Chapter 1: Don't Forget The Hyphen
Earth-242016
Queens, New York
Midtown High
2 Years Ago…
As the freshmen students of Midtown were rushing to their first classes of the school year, the more experienced students were already seated in their classrooms. As the clock hit 7:58 AM, some of the students were already bored out of their minds, and were silently waiting for the day to be over. None more than Midtown High's Star Quarterback Flash Thompson, who was busy checking his social media feed to pay attention to his friends or even his girlfriend. But as two of the students watched the clock closer, only one question was on their mind.
"Where the hell is Peter?" The redheaded Junior, Harry Osborn leaned in and asked his girlfriend. The blonde quickly shrugged.
"I don't know." The young Gwen Stacy responded. She quickly glanced at her phone. "I texted him 20 minutes ago, and I haven't heard anything back." Harry looked around the classroom to see if anyone was looking at them, luckily, it seems like nobody was even remotely paying attention to them.
"You think he's busy with…" Harry began to think aloud, but before he said anything else, he made a hand gesture where his middle finger and his ring finger hit his palm. "You know?" Before Gwen could say anything, the science teacher Mrs. Smith entered the room just as the bell rang.
"Alright students, settle down." Mrs. Smith said as the students continued to talk to one another. Seeing that were not listening to her orders, she quickly smacked a ruler against her desk, causing a loud crack to ring out across the room, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Much better." She remarked as she put the ruler down, with all the students now paying attention to her. "Now, I guess I should be welcoming a good portion of you to your junior year. You are all one step closer to starting your college years, which means one step closer to your adulthood, and that also means that some of you will be out of my life." As the students began to murmur to themselves about the rather rude remark, they all knew who she was referring to as their eyes not stubley turned their eyesight to Flash. Flash noticed this and began to get irritated.
"What are you all looking at?!" The Quarterback questioned angrily, quickly causing everyone to avert their eyesight from him. Mrs. Smith let out a small sigh as she shook her head.
"Anyway, time to get back on topic." Mrs. Smith said under her breath as she got some papers in order. "Well, first things first, we actually have a new student that will be joining us today." Everyone's attention turned directly to the door as the new girl walked into the classroom. And walking through the door was a girl around 16 years old with vibrant red hair, piercing green eyes, and an olive skin tone. She gave a warm smile as she walked to the front of the class, and upon seeing her, a good portion of the boys in the class instantly fell for her. "Please give a warm Midtown High welcome to Ms. Watson." Mrs. Smith stated in a rather dismissive manner. The teacher then turned to look at the new girl. "Ms. Watson, would you care to give a small introduction to your soon to be alumni?" Hearing this, Ms. Watson gave a small wave to the class.
"Hi there, I'm Mary Jane Watson, but everyone tends to just call me MJ." Mary Jane remarked in a cheerful tone. "I'm originally from Pennsylvania, but I moved around a lot. I am passionate about acting, writing, and-"
"I said a small introduction, Ms. Watson, not your Tinder profile or Bumblee or what smart dating things you kids use nowadays." Mrs. Smith interjected, causing a few of the students to slightly chuckle at the misfortune of the new girl. Mary Jane cringed slightly at the occurrence.
"Sorry, ma'am." Mary Jane meekly remarked. Mrs. Smith then looked at her seating chart to see where she could place her. "Now then, if you wouldn't mind, please take a seat next to-..." As she looked up to where she was going to place her new student, she couldn't help but notice that a certain student was missing. "Does any know where Mr.-" Before she could even finish her question, the door to the classroom suddenly flew open.
"I'm here!" A boy stated as he looked around quite frantically. Mary Jane was a bit taken aback by the sudden arrival of this stranger. He looked to be around the same age as her, his shaggy brown hair clearly was unkempt, and from the way that he was panting it was like he sprinted a couple of miles just to get here. Her curiosity was certainly peeked as to who he might be.
"Ah, Mr. Parker, so glad you can join us." Mrs. Smith snidely remarked as she looked to Peter Parker who was now able to catch his breath.
"Sorry 'bout that, Mrs. Smith." Peter commented as he looked to his teacher, who had a less than amused expression on her face.
"And why exactly are you late this time?" She questioned. Hearing that question, Peter's eyes slightly went wide as he looked at the class.
"Um…" He began to say.
(X)
30 minutes earlier…
"PULL OVER!" Officer Cartwright yelled into his speaker as he chased down the speeding station wagon down 8th Avenue. The two cars flew past as bystanders stood by and watched the chase unfold between them. The suspect's car continued speeding forward, trying their best not to hit anything. He quickly grabbed the radio and dialed into dispatch. "Dispatch, I got a 10-80 heading Southbound on 8th Avenue, need backup immediately!"
"Jesus, Ox! Watch where you're going!" The criminal called Fancy Dan yelled as he looked out the window to catch a glance at the cop car behind them, while also trying his hardest to make sure none of the money that they just took went flying out of the car. His teammate, the behemoth known as Ox, gritted his teeth in anger.
"You try to drive this tiny ass car when you're 6'8", then you can know what I have to deal with!" Ox shouted back as tried his hardest not to crash into anything.
"Will the two of you shut up?!" Montana, the leader of the criminal group called the Enforcers, quickly cried out as he began to reload his Thompson submachine gun. "How many banks have we robbed, and now is the time we start bickering with one another?!" Fancy Dan quickly switched his eyesight over to his leader.
