The next day, MJ showed up unannounced.
I was dead to the world, snoring into my pillow, when she threw the door
wide open and chirped, "Morning, sunshine!"
"Wha?!" I yelled, jolting out of bed ready to fight. I'd had a nightmare
about the Green Goblin coming to kill me while singing 'Itsy Bitsy
Spider.' Not a pleasant dream. I blinked the sleep from my eyes and
realised MJ was staring at me.
"Oh. It's you, MJ. Sorry about that. Nasty dream," I grumbled, rubbing
my hair. But she didn't say anything. She was staring at me.
"MJ? You okay?"
"Ah-huh," she nodded dumbly, her eyes drifting down. I looked down and
realised I wasn't wearing a shirt. It had been too hot.
I blushed. "Ah… maybe you should wait outside."
"No, I'm good right here," she shook her head, eyes not leaving me. She
whistled. "Damn. Looks like I just hit the jackpot!"
"Dude! Seriously!"
"What? You saw me in my PJs!"
"Hey—I didn't stare!"
"Oh please. You were totally checking me out."
"I—well… okay, but—ah! Out, MJ!" I turned her around and pushed her
towards the door.
"I don't know why you're so upset," she chuckled as I closed the door
behind her. "You should be happy a girl's checking you out!"
"Out!" I grumbled, slamming it shut.
I got ready quickly, pulling on a fresh shirt and jeans, then headed
downstairs to find Aunt May and Uncle Ben already hosting MJ at the
table.
"So are you excited for your first day?" Ben asked MJ.
"Yes, Mr. Parker. Peter's been helping me prepare, so I think I'll be
fine with the subjects," MJ smiled.
"Well that's lovely, dear. I'm glad you two are getting along so well,"
Aunt May smiled. She spotted me coming down the stairs. "Ah—speak of the
devil!"
I glared at MJ. "Peeping Tom."
"Suck it up, Tiger," she smirked.
"Morning, Uncle Ben. Aunt May," I greeted them as I sat down and started
on the bacon. I turned to MJ. "What's up, Peepers?"
"Are you still on that?" MJ asked, rolling her eyes.
"Peepers," I repeated with a glare.
"Whatever. Anyway—I have exciting news!" She pulled out two tickets and
practically shoved them in my face. "Hamlet. Apollo Theater. Tonight.
You in?"
I took the tickets and whistled. "Damn. These are great seats. How'd you
get them?"
"My mom got them for me," MJ smiled. "She wants me to get used to the
city and have some fun. So… you in?"
"Most definitely!" I said, before feeling two glares bore into me. I
gulped and turned to my aunt and uncle. "You know… if that's okay with
you two."
Ben's glare softened instantly. "Of course it is, kiddo! Have fun!"
May groaned. "I don't know, Ben. It's awfully late. They'll have to take
the train back, and you know the stories about those late-night trips."
"Oh, it'll be fine. Our Peter here will just beat anyone who tries
anything, won't he?" Ben asked with a grin.
I smirked. "Damn straight."
May protested a little more, but after MJ, Ben, and I kept up the
pleading, she eventually caved—not without making sure MJ had pepper
spray.
After breakfast, I took MJ up to my room and booted up Peter's old
Nintendo 64. I loaded up Super Smash Bros and taught her how to play.
Needless to say, she was a natural. Something about smashing me with a
giant hammer seemed to appeal to her.
We had lunch at home and then got ready to leave. Before I headed out,
Uncle Ben caught me at the door and slipped me a hundred-dollar bill. He
winked. "Make it a good night, champ."
I smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Ben."
We caught a cab to the train station and hopped on the first one into
Manhattan. MJ wouldn't stop going on about how the theatre troupe was
one of the best in the city and how I was going to be blown away. And I
believed her—in my old life, I'd been a serious theatre fan, though now
my interests had shifted somewhat.
We reached the city with time to spare, so I insisted we explore. Peter
had been around before, though not in detail, so I had a rough idea of
where to go.
We spent a long, easy afternoon in Central Park. MJ loved the greenery.
I loved her smile. Honestly, I think I might have been falling for this
girl. It had been what—a week? Damn you, Peter Parker. I just knew this
was somehow your fault.
We reached the theater just in time. MJ was buzzing with excitement, and
I shared it—a good Shakespearean production was always worth being
excited about.
The play lasted three hours, but it felt much shorter. The actors were
incredible—leagues above anything I'd seen before. Energetic, hypnotic,
alive in every line they delivered. But while MJ was absorbed in the
performance, my mind kept drifting.
