Season 5 Chapter 5: Idolatry
"Whew, another day another robbery," Spider-man sighs as he puts his hand over his eyes, looking up at the group of five robbers he caught into his ornate web with a sense of "spider pride", like flies in a web.
It was another ordinary crime fighting weekday morning in Manhattan, just one of his morning exercises as a super-powered hero. Good thing it happens to be a leisure day for ESU. The moment he hears police sirens coming around the corner, he leaves them to New York's Finest, just quick enough for him to slip away to the alley where he left his belongings and changes into a yellow jacket over his long-sleeved white sweater and some blue jeans along with his rugged topsiders, hiding his suit beneath his clothes. After that, he goes on to take another pack of shots of his mess for the Bugle, meeting up with the NYPD and noticing one of the familiar members named Carlie.
"Cadet Cooper? It's me, Peter Parker from the Bugle!" Peter runs to the young cadette.
"Mr. Parker! Hi!" Carlie greets beside her partner's car. "Wow, you sure are always right on time. Where's your partner? Is she around?"
"Paula? Uhm, I just happened to be in the neighborhood? She didn't know that I was up and running so—"
Just as he was getting to the part, a familiar car appears, and there he sees Paula leaving the driver seat with what could be imaginary fumes and flames in her eyes, reminding him of a worst-case scenario with Liz.
"Parker! Why did you not even call me!?" Paula bursts in anger.
"I was in the neighborhood when it happened. I can't help it if the chance comes too fast, I don't dictate events around," Peter jokes.
"Well for some odd reason, bad things always happen when you're in the area," Paula sighs in frustration.
"If it kinda helps, Cadette Cooper could give you an interview worthy of a Bugle Paper."
"Uh, sure? You can ask my partners here, they got experiences that could help," Carlie replies.
"Gee, nice team you have, meanwhile I'm stuck with," Paula glares at Peter.
"Ehehehe, well, I gotta go. I got another appointment somewhere nearby. If you need me, I will be in Midtown High, just a few blocks away! Ciao!" Peter bolts away from the scene.
"Hmph, boys," Paula harrumphed.
"He seems really busy for someone who is about my age," Carlie shrugs.
—
Just a few blocks away from the crime scene, Peter made his way back to his old high school: Midtown High. Still looks the same as before.
"Hello Midtown High, long time no see…" Peter looks up at the familiar gate and looks at the crowd of students scattered around the school grounds. "Huh, guess I got here at a pleasant time too."
The heroic sophomore enters the campus grounds, scanning and humming as he reminisces on all that had just transpired: the way he became Spider-man; the struggles and burdens; and some memories of friends and people who were and are still with him today. Along with some, unpleasant and bittersweet moments during his young dumb phase as a high school vigilante hero…
'I must be out of my mind,' Peter thought as he shrugged and made his way to the central building.
Like a memory lane, he walks down the familiar corridor lined with lockers along the walls, with a couple of trophy shelves and classroom doors filling the gaps between lockers. Seeing all the students wandering around during break, reminds him of more memories, both good and bad when they were still immature and impulsive in their own right. Just as he's seemingly drowning in nostalgia…
"Peter! Is that you!?"
Calling him from afar, William "Billy" Connors reaches out to him with glee. Once a little boy from the laboratory, now the young Connor matured to a young teen similar to Peter in his highschool days, just now in a sharper and slightly mature look and an impeccably similar outfit with a blue tee paired with dull gray jeans, just leaving our the brown satchel and a secret identity.
"Wait a minute, is that you Billy!?" Peter calls back, running to his way. "Man, great to see you!"
"Great seeing you 'round too! W-What brings you here though?" Billy wonders.
"Nothing much. Just biding with my holiday time with a trip down the memory lane here," Peter thought out loud as he looks at a trophy just beside him on his left. "A lot of memories were made down in this campus. You're gonna love it here."
"Why Peter! I wasn't expecting you to be back here!"
Behind Billy was none other than Peter's old homeroom and science teacher and mentor in a lab coat, Aaron Warren, begrudgingly the brother of the nefarious doc Miles Warren.
"Professor Warren! It's been a long while!" Peter greets back.
"It sure has. I hope your talents are sought after and honed as well as I hoped so?" Aaron smiles seeing his old pupil in school.