"And how many times has it ended with us getting arrested?" Fancy Dan shot back at him. "And how many of those times was the Wallcrawler the one to stop us before we could even get a chance to spend any of it?! We should've just moved to New Jersey!" Ox tried his best to chime in while also doing his best to drive.
"Dan's right! Didn't some new team start up here?" Ox quickly asked. "You know, the one with the rock guy and the stretchy guy?"
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Montana yelled at the both of them. He then began to lean out the window as he readied his gun. "I gotta copper to kill!" As he took aim at the cop car, Ox wasn't necessarily watching the road thoroughly as he didn't see a skateboarder suddenly roll into the street. As the skateboarder finally looked up to see the oncoming car speeding towards him, he suddenly felt a tug on his back as he was lifted into the air very quickly. The car ran over the skateboard, and the owner could only help but watch as he was now on the opposite side of the street, completely confused on how he got there. When he reached to feel his back, he was surprised when he found a glob of what looked like a spider's web in his hand. And as soon as Montana saw the boy be swung over to the side of the road by a web line, his eyes widened in complete shock. "Oh shit…" He mumbled to himself. And all three of the Enforcers were surprised when they heard a bang on the top of their roof.
"Please tell me that ain't who I think it is." Fancy Dan commented as he stared at the car's roof. Ox jumped a small bit when he heard a knock at his window. He stopped for a second before rolling down the window slightly. "What the hell are you doing?" Fancy Dan questioned his cohort, but before Ox could answer, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, if it isn't my favorite trio of bumbling no-gooders!" A young man in a bright red and bright blue body suit, with black webbing all across the red section of his suit, black bands around his sections of his arms, mechanical black pointed eyes with white lens, and a small spider on his chest said as he clung onto the driver's door. "Just be careful on how you act, otherwise the 3 Stooges are going to sue you for copyright infringement."
"SPIDER-MAN!" All three of the Enforcers shouted out at the same time.
"That's my name! And don't forget the hyphen. It's important for branding." Spider-Man quickly commented as jumped onto the hood of the car. Seeing a chance, Fancy Dan quickly pulled out his pistol and took aim at the spider. He pulled the trigger and instantly, the windshield shattered into a million pieces. Almost instantly, Spider-Man dodged the bullet, missing him completely.
"WATCH IT! THIS IS MY GRANDMA'S CAR!" Ox cried out at the top of his lungs. Hearing this, Spider-Man couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"Wait, seriously?" Spider-Man asked between chuckles. "What criminals rob a bank in their grandma's car?" He questioned as he made his signature hand gesture with both of his hands and fired a couple of webs into the car, tying up all three criminals in the matter of seconds. He then fired two weblines attaching them to two buildings. He held onto the lines with a good portion of his strength as the car's rear wheels lifted off the ground. The car came to a screeching halt and the rear wheels finally slammed back down on the ground. Once the car came to a complete halt, Spider-Man flipped off the car hood and strolled over to the driver's side window, where he looked in to see his handiwork. "Boy, you guys just have the worst time whenever we get together, huh?" All three of the Enforcers gave the hero a murderous look.
"Hate. You." Montana murmured as he looked at the hero. Hearing this, Spider-Man pretended to be wounded.
"After all these good times we have had together, and you do me like that?" Spider-Man questioned as if he was on the verge of tears. "Oh, you wound me, Montana." As soon as he stopped, Spider-Man felt a familiar tingle in the back of his skull. A lingering sense of danger.
"Freeze, Freak!" Officer Cartwright yelled out as he pointed his gun to the costumed vigilante. "Hands up in the air, this very second!" Hearing that, Spider-Man stopped in his tracks.
"I'm sorry, I'm confused." Spider-Man admitted to the officer. "I mean, you tell me to freeze one second, and the next you tell me to put my hand up in the air. Those are conflicting orders." The hero then looked back into the car. "Isn't it confusing for you guys as well?" He asked the Enforcers, none of them responding to him for a couple of moments.
"To be fair, it is a little confusing." Ox meekly admitted out loud, which earned him a look of anger from his cohorts.
"You heard me!" Officer Cartwright barked out, unaware of the other police car pulling up. "Hands, in the Goddamn-"
"Stand down, Officer." A new voice suddenly called out, causing the officer and the masked vigilante to turn and look at the source. Walking up to the scene was an older man in his late 40's, gray hairs already appearing in the temples of his dark blonde hair. His officer's uniform was neatly pressed and showed that he was in no mood for any funny business. His face bore a determined look as he strolled over to the scene. "And that is an order."
"Captain Stacy." Officer Cartwright said as the NYPD Captain walked over to him. "He's a-"
"Was he involved in any robberies at all?" Captain Stacy questioned the Officer. "Did anyone report him to be conspiring with the suspects to help aid and abide in illicit activities? Besides, he saved a kid who was not looking both ways and stopped a trio of dangerous criminals from causing any more harm and robbing any other banks." Officer Cartwright could only stammer as he looked at his superior. "Lower your weapon Officer, or else you will be written up." Hearing that Officer Cartwright hesitantly lowered his weapon and put it back in his holster. Captain Stacy then looked over to the hero with a perplexed look on his face. "New suit?" He asked, causing Spider-Man to chuckle a little.
"Glad you noticed." The young hero commented as he flipped onto the roof of the car. "Yeah, figured it was time for a bit of a tech update. Plus, it's a bit more resilient to being torn up, so no more hand stitching up any tears. What do you think?" George Stacy gave the hero a look of unease.