The story was one of revenge. Hamlet discovers his father was killed by
his own uncle, and he sets out for vengeance. The premise was eerily
similar to Peter's own life—his uncle dies, and he hunts for the killer.
But there was a key difference. Hamlet kept postponing his revenge, and
in the end it cost him everything. He had a duty to his people—to remove
a man who would murder his own brother for the crown. He'd failed that
duty, and it led to the death of everyone he loved.
Peter, on the other hand, had taken on that responsibility. And he'd
grown because of it. Was what I was doing right? Was Spider-Man really
what I needed to be?
The question gnawed at me, but I pushed it aside and focused on the
stage. It never fully left, though.
And then it was over.
"That was so freaking cool!" MJ yelled, pumping her fists. A few of the
other patrons chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Yeah, it was, Peepers," I nodded. "It was something else."
"Did you see how they acted? God—it was like they were actually going to
kill each other on stage! And Hamlet—oh, that guy. I felt like yelling,
'Do something, you ass! That's your mother!'"
I smiled. "Oh no. You've caught the bug."
MJ blinked. "Bug? What bug?"
"The theatre bug," I replied. "Symptoms include a love of theatre, a
passion for drama, and an uncontrollable desire to be under the
spotlight."
"Hey, that's mean," MJ pouted. "I just like it, okay."
"I know, I know. But I stand by what I said. Besides—I think you'd make
a great actress." We walked out into the city streets, the night still
buzzing with life around us.
"R-really?" MJ asked.
"Of course. Why—don't you think so?"
"No, I do. It's just… no one's ever said that to me before."
"Well, I'm glad I'm the first," I smiled, reaching out and taking her
hand in mine. She didn't hesitate—she squeezed back. "I'm serious, MJ.
You'd be an amazing actress."
MJ smiled. "Thanks, Peter. That… that really means a lot—"
KABOOM!
Time seemed to slow. Something inside me vibrated and my body moved on
pure instinct. I pulled MJ close, wrapping one arm around her, and leapt
to the side.
A massive slab of concrete flew past where we'd been standing a second
before. I landed hard, MJ held tight against me. We watched the chunk of
debris slam into the side of a building and shatter into fragments of
iron and concrete.
"What was that?!" MJ cried out.
"I—I don't—"
"GRRRR!"
An earth-shattering roar. My grip tightened around her as we turned and
saw Harlem burning. People were sprinting in every direction, fires
erupted along the street, cars were crushed into heaps, roads cracked
open. It had all happened in seconds.
And then I saw it.
A monster. Twenty feet tall, muscles like coiled steel, skin splitting
along the sides with bones jutting outward. It stood nearly naked,
wearing nothing but a pair of torn shorts. One look was all I needed.
"Abomination," I whispered.
I'd arrived too late—we were right in the middle of the final fight
between Hulk and the Abomination. This was the scene that would level
Harlem.
I looked down the road. People were screaming, running. And then, out of
a crater in the centre of the street, a green hand erupted from the
ground.
"No," I breathed. The hand pulled itself free, and a massive green
figure rose from the earth, growing in size. He ripped the tattered
remains of his shirt off his body.
"Hulk!" Abomination roared with delight. "Come face me!"
The two titans charged each other. Every step they took shook the ground
like a thunderclap. They collided in the centre of the street and the
shockwave shattered every window on the block.
I was swept off my feet, launched into the air—but I twisted and landed
on my feet, MJ held safely in my arms.
I looked up. Abomination had the upper hand, hurling Hulk through a fire
truck. I let out a breath of relief—they were taking their fight
elsewhere.
I looked down at MJ. She was staring at the fight in horror. "Are you
okay?"
"Y-yeah," she nodded. "W-what is that thing?!"
I searched Peter's memories. Yes—he had followed Bruce Banner's research
and knew about the Hulk. I could share that without raising suspicion.
"That's the Hulk," I pointed at the green monster, who had just snapped
a cop car in half to use as brass knuckles. "I think he's one of the
good guys."
"We need to get out of here!" MJ cried.
"Right," I nodded. The Hulk could handle himself. She was right—we
needed to be safe.
I set her down and we ran, joining the flood of people streaming away
from the destruction. But as we moved, I saw a man pinned under a
toppled streetlight. People streamed past him without a second glance.
His legs were bleeding. He was screaming for help.
I stopped.
I ran to the lamppost and grabbed it. "Hey, man—don't worry. I'll pull
you free. Okay?"
"Peter?" MJ called out in surprise.
