THE DAY OF THE SPIDER BITE:
Years ago, when the city of San Fransokyo was still in its infancy, life was relatively uncomplicated. The police force was able to manage the high crime rate without much difficulty, as the perpetrators were mostly small-time criminals. However, the tranquility that once enveloped the city was soon to be shattered. A new kind of criminal was emerging from the shadows - one who was not only smarter and more cunning than the average criminal, but also possessed of a ruthlessness that was previously unheard of. The city was about to be plunged into an era of unprecedented danger and chaos.
As the alarm clock's blaring sound filled the room, Peter Parker stirred from his deep slumber, groaning as he reached out to switch it off. He sat up, stretching his limbs and rubbing his bleary eyes, his tousled hair sticking up in all directions. As he tried to shake off the remnants of sleep, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud, urgent knock on the door. The sound reverberated through the room, causing him to jump in surprise. Wondering who could be knocking at this early hour, Peter quickly got out of bed and made his way to the door, his heart pounding with apprehension.
"Pete, are you awake?" Ben Parker asked him.
"Yeah, I'm getting up," Peter promised, still trying to wake up.
"You gotta get ready if you want to make it to the field trip today." Ben reminded Peter.
Peter sighed and knew that he needed to get moving for both himself and his sister. He got dressed as fast as he could and walked downstairs, where he found Peni already eating her breakfast.
"Hey, Pete." Peni greeted her brother.
Peter smiled as he walked over and ruffled her hair. "Hey, Peni."
"Look who's up." Teresa joked as she walked past with her backpack. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry," Peter said as he grabbed his bag. "Come on, we should get going."
The two of them then made it to the school and got ready to head out on the field trip. Their trip was to a small science-affiliated science industry called Oscorp. The twins made their way inside and hung out with their friends, Tadashi and Génesis Rodríguez (Honey Lemon)
"This is pretty cool," Teresa said as they looked around at the animal experiments Oscorp was currently running.
"Yeah, if you like things that live under a rock." Flash Thompson stated as he walked over and bumped into Peter on purpose. "Or you are one."
"Yeah, what is that guy's problem with you?" Tadashi asks Peter.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Peter said as he fixed his reading glasses.
"And over here, we are working on a new experiment to create clean new energy using radioactivity." The guide says as she showed them what looked to be two orbs with light passing through them.
But they missed that one of the spiders from the animal testing managed to get loose. It was crawling on the orbs just as the experiment went off, Peter was then laying his hand on the desk it managed to crawl its way towards.
Peter tapped the table, not noticing the spider climbing up his arm. When it reached his palm, it bit Peter.
He flinched as he yanked his hand back, missing the spider that bit him. He groaned out as he held his right hand in his left one, looking down at the marks left by the radioactive spider.
That's where it all started.
The power began to course through his veins.
The radiation of the spider passes over to Peter, giving him incredible gifts.
He just didn't realize it yet.
The next day at school, Peter was back in school and feeling lightheaded. Teresa started to notice something different with Peter and was wondering what was wrong with him. She kept an eye on him for the day, watching him flinch at the littlest of things, scratching his right hand constantly.
She decided to confront him during lunch, to see if he was going to tell her about what was going on with him.
During lunch, Peter was sitting on his own with Tadashi and both took a seat to eat their food. Teresa and Génesis made their way over with their lunches and sat down.
"Hey, guys!" Génesis greeted them with a giant smile.
"Hey, girls." Tadashi greeted them as they took a seat. "How's it going?"
"I'm doing fine," Teresa said and looked over at Peter. "How are you doing, Pete?"
"What?" Peter asks, now looking up at them.
"You just look...different. Did something happen?" Teresa asks her brother.
"Not much, I just feel off today." Peter shrugged, not sure how to explain it. He then reached up and rubbed his head. "I don't really know what happened, but yesterday-"
But when he dropped his hand, what was supposed to be a soft fall turned out to launch his food into the air. All of them watched it take off and fall, landing right on the back of the school bully, Flash Thompson.
The four of them froze in fear as they watched Thompson start to look around for who did it. Peter quickly got up and started to speed walk his way out of the room, hoping nobody called him out on what just happened. But sadly he had too many witnesses who knew it was him as Flash also knew it was him.
"Parker?" Thompson asked.
Peter carefully inspected his palms, his eyes narrowing in concentration. He couldn't help but marvel at the incredible feat he had just accomplished. It was a difficult action to replicate, yet he had managed to pull it off with ease. Feeling a sense of fear and confusion, he quickly made his way to his locker, eager to retrieve his bag and keys. He knew he had to make a quick exit before Flash arrived and started causing trouble. As he walked down the hall, he became acutely aware of his surroundings, taking note of every conversation and action taking place around him. Suddenly, he felt a sharp jolt of fear as he sensed a fist hurtling toward him from behind.
Moving quickly, Peter dodged, and Flash's fist did in fact hit his locker. Peter backed away a little whilst Flash was starting to tower over him.
"Think you're pretty funny, Parker?" Flash asks him.
Peter took a few steps back, getting the school's attention as some students watched the confrontation just as Tadashi, Teresa, and Génesis made their way over to the group.
"Flash, come on, it was an accident." Teresa tried to prevent a fight from occurring.
"My fist against his face, that's the accident," Flash promised, getting ready to punch Peter.
"Flash, come on, I don't wanna fight." Peter pleaded with him.
"I wouldn't wanna fight me either." Flash started and swung to hit Peter, but he immediately dodged it and shocked everyone at his speed.
