Issue #9: Origins - Part II
As long as I can remember, all I wanted was to help…
Prologue
[13 Years Ago…]
The warm, orange sky's hue complimented the rows of orange leaf trees of the College Point neighborhood. A cool autumn breeze soothed the air while the sun's rays brought a cozy warmness. This would be a picturesque scene if not for the wailing of a child filling the air. Cowering on the roof of her two-story family home was a four-year-old Mayday Watson-Parker, and she'd been crying alone for nearly half an hour. Her parents were away for an errand, and their kind Aunt Anna was in the neighborhood to babysit them. Left with no choice, Anna has called Mayday's parents since any attempt, in her condition, she's made to get Mayday proved futile.
A car out front screeches to a halt. "Your parents are here, Mayday," Anna said gently. "Everything's going to be fine."
Soon enough, Peter and Mary Jane arrive in a hurry. Out of breath, M.J. asked, "How'd she get there, Anna?"
"I don't know," Anna sighed, "I turn my back to feed Annie. Suddenly, I heard crying, and there she was."
Peter steps back to get a clear look at his crying daughter. Thankfully, she didn't seem to hurt herself getting up there, but he did notice she was holding something in her arms. "Okay, I'll get her down," he said. "Give me a minute with her alone, M.J. I don't want her to think we're mad."
"Good point. Let's check on Annie, Aunt Anna. I can hear her crying inside."
"Alright. I'm sorry for letting this happen. I would've used a ladder, but my back…"
"You did everything right, Auntie," M.J. reassured. "Mayday wouldn't want you to get hurt, even for her."
"You're right. She reminds me of May that way."
Mary Jane shuts the back door closed, leaving just Peter and Mayday. Peter puts his arms on his waist and goes for a calm, casual tone. "Mayday?"
Though tears still streamed down her cheeks, her father's voice calmed her enough to crawl closer to the edge and make eye contact. "D-daddy?"
"I'm here, sweetie. Your mother and Aunt Anna are inside, too. We got those sweets we promised just before your aunt called us. We'd love it if you join us."
Mayday hiccups, looking like she's about to sob again loudly.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm…sorry," she cried, "I made you and mama mad."
"Nobody's mad at you, Mayday," Peter gently reassured. "We're just confused. You're smart enough to know how dangerous it is to be this high up. We only want to know why you went up there."
Mayday sniffled, wiping her eyes and saying, "their mama left 'em."
Peter asked, "Who's?" Mayday then revealed that she was holding a warm towel with three malnourished baby nestlings. Despite Mayday's small handful of worms and tiny bugs, the nestlings chirp loudly for food. If left alone, Peter knows those nestlings stand no chance in surviving. He nods in understanding, asking, "How long?"
"Two Days," Mayday whimpered. "I heard them crying…I had to help."
"Despite the fact you're afraid of heights. And now you got yourself stuck up there. You need to think these things through, Mayday." Despite her nod, Peter sees his reminder was also causing Mayday's tears to return.
He glances back at the shed, tempted to get the ladder, and quickly resolves this. However, the one thing that hadn't left his mind when they were notified was the question of 'how.' How did their daughter, who barely turned four, get up there so quickly? Aunt Anna's old, but she's got keen enough hearing to notice someone like Mayday going outside. There was one obvious possibility, but Peter wasn't sure whether to rejoice or fear, especially regarding the consequences for their daughter's future. At that moment, another idea forms in his head, and he faces his daughter. "Okay," he said with a confident smile, "let's get you down." To his daughter's surprise, he stretches his arms, ready to catch her.
"I-I can't!" she cried, cowering in fear.
"You have those babies secured, don't cha'?"
"Uh-huh."
"Then all you have to do is jump," he replied. His smile is confident, while his eyes are soft and reassuring. His arms were in prime position to catch about anything, especially his daughter. Being quite bright for her age, Mayday recognized all this yet barely inched towards the edge. Peter noticed and spoke, "Don't worry, I'll catch you."
She knew he would, but her immense fear of staring down from this height glued her to that roof. Mayday knew that if she jumped too far, she risked throwing off her dad, risking harm to herself and the nestlings. It must be from the ledge. Seeing the nestlings continue to cry, Mayday soon finds her footing and stands up. She inched forward, but a wave of vertigo caused her to shut her eyes.
