Hello, my name is SonicInfinity. So I was on Marvel's Animo for awhile, just chatting with everyone, and it made get to thinking about something. Look, we all know Spider-Man, right? Peter Parker, the webslinger, the bug of the Big Apple. And we all know he's been rebooted several times, mainly because of Marvel and Sony bickering over the rights, so Spidey never gets to finish what he starts.

I want to tell you guys about a dream of mine. I am actually an aspiring fiction writer, and one day, I saw my brother watching that live-action Supergirl TV show on the CW. That's when an idea struck me: what would a live-action Spider-Man TV show look like? I thought of actually pitching one onto the small screen someday, but then I learned that Marvel doesn't even look at unsolicited material. Also, I thought about how much the special effects in such a show would be more than what the small screen could pay for.

But I want to actually apply my skills as a writer by writing this. Here, there are no corporate strings to hold me back. So I am writing the idea I had for that live-action TV show. I am finally going to make this happen. That is why I am going to write this in the style of live-action TV show. And whether you guys like it or not, I am going back to basics. I am starting from the very beginning to create some world building, and I am am writing what will hopefully look like hour-long episodes, there will be an over-arching story, and I am envisioning what my show would actually look like.

So, before I get started, let's establish a few things first. First, no other Marvel characters will be making an appearance. I want to focus solely on Spider-Man's world and characters. I might bring in some other Marvel character if it helps the story along, but we'll stick to this for now. Second, he who dies stays dead. That's just it. And third, I will be taking inspiration from all kinds of Spider-Man media, comics, movies, TV shows, and video games, but be prepared for the unexpected.

So, without further ado, I give you my dream, my newest project, I give you, The Marvelous Spider-Man!

May Parker finished pouring her coffee into a small mug, carrying to over to the table with a newspaper in hand. Examining the headline, she read about how crime-rates in Queens were escalating. The Chief of the NYPD believed it had something to do with dealings that the infamous Wilson Fisk had been getting up to under the NYPD's nose. May shook her head. "What some people won't do."

She quickly situated herself at the table to drink her coffee and down a bagel or two. She felt comfortable living her day to day life in this small apartment in Queens. It wasn't too close to all the cop chases and burglaries. Here, she and her family could live without worry. Her husband, Ben, managed to make enough money for the family simply through garbage collection. He always wished he could give more, but May always told him that as long as she had him, Peter, a roof over their heads, and food on the table, that was enough.

Peter. Oh, sweet old Peter. May could still recall the day she and Ben took the young man under their wing. Sadly, Ben's brother and sister-in-law made the unfortunate mistake of riding one of those ill-fated airplanes on September 11, 2001. Within a moment, the fate of their family had changed forever. Fortunately, May and Ben were there for the young Peter, happily welcoming their nephew into their humble home. And over the years, they had grown fond of the young man. It was almost like he was their own son, like they were his true parents. They wanted only the best for him, and hoped to raise him into a strong, caring, respectable man.

Suddenly, the door opened, and May looked up to see her dirty husband walking into the room. "Whoo," said Ben, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Honey, if you ever need work, DO NOT do into garbage collection. Please."

"Oh, you're home early, aren't you?" said May, setting her mug down.

"Nah, just forgot my lunch bag, that's all," said Ben, walking over to the fridge and opening it up. "So, your day been going good so far?"

"Hmm, warm, bitter coffee, sunny day outside, guess I can't complain," May shrugged.

"So what about Peter? You see him off?" said Ben.

"See him off? But hasn't he left already?" May said.

"No, I saw him still in bed when I left this morning."

The two looked at each other in silence before getting eyes of horror, as they rushed to their nephew's room, yelling out his name.

Inside Peter's room, it was a mess. Papers were left on the floor, and the laptop was still running. Peter was laying down on his bed with the cover on top of his head. He had pulled an all-nighter to complete all the homework that had been heaved on him the previous day, so by the time he finished, he practically konked out right on his bed.

However, May and Ben's voices were heard as they banged on the door, demanding Peter open up. Groggily, Peter opened his tired eyes to look at the door, and reluctantly walked over to open it.

"Peter, are you still sleeping?" May said, panicked.

"Um, yeah," said Peter. "What time is it?"

"7:45," Ben said.

Suddenly, Peter eyes bugged out. "Oh, shoot! I was working so hard last night I forgot to set the alarm!" Quickly, he ran inside his closet and scrambled to find something to wear, before eventually, pulling on some old jeans, and putting on his favorite hoodie, with red and blue patterns.

Quickly, he ran into the kitchen, and reached into the cupboard to yank out some Pop-Tarts, quickly trying to wolf them down. "Easy, kiddo, don't forget to chew," Ben teased.

"Uh, sorry to go, guys, I think I can still make it if I run!" yelled Peter, about to dash out the door.

"Hold it!" May called after him, holding out his backpack. "Forgetting something?"

"Oh, right, thanks, Aunt May," Peter said, gratefully taking his pack.

"Hold it!" said May, holding out his reading glasses. "Something else?"

"Right, right," said Peter, quickly taking them as well.