Flash went in to do it again, and from Peter's perspective, he was watching Flash move in slow motion. But also moving ahead of himself, almost like he was watching where Flash was going to be before he got there.
"Huh." Peter didn't know what to think of what was happening.
Flash went in for another hit, taking his whole body with him, but Peter bent his whole body backward. That shocked Peter's friends and family even more as well as himself as he didn't remember being this flexible.
Peter got back up and spun around to face Flash again with his back to the lockers. Teresa was having enough of this but wasn't exactly going to run into a fight, even though she was worried for her brother, she wasn't a fighter.
"Tadashi, help him," Teresa asked of their friend.
Peter looked around, having no idea what to say or do when he sensed something. He did a leap and flipped midair as Flash's friend ran past him. He managed to even stick the landing and eyed Flash and his friend.
Tadashi was amazed at what he saw and looked at Teresa. "Which one?"
"He's all yours, man," Flash told his friend, not wanting to deal with this.
Flash went in, sending swing after swing whilst Peter did dodge after dodge, no idea how on earth he's able to do this. Then the next thing Peter knew, he was catching Flash's fist and delivered a punch that sent him flying down the hall.
Looking around, Peter saw the shocked looks on everyone and the cheers coming from everyone. All but his friends and family had mixed reactions. Teresa looked worried at how her brother managed to take down the bully who tormented him for years. Génesis looked a bit more shocked at his actions. Tadashi had an amazing look at what occurred.
"Peter...that was incredible," Tadashi told him.
Peter however didn't hear as a few others in the crowd started to whisper words like a freak, giving Peter a bit of an identity crisis. Running off, he ignored the cries of his friends and just kept going. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to get away so that he could figure out what was going on with him.
Peter sprinted with all his might, his heart racing as he darted through the winding streets and bustling crowds. He kept running until he finally reached a deserted alleyway, where he could catch his breath and assess the situation. As he stood there, he felt a strange sensation in his hands - they felt as if they had become stronger.
As he looked around, he saw a spider cracking around its web in between the buildings. Getting an idea in his head, Peter looked closely at his hands and noticed the hairs on them started to stretch out.
Deciding to test a thought he had, he places one hand against the brick wall. When he did, he was shocked when he noticed his hand was now sticking to the wall. He then went at it again with his second hand and saw it was also sticking.
Peter then started to go upward and climb up the side of the wall. He started to look down in shock and surprise with a giant smile.
"Whoooo!" Peter cheers.
As he darted across the rooftops, his heart pounding with urgency, he finally came to a halt at a crossroads of alleys. Just as he was about to lose all hope, he stumbled upon the elusive Good Luck Alley. A glimmer of optimism shone in his eyes as he noticed a poster advertising a wrestling tournament with a staggering cash prize of 30,000.
Looking down at his fist, Peter wondered if he could use these new skills of his against competitors to make easy cash. "This is gonna be fun."
Out in the city of San Fransokyo down in the suburbs, a young 11-year-old girl was working and preparing for her day in school. Humming along to some music on her headphones, she missed the calls from her parents. This girl is an adolescent girl with dark tan skin, thick eyebrows, brown hair, and light brown eyes and has long bangs and wears her hair in a short braid.
"Megan!" Her mother called for her daughter.
Megan however didn't hear as she kept taking her time to try and get ready.
"Megan!" Her father called out, getting her attention.
Pulling the headphones off, Megan looked out to the door. "Yeah?!"
"You ready to go?" Her father asked.
"Uh..." Megan did one quick check and saw she was. "Yeah! I'm on my way down!"
"Come on." Her mother called as Megan quickly raced down the stairs. "We gotta go. We're gonna be late."
Making her way down, she ran into her dad, who she most resembled in skin tone and had his eyes. But she got her hair and determination from her mother.
Her mother?
You wouldn't believe it.
Yuriko Watanabe quickly made her way over to the door, and the family of three made their way out the door. The Watanabe-Cruz family: Yuri, Megan, and Diego.
The three got out of their house and made their way outside to get into the car. Once on the road, they drove to drop off Megan at the school before heading to work themselves.
The two of them actually work in the same profession; that's how they met. They were both new recruits from their respective academies and ended up hitting it off.
They knew to keep their relationship out of their work and tried to keep it that way. It has worked out well for the past twenty years, as they never fight or worry about work at home and keep it professional on the job.
"Okay, so we've got the night shift tonight. You say you were gonna hang out at a friend's place for the weekend?" Yuri asked Megan from the passenger seat.
"Uh, yeah, I was thinking about staying with Sally. Her mom said it's okay." Megan assured her parents.
"We'll call before we pick you up. You enjoy the night with your friends." Diego said as they pulled up outside the school.
"We love you, dear," Yuri said as Megan got her bags and exited the car.
"Love you, too. See you tomorrow." Megan said as she made her way in before the bell rang.
The rest of the day was uneventful as the two were on their usual patrol route through the city. They were waiting for something, anything to happen while strolling around a few blocks and saw nothing coming yet.
"You ever find it odd how there's a crime somewhere, but it's always when we're never around?" Yuri asks her husband, getting a little sick of the silence. "Like they always somehow managed to get a head start and we just miss them."
"What are we supposed to do, chase them?" Diego asked his wife with a shrug. "They climb up fire escapes like it's second nature to them."
"You still on about that cat burglar?" Yuri asks, referring to the skillful cat burglar that's outsmarted the best of cops.