"Having a blast, actually! Currently in ESU and assisting the Connors' here and there in the lab, and managed to try my luck in Stark Industries," Peter adds. "Though I think my chances with Stark Industries will be a hit or miss…"
"What are you saying, Peter? You will get another chance. I don't believe your talents will be overlooked that quickly if given more time," Aaron adds.
'Maybe so, if I weren't so conscious of the fact that Tony Stark knows who I am…' Peter cringes internally. " Well, I guess?"
"Oh yeah! Peter, mind if I show ya what I've been up to!?" Billy excitedly interrupts.
"Uhhh…"
"Go ahead, Peter. I don't mean to tie your time here down. Take care of yourself," Aaron bids before leaving them alone.
"C'mon, before the next class starts in just a minute or two!" Billy rushes to the door behind him.
"Hey! Don't forget your visitor!" Peter follows Billy.
They stop outside the door and as Billy opens the door, behind it is a small room that looks almost like a wacky hangout for conspiracy theorists or wannabe detectives, full of drawn pictures, stolen photos of recent battles, or newspaper cutouts of Spider-Man and other heroes and their great exploits around the streets of New York City. Moreover, they weren't alone as there were two other teens about Billy's age inside the room sitting around a square table across from each other. One of them is a young African American boy with a semi-shaved head carrying a sketchbook and pencil in hand, while the other is an American boy with blond hair and glasses, arranging some photos on the table.
"Guys, guys! Guess who's here!? The man, the myth, the legendary photographer of New York's favorite hero Spider-Man: Peter Parker!" Billy "properly" introduces.
"Uh, hi? Billy, you really didn't need to do that," Peter awkwardly replies.
"Yo! Big fan, man! This is sweet! Mind if I sketch ya? Just a little bit!" The black kid exclaims. "Oh shoot, I forgot, my name's Miles, Miles Morales. Billy' classmate, and a huge fan of your work and "co-worker"."
"Cool, honored to have a fan. Some people do the opposite of fans, if not most," Peter douses the compliment in sad parker humor.
"Oliver Osnick. You can call me Olly. And well, not everyone feels that way," the other kid introduces. "Oh by the way, do you happen to have some photos of Doctor Octopus?"
"I think I still do? Oh wait, I think it's in my other hard drive. My bad," Peter apologizes.
"It's fine. Just wondering if you had any on hand."
"But why Doc Ock though? I got plenty photos of Spidey, or Prowl, or Ghost Spider—"
"Sorry Peter, but he is nuts for the tentacled menace," Billy replies.
"You're kidding me, right?" Peter jests.
"You guys just don't get it. He is way smarter, stronger, and cooler than the Webhead," Olly explains. "His only weakness is just himself, his own ego. I can't imagine what if he actually succeeds in defeating Spider-man with his wit than his pride."
"Not too sure on the strong part. The other non human limbs did his heavy lifting, other than lifting himself," Peter adds.
"Yeah yeah, joke all you want. 'Cause next time, I will make it so that he was not meant to be a joke in Manhattan."
"What makes you say that, Olly?" Billy asks.
"Nothin', just me saying things."
"Ohhh boy, I uh gotta get going now. My friends are now looking for me. Thanks for having me, see ya guys!" Peter bids before leaving.
"See you, Peter! Tell Gwen and my parents I say hi!"
—
"Well, that was quite a nice change of pace," Spider-Man thought out loud as he swung through Manhattan beside Liz, hovering in midair.
"What you up to, Petey?" Liz wondered. "If you asked me what I have been up to, I was at Johnny's place. He was showing me the knowhow on how to fly like he does."
"O-Oh, I see, that's cool…I was uh, just around Midtown High, checking around after a long while," Spider-man replies, landing and running atop a building's ledge and jumping off for a momentous swing greeting a couple of New Yorkers spotting him with a wave hello.
"Wow, are you feeling hot? Need some fans to greet you?" Liz playfully adds.
"Says the girl on fire. C'mon, can't I see some people have some appreciation for me at the very least? At least till—"
"HELLOOO NEW YORK!"
"That…"
Spidey and Liz stop to land on a rooftop around the town square, seeing a huge ad screen showing Jameson's smug mustache on. Spider-man hunches for a facepalm from the sheer sight.
"Ughhhh," The voice alone is a rain on his happy parade, but Jameson rambling on about his campaign to be New York's Mayor is just a flash flood of dread.