"It's a bit busy." He truthfully said. "Plus, there was a bit of charm to the old suit. Felt timeless, you know?" Spider-Man, upon hearing this, let out a small groan.
"So much for the countless hours that I spent twiddling away, making sure this suit was perfect. It was all for nothing." He replied, fake crying as he said that. Captain Stacy gave him a look of confusion. To which the masked hero looked back at him. "And now you aren't even laughing at my jokes, are we no longer best friends?"
"You have friends?" Fancy Dan questioned from the car, earning a small chuckle from his two compatriots. Spidey then leaned over to look inside the car.
"Says the guys who are going to prison because of me." Spidey retorted back. The entire car started rocking back and forth as the criminals tried their hardest to get out of the webbing. Spider-Man let out a small chuckle as he looked back up to Captain Stacy. "I'm sorry, what was I saying before I was interrupted?"
"You were asking if we were no longer best friends." He replied as he crossed his arms. "To which I was about to say we weren't, I accept you doing your vigilante work as long you don't go overboard and end up killing anyone. That is our deal." Hearing that, Spidey tensed up for a split second as he thought about that night…
"I promise, no one else is dying on my watch." Spider-Man said in a determined voice as he looked at the police captain. "Not again…" The last part, he whispered to himself. Then a chime sound suddenly went off, breaking the tension. Recognizing the sound, Spider-Man quickly pulled out his phone to see that he got a text message.
Gwen: Where are u? School's starting soon!
"Shit!" Spider-Man exclaimed as he looked back at Captain Stacy. "Sorry about this, but I got to run, I got an important thing." He then fired out a web line to a nearby building as he proceeded to jump up and start web swinging. "See ya!" Watching the hero in a hurry, Captain Stacy shook his head in disbelief.
"Teenagers." He muttered under his breath as he looked into the car, slightly admiring the work of the web swinger. "So, rough morning, gentlemen?"
(X)
Present…
"I'm still waiting for an answer, Mr. Parker." Mrs. Smith said, causing Peter to snap back to reality.
"Uh…Traffic?" Peter responded in an unsure tone as he looked at his teacher. There were a couple of snickers from the class as they heard his answer. Mrs. Smith gave him a skeptical look.
"Don't you live 15 minutes away from here?" She questioned as she waited for a legitimate answer. Peter stared at her with a blank look on his face, trying to find another way to answer.
"…I overslept. And my alarm clock is broken." Peter stated as he readjusted his backpack. Mrs. Smith let out a small sigh.
"I don't get paid enough to deal with you kids." Mrs. Smith muttered silently. "Well, if we are done taking up enough of our class time, can you please show Ms. Watson to her seat next to you?" Hearing that, Peter gave his teacher a confused look as he had no idea who she was talking about. That's when he finally noticed the redhead girl standing right in front of him.
"…Hi." Was all that Peter could say before he embarrassed himself in front of her. Mary Jane gave him a small smile.
"Hi there." She responded as she held out her hand. "Mary Jane Watson. Though, everyone tends to call me MJ." Seeing what she was doing, Peter took her hand and shook it.
"Peter Parker." He stated. "Though, everyone tends to call me-"
"To your seats, please." Mrs. Smith interjected, slightly shocking them. "Besides, nobody wants to see the two of you clumsily flirt with one another, least of all failing at it." Hearing that, the two teens embarrassingly walked over to their seats while some of their classmates silently laughed at the scene that unfolded in front of them. Now that everyone was sitting in their assigned seats, Mrs. Smith got ready to start her first lesson of the year. A couple of minutes into her lesson, Peter turned to his new seat mate.
"Sorry about her," he began to say. "She has gotten a pretty bad attitude these past couple of years." Mary Jane looked at him with a curious look on her face.
"Really? What happened?" She asked. Peter slightly looked past her to a certain Quarterback barely paying attention to the class. Mary Jane followed his eyesight and started to connect the dots. "Let me guess, the stereotypical quarterback who is also the top bully and simultaneously failing all of his classes?"
"Ah, I see you are also a fellow fan of the great John Hughes and his high school films." Peter commented, slightly chuckling at the same time. "Yeah, pretty much. That and she had a chemistry experiment fail last year that legitimately blew up in her face, and everyone has been calling her 'Boomer' behind her back."
"Oh…" Mary Jane said, not too sure on what else she is supposed to say. Peter matched her sentiment.
"I know how you feel." He commented. Mary Jane looked back towards Peter.
"Is this place going to be a living hell?" She nervously asked. Peter gave her an unsure look.
"Honestly, you will get used to it." Peter responded as he tried his best to give her the honest truth. "I mean, there are some bright spots here and there." Mary Jane gave a small chuckle.
"I assume that means I should hang around you then to see them, huh?" She responded, with a bit of flirtatious tone in her voice. Hearing that, Peter's face slowly started to have a significant blush appear.
"I-I mean, only if you want to. Now, I'm not suggesting that you do because I wasn't the most popular kid at the beginning so there may still be some kids that are still going to be making fun of me." Peter blurted out all at once, surprising Mary Jane on how quickly he seemed to go from a seemingly normal kid to a blushing and rambling mess in the span of a couple of seconds.