"You're not talking about her?" Diego asks in surprise.
"No, not really." Yuri shrugged. "I'm talking about crime in general." She then looked out the window and laid her head against it. "Days like this make us wish we had our own hero."
"Don't even." Diego quickly shut that idea down.
Yuri knew that her husband had a sketchy past when it came to the idea of superheroes. He lost his father in a battle between Captain Awesome and one of his enemies. It's basically made him despise any kind of hero and mark them all as vigilantes. Even the recently created Avengers, he doesn't give them that much of a pass. Saying that their mere existence is putting others in danger than any good they can do.
"Right. I was just saying." Yuri decided to drop the conversation. "Sorry."
"Don't worry. It takes more than that to anger me." Diego assured her with a smile.
"Please respond, we have a 10-38 with a possible 10-54. Reports coming in from Downtown."
Diego quickly leaned down and picked up the radio. "10-4. En route."
And he quickly turned on the siren, making his way down the streets to make it down to the location. When they arrived on the scene, the first thing they saw was a crowd surrounding something, and quickly exited their car.
"Hey, back off," Yuri called to the people and immediately saw someone was shot. "Oh, god." She then ran over and dropped to see the poor man was having trouble breathing. "Call a paramedic!"
Diego nodded as he started to radio in for an ambulance. "We need paramedics down here now, there's a man who's been shot..."
"You're going to be okay, sir." Yuri tried to keep him alive and awake. "I need you to keep your attention on me. What is your name? Can you tell me your name?"
The man wheezed as he tried to get a word out. "Ben...Ben Parker."
"Alright, Ben. Just stay awake, keep your eyes open for me." Yuri asked of him, wondering where those paramedics were.
Some other officers managed to come over and were keeping the public back. Yuri tried her best to help Ben when someone was pushing their way through the crowd.
Yuri was keeping Ben's head up so that he didn't choke on his blood or anything when she looked up. She saw the man pushing his way through was a younger man, looking to be in his late teens. Why he was here was anyone's guess as she wondered why he would (or anyone) want to get this close and interfere with a police matter.
"Sir, you can't be here." One of the officers stopped the boy from coming too close.
But when the boy got a look at who was shot, his eyes went wide in shock. Yuri had to guess that this boy was either not expecting the scene or was a family member.
"That's my uncle!" exclaimed the boy as he pushed past the cop.
Upon hearing that he knew the man, she decided to let him go as he knelt next to Ben. Taking his hand, she felt for the pulse and found it to be weak and shaky.
The boy asked the officers, "What happened?" Worrying about his uncle.
The officer said, "It was a carjacker. He shot him. We've called the paramedics; they're on their way."
Peter clawed at his uncle's hand and tried to get him to open his eyes. "Uncle Ben?"
"Peter," the fearful and worried voice left the man's mouth as he grabbed his nephew's hand. His eyes opened and he smiled when he saw his nephew was there.
"I'm here, Uncle Ben," Peter promises, holding out his hand.
"Peter..." Ben couldn't bring himself to say another thing before putting his head back.
His hand went numb in Peter's, and both Peter and Yuri both knew the sad truth. Peter immediately broke down over the loss of his uncle, while Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Peter asked the officers, "Who did this?"
"Some mugger took the car," Diego says. "We'll catch him, son."
One of the officers announced, "We've got a hit." Another officer added, "His car was spotted; we have officers in pursuit."
Yuri nodded and looked back at Peter, only to find that he was already long gone. Worried about where he could have gone, she looked around and noticed him running away, thinking he was just going to make his way home or tell the people who needed to know. She needed to track down the man responsible just in case this boy decided to do something reckless.
"Okay, let's get this done," Yuri declared as she stood and ran to the car.
A FEW HOURS EARLIER:
Teresa was starting to get worried about her brother as she made her way home. Noticing the two cars, she figured her uncle had come home early from work, which wasn't really surprising. She opened the door and started to make her way around the house, first making it to the living room where she found Peni sitting in front of the TV. She chuckled and ruffled her baby sister's hair before looking around to see if she could find either May or Ben.
"Oh, Ben!" May chortled.
Teresa was a little worried when she started to hear music, but then heard Ben laughing. "Oh, god, please don't..."
Then she walked into the kitchen, where she let out a gigantic sigh of relief. The sight was much better than she had imagined when all she found were Ben and May dancing around the kitchen to the music from the radio.
"Oh, it looks like I've still got it!" Ben exclaimed as he spun May around.
"Well, you're giving me a run for my money," May chuckled as she managed to break away. "I still need to get dinner started."
"Alright, I'll leave you be," Ben said and looked over to Teresa. "Hey there, little missy." He then walked over and patted her on the shoulder before walking around to clean the table. "How was school?"
"Uh…weird," Teresa admitted and knew this would be strange. "Peter started a fight."
That seemed to gain both of their attention quickly; May stopped cooking and Ben dropped a few papers. Neither of them knew how to respond to what Teresa had said, having never seen Peter be the kind of boy to start fights.
Ben clarified, "Peter?"
"Started a fight?" May also wished for clarification.
"Yeah," Teresa confirmed. "Well, he didn't mean to start it..." she admitted, though the tray table was just an accident. "But...yeah."
"Where is he now?" Ben wonders.
"I don't know," Teresa replied in surprise. "I thought he was here."
Peter, who had just arrived, was coming down the stairs from his bedroom. "Hey! I'm going out!"
"I didn't even hear him come in," said May. None of them knew he had entered.
