Spider-Man: When Darkness Comes

[cradleman]

Hey, there, this will be the thread in which I'll post both the issues of When Darkness Comes that I've already written, as well as new issues when I finally finish them. Before I post the first issue, I'll give the character list.

High Schoolers

Jason Banks: Age 18, senior. 6 ft. 3 in. tall, dark hair, brown eyes. Football and Wrestling star. part of Peter's crowd. (sportsfan character)

Crystal Smith: Age 18, senior. Jason's girlfriend. 5 ft 4 in. tall, short blond hair, green eyes. also part of Peter's crowd

MJ Watson: (looks like her Ultimate Version). Age 18, senior.

Peter Parker: (looks like his regular version as drawn by John Romita). Age 18, senior.

Eugene Thompson: 5 ft. 2 in. tall, short curly blond hair, gray eyes. Age 17, junior. nerdy, smartest kid in class, picked on a lot by Harry Osborn and Johnny Storm. Part of Peter's crowd

Brian Millar: 5 ft. 8 in. tall, light brown hair, light blue eyes. Age 18, Senior. Extremely intelligent, also a wrestler. is the new kid, who's transferred from Florida. Peter befriends him and he joins his crowd. (my character)

Harry Osborn: Age 17, senior. (has Ultimate look) Popular kid at school, plays football and basketball, torments Eugene

Johnny Storm: (has regular universe look). Age 17, junior. Osborn's best friend, also plays football and basketball, and torments flash. As of now, he does not have powers

Zane Blackard: 6 ft. 3 in. tall. Age 18, Senior. other info to be revealed in the story (Zamxus character)

Vicki Malone: 5 ft. 2 in. tall. Age 15, Freshman. Light blonde hair, green eyes. Power: can create any illusion she can imagine. Super-hero codename: Mirage. (Abby character)

Blake Malone: 5 ft. 8 in. tall. Age 15, Freshman. Brown hair, brown eyes. Vicki's twin, but not a mutant(that we know of yet). Plays basketball, has been promised a spot on the varsity team. (Beegk character)

Joe Banks: 6 ft. 6 in. tall. Age 14, Freshman. Red Hair, brown eyes. Jason's brother. Basketball superstar, has already been guaranteed a starting spot on the varsity team.

Others:

Nick Grey: 6 ft. 4 in tall. Age: 22, in college. brown hair, gray eyes. power: the ability to see into the future of anyone that he touches. also, another ability that only he and the government know about. He is shy, and his only friend is Ben Reilly (Nickpick character)

Ben Reilly: 6 ft. 1 in tall. Age: 22, in college .black hair, eyes always covered by sunglasses, because he is blind. He is May's sister's son, while Peter is Ben's brother's son. He is an orphan, and was raised with Peter in Aunt May and Uncle Ben's house

Aunt May: Age 56, retired. (looks like Ultimate Aunt May) Lives with Peter, as Ben now has his own apartment.

David Harvey: Age 26. other info to be revealed in the story. Works at the Daily Bugle as a crime reporter.(Spideyfan character)

J. Jonah Jameson: Publisher of the Daily Bugle, looks and acts like the main universe version.

Betty Brant: JJJ's secretary. Looks like Ultimate version, but acts like the main universe one did at the start of Amazing Spider-Man

The Villain

Blackout: a mysterious man who can generate fields of darkness that can totally eliminate light, and it also has some nasty side effects. Also, has another power that will be revealed in the story. His identity is a mystery, that will not be solved in this arc.

issues 1-7 up soon

[cradleman]

ISSUE #1: Introductions

As Peter left for school, he thought back to just a few short months ago. Back then, he’d been just a normal kid living with his Aunt and Uncle. Now, walking through the brisk November air to school, he was far from normal. No, he hadn’t been normal since that thing, since that mutated spider. . . . He shuddered at the thought; he felt the pain of the bite surge through his body, and then the tears swelled as he thought of his Uncle Ben. His uncle, who he’d let die; a man who had died because Peter hadn’t learned an important lesson. But he was different now that he had learned that lesson, although at great cost, and he felt better than he ever had before. Emerging from his reverie, he quickly looked around. He saw nobody, so he ducked into the nearest alley. Thirty seconds later, he emerged with a totally different look. Instead of blue jeans and a t-shirt, now he was wearing blue and red spandex, with a spidery design over it. He scaled the nearest building, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and swung off toward school.

Not too far away, Ben Reilly was headed off for college. He wasn’t Peter’s cousin, as Peter’s dad was Ben Parker’s brother, and Ben’s mom was May Parker’s sister, but they might as well have been. Since his mother put him up for adoption when he was just a baby, he had lived with the Parkers. He had moved out at the start of college, but he still stopped over at Aunt May’s house several times a week. He was 22, four years older than Peter. Although there was a little bit of an age gap, Ben had always been there to talk to Peter. Ben knew that Peter needed him now, more than ever since Uncle Ben’s death. Although Ben was extremely intelligent and good looking, he was still considered inferior by others. They thought that of him because he had been blind since contracting a disease when he was only six. He could vaguely remember some of the colors and shapes from his childhood when he thought hard about it, but thinking of them only made him sad. Although he missed his sight, he realized that he was luckier than his best friend.

His best friend was Nick Grey, a mutant with an ability that cursed him and forced him to avoid people. He had several relationships with girls when he was in high school, but because of his ability, they had all ended painfully. The first time he discovered his ability, he leaned in for a deep kiss with his first girlfriend. As their lips touched, Nick saw her lying on the pavement in front of a car, in the same dress that she was wearing then. When he recoiled and told her what he had seen, she screamed “MUTANT!” at him as loud as she could and ran away. In her fear of Nick, she stepped right in front of the car that Nick had seen in the vision. He had dated two other girls since then, and each time, he had seen parts of their futures. Each time, the relationship ended horribly. He now wore a long cloak and gloves even in the summer, just to keep his mutant ability from activating. He could no longer take it, and had decided before he attended college that he would be no one’s friend. He kept it up for several years too, until Ben Reilly came along. No matter how hard Nick tried to avoid him, Ben kept walking up and talking to him. He wouldn’t be deterred, and eventually Nick had broken down and started talking to him. He soon realized he had somewhat of a kindred spirit in Ben, as he too was someone who the world didn’t take as they should, and someone who had gone through a lot of pain in his life. He and Nick had bonded, and now nothing could separate them.

Peter arrived at school with just a minute to spare. He quickly changed and hurried inside. As soon as he sat down, the bell rang to start class and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Good Morning, Mr. Parker. Glad to see you wanted to be in my class today. Of course, you do realize, your class is the next room over, right?”

Peter looked up, where he had expected Professor Gusterson to be, he saw instead Miss Weaver, the evil English teacher.