The man nodded through the pain. I pulled with everything I had and felt
the post slowly rising—thank God for spider strength. But it was too
slow. I couldn't hold it for long—I wasn't used to this kind of strain.
I was about to let it drop when MJ sprinted over and hauled the man out
from under it. I dropped the pole with a heavy thud and a pant.
"Thank you," the man gasped.
"It's okay," MJ nodded, pulling him to the side, away from the fighting.
I turned around. More people were screaming. More were getting hurt by
debris flying from the battle between Hulk and Abomination. I watched a
military helicopter descend and open fire on the Abomination as he leapt
onto a rooftop and took off in search of the Hulk.
More people were going to get hurt. A lot more. And it was because of
those two.
"Peter? We need to go, Peter," MJ called out. But I could barely hear
her.
What would the real Peter Parker do? Would he fight? Or would he run?
No—he wouldn't run. Not when people were getting hurt. He would stay,
and he would help them, and if it came down to it, he would fight the
Hulk himself to make sure they didn't get hurt any more than they
already were. He was a hero. And… so was I.
I turned to MJ. "Get him to safety. Find somewhere safe and stay there.
People still need help, and I'm going to help them."
"What?! Peter, are you crazy?!" MJ cried. "There are monsters out
there!"
"And there are people getting hurt, MJ. I promise I'll be fine. I'll
call you as soon as I can." And without another word, I took off.
"Peter!" she shouted behind me. But I was already gone.
I sprinted down the street and spotted a second-hand clothing store with
a shattered front window. I ducked inside and scanned the racks. I
needed a costume.
I grabbed a red hoodie that fit, a pair of blue yoga pants from the
women's section, a ski mask, and a pair of gloves.
I changed in the fitting room, fast. I reached into my back pockets
and—sure enough—my web shooters were there. I slipped them on over the
gloves and fired a test web line. Strong and quick. Good.
I stuffed my regular clothes into a school bag, zipped it up, and
slapped a twenty on the counter. I started for the door—then stopped.
There were cameras outside. If someone got curious, they could trace me
back to my real identity. I needed to be careful. Paranoid, even.
I spotted an open window near the ceiling, leading out into the alley. I
climbed the wall, thankfully finding that my wall-crawling worked even
through gloves and sneakers.
I crawled out into the alley and pressed the bag against the wall,
covering it in webs to hold it in place until I could come back for it.
An explosion drew my attention. I looked up to see the military
helicopter crashing down a few blocks away. It was now or never.
I stretched out one hand and fired a web line into the corner of a
building. My stomach filled with butterflies—nervousness and dread
battling each other.
I pushed off the wall and held on tight, swinging like a pendulum across
the alley and out into the open street.
My stomach lurched as I sailed over the destroyed road and landed on the
roof of the building on the other side. I stuck the landing and blinked,
staring at my hands, then back the way I'd come.
'Yeah… this is freaking awesome.' I grinned and took off running. I
jumped off the edge of the roof, fired another web line, and swung from
street to street towards the sounds of destruction. I landed on a
rooftop and looked down.
The helicopter was still in one piece, thankfully. The battlefield was a
broken stretch of city, barren except for a few barrel fires. And
standing on top of the helicopter was Abomination, grinning down at the
Hulk, who looked more annoyed than angry.
Abomination charged, hurling Hulk into a broken wall and pounding him. I
looked at the chopper as soldiers poured out, a female civilian among
them. 'Betty Ross,' I realised.
Fuel was pouring from the engines. Sparks flew everywhere. It was only a
matter of time before the whole thing went up—and even the Hulk seemed
to realise it, trying to break free, but Abomination kept him pinned
against the wall.
'Looks like it's my turn.' I gulped, jumped off the roof, and landed in
a roll.
"Hey, everyone! Fancy seeing you here," I called out.
The soldiers stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
"Get out of here—it's going to blow!" Betty warned me. Nice lady.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," I turned to the leaking fuel
tank and fired web line after web line. I wrapped the strands around the
tank until it was completely covered, sealing the leak.
Crisis averted. The fuel already on the ground soaked into the earth,
harmless.
I turned to the Hulk. "Hey, big guy!" The monster looked at me. "I got
this. Kick his ass!"
Hulk grinned. He turned to Abomination and headbutted him so hard the
crack echoed across the block. Abomination grabbed his nose in pain, and
the two of them went at it again—this time with Hulk fully focused.
