It was August 23rd at 13:43 PM in New York City. Norman Osborn, a redheaded man in his 40s, was sitting at home and reviewing several papers at his desk. He was the CEO of Oscorp and spent most of his time working.
"Adrian, I am not looking for excuses," he said, talking with one of his employees on the phone. "Unless you get your act together, I honestly don't see how you have a future at Oscorp."
"But Sir Osborn, I am just asking for a little more time and a slightly bigger budget," Adrian argued.
Norman sighed. "Adrian, do you know how many times I have heard this excuse? Unless you can work under the time schedule and budget I set, I'm afraid you won't achieve anything."
"If you just let me explain the importance of my work."
"Your work is interesting, Adrian, but your ability to put it into practice is another matter entirely. Additionally, I have other projects that need funding and my time. Should I divert funding and my time from these projects onto yours when you have nothing to show for your hard work so far?"
"It's still in the early stages; I'm confident that I will be able to show you something feasible."
"For your sake, I hope so. Now, if you excuse me, I'm expecting someone very important to discuss business with me."
"B-but Mr Osborn."
Norman then hung up and continued with his work when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he said without looking up.
Then, entering his office was his 19-year-old son, Harry Osborn, who resembled him in every way.
"I hope I'm not interrupting, Dad," he said.
"You are son," Norman sighed. "So I hope you have a perfect excuse for interrupting me when I'm working."
"I was just wondering if you'd have some free time late at night," said Harry nervously.
"Harry, I am expecting a very important client at any moment. I do not have time for these distractions. Besides, shouldn't you focus more on preparing yourself for college?"
"I've got everything packed," Harry argued.
"But have you gone through that list I provided you?" Norman asked. "If you're going to get anywhere in life, you need to make sure that you mingle with the right people."
"Well, this guy Flash Thompson seems fun to hang with."
Norman looked at him, disappointed. "When I mean mingle, I mean mingle with those at the top of their class. You should really look into this, Peter Parker."
Harry snorted. "The guy who takes photos of Spider-Man?"
"He came top of his class in all sciences, and unlike you, he already has a steady job. You don't have to like him; you just have to hang with him."
"Anything you say, Dad," Harry sighed.
"Mr Osborn, a Mr James Wesley is here to see you," said his secretary over the intercom.
"Send him over this incident," said Norman, then looked at Harry. "If you excuse me, I have pressing business to discuss."
Harry looked as if he wanted to argue, but merely nodded and walked off with his hand in his jeans.
Half an hour later, Wesley was sitting down in front of him.
"Mr James, what can I do for you and your boss?" Norman asked.
"We have a little pest problem," said Wesley.
"And perhaps you should call an exterminator," Norman joked.
"This is no laughing matter, Osborn; Spider-Man has been a thorn in Mr Fisk's side over the past few years. Now, he is a problem we can no longer ignore."
"And what do you expect me to do about it?" Norman asked.
"We want you and your company to outfit our men with the means to eliminate Spider-Man."
"You wish for me to create supervillains for your boss?" said Norman, raising an eyebrow. "That is a lot to ask."
"And in case you forgot, you owe Mr Fisk a sizeable debt, and we are now here to collect."
Norman sighed. "I do have a man who is right for the job, but I do not want any of this to fall on me."
"Do not worry. Your name will be squeaky clean so long as you cooperate."
"It will take time to create the equipment you ask for, and I will need some 'volunteers' to test out this equipment, expendable ones."
"Tombstone is already working on that, but when can we expect some progress?"
"That depends on my man, but I think he's already whipped something up. Just give me a few weeks."
"Very well, we look forward to hearing from you."
The two men shook hands.
It was now September 8th, and it was 8:30 AM. Today was the big day for Peter, who was starting college; he was already making his way through the grounds of Empire State University.
"Hey, Peter," said Gwen, running up to him. "Looking forward to the big day?"
"Ecstatic," Peter beamed. "I've heard that Empire State University has some very skilled scientists like Doctor Curt Connors. You think we'll be lucky enough to be in his class?"
"Only one way to find out," Gwen smiled.
Peter was glad that he and Gwen were back on speaking terms after he had to ditch her on his birthday. He really liked her, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her, especially after she was devastated to learn that he was Spider-Man.
"Well, this is also a chance to make some new friends," said Peter.
"Why, if it isn't Puny Parker," said a very familiar voice behind them.
