Disclaimer: Just to clarify, Spider-Man and all villains and supporting characters are the sole property of Marvel Comics. I hold no claim whatsoever.
SPIDER-MAN
4
Chapter
I
New
Lease on Life
A friend once taught me that we always have a choice in life. Proof of that came when he chose to be the best of himself and do what was right, at the cost of his own life. Before that, my Uncle Ben taught me that with great power, there must also come great responsibility. That was another lesson I learned the hard way. Since then, I've devoted myself to doing what was right. If you're wondering who I am, I'll tell you; my name is Peter Parker. If you're wondering who I really am, well, you'll figure it out.
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New York City would seem like any other city, full of traffic jams and the occasional surly New Yorkers running around. One major difference was that crime has been at an all time low, due to the major assistance of a certain wall crawler. Not that the NYPD didn't have their own hands full with the usual batch of petty crooks, which was nothing they can't handle. Other times, the cops run into something they couldn't possibly match, as evident by the squad car flying through the air to the street below. It crash landed onto another parked vehicle, glass shattering and metal bending and twisting. The rather large perpetrator, clad in a gray suit resembling a rhinoceros, continued with his business, tearing apart an armored car like it was a can of sardines. Large sacks littered the floor of the vehicle, to which the giant smiled.
"Easy money," he said in a deep, commanding tone. The giant started grabbing random sacks even as the police officers regrouped. They opened fire on the brute, the bullets getting only his attention but not so much as scratching his hide. The not-so-jolly gray giant tore the bumper off of the armored car and hurled it at the hapless cops, causing them to scatter. "Serves you pansies right; nobody beats the Rhino."
The namesake most certainly stuck, considering the resemblance this Rhino character had to the real animal. Taking the sacks of money in his massive hand, the Rhino made one huge about face in the opposite direction. Then out of nowhere, he was met by two feet flying right into his face. Rhino staggered backward, eventually falling on his backside and causing a small tremor. He sat on the asphalt for a moment, trying to shake his big horned head clear before he snorted in anger and embarrassment.
"Who did that," he demanded. Nobody was around to answer the big brutes' question. "No one makes a fool out of the Rhino."
"Hey, did you escape from the Central Park zoo?" an unseen voice asked. Rhino looked around for the voice and when he took a step, he apparently tripped and fell flat on his face. "Up here, bozo!" Rhino looked toward the nearby lamppost and spotted the familiar red and blue clad figure of Spider-Man.
"If it ain't the little bug himself," gloated Rhino. "I've been waiting to squash you." The giant tore the webbing that tripped him and went after the mocking web slinger.
"Spiders belong to a group of animals called arachnids," Spider-Man mocked toward Rhino. Didn't they teach you that in the zoo?"
Rhino wasn't quite listening, instead grabbing and tearing the lamppost from its place. Spider-Man quickly leaped away, fired a web line and flew at his larger foe. Again, Rhino received two feet in his face, staggering but staying upright. Now growing angrier, Rhino charged full speed at Spider-Man, horned head down. Spider-Man crossed his arms, fired two web lines to a building on either side and tied them together. Once that was done, the web slinger leaped away, just miniscule seconds before Rhino ran in. The brute tripped over the line and fell flat on his face. Spider-Man landed on and stuck to a wall, surmising that this Rhino guy wasn't exactly too bright. Okay, he was a dim bulb.
"What was that about no one making a fool out of you," Spider-Man asked. "I mean, you've pretty much been knocked onto the ground like…three time. Maybe you should try a new profession, Rhino; like knitting."
"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Rhino shouted.
Now gone from frustrated to borderline pissed off, Rhino attempted to grab Spider-Man but the web slinger was slightly faster. Spider-Man landed behind his much larger foe, holding on to his horn like a rodeo cowboy. Rhino tried to grab his unwanted passenger but couldn't reach him, so he went down on all fours and barreled down the street. Thanks to his adhesive powers, Spider-Man was just barely able to hang on. He tried to steer the Rhino on a safe path, doing his best to avoid hitting any bystanders. The web slinger finally came up with an idea and if Rhino was as ludicrously dumb as he appeared, it might work. Spider-Man steered Rhino into a nearby construction site, where the giant gray brute stopped short and sent the web head flying off of him. Spider-Man landed gracefully on the ground in front of Rhino, who was snorting enraged.
"When I'm done with you, you're gonna be a red and blue stain on my horn." Rhino shouted. He bent over, preparing a charge toward his webbed tormentor. Spider-Man glanced toward his rear and back at Rhino. The giant gray brute charged at Spider-Man.
"Toro, Toro!" Spider-Man announced as he leaped out of Rhino's path. The idiot villain ended up running right into a bed of wet cement, the quick drying kind. As Rhino tried to get free, the mocking voice Spider-Man called out, "You looking a little stuck, big guy. Let me give you a hand."