“Oh, Uh, whoops. See you in a few hours!” He hurried into his actual classroom, his face reddening with each second. As he sat down he saw everyone’s eyes go straight to him, and he shrunk down into his seat. Great, All that trouble to get here on time, and I’m STILL late. Some days, a guy just can’t win! Of course, if you’re me, that’s everyday. The rest of the morning went no better. Harry Osborn and Johnny Storm were at their worst, tormenting him both with insults as well as throwing different objects at him. By the time he got to lunch he was already ready to go home. Boy, with these powers, you’d think I’d be something special. Instead I’m still the class chump. Geez, I have the worst luck ever. He glanced across the table, and saw Eugene “Flash” Thomspon. He was quite short, and had short, curly blond hair. He was the smartest kid in the school, as well the most picked on. He had even gotten his nickname when a wedgie given to him by Johnny Storm had gone very wrong. Unfortunately, that memory was still imprinted on everyone’s mind, and no one ever let Eugene forget it. Ok, maybe the second-worst luck ever. Poor kid, I imagine it must be hard enough to just get to lunch without getting a swirly. And, judging by the still slightly damp hair, I’d say it’s safe to guess he failed in that today. That’s when he saw her. She was the IT girl. So gorgeous, she took his breath away. So perfect, he couldn’t imagine one thing wrong with her. So popular, he knew she would never even notice him if Osborn and Storm weren’t picking on him. Hey, can’t hurt to look, right? ALOT! Oh, God! She’s just so. . .

“Hey, Peter. Peter? Earth to Peter. Peter Parker! PETER FREAKIN’ PARKER!”

Peter snapped out of his trance and looked over at Mary Jane Watson. Slightly shorter than Peter, who was 5 ft. 6 in., MJ was about 5 ft. 4 in, with flaming red hair. Although not quite as gorgeous as who Peter was staring at, she still commanded eyes when she walked into a room. The jocks had long since given up on her, and they still couldn’t figure out why she would rather hang with Peter and his crowd than them.

“What, MJ?” Peter protested. “I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Peter, you were practically drooling over that slut.”

“GWEN is NOT a SLUT!” Peter raised his voice probably a bit too much, and he saw several heads turn his way at the remark. He shrunk back into his seat but continued, “She’s probably quite nice; you just don’t like her because she’s a cheerleader, while you’d rather crack open a science book.”

“That’s not it at all; I’d just rather die than wear an outfit like that! It’s practically begging for you know what!”

“Is not!”

“Um, guys?” Jason Banks cut in, “Can we sit down and eat now? You two can have this discussion later, when I don’t have to hear it.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.”

Jason and his girlfriend Crystal sat down to complete the group. Although still intelligent, Jason was probably the least academically inclined of the group, but he’d been Peter’s friend since elementary school. Although he was a member of both the football team and the wrestling team, he had stuck with Peter and constantly tried to defend him, usually to no avail. Crystal had been his girlfriend for almost 2 years, and matched well with him. Although they were different they had learned to adapt. She had quickly become friends with Peter, MJ, and Eugene and was always quick to defend them to Harry and Johnny. As they sat down, the topic changed to something more suitable for the group, and Peter’s thoughts left the gorgeous Gwen Stacy for at least a minute or so.

Jason’s brother Joe was on the opposite end of the social spectrum from Peter Parker. Six feet, six inches tall, and athletic like his brother, he was already one of the best basketball players in the state. Although he had just entered ninth grade, he had already been promised a starting spot on the varsity squad. He had two really good friends, Victoria Malone, or Vicki for short, and her twin brother Blake. Vicki was popular, but she also could act very strangely, sometimes disappearing for hours for no reason. Blake had also been told he would be on the Varsity squad, but he would probably be on the bench, and he also played football. He and Joe hated school, and were always more than happy to go and play one on one basketball as soon as school ended. Vicki sometimes came to help Blake, but Joe could beat them anyway. After school let out, Joe and Blake headed out to the basketball court, with Vicki following. As they were talking, Vicki noticed something weird in the background. Although unable to tell exactly what it was, she was interested, and wanted to investigate.

“Hey, guys? I think I forgot something at school, I’m gonna go back and get it, then go meet you at home later tonight, Mkay? See ya!”

Blake and Joe walked off, and Vicki heard Blake mutter something to Joe about women and then they both laughed. She shook her head and looked around. Confident that no one was looking she waved her hands and disappeared. Man, she thought, I love this ability! I just have to give a little wave, and there’s an illusion I’m not even there! I must say, being a mutant isn’t so bad. Of course, I’m not telling anyone about this, they would just call me a freak. And there is NO WAY I’m registering with the government. But, for now I need to change and get into costume. She quickly slipped into her costume, a gold and silvery material that had a metallic sheen to it, with different patterns woven into it. She put on her mask, and with another quick wave of her hands, the illusion was gone. Now, it’s time for Mirage to check out what I saw a minute ago.

Peter was swinging high overhead as the costumed super-hero Spider-Man when he too spotted what Mirage had seen. Where he should have seen Midtown Bank, he saw darkness instead. Not just a darkening of the sun or a shadow cast upon the building, but absolute pitch black covering the whole bank. Ok, now I could be wrong, but I’m guessing that is bad. He swung in toward bank, and landed on the building across the street. He surveyed the scene, trying to think about how he should approach the situation. Hm, either Tony Stark’s invented some crazy darkness machine and gone rogue, or we have a mutant running around robbing banks. Considering Stark would probably LOSE money by robbing a bank, I’m guessing it’s a mutant. On the bright side, if a guy was super powerful, he wouldn’t be robbing a bank, right? Riiight. Well, I’m not going to get anything done standing here, might as well find out. Peter took a deep breath, steeled himself for the darkness, and swung headlong into it.

As his last class finished up, Nick stepped outside of the classroom and looked around for Ben. Although he searched up and down the hallways, he didn’t see him anywhere. Strange, Nick thought, He’s usually waiting to greet me. I wonder where he’s gotten to? Nick sighed heavily, disappointed to not talk to his only friend. He started walking toward his apartment when he heard a news report on the TV. “You heard it hear first folks. Midtown Bank has been completely swallowed up in an inky blackness. It seems to interfere with radio signals, as the police have been unable to communicate with the guards. Hopefully, they are still alive, but there is no knowing until the blackness is gone. Hold on, we just got a report that Spider-Man is swinging into the blackness. His reason is unknown; we just have to hope he’s not helping whoever caused this.”

Curious, Nick drove down to the bank to check out this blackness in person. As he arrived, he saw Mirage run up to the scene. As she ran toward the bank, she remembered something that was pretty important. Oh, Crap! I’m afraid of the dark! I can’t go in there! I’ll just collapse, and I won’t be a help to anyone at all. She looked up to see Spidey swinging into the darkness onto the bank. Come on girl, if that guy can do it, you can too. Can’t you? She took a deep breath and ran at full speed until the darkness consumed her.

J. Jonah Jameson, irascible publisher of the Daily Bugle and official president of the “I hate Spider-Man” club looked out his window in disbelief. “One of the weirdest things to ever happen in New York, a bank completely disappearing under blackness, and I DON’T EVEN HAVE A SINGLE REPORTER THERE! AND WHERE ARE MY FRIGGIN PHOTOGRAPHERS!”

“Uh, Mr. Jameson, you fired the only photographer who worked in that area just yesterday. A, uh, Mr. Eddie Brock, I believe.”

“Now why would I do something like that, Miss Brant?”