Ben asked, "Where are you going?" as he watched Peter grab his jacket.
Peter exclaims, "I gotta head to the library for a project; I'll see you guys later."
"Oh, hang on, Speedy," Ben said as he quickly stopped him and made an 'okay' gesture to the girls to show he would take care of it. "I'll give you a ride."
"No, I'm okay, I was gonna take the train," Peter tells him.
"No, it's okay; besides, I have to run some errands. I'll be back soon," Ben assured him, grabbing his coat and heading out. "Save us a plate; we'll be back!"
When the door closed, Teresa looked over at May and saw she wasn't worried. She looked over at her niece's worried face and sighed.
"It'll be alright, dear," said May. "If there's anyone who will figure out what's going on, it's Ben."
Teresa, however, wasn't convinced; she was worried about her brother.
Ben was driving the car while Peter sat next to him. They made their way to the library and then Ben stopped the car right in front of it.
"Thanks, Ben," Peter said as he got ready to open the door.
Ben quickly stopped him. "Wait a minute; we need to talk."
Peter was a little confused and saw he needed to get going. "We can talk later."
Ben, however, insisted. "Well, we can talk now. If you'd like."
Peter looked a little confused. "What do we have to talk about? And why now?"
Because we haven't talked at all for so long, your Aunt May, sisters, and even I don't even know who you are anymore," Ben said, expressing his concerns to the boy. "You shirk your chores. You have all these weird experiments in your room. You start fights at school."
Peter quickly interjected at that point. "I didn't start that fight!"
"Well, you sure as hell finished it," Ben added.
Peter was confused. "What was I supposed to do, run away?"
"No, you're not supposed to run away, but... But, Pete look, you're changing. I know, I went through exactly the same thing at your age." Ben tried to talk to the boy.
"No. Not exactly." Peter scoffed; nobody knew what he was going through.
"Peter," Uncle Ben said, "these are the years when a man changes into the man he's going to become for the rest of his life. Just be careful who you change into." Ben warned his nephew. "This guy, Flash Thompson, probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up doesn't give you the right to. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."
"Are you afraid that I'm going to turn into some kind of criminal?" Peter asks in shock, never imagining he would ever go that far. "Quit worrying about me, okay? Something's different. I'll figure it out. Stop lecturing, please."
Ben tried to calm the situation down. "I don't mean to lecture and I don't mean to preach. And I know I'm not your father-"
"Then stop pretending to be!" Peter cried in anger.
Ben froze took back the statement and sighed. "Right. I'll pick you up here at 10."
Peter didn't even say another word; he then opened the door and stepped out. He didn't know what else he could or would even want to say to him. Ben then drove off to go home, leaving Peter to look toward the real destination he was heading for - a fighting arena where he could get money for fighting, something he knew that he could get done quickly and easily.
CURRENTLY:
Peter ran from the scene where his uncle lay on the pavement. He wouldn't let anyone get away with shooting his uncle and leaving him there. He would find the person responsible and ensure they paid for their actions. He sprinted across the street, donned his mask, and scaled the nearest building. As he ascended, he scanned the rooftops for any sign of the killer. Once he reached a suitable height, Peter leaped off and navigated through the city, searching for the culprit.
When he found his uncle's car surrounded by officers, he noticed it was headed toward the warehouse district. His eyes narrowed; he looked like an animal out for the kill. Leaping as high and as far as he could, he ran as fast as he could. He managed to smash right into the hood of the car, causing the driver to crash before the officers could even take notice of Peter.
As the car kept driving, it rammed into several boards that had been used to keep up a doorway in one of the warehouses. The police stopped and couldn't find any other way to enter, so they began looking for another entrance. When Peter crawled around in the darkness of the warehouse, a light of sorts was being shunned from the windows to look for the shooter.
When the shooter looked upward, he noticed Peter hanging from the ceiling and opened fire on him. Peter managed to leap out of the way and hide behind some of the stalls filled with empty shelves. Spooked out by the sudden appearance of another person, the shooter ran toward the back door, only to discover that it was blocked off.
That's when Peter entered, grabbing the shooter by the collar of his shirt and slamming him into the window before throwing him onto the shelves. The shooter groaned as he tried to crawl back up to his feet, drawing his gun once more to shoot Peter. But Peter wasn't going to be shot that easily as he then grabbed the gun and crushed it in his hand. When the shooter drew a knife, Peter quickly dodged the swing and kicked him in the back, slamming the shooter into the window yet again.
"No, wait, please. Don't hurt me!" The shooter pleaded. "Just give me a chance. Just give me a chance!"
"What about that old man you shot in cold blood?" Peter asks, shoving him against the wall. "The man you left to die in the street like an animal?! Did you give him a chance?"
But then all of a sudden, the police lights came on and they were heading in his direction. Peter got a good look at the man he was holding. He recognized him.
THIRTY MINUTES AGO:
Peter was just making his way out of the fighting ring after being cheated out of his money. It seemed that he needed not only to sign his name but also had to last longer in the ring since he was able to defeat the unbeatable champion Bonesaw. He called the elevator and just wanted to go home and get mad at something.
"Stop that guy!" A guard cried as someone with a bag full of money came running down the hall.
Peter didn't even think twice; he just walked out of the way and let the thief take the elevator. "Thanks," he said to Peter as he managed to escape.
"What's the matter with you? You let him get away." The guard scoffed as he ran off.
"You could have taken that guy apart. Now he's going to get away with my money." The dealer told Peter.