"You have to look, Mayday," Peter said, "jump like that, and you could hurt yourself."
"I'm scared, Dad."
"I know you are, Mayday, and that's okay," Peter said. His tone shifts to one of blunt honesty and sincerity. If there was any chance his daughter inherited the powers of Spider-Man, he needed to instill into her a lesson he wished he learned far, far sooner. "I wish this world were kinder to people like you, but I learned that doing what's right often comes with great risk and even personal cost. Much like you are now confronted with your fear of heights to save those birds. And if you wish to keep helping others like this, I'm so proud of you…but I also need to teach you that there will be hurdles. This is your first hurdle, and you must face it…but not always alone."
Her father's words caused Mayday's tears to cease. Deep inside her, an energy of vigor and conviction is lit and creates fires of courage. Peter saw it and smiled in pride at his little girl. "Now come," he said gently, "I gotcha."
Mayday's knees stopped shaking as she took a breath. Her lingering trepidation makes her ask, "What if something bad happens?"
"Bad stuff will always happen, Mayday. Always." As he uttered the cruel truth of this world, a distant, melancholy look filled Peter's eyes. He was briefly back on that dreaded bridge, watching someone he once loved hurtling toward the cold, unforgiving waters.
"Then what do I do?"
Peter shuts his eyes and focuses on giving his daughter courage. "Sometimes, the only thing you can do is take a leap of faith."
"A leap…" she whispered. It sounded simple, yet she felt she understood only the surface of far more profound wisdom. However, this first step was enough for her inner courage to prevail. If her father believes she can take that leap, then that's all the faith she needs. She firmly cradles the nestlings, shifts her footing, and focuses solely on her dad. "Okay… I'm ready."
"I know you are," Peter proudly said, stretching his arms. "Now…jump."
Mayday Watson-Parker took her first leap through the air on that sunny autumn afternoon. Feeling the cool air brush her face and the exhilarating pumping of her heart was unlike any she had felt before or since. That day that leap is a memory that would forever stay with her till the end of her days.
This incredible rush ended as soon as it began. Mayday and the nestlings were now safe in her father's arms.
Part 1: The first day of the rest of your life!
[7 Years ago…]
A ten-year-old Mayday sneakily turns on a flashlight before checking the time with the cute watch her dad gave her for her birthday. She lies in bed, alone with her thoughts, with a diary in hand. She adjusted the glasses her eye doctor prescribed, ignoring the strain on her eyes, and pressed her pen against the paper.
Dear Diary,
I hope you are well in your new home: my drawer. I see April hasn't yet tried snooping in your residence, and Annie hasn't noticed you either. This is good, in case you were wondering since I want our new relationship to be special. I found and picked you up last week while doing an errand for Mom because I felt you were the only one to whom I could tell my special secret. I know, I know, I trust my family with anything, but this is something that I'm not sure was even real, yet it feels like it is. I don't know. At the very least, telling only you saves me the potential embarrassment—one which neither April nor Annie will ever let me live down. My secret is...
Mayday pauses, scratching her hair as she is suddenly at a loss for words.
I don't know what to call it, but it went like this. When I was seven, after seeing an incredible basketball game at school, I sneaked in and imagined myself as a real basketball player. There I was, playing in the big leagues, roaring crowds and all! Despite it being my imagination, I felt a chill down my neck, as if this was the most important game of my life. I imagined the enemy team seriously trying to stop me, and I suddenly felt in the zone, like nothing could stop me! The next thing I knew, I performed a ten-foot slam dunk! I dangled on that hoop for minutes, totally confused about how I did it and why it felt so natural. None of my classmates believed me, saying that only an adult could make that jump. But I know it was all real, and I don't know how to feel about it. Nothing like that has happened since, but I can't ignore that memory because...I miss how amazing it felt. It's why I still wanna know why it happened and if it'll ever happen again. My uncle Ben once told me something when I was little, saying that change is as natural as air and can encourage or scare a person, often both. He said change is inevitable, and how we confront that change is what defines us. I guess what I wanna say is...I hope what's happening to me changes me into someone I'm happy to be.