“My guess is that it’s because of the fake photographs of the burglary he gave you last week, sir.”

“Oh, that’s right, he did, didn’t he. Ok, well, make sure there is a headline tomorrow promising a job for a capable photographer. But, I need something that will prove they are good. What would you suggest?”

“How about a picture of Spider-Man? Even Eddie couldn’t get a single good one, and he’d been on it for almost a month. If someone can do that, it would prove he’s the right one for the job.”

“What?! Why would I want to legitimize that criminal by putting him on the front page? What could that possibly do for me?”

“Sell papers, Mr. Jameson.”

“That’s Crazy! Ok, run that ad and make sure that the photographers know I want a good one of Spider-Man. Now, where’s a reporter? Harvey! Get over here; I got a job for you.”

David Harvey, 6 ft tall, with dirty blond hair, and the best crime reporter in the business. Even though he was only 26, He had been through a lot. After seeing his adoptive parents gunned down by a mob member when he was 12, he’d determined to help take the filth like that gunman off the streets. He had enrolled in the police academy, but had been kicked out only a year later after brutally assaulting a Narcotics dealer. Although the man had survived, David’s career as a policeman had not. He soon got a degree in journalism though, and had been hired at the Daily Bugle. Still determined to make New York safer for the common person, he had personally been able to get evidence to lock up over twenty-five criminals over the last two years, including the notorious Frederick Foswell.

“Yeah, boss, what is it?”

“Get down to Midtown Bank fifteen minutes ago. I want a full write up on this ‘Bank has lights turned out’ by ten o’clock tonight. Also, get that criminal Spider-Man involved in this. If he’s there, it can’t be for any good whatsoever.”

“Ok, boss. If you’re sure that he’s up to no good, I’ll get the dirt on him for you.”

“Good man. Oh, and Harvey? Stop calling me boss.”

[cradleman]

ISSUE #2: Confrontation

As Peter swung into the blackness, it hit him like a wall, and he dropped to the ground. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced. The darkness was almost tangible, and it felt as if it was one solid mass crushing him. This was accompanied by an overwhelming pain, and a burning sensation that ran along his skin. Well, I guess I know what the Egyptians felt like during the plague of darkness that Aunt May used to tell me about when I was younger. I never imagined it could be this bad, though. He tried to use his spider-sense to guide him, but whatever was generating the darkness was dampening his spider-sense too. He concentrated and was able to use what he did have of his spider-sense working to get into the building and to the vault. It took him several minutes, but he finally made his way into the main room. He heard the screams of pain coming from the people unfortunate enough to be inside the bank when the darkness had descended. That's when he heard the voice he would never forget.

Vicki had experienced the same pain, but unlike Spider-Man, hadn't been able to use an extra sense to be guided. She tried to create an illusion to take away the attack on her senses, but it was impossible. The blackness wiped away even the most powerful of her illusions. She tried to steady herself, but the fear was almost overwhelming. Breathe, just breathe, she instructed herself. She slowly calmed down enough that she could at least try to help Spider-Man. She walked in the direction of where the bank should be, and felt the wall. Once she had her hand on something solid, she began to crawl her way to the front door. When she opened it, the voice had just begun to speak.

"Spider-Man! I have been expecting you. I would have thought that you would have been here much earlier. As it is, I'm almost done looting this place. Of course, even if you had arrived when I was just beginning, it is obvious that you are in too much pain to be able to stop me."

"Wanna bet, creep?" Spidey rushed toward the voice and swung hard. Where he thought the mysterious man's face was though, was just the vault door. Peter's hand hit with a resounding CRACK and he fell to the floor, clutching his hand in pain.

"Come now, Spider-Man, do you really think that I'd let you know where I was just by the sound of my voice? I hope you don't take me for a fool."

This time, the voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere, not just one place. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time. There was this one dude I fought last month, and he was as dumb as a rock, almost literally. You'd really like him."

"Silence, Cur! I have humored you long enough. And, it seems like we have a visitor that I did not notice before. I do believe I recognize the outfit of Mirage, correct?"

"Of course, dirtbag," Vicki managed to get out through her teeth that were tightly clenched in pain. "Now, I want to know who you are before I kick your sorry little butt."

"Now, now, you shouldn't tell evil lies like that, Mirage. For it will be I, not you, who delivers the 'butt-kicking' today. Now, I will be leaving with my money. But, two things first." He walked over to where Peter was still down on the ground, now nearly unconscious from the pain, both from hitting the safe, as well as the strange darkness. Peter tried to get up and run, but couldn't even come close as he quickly stumbled and fell. The man was upon him like a flash, and before he could even realize what had happened the man had lifted Peter's sleeve and put his hand on his arm. If Peter had thought his previous pain was unbearable, then there was no way to describe the feeling of being touched by the mysterious stranger. All his energy felt like it was being drawn out of his body, into the man's hand. The touch was like a firey acid, and Peter grew weak and sick.

"Thank you, Spider-Man; I have long wanted your powers. Now, I have them." He turned his head toward Vicki and said with a deadly whisper, "Mirage, it's your turn."

" Never!" Vicki launched a wild kick that she knew she didn't have a chance of landing unless she got lucky. She was unlucky and just slashed at darkness and lost her balance. As she fell to the ground face first, she too had the same feeling Spidey had experienced just moments before. Soon, she collapsed, and the stranger headed for the door. As her opened it, he turned around and spoke for the final time.

"The first thing was acquiring your powers. For the second, I want you to know who has defeated you. I want you to remember the name of BLACKOUT!"

Outside, David pulled up just in time to see the inky darkness suddenly be sucked inside the bank, leaving the outside once again normal. The police on the scene rushed into the bank, and David followed quickly. He tried to stay out of the way and not get noticed. What he saw inside the bank was incredible. He saw everybody strewn out on the ground, most in a state of shock. He saw an elderly couple on the ground near one of the tellers. He rushed over, but dropped his head in sorrow after he could find no pulse. That dirty rat. I don't know who did this, but he will pay. No scum will escape me, I'll see to that. I will discover who this is, and I will put him in a jail cell. From where he was standing, he noticed out of the corner of his eye what looked like a red foot sticking out from behind a teller window. Checking around to make sure no cops had noticed him yet; he hurried over to see what it was. Oh my God! It's Spider-Man! What in the world happened that would trash him so badly? Wait a minute! Jameson said Spidey might be in on it. Could this be a double cross? Was Spider-Man not expecting what ever it was that did this too him?

Peter groaned and looked up, seeing David's face. He tried to run, but David grabbed his ankle and yelled for the cops. Oh, great! Now, they are going to think that I robbed this bank. Maybe if I tell this dude holding my ankle about Blackout, the cops will realize this wasn't me.

"Hey, dude, who are you?"

"Name's Harvey, David Harvey. I'm the crime reporter for the Bugle"

"Good! Just the person I need! Ok, I'm gonna give you the scoop, do you think that you can deliver this to JJJ without the anti-Spidey bias?"

"Give me the scoop, and we'll see."

Peter told David the story of Blackout, how he generated the blackness, and how he had defeated both him and Mirage.