"Oh…that…"
"Sorry, not the best thing to get a good mood going. Bad enough I got nutjob reporters and newswriters on my case, but to have J. Jester Jameson potentially run for the mayoral office!? I'll lose my marbles if he wins!?"
"Make that us!?" Liz points to the screen.
As Jameson rambles on, pop-up screens of photos appear around him showing Spider-man, Liz, Prowler, Ghost Spider, Iceman, Shadowcat, Human Torch, and their battles and exploits against their foes around New York.
"VOTE FOR ME, AND I PROMISE TO MAKE THE STREETS FREE FROM ALL TROUBLE THANKS TO THAT SPIDER-MENACE, AND HIS WALKING CLOWN SHOW OF PALS DESTROYING EVERYTHING WE'VE BUILT TOGETHER LIKE IT'S THEIR OWN PERSONAL PLAYGROUND! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? THERE'S NO TIME BETTER THAN THE PRESENT TO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR OUR GREAT CITY!"
"Okay, I can tolerate him badmouthing me, but to pin you in on this is another! He's gonna have it once he sees my ugly mean face over his!"
"Oh c'mon, Petey. It ain't so bad being in your shoes for once," Liz slyly flirts with Spidey, snuggling close to his shoulder.
"Nuh uh, I got a whole mind to mind about this involving you, Gwen, and the others."
"Petey, seriously…stop being, y'know, so serious? I get it you kinda had this over your shoulders long before the rest of us got in this gig. Okay, maybe Hobie's an exception too, but my point is, well…I just love you too much to see you struggling out here by yourself…"
"...Liz…I…"
To add a sweet cherry on top of her sweet words of assurance, Liz unfolds the mouth section of Spidey's mask to go for a kiss, stuck close to his face with a warm flameless embrace before parting away for a gasp of air. Stunning him with her initiative shoots another dose of nostalgia when she kissed him back in high school on a New Year's Eve.
"Well, Spidey? Starstruck?" Liz smiles as she stares into his eyes behind the mask.
"I felt a meteor shower burning into my face," Spider-man says out loud as he breaks into a smile before returning with an embrace around her waist. "Even after a few years, I still don't think I deserve you…"
"Really? I was gonna say the same thing," Liz adds with a content smile before feeling the vibration on her pocket, meaning her phone's ringing and she had to pick it up. "Uh oh, might be big, sorry."
"It's cool, take it."
Minutes later when she picks up and decides her next move, she finishes the call with a few whispers and then turns back to Spidey.
"Was your dad on the line?"
"Yeah, just checking on me as always. He still thinks well of you, but…I'm not sure if I can keep your real "you" a secret… with how the news and media see me around you and our friends. I…I have to go. Sorry Petey…"
"No no, you do you, and I'll do me. Take care, Liz."
After a warm peck on his cheek and a playful wink goodbye, Liz takes off in a fiery display back to the Allan Hotel, all the while Spidey goes on swinging solo around the perimeter, like usual when he's alone.
—
"They don't get it. They just don't get it."
In a luxurious apartment of a high-end residential building, the young high schooler Olly locks himself in his room that's been personalized into both a lab and investigation hideout of some sort. On one side, full of some pictures of Spider-man and his villains, most of which had Doc Ock in them; and on the other is his working mini-lab desk corner with his tools and also a strange equipment that seems of his own making…
"I'll show them. Thankfully, dad gets to tinker and take home lots of stuff from work, yet leaves them to collect dust. Not in my hands they won't," Olly assures. "I will put them to good use, my own use."
He puts on some goggles, protecting his vision against light soldering and welding on his equipment to piece them together.
"Hm, maybe this can help me too for the upcoming science fair in school. Coming close, but maybe after I take it for a test drive…"
—
"Now see, this is why evolution takes place in a way that helps them adapt, but that does not mean the species is able to completely retain some of its predecessor's traits. Meaning, in a natural sense, built differently compared to their counterparts that are bred in captivity or human interventions."
It's another weekday passing, and currently it's in the middle of the morning, in Dr. Connors' class lecture. However, while Peter is trying to be engaged, his mind is worn out from pulling an all-nighter immersing himself in a personal project after dealing with his photos for the Bugle—as demanded by Paula late at night.
*Yawns*
"Man, I could kill for coffee right now," Peter blocks his yawn with his sleeve.
"How about a coffee candy?" Gwen offers a small pellet of black coffee candy.