Peter just shrugged. "That's not my problem."
NOW:
Peter couldn't believe it.
He had his uncle's killer right there. If he had taken care of him at that moment, he could have saved his uncle.
The killer then laughed as Peter loosened his grip on him. He then aimed another gun at Peter again, but he quickly grabbed the gun and knew he wanted to kill him. He could do it right here, right now, nobody would suspect a thing.
But that's not what Ben would have wanted.
Peter punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. He saw the officers outside looking for a way to get in. Peter saw Yuri and Diego outside and knew what to do.
Diego said, "I want ladders and fire trucks here now; I don't want the murderer to get away."
"If he finds any old hidden compartments, he can escape before we realize it," Yuri said. She wanted this monster brought to justice.
But out of nowhere, tied up in chains, the killer was dropped right on top of their car. Yuri shrieked in surprise, while Diego was seriously confused. Looking upward at where he came from, all they could see was Peter crawling away into the night, without even seeing his face.
With the killer caught, Peter made his way back home where he needed to break the terrible news to his family. Walking into the doorway, he was surprised to see the three of them were still awake. All of them seemed to be worried about what had happened to them.
"Peter?" Teresa was the first to speak. She saw the tears swell in her twin's eyes and began to worry. "Where's Ben?"
Peter could barely look any of them in the eyes. "I'm sorry...I-I and I..."
May was the first to break down as she seemed to put it all together what had happened. She dropped to her knees and was comforted by Peter, who hugged her. It was because of him. He saw this as his fault. Ben died because of him trying to do something selfish. He used his powers irresponsibly and this is what happened. Peni began to cry as Teresa comforted her baby sister, and they cried together.
It was at that moment that Peter began to understand his uncle's words. He was given a gift, something that he couldn't just use and mess around with for personal gain. That's what led to Ben's death. If he did something like that again, he could lose Teresa. Peni. May...
He has been given these powers for a reason. They are a gift. But they have become a curse, as they lead to the death of Ben. But he is not going to let that happen again. Nobody is going to die because of the choices he makes. He is going to protect his family. He is going to protect everyone.
His gift. His curse. His responsibility.
Yuri and Diego had made their way home after their shift and dealt with the killer. He was ranting on about some superpower man who was the reason he was captured, but they didn't really believe him. They saw it as just some Good Samaritan who saved them the trouble.
"A super powered man who can stick to walls." Diego laughed that off. "Could you imagine?"
Yuri however wasn't focusing on that, as she was thinking of the poor family that lost a member. That boy's eyes. The pain and suffering that he was going through in just those few seconds. Diego realized he was focusing on the wrong thing and walked over to help comfort his wife.
"Hey, we did it. Didn't we? We caught the guy." Diego assured her. "He's going to face justice for what he did."
"That still won't bring back the poor man." Yuri sighed as she sat on the couch. "A beloved man taken from his wife and family...for a messy car."
"Yeah, the city is getting a little rough." Diego agreed as he walked over and sat beside her. "But that's why we need to keep doing what we do."
Yuri nodded as she remembered what they do. "I just wish we could stop things like that from happening. I just wished some times for a miracle."
And what they didn't know was that a miracle was coming.
Peter was working on his identity the rest of the night while his family slept. Inspired by his uncle's death, Peter started to create a new persona that would be responsible for helping the people of the city. He worked on the design for the suit all night and started the sewing the next day.
All he needed was a crime. Using a police radio that he managed to scrape together from pieces he got from a pawn shop and a car he found in a scrapyard, he found one that sounded interesting the next day.
"201-123, we have reports of a bank robbery in progress."
Yuri and Diego were the first to respond to the bank in progress as they stopped outside the bank and a few other cop cars came and stopped outside the front doors.
Unbeknownst to the police, Herman Schultz, a small-time crook with a knack for technology, had just concocted a plan to rob the bank using his newly invented vibro-shock gauntlets. Schultz, better yet to be known as the Shocker, had always been envious of the wealth surrounding him, and he saw this as an opportunity to change his fortunes.
Back then, his outfit wasn't as threatening as his current-day counterpart. Back then, he wore what was basically a yellow onesie with holes cut out for the mask and the gauntlets wrapped around his wrists.
Inside the bank, the customers and employees were paralyzed with fear as Shocker's gauntlets emitted powerful shockwaves, shattering glass and creating chaos. The bank's security system, overwhelmed by the sudden attack, was unable to stop him.
"Either open the vault or I'll blow you to bits like I did to that glass, and do it myself." Herman dared the bank teller.
The bank teller did as he asked and Herman breathed in the money. Herman then packed the money up and made his way back to the front doors. When he opened them, he found a dozen cops aiming guns at him.
"Put your hands in the air and get down on the ground, now!" Diego demanded.
"Down on the ground?" Herman smiled under the mask as he then charged up his gauntlets. "Like this!?"
Herman then used his gauntlets to send out a powerful shockwave when he slammed the ground, offsetting everything and causing the cops to shake. The shockwave was so powerful, it sent the cop cars outside flying, causing the officers to duck for cover.
Just as Shocker was about to make his escape, a red-and-blue blur swung into action, landing gracefully amid the chaos. It was Spider-Man, the city's friendly neighborhood web-slinger. With his agility and quick reflexes, he wasted no time in assessing the situation. Seeing the dozen of flying cop cars, he leaped in to save them, seeing Herman as his second priority. When he webbed two cars from hitting other officers, he used his strength to catch the car that was about to crush Yuri.
