
Finally, the two embraced each other with both arms, something that they hadn't done in years. They held onto each other tightly, savoring the moment and the promise of a better future.
As they pulled away from each other, Curt looked into Martha's eyes, a huge smile on his face.
"Thank you," he said, his voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you for being here with me through it all."
Martha smiled back at him, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, her voice filled with love.
With a renewed sense of hope, Curt and Martha spent the rest of the night talking and reminiscing about their life together. They laughed and cried, feeling grateful for each other and for the miracle that had just happened.
As the sun began to rise, they made their way outside to watch the beautiful colors of the sky. Curt felt the warmth of the sun on his face, reveling in the sensation of feeling whole once again. Martha stood beside her happiness for him never dropping for a second.
The dimly lit bar was silent except for the soft clinking of glasses and the occasional low murmur from the patrons. Hammerhead sat at the bar with two other men: the bartender, who was wiping down the counter, and a man with a bag over his head, who sat quietly beside Hammerhead.
Suddenly, Hammerhead's phone started ringing, interrupting the peaceful atmosphere. He hesitated for a moment before answering, knowing that only one person would call him at this time of night.
"Hello, Boss," he said into the phone.
"I know it seems that investing in Dillon was a pointless endeavor," The Big Man's voice boomed through the phone.
Hammerhead felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that The Big Man was never pleased with failure.
"But it's quite the contrary, Hammerhead. Dillon's performance was quite fruitful," The Big Man continued, his voice sounding disturbingly delighted.
Hammerhead was confused. "What do you mean, Boss?"
"It's very simple really. The arachnid has proven to be quite the hassle to kill, too much so in fact, but it doesn't take much to distract him as he is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame."
Hammerhead's mind raced as he tried to understand what his boss was getting at.
"Okay, so what are you saying, we staged a robbery on one side of town to distract the bug while we do real business on the other?" he asked.
"No. Eventually he'll realize something's up. I was thinking something more... noticeable. Every hero needs a villain, right?" The Big Man's voice trailed off before the line went dead.
Hammerhead let out a sigh as he finished his drink, deep in thought. He then turned to the man with the bag on his head, Alistair Smythe, and pulled the bag off.
"You got all that?" Hammerhead asked, revealing Smythe's face, which was covered with a cloth.
Smythe nodded his head frantically, knowing that his life was in danger.
"The Big Man wants you to make him his own personal army of supervillains that he can send out to go fight the Spider at a whim. In exchange, you won't be found at the bottom of the Hudson," Hammerhead threatened.
Smythe nodded again, a look of fear and desperation in his eyes.
"If these terms are acceptable to you, I highly suggest you get to nodding like your life depends on it, because it does," Hammerhead said with a sinister grin.
Smythe nodded as fast as he could, his eyes darting around the bar in fear. Hammerhead leaned back in his chair, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.
As he took a sip of his drink, Hammerhead knew that things were about to get much more interesting in New York City.
Thank you for reading!
Next time in Chapter 7: Life, It's Finds A Way.