"Uh, Spidey, Mirage ain't here. No one saw her at all in here. So how do I know your telling the truth?"

"You just gotta believe me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

Spidey yanked his ankle free and ran quickly toward the nearest window, tore the metal grating off, and jumped through it, letting the glass shatter as fell on the ground around him. He wanted to swing around looking for Blackout, but with his broken arm, he knew it would be at least two days before he could go web-slinging again. He reluctantly found a place to change back into Peter Parker and took the subway home.

Nick stood outside as the bank as the blackness retreated and it was left looking normal once again. He removed one of his gloves, and flexed his hand. As he held his hand outstretched, he felt something brush across it, and his mutant ability kicked in by reflex. He was hit by a wave of nausea, and his eyes filled with the vision. Only this time, no scene played in his head. This time it was only a blackness so deep that it couldn't be measured that filled his sight. He grabbed at his eyes and collapsed on the sidewalk.

[cradleman]

ISSUE #3: Aftermath

David hurried back to the Daily Bugle, and started writing as soon as he got to his desk. He took his phone off the hook so he couldn't be bothered, and concentrated on his story. He wanted to get it done before he forgot the specific details that Spider-Man had given. I still have to wonder if Spider-Man was involved, He thought as he worked. For all he said, I still only have his word. If Jameson is to believed, that in and of itself isn't worth jack. Also, Spidey's word includes Mirage being there, as well as the bad guy being this mysterious Blackout. I will just have to write this a tad ambiguous. I want to interview some of the people in the bank, but it didn't look like they will be able to give an interview soon given the condition that they were in. David looked back at the computer screen and started writing.

As Peter arrived at home, he tried to get upstairs and go to sleep. Unfortunately for him, Aunt May saw him as he arrived. "Peter, dear, where have you been since school got out? Mary Jane called an hour ago looking for you!"

"Um, I decided to walk home for a change. I thought a breath of fresh air would do me some good." He tried to head up the stairs, but May caught a glimpse of him holding his arm.

"Oh my goodness! Peter, what have you done to your arm? Your wrist looks to be broken!"

"Oh, uh, it's just sprained. I had to jump out of the way to avoid a bike messenger who was in WAY too much of a hurry, let me tell you. I made it, but I tripped and fell hard on my wrist. It could be a lot worse."

"You really should take more care of yourself, Peter."

"Yes, Mam."

"Dinner's in an hour, I expect you down here then. Now go call Mary Jane back, and let her know you are still alive!"

Nick groaned and rolled over, as he felt someone shaking him. He thought he heard someone saying his name, but he couldn't be sure. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, and looked up at the man. "Ben? Ben Reilly? Is that you?"

"Hey, Nick, it's me. I, uh, couldn't find you after your class and someone said that they thought you had gone down to the bank."

"But, you were calling my name. How did you know where I was, or even who I was?"

"I nearly tripped over you, which let me know someone was on the ground. Then I heard you mumble something about blackness. I wouldn't have known it was you if you hadn't said that."

"Oh. Well, I had my hand out, because no one was around. All of a sudden, without seeing anything, I felt somebody's skin brush across my skin. When my mutant power usually kicks in, I see scenes of their life, and sometimes their death. But this time when it activated the only thing I saw was darkness, just an unending, and all-consuming blackness. It was terrible, and it hurt. I couldn't do anything but grab at my eyes. Next thing I know, here you are, waking me up. I just really want to get home. First, though, I'll drop you off at your apartment."

Nick got up and he and Ben walked over to Nick's car. Nick drove over to Ben's apartment, let Ben out, and then drove to his apartment. When he got home, he tried to do something he'd only done one other time. A part of his mutant power that he hadn't known about at first was that when he touched someone, he formed a bond with them. If he concentrated, he could sometimes find them, no matter where they were. He had a feeling that the man who had touched him was the same person responsible for the bank robbery. He ate a small meal, and sat on his bed. He put his head in his hands and focused all his energy on finding the man. Instead of getting the location though, he got the same reaction as he had a few hours earlier. As blackness filled his vision, he softly muttered, "Not again. . ." before collapsing and passing out on the floor.

The next morning, Peter woke up and tried to move his arm. He felt the pain, but it was healing already. Good thing I have a slightly accelerated healing factor thanks to these spider-powers. I'm no Wolverine, but I do heal a lot faster than most people. I might even be all right by this afternoon. I wonder what Jolly Jonah has to say today. Oh! That reporter I talked to was from the Bugle! Maybe I'll get some good press for once. Peter picked up the paper off the table. Or, maybe not. The headline screamed in huge letters,

UNKNOWN MUTANT ROBS BANK! SPIDER-MAN ACCOMPLICE?

Well, obviously JJJ still has control over headlines, might as well check the story. As he read the story, he saw that the reporter obviously hadn't believed him.

Yesterday, the Midtown Bank was robbed after being covered in an unnatural darkness. Because of the unusual nature of this darkness, which included inducing pain, causing nausea, and even inducing heart attacks, the police assume the involvement of at least one mutant. As the only super-powered individual that the police are confident was in the bank immediately after the robbery, Spider-Man, does not posses the power to generate that kind of darkness, this mutant's identity is currently unknown. According to the police report, over one million dollars was stolen, and two people were killed from darkness induced heart attacks. Also, an additional twenty-five people were sent to the hospital due to complications from the darkness. When Spider-Man himself was found after the robbery, he was in a state of obvious pain and had been badly injured. He gave a statement to this reporter, and said that the unknown mutant had called himself Blackout. As none of the other people in the bank at the time have been available for comment, it is unknown if Spider-Man is telling the truth. He also mentioned that another superhero, the mutant Mirage, was on the scene. However, as she was not seen anywhere in the vicinity of the bank immediately after the robbery occurred, the only person that is able to link her to the robbery is Spider-Man. At this time, the because of the state in which Spider-Man was found, the most likely scenario that the police are considering is that Spider-Man was an accomplice to the mutant. When the mutant and Spider-Man had finished with the robbery, he then double-crossed Spider-Man. There is no warrant currently for the web-slinger, but police have said that they are considering one.

Jeez, I give the guy a gift-wrapped summary of what happened, and an extremely rare interview with me, and what do I get? 'Spider-Man is currently a suspect." God! Scanning the rest of the front page, he spotted an advertisement that gave him an idea. In big bold letters, it read: Photographer needed! Job can be won by bringing in a picture of Spider-Man. Photos will be checked for accuracy and composition. Hey! I think Aunt May's got a digital camera! I could take pictures of myself, and get myself some needed cash. I'll do it after school, and hopefully no one will beat me to the Bugle Office.

Vicki woke up with a start. She saw she had two hours to get to school, so she got up and locked her door so no one could get it. She still was in a lot of pain from whatever Blackout had done to her, so she wanted to try her powers out a little bit, just to be sure that she was operating at full strength. After an hour of practicing, she had determined that her power was still good. Man, I'm glad I had enough power to cast an illusion over myself once Blackout disappeared. I almost didn't even have enough strength to change back outa my costume before I got home either. That could have been very bad, I'm just glad Mom bought that I wasn't feeling well. Hopefully, Blake won't be suspicious either. She quickly dressed, and went down for breakfast and waited for Blake to come down so they could go to school.