With the last of her thoughts sealed in ink, Mayday tucks herself to bed, ready for another peaceful day.
The next day did NOT start peacefully. Morning dawned, their parents left early, and a surprise maintenance outage meant their alarms didn't go off.
"Out of the way," April said as she scrambled out the door. This urgency was because they risked missing out on their only field trip day today. Despite their signed permission slips, school policy dictated that any student arriving late on a day like this would be left behind at school. A condemnation of its most severe form, and for kids like them, it might as well be a death sentence, especially for April. "Ain't no way I'm staying in some boring classroom! Never!"
"Come on, Annie!" Mayday encouraged, running behind April.
"Right." An eight-year-old Annie shuts the house door, grabs her kick scooter, and follows her sisters across the neighborhood. "Geez, we totally knocked out from last night's secret movie party."
"No regrets!" April and May shouted.
"Sooo lucky you woke up early, Mayday."
"Yeah," Mayday said under her breath. It was hardly a coincidence, but she also couldn't explain what it was other than her brain freaking out. There she was, having normal dreams, when a sudden burst of colors and ominous noises filled her mind with pure fright and woke her, only to find a harmless house spider on her bed. Any kid would chalk it up to a bad dream caused by a spider in her hair, but Mayday's curiosity refused to accept such a simple answer. 'Just's what's going on with me?' she wondered.
"NOOO!" Mayday and Annie turned to the next street to find April on her hands and knees, defeated. "Stupid bus's gone..."
"Man, sooo unfair," Annie sighed.
However, Mayday wasn't so quick to give up. She checked the time on her watch, "Five minutes late, but we aren't the last block on the bus's route. Where would the bus be five minutes after leaving? Maple Street...No, it'll already be on 2nd street!" She gets April back up on her feet and runs in another direction.
"Where are you going?! The bus is that a way!"
"I know a shortcut!" Mayday's answer was all they needed to hear to rush after her. Thier last hope was in Mayday's memory of the bus's route. Luckily for the sisters, their luck was finally about to turn. Entering the more urban streets and cutting through alleys, Mayday spots a familiar school bus two blocks away, halted by a stop light. "There, I see it!"
"Grrr," groaned an annoyed April, "Why is it so far away!?"
"Wait for me," said Annie tiredly. Despite her vehicle, she appeared more tired than her sisters, who'd been running this whole time. "Okay, where is—Uh-oh!" As she said that, the light turned green, and a sharp hiss escaped the bus as its wheels began to turn.
"Run like crazy, guys!" Mayday sprinted as fast as she could, leading her sisters after the bus. "Wait! Stop the bus!"
"Can'tbelate! Can'tbelate!" Annie muttered as she struggled to keep up.
"Hey! Ya dill-weeds! Stop the driver!" April shouted as she began to slow down.
They were less than a block away, but the bus was already moving and picking up speed. They heard their fellow students inside and even saw them looking through the windows, yet the kids only pointed and laughed. "Oh, come on, Parkers! You can run faster than that! Hahaha!" one boy taunted while the bus sped up. Mayday could see her sisters run out of energy, but Mayday wasn't a quitter. Feeling an intense motivation in the heat of this moment, some instinct activated within Mayday, like a reservoir of energy has suddenly refueled her stamina. The soles of her shoes blitzed faster against the sidewalk as Mayday sprinted as fast as she could. While the bus was hardly going at full speed, it was no less shocking to the kids and her sisters with how fast she was. Not even thier best track runners could run this fast.
"Woah! Go, May, Go!" Annie cheered.
'How's she doing that? Even I can't run that fast,' April thought.
The kids onboard gawked in shock as Mayday caught up to the door and shouted, "Stop. The. Bus!" Before Mayday's voice could reach the oblivious driver, Mayday's stunning sprint abruptly stopped when she tripped and fell on the sidewalk. An uproar of laughter came from the bus, which went at full speed and quickly outran the sisters.
"Gaah! We were so close!" April shouted.