"Unfortunately, we still have a few old enemies," Gwen sighed.
Peter groaned as Flash Thompson marched up towards them. He had heard that he had joined Empire State University. Fortunately, they were now in separate classes, so there was little chance they would meet up, but of course, Flash couldn't miss the opportunity to punch his old punching bag.
"Hello, Flash," Peter sighed.
"What do you want, Flash?" Gwen asked.
"Just want to say hi to my two favourite nerds," Flash smirked and whispered in Peter's ear. "It would just be like old times, Parker."
"Do we really have to do this today, Flash?" Peter asked.
"You know me; I can never miss an opportunity," Flash smiled. "Also, I want you to meet a friend I just met. Say hello to Harry Osborn."
Peter saw a redheaded young man about his age approaching them. Peter instantly recognised the name Osborn and wondered if he was related to Norman Osborn, the CEO of Oscorp.
"Osborn? Are you related to Norman Osborn?" Peter asked.
"My dad," he said. "And you're Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy."
"You know us?" said Gwen.
"Flash has told me about you," said Harry.
"Then you should know you shouldn't believe everything Thompson says," said Gwen.
"So you're saying that Parker isn't a school nerd who spends most of his time alone and mostly ignores everyone around him," Harry asked.
"Not on purpose," Peter admitted.
"Thought so, you're just like my father," said Harry, folding his arms.
"Is that a compliment?" Peter frowned.
"Anything but," said Harry as he walked off.
Peter sighed. "Nothing like making new friends."
"He doesn't know you, Pete, but I'm sure he'll warm up to you," said Gwen.
It was now 9 o'clock, and both Peter and Gwen had made it to their class, and Peter noticed that Harry was there with them.
"Evening class," said a voice.
A one-armed professor stepping into the class in a lab coat, Peter instantly recognised as Curt Connors.
"I'm Doctor Curt Connors, and I'll be your teacher this year," he said. "Now, what you say, we have some fun with some science."
Peter was really in his element regarding chemistry; he had a lot of practice making his web fluid. While almost everyone's experiments blow up right in their faces, Peter kept his concoction relatively stable.
"Very impressive, Peter," said Doctor Connors as he looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks, Doctor Connors," Peter smiled.
"Teacher's pet," Harry muttered.
Gwen noticed that Harry was putting Peter down as their lessons continued. She had no idea whether Peter had realised or ignored it, but she had finally had enough.
She then quickly took Harry to one side of the canteen. "Will you lay off him?"
"What? The guy is a total tool," said Harry.
"And you're basing this on what?" Gwen asked.
"Well, from what I can see, everything that Flash told me is perfectly true," said Harry.
"I admit that Peter tends to ignore everything around him, but that's because he's worried about his aunt," she said.
"His aunt?"
"Oh, I guess Flash never mentioned the fact that both his parents died when he was three years old?" Gwen assumed.
"No, he didn't mention it," Harry admitted, looking somewhat ashamed.
"Then I suppose he also forgot to mention that his uncle, someone he considered a father, was shot when a burglar broke into their house four years ago? Peter has been trying to support his aunt, so maybe you can give him some slack."
Harry then watched as Gwen stormed off.
By the time Peter left the campus, it was 5 PM, and he was about to make his way to the Daily Bugle; he needed to give Jonah the photographs he had just developed.
"Yo, Parker!" said a voice.
Peter turned and was surprised to see Harry running up to him. "What is it?"
"I just want to apologise for how I treated you," said Harry sincerely. "I didn't realise your family issues or lack thereof."
"It's fine," said Peter.
"No, it's not. Look, I never really knew my mother. She passed away when I was young," Harry admitted. "So I can't imagine what it would be like to lose both parents."
"Count yourself lucky you still have a Dad; I mean, I would give anything to spend some time with my father."
"Cool, then I'll see you around."
"Sure."
Harry nodded and walked off, and Peter began to wonder what had changed his tune. After the first few classes, he was rather condescending, but then he suddenly became quiet after lunch, and now he was apologising.
Peter merely shrugged, remembering that he had to get to the Bugle before Jonah blew a blood vessel.
Peter ran to the Daily Bugle, one of the city's most prominent newspaper publishers. However, Jonah believed they were the biggest. The Daily Bugle also had a TV chat, and Jonah had just started a podcast.