"Hold it!" said May again. "And the most important thing?"

"Oh, alright," Peter sighed, walking up to give Ben a hug and May a kiss on the cheek.

"Attaboy," said May. "Now good luck, don't talk to strangers, we love you more than life itself, all that stuff."

"Love you guys, too, okay, bye!" Peter said as fast as humanly possible. He quickly bolted out the door, leaving May chuckling to Ben.

"What are we gonna do with that boy?" she asked.

"Whatever we like," Ben said. "He is our very own pride and joy."

Peter began bolting to reach his school, Horizon High. But unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as Marty McFly skateboarding to his school to the beat of "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. No, he actually had to run about three blocks to actually get there, and by the time he finally had the school in his sights, he could already hear the 8:00 bell ring. Peter sighed as he knew he was in for a lecture once he got in there. As he approached the steps, he noticed a stack of papers sitting on a bench outside. Curiously, he picked them up and figured he might as well turn it in to the lost and found.

He opened the door, and could see most of the students still trying to get to class. He hoped that he could blend in, but not two steps into the building, he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Late again, Mr. Parker?" Peter reluctantly turned to face the school principal, O'Neil. She was an African-American woman with glasses and her hair done up in a bun, a professional shirt and skirt, and fierce and angry look on her face. Peter knew one should never get on her bad side, or she's show no mercy.

"Sorry I'm late, Principal O'Neil," Peter winced. "It's just, I was working so hard on my project last night, I forgot to set the alarm and then I-"

"Late is still late, Mr. Parker," O'Neil seethed. "I told you before, did I not? You keep cutting it close like this, you may just find yourself in summer school someday."

Peter was about to say something back, but suddenly a new female voice rang out and said, "Oh, Peter, you're back!"

Peter turned to face his life-long best friend, Mary-Jane Watson. She was sporting a friendly smile and walked up to Peter and O'Neil completely unintimidated.

"So you did get my papers back! Thank you so much for going outside to get them!"

"Your papers, Ms. Watson?" O'Neil said with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Principal O'Neil," Mary-Jane explained. "It's just I left my biology papers out on the bench out there, and class was about to get started, so Peter here gallantly offered to go get them for me. So you see? He's not late per se, he just wasn't in the building when the bell rang."

"Is this true, Mr. Parker?" said O'Neil, still not convinced. "I thought you said your alarm didn't go off."

"It's true, but Peter managed to make it in time," said Mary-Jane, cutting off Peter before he could respond. "Why? Didn't you see him come in before?"

"Well, no, I-" O'Neil started.

"Well, I won't tell about our slip-ups here if you won't," Mary-Jane added.

O'Neil just stood there confused, until she just shook her head and walked back to her office, saying, "Just get to class, you two."

"Whoo, thanks, Mary-Jane, I thought I was done for," said Peter, as the two began to walk away to class.

"Peter, I hope you stop cutting it so close all the time," said Mary-Jane. "You're lucky I saw you coming and set those papers out there so you'd have an excuse for not being in class."

"Well, it's good to know you'll always be there for me," Peter said.

"Maybe not forever at this rate," said Mary-Jane. "Eventually, they'll come after me, and then I'll get suspended."

"I hope not. Otherwise, I'd have no reason to show up everyday."

Mary-Jane chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. Peter grinned as he remembered how far back the two of them went. It went all the way back to kindergarten. He remembered how they were making macaroni art until Flash Thompson decided to spill Peter's jar of macaroni all over the floor. Then all of a sudden, Mary-Jane invited him over to her table and offered to share of her own, and together, they made the teachers' favorite piece of the day.

Sometimes, Peter couldn't help but feel envious of Mary-Jane. She was everything he wished he could be. Bold, confident, fearless, refusing to take anything from anyone, as well as being just the sweetest person anyone could hope to meet. She always knew how to brighten his day, and he was happy to have such a caring friend.

"Besides, you don't wanna get detention on the day of our big trip to Oscorp, do you?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Hah! No way! I've been dying to go there for the longest time now! I still can't believe Harry could never get us in. I mean, his dad is the CEO, isn't he?"

"They do a lot of secret stuff over there," Mary-Jane shrugged. "They don't want just anyone looking at it. Just wait, though, Peter. Today's gonna be so cool!"

"C'mon, kids, single file!" said their biology teacher, leading all the students out of the room towards the bus outside. "This way to Oscorp, my friends."

As they began to board the bus, Peter and Mary-Jane spied a familiar face in the seat near the front.

"Hey, Harry!" Mary-Jane greeted with a smile. "What are you doing sitting here up front all by yourself?"

"Oh, nothing," said Harry. "Just thinking about what Dad's got in store for us once we get there."

"We got room over there?" Peter asked.

"Sure," said Harry, giving a small grin, though barely noticeable. So Peter sat down beside Harry while Mary-Jane situated herself right behind them.

"Is there room for one more, m'lady?" came another voice that led to the three friends groaning. They turned to see Flash Thompson boarding the bus.