Rhino turned toward the web slingers' voice and he was met with a giant wrecking ball directly in the face. The impact shattered his horn, all the while sending Rhino careening into the side of a building under construction. Spider-Man landed at the impact zone, where Rhino was utterly knocked out. He could hear the sirens of squad cars approaching from down the street, so the web head wrapped up Rhino in a massive blanket of webbing. As soon as the police arrived at the scene, all they found was Rhino wrapped up for them like a very, very large Christmas gift.
One of the officers was Capt. George Stacy, who spotted Spider-Man swinging away. The Capt. could only smile.
Some few blocks away, Peter Parker emerge from an alleyway, holding his camera and newest photos within. Peter opened the device, pulled out the film cartridge and thought to himself, Jameson's going to love this!
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"It's horrendous; it sucks; it's all crap," said J. Jonah Jameson, Editor in Chief of the Daily Bugle. Those derogatory comments were of course, his usual opinion of Peter's photos of Spider-Man. "Robbie, run that photo. Here's the headline; RHINO RAMPAGES, SPIDER-MAN CHICKENS OUT!"
Peter Parker, who was standing at Jameson desk, asked him, "Are you kidding? What'd you have against Spider-Man, Mr. Jameson? He's one of the good guys."
"The good guys in this town are the NYPD," Jameson snapped. "And even some of them are crooked. Besides, good guys don't sale papers."
"With all due respect, Mr. Jameson," Peter retorted. "You've been crowding Spider-Man ever since he showed in the city. What's he ever done to you?"
City editor Robbie Robertson concurred with Peter's plight. "Peter's right, Jonah; Spider-Man even saved your life once, or don't you remember?"
"I've never felt protected by him or anybody, not even my wife," Jameson snapped again at Robbie, and then he turned toward Peter. "Anyway, here's your payment, kid. Take it or leave it and bring me some more photos."
Taking the check out of frustration, Peter left the office where he was greeted by Betty Brant. "Hey Pete; you look down, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Peter replied almost half-heartedly. "Sometimes I wonder if Jameson is trying to turn the whole city against Spider-Man. I mean, why does Jameson hate him so much?"
"You're not alone in wondering," Betty told Peter. "But the only person who can really answer that is Mr. Jameson."
That was the cold, hard truth that Betty spoke about. Only J. Jonah Jameson could the question as to why he was so hell bent on ruining Spider-Man's reputation. Peter wasn't about to let that screw up the rest of his day. Besides; he had someplace else to be at the moment. As soon as his business with Betty was concluded, Peter was already on his way out. In his haste, Peter narrowly missed bumping into an unknown yet suspicious looking man. Peter glanced at the man walking into Jameson's but paid no mind to it.
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Dr. Curtis Connors was quite the busy scientist by the time Peter Parker arrived in his office/lab. Things had been slightly different about the lab since the start of the new semester. Peter was sure to note the numerous reptilian displays, evolution charts and an anatomical lizard model. He's known Dr. Connors for years; granted he was a very intelligent man but Connor's primary field was physics and not biology. Then again in recent months, Dr. Connors had told Peter about his sudden interest in the latter. At the same time, Peter also noticed a container with the last remaining piece of the alien organism that nearly ruined his life and destroyed that of Eddie Brock. While it was in the past, Peter still had nightmares about the alien substance, even wondering if either the creature or Brock might've survived. At any rate, Peter returned his full attention to Dr. Connors.
Well, the regeneration serum is almost ready for a test run on humans," Dr. Connors announced with confidence. He then jokingly asked, "Parker, would you like to be my first guinea pig?"
"No sir, Dr. Connors," Parker jokingly declined. "I can barely test run my scooter as it is. In all seriousness, though; are you sure that injecting mammals with reptilian DNA will result in regeneration abilities."
"I'm more than aware of the dangers surrounding this experiment but consider this, Peter," Dr. Connors said. "If this experiment is successful, it could boost the human healing rate by 30, maybe 60 percent the normal rate within the next few years. People would be able to heal any wound, re-grow any limb and maybe even better fight off diseases."
Peter glanced down at the small test subject; a small white lab mouse in a small cage. The tiny mammal was missing a limb, just as Dr. Connors was. "I don't mean to question you, Dr. Connors. I just have my concerns; this would be a huge risk."
"Your concern is noted, Peter," Connors said. "But risks are a part of science; you know this better than most. Now, let's get started with the experiment."