"Yes please. Thanks Gwen," Peter takes the candy and takes it in, hoping that the light caffeine dose would kick in for the next period.
"...Soooo…I sorta heard?"
"Heard what?"
"You were alone with Liz recently?"
The question Gwen shot made Peter cough in response before she gives him the look that pierces his gaze.
"Uhhhhh, yeahhhh?" Peter sheepishly replied with an awkward smile.
"Figures, she talked to me over stuff about how things went down, and don't worry. I'm not in the least bit jealous at all," Gwen assures with a smile, a smile that creeps up on Peter's spine.
"I-It's nothing too big, I just happened to be around the city for a little bit along the way. I was just out to visit Midtown High before meeting her."
"Oh really? I mean, how was it back there? Is Dr. Warren still there?"
"Still a homeroom teacher, doing good there for more students to come. Also met up with Billy there," Peter smirked.
"How's he enjoying his high school life? Better than ours I bet?" Gwen asks.
"Let's talk more during our break. To be continued," Peter kindly replies.
"Okay, fine," Gwen relents.
—
At the same time, in Midtown High…
"Any other further questions? None? Okay, proceed with your respective partners," Dr. Aaron Warren ends his giving out instructions.
In the science lab, everyone's working in pairs, and among them, Miles, Billy, and Olly all find themselves working with different partners as they share individual lab tables. Miles is with an emo guy with a mushroom kind of haircut and bangs that cover his eyes and forehead; Olly is with a latina girl wearing a headband that holds her hair up like a cockatoo; and Billy's with an Asian girl with a cute black bob cut whose height reaches exactly at his shoulder level.
"Sofia, mind passing me that flask?" Olly asks in an apathetic tone.
"Um, which one? There are many—"
"Ugh, nevermind, I'll get it," Olly groans, reaching for the flask he needed for the experiment procedure.
"You coulda just told me which one you needed, geez," the girl named Sofia sulks, irritated by his attitude.
"Whatever," Olly ignores her reply, holding up and checking the fluid in the flask.
Brushing off her reply like a know-it-all, their teacher couldn't look past the pair's current state.
"Mister Osnick, may I ask that the two of you cooperate and work on this assignment. You and Miss Sanduval, understand?" Aaron kindly asks, albeit urging his students to follow accordingly.
"Yes sir," both Sofia and Olly answered in return.
"Looks like Olly's about "this close" to get the boot," Miles jokes with his hand to Billy, all the while handing his partner what he needs. "Huh, Morti, looks like you don't even need my help. How the heck did you come up with the formula this quick?"
"I just um, love doing chemistry, it's my favorite branch of science," the emo kid named Mortimer, sheepishly replies, bowing his head slightly down with half his face hidden behind huge bangs.
"He will come around, hopefully?" Billy shrugs his shoulders before rolling up his sleeves to wash his hands. "Thanks for the assist, Emy."
"It's just like cooking class, only much more dangerous," the asian girl named Emy, replied with a satisfied smirk.
"Okay, Sofia, pass me that stirrer," Olly demands.
"Would it kill to ask nicely though?" Sofia sarcastically replied, passing Olly a glass stick. "Look, I know you're the smarter guy between the two of us, but that attitude of yours says otherwise."
"Good to know, you're not the first," Olly brushes her remark off.
"On second thought, I don't think so…" Billy thought to himself with concern, with Miles facepalming from third-hand embarrassment.
—
"Whoo! Can't believe that classes ended early!" Hobie cheers.
"Only for today. Seems like Doctor McCoy has something on his shoulders that he had to leave abruptly. Hopefully he'll return for another fun lecture," Gwen hopes.
"Whatever it is, he has his reasons, just wonder if we could have another fun day in the Chem lab when he gets back," Peter adds.
"Well, since we got some time on our hands, what do you guys wanna do today?" Hobie inquires.
"I plan on visiting the Connors' in the ESU Lab for today, nothing serious," Gwen answered. "How about you, Peter?"
"Me? I am visiting M Cubed for today, and then maybe patrolling for a little bit."
"Oh cool, take care then," Gwen bids.
"Alright then, I'm gonna meet up Jan in her place for today, wish me luck!" Hobie runs to the parking area of the boys' dorm for his motorcycle.
"You don't need it, dude!" Peter jokes. "See you later, Gwen."
