Of Spiders and Spies

Chapter 1: Parker Luck of Momentous Occasion

On a door on the third floor of an apartment complex in the heart of Queen's New York City, a red sign is taped to it reading the following.

NOTICE OF EVICTION

As you, Dr. Peter B. Parker have not paid rent in the one month grace period and appear to have no way or intensions of paying said rent, you have two weeks to leave the premises. If the terms of this notice are not fulfilled, authorities will be brought in to personally evict you and any other persons living in this flat off the premises.

Matilda Marancoff

This was the sight a one, Dr. Peter B. Parker was met with yesterday having been let go from his position in the ER without severance pay due to the strict budget cuts the hospital has been going through. Somehow, his landlord found out about it and was now evicting him from his apartment due to being currently jobless. This had been a nice apartment, complete with furniture, and basic appliances (Pots, pans, microwave, waffle iron, and kettle).

For the entirety of today, he had been packing up what little he had and moving it to a storage area of sorts. The Web had space, and Peter already had a large cubicle and rudimentary lab. He just stacked the boxes along the sides of those areas and was done. It all fit in about two extra-large refrigerator boxes. One box full of his clothes, two vases, plates, silverware, mugs, and cups wrapped in the clothes themselves inside a suitcase that was also inside. In the second box was his backpack with sheets and blankets to cushion his breakables, .i.e. his ancient computer and camera, a couple prized photos, FDA drug certifications, diplomas, and two patents. Four pillows stacked around the backpack with a throw carpet and his kitchen utensils on top his toiletries and towels resting on top of that. Finished by some knickknacks, and a bubble wrapped drone prototype surrounded by some bolts of spider suit fabric, his sewing machine and sewing kit. All moved with some help from his cousin Michael's truck. That night, the arachnids of New York met and held a feast of pizza and Thai food before going out patrolling.

0oThe next week o0

The search for a job continues. Miles has been helping out, making sure my applications look right and suggesting other things than being a doctor. As of this morning, his help has borne fruit. Blinking on the monitor when I woke up was an email detailing a time and place for a job interview today. Only one problem. It's at Stark industries. With a small patch of luck, it'll be an office job and there won't be any issue about anyone finding out about The Web. Either way, SI pays decently. I can live on it and continue growing out Web locations.

I'd like to invest in adequate labs, training areas, and fine-tuned infirmaries in multiple locations around New York so they have access at multiple points as it's inconvenient for some of them to come all the way out here for web fluid and even dangerous for them to be so far away from medical attention when an injury occurs. I've been trying to organize their routes so they're close enough to help each other out, but crime doesn't work in a straight line and separation from the path is inevitable as things happen, something blows up and someone does something stupid, plus whoever they're fighting knows that spiders are weak to garlic or something like that. It's just how it happens.

Which is why I am dressed in my black suit at Avengers Tower's front doors, resume clutched in my hand about to enter into the enemy's hands. Despite our best efforts and help with Avenger level problems, they're still rather aggressive towards us, often telling us to get out of the way and to leave this to the professionals. There have been legitimate times when their asses are being handed to them and they still have the audacity to tell us to leave. The Battle of New York especially. It was big enough that even I was on the field, taking out robots, tending to wounded citizens and ensuring the escape route of said trapped citizens. Spider-Man got no recognition, not even a thanks for slowing Ironman's fall! He was going to die and Spider-Man broke his wrists saving him. But they just glared at him like he'd insulted them. But now isn't the time to be thinking about that. Press faces on, let's fit the bill.

Entering into the lobby, I walk up to the receptionist's desk and say, "Good morning, ma'am. I have an appointment for an interview at 9 AM. Would you mind giving me directions to where that's supposed to be held?"

"Yes, let's see… alright, so you'll need to take the stairs to the fourth floor, pass through that floor's main hall to reach the stairs on the other side, go to the eighth floor up those stairs and then enter the elevator right next to the stairs. The elevator's voice activated, so you have to talk to FRIDAY, who will bring you to the correct floor and give further directions. Got all that?"

"Yes, thank you." Taking off, I got up the stairs, passed through a hall filled with the labs of my dreams. No time to ogle them now. Going up again, I finally reach an elevator. "Good morning Friday, how are you today?"

"I am doing well, thank you for asking. Name?"

"Dr. Peter B. Parker."

"Any recent affiliations? What is your reason for application?"

"Ah, I worked in the Providence Hospital ER for the last four years after doing my residency there. I was let go after some budget cuts eliminated my position and have been looking for work for the last week since."

"Any other accomplishments you wish to present?"

"I have been certified by the FDA to work on drug alterations, have two different patents to my name and graduated from high school when I was sixteen."

"I see. Looking at the classes you took in college, you were quite the dabbler with mostly completed degrees in Computer science, pharmacy, biochemistry, and mechanical engineering on top of the already busy schedule of a medical student, continuing to study during your residency. Why is that?"

"I like to tinker around as you can probably see from my patents. I like learning and found each of those topics to be interesting as well as interlinked with each other, making studying easier."

"Yes, but why didn't you finish the degrees? They are mostly complete."