"Not a chance, Mr. Thompson," said Mary-Jane. "Not until you learn some manners."

"Hey, I could've opened the door for you if you didn't get here first," said Flash.

Peter rolled his eyes. He could remember Flash Thompson giving him trouble since kindergarten. He was always picking on Peter just for reading instead of playing sports with everyone else, and he hasn't let up since. Flash liked to view himself as just this manly jock who was a master of all sports, and for that, he had most of the students at school eating out of his hand. And worst of all, he had a not-so-secret crush on Mary-Jane, and was constantly trying to woo her. Heck, sometimes, he pretended to be a friend to Harry or Peter just to get closer to her.

Flash was tall with flat, blond hair, and had a condescending look on his face. Peter was just trying to ignore him, hoping he'd eventually leave.

"We're sitting her on our own, Flash," said Peter. "Just go away already."

"Hey, if you're too big of a chicken to flirt with a beautiful lady," Flash taunted, "then clearly, I gotta show you how it's done."

"I told you before, Eugene," said Mary-Jane. "Peter and I are just friends."

Flash seemed ready to scowl at the usage of his real name, but the bus driver suddenly called out to him. "Mr. Thompson, please take your seat, and leave the other students alone for once."

Flash growled under his breath but reluctantly went to another seat.

"Finally," said Peter, "he's the last thing we need on a day like today."

"I'm surprised he was invited on a trip like this," said Harry. "Something tells me genetics and mechanical physics are out of his league."

"Just like I am," said Mary-Jane, chuckling.

Peter and Mary-Jane had met Harry Osborn in fifth grade. He had only recently joined their school, and Mary-Jane suggested that they sit next to him for lunch. Harry seemed like an aloof kid at first, but that's when they learned of his mother's passing. She had died of a rare genetic disorder, and Harry's father had felt just a little distant from his son since then. Fortunately, Peter and Mary-Jane managed to get him to open up, and he was a pretty good kid at heart. A little hot-headed, and still aloof to anyone he didn't know, but still a good friend where it counted.

Peter was a thin kid with brown hair, blue eyes, and a gentle disposition, Mary-Jane was tall, redheaded, and wore glasses, and always had her hair in a small ponytail. Harry was a bit lanky, had black hair over his forehead, and had a more rugged look to him. The three seemed like an odd grouping, but they always trusted and liked each other.

Finally, the bus driver closed the door and shifted the bus into drive. They were on their was to Oscorp, a multi-million dollar genetics company, founded by Harry's own father, Norman Osborn. Peter and Mary-Jane had always been curious about what happened at such a company, but Harry always told them that his dad got up to some mysterious things there.

"Alright, everyone, single file, and just follow after me, please," said the class's biology teacher, Mr. Peck. He was a tall man with balding hair and glasses in front of his eyes. "Just around the corner lies a facility beyond your greatest preconceptions."

The class saw a bunch of scientists walking around the lab they were in. Some were looking at screens, some were writing notes on clipboards, and other were experimenting with chemicals and peeking at strange things under a microscope.

"Ah, hello there," came a new voice. Everyone turned their heads to see a short man in a lab coat walking closer to them. "You must be tour group from Horizon High. I am Dr. Curt Connors. I'm one of the lead geneticists here. Such a pleasure to have you all here."

"No, the pleasure is ours, Dr. Connors," said Mr. Peck. "I mean, Oscorp has been funding Horizon High's science programs for years now. We figured it only fitting to introduce our good students to the brave and intriguing work you do here."

Peter looked Connors over, until he noticed something that made him gasp. "Dr. Connors, your arm!"

Connors looked a bit glum and looked at his right arm... or rather, where his right arm was supposed to be. "Ah, so you noticed. Yes, that was an unfortunate accident from long ago. See, I was doing some hiking in the mountains, until there was a rockslide. I was trapped with my arm under a boulder for four hours. By the time a group of rescuers finally found me, they said it must be far too infected by now. They had to amputate it on the spot."

"Ouch," said Peter.

"No worries," said Connors, flashing a warm smile. "I've adapted. I guess you could say I've... evolved?" He chuckled to himself before continuing. "Anyway, I'm glad to have you all here, so that now we can introduce you to the type of work we do around here."

He lead the class around the room, stopping at a large computer screen that seemed to be giving off numerous calculations at once. "See, our goal here is use genetics to help people's lives improve. Do you know about something called epigenetics?"

"Oh, yeah!" Peter said quickly, raising a hand. "That's like turning certain genes in our DNA on and off."

"A wise young lad, I see," said Connors, grinning. "Yes, you see, everything about us, from the color of our hair to the number of teeth in your mouth, is decided by a plethora of genes that exist in our DNA. Our bodies read information from these genes and translate it into traits for our body. But the thing is, not every gene may necessarily be used. Sometimes a gene exists, but it's been turned off. It doesn't do anything. It doesn't allow its information to be translated. But, there is a way to turn those dormant genes on. Most living creatures possess all kinds of potential, and by turning those genes on, that potential is unlocked.