"So, is that a yes?" She questioned. Before Peter could answer, he slightly noticed that Flash's girlfriend was looking over at the two of them, slightly chuckling at the sight of Peter trying his best to not be a blubbering mess. But the weird part is that it almost felt like it wasn't malicious or anything like that, but weirdly encouraging it. Completely not what he expected since it seemed like last year she didn't care about him at all. Why would Fe-
"Mr. Parker, care to answer this problem?" Mrs. Smith called out, breaking Peter out of what weird trance he was in. He quickly looked up at the board at what the question was. And the irony was not lost on him. 'What is the study of arachnids called?'
"Arachnology. That is the study of arachnids." He quickly answered. Mrs. Smith gave him a solemn nod.
"Seems like you were paying attention, good job." Mrs. Smith sarcastically remarked as she turned her attention back to the board. Peter looked back at Mary Jane.
"I guess it's a yes." He said. He then went back to watching the class, trying his best to pay attention in order to prevent any further embarrassment during the class. Mary Jane could only help but be curious about if Peter was always like this?
(X)
Ryker's Island
In a lowly cell, Herman Schultz sat on the crappy bed, waiting for his arraignment. Last night, he was arrested on charges of breaking and entering, and burglary. He sat, fuming as the events of the previous night played out in his head, repeating over and over again. He did everything right, he cut the alarms, cut the feed to the cameras, he did everything right… Then the Spider came along.
Wasn't the first time they encountered one another. He was actually the first criminal to be caught when the Spider came onto the scene. And every, single, time they run into each other, it's the same jokes.
Herman, long time no see! Herman, loved your work on Moby Dick! Who the hell is named Herman nowadays? God, if he had the opportunity, he would-
"Schultz, your lawyer's here!" The prison guard yelled out, breaking Herman out of his train of thought. Hearing that, Herman was confused as he didn't make any calls to any lawyers recently. As he was escorted to the visitor center, he wonders if it was a court appointed attorney. But as soon as he entered the room, Herman could tell that he wasn't.
Standing in the room was a man in his late thirties to early forties staring out the window into the yard. The blue three piece suit was neatly pressed with no crease in sight and it's clear that he had a taste for the finer things in life. Hearing the door close, the Lawyer turned to look at Herman.
"Mr. Schultz, a pleasure to meet you." The Lawyer stated as he walked over to the table. He gave a nod to the guard, and immediately the guard walked out of the room. "Please take a seat, we have much to discuss." Herman hesitantly took a seat, knowing he doesn't have that much of a choice.
"I'm sorry, who the hell are you?" Herman questioned. "You look too fancy to be my lawyer. Is this some kind of trick or something?" The Lawyer took a small breath.
"I am very understanding of your confusion." The Lawyer remarked as he calmly sat down, almost having this air of smugness to him. "My name is James Wesley. And besides now being your lawyer, I come to you with a generous offer. My employer is always one to look for individuals with talents, and you are one who has recently piqued his interest." Hearing that, Herman slightly chuckled.
"Yeah, and who's your boss?" He asked. "Because I-"
"His name is none of your concern." Wesley responded quickly and in an intimidating manner, causing Herman to move back a small bit. Seeing his reaction, Wesley readjusted his posture. "What you should be concerned about is why he wishes to hire you. As of late, his operations have been having a bug problem." Hearing that, Herman scoffed.
"Look pal, I hate to waste your time." He began to say. "But if he's really having a bug problem, he could just call an exterminator. Don't know why he's looking at jail, when he should be looking at the yellow pages." Wesley was clearly unamused by Mr. Schultz' comments.
"Allow me to correct myself, considering I gave the wrong label to the problem." Wesley stated as he adjusted his tie. "My employer is having more of a…Spider Infestation." Hearing that, Herman completely understood what he was talking about. "I'm glad that got your attention. From what I understand, he has humiliated you countless times in the past, hasn't he? And I am willing to believe that you are on a very long list of people who wish to see him bleeding out at your feet, aren't you?" Seeing the look of hatred slowly start to fade into Herman's face, Wesley knew that he would be a lot more cooperative with the offer. "No need to say anything, I already know your answer. Now, I do have one more question for you. Are you ready to hear my offer?" Herman was silent for a couple of seconds, thinking everything over. He then leaned in.
"Get me out of here, and I'll hear you out." He answered. "Can't really do much if I'm stuck in here, you know?" Hearing that, Wesley stood back up and buttoned his suit jacket.
"You'll be out before the end of the day." He replied as he began to walk towards the door.
(X)
Oscorp Industries
Technological Advancement Division
In one of the many technological laboratories of one of New York' largest conglomerates, many scientists toiled away at their work, making sure that every tiny detail was perfect. Otherwise, it would become one of the many rejected projects that did not receive funding. Many of the successful projects could be narrowed down to three scientists.
There was the head of the Technological Advancement Division, Dr. Otto Octavious. He was a fairly rotund man in his early 40's, with a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from M.I.T. There was also Adrian Toomes, the eldest scientist in the division at the ripe age of 67, with an MS in electrical engineering to his name. And finally, the newcomer of the division and the youngest of the all the scientists, Dr. Curtis Connors. A man in his early 30's, with two doctorates in herpetology and biochemistry. One of the things that made him stand out from the crowd was his deformity. He was missing his right arm, though nobody really knows how he lost it. But he did not let that stop him from trying his hardest to become the best that he could be.
Otto was currently collaborating together to help Adrian with the finishing touches on his newest project. A specialized flight suit that used mechanical wings to give the user the ability to fly.