"Have fun out there," Gwen bids with a peck on his cheek before watching him leave the campus grounds. 'Hmmm, maybe I should go on a patrol on my own.'
'Sure you do,' Mania teases.
'Shut up, don't make me do or say anything for Pete to misunderstand,' Gwen sternly warns.
'More like your intrusive thoughts? That's awfully generous, can't imagine if you–'
"Welllll, look who I found."
Catching Gwen's attention with the sly tone was none other than the criminology senior, Felicia Hardy.
'Not you again. What does she want this time,' Gwen kept her hostility to herself. "Oh um, hi, Felicia. What's up?"
"Oh nothing, I was just curious," Felicia snickered.
"Curious? About what exactly?"
"Curious about Peter, of course," Felicia adds. "MJ told me lots about your time in highschool, but she mentioned that YOU knew Peter way longer than she did."
"Me? I mean, true, I knew Peter for a long long time since we were kids," Gwen suddenly regrets what she said. 'Shoot.'
'You spilled too much,' Mania scolds.
'I sure did,' Gwen internally facepalms.
"Ooooh, do tell me more then," Felicia presses for more info.
—
"YEEEEHAWWWW! SWINGIN' SPIDER-MAN COMIN' THROUGH!"
Peter unleashes joy on another one of his patrols as New York's infamous web-themed slinger, just swinging between buildings and gliding through the city streets on his way to Midtown Manhattan Magnet High, as he promised long ago. Yet, while he is high on excitement, his imaginary sixth sense of pessimism haunts him…
"No Goblins, no problem. But with Harry…he's still not in optimal condition to walk around and stuff. Hope the docs know what to do, and get the Green outta him. But other than Harry, that backer of his, still no trace nor knowledge of whoever that masked weirdo is, but he's dangerous enough to break out the worst of my rogues' gallery. Waitasecond…!"
He halts at a ledge and stands upside down under a stone gargoyle with a thought in his blood-addled brain.
'Why did I not think about it before!? Felicia knew the guy, she did show us the way to his base. Not sure if he is still an ex in her contacts, but it won't hurt to ask next time,' Spider-man thought to himself before loosening his feet grip and free falls before gliding down to a nearby alley to change into his clothes.
—
"Hey skinny legs! Catch!"
After the science class was over, and break commences a couple minutes in, Olly get entangled with a couple of the new generation of Midtown's Mustangs—basically the jocks of Midtown High. And to Olly, he views them as beneath him, in terms of intellect most particularly. He is mentally allergic to them. Seeing the hurling football, he barely caught it with his hands with the obvious difference in physical strength.
"Urgh!"
"Dude, you coulda just dodged, not play along with those guys," Miles points out.
"I'm fine," Olly groaned, waving his hand that got sore from the impact.
"Not cool. Why don't you boys play with others your own size, like another football team instead of bystanders," Emy scolds with a venomous tone, paralyzing the jocks with a snake-like glare.
"Whatever, nerds. Let's bail."
The jocks left them alone, but just when the heat cooled down…
"Hey! Forgot this?!"
Not giving a decent heads up, Olly launches the football in return, only to knock down three jocks who tried to catch the ball like a human net. The sight left students along the hallway of lockers speechless that they just stared back at him.
"Heh, I have to admit. I understand now why you pick on others weaker than you," Olly grins maniacally with a glint on his lens frames. "The adrenaline feels… awesome."
"Whoa, Olly, what the heck just happened!?" Miles panicked.
"I've had enough, that's what happened…"
"Olly buddy, maybe let's just call it a day and cool off, somewhere, outside of school," Billy suggests.
"Relax, I held back my strength. I don't understand why you would let those dimwits walk over us when we are way smarter than them. Like, we are way more capable than them."
There, Olly reveals a belt-and-pack combo worn over his dull clothes, connected with four long metal tentacles resembling Doctor Octopus' menacing tentacles that seem to move by a form of connection with a headband rather than being connected directly to his mind.
"We just need to find a means against those stronger than us," Olly growls, walking up to the downed jocks with his tentacles carrying him up inches off the ground.
"Whoa whoa whoa, bro, I like the equipment and all, but this is not the way to go!" Miles blocks Olly from the jocks.
"Back off, Miles, I've been waiting for the day that these guys could have a taste of their own medicine!"