Mayday sat up, helplessly looking at their failure to reach the bus. Now, it seemed like they were doomed to be stuck on a dull, lonely school day. Suddenly, the bus stopped, and its door hissed open. Briefly dumbfounded, the sisters quickly seized this opportunity and dashed inside the bus. "I'm so sorry, kids," the driver said, "my hearing ain't what it used to be. Thankfully, this kind girl alerted me." The sisters looked to see a shy, blonde girl with big glasses who was sitting alone. Since nobody else on the bus looked to be offering their seats, the sisters exhaustedly sat beside the girl who'd helped them.
"Phew! I gotta take P.E. more seriously," Annie sighed.
"Sure, Annie. You're more likely to mod that scooter than exercise more."
Annie glanced at her scooter, and her eyes dazzled at the possibilities. "April…I just got an idea."
Meanwhile, Mayday sat beside the shy girl with thankful eyes. "Seriously, you're a lifesaver."
"Thanks, but I'm not," the girl said meekly.
"Course you are! Say, you look familiar."
"Do I…? Nobody ever told me that."
"Are you maybe from Ms. Fitzgerald's P.E. class?"
"Erm, yes," the girl mumbled nervously, "I've seen you, but we never talked."
"You saw me? Weird, I should've remembered noticing you."
"Nobody does," the girl whispered.
"Well, what's your name then? I'm May, but my family calls me Mayday."
Seeing Mayday over a handshake, the girl shook it. "Courtney Duran. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet ya! Excited about today's trip?"
"I am now with you here," Courtney answered shyly.
[Later…]
If heaven were real, then the Parkers sisters have arrived.
Before them was the largest museum in the country: The Science & History Museum of Marvels. Ever since it opened a year ago, Mayday and her sisters have been eager to check it out, and that wish has finally come true. Were the sisters overly excited to be surrounded by the superpowered movement's history, sciences, and arts, who've changed the modern world? Yes. Most definitely.
Annie's eyes were first captured by the science behind Pym Particles, as explained by the holograms of two superheroines: Janet Van Dyne, one of the founders of the Avengers, and her teenage daughter Nadia Van Dyne, a renowned Champions member.
Annie listened closely as Nadia spoke, "If my father were still with us, he would be proud of the wonders we've achieved with the particles he discovered decades ago. Recently, with the help of our G.I.R.L. scientists, my mother and I have altered the self-sustaining nutritional nature of pym particles to work for any living organisms in their natural forms. This discovery continues to save thousands from near starvation and push world governments to do their part in reducing and one day ending world hunger."
"Awesome," Annie said in awe of the G.I.R.L. exhibition, even receiving a free lab coat from the robot attendants. With sparkles in her eyes, Annie smiled, "I can't wait to be a scientist like them!"
Meanwhile, April enjoyed not being stuck in the classroom, with the colorful exhibitions being the cherry on top. She noticed one exhibition was pretty empty and had a janitor cleaning up a slur that vandalized the exhibition's title, "The Mysteries of Mutantdom." Needing some quiet time, April walked in. Sponsored by the Xavier-Mactaggert Foundation, the walls were the D.N.A. sequences of mutants, the science behind mutation, and actual small flora and fauna from the island of Krakoa.
As April ventured deeper, she entered the history portion of mutantdom. She first saw the usual, boring stuff, such as a copy of the "A.S.B.W treaty" and the "Declaration of Sol." The former was an international agreement that ended all production of Sentinel models and anti-mutant biological weapons. At the same time, the latter declared the purpose and sovereignty of the Krakoan vassal state, Arakko, the so-called "capital" of the solar system. "Man, we won the moon, but they won a freaking planet. That space race was soooo one-sided," April commented.
Further in, April is disturbed by archival footage of mutants imprisoned, beaten by mobs, and killed by police, military, and Sentinels. Though there was catharsis in seeing footage of X-Men like Storm, Jubilee, and the new Marvel Girl saving other mutants, April couldn't help but relate to feeling like an outsider, a freak.
Mayday fixed her glasses while entering the popular exhibition, "Marvels!" All around her were artifacts and the history behind some of the Earth's mightiest heroes. Her best friend Olivia examined one of the suits of the deceased Tony Stark before turning her gaze to the Wakandan arts. Courtney wipes a tear from her eye at archival footage of Steve Rogers saving the day with the Avengers before turning to one of his suits. Illuminated in its display in memorium of the deceased hero.