"Of course, sometimes the opposite rings true. We can not only turn genes on, but turn them off too. That's a good way to deal with something unhealthy about your body. You can basically change yourself to become whatever you want."

"So, how does that help?"asked a random student.

"How else? said Connors. "Mr. Osborn founded this company on the grounds of curing the sick, healing the weak, just fixing what's wrong with our bodies. We are leaders in the research of curing genetic disorders and other types of illnesses."

"Child's play," came a mysterious new voice. Everyone turned to see a tall, brown-haired man with a wrinkled forehead, pale skin, and a mature and serious look on his face. "Aren't you going to introduce them to the best part of the tour, Curt?"

It didn't take a genius to know who this man was. It was Norman Osborn himself.

"Mr. Osborn!" said Connors, surprised. "I didn't expect to see you in today!"

"Hey, I couldn't possibly miss today," said Norman. "Not the chance of inspiring our future generation. Nice to have you all here." Then he noticed his son standing the background. "Hey, Harry, what're you doing hiding back there? Why don't you come forward and introduce yourself?"

Harry wanted to growl, but now everyone was staring at him. Reluctantly, he walked forward and stood beside his father. "Yes, hello, I am Harry Osborn, my dad loves to embarrass me, we're all here, so let's try to have a good time."

"So, Harry, how's it been going in school?" said Norman.

"Straight A's, thank you very much," said Harry.

"Getting to school okay?"

"Still in one piece."

"Got lots of friends, right?"

"Got enough." Harry looked at his father upset. "Can I go back to the group now? We came here to learn, not to invade my school life."

Norman looked upset for a moment, but he quickly hid it and gave his son a gentle push back towards the group. "Well, then, we've been working on something interesting here at Oscorp. We've been exploring a new frontier we like to call neogenetics. I assume Dr. Connors has taught you all about epigenetics, but this is the next step."

He lead everyone towards a small, glass pen where there were lizards inside, flicking their tongues in and out. "Neogenetics means that we figured out how to transplant a gene from one organism to another. Like with these lizards right here. See, these are iguanas, a specific species which means that they can't do what most other lizards can. Right?"

"Right!" repeated the class.

"Wrong! Take a look at this," said Norman, opening the top of the cage and dangling a banana near the top. One of the iguanas inside took notice of this, and in a surprise move, stuck its feet to the glass wall and began climbing towards the banana.

"What!?" said Peter out loud. "Since when could iguanas do that?"

"Since Dr. Connors here figured out a way to insert the genes that give a gecko sticky feet to an iguana," Norman explained.

"Indeed," said Connors. "I've always been fascinated by these little guys. All the amazing things they can do."

"So what do you hope to accomplish by doing stuff like this?" said Mary-Jane, somewhat skeptically.

"Well, this was just a test," said Norman. "But if our research gets advanced enough, we could completely rewrite the DNA of any living creature. And with technology like that, we could make ourselves stronger, better, free from the burden our own genetic code has placed on us."

"Oookay," said Mary-Jane, skeptical of that answer. Peter thought about this new frontier, but Mary-Jane made a good point. What use would genetic technology like this possibly be? It's almost like there was another reason...

"Well, now's probably a good time to take a break," said Mr. Peck, turning to face his students. "I need to use the restroom, so you all stay put right here until I get back. Maybe use this time to work on some notes, okay?"

The students nodded, and Mr. Peck left for the nearest bathroom. Some of the students decided to wander around and check out the equipment. Mary-Jane decided to look at the lizards inside the glass cage, and she felt a little bad for them for being used as guinea pigs. She actually kind of wanted to set them free. Harry decided to sit in a chair and take a few notes of the lab, and Peter stood off to the side, examining everything from a distance.

"So, what do you think, Peter?" Peter heard Norman's voice from behind him. "I know you've wanted to check out my workplace for the longest time now."

"Yeah, it's something alright," said Peter. "I figured you'd be talking to Harry right now, though."

"Mmm," Norman grunted. "He's not in much of a mood to talk to me now. I wonder what's bugging him?"

"Well, sir, at a guess," said Peter, "maybe he's just upset that you had to meet up at work instead of at home."

Norman paused for a second when he heard that. "I know he wishes that I was around more, but the work I'm doing right now, it's just too important to ignore."

"Well, maybe he wouldn't feel so bad if you just left him a note in his lunch bag every once in a while," Peter suggested. "Or maybe made him a lunch bag."

Norman remained silent, until Connors approached. "So, you must be Peter, right?" he said. "Mr. Osborn's told me all about you, Harry, and Mary-Jane. I hear your really into this sort of thing."

"Yep," said Peter. "I was always reading up on stuff since I was a kid. My uncle Ben always said that I had a gift. And he always said that I should use it to help people. So that's just what I want to do."

"Good, that's what we work to accomplish here at Oscorp," said Connors. "We want to design some things that could save lives someday."

Norman looked down at Peter's face, which showed off the young boy's excitement and eagerness. Somehow, Norman couldn't help but see something of himself in Peter. Just a desire to make a change in the world. Then again, that was a long time ago. Changing the world wasn't so easy anymore.