Sadly, he used every single method at his disposal to discredit Spider-Man and to add pain to injury with every picture Peter took of himself, which he used in his sneer campaign.
He soon entered the building and made his way to the top floor, making a beeline to Jonah's office.
"Hey, Pete," said a soft, sweet voice.
The voice belonged to Gloria Grant, who had once been a classmate in Peter's old high school.
"Hey Gloria, how is working with JJ?" Peter asked.
"It's never dull," she said. "He is busy with Robbie; they're discussing what to put on the front page."
"I can wait," said Peter.
"Parker! Get your butt in here!" Jonah roared.
Peter stared at Gloria in astonishment. "How does he know I'm in the building?"
"Well, I paged him the moment I saw you enter," Gloria admitted.
"Oh, well, that explains it."
They decided not to waste another second and rushed into the office, where J Jonah Jameson sat at his desk. Jonah was around 50 years old with black hair, a few greys, a flat-top hairstyle, and a very fuzzy moustache.
Robbie Robinson, the chief editor, stood next to him. He was roughly the same age as Jonah and an African-American. He was possibly the opposite of Jonah; he was quiet, patient, and optimistic about Spider-Man.
"Well, Parker, what do you want?" Jonah asked.
"To hand in my photos," said Peter as he pulled them out.
"Let's take a look," said Jonah, swiping them from him and going through them. "Garbage, garbage, garbage. Is this really the best you can offer Parker?"
"If you don't like them, I can give them to the Globe," Peter shrugged.
"No, I'll take them $300," he said as he began writing a cheque.
"They're worth more than that," Peter argued.
"He's right, Jonah, and we do need a front page," Robbie reminded him.
"Fine 500, but not one dollar more," Jonah grumbled, giving him a cheque. "And make sure you come back with even better photos."
"You got it, JJ," said Peter.
Peter then left the office.
"I'm telling you, Robbie, that kid needs to pull his weight," said Jonah.
"He works just as hard as everyone else here," Robbie pointed out. "Plus, if it weren't for him, we would get these photos of Spider-Man."
"But how does he get them?" Jonah frowned. "I'm telling you, that kid is hiding something."
"I admit the angles are very hard to reach, but you can't expect him to reveal all his secrets," said Robbie.
"I'll find out how we get those photos one day, mark my words."
It was now 10 PM at night, and Flint and Herman were still in a prison cell.
"We're going to be locked in here forever, aren't we?" Flint muttered.
"And all thanks to that costume freak," Herman grumbled. "Oh, I love to get my hands around him."
"You and me both, but we can't do anything in here."
A police officer approached them and said, "Flint Marko… Herman Schultz, someone has paid for your bail. You're free to go."
Flint and Herman looked at one another.
"Who do you think got us released?" Herman asked as they stepped outside the precinct.
Flint looked ahead of them. "I have a good idea."
A limo was waiting for them, and the driver was holding a flashcard with their names on it. He then opened the door, and the two of them approached.
"Step in, boys," said a voice inside.
They stepped into the limbo and found themselves face-to-face with Tombstone.
"Mr Tombstone?" Herman stared.
"You paid for our bail?" said Flint, shocked.
"And the boss and I expect some payback," he said as the limo began to move off.
Flint's eyes widened. "The boss? You don't mean…"
"The Kingpin," he said.
"The Kingpin asked for us? Does that mean we're going to meet him?"
"If you play your cards right, so long as you do what he says, you might find yourself within his inner circle. However, if you wish for that, you must do one task."
"We'll do anything," said Flint.
"But what is this task?" Herman asked cautiously.
"To eliminate a certain bug," Tombstone smiled.
"You want us to eliminate Spider-Man?" Herman stared. "Not to kiss a gift horse in the mouth, boss, but isn't that a bit much?"
"Don't blow it," Flint glared.
"Oh, he doesn't expect you to beat the spider as you are now, but is more than willing to provide you with the necessary equipment."
"What kind of equipment?" Herman asked.
"You'll see, but it'll take a while for one of our projects to be implemented, so one of you will have to wait," said Tombstone and then his eyes fell upon Herman. "And since it sounds like you need the most convincing, I'll show the equipment you'll be using first."
They soon stopped at an abandoned building, and Tombstone and Herman exited the limo. The moment they did, the limo drove away with Flint inside.
"What's going to happen to Flint?" Herman asked.