"Olly, you're not the only one tired of their antics. But if you do this, you're no different than those who're bullying others!" Billy tries reasoning with him.
"Those who trample over others should know the feeling of getting trampled over."
"Haaagh! Goighk?!"
*Bang!*
Trying to buy time, Mortimer gets the jump over Olly's metallic extensions, but he fails instantly as he gets pinned to the lockers on the side by just one tentacle.
"Nice going, Wart," one of the jocks mocked.
"Oliver! Stop!" Sofia cried, cupping her mouth in fear.
"Hey! He's saving your sorry butt for being a big dumb one," Miles scolds.
"I thought you knew my pain, Mortimer. They never wasted a chance to pick on us. Yet you are defending them?" Olly glares at Morti.
"You don't think I know that!? I'm just trying to get your attention! To get you to stop scaring everyone!" Morti replied, struggling to get out of the tentacle's hold.
"Whoa, the last time I've been here, it was a bad day with an old friend!"
Amidst the crowd of speechless students in the corridor, the one and only Spider-man shows up out of nowhere, jumping down from the ceiling with a graceful landing stance.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's too early for the science fair in Midtown right now, right?" Spider-man quips. 'So much for visiting Billy incognito…'
"Spidey!? How did you get here!?" Billy screamed.
"My uh, Spidey-sense was tingling?" Spider-man awkwardly lies. "A good friend got my eye and told me something went down I gue—yipe!"
He narrowly dodges by bending backwards parallel to the floor, just close to get a tentacle to his face before facing an unruly kid equipped with a copycat gadget of one of his worst foes.
"You know, I've always imagined what if Doctor Octopus had beaten you one day. Maybe I will be the one to make it happen!"
The young teen villain then gets ahead of himself and rushes at Spider-man, who the students thought would beat him up like a little baby. Instead, the moment Olly strikes Spider-man with his tentacle, he launches him out of the campus like a ragdoll, damaging part of the water fountain in the center and scaring students around the vicinity.
"Heheheh, that was just a warm up, Spider-freak. I just held back the horsepower," Olly gloats.
"Ughhhh, well, having fun yet?" Spider-man quips, holding his sore jaw with a couple of scratches over his costume and mask before checking his smartphone. "Whew, it's still dry and alive."
"Oh yeah? You think this is fun!?" Olly roars, grabbing Spider-man by his leg with his metal limb to slam and flip him like a ragdoll. "Seriously, if the Doctor had not let his pride blind his intellect, he could end you easily."
"Ughugh, well, everyone's got a flaw, even big mean villains and city heroes in the Big Apple," Spider-man coughs out another quip. "You know, you kinda remind me of someone. Gyagh!"
"Shut up!"
Olly tosses Spidey to the far left, where the football court is set and filled with some bystanding students, shocked by his rough painful entrance rubbing off the expensive grass bed.
"Oghhhh man, this is way over my paycheck and rent. Oh wait, I graduated from here," Spider-man shook his aching skull before being slammed to the ground.
The young villain wannabe then raises the hero up by his hands. It never occurred till now that the Webhead never raised his fist, he just took all the beating and thrashing like a durable human punching bag. Not only that, as Olly pauses his thrashing on the hero, he stares blankly into his weak gaze, slowly taking in the reality of what he just did.
"Aghhh, hey, wanna take a short break? It's your recess after all," Spider-man quips with a light joke in an aching tone. "You know, you really remind me of someone..."
"Say…what…?"
"Smart, brilliant, really good in class I think, and also being bullied for being good at all three," Spider-man adds.
"Wh-what are you talking about!? You don't even know who I am!" Olly barked, dropping him to the ground.
"Ughhh, ow, mind giving a heads up before dropping me? Ouch," Spidey groans, getting up on his feet. "I think you need time to cool down for a bit."
"Spidey! Are you alright!?" Billy calls out, running to the court with Emy, Sofia, and Miles right behind him.
"...Tell your homeroom that Olly is absent for the day!" Spider-man replied.
"Huh?"
Before Olly could reply back, Spidey grabs him by his belt and then swings away with him in tow.
"Whoaaaaaaaa!"
"I promise to return him before the sun goes down!"
—
"Whoa, whoa! Where are you taking me?! Ouch!"
Tossed like baggage to a bed of grass, the young teen is confronted by the Webslinger, not knowing why he's been brought out far from the school.
"What is this? Where is this?" Olly asks.