"Say, Peter," he said suddenly. "I think I can recognize that kind of fire in your eye. I want to show you something special."

"Really?" said Peter. "What is it?"

"Just follow me," said Norman. "Curt, you come too."

Connors and Peter looked at each other confused, but decided to follow after Norman, who led them to a different lab and opened a mysterious door that led into a dark room. They entered, and Norman turned on a light switch, revealing a table that seemed to host some kind of ant farm.

Peter walked closer to the table. No, it wasn't an ant farm. Because inside... were spiders. Peter squinted. They didn't look like any kind of spiders he'd seen before.

"Are these... spiders?" he asked aloud.

"Mr. Osborn, are you sure about this?" said Connors. "I thought we agreed to keep this project a secret."

"Relax, Curt," said Norman. "I know Peter. He can keep a secret."

"Just what is this anyway?" said Peter.

"It's something we dubbed, Project Arachnia," explained Norman. "See, remember what I said earlier about neogenetics? Well, led by Dr. Connors here, we've been trying to design a genetic serum that could help people with motor disabilities."

"Yes, yes, indeed," said Connors. "Norman came to me with this idea a long time ago, so I had an idea to use these specially bred spiders to perfect it."

"What do mean, 'specially bred'?" said Peter.

"I mean, they are not true spiders," said Connors. "We bred them to a crossbreed. A hybrid. We used genes from certain arthropods as part of a genetic recipe for the perfect spider." He pulled a clipboard from out of a desk. "We started with your basic spider. An American House Spider. Nothing special there, just webs, crawling on walls-"

"And a venomous bite?" said Peter, a bit apprehensively.

"Oh, no," said Connors. "We suppressed that gene actually. After that, we applied the DNA of a jumping spider. We gave them the ability to jump great distances, hopefully to help improve the ability to move while under greater stress. And then, we added the DNA of a mantis shrimp."

"Whoa, a mantis shrimp?" said Peter. "But those things are strong enough to break aquarium glass!"

"Precisely why we made the walls of our little spider farm so thick," explained Connors. "Hopefully, that portion will make people's muscles stronger."

"So, just one question," said Peter. "Why spiders?"

"They are rather resilient creatures," said Connors. "The small creatures of the arthropod family possess some skills that should make us jealous. Besides, they're so much easier to work with."

The three men walked up to the lid on top of the spider farm, and Connors carefully opened it up. Carefully, he used a tissue to pull out of of the spiders and present it to Peter. Peter looked closely at it, and saw that it was brown and hairy, yet possessed a few black markings on its back. One of its eight legs was being gripped by Connors so it wouldn't escape. The little arachnid could probably fight if it wanted to, but it remained docile.

"Well, that's... fascinating," Peter said, unsure of what to think of this.

"It's quite a project," said Connors. "We've experimented with making the serum with these little guys, but to no avail. Of course, they may still have some of that serum inside of them now." Carefully, he opened the lid back up and prepared to place the spider back inside.

"No avail, always to no avail," Norman suddenly said, getting Peter and Connors's attention. "We've been at this for how long, Curt? When do we finally make a breakthrough?"

Unbeknownst to anyone, another spider from inside the spider farm jumped outside of the container. It was so small it went unnoticed, so it crawled under the table before jumping to the floor and crawling away again.

"It's okay, Mr. Osborn, we'll make a breakthrough someday," said Connors. "I just know we're gonna change the world with this."

"Well, someday might be too late, Curt," Norman said solemnly. "Especially if..."

"If?" said Peter. "If what?"

"No, nothing, just forget about it," said Norman, turning to face the two as Connors finally put the arachnid away and closed the lid. "Maybe you should head back, Peter. Your teacher's probably looking for you."

"Erm, okay," said Peter, turning to leave.

"And remember, this all tip-top secret," said Connors. "Not a word to anyone."

Peter gave them a thumbs-up. "No worries. I can keep a secret." As he turned to go, no one noticed that the spider that had escaped had descended from the ceiling by a web and landed on the back of Peter's neck.

As Peter reunited with his class, he saw that Mr. Peck had finally returned. "Now then," said Mr. Peck. "Let's continue with our tour, shall we?"

"Where'd you go, Peter?" said Mary-Jane, walking up to Peter as they followed Mr. Peck.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to see what one of those computers was analyzing," Peter quickly lied.

At this point, Peter felt something tickling his arm. In fact, it was moving towards his wrist. Looking at his sleeve, he suddenly felt a huge pain in his wrist and screamed out loud.

"Mr. Parker?" said Mr. Peck, turning around. "Is something wrong?"

"Ow!" Peter moaned, flailing his arm and then pulling up his sleeve. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw a red mark on his wrist. "I think... I think something bit me!"

"Oh, no," said Mr. Peck. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Um, yeah," said Peter, gripping his wrist. "Probably just a mosquito or something."

Nearby, a blonde girl suddenly spotted something on the floor. It was that very spider. Terrified, she quickly stomped on it before anyone could see it. Strangely, the arachnid wasn't dying so easily, but after a few more stomps, it was finally completely squished.