Nick woke up on the floor, it sounded like the phone was ringing. Man, I REALLY hope that I don't black out like that any more, 'cause it hurts. Who could be calling? Oh my God! What time is it? He looked at his watch. Great, it's broken. Must have broken during one of my falls last night. He ran over and grabbed the phone.

"Nick! Why are you still at home?"

"I, uh, blacked out again last night. Musta been a residual effect from touching that guy last night."

"The Daily Bugle reporter says that Spider-man was calling the man who robbed the bank Blackout. If he is the one who touched you, that might explain the vision you had the first time. But have you ever experienced a double vision before? Or is it because he's a mutant that it might have done it?"

"My guess is that he's a mutant." Nick lied rather convincingly. "None of the girls that I dated and touched were mutants, and I don't think the people that I accidentally touched so far have been mutants. So that's a definite possibility. I'm still feeling the affects some, so I'm going to stay home today. Hopefully, they'll be gone by tomorrow."

As Peter got to school, he could already hear Harry and Johnny tormenting poor Eugene. "Hey, 'Flash,' did you see what your hero did yesterday?" That was Johnny, Peter knew from the voice. "It says here in the Bugle he helped a nasty mutant rob a bank; then got double-crossed."

"He did not!" Eugene's high-pitched whine could be heard far down the rows of lockers. "He tried to stop Blackout! He just didn't know how to capture him! You just wait, he'll beat him yet."

"Come on, 'Flash'" This time it was Osborn chiming in. "You really believe that mutated piece of crap? I'm not so sure he didn't just steal something from Tony Stark and rig it himself. That way he could make some easy money and have some ready made 'super-villain' to blame it on."

"That's not true!" Eugene's voice was almost unbearable now. "How dare you call him such mean things!"

"Could have said worse," Johnny said as he picked Eugene up and pushed him inside his locker, "we could have said you were his biggest fan."

When Peter knew they had left, he cautiously went over and helped Eugene out and made sure he could get to class on time. Then Peter got his things, and walked into his classoom (after checking to make sure it was his, this time). As he sat down and the bell rang, He saw two people he didn't recognize standing by Professor Gusterson. "Good morning, class, I'd like you to meet your new classmates."

[cradleman]

ISSUE #4: Brian and Zane

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Zane Blackard, and Brian Millar. They just transferred in from out of state. I believe Zane is from New Jersey, and Brian just moved from Florida. Zane, I'd like you to sit by Eugene. Brian, you can take the empty desk next to Peter."

Zane was tall, and a rather imposing figure. He had dark features, accentuated by the black clothing he wore. As Peter looked, from his head to his toe Zane was wearing only black. Black shoes, socks, pants, and shirts made up his wardrobe. Even his hair was dyed a deep black, and hung low over his pierced eyebrows. He was about Six feet, three inches tall, and very muscular. As he moved, he carried the attention of the class all the way to his seat. Brian on the other hand was much shorter, about five feet, eight inches tall. He was good-looking enough, but not really overly attractive. His light brown, sandy-colored hair, was a little bit long; he had blue eyes, and dressed like everybody else. If Professor Gusterson hadn't mentioned him, no one in the class would have noticed him at all. At lunch, Zane ignored Harry and Johnny and sat by himself. A couple people tried to sit near him, but he glared at them, and they quickly moved away. Peter saw Brian sitting alone out of the corner of his eye, as he prepared to sit at Eugene's table. "Hey, Eugene, let's sit with the new guy. He looks a little out-of-place."

"Uh, no thanks, Pete. Zane's a little creepy for me."

"Not Zane, the other new kid, Brian. He looks nice enough, and he doesn't know anyone here. Let's be friendly to him, before Harry and Johnny get a chance."

Peter picked up his tray, and Eugene grudgingly followed over to Brian's table. "Hey, Brian! How's your first day of school going?"

"It's going, I guess. I hate school. I always have, would much rather be outside. I love nature. It's so peaceful outside. You're Peter, right?"

"Exactly. Hope you don't mind us sitting here."

"No, I welcome the company. I was getting kinda lonely here." He turned and looked at Eugene. "Is it Flash?"

"Um, no, that's a, uh, nickname. Call me Eugene. Please?" Eugene finished the "please" on a very pleading note.

Brian gave Peter a glance, Peter mouthed that he would tell Brian the whole story later. "Okay, then Eugene it is. Nice to meet you."

"Um, it's nice to meet you too."

As Mary Jane walked up to where Peter and Eugene were sitting, she saw Peter start looking around for Gwen. He was obviously hoping to be able to position himself into a place where he could stare at her during lunch. Oh, Peter, MJ thought to herself, I wish you wouldn't waste your time with her. Why can't you see what's so obviously in front of your face? Instead, you have to look for THAT whore every day! Peter had finally spotted a glimpse of what he thought was Gwen when Brian spoke up. "Hey, dude, I don't know who you're looking for, but the hottie behind you doesn't seem to like it too much."

Peter sat up all of a sudden and turned around, blushing slightly. "MJ! Nice to see you! This is Brian; he is new here, I met him in first period today. Brian, this is my best friend, Mary Jane Watson, or MJ for short. Also, coming this way are Jason Banks and his girlfriend Crystal. Jason's one of the big sports stars, you'll probably hear about him a lot as football season gets underway."

"Dude, that's awesome! I love sports!"

Peter had a surprised look on his face. "Really? I must admit I didn't take you for a sports fan."

"Oh, I only do one sport, but I follow pretty much any sport. Except soccer, that is, just could never get into it. But, yeah; baseball, football, basketball, even tennis and golf occasionally. I just can't help but sit down and watch it."

Jason had started to sit down and got a smile on his face as he heard Brian ramble on about sports. "You said you do a sport, right?"

"YES! I wrestle. I love it, because smaller people like me can do it, as well as more athletic people."

"Dude, that is AWESOME! I wrestle too! I'm not as good on the mat as I am in football, but I still hardly ever lose. I wrestle the middleweights, about 152 pounds. You are probably about 125 pounds, right?"

"I wrestle at 119, but close enough. My sophomore and junior years, I wrestled in Florida. It's a little different than here, but I won districts as a sophomore, and did well during our regionals."

MJ, Crystal, Peter, and even Eugene started exchanging glances. They knew that once Jason got started on sports, he would never shut up. It seemed that in Brian he had found the perfect person to talk to them about, which they all sort of regretted right now.

Across the room, Vicki was trying to eat her lunch while ignoring Blake and Joe. Like his brother, Jason was a sports nut, and Blake almost matched him. Usually Vicki kept up with sports just to talk to them, and of course because she had a terrible crush on Joe. She had tried to make it as obvious to him as possible, but in typical guy fashion, he hadn't a clue about it. Today however, she still had a headache from Blackout's touch, and she tried to replay the scene in the bank over in her mind. She wanted to figure out if she could spot any weakness that she could exploit next time she ran into him.