"He'll be kept out of sight until we're ready for him, but if you succeed, we may not need him," said Tombstone as he led him to the buildings.
Once in the building, Tombstone introduced him to a man in his 60s with silver-grey hair. The man looked like a walking twig, like one good punch would snap his spine.
"This is Phineas Mason; he worked with one of our benefactors, and he's now on loan to us," said Tombstone.
"You may call me Tinker, and I have something very special for you, Mr Schultz," he said.
He then guided him to a metal container and opened it. Inside was the yellow suit with black patchwork markings. Around the wrists will be a pair of very powerful-looking gauntlets.
"A suit?" Herman frowned.
"This suit, as you call it, packs enough punch to smash through a brick wall," said Tinker, looking insulted. "The suit itself shall protect you from the shockwaves from the gauntlets."
"Put it on," said Tombstone.
Reluctantly, Herman put the suit on and had to admit it fit him perfectly. However, that raised questions about how they knew his measurements.
"It fits like a glove," he said.
"Good, now let's give those gloves a test run," said Tombstone.
"I have already prepared a target," said Tinker.
The target was the dummy that looked exactly like Spider-Man.
"Just point the gauntlets at the target and then press down on the trigger," Tinker instructed.
Herman did as instructed and aimed his gauntlets directly at the dummy. He then pressed down on the trigger and unleashed a shock blast. The blast struck the dummy, completely destroying it, and Herman didn't feel a thing.
"Packs quite the punch," Herman smiled beneath his mask.
"I am so pleased that you are impressed," said Tinker with dry sarcasm.
"Care to try it on the genuine article?" Tombstone smiled.
"Just point me in the direction," said Herman.
"Just cause a little mayhem, and I'm sure the spider will come running," said Tombstone.
"What about the Avengers? What do I do if they show?"
"The Avengers are busy trying to capture escaped supervillains; they will not expect a supervillain to attack New York City where they set up shop," Tombstone assured him.
Peter was currently on patrol as Spider-Man, web-swinging through the city. He hoped to catch a few thieves so he could take more photos for JJ. The Daily Bugle had been his primary source of income for the past four years, as Peter needed to support his aunt ever since his uncle Ben passed away, and his spider gear didn't come cheap.
He also had this blind date that Aunt May was arranging with Anna Watson and her niece, Mary Jane. He was sure that Mary Jane was a delightful person, but whenever someone describes someone with a great personality, it means that they're not much of a looker, one of the reasons why he hated blind dates.
Suddenly, he heard a burglar alarm from a nearby bank, which was a relief. He immediately swung by towards the bank and set up his camera. He did this by webbing off his camera and setting it on automatically. The trick was magnifying a plausible location with the pictures, which made sense.
Now, he had half expected to see some men in black masks. Instead, he found a rather colourful bank robber in a yellow and black patchwork suit.
"Uh, is bright yellow the new black?" he asked as he landed on a lamppost.
"Ah, Spider-Man, I was hoping you'd show up," said the masked man.
"Have we met?" Spider-Man frowned.
"Maybe this will jog your memory!" he said, aiming his oversized gloves at him.
Spider-Man wasn't quite sure what to expect, but his spidey sense tingled. Then, to his surprise, the masked man fired a shot blast out of his gauntlets, which struck him and sent him crashing into a nearby building.
"Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" Spider-Man groaned, rubbing his head.
He then felt his spider-sense tingling once again, and this time, he reacted to it, quickly jumping into the air to avoid another shock blast. He somersaulted into the air, stuck to the wall of the building, and looked at the masked man.
"Okay, I admit that was quietly a shocker," Spider-Man admitted.
"Shocker… I quite like the sound of that."
He then blasted Spider-Man again, but dodged it by jumping into the air. Shocker, as he now called himself, then fired a blast. Spider-Man quickly fired a web line, pulling him away from the attack just in time.
However, Shocker aimed his hands towards the ground, and another sonic blast launched him into the air. Just a few seconds later, he was surprised by Spider-Man.
"Nighty night, Webhead," he said, blasting him in close range.
Spider-Man found himself lying over several buildings before he landed in a dumpster.
"Uh, that was not a great confidence builder," he groaned.
The next day at noon, Peter was at the Daily Bugle handing photos of his battle with Shocker.
"Excellent, Parker!" Jonah laughed. "These are the exact pictures I wanted."