Though a new team of Avengers has recently taken on the duty of protecting this world, the void Mr. Rogers left is still felt worldwide.
Mayday was moved and impressed by every one of these displays, but the one that drew her attention the most was a display of whom she believed to be a true hero, The Amazing Spider-Man. Unlike the others, only a mere recreation of the suit was displayed, with only a fraction of the pictures and footage showcased. Standing by herself, Mayday marveled at the humble display of his heroism. She can only imagine how swinging through the skyline must've felt; the closest she could compare it to was the day she lept into her father's arms years ago.
"I don't believe you're gone," she said with a proud smile, "some people say you're dead, but you're still out there saving the day, aren't you, spidey?"
After all that, it was time for the final event. The sisters reunite as their classes enter a new building whose central plaza has a stage where Earth's family stands before a packed audience. Despite their stature, the sisters got a good look at the one and only Fantastic Four. Each of them, especially Mayday, was impressed by the words they shared with the crowd. Despite being known across time and space, this family still took the time to speak and inspire kids like them. At that moment, Mayday didn't see them as heroes but as real people. Ben Grimm smiling beside his wife Alicia while their adopted kids waved excitedly at the crowd. Hotshot Johnny Storm posing in front of his niece and nephew as dozens took pictures. Reed wraps up his speech before Sue, with a wave of her hand, uses her powers to make their latest donation to the museum visible: Marvel - 1. The rocket that began the Age of Marvels.
All these events, all these people, it might've been another field trip for other kids, but for Mayday, it was a reminder of what she aspired to be. The person always looks out for others, puts others before herself, and is there when no one else is. If it took being a hero like Spidey to be that person, then Mayday would be that hero no matter the odds. Why? Because she wants to be.
The teachers began herding their classes towards the buses as the sun approached the horizon. "And that was only half of what's in there," Mayday sighed blissfully.
"We gotta have Mom and Dad take us next time," Annie suggested.
"If they find the time. They're getting busier every day," April said. "Speaking of, how long until it's dark? Maybe we can hurry to an arcade after school."
Mayday instinctively pulls up her hands to check the time, expecting the pink and white colors of her watch's bands only to see her wrist. "It's gone?!" She combs her bag and pockets but finds no sign of her dad's gift. "Nonono! The band must've come loose! Argh, I knew I should've replaced it!"
"Seriously? Urgh... where's the last place you saw it?" April asked.
"Erm, before entering the new building? I was so excited I must not noticed it."
"Fine, we'll buy you some time, just hurry up, would ya?"
Mayday would hug her sister in thanks, but she'd probably be punched instantly if she did. Mayday sneaked away from the group and hurried to where she last saw it. Upon arriving, she quickly scoured every inch of that area but found squat. "No way!" she groaned, "they can't distract them for long. Where is it?" Her ears pick up a sudden rustling from some bushes; her gaze turns around to see a tiny kitten's head pop up. She usually is distracted by his cuteness, but her eyes notice something is in the cat's mouth.
"My watch!" she gasped. The kitten jumped from her voice and sprinted away." Wait, kitty! That's not food!" She struggled to keep up with the agile feline, their chase taking them across the museum's open garden until they reached a flight of stairs leading down to a packed one-way street. Mayday's pace slowed as she descended the stairs and watched the kitten reach the sidewalk to escape into a sewer drain.
Her anxiety quickly swelled right when fatigue kicked in; the constraining air in her lungs stricken her breathing, causing the lenses of her glasses to fog up. Each quick step down the long flight of stairs felt more unsteady; one misstep, and she'd cry about something more painful than a lost watch. She was barely halfway down, but the kitten had already begun crossing the street, her precious gift about to vanish forever.
The next second, something snapped, and the most unbelievable sensation of her entire life struck her like a truck.