"I must admit Toomes, the inside of this helmet looks like a third grader got their hands on a bunch of wires and a soldering iron." Otto stated as he looked at the inner works of the prototype helmet for the suit. "But yet, I'm willing to admit, the idea of controlling the mechanical apparatus with pure thought is a fascinating concept. If you do not mind, I would like to implement this into a personal project that I am working on." Adrian gave a small chuckle as he turned to his colleague.
"What, that harness you keep spending all your free time on?" He questioned as he grabbed a small soldering iron. "Sure, be my guest. But I have to ask, you do realize that the tentacles combined with your name are going to cause people to make fun of you, right?" Otto merely scoffed at the question.
"I spent most of my life being made fun of by those with an intellect less greater than mine." Otto remarked. "If they continue to make fun of me, it is merely because they do not understand the underlying genius of my design. The bottom arms allow the user to reach greater heights and provide greater mobility, while the upper arms would not only provide the ability to lift objects of significant weight, but also allow the user to handle radioactive materials while also at a safe distance. It certainly could have been used to avert that incident during the Gamma Bomb testing in Los Diablos. It will be much more useful than the turkey suit as you like to call it."
"What did you just call my work?" Adrian angrily questioned as he turned to his colleague. "You do realize that this 'Turkey Suit' as you so lovingly describe it as, is part of an upcoming military deal that could bring Oscorp millions? It could be used for reconnaissance purposes, rescue missions, and whatever other means the military intends to use it for."
"Well, that is if your project does get picked to be as part of the presentation." Otto remarked as he stood up and started to walk towards Adrian. "From what I have been hearing, less of your projects have been getting picked up. It must sting, doesn't it?" Adrian tried his hardest to shrug off the comments.
"Quiet, you blabbering fool." He retorted quietly. But Otto insisted on continuing his jabbing.
"That Connors certainly has made quite an impression on Osborn, hasn't he?" He questioned aloud, much to the chagrin of his colleague. "I certainly do wonder how it is that everyone else can see it, yet you fail to recognize the current situation unfolding right in front of you?"
"Shut up!" Adrian whispered to himself as he felt his hands begin to slowly shake uncontrollable.
"I mean. It must really hurt." Otto stated smugly as he can see the older scientist start to unravel. "Seeing how you are clearly on your way out…"
"Shut up!" Adrian said in a louder tone of voice as he turned around and looked at Otto. Otto smirk and was read to deliver the final remark.
"And how you are being replaced by someone younger."
"SHUT UP!" Adrian shouted at the top of his lungs this time, causing Otto to slightly step back at the outburst. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I COULD BE REPLACED? I WAS HERE SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS GODDAMN COMPANY! AND IF YOU THINK I AM GOING TO BE REPLACED BY SOMEONE WITH LESS EXPERIENCE THAN ME, YOU ARE EVEN STUPIDER THAN I THOUGHT!"
"That's quite enough, Adrian." A new voice stated in a calm tone, causing the two scientists to look at the source. Walking towards them was a man in his early 50's with slightly dull red hair wearing a black suit and a dark green tie. Norman Osborn had a stern look on his face as he looked towards the pair of scientists.
"M-Mr. Osborn." Adrian stammered out, showing the complete opposite of the demeanor he just demonstrated a couple of seconds earlier. "T-This is certainly a sur-"
"You can go ahead and save the pleasantries." Norman quickly interjected, catching Adrian off guard. "You do realize that your little fit could be considered grounds for your termination, right?" Hearing that, Adrian was completely surprised.
"B-But Mr. Osborn, please, be reasonable here." Adrian proceeded to plead to his employer. "One little disagreement between two coworkers is not that big of a deal. I'm sure you and some of your coworkers have had many arguments in the past."
"True." Norman said, slightly reliving Adrian's worries. "But considering all of your past misgivings, this demonstration of your poor attitude is certainly a sign that you should no longer be working here." Adrian's heart sank as he heard those words. "And before you try to act innocent, let me remind you of every bad little thing that you have done since you worked."
"I-I don't-" Adrian meekly tried to say, but Norman was quick to cut him off.
"First, I have over a dozen reports of you being aggressive to the interns assigned to work under your care. Some have even stated that on certain occasions, you have thrown tools at them. Second, we have had constant reports of you failing to let your coworkers even try to give you constructive criticisms. Third, your temperament is so fragile that you throw constant fits as if you were nothing more than a child. And finally, I know for a fact that your flight suit is nothing more than a modified version of the Exo-7 Falcon Flight Rig, one of which was reported stolen just two months ago. And you just happened to get shipments of parts just two months ago." Norman stated, the vitriol in his voice becoming more apparent as he continued to stare at Adrian. The older scientist tried his best to stay as composed as possible.
"T-That last part is nothing more than circumstantial evidence, and you know it!" Adrian barked back at his soon to be former employer. Norman stared daggers at the old man.
"I found the blueprints, you vulture." Norman calmly stated as he readjusted his tie. Adrian was left speechless by the statement, knowing there wasn't anything he could say to try and convince Norman to stop, the elder scientist knew his fate. "Pack your flight suit. You're fired, Toomes." Norman said. "And don't be surprised when the cops decide to pay you a visit in these coming days." Adrian hung his shame, trying as hard as he possibly can to bite his tongue and walk away with some kind of dignity. He began the process of taking the suit apart. Otto stood by motionless and speechless as what he bore witness to. Norman turned his attention to Octavious, with Octavious almost afraid of what his superior would say. "Get back to work, Otto. We have a presentation coming up." With that Norman turned away and began walking back to the elevator. Overhearing that, Adrian gritted his teeth. He was just humiliated and left without a job. Adrian knew exactly what he needed, not a new job.