"But they show Spider-Man getting beaten up?" Peter frowned.
Peter had handed Jonah several photos, but he was most interested in the one where Shocker struck him. He was immensely grateful Jonah never got a picture of him landing in the dumpster.
"It shows everyone he's not the hero he claims to be, and now he's attracting costume villains," said Jonah.
"But shouldn't we look into this Shocker guy?" a voice asked.
Peter turned and found himself facing Betty Brant, once Jonah's secretary and now a reporter. She was a 23-year-old with short brown hair, and Peter was not ashamed to admit that he had a slight crush on her when he first started at the Bugle.
"What are you getting at, Miss Brant?" Jonah asked.
"I'm just stating that we need to know who this guy is and how he got his equipment. Did he build it himself, or did someone make it for him, and what's his vendetta against Spider-Man?"
"She does bring up a good point, Jonah," said Robbie as he took a sip of coffee. "That kind of gear is exactly something you get on the black market."
"Fine, you're on the case, Brant, but find something good that we can put in the papers?" Jonah ordered.
"On it," said Betty.
Then, she and Peter left the office.
"So Pete, you saw this Shocker guy in action. What do you make of him?" Betty asked.
"Well, he had some impressive gear," said Peter. "I mean, the gauntlets were able to send shockwaves, and I'm guessing the suit he wore protected him from the after-shocks, but…"
"But?" Betty prompted.
"I get the vibe that he was a science buff; in fact, the way he acted was similar to that of a two-bit thug."
"Meaning someone provided him with that gear," Betty nodded.
"Also, it sounded like he knew Spider-Man," Peter added.
"He may be one of many criminals that Spider-Man put away, and now he wants payback, and he's got quite the back."
Peter suddenly felt somewhat deflated; Shocker came to be because of him. Whoever it was behind that mask had now become a danger to everyone.
"Do you think Jonah is right about Spider-Man causing more problems than he solves?" Peter asked.
"No," said Betty. "I won't deny that he's made some enemies, and now they want payback, but look just how many people he saved. I've talked to all those people he saved, and they are all extremely grateful."
That cheered Peter up a little, but he couldn't help but think he had just stood up a hornet's nest.
The next day, Fisk was in his office looking at an article in the Daily Bugle that showed Shocker defeating.
"A successful start, but there was no sign of his body," said Fisk.
"I had men search all over, but there wasn't a trace of him," said Wesley.
"Then we can assume that he's still alive," said Fisk, holding the paper up.
"But this proves he's not invincible," said Tombstone.
"True, but I want him dead, not humiliated," said Fisk. "What's the situation of our dear Shocker?"
"He's letting the victory go to his head; seems to think that he can strike on his own now," said Tombstone.
"Let him; he may very well bring Spider-Man out of hiding, but if he proves to be a problem, we can eliminate him," said Fisk.
"Should we prepare our other supervillain projects?" Wesley asked.
"We may not need them, but it never hurts to have backups in place."
"Flint is raring to go, and I assume I can try and find other volunteers," said Tombstone.
"I'll leave the recruitment up to you, Tombstone. Hopefully, this will give the likes of Silvermane off my back," said Fisk.
"The heist on the far side of town was a success thanks to the distraction, Shocker," said Wesley.
"Good, but we can do better," said Fisk. "I will not rest until every crime boss learns that I'm in charge and do not tolerate any causing trouble in my city."
Peter was making his way to class, looking at today's paper of the Daily Bugle, which had the headline Spider-Man Gets Shocked by Shocker.
"Well, this is humiliating," Peter sighed.
"I told you this might happen," said Gwen as she suddenly appeared by his side like a ghost.
Peter practically jumped out of his skin. "Can you not sneak up on me like that?"
"You're saying you didn't detect me with your spider-sense?" Gwen smirked.
"You know it doesn't work quite like that; it only reacts to danger, and you're not dangerous."
"Oh, I can be a dangerous girl when I want to be?" Gwen smirked. "Or did you forget?"
"Not in the slightest," Peter smiled.
Gwen then looked at the newspaper. "Still, are you doing all right? I mean, it looks like that guy tossed you around a fair bit?"
"Those gloves of his do pack quite a punch," Peter admitted.
"How does a guy like that acquire that kind of tech?" Gwen asked.
"I don't know, but the next time we meet, I'll be ready," said Peter confidently.