A buzz rippled across her mind, and for the briefest of moments, it was like the reality of the world around her contorted into a mishmash of colors and bizarre images. Everything slowed to a crawl, her body frozen while she clenched her head. She shielded her eyes from intense flashing, nigh-blinding colors, yet they didn't mortify her. The most ear-piercing and bone-rattling noise sent shivers down her spine, yet it didn't frighten her. 'Like this morning,' she remembered. What woke her up wasn't just the spider but this insane visual and auditory sensation hammering her head, not her whole body. 'It's like...like if the world's scariest animal has its claws against my neck while its teeth are ready to bite on my head!' Such an overwhelming experience nearly caused her to collapse, but something kept her steady; something guided her eyes to turn to the left end of the street. 'Da...danger?' She dizzily squints to see an intimidating red force hurtling towards her direction. A second later, her perception of the world returns to normal, and the red blur is revealed to be a fast car speeding down the street, barreling straight toward the unsuspecting kitten.
'No! Stop!' Instinctively, Mayday knew something had to intervene. 'Poor thing's gonna die...because I scared it away because I stupidly lost Dad's gift. I led them here, and now...and now...!' A fire burst to life inside her, a fire she didn't even know existed but perhaps was always there. This intense rush pushed Mayday to run after the kitten. 'No, no, that won't be enough,' she thought in that split second, her body practically moving on its own. Even if she caught the kitten, that intense sensation in her head screamed, as if now the both of them would be hit. Seeing the kitten stop and glance at the truck mere meters away, one last thought crossed Mayday's mind, 'how do I know I can make it? What if I get us both killed?!'
"The only thing you can do is take a leap of faith..."
Her fists clench, her eyes and mind locked in as this great power finally unleashes itself. She was back in the zone.
"Now...jump."
Mayday launches herself at incredible speed, outracing the high-speed car and snatching the cat with astonishing care and precision. As the vehicle was centimeters from hitting them, Mayday's amazing new reflexes kicked in, and her body lept up three stories. Mayday snaps out of it upon colliding against a neighboring building, gasping at the sight of herself now several dozens of feet above the street beneath a fire escape. Shock and confusion were written all over her face, which was currently stuck to the wall. In fact, her whole body was stuck to the wall. 'Just like...no wayyyy,' she thought. She noticed how blurry her vision was, but after removing her glasses, Mayday realized she had perfect vision as her whole world cleared up. 'It can't be. Do I have...?' Mayday secured the kitten in her backpack before glancing up to the roof several stories up.
Her gnawing curiosity about this spectacular experience drove her to climb, and she began to wall-crawl. 'Left hand, then right hand!' Every action taken helped her crawl to greater heights. 'Now, Left foot, right foot!' Every step she took made the world below shrink, and the sky felt so close it was like she could touch it. Soon, her form felt as natural as walking, and she picked up speed! 'Left hand, right hand! Left foot, right foot! Left-!' She paused when she felt the roof's edge; stepping up to the top, Mayday saw she'd climbed to the roof in mere seconds.
"I have powers," she gasped, "I can jump high, sense danger, and wall crawl, like Spider-Man. Which means..." Her spirits rose like never before, realizing what kind of change had happened to her. "I'm. a. SPIDER-GIRL!" she proudly proclaimed, fists raised high. "Whoa! This is too, too coooool! Those bullies were right about one thing: I'm a freak, but being a freak may actually be all it's cracked up to be- and more!"
If Mayday could, she would take this opportunity to explode into action. Hurl herself from wall to wall—somersault and ricochet from floor to ceiling. Push herself like never before! However, other responsibilities had to be tended to, and Mayday is reminded of this when she sees teachers begin their search for Mayday.
"Crud, guess time's up," she sighed. She zips open her backpack and grabs her watch from the kitten, "For a street kitty, you're pretty bad at finding food and avoiding cars. I'll sneak you home and show you our neighborhood, where there are many cool cat friends to make."
The cat meows in response. "Let's go," Mayday said, beginning her quick descent, "oh, and feel free to snack on my leftover peas and blueberries."