With this being the first prototype suit, it looked nothing like the current outfit he was more known for. This one was basically just a red onesie with a simple red mask and white eye lenses, and a blue hoodie flung over it. The spider symbol on his chest looked smudged, making it appear spray-painted. The red suit also gives shoulders and legs a lined surface. The web shooters and belt also have an additional canvas to help Peter switch canisters quickly to make sure he doesn't run out.
Yuri looked up in shock when she saw Peter there while holding up the car with his strength alone. "What...who...who are you?"
Peter grunted as he dropped the car and sighed. "Spider-Man." Then he leaped over the car and saw Shocker. He realized that this was his chance to shine as he stood face-to-face with the Shocker, feeling a surge of adrenaline mixed with fear. He knew that if he were to help, he would have to put his secret identity at risk. "Hey, man! Sorry, seems my invite was lost."
Shocker, caught off guard by Spider-Man's appearance, unleashed a powerful blast from his gauntlets. But Spider-Man's enhanced senses allowed him to anticipate the attack, and he dodged it with ease. As the two engaged in a high-speed battle, the officer's patrons watched in awe and terror.
Peter, driven by a desire to protect innocent lives, used his scientific knowledge to his advantage. He quickly analyzed Shocker's gauntlets, finding a weakness in their power source. With his web-shooters, Spider-Man managed to temporarily disable one of the gauntlets, reducing Shocker's firepower.
Realizing he was outmatched by the web-slinger, Shocker attempted to retreat, but Spider-Man swung into action, preventing his escape. The two adversaries clashed with incredible force. When Shocker tried to charge up another blast to hit him, it was like a shockwave emitted from the two of them crashing into one another. But Peter seemed to be stronger as he stood his ground and sent Herman flying and screaming into the air.
With Shocker defeated and the bank secure, Spider-Man turned to leave, but not before giving a reassuring nod to the grateful onlookers. As he swung away, Peter couldn't help but feel a newfound sense of responsibility. He understood that his abilities could be used to protect others and make a difference in the world.
Little did he know that this encounter with the Shocker was just the beginning of his journey as Spider-Man. From that day forward, Peter Parker would continue to face new challenges, both as a hero and in his personal life, all while striving to uphold the values that make him the amazing Spider-Man.
"Who the heck was that?" Diego asks in confusion, but most of all anger when he guessed there was a hero in his city.
"He said his name is Spider-Man." Yuri seemed to be smiling when she saw that there might be a hero in San Fransokyo after all.
Then later on that morning, there was a robbery going on downtown where a small shop was being robbed. When they got the money, they tried to make their escape, but they were then shot in the back by strange webbing that yanked them upward. When they were left dangling, Peter made his way inside with a few improvements on his suit, including the removal of his hoodie and a new stitched-together jacket over his chest was a sprayed spider. He handed the money over to them and offered a friendly wave as he vanished into the sky.
The next evening, a team of police officers reached the location of the crime and were immediately greeted by a group of criminals who seemed to be trapped like helpless insects in a spider's web. The officers were perplexed by the strange sight before them, but their confusion was only heightened when they noticed a small note that was intricately stitched onto the web. The note read, "Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man".
"What the hell?" The officers asks.
"I see the web, it's his signature, and I know Spider-Man was here." News started commenting more and more on the new hero.
"The guy protects us. He's a hero."
Peter started to do some major improvements on his suit to make it look a lot better.
"He climbs up the walls, and swings around like a spider."
Then he finally settled on a design that followed a blue and red color scheme. The body, head, outer arms, upper hip, and knee-high boots are red while the inner arms, upper legs, and outer torso are matt blue. The colors are in a bright tone, especially among red coloring. The eye lenses are black on the outline and white in the middle. The spider insignia is small, fist-sized, and centered just above the chest. The web shooters are located in the wrists. The boots are also slightly below the knee, with black outlining covering them and the feet. The black outlining in particular resembles a spider's web, especially on the mask area and the torso. These outlines split the suit into rectangle segments, which are especially visible on the torso area, neck, and shoulders.
"This is our guy." Diego showed footage of Spider-Man to the Captain at the prescient. "He is apparently a highly skilled and trained individual."
"Stopped a car from crushing me with ease," Yuri commented, trying to get the idea that he is a good man through her husband's head. "And he has apparently been doing a lot of good everywhere else. People are claiming that he's a hero."
"A hero?" Diego asks in annoyance. "Then why does he have to wear a mask? What's he hiding?"
"You've been listening to the Daily Bugle, haven't you?" Yuri asks her husband. "Come on, he hasn't done anything wrong, he isn't endangering anyone, if anything he is making the neighborhood safer."
"Or more dangerous. The second he shows up, that deranged Herman gets gauntlets that...shoot air?" Diego stated.
"His name is Shocker, self-explained," Yuri tells him.
"Okay, wait." The captain tried to calm them down. "What exactly are you asking me here, Detective?"
"A task force to help me take this guy in," Diego explained what he was after. "I mean, we already have Stark in New York as Iron Man, a hulking green giant, and now a god falling from the skies, do we really need their problems here? If he is here, it's a matter of time before he gets some freaks to show up. We need to figure out who this guy is and what he wants."
"So, you want me to waste prescient resources to get a team together to fight some good samaritan?" Captian asks Diego then turns towards Yuri. "Detective, what are your thoughts on this?"