"Do you have to face again?" Gwen asked.
"Gwen, I can't let someone with that kind of firepower all around. There's no telling what kind of damage he could do?"
Gwen nodded reluctantly. "Dad is worried about that."
"Yo, Parker!" said a voice.
They spun around and saw Harry Osborn running up to them.
"What do you want?" Gwen asked.
"Hey, I'm just trying to be friendly," said Harry. His eyes then fell on the newspaper in Peter's hand. "Nice picture, by the way. It is quite a change to the whole heroic thing."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "So you like superheroes getting beaten around?"
"Please, Spider-Man isn't a hero; you must think so too if you took photos like that."
"I don't control how the pictures are used, Harry."
"I see," said Harry. "Well, let's drop the whole Spider-Man thing."
Gwen then grabbed Peter's arm. "Come on, Peter, let's head to class."
Harry looked as if he wanted to say something, but clearly couldn't find the right words.
"You shouldn't listen to what he or Jameson says about you," said Gwen.
"I know, but it does stink sometimes."
They soon got to class, and Peter listened to Doctor Connors intently.
"Now, as we all know, static builds up in many different ways, such as walking on the carpet. I am sure that all of you had fun sticking balloons onto certain services," said Doctor Connors. "A small amount of static electricity is harmless, but if it builds up, it could become deadly, which is why it is necessary to create some sort of installation if you have to work in such environments."
Peter instantly raised his hand. "Is it possible to generate static electricity as some sort of pulse or something?"
"There are theories that a concentrated amount of static electricity can produce a shot pulse, but these pulses would also affect you without proper installation. It depends on how powerful a pulse you wish to make; the stronger it is, the more installation you'll need.
"Dad has been working on something that could weaponise such a force," said Harry.
Doctor Connors frowned. "I wish to speak ill of your father, but I find that rather dangerous. True science should be used to help people, not cause more harm. Besides, he would first need to create a new insulated material to harness the force he no doubt wants."
"So, what kind of installation would you suggest?" Gwen asked.
"Well, some kind of polymer with multiple layers would absorb the static and the shockwaves if such a device were ever created. However, I believe that we are moving away from our original topic, so how about we get back on track?"
After college, Peter immediately returned home, and Gwen accompanied him. He immediately went into the basement, where he had set up a small lab.
"I guess today's science lesson gave you an idea," Gwen assumed.
"Just a little upgrade to my suit," said Peter. "I don't know what kind of material Shocker is using, but I think I can come up with some sort of insulator that could at least absorb the worst of his blasts."
"Do you really think it's going to work?" Gwen asked.
"Only one real way to find out," said Peter.
"You sure it's a good idea to test this out in the field?" Gwen questioned.
"I don't really have any other choice, and I need to take Shocker down before we actually hurt someone."
They then heard a knock on the door.
"Peter, you down here?" Aunt May asked.
"I'm here!" Peter yelled and quickly hid his costume.
Aunt May opened the door and made her way down the stairs. "Oh, Gwen, it's lovely to see."
"Nice to see you too, Miss Parker," Gwen smiled.
Aunt May looked at Peter regretfully. "I'm afraid Anna Watson's nieces will be unable to make it tonight."
Peter was momentarily confused and immediately remembered that he had a blind date tonight. "Oh, that's too bad. Why isn't she able to come?"
"I'm afraid her mother just passed away," said Aunt May.
"Oh, that's terrible."
"So I'm afraid she won't be visiting until after the funeral, at the very least."
"I'll look forward to it," said Hiccup.
Aunt May smiled and made her way back upstairs, and when the door closed, Peter sighed in relief.
"Sounds like you missed a bullet," said Gwen, folding her arms. "Though I must say I feel sorry for that poor girl."
"So do I, but at least I can now fully focus on Shocker," said Peter as he pulled out his costume.
"But how are you going to find?" Gwen asked.
Then her phone rang, and when she looked down at it, she saw that it was her father calling.
"Dad?" Gwen blinked.
"Gwen, I'm afraid I'm going to be back home late tonight," said Captain Stacy regrettably. "It's that Shocker guy that Spider-Man fought. I'm afraid he's back robbing a bank again."
"Which bank exactly?" Gwen asked.
"It's the Grand Dollar," said Captain Stacy.
"Okay, good luck catching him, love you."
Gwen then ended the call and looked at Peter. "You got all that?"