It was time for everyone to return home, but as they all got onto the bus, Mary-Jane couldn't help but notice that Peter had been awfully silent lately. In fact, he seemed a bit pale. She tried asking him what was wrong, but he kept reassuring her that he was fine. In fact, strangely enough, Peter had given her a reassuring tap on the shoulder, but it seemed like it his hand had gotten stuck to her sleeve for some reason.

Eventually, the bus returned Peter to his own house, and Uncle Ben and Aunt May were waiting for him by the entrance to their apartment. "'Bout time you got back, Peter," said Ben. "Just wanted to let you know that we got an interesting invitation from Norman Osborn."

"We did?" said Peter. "What for?"

"He actually wanted to invite us to his company's upcoming expo," said May. "He'll be showcasing some of Oscorp's newest hired inventors, and what they've come up with."

"But why us?" said Peter.

"I think Osborn's really taken an interest in you, Peter," said Ben. "What can I say? You're wise beyond your years. Maybe Osborn just wants to help you get a head start."

Peter actually liked the sound of that. The truth is he had always wished he could be somebody. He always looked around the people who live in New York, and saw all the amazing things that they could do. They helped people, and they could make a name for themselves. Time and time again, Peter wished he could be like that. At the very least, he wished he could get some respect. Outside of May, Ben, Mary-Jane, and Harry, everyone always looked down on him. They all thought he was just a wimpy nerd. But someday, Peter believed, he could change that. Ben once even told him, "Peter, never mind what everyone else says. Your a smart, resourceful, and strong person. Someday, people are gonna see that. So don't ever give up on yourself."

Suddenly, Peter felt a little light-headed. Holding his head, he felt himself nearly fall forward. Concerned, May ran over to him. "Peter! Peter, are you okay?"

"I'm, I'm fine, Aunt May," said Peter, standing up straight. "Just feel a little dizzy is all."

Aunt May gasped when she saw the bite mark on Peter's wrist. "Oh my goodness, Peter, what is this?!"

"It's just a little mosquito bite or something," said Peter.

"No, no, said Ben, examining the mark. "I recognize this kind of bite. It's a spider bite."

"Huh?" said Peter, slowly dawning with realization. "Did you say 'spider'?"

"Spider!?" said May. "Oh, no, we need to get you to the doctor!"

"Relax, May, most spider venom isn't lethal to humans," said Ben.

"Then why does he feel so woozy?" said May. "C'mon, we need to go!"

She ran off to go get the car, leaving both Peter and Ben rolling their eyes.

Peter sat on the doctor's table with Ben sitting in a nearby chair while May was nervously pacing around the room. Peter loved Aunt May so much, but frankly, she had a tendency to smother him. Though in her defense, she had to witness her brother-in-law and sister-in-law die in a horrific plane crash. May had been unable to think about what would have happened had baby Peter been on the plane, if Richard and Mary Parker hadn't left their infant son with Ben and May. Ever since then, May had been a little overprotective of her family.

May and Ben were still pretty young, just under forty. May had curly, black hair and soft, blue eyes, and Ben had sand-colored hair with a muscular build and brown eyes. Frankly, they had always been Peter's closest family, and he always felt grateful to have them.

Finally the doctor came back into the room. "Well, good news, Mr. Parker, it wasn't a really dangerous spider or anything. You may feel a little woozy for a while, but you'll be fine."

"Oh, good," said May, finally relaxing.

"How did you get bit by a spider anyway, Pete?" said Ben.

"I, I don't know, must've happened when I was at Oscorp, I guess," said Peter.

"It's definitely strange, though," said the doctor. "We can't seem to directly identify the type of spider by its venom. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. Still, its venom isn't worse than most of your typical house spiders. All your vital signs are normal, you're as healthy as a horse. Just go home and get some rest. You should feel better in the morning."

"Amen to that," said May. "Ugh, I really hate spiders."

It had been a few days since the trip to Oscorp, and Peter was finally feeling better. Right now, it was the weekend, and Peter decided that he wanted to go eat at a new burger joint that was opening nearby. He wandered down the street, seeing many people walking around him. Unknown to him, there were a pair of twelve-year-old boys getting ready to prank the people down belong with water balloons. One of them saw Peter about to walk by, and chuckling mischievously, readied a water balloon. As soon as Peter was underneath him, he let the balloon go.

However, at that moment, Peter feel a strange sensation over his whole body. It was like time was slowing down around him, like everyone and everything was in slow-motion. He felt this buzzing sensation in his head, which felt almost like some kind of arrow in his brain pointing upwards. He decided to look up, following the buzzing sensation's urging, and spied the water balloon about to splatter all over him.

"Whoa!" he cried out. He tried to move to the right, though he expected to fail to dodge it. But then, something peculiar happened. He actually leaped off of the ground, and twisted his whole body around in the air. He succeeded in dodging the water balloon, but then he fell flat on his face. He groaned as he got up, and was just as confused as the kids above him were about what on earth just happened.