The rest of the way went smoothly. The buses were running late, so the teachers dragged Mayday back, no questions asked. The moment she met up with her sisters, Mayday wanted to reveal at the top of her lungs that she had superpowers, but Spider-Man kept his identity a secret for a reason, so she knew doing so would be plain stupid of her, and she was not stupid. She kept her mouth shut the whole way home, though she could sense April looking at her more often. After a long day, the sisters returned home to find thier parents already prepping dinner. 'Perfect!' she thought. She rushed to her bedroom, set free the kitten via her window, and pulled out her own custom spider mask made when she was little. 'Alright. Go time, May! Approach them, act cute and innocent, then wham! Wall crawl all over the ceiling with the spider mask on!'
She giggled excitedly, tucked the mask behind her back, and rushed downstairs. Mayday casually stepped into the kitchen to see her sisters standing beside their father, a look of concern across their faces. "Erm smells good, Dad," Mayday said, but upon approaching her dad, her smile went away to see his face with white bandages across his face and left arm.
"Are you alright, Dad," Annie worriedly asked.
"Annie, I am," Peter reassured with a light chuckle, "we simply had a small accident in the lab."
"Is that so," Mary Jane asked, poking his bandaged arm. When he winced in pain, Mayday stood back and caught her mom with a suspicious look in her eye. "When I tried contacting your front desk, everything sounded peachy."
"That's standard procedure, dear. Besides, it wasn't that bad, and no one got hurt but me. Thankfully."
Mayday saw M.J.'s eyes squint before stepping back and grabbing herself some water. A tired sigh escapes her, causing Mayday to shuffle over to her mom. "Uhh, Mom, I have something-"
"Can it wait?"
"Oh, umm," Mayday mumbled, staring at the ground while clenching her hidden mask.
M.J. drinks her glass of water to cool off before turning to May, "Sorry, sweetie. That came off blunt, didn't it?"
"It's okay..."
"I've just been having a bad day today. I was late to a big audition because I forgot to refuel the car, and...they locked the doors on me."
"Oh no," Peter said as he wrapped up prepping dinner, "you've been talking about that role for weeks. I'm so sorry that happened, honey. Is there something I can do to help?"
"Just some time to think and talk to my agent again. Sorry, but can you leave my plate in our room?"
"Of course."
Before M.J. left, Mayday's more sensitive hearing caught her mom whispering to her dad, "We're talking alone after dinner."
Just like that, everyone moved on to dinner, and Mayday's anxiousness shunned away her previous excitement. Her father asked if she had something to say, but rather than reveal to him her powers, she shrank back and talked only about the field trip. 'Maybe tonight's not the best,' Mayday pondered. Her mom wasn't a stranger to not getting a role, but losing this role wasn't just a lost part; it would affect their family's money for the next few weeks at least. On top of her dad being hurt from who knows what at work, Mayday felt it'd be a terrible move to surprise them with her superpowers. If anything, what drew Mayday's attention as they finished dinner was her mom's suspicion, which had never aimed at her father before.
So, when she and her sisters go upstairs, Mayday makes sure the coast is clear and sneaks out to satisfy her curiosity. Staying as quiet as possible, Mayday wall-crawled to the stairs and used the cover of darkness to hide behind the wood bars of the railing. She caught sight of her parents in the living room, totally unaware of her presence, and listened.
"You know I don't like liars, Tiger," M.J. started, pacing around casually with her gaze locked on Peter.
"I wasn't, well, I wasn't lying to you but the girls. They were all over the kitchen."
'Dad lied to us? But why?' Mayday wondered. Given what she's hiding from them, she wasn't one to talk.
"Oh, were you," M.J. asked. Though she sounded quite annoyed, her words had a point behind them rather than being born out of baseless assumptions. From Mayday's perspective, her mom talked as if she had used this tone countless times before yet never heard it herself. "Because when I called you shortly before getting home, you said nothing was the matter. Yet not even five minutes later, you walked in carrying fresh bandages."
"I simply didn't want to worry you. I tried patching myself up the best I could. Of course, today had to be the day I wore a short-sleeve, and I didn't have any replacements in my office."
M.J. chuckled, "I almost forgot how cute you are when play dumb, Tiger."
'Eww,' Mayday thought.
"M.J., I am not-"
"You still wanna keep lying to me, Petey?" M.J.'s eyes were focused, but her words were tinged with emotion, borderline on sounding hurt from what Peter was concealing.