He needed revenge.
(X)
Back at Midtown High
Lunch Period
After a very hectic first day back at school, Peter finally let out a sigh of relief as it now got to the point where he can finally relax at this point. Well, truth be told, only slightly relax, as he knew there was an underlying danger that could be around any corner. While he hadn't encountered him personally for the day, Peter knew that at any moment, Flash Thompson could strike when he least expected. He had to be vigilant on this day, for it could very well be-
"Hello? Earth to Peter?" MJ asked, waving her hand in front of Peter's face. It caused him to snap back from his inner monologue to reality. "You okay?"
"Yep. Nope, totally okay." Peter remarked as he looked at the red head. She gave him a quizzical look, waiting for some kind of explanation on why he spaced out like he did. Peter nervously scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I uh-..." Now he was starting to worry about what he could possibly say to her. If he told her that he blanked out at certain points so he can do an inner monologue, would that make him seem weird? What was he talking about? Of course that would make him look super weird. Then again, his entire life has been weird since he got bit by the spider. But luckily, he wouldn't have to give her an answer any time soon as two of the normal constants in his life made their way to him.
"There you are." A feminine voice called out as the duo entered the cafeteria. "Funny how we didn't run into each other earlier." Gwen commented as she and Harry approached Peter and MJ. Peter had a bright smile on his face while MJ was confused about the newcomers.
"Hi…I'm sorry, who are you guys?" MJ questioned as the trio of friends looked at her. Realizing he hadn't introduced them, Peter quickly stepped in.
"Oh, right." Peter said. "Mary Jane Watson, meet Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. My best friends since I could remember." MJ shook both of their hands while looking at Harry curiously, trying to remember how she knew him.
"Wait, Harry Osborn?" She asked as Harry knew exactly what she was going to ask. "As in-"
"As in the same Osborn who owns Oscorp, yes." Harry jokingly remarked as he looked at her. "You will not believe how many times I get asked that on a daily basis."
"Wow, so…Hopefully no offense for asking this, but shouldn't you be in like a top of the line board school rather than…here?" MJ asked. Harry simply shrugged at her.
"No offense taken." He replied. "It was more my mom's idea than my dad's. She wanted me to live like a normal kid my age rather than a spoiled rich kid." Harry showed a small smirk as he thought back on his mom.
"I guess that is pretty sweet." MJ commented, kinda wishing her home life was like that. "So, when did you all meet each other?"
"If I remember correctly, we all met each other in fifth grade, give or take a couple of months." Gwen stated as they all grabbed their lunches and sat down at some random table. "That sounds about right, yeah."
"Got it, so I bet you all have some pretty juicy stories, huh?" MJ jokingly teased. "Or maybe some juicy gossip that you guys are dying to talk about? Something about the social order of the school that I need to know before I end up embarrassing myself in front of anyone, because that is one of my biggest fears, not even joking." Before the boys could even think about answering, Gwen quickly took the reins.
"Okay, one topic at a time." She quickly commented. "Juicy stories, plenty of those are in reserve. But I feel like there are some I'm not able to tell until you hang out with us for more than just 5 minutes. No offense."
"None taken." MJ responded, waiting for Gwen to continue on.
"Gossip, well, Harry and I have been dating for a couple of months and it has been going pretty well." Gwen said, with a small smile on her face as she looked at her said boyfriend. MJ was about to express her joy at the situation, until she noticed Peter slightly grimace at the sentence. Feeling it would be better until she heard the full story on that end, she decided to hold back on her ellation.
"Well, congrats to the both of you." MJ replied with a smile on her face. Before Gwen is able to express her gratitude a certain group of students walked by drawing the ire of the three previously established friend group, leaving MJ confused on the sudden tone shift.
"Okay, onto the final topic." Peter said, subtly pointing towards the group that just walked past. "Those are pretty the top of the social hierarchy here at Midtown High." MJ subtly looked at the group, trying not to draw their attention. "Head of the pack is Flash Thompson, I already told you how bad he is." Harry quickly chimed in.
"Right hand man is Kenny Kong." He stated. "Also part of the football team, more brawn than brains. I remember last year there was a rumor going around that Kong broke the swirly record by sticking Hector Cervantez' head into a toilet 37 times. Hector hasn't been the same ever since."
"And of course, there's also the stereotypical mean girls who are also cheerleaders." Gwen commented. "Liz Allen, Sally Avril, and Gloria Grant. Actually, Gloria is pretty nice to us, I shouldn't really lump her into the group. But Liz and Sally are the straight up worse, make sure you don't get on their bad side, or your social media life is going straight down the toilet." Peter then pointed out another of the football players.
"That's Randy Robertson. And he…Is also really nice to us. Tends to be a bit more quieter and sometimes sticks up to the rest for bullying." Peter commented. "Heck, he has even helped me out on a couple of occasions. But I don't know if that's all because I work alongside his dad or not." The last part he mumbled to himself. MJ looked back to see another one of the popular kids. She stuck out from the rest due to the platinum blonde hair, heck it looked more snow white than blonde. Her green eyes staring back at her, but not saying anything to her friend group and pretending like everything was normal.
"Who's that?" She questioned. The boys looked like they were a bit hesitant to say something, so Gwen took up the initiative.