Yuri looked at her husband and couldn't believe what she was about to say. "I believe that Detective Cruz has a conflict of interest, sir." She saw the betrayal on her husband's face. "I know Detective Cruz's past with powered individuals. He lost his father to a battle against Captain Awesome, and has resented powered individuals for years."
"And your thoughts on this...Spider-Man?" Captain asks.
Yuri sighed as she gave her honest opinion. "He's saved people. Burning buildings that firefighters couldn't get into, he went in and rescued them before the building was up with flames. If we let him do his thing and watch him closely, I think we can keep everyone safe. He just wants to help. When I was a kid, I lost my father...not to a battle against a hero and villain, but because my dad's boss told them to intervene. The villain had this sort of handheld flamethrower, and...let's just say Dad didn't survive. If we stay out of the way and let the hero save people, we don't need to worry about losing more cops or civilians. And we can protect people instead of trying to get in the middle of a fight that isn't ours."
Captain nodded as he seemed to come to a conclusion. "Yeah, I agree with Watanabe. Let Spider-Man be, let's see how this turns out. As you said, Stark comes out as Iron Man, and there were crimes beforehand. Let's see if Spider-Man can help San Fransokyo be better."
Yuri and Cruz left the office in silence, both nodding solemnly. The tense confrontation they had just experienced seemed to have left the other officers in the building at a loss for words. As they walked down the hall, it was clear that they were both lost in thought, each grappling with the weight of the argument. Despite being married, this was the one topic that they could never agree on, and so it was typically avoided in conversation. But now, with the issue brought to the surface, it had the potential to cause irreparable damage to their family.
"Hey, what's this?" Yuri asks when she sees someone being dragged into the prescient dressed as a... rabbit.
"Present from Spider-Man. Lorina Dodson," The officer explained. "Seems she tried to plant a bomb at her parent's house. Goes by White Rabbit."
"Yeah, and you still think this hero is worth all of this trouble?" Cruz asks Yuri.
"You don't know if she was going to do this before he showed up." Yuri defended as she walked down the hall. "You have to-"
As Yuri and Cruz were making their way towards the exit door, determined to reach their daughter who was waiting anxiously outside, they suddenly heard a loud crash. Before they could even react, the door to the prescient was kicked open by a group of men who were all wearing eerie animal-themed masks, each resembling a different character from Alice in Wonderland. The sudden appearance of these masked intruders sent a chill down Yuri and Cruz's spines, and they immediately reached for their weapons to defend themselves. However, before they could even make a move, the intruders attacked them with croquet mallets, hitting them over their heads with brutal force.
"We need backup at the prescient! We're being overrun!"
As Yuri and Cruz fell to the ground, they could hear the sound of gunfire echoing through the room, followed by agonizing groans and screams. The last thing they remembered before losing consciousness was the feeling of being overpowered and helpless, as the masked men loomed over them.
When the two of them eventually woke up, they looked around to see they were tied up with their fellow officers with Lorina wandering around the room. She was humming to herself as she did a bunch of random annoying tasks like picking up a pile of papers to just fling them around.
"What the heck is going on?" Cruz asks.
"Shush!" Lorina cried as she shoved a chair over. "We are waiting!"
"For what?" Yuri asks.
Then she heard something thud and heard a few grunts and cries. Lorina seemed pleased as she watched the ceiling cave in and Peter was tackling one of her men. He panted as he stood in his dirtied Spider-Man attire. He was a little confused at the situation as he saw what was going down.
"Okay, this is a new one," Peter said.
"Oh, my god! My nemesis!" Lorina cried with glee.
"Nemesis?" Peter asks. "We fought once!"
"One time is all it takes!" Lorina gleed. "I mean, how else was I gonna get into the prescient without your help?"
"You wanted to get arrested?" Peter asks.
"Well, how else was I supposed to get one of these?" Lorina asked as she picked up a rocket launcher.
Peter backed away and raised his hands. "Whoa! Wait! Come on, if we are gonna do this here, can we at least let the cops go?"
"No, I need some witnesses if I wanna set up my criminal empire," Lorina stated.
"Criminal empire?" Peter questioned. "This isn't the Godfather."
"Tell that to the Kingpin," Lorina replied as she aimed the rocket.
"King-who?" Peter questioned.
Lorina fired the rocket and it headed right for him. But rather than trying to get out of the way, Peter got an idea as he webbed a suitcase towards him and used it to blow the rocket, causing a cloud of smoke to appear. When the dust settled, Lorina smiled when she saw that Spider-Man was nowhere to be seen.
"Ha! I did it!" Lorina cheered. "I killed Spider-Man!"
Peter however was not even close to death as he crawled around the ceiling and was sneaking his way around. When he reached the officers, he leaned over and started to use his web to come close to the ground to be at eye level with the tied-up cops.
"Hey." Peter greeted them.
"Oh, great." Cruz was less than happy.
"Well, I can see someone isn't a fan," Peter said as he grabbed and snapped the rope holding them. "Alright, I am gonna handle these guys. I am gonna need some help getting the others out."
"We got it," Yuri said as she and Diego sneak off.
With a swift and calculated approach, Spider-Man began to take down the criminals one by one, using his agility and web-slinging abilities to disarm them and free the captured officers. The criminals, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the web-slinger, struggled to keep up with his lightning-fast reflexes.
"So, who is this Kingpin? Is he a card player?" Peter asks as he shoots a web to a chair behind one of them, yanking it and smacking it on the back of their head.
"You'll see!" Lorina said as she threw what looked to be strange rings towards him. "When I dethrone him!"