That was enough to make Peter drop the act. "Sorry," he apologized, "you called so suddenly and so soon, I wasn't even off my adrenaline high. What gave it away?"
"I've seen and patched up your battle scars enough times to recognize a pattern. Those bad guys have it out for your spleen and liver areas."
'What the...,' Mayday pondered, 'did she say bad guys? Battle scars?'
"You'd be right," said Peter, "it's probably on the news by now, but I followed the sound of sirens after I got out of work. Old habits, you know? I see crowds forming at the end of a street, where I find two guys running out of the back alleys. That was when I felt it again, my spider-sense shouting out danger nearby."
Mayday's heart skips a beat; the tiniest gasp escapes her as she listens.
"I had a hunch you still carried around those web-shooters," M.J. smirked.
"Not exactly. These are smaller and easier to hide. Anyway, I webbed myself a mask and got the jump on those two. Ain't exactly as agile as I used to be when one of thier bullets grazed my arm. After webbing them up, I found out they started a massive fire in a jewelry store to cover their escape, but it quickly got out of control and spread to an old apartment next door. That's when I saw the smoke, heard the screams and crying...I had to help them."
Peter snaps out of his reminiscing when M.J. kisses his forehead. "You did the right thing, tiger."
"I did, and it almost cost me the secret that fooled the world. I know people would chalk up today as a stunt pulled by an imitator, but if I keep doing this, it'll-"
"That won't happen, Pete. Rest easy knowing your secret is still safe from the world. In fact, today was a reminder that we have to confront a bigger question. One which has plagued both of us since Mayday was born.
Peter leaned forward as she sighed, "I told 'em stories before. My fake first meetings with the amazing Spider-Man and so on. So why did lying to them today hurt like hell? Was it because of how fresh these new wounds were? Is it getting harder the longer we keep it from them?"
M.J. sits beside her husband, holding his bandaged, burnt hand as she says, "They'll be teenagers before we know it, and when we do notice, they'll already be adults. This secret's served this family long enough, and you know it."
"Are they old enough to understand?"
"They're brighter than thier teachers give them credit for. Look at Mayday; she's a good girl! Already so strong and dependable! Whatever else you and I might have skewed up in our lives, we did all right as parents. If she can handle the truth, surely April and Annie can. They each have the right to know who they are, especially if your theory is still true that they'll develop powers someday."
"A theory we haven't seen further evidence of in six years? I get what you're saying, but they already know who they are, Mary Jane. They're our daughters. And I know Mayday idolizes the mask, but adding THIS could completely throw her off."
"I know, Peter, and I'm ending this conversation by saying she can handle this," M.J. declared as she stood up, a smile of pride to her children. "Mayday can handle being the daughter of Spider-Man."
'Creak!'
Peter and M.J. turn to the staircase from the sudden sound of an upstairs floorboard creaking. Peter marches up but finds no one in the shadows. He listened carefully for any sound but caught nothing. He steps down, pauses, and looks up but sees nobody on the ceiling. With nothing found, Peter and Mary Jane return to their room, unaware of their daughter sneakily shutting her bedroom door. Mayday hugged her legs as she sat in the middle of her bed, utterly petrified by all that her parents unknowingly revealed. Her eyes were fixated only on her handmade mask. A mask she and her father made. "A mask me and Spider-Man made," Mayday whispered in awe, "my dad is Spider-Man, and I'm the daughter of Spider-Man."
To be Continued...
A/N: I hope you enjoy this issue, readers! As usual, it ended up slightly longer than anticipated, so the next chapter will quickly wrap up Mayday's origin before we continue with Annie's and wrap up this arc. I figured the field trip would be a fun way to drop some history of this universe and casually drop some of its differences along with fun cameos. I tried to keep as much of Mayday's original backstory told in "What If...?" #105 (such as the basketball match and eavesdropping on her parents) while adding new stuff, such as the prologue. I had planned for a while that Peter would sometimes run into people in trouble and feel compelled to help, and reading USM #1 helped reaffirm this decision. Amazing issue btw I can't wait to read more of that run along with the rest of the new Ultimate universe.