"That right there is the Queen Bee of Midtown High." Gwen stated. "Flash Thompson's on-and-off again girlfriend, she pretty much rules this place like her own personal palace. Be sure to never cross her path, or else you'll face a whole lot of bad luck." MJ looked back at the popular girl, almost getting creeped out by the warnings that Gwen was giving, wondering if it was all true or not. "Trust me, it's best to stay out of Felicia Hardy's path.
(X)
Back at Ryker's Island
Herman started to grow anxious as he waited for his release. As the minutes turned to hours, part of him began to fill with doubt. Was it all just a big joke on him? Wouldn't be the first time someone walked out of his life. Maybe-
"Schultz." The guard said as he walked towards the cell door. He then opened it up, swinging it wide open. "You're free to go." Hearing that, Herman felt something that he hadn't felt in a while. Hope. As he went through the release process, he could only feel more and more optimistic about the situation. And what his new employment could mean for a certain Spider. He then walked out the front doors, he took a deep breath of the New York air. It smelt like shit. But God, did he love it. He wondered what he should do next, he didn't know how to get in touch with that Wesley guy. But that didn't matter as a black SUV pulled up in front of him. The back window rolled down and there sat Wesley.
"Get in." He commanded, not even looking at Herman once. Knowing he didn't have that much of a choice, he got into the vehicle. As the door closed, Wesley signaled the driver to go. "I do believe congratulations are in order, considering you are now once again a member of society."
"Thanks to you, I am." Herman said as admired how surprisingly comfortable the seats are.
"My employer is the one you should be thanking." Wesley stated as he looked at Herman. "I personally would have preferred that you stayed in there, but I am obliged to comply with whatever my employer believes to be best." Herman felt a little insulted by the way he talked about him.
"Remind me not to invite you to any parties I throw from now on." Herman remarked.
"Noted." Wesley responded as he looked back out the window.
"Also, it doesn't really sound like you like your boss that much." Herman said as he let out a small chuckle. "Bet you wish you had a different job, huh?" Not showing any emotion, Wesley continued to stare out the window.
"On the contrary, I am very loyal to my employer." He replied. "Something I doubt you know anything about."
"Okay, what am I doing here?" Herman questioned, finally getting tired of Wesley' attitude towards him. "Are you going to tell me what I'm supposed to do next, or are you just going to keep insulting me?" Hearing that question, Wesley reached into his inner suit pocket and pulled out a business card.
"Head to this address in Greenwich." He stated as he handed the card over to Herman. "There, you will meet an associate that tends to work with us from time to time. A Mr. Phineas Mason. Tell him the phrase, 'I've got a radio that just can't carry a tune'. Then, he'll know we sent you." Herman stared at the card, incredibly confused.
"Okay, then what?" He asked. "Am I supposed to pick something up or is it something else?"
"Once Mr. Mason is done, you are free to do whatever you want." Wesley answered. "Rob banks or anything else you want. As long as it ends with you taking care of the Spider problem, then we will consider your employment ended and you will be rewarded greatly." Herman stared at Wesley for a couple of seconds, not too sure what else to say. Wesley made another signal to the driver and he pulled over to the side of the road. "And here is where you make your exit, Mr. Schultz."
"I thought you were going to drive me to Greenwich?" Herman asked. Wesley looked at Herman, no expression on his face. Knowing that Wesley wasn't going to help him out anymore, Herman began to exit the vehicle.
"If I may, I would like to give you a couple of pieces of advice, Mr. Schultz." Wesley as Herman was half way out the door. The recently freed man stopped and looked back at Wesley. "First thing is that I would advise you to stay out of Hell's Kitchen. My employer has a problem there that he would like to handle personally. Now, you may have the thought that taking care of that problem might earn you more respect and financial rewards. But do trust me, the last person who thought the same thing had to see the disappointment on my employers' face. I do believe that his family hasn't seen him in around 6 months." Hearing that, Herman began to feel a mixture of emotions, mainly regret for taking this job.
"And the other piece of advice?" He asked, fearing what Wesly might say next. Wesley simply stared at Herman for a couple of seconds.
"The next piece of advice I will give you is this. The next time you question my loyalty to my employer, I will not hesitate to cut your tongue out when we next cross paths." Wesley said, in a calm tone of voice, with an underlying air of danger present in every word he said. And it was at that moment that Herman Schultz felt a certain kind of fear that he hadn't felt in a long time as he quickly got out of the SUV. "Have a good day, Mr. Schultz." He said, as he once again signaled the driver. As soon as Herman closed the door, the SUV took off, heading back to Manhattan while Herman was forced to find a way to Greenwich all the way from Astoria. A couple of minutes into the drive, Wesley pulled out his cellphone and placed a call to his employer.
"Is it done?" The Employer asked on the other end, his gruff voice coming through quite clearly.
"Yes, Mr. Schultz is once again a free member of society." Wesley remarked as he stared out the window. "And he is currently on his way to Mr. Masons' shop as we currently speak."
"Excellent." The Employer remarked. Wesley felt conflicted about the whole ordeal, if he was to be truthful with himself.
"Sir, if I may ask, this has not been how we have operated before." Wesley took a deep breath as he figured out the right way to phrase this question. "We could have just bribed an officer to take out the Spider. I heard that tends to be friendly with a police captain at the 19th Precinct. Perhaps we could-"
"What is your question, Wesley?" The Employer suddenly said, breaking Wesleys' train of thought. He thought to himself if he asked what he was about to ask, what his employers' reaction would be. Would it be that of anger? Disappointment? Only one real way to find out.