"Okay, right!" Peter didn't believe her when he spun to get away from the rings.
Lorina pulled out an umbrella that appeared to be modified with weapons. She aimed the umbrella and attempted to shoot the hero who quickly ducked and spun around to evade the bullets. However, Lorina was determined to take down the hero and continued to fire. The hero, Peter, realized that he had to act fast if he wanted to survive this encounter.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Peter's determination and sense of responsibility drove him forward. He knew that he had to protect the citizens of the city from Lorina's criminal activity. With quick reflexes and agility, Peter managed to get close enough to Lorina and tried to punch her. However, Lorina was quick to dodge the punch and continued to fight back.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, with Lorina using her weapons to try and take down Peter. However, Peter was able to anticipate her moves and counter them. With a final, acrobatic takedown, Peter subdued the White Rabbit, and webbed her up for the authorities to collect.
But when he wasn't looking, Peter's spider senses tingled, alerting him of danger. He looked around to try and figure out what was wrong, but he was looking in the wrong place. Suddenly, he noticed one of the rings from his suit was stuck on a piece of debris on the ceiling. Before he could move, the ring fell and when it fell around his waist, he watched the ring shrink and wrap around him. Then he felt a shock, the ring filled with electrical energy that zapped the hero and took him down. Peter lay on the ground, unable to move, wondering what was going to happen to him.
Diego, accompanied by a few officers, cautiously entered the scene where the criminals had been successfully taken down. They all had their guns aimed, but not at White Rabbit, who was already in custody. Instead, the officers had their sights set on Peter, who was still wearing his Spider-Man mask. Diego and his team made their way over to Peter, and Diego took hold of him, forcing him to sit on his knees.
"I've got you now," Diego said as he reached to remove Peter's mask.
However, before he could do so, he was suddenly shoved out of the way. To his surprise, it wasn't another officer who had pushed him, but his wife, Yuri. She had come to Peter's rescue and was now standing between Diego and the hero.
Yuri tapped Peter's cheek gently to wake him up, and he slowly regained his senses. Confused and disoriented, Peter tried to make sense of what was happening.
"Go," Yuri instructed Peter firmly. "Get out of here!"
Peter wasted no time. He summoned all of his strength and quickly ripped the ring from his waste before sprinting towards the doorway. Diego tried to shoot him, but Yuri bravely stepped in front of her husband, determined to protect the hero who had just saved the day.
And that was it. The last straw.
Yuri stood motionless in the doorway of her bedroom, her eyes fixed on Cruz as he sorted through his belongings, packing them into several large boxes. The scene was bittersweet for her, filled with mixed emotions of love, sadness, and regret. She knew that this was the day that Cruz had finally come to terms with the fact that their relationship was beyond repair, and they could no longer work or live together. Despite their best efforts to make things work, their different belief of heroes had driven an irreparable wedge between them.
At one point in their relationship, Yuri had admired Cruz's stubbornness, seeing it as a sign of strength and resilience. But as time went on, she realized that it was this very trait that was the cause of their ongoing conflict. No matter how hard they tried to see eye-to-eye, they always seemed to end up at odds with each other.
As Cruz finished packing his things, Yuri couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in her chest. She was not only losing the man she had once loved but also her daughter, Megan. Cruz had decided to move out of the city, taking Megan with him. Although Yuri was allowed to visit whenever she wanted, she knew that it wouldn't be the same as having Megan with her all the time.
Despite her sadness, Yuri knew that this was the right decision. She didn't want to put Megan in the middle of their ongoing conflict, and she certainly didn't want to poison her daughter's mind with her own thoughts and beliefs. It was better this way, she thought, even if it meant letting go of the life she had once known. Yuri knew that it would be a challenging and emotional journey for her to move on from this chapter in her life, but she was resolved to make the best of it and create a new beginning for herself and her daughter when they saw each other.
"There's nothing I can do to stop you, is there?" Yuri asks.
"You still support that menace?" Diego asks him.
Yuri sighed. "Apparently there isn't."
Diego bid farewell and stepped out of the doorway. Upon seeing him leave, Megan's eyes welled up with tears and she ran towards her mother, engulfing her in a tight embrace. Yuri reciprocated the hug with equal sadness, knowing that she wouldn't always be there for her daughter. However, she was convinced that this was for the greater good, that the city needed her, and that she needed some time apart from her husband. It pained her to think that Megan had to bear the brunt of their separation, but she hoped that someday she would understand and forgive her.
PRESENT DAY:
Peter had finally finished telling his true origin to the team, as they were still on the same rooftop. He saw the pain in their eyes caused by his story.
"So...you've been lying to us for years." Teresa couldn't believe it.
"Yes." Peter confirmed.
Teresa didn't even speak as she just walked away and then flew off using her jet pack. Peni looked between both of her siblings and grew sorrowful as she walked away in her mech.
Peter sighed as he turned away. "This was a mistake." Then he started to stretch out his arm to latch onto something. "This whole team was a mistake. I run solo."
Then Peter swung off into the sky, leaving everyone else behind. GoGo sighed as she knew what she neeeded to do. "I'll go after him."
"Scan complete." Baymax said as GoGo sped off.
"What?" Hiro asks Baymax.
Baymax then showed the scan he finally finished and they realized whatever was attached to Peter, it was spreading across his entire body. The Symbiote was coming close to fully controlling Peter's entire person from mind and body.
And GoGo was going after him.
"Oh, god." Hiro said in worry.
