This story takes place after Subtext. This is my very first The Spectacular Spider-Man story.

Hope you guys like it.

Flint Marko, The Sandman, was walking down the busy streets of Manhattan Island, lost in thought.

'That's the third time this month that Web-Head foiled a job of mine. Hammerhead won't be giving me any other chances after that slip-up on the oil tanker. I'm just so stupid! I can't do anything right!'

Marko let out a sigh. 'All I want is one big score. Is that too hard to ask for?'

Marko glanced up to see eight figures with jack-o-lantern masks on get out a car a ways off. He saw that they were armed. The goons talked amongst each other and then burst into the big bank down the street.

'A bank heist? Looks like one of Silvermane's banks. These guys have balls, but it's not my problem. Rather find my big score by myself.'

As he walked past the bank, Marko heard screams and pleas for help.

"Alright, give us all the money you got!" ordered the lead pumpkin goon as he brandished an assault rifle. "Now don't try to call the cops! We made sure to disable the security systems before we came here! Don't try or say anything and nobody gets hurt!"

Marko shook his head. 'Ain't my problem. It's the cops' or Web-Head's problem.'

Marko could hear a small child crying inside and one of the goons yelling, "Hey, lady, shut your kid up!"

'New York's a tough place. I should know. Had to resort to crime just get by when I was kid. Dad left, Mom was a boozer. My big bro worked his ass off, but it still wasn't enough. That's why I want that big score, so I don't to have to end up like that for the rest of my life.'

A new thought came to Marko's mind. 'Those people in there don't need to suffer like that. I can do something about it. I am The Sandman after all. Maybe I can make their lives a little less tough…'

Flint Marko then broke down into his sand state and slunk his way into the bank undetected.

There were group of people lined up and crouched down, hostages. Three of the goons patrolled around them, making sure none of them did anything.

"So Silvermane's out of jail?" inquired the first goon.

"Of course he is. He's one of the richest men in New York. He knows all the right people in all the right places. The court just threw him in jail to make it look good to the public," replied the second goon.

"Why was he locked up before? You know, those twelve years in the clink?" the third asked.

"IRS. Didn't pay his income taxes among other things," the second goon chuckled.

"Heh, I see. No bribing his way out of that one," said the first.

"So I'm guessing the boss wants to show Ol' Silvermane that's there a new crime lord in town?" the third goon inquired.

"Right. He wants us to-What the heck?" The second goon exclaimed as he saw a large pool of sand below them.

Suddenly, two large hands made of sand burst out of the pool and grabbed the three goons, trapping them.

Flint Marko materialized out of the sand, his transformed hands still trapping the goons.

"The Sandman?" cried the first goon.

"He's probably here to get our loot! Quick! Warn the others!" yelled the second.

"We got trouble!" screamed the third goon into the headpiece built into his mask.

Marko grunted and threw the thugs into a nearby booth, knocking them out cold.

"Everyone get out of here! Call the cops!" ordered Marko.

The people inside were about to make a mad dash to the exit when Marko barked, "Walk! I don't want a stampede on my hands!"

Everyone obliged and slowed down, calmly making their way out of the bank. Marko then headed towards the bank vault. He was greeted by four armed thugs.

"Smoke 'im!" ordered one of them as they started to shoot at Marko.

Marko turned his body to sand and the bullets when right through him. Marko transformed his arm into a club and whipped it at the thugs, taking them all out in one swing.

'Well that only leaves one more,' thought Marko as he started to move towards the vault.

"Stay right there, freak, or the broad gets it!" ordered the lead goon as he made out of the vault. He had a bag full of money strapped to his back and had one of the bank tellers at gun point.

Marko stayed put.

"Smarter than you look. Good. Now get the out of the way," He commanded.

Suddenly Marko fell apart into a mound of sand.

"Wha-?" asked the lead goon as Marko suddenly appeared from behind, disarmed the thug, and grabbed him.

"There are two of you?" the goon demanded.

"Nope. I've just learned to make convincing imitations," said Marko as he knocked the leader out.

The teller looked at Marko and stuttered, "Th-thank you."

"Go. Get out of here," Marko stated.

The teller nodded and ran off.

Marko looked down at the sack of money, filled with thousands of dollars.

'My big score. And after what I've done, I think I earned it.'

Marko grabbed the sack and was about to leave when he stopped. He realized that he didn't come in here for the money in the first place.

'Hammerhead was right, I have gone soft…but I don't care.'

Marko let the sack of money drop to the floor and made his exit from the bank just as the police arrived. He transformed into sand and went underneath a manhole, no one noticed.

The police had already closed off the bank when Captain Stacy came out of his patrol car and examined the scene.

He looked over to two officers on scene, Officers DeWolff and Carter.

"Carter, DeWolff, what happened here?"

"Seems like a robbery attempt, sir. Must be Green Goblin's gang," DeWolff replied.

"Looks like there was a fight. Who stopped them?" Stacy inquired.

"Eyewitness accounts say it was The Sandman," Carter answered.

"Marko? Did he steal anything?"

"No. He just beat up the thugs, got everyone out safely and left," said Carter.

Stacy smiled. "Looks like Spider-Man may have some competition, don't you think?"

"That's the last thing we need. Another vigilante running around," grumbled DeWolff.

"Ah lighten up. As long as they let us do our job of arresting them, I have no problems," said Stacy.

The next day, Flint Marko awoke groggily from his bed in his small apartment. He got dressed and went down to get the paper outside. He picked up The Daily Bugle and read the headline, "HEROIC SANDMAN FOILS BANK ROBBERY. SPIDER-MAN PREDICTABLY NOWHERE IN SIGHT."

Marko chuckled and said to himself, "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a crook anymore. That's fine. I think I already found the big score I was looking for. It might be hard, but I think I'll I get used to this new job. Now I can see why Spidey does this."

A car screeched by as a man ran up, yelling, "Someone stop him, he stole my car!"

"Back to work," Marko said with a smile as he ran into a nearby back-alley and transformed.

Please review if you want me to write more.