Well, I know he can steal our powers, but he can also create that painful darkness. Is the darkness his power? Or is his power absorption similar to Rogue's. Did he take the Darkness from somebody? Even so, how do we combat him? I got my butt kicked royally last time; I need to see if I can find Spidey tonight to discuss this with him. Too bad that he doesn't just go to school here, that would be so much easier.

After school, Peter prepared to go home. He said goodbye to Jason, MJ, and the rest of the gang, which now included Brian. As he prepared to get on the bus to go home, he heard his name called out. "Peter! Ben's here to walk home with you." Peter turned around and saw Ben standing with MJ.

"Thanks, MJ! Hey, Ben, how are you? And how come you came over here?"

"Oh, well, Nick has been sick today, and I miss getting to hang out with you, so I decided you and me could walk home together. I, uh, I got a ride over here."

Across town, as Peter and Ben continued their conversation and prepared to leave school, Nick sat on his bed with a determined look on his face. He had almost located Blackout last time, and he knew that this would be the time he would find him. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, putting all his energy into reconnecting the momentary bond with Blackout. He felt the darkness coming back, threatening to knock him out again, but before it did, he finally got a location. Blackout was at Midtown High School, where Ben's cousin Peter attended school!

[cradleman]

ISSUE #5: Gameplan

When he woke up, Nick reached up for the phone weakly; most of his strength had been sapped by the effort to find Blackout, and he was still groggy from the visions reconnecting with Blackout had given him. He looked at the Daily Bugle, looking for the number for the reporter working on the Blackout robbery. When he finally found it, he dialed and waited for the man to pick up.

At his desk, David was calling some contacts, and about to head out to try to get more info on Blackout, when his desk phone rang. Slightly annoyed, he picked up the phone and briskly said, "Daily Bugle Crime, David Harvey speaking. Can I help you?"

On the other end, Nick hesitated, but spoke up quickly. "Hi, my name is Nick. Nick Grey. I have info on the man named Blackout."

David's eyes widened, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't a prank call. "How do I know this info you are giving me is accurate?

Nick sighed. "I'm a mutant. I have registered with the government, so if you have any contacts there, they will confirm this. The info I have is strictly confidential, and for you only unless otherwise necessary."

"Why are you contacting me then? If this info is so important, why don't you contact the police? Not that I'm complaining for the scoop, though."

"I don't want to be bothered and hassled about being a mutant. I also don't think they will believe me. Your writing portrays a sense of character, so that is why I have trusted you to tell you what I know."

"Alright then, what do you have? If it helps I will even pay you."

"I don't need the money, I just want to help out any way I can. The man you are looking for, Blackout, was at Midtown High School today at about 3:00 P. M."

"And how do you know this?"

"Yesterday, at the bank, Blackout made contact with my skin. Whenever that happens, an irrevocable bond is formed between us. I can always locate whoever has touched me by momentarily reforming the bond, though it does require a great deal of effort."

David excitedly wrote down the info, and since he had no leads at the moment, anything was good news. "Thank you very much for the info, hopefully it will turn up something." He slammed the phone down and rushed out the door. Meanwhile, in an alley downtown, Peter was toying with Aunt May's digital camera. Oh, God, I hope I don't break this thing! She will so kill me. They won't even find anything left of me! I know it! Ok, let's not freak out now, and um, let's see how this works. He set the camera to automatic, and webbed the camera to the wall. Ok, I hope that does it. Now, I wonder what the public wants to see. Maybe Spidey doing flexing poses? Or, howabout one of me hangin' upside down? Me walking on a wall? As he thought of each random pose, he did them as the camera clicked away. An hour and about thirty weird poses too many later, Peter had the pictures he wanted. Now, how the heck am I supposed to get them to the Bugle? E-mail? No, not for the first. I'll need to transfer the pics to a jump drive and see what Jolly Jonah thinks.

Vicki looked around her house, and saw nobody was looking. She yelled to Blake that she was going to bed and not to bother her. She then created an illusion of her sleeping, and another illusion to hide herself while she changed, then snuck out. Now, I need to find Spider-Man. But, how? I need to think like a spider. An icky, disgusting, filthy spider. Queens? No, no skyscrapers there. I'll try up near midtown first. You know, I really, really need a Miragemobile. Now I have to sneak on a bus, or maybe the subway. That's just great. Within an hour though, Mirage was in midtown, searching for Spider-Man. I need to create an illusion of some super-villain of his. But, wait, has he fought anybody yet? Oh! There was that dude made of sand. I'll just make it look like he's attacking some people on the street. She concentrated, and soon the illusion had formed. Spidey was high above, on his way home to fix the pictures he had taken. I'm glad my arm is feeling good enough to web-sling, I wasn't sure it would heal in time, and I really didn't want to walk home. Just then, he spotted Mirage's illusion. Oh, Crap! I just put that guy away! Oh My GOD! He was seriously hard to beat! And how in the world did he escape jail? I thought they put him into some unbreakable metal container! Aw, man, this really sucks.

As he swung down to face Sandman, all of a sudden, Sandman and the people he was trying to rob were gone. Mirage heard Spidey mutter "What the. . ." and then he uttered something that he probably shouldn't have said had there been young children around.

"Um, hi, Spider-Man!"

"Mirage?" The surprise on his face was evident, even through the mask. "Why in the world did you do that? You about gave me a heart attack!"

"Well, I needed to contact you, and there's no light in the sky to let you know I need to get a hold of you. So I figured an illusion of a super-villain would do the trick instead."

"Well, you have gotten my attention. You've also pissed me off in the process, but we'll ignore that for now. What do you need? I WAS busy."

"I wanted to see how you want to go about fighting Blackout. He kicked our rears pretty bad last time out, so I figured you might want to game plan for next time around."

"You need to go home and worry about boys, not fight Blackout. You can't even be in high school yet. Leave Blackout to the big boys like me."

"The big boys like you? Didn't Blackout nearly kill you at the bank? And you can't be more than a couple years older than me yourself, so I don't want to hear the age crap from you. I have these powers for a reason, and I'm gonna help take out the bad guys with it."

"Fine! But, if you get hurt, don't come crying to me. I've already warned you."

"Consider me warned, now do you have any ideas?"

"Well, we know he has the power of darkness, and he also has the ability to take other super-powers from those who have them. The question is really how he can use them. Does he only use one at a time? All at once? Does he lose them after a certain time? Also, can the darkness always be generated, or does he have a limit. Can he use the darkness in conjunction with one or all of his acquired powers?

"That's a crapload of questions."

Peter glared at Mirage through the mask, "I wasn't finished yet," he said, quite annoyed. "Still though, as you can tell there are a lot of unknowns that come into play when fighting a super-villain. So, consider this your training. Super-villain 101, so to speak."

"Ok, so we have all these questions about his powers. Do we even have a clue as to how to beat him?"

"Oh," Spidey said with a smile, "I have a good idea. Are you ready for part two of your training?" He quickly laid out the plan of attack for the next time that Blackout attacked.

The next day after school, Peter swung over to the Daily Bugle and walked up to the front desk.

"May I help you?" the lady at the desk asked Peter.

"Oh, uh, I hope so. I have pictures for Mr. Jameson for the contest about Spider-Man."