As he was pushing himself back up, he felt a lot of tingling on his skin. He felt weird about it, but then he noticed some woman walk past him, and the tingling sensation got stronger as she walked closer, and it seemed to go off every time she took a step. Peter was very confused, and as he got up, thought, Maybe it's only puberty? Question mark?

As Peter walked into the burger joint, there were three mysterious men outside. One man was rather short, with a purple jacket, short, black mustache, of Asian descent, and though he was small, he was strong, muscular, and cunning. Another man was very tall and burly, large shoulders and muscles and messy, red hair. The last man resembled a cowboy, with a cowboy hat and leather vest over his green shirt, and he was carrying a lasso.

"Ah, there's the new joint," said the purple-suited man. "Alright, simple task, boys. We go in, ask for the money, and get out. Piece of cake."

"I can't believe we were hired for something like this," said the burly man. "Dan, don't you think we're better than this?"

"Now, now, we don't want to make the boss mad, now do we?" said the cowboy, with a thick Southern accent.

"Montana's right, Ox," said the purple-suited man, apparently named Dan. "It's a simple job. But soon enough, the boss'll learn that Fancy Dan, Montana, and Ox are the best in the business."

Peter sat in a booth by himself, just chowing down on his hamburger and fries. No one else was in the restaurant. He was still trying to figure out what the heck happened back there. It was almost like... he could feel the vibrations of the woman walking. But that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

Suddenly, he couldn't help but notice a loud conversation happening in the kitchen. He looked over to the order window, and saw that a man, which he assumed was the owner of the restaurant, was talking to someone he could not see. Curious, he managed to peek closer, until he saw the peculiar sight of a man in a cowboy suit. Raising an eyebrow, he made his way closer, and heard some of the conversation.

"I told you, I can have the money by tomorrow, okay? Please, I just need one more day!" said the owner.

"I'm afraid the boss's patience wears thin my friend," said the cowboy. "We gave you this money, and yet you still can't pay us back?"

"C'mon, I just need a little more time!"

"...No, no more time," said a purple-suited man. "I think maybe your withholding a bit more than you have."

"What? No, no, no, I swear to you, I don't have the money right now!"

"We'll see about that," said the purple-suited man. "Ox, check the register."

Peter was stunned, so he moved closer to the counter. He saw a big, burly man emerge from the kitchen, and walk over to the cash register. Peter hid behind the counter, and saw Ox open the register up, and start pulling money out. Peter peeked up to see what was going on, but Ox dropped a quarter, and as he bent down to pick it up, he managed to see Peter.

"Hey, kid, what do think you're doin'?" he said.

Peter cautiously rose from his hiding place, and said, "Uh, are you... supposed to be doing that?"

Suddenly, Ox pulled a gun out from his holster, and aimed it at the shocked teen. "You picked a bad day to get a burger, kid."

Peter's life flashed before his eyes as he saw Ox pull the trigger, and he moved left, but then his whole body twisted over in the air just like before. He managed to land on his hands and knees this time, and looked over at the stunned Ox.

"What the... come here, you!" he fired the gun again, but Peter was able to dodge again, and ran around the restaurant towards the door. However, Ox leaped over the counter and tackled the teen to the ground. "You ain't goin' anywhere!"

"Let me go!" Peter cried out, until he did something that shocked him. He pushed back against Ox with an incredible amount of strength, heaving Ox off of him and making him land a few feet away. Peter stood up, shocked at what just happened, but the dazed Ox stood up and charged at Peter. Peter jumped out of the way, and seeing that Ox was standing right in front of the door, he ran into the kitchen, as Ox shot some more bullets at him.

As Peter entered the kitchen, he quickly ducked under a table near the door when he saw Fancy Dan walking by. "Ox, what's going on out here? What are you shooting for?"

"There's some kid here," said Ox. "We can't let him see what we're doing."

"What? Where'd he go?" said Fancy Dan.

"He's in the kitchen! Didn't you see him?"

Peter noticed that he could feel more tingling on his skin, which gave him the image of Fancy Dan walking closer. He looked over to see that the owner was tied up by Montana, who stood watch over him. Peter felt afraid, but he knew he had to do something. He wanted to save the owner, but how? It was three against one. How could he-?

His thoughts were interrupted when Fancy Dan entered the kitchen. "Alright, kid, where are you!? I know you're in here!"

Peter looked around the kitchen, desperately trying to of a plan to save the owner and himself. Without thinking, he hid his head inside his red-and-blue hoodie, obscuring his face. Suddenly, he felt another buzzing sensation in his head, and turned to see Fancy Dan looking at him.

"Gotcha!" Dan grabbed Peter by his hoodie and tried to drag him out. Peter slapped at Dan to fight back, but then something white and sticky appeared on Dan's face. It covered up his eyes, and he began scratching at it, trying to get it off. Peter was confused, but then looked at his wrist to see some of that same white goop on it.

"Why, you little!" said Montana, suddenly rushing over. Peter ran out of his hiding place, as Montana began firing at him. Peter suddenly leaped onto Montana as soon as he ran out of bullets, and fought against him with surprising strength, knocking him back into the wall, dazed.