"It's a park, genius. Where else could it be?" Spidey jokes, sitting on the edge of a bench. "Sit here, it's better than a patch of itchy grass."
"What do you take me for? A kid?"
"Yes, I am."
"...Aghhh, fine."
The teen sits next to the other edge of the bench near Spidey, where he then starts to break the ice.
"Gotta admit, I didn't think that anyone could make a practical replica of Ock's limbs. Much less, someone your age who barely met the guy, I think," Spidey replies.
"Yeah…but something about him gave me strength. Well, maybe not literal strength, but… a chance or a sign that I could do more in being myself…"
"What do you mean?"
"No one… in my family understands, much less my friends," Olly continues. "They don't understand what I do, or what I could do and even wanna do. And being the good boy, I tried to understand them myself, but sometimes, I just don't know why a part of me would shut them out…"
"...You know uh, Olly, right? You should know that just because people don't understand you does not mean they think harm of you or hate you. It takes time for some of them to get us. Even I had people who had the guts to take the time to understand me too!"
"You mean that?"
"Yeah, but that is where I had to learn the hard way to let people into my life, maybe not showing it all. That'd be too much for anyone to handle. It's kinda like a mutual kind of biological relationship in the natural world. People will do what they can to understand you through interaction, so you have to try to understand them."
"I already tried that part."
"And it's not a one-time thing. It can take a lifetime to understand people. Especially people with gifts like you and me," Spidey adds, shooting a web ball at a tree for fun. "Whew! Right in the trunk hole!"
"A gift, huh…"
"Yeah, you my friend, you have a gift, and a great one that is powerful for this time and age. However, a wise old man once told to me: With great power, there must always come great responsibility. You have the power, use it not for yourself, but for others. There is a reason you're given that big brain of yours, a good reason."
"...I see…aghhh, well, this is gonna be awkward, with what I've done back there…"
"Ey ey. We all mess up, that's what makes us people after all. And believe me, I've messed up too, but the mistakes don't define us, especially if you do something about it," Spider-man adds. "You got the power to make a difference. No matter how small or big, no matter what people will say about you."
"...How do you just shrug off those bullies? I mean, I followed all your stories, and all the slanders directed at you, all the comments, and mistreatment. How are you able to just ignore them…?"
"That part… is really up to you. It's going to be hard, but it's simply a matter of how we react sometimes, and remember that you have the power to make a difference. Because with great power, there must always come great responsibility."
Spider-man then gets up from his seat and stretches his arms and body for a final farewell swing after borrowing him for a bit.
"C'mon, I'll take you home. Show me where your place is at," Spider-man offers his hand.
"I…I think I will take a break for now here. I can make my way home from here too," Olly replied. "...Spider-man…"
"Yeah what up? Something else you need?"
"Thank you…for everything…"
"All in a day's work, you're welcome… if you ever need anything, I'm always in the neighborhood," Spidey adds before swinging away.
"...Power…With great power, comes great responsibility, huh…" Olly stares at his hands and his metallic tentacles.
—
"Gash…Slash…Where. Is. The First One…!?"
In a dark underground laboratory, full of encased chambers, the elusive mad scientist Jackal, aka Dr. Miles Warren, enraged with a golden yellow glint in his eyes and a menacing grin, he confronts two of his masked agents for a clear report…
"We are unable to find him…he covers his tracks and he seems to know our presence with every chance we get to pounce on him," the male agent in a full dark- grayish black suit, identified as Gash, reluctantly replied.
"And what of the Second One?" Jackal feels his patience tugging on a little thread.
"Intel says he's spotted lurking around Queens, but he is hard to keep an eye out, unless…"
"Unless…?" Jackal pressed for an answer.
"We can try to find a means of drawing both of them out," the female agent in full dark-bluish black uniform.
"Then it is more prudent that we let them come into the light themselves instead. I suppose it could give us more time to focus on other important activities," Jackal grins at the thought, staring at a pair of cloning chambers, still left unopened with entities hibernating within them.
—To be continued
A/N: Whoo! Finished within a few months, sorry took long again, had fun with other series while going through some reviews in a review center. Yes, I said it, cram school. And since I paid for it, I had no choice but to finish through with it. Hopefully I can post another chapter before the end of the year again. Sorry that there is barely any villain action in this chapter, wait for more and hope you have fun reading. Blessings!