"I'm sorry; you must not have read the fine print in the ad. It says that you need to be at least 21, and be available anytime for work. It is quite specific, and I don't believe you qualify. Have a nice day."

Peter turned and walked toward the door, quite confused. He turned back around to argue, but the woman gave him the meanest look he'd ever received. He hurriedly turned around and went out the door. Well, that sucks. He looked up at where J. Jonah Jameson's office was. Of course, Spidey himself may be able to get in, then let Peter Parker take over from there. Once Jameson sees these photos, he's gonna flip! And hopefully in a good way this time. Peter ducked into a nearby alley, and quickly changed into his costume. He then climbed the building next to him and swung over to the floor of the Bugle that housed their offices. He made sure no one was looking and entered through the window into a closet, then changed back into Peter. He opened the door, and stepped out. He spotted Betty, and his smile widened a bit. Well, if I work here, at least the scenery will be good. He decided to walk over to her, and see if she would take the photos.

"Uh, hello"

Betty smiled at Peter. "Well, hello. What are you doing up here?"

"I h-I have pictures."

"Okay, but we try not to use freelancers, and I know for certain you aren't a staff photographer."

"No, it-it's Spider-Man."

"Wait, YOU have Spider-Man pictures?"

"Yes! Uh, yeah, that is what I was trying to say. I have Spider-Man pictures. Here, with me. On this jump drive."

"Well, I don't think that technically you meet the requirements in the ad, but if you managed to get up here anyways, you must be resourceful. I should at least take a look at the pictures, especially since no one else has come even close to getting a spider-man picture. Now, can I have it?"

"What?"

"The jump drive with the pictures on it, can I have it?"

"Oh, well, yeah, sure, of course, why not?"

"You should probably just shut up and give me the pictures. I'm probably ten years older than you." Peter finally managed to give her the drive. When Betty started looking through the pictures, she gasped in surprise and quickly grabbed the phone. "Mr. Jameson, you will want to come out here. Like, RIGHT NOW!"

She heard JJJ cursing under his breath as he walked over to her, but she just laughed and shook her head. "Yes, Miss Brant? I hope this is important. I was in the middle of my cigar break! Why is this pipsqueak here? Security! Get this twerp out of here!"

"No! Mr. Jameson, he's why I called you out here."

"Because of this KID?! Are you CRAZY!?"

Betty turned her computer around and showed Jameson the pics. "Not if these are any indication of what he can bring in."

Jameson's mouth hung open, and for almost an entire half second he was speechless. Then he cracked a huge, very ugly smile and slapped Peter on the back. "Well, I guess you win the contest son!"

"So I get the staff job?"

Jameson doubled over laughing, and finally managed to regain composure. "Of course not! You can't be more than 15!"

"I'm actually 18."

"Well, you have to look 21 to even think about a staff job here. Anyways, we don't usually use freelancers, but if you keep bringing in Spidey pics like this, I won't have a choice but to keep taking them off your hands. And for these, I'll even spring for a generous hundred bucks!"

Both Peter and Betty stared at Jameson, and he finally muttered the price they should have been. Peter smiled and Jameson walked into his office, complaining about how kids never appreciate money like they did in the old days. Betty gave Peter his check, and a huge smile spread across his face. Wow, I mean, expected a lot, but, Wow! Well, that's one thing down, one thing to go. He glanced around once more, stepped quickly into the closet and swung out a minute later as Spider-Man. Now, if I can only find Daredevil.

[cradleman]

ISSUE #6: Daredevil

In his hideout, now completely hidden thanks to Mirage's power of illusion, Blackout sat devising his newest plan. He was dressed in black, with red flames around his ankles and wrists. Also, there was some gold fire that descended from each side of his neck and met at his belt. Because of the darkness and size of the suit, he really could have been anyone. The only thing protecting his identity was the carefully held darkness that covered his face. He could hold the blackness covering his face indefinitely, and always did when in costume. Covering an entire building, however, could drain him quickly. The bank had just been a practice run, both to test his power and to see how long it would take to recover from the strain of holding his blackout that long. It had been almost two days, and he was close to full power once again. Soon, he thought, soon, I will be the most powerful man in the world. I will be at full strength at midnight tonight, and tomorrow, I will attack S.H.I.E.L.D. Although it will be a slightly new attack plan, it should still be undefeatable, even if Spider-Man once again interferes. With the wealth of information stored in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, in this "Information Age" I will be the most powerful person on the planet. And to think, if anyone had a clue who I really was. . . He smiled a crooked smile beneath the blackness, and laughed wickedly.

Meanwhile, Spidey swung through Hell's Kitchen, looking for Daredevil. Man, I really hope he exists! I'd hate to waste my time looking for a rumor, but since nobody has ever actually seen him, that is all he is right now. But the word on the street says he exists, looking out for the underprivileged people who live here. Supposedly, he is able to operate in the total darkness here at nights in Hell's Kitchen, so maybe he could help me with Blackout. If I ever find him, that is. I know Blackout's darkness is a little different, but still it's similar. I need to find him in the next few minutes, though. It's getting late, and Aunt May's going to be worried sick about me. I'm starting to think that this is a useless search. Just then, he thought he caught a glimpse of something red swinging around. Then again, I don't believe there are mirrors here. Could that really be him?

Of course, it was Daredevil who was also swinging around Hell's Kitchen, looking for the crime that so commonly occurred in this area. He was blind, but a latent mutant gene had activated a few months ago, giving him super-senses. Although he had not regained his sight, all his other senses, especially hearing and smell were greatly improved. Also, he had gained a "Radar Sense" as he called it that let him know where objects and people were. He had just landed on a roof to rest for a minute when he heard something.

"Daredevil? THE Daredevil? You're real! You're really, really REAL! I can't believe it! I'm actually talking to a superhero! A real live superhero!"

Daredevil heard something familiar in the heartbeat. He turned and asked, "And you are?"

"I'm, oh, I'm Spider-Man. Haven't you heard of me?"

"Yes, but, I've never seen you before. And aren't you a super-hero too?"

"Oh, sorry bout that, I just got a little carried away. It's just that, well, I mean, you're freakin' DAREDEVIL!"

Just then, the heartbeat, the voice, even some of the smell hit Daredevil, and he realized why it all seemed so familiar. "Wait a minute, I know you! Oh, my, God! Peter Parker!"

"Um, no, uh, wh-why would you think something ridiculous such as that? I don't-I don't even know who that is!"

Daredevil smiled and removed his mask. This time, it was Peter's turn to be shocked. "BEN! But, but, you're blind! How can you of all people be a superhero?"

"Apparently, I'm a mutant. I'm blind, but everything else is working at over five(probably more, now that I think about it) times the efficiency of a normal human being. And, I also have some sort of radar sense that allows me to tell how far away people and objects are. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Well, not as cool as being bit by a genetically altered spider. You'll have to ask me to tell you that story sometime. Anyways, I need to ask you a question. How would feel about helping to take down a mutant named Blackout?"

Back at the Bugle, David was looking over the surveillance video that he had acquired from Midtown High's security cameras. He got down the name of everyone at the time that Nick had told him Blackout had been on the school grounds. He also had wisely checked Nick's background with his government contacts, and they had all said that Nick was on the level. David looked down at his list and rolled his eyes. Three quarters of the student body, all the bus drivers, all the staff and teachers, and some visitors were printed out in a sheet. "Great. I've got it down to about two thousand. At least it's a start." He started looking back through the video footage and circling the names of those who seemed the most obvious. He looked for about five minutes, when his eyes fell on the new student, Zane Blackard!

The next morning, Peter couldn't wait to get to school. He excitedly hugged Aunt May and sprinted out the door, not even waiting for the bus. About ten minutes later, he realized how stupid that was, so he changed into Spider-Man and swung to school. When he got there and changed back, he looked for MJ. When he saw her he called out, "MJ! You'll never believe what happened." MJ smiled and shook her head.

"You mean that you got a freelance job taking pictures of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle?"

"Oh, then maybe you will guess what happened." Peter looked confused. "But how did you know? I didn't even tell Aunt May. Oh my God! I forgot to tell Aunt May!"

"Relax, Pete! Apparently a Miss Brant from the Bugle called looking for you. Aunt May took the call, then told my mom, who then told me! Although, I would tell Aunt May soon, if I were you."

"Oh, but, she ruined my surprise." Peter looked away, somewhat crestfallen.

"Oh, come on!" MJ gave him a hug to cheer him up, "You are going to make a lot of money now! And, you have me for a best friend. What more could you ask for? So it's not all bad, now is it?"

Peter brightened and said, "No, but still, I wanted to surprise you.'

"Well, my mom did, so I guess that's something."

"Yeah, that's something alright. Just don't tell the rest of the gang. I'm going to tell them at lunch. If you did tell them already, please go back and tell them to forget you ever told them." Peter looked down at his watch. "Oh, crap, first period is in two minutes! I can't be late again! See you in a little while, MJ!"

His news was well received at lunch, and all acted surprised. Of course, for all but Brian it was because MJ had told them to act surprised, since she had told them all before Peter had arrived. Jason spoke up Peter delivered the news, "Hey, why don't we go to the Silver Spoon? It will be fun, and we can celebrate Peter's new job. We can go right after school today."

Most agreed, except Brian. "I'm sorry guys. I'd love to go, but my parents said I had to go home straight after school to help with the unpacking. They want to get as much unpacked as possible this week.

"Ok, but everyone, meet at the Silver Spoon at 4:00. That way we can properly celebrate Pete's new cash inflow." After that Peter, MJ, Crystal, and Eugene started discussing the morning's classes, while Jason and Brian talked about the latest baseball news, something about one more star testing positive for steroids.

By 5:30 P.M., Peter was out of the Silver Spoon and had started swinging around the city when he saw it. Oh, no. He's attacking S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters! If he gets the information stored in there, he could be practically unstoppable. I have to stop him, and I hope Ben shows up like I asked him too. Spidey took off toward Blackout, dreading the newest confrontation.

Nick saw on the news that Blackout had started to strike again, so he quickly got up and drove to the scene of Blackout's latest disturbance. David Harvey was following up a lead on Zane, but his foster parents had said that they hadn't Zane since before school. Vicki was across town, and had to beg off of a game of two-on-one because she "wasn't feeling well." She hated doing it, but she needed to get away, and slip onto a bus going towards S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

[cradleman]

ISSUE #7: Showdown

As Spidey approached S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, he got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Most people get butterflies, but for Peter, it was more like wasps. God, I really hope Ben can follow through on the plan. I really don't want to get my butt handed to me like last time. Of course, even if this DOES go according to plan, I might. He saw the building up ahead, and readied himself for the pain that he remembered the blackness inflicting last time. Using his spider-sense, he swung toward where a window was and went straight through it. As he crashed through, he didn't feel any of the pain he remembered from last time. He looked up, and realized he could see everything in the building. Using his spider-sense, he knew that Blackout was two levels above him. He looked back outside, to see that Blackout had only surrounded the building in black, not completely engulfed it as he had the bank. I wonder why he only surrounded the building. Does his power have a time or size limit on it? And where are all the S.H.I.E.L.D. people? Curious, Peter went to face him.

Outside the building Mirage got off the bus and sprinted past the policeman standing outside the building. She heard the cops shouting demands at Blackout, but there was no reply from inside. She took the stairs and just kept running 'til she heard Spider-Man's voice from the floor above her. I really need to visit Tony Stark and see if he could hook me up with a faster way to do this kind of stuff. Jet Pack! That's what I need! I really hate taking the bus or the subway. Takes so long, I'm just surprised that I made it at all. And it is so gross! Ew! But that's to think about later.Now, if only spidey's plan we set up will work. Taking a deep breath she charged inside the door to see Blackout and Spidey going at it.

Ten Minutes before

As Spidey climbed in the window to the room where Blackout was, he gasped in surprise. Every single agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that had been in the building was tied up in the middle of the floor, including Colonel Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Hey, Blackie! Is this a private party, or can anybody join? And did I have to bring a date? Cause I think she's coming.'

Blackout turned and faced Spider-Man and gave a wicked laugh. "Oh, you think you're so funny don't you. Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you are quite wrong. Oh, and I'm going to kill you in fifteen minutes, along with everyone is this room. Isn't that right, Colonel Fury?"

Fury, a middle aged black man missing an eye from an unknown previous encounter just spit at Blackout. "I hope you die, you pathetic miscreant."

"Oh, come now, you are just mad that I have humiliated you, stolen your tech and information, and now am going to kill you and your other members of this pathetic operation."

"Come now, leave the poor Colonel alone. Pick on someone with superpowers."

Blackout smiled, even though no one could see it. "Very well, although I can promise that you are going to regret that statement." In less than a second, he had crossed the entire room and was battering Spider-Man with countless punches. Although normal punches usually didn't even faze Peter, the sheer number of punches in a few seconds was almost numbing, and quite painful.

"Oh, please," Peter muttered painfully, "Is that all you got."

Blackout slowed down, and all of a sudden, the room was gone, replaced by a desert, hot and dry. The heat baked Peter and his injuries felt worse. He concentrated on his spider-sense, and realized something. "You're a big faker! Faker, Fakey, Fakest! Did you really think that one of Mirage's illusions was going to fool me for more than a few seconds? Come on now, surely you aren't that stupid."

The illusion disappeared, and Blackout stood before Spider-Man. A very imposing figure, he stood tall over Spider-Man. "Very well, I'm in a generous mood. I have the information I needed thanks to a very generous technopath two weeks ago. And, you will die in ten minutes anyways, so I might as well make this a little work out for me. From now on, I'll be using your Spider-powers."

"Well, gee Blackie, you're just too kind. It's a wonder you didn't become a girl scout!"

"Shut up! Just let me squash you with out any further words."

"No thanks, although I must say, I'm glad you didn't absorb my ability for witty quips, 'cause that could have made this situation quite awkward."

"Silence!"

Blackout moved on the attack, swinging as hard as Peter could, never relenting or giving ground. Peter ducked and dodged, swinging back as much as he could. Thanks to the fact that both Blackout and Peter had spider-