"Why the sudden change to our operations?" Wesley asked. "We have done things a certain way since we went into business. Why the change? Why now?" There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Wesley waited in a dire anticipation for some kind of response.
"I assume you have been keeping up with the news." The Employer finally spoke up, and Wesley loyally listened. "The world you and I once knew is gone. It is constantly changing. First, it was the technological changes we had trouble with. Now, each and every day, it seems as if there are more people popping up and gaining powers. For too long, we have been left in the dust."
"And now it is time for us to play catch up with the world and be part of that change." Wesley stated, now finally understanding what his employer was getting at.
"Precisely." The Employer replied. Wesley slightly nodded to himself.
"And you have more candidates in your plans?" Wesley asked. "Because, truthfully speaking, Mr. Schultz does not seem like the most capable person we've employed."
"Of course." The Employer answered. "Our Russian associates agreed to send one of their own to work with us to handle the Spider. I also heard of a thief with some kind powers to control dirt or sand, I can't remember to be honest."
"There's also the Prowler," Wesley chimed in, "I heard rumors that he has been seen with an apprentice. It would be interesting to see what kind of thief they turn out to be."
"I'm glad to see that you are coming around to see my vision." The Employer remarked. "And who knows what other surprises would pop up? It seems we will have to wait and see." Wesley slightly nodded as he listened to what his employer was saying.
"I will be sure to also keep an eye out for potential candidates on my end as well." Wesley stated. "I did also let Mr. Schultz know that he should keep out of Hell's Kitchen. I know that you would prefer to take care of the situation there on your own." There was a slight chuckle on the other end of the line.
"You know me all too well, old friend."
(X)
Back at Midtown High… Again…
End of the School Day
"Well, that was certainly a more relaxing day than I was expecting." Peter commented as he and the rest of the group started to head out the doors of the school. Harry shared his sentiment.
"Yeah, I was kinda expecting Flash to give us more trouble than usual." He remarked. "But I guess the high school gods were smiling upon us today." Gwen let out a subtle sigh.
"But I can guarantee that every other day will not be like this at all." She stated as she looked at her boyfriend. The newest member of the group seemed curious about the rest of the day.
"So, what now?" MJ questioned as she looked at the group. The pre-established trio looked at one another. "Do we like, form a study group?"
"Honestly, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Gwen said in a chipper tone, thinking it would be a good way for everyone to get along with one another.
"Yeah, and we can even meet up at my place to study." Harry added in, which got everyone excited even more. "Pretty sure my dad will be okay with it, I'll check with him."
"So, do we head there now?" MJ questioned. Before Peter could answer, he got a notification on his phone. When he checked it, it was an alert about a bank robber going down.
"Uh, I'll check up with you guys later." He stated as he looked at the group. "I have to go to work. Coworker got sick and I have to fill in." They all gave him an understanding look, Harry and Gwen a bit more understanding since they knew that was code for he needed to suit up.
"Don't worry about it." Harry remarked, playing along with the bit. "Just text us when you're able to come our way." Gwen and MJ agreed with Harry. Peter gave them a nod as he started walking away.
"See you guys soon!" He said as he walked around the corner, heading into an alleyway behind the school. Once he knew that he was out of sight of people, he quickly stripped off his baggy clothes, revealing his suit underneath. He reached into his backpack and pulled out two small devices. He placed them onto his wrists and placed web-cartridges into them, getting his webshooters. He quickly shot two web balls out of them, making sure the firing mechanisms were working correctly. Once he was done, he quickly put his mask on. There was only one thing missing now. He pulled out his phone and started playing "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys. "Perfect." He remarked. He then jumped up onto a nearby wall, scaling it easily thanks to his powers. Once on the rooftop, he took a running start and jumped off the building, doing a flip mainly for style. He fired off a webline onto the nearby building and began to swing to his destination.
"Look out world, here comes Spider-Man!"
Hi everyone. It has certainly been a while, hasn't it? I want to apologize for my absence, and you all are owed an explanation. 2023 was the worst year in terms of my personal life. I had of troubles in term of working that I don't want to get into right now. And I was having a really hard time with my father as result. But because of those problems, I went through depression. And it was really tough to find any motivation to do any writing again because of that. It sucked.
But, I want to let you all know that I am taking the right steps to get better. I am talking to a therapist, I have been on antidepressants since I started seeing them, and my dad and I have been getting along with one another since I have been more open about my feelings and mental health. I still have some work to do, but I am on the right track. And if you are going through depression as well, the only advice I can give is to reach out to someone. Whether that be your family, someone at your school, or one of your friends.
You are loved and you are valued.
And I do want to say that I am excited for what I am about to write with this Earth-242016. There are going to be plenty of stories coming out of this universe that I am hopeful you will love. But just know, it's only going to get bigger from here on out. So keep your eyes peeled for the next story out of this universe...
AVENGERS ACADEMY
Also, a huge thank you to Fiverr artist, Carlos M. for the artwork being used as the cover for this story. He is an amazing artist that you all need to check out, and I have more pieces he has done for me on my deviantart page as well as links to his Fiverr page and previews of what the students of Avengers Academy are going to look like. Seriously, hire him as he deserves all the work he can get.
Deviantart: assassinrider2
Carlos Fiverr page: iamcarlosm
Next Chapter: A Truly Shocking Experience