I turned back to the soldiers still trapped in the chopper. I jumped in
and started pulling them out one by one, handing the unconscious and
injured to those who could still walk. A few civilians rushed in to
help, dragging soldiers away from the wreckage.
Betty ran up to me as I pulled out the last injured soldier. "You have
to help him!"
I looked up and saw the Hulk being battered with a wrecking ball that
Abomination had fashioned into a flail. He knocked Hulk sideways, then
turned to us, narrowing his eyes at the retreating soldiers.
"General," he growled, raising his chains.
And I moved.
"No! Don't!" I heard General Thunderbolt Ross yell out.
My head buzzed—the warning. I jumped just as Abomination hurled his
chains at me. I landed in a roll and charged straight at him. I didn't
know exactly how strong Peter was. But it should be enough.
I ducked under his swings, slipped past his guard, drew one arm back,
and with everything I had, drove a punch into his gut.
Abomination's eyes went wide as his body lifted off the ground for a few
seconds. I felt my web shooter crack from the force. It exploded into a
tangle of webs, covering my arm and his torso.
'Shit.' I was stuck to him. Abomination landed on his feet and looked
down at me, sneering.
My spider sense was screaming. But I couldn't move away. He reached for
me and I leapt over his gigantic arm. The webs stretched—good, I had
leverage. I ducked under his other arm, wrapping both up with my web,
circling them tighter and tighter before grabbing my hoodie sleeve and
tearing it off, freeing myself from the web line.
I jumped away as Abomination struggled to break free. His arms were
wound tight against his chest. He pulled hard—I could see the lines
starting to give—but it was taking all his effort. I needed to put him
down.
I couldn't knock him unconscious. That was the Hulk's job. I needed to
be smart about this. He had to have a weak point. After all, he was
only… human.
He needed to breathe.
I charged again, leapt onto his chest, and aimed my remaining web
shooter at his nostrils. They were massive. If I wanted to make sure he
couldn't pull them off, I had to lodge them somewhere he couldn't reach.
I fired two web lines into his nostrils, sealing his nasal passage.
Abomination's eyes went wide with horror as he realised what I was
doing. He thrashed harder, the web restraints snapping. I fired one last
web line into his mouth, covering it completely.
I leapt away just as he broke free of the arm restraints. I landed far
back and watched as he clawed at the webs covering his airways. But his
fingers were too big—they couldn't fit. He tried to tear at the ones in
his mouth, but I'd lodged them deep. He couldn't even get a grip.
I panted, watching as he scratched at his neck, trying desperately to
breathe. He swayed—and then he dropped, crashing to the ground with a
massive thud.
I stood there, breathing hard. I hadn't even realised I'd been panting.
I looked around. Police had gathered, guns trained on the unconscious
monster. The Hulk stood to one side, looking at me and then down at
Abomination.
He growled, then let out an earth-shattering roar that made everyone
flinch. Betty Ross, however, didn't move. She walked straight up to him.
Thunderbolt ordered his men to stand down. Even the police held their
fire.
"Bruce," Betty whispered, tears running down her face.
Hulk looked down at her. He tried to wipe her tears away, but found he
couldn't. "Betty," he rumbled. A spotlight swung onto him from a news
helicopter circling overhead.
Hulk growled. He turned and disappeared into the night, the helicopter
in pursuit. Within seconds, he was gone.
Everyone turned to look at me.
"What's your name, son?" Thunderbolt asked as he approached.
"Me? I'm…" I hesitated. Then: "I'm Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man? What kind of name is that?"
"The kind I chose."
"Are you planning on playing dress up?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yup."
He clearly hadn't expected me to admit to that. He looked to his men,
who were all waiting for orders. He nodded toward Abomination. "Secure
him." Then he turned back to me. "Well, whatever your name is—thank you.
I owe you a debt. If you hadn't shown up when you did, those two would
have destroyed the city."
I shrugged. "I don't know. The green guy looked like he had it handled."
"Trust me, son. He didn't," Ross snorted. "It's people like you and me
who keep others safe. You did your country a great service today. Thank
you. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask."
I blinked. That was unexpected. "Ah… thanks. I guess." I looked
around—people were snapping photos. I needed to disappear. Now.
"Anyway—bye!" I turned, sprinted to a lamppost, jumped, stuck to the
top, fired a web line, and swung away into the night.
"Sir, should we follow him?" a soldier asked Ross.
"No. Let him go. He's not our enemy," Thunderbolt ordered, then turned
to his daughter and sighed. Tonight was going to be a long one.
I landed in the alley with my bag still stuck to the wall. I peeled it
free and quick