"I was on a scholarship as you can likely see. So I did as much as possible to make it stretch as far as possible. But when the scholarship was over, I had to stop and make a living."

"I see. Dr. Parker, if you were to get a position the salary is likely to be rather extravagant. What would you intend to do with it?"

"I would spread the salary as far as possible. Save some money for my Godson's education, enroll in an online college course to finish those degrees, save some for emergencies, and still cover my living expenses. Why do you ask?"

"The waiting room for the interview is the sixteenth left door. Good luck, Dr. Parker."

Ok? Exiting, I reach the room and enter to see a big guy, like Mr. Universe type body builder doing paperwork at a table. There's tables each with one seat and covered with paperwork, but in the back…there's a desk where a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Black Widow sits working on a computer before looking up and saying, "You must be Dr. Parker. Take a seat at one of the tables and fill out as many of the forms as possible. You and Mr. Markus are the only applicants today. Work fast." Nodding, I sit down and read the first form. Standard stuff really. If something happens to you, we aren't responsible. I begin signing papers after reading them, before I get this gut feeling. Something's wrong.

I look up and see a burly, and masked assailant running down the hall, checking each room at gun point. Overturning my table onto the side, I crouch behind it and say, "Everybody get down!" The Markus guy followed suit and the woman got under her desk saying, "Friday, shut off the lights and lock the door." The lights went out. Waiting, I take off my belt and prepare for the worst. When I hear the door break open and he passes by my table, this is my chance. I spring on him from behind, slapping the gun out of his hands, pinning him to the ground and holding his arms behind his back, restraining him with my belt. "Friday, call the NYPD" The lights come back on and Friday responds,

"Dr. Parker is the victor. This concludes our interview. Please release Mr. Graves as this was a part of the interview and not an actual threat. Ms. Romanoff will walk you through the rest of the process. Mr. Markus, you are excused. Please note that a part of the paperwork you signed states that you must remain silent about our interview process. The elevator is prepared to take you back to the lobby when you are ready." I let the guy up and he tells me, "Good luck with this job. The last guy lasted three months before he quit." He left the room leaving me with who was now confirmed to be Black Widow.

"Come here. The process is simple. You sign all the contracts, I answer your position questions and we proceed with the process. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Alright. Sign everything on this tablet." She handed it to me and I began. This is a more advanced 'We are not responsible if you die or get hurt' contract. And it has more mentioning of payment and such. Yowza! This is a rather impressive paycheck. I earn $700 a day and this comes with housing. I sign it as there isn't much else other than a non-disclosure statement. I can't talk about the confidential parts of the position. I do have to work 3 months before I can resign, but otherwise, there's nothing I disagree with. Once I'm done, she says, "You are now the Avenger's bodyguard. You assist in our missions when civilians are involved, and live in the top floors of this tower. There is a bodyguard suite where your belongings will be moved to toda-where is the address? This is a P.O box number."

"It asked for a mailing address. But, uh…my things fit in two refrigerator boxes that fit in the back of my cousin's pickup truck, so I can bring them here, I guess?"

"That's acceptable. Report back here by six PM tonight at the latest for an orientation dinner with your things. Good luck." I took that as my cue to leave, taking the stairs back down and walking to The Web. Looking at the time, I call Michael. It rings four times before he picks up, "Hey Pete, how'd the interview go today?"

"Good. I got the job."

"Only Good? That sounds amazing to me."

"This was an interview Miles applied for. I am now the official Avenger's bodyguard, to move into Avengers Tower at six tonight for an orientation dinner, and live among them for at least three months as set by the contract I signed not told what the position was until after I signed said paperwork. At least the pay is good, and I'm out of your apartment." We had been putting up the front that I was staying with Michael in his apartment in case anyone asked.

"Good on that. Need to borrow the truck?"

"Yeah. That would be awesome. Can I expect you around five-ish?"

"Yeah, I'll be back at five. See you then Pete."

"Larb you."

"Larb you too."

Hanging up, I decide to take a walk to clear my head. I'm probably overthinking this entire thing.

0o Twenty minutes later o0

My phone buzzes with an unknown number. Answering it I hear, "Hello, Peter. Look up."

I begin looking around as I walk trying not to get swept away by the crowd, when I get pulled into an alley by a large mechanical tentacle. Dr. Octavius. Oh crap. Struggling to get away, I feel a prick in my neck paralyzing me as the world begins tunneling into darkness, I hear his voice saying something indistinguishable.

-A/N: Heyo! This is something I've been working on for a couple months after finding the story that inspired all of this. I didn't like the context and the focus as much but it was inspired in the form of a different way for Peter to get into the Avenger's world, as it was a unique opening. This is part of what's been taking up so much of my time as I've gone through about ten different drafts before writing this one. If you're mad at me for changing Peter's lace in the universe, this is an AU. To anyone who is still confused, Michael R. Parker is Spider-Man and a police officer for the NYPD. The rest will be explained as the story unfolds. Comments, questions and critiques are welcomed in the form of comics. Larb you, and I'll see you at the next update!