Ox had reentered the kitchen, and saw Peter now suddenly standing in front of the owner. "You're out of your league, kid. Give up!" He prepared to aim his gun, and Peter put out his arms and said, "Alright, come on, no one has to get hurt now. I mean, why don't we talk about this? I know! Burgers! On me!"

"Shut it!" Ox prepared to pull the trigger, but suddenly, more white goop blasted it out of his hand. As Ox looked over at where his gun landed in confusion, Peter suddenly realized that the goop was coming from his wrist. Ox ran over to grab his gun, but thinking quickly, Peter aimed his hand again, and launched more goop at Ox, hard enough to knock him over. He quickly ran over to Ox and punched him in the face, making Ox fall over and nearly pass out.

At this point, Dan finally got the goop out of his face and ran over to Peter, but Peter began dodging his attacks, feeling as though the buzzing in his head was allowing him to predict his moves. Eventually, Peter kicked Dan, and Dan stumbled until he tripped over Ox and landed painfully on the floor.

Suddenly, there was a loud siren outside. Peter looked through the window to see many police cars outside. Out of one emerged George Stacy, a well-known police lieutenant of the NYPD.

"This is the police! Come out slowly with your hands up!"

Ox, Dan, and Montana all stood up slowly and heard what Stacy said. "What? What're the police doin' here?" said Montana.

"Dan, let's just retreat," said Ox. "He really doesn't have enough money."

"Grr," growled Fancy Dan. "Fine, let's go."

Ox broke open a nearby window that led outside, and the men began crawling out. Peter ran over to stop them, but Montana suddenly swiped at Peter with his rope, knocking him to the floor.

Eventually, the police entered the kitchen with guns drawn, but they saw that Ox, Dan, and Montana had already left. They saw Peter finishing untying the owner.

"What happened in here?" said an officer. "We got a call saying the store owner was being held hostage and some kid was trying to fight back."

"That was us," came a voice. Everyone turned to see some kitchen employees walking into the room. "Sorry, those guys came in with these guns, and they told us we had to wait in the backroom, or they'd kill our boss. But then we noticed that this kid had them distracted, so we quickly called you. Good thing you were sitting nearby having some coffee."

"I see," said Lieutenant Stacy before looking at Peter. "So was that kid you?"

"Uh, yeah," said Peter, a bit out of breath. "I saw what was going on from out there, then they saw me, and I was trying to fight back, but..."

"Don't feel bad," said the owner, putting a supportive hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'd say you saved my life back there. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what they would have done."

"But what were they doing here in the first place?" said Stacy.

"Oh, erm, they were just trying to rob me, that's all." Peter looked at the owner strangely. That's not what he overheard.

"Well, we'll need you to come down to the station later to answer some questions," said Stacy, "but first we better inspect for damage or some evidence."

As the officers began looking around, Peter asked the owner, "I don't get it, why didn't you tell them the truth?"

"Huh?" said the owner.

"I heard you guys talking in the kitchen. They said you were supposed to give them money by today?"

"K-kid, it's nothing you need to worry about," said the owner. "Those guys are nothing." He put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "But really, I can't thank you enough for saving my life. You're a good kid. I can see that. In fact, you're something special, aren't you."

Peter was stunned to hear that. However, the officers came back and asked the owner to come with them. Peter tried to tell them about what he heard, but the officers said they had to go right now, and that Peter should talk to them again later. Once they were gone, Peter looked down at his hands, still in awe at everything that had just happened. Was it true? Did he really just save a man's life? He did, and he felt... confident about it. In fact, Peter felt more confident than ever before. But still, something was bothering him. That strength, that goop, that tingling, just what was happening to him?

Later that night, Montana, Dan, and Ox arrived inside a strange building, only barely lit up, and walked over to a desk with a man sitting at it.

"So, no money, eh?" said the man at the desk. "I help him pay for that whole restaurant, and he still can't pay me back?"

"He said he didn't have enough," said Ox, "but we knew he was lyin', boss. That's why we had to take it by force."

"He said he didn't have enough?" Suddenly, all three men felt a sharp slap to their cheeks. "Are you nuts! Why would he lie about that!? You just needed to go back tomorrow, but instead, you caused a scene! That's why that kid got in your way, huh?"

"But, boss-" said Montana.

"No buts!" said the man, rising from his chair. He was very tall, and had huge arms, a huge torso, a bald head, and was wearing a black suit. "Do you think I took control of this city by making a scene? No! You have to play nice, that way no one will ever expect you to be the crook. Trust me boys, I've been doing this for years. I've spent years getting people on my side, and giving them all a reason to not double-cross me. Soon enough, they all bowed to my whim. But now, I think I'm gonna have to make sure no one knows that you three idiots work for me. Otherwise, it's all over."

"Wilson, we're really sorry, but-" said Dan, but suddenly got punched by his boss, sending him flying across the room.

"That's Mr. Fisk to you, Brito. Just learn to follow my lead, boys." The boss left his desk and walked towards his men. "This is why they call me... the Kingpin."

To be continued...