"Every word," said Peter, about to put his costume on, then looked at Gwen, blushing slightly. "Do you think you can turn around?"
Gwen's face turned pink, and she turned around.
Captain Stacy had arrived at the bank just as Shocker emerged with some bags of cash.
"Have a taste of this pigs!" Shocker yelled, blasting them with his gauntlets.
Just as Shocker blasted it, Captain Stacy jumped out of his car, sending it across the street.
"We're out of our weight class, Captain," said Gonzales as he attempted to shoot Shocker. "Don't suppose we can call the Avengers in?"
"Would love to, but they're trying to round up all those escaped criminals," said Captain Stacy as he returned fire.
"So what do we do?"
"How about you leave it to me," said a voice.
They looked up and saw Spider-Man swinging over their heads.
"Great, another costume loony," Gonzales muttered. "Not like we don't have enough problems as it is."
"Yeah, he took you down once, what makes you think he can't do it again?" a second officer agreed.
"Just focus on protecting the civilians!" Captain Stacy ordered. "We'll have to trust that Spider-Man can handle this."
"You can't be serious, Captain?" Gonzales stared
Captain Stacy looked at them firmly. "I'm always serious when lives are in danger now. Do as you're told."
"Back for more, huh, Webhead?" Shocker sneered. "Thought you learned your lesson the last time."
"Oh, I did, and this time, you're the one going down," said Spider-Man.
"You think so?" Shocker yelled and fired his gauntlets at him.
Spider-Man held his ground as the blast struck him, but it didn't affect him that much, so he slowly began advancing towards Shocker.
Shocker himself was stunned. "How are you doing that? You were blown away so easily the last time?"
"Last time, I didn't have the right gear, and you attacked me in midair," said Spider-Man as he kept on advancing. "This time, I've got some improper installation, and I'm sticking to the ground."
Shocker tried to back away but ended up against the bank's wall, and Spider-Man kept advancing. Then he had another problem: he had been using his gauntlets far too long, and they looked as if they were about to overheat.
"No, this can't be happening!" Shocker yelled, and then his gauntlets blew up.
Then, before he had any time to recover, Spider-Man fired some webbing, sticking him to the bank wall.
"Nooo!" he roared. "Not again!"
Spider-Man suddenly fell to one knee, utterly exhausted, and the police moved in to apprehend Shocker. However, a few of them then aimed their guns at Spider-Man.
"Don't move, freak," said Gonzales
"Stand down!" Captain Stacy ordered.
"Sir? But we have him?"
"I said, stand down!" Captain Stacy repeated.
Gonzales and the other police officers reluctantly lowered their weapons.
"Thanks, Captain Stacy," said Spider-Man as he stood up.
"Thanks for taking this punk down," said Captain Staey as he turned his attention to Shocker. "Now, let's find out who's behind that mask."
They removed the mask and laid eyes upon Herman.
"Hey, I know him," said Spider-Man.
"As do I," said Captain Stacy. "His name is Herman Schultz. He was arrested for theft, but someone paid his bail for him and his partner in crime."
"Where did he get the suit?" Spider-Man asked.
"I'm no stool pigeon. I'm not telling you a single thing," said Herman.
Captain Stacy then looked at Spider-Man. "You better get going; I'm sure you have a busy day tomorrow."
"Yeah, I do," said Spider-Man.
He then fired a web line and swung away.
It was now September 10th, and Peter was attending class, looking at the Daily Bugle newspaper, which had a new article showing Spider-Man taking down Shocker.
"Gotta say that FrontPage is better than the last one," said Gwen, looking over his shoulder.
"I would say so," Peter smiled.
"Still, aren't you at all worried that someone out there is arming low-time thugs with equipment just to take you down?" Gwen asked.
"It does, but I'm sure I'll find him supplying them with this equipment, and I'll take them down the same way."
"Hey, guys," said Harry, meeting them at the front door.
"Hey, Harry," said Peter. "How are things with you and your dad?"
"Same as always," Harry sighed. "Whenever I try to talk to him, he's always busy and hardly at home."
"Hey, my Dad gets caught up with work as well," said Gwen.
"Yeah, at least he shows affection," Harry muttered.
"I'm sure he cares for you in his own way," said Peter positively.
"I wish I had your optimism, but we should get to class."
They nodded, and the three of them began to make their way to the classroom.