Dr. Connors had a small, plastic injection pistol in his one, and only, hand. A needle pointed outward dripping a faint green liquid from its tip. Peter gently picked the mouse out of the cage and held it firm, careful not to crush it with his spider powers. He wouldn't have heard the end of it if Dr. Connors discovered his dirty little secret. Connors carefully slid the tip of the needle into the stump that used to be the mouse's limp, and then pulling the pistol trigger. The tiny mouse let out a faint yelp, though it quickly subsided. Peter replaced the mouse inside the cage, where it stumbled around briefly before suddenly dropping. At first, both Connors and Parker believed the worst, but then they noticed the stump shuddering slightly. After a few tense moments, a limb sprouted forth from the stump and the mouse revived.
"Dr. Connors; it actually worked." Peter said, ecstatic.
"Yes," said Dr. Connors said in slight shock. "That was only a fraction of a dose for a mouse. Imagine the good that could be done for people with similar ailments. This could take science to a whole new level."
Peter began feeling uneasy about the whole thing. "What about the side effects, though?"
"You do make a good point, Peter," Connors agreed. "Several more tests will have to be run before the serum is ready."
Peter glanced at his watch, realizing what time it was. "Listen, Dr. Connors, I have to go. I'm meeting Mary Jane later for lunch, and I don't want to disappoint her."
Dr. Connors gave Peter a decent pat on the shoulder. "I wouldn't want that for your lady friend. Go on, I'll keep going with the research, let you know anything more if I can." With that bode of encouragement; Peter Parker was out the door, leaving Dr. Connors to say to himself, "Young love!"
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In the past, it always seem like everything was going fantastically for Mary Jane Watson. She was, at one time, a successful actress on Broadway and had the love of a genuine great guy in Peter Parker. Then in a fell swoop, her entire world was turned upside down and she found herself working as a singing waitress at an old jazz room. She nearly lost Peter to an alien creature, and they both lost Harry Osborn to the Goblin legacy that claimed his father. And to think, it all started with one lousy review. A review that translated into thousands and sent Mary Jane's life spinning out of control. Thank God it was all in the past, though that didn't mean she'd forget it. As Mary Jane contemplated, she heard the familiar shudder of the motor of a run down scooter. Sure enough, Peter Parker rode into view, stopping at the table at which MJ sat.
"You should really consider getting rid of that thing, Peter." said a half-smiling Mary Jane.
"I'd buy a Porsche if I had the money," Peter said semi-sarcastically, yet not really being mean. "So, when I got your call, I figured you something important to talk about."
"Yeah; apparently, not everyone thought my performance was lacking," Mary Jane said. "A fashion mogul offered me a contract for a modeling career. I thought about for a while and I finally decided to accept it."
Peter had a look of disbelief on his face, as if someone stole his favorite text book. "That's, that's good news MJ."
"You don't seem too thrilled about it, Peter."
"It's just that I never expected you get into modeling, MJ," Peter said. "I always thought you'd try to get back into acting. Modeling never seemed to suit you."
"This coming from someone who moonlights as Spider-Man," MJ snapped at Peter. "Peter, it's my life; I wasn't going to stay in that jazz club forever. This modeling gig could help me get back my feet and I need you to understand. Besides; I can't have Spider-Man saving all the time."
"I'm sorry, MJ; I didn't mean to discourage or anything like that. I admit that I've been selfish in the past; always putting myself first before others," Peter told MJ. "I just want you to be happy, and I want to be there for you down to my last breath."
"Speaking of which," MJ interrupted. "That day on the bridge in Central Park, you showed me a ring."
"I was going to propose to you, MJ. Up until the night I hurt you," Peter admitted. "That moment, I realized I wasn't ready; neither of us was."
"Do you still plan to?" MJ asked, placing her hand atop of Peter.
"I don't know, Mary Jane," Peter answered. "I just don't know."
"Then until you figure it out, Peter," Mary Jane said as she started to leave. "We probably shouldn't see each other," Mary Jane set some money on the table before leaving, but turned back toward Peter. "Then again, my first exhibition will be this weekend. You can stop by if you like."
"I'll be there, MJ."
"I hope so, Peter. I honestly do."
Peter watched as Mary Jane walked down the sidewalk, disappearing within the crowd. Part of him wanted to snag her in a well placed web line and leap over the bystander passing by. Of course that was very ill advised on Peter's part. So he remained at the table alone with his thoughts, nearly devoid of anything and everything else around him. Everything and everyone, including a shady individual sitting just a few tables away chewing on a cigarette and sipping coffee. Had Peter been paying attention, he'd have notice it was the same man he'd past by at the Bugle earlier that day. Who was he, and why was he seemingly following Peter Parker?
Authors' note: That's it for the first chapter of my Spider-Man 4 story. If you figured out who are the main villains, pat yourself on the back. Rhino ain't one of them. Don't forget to Read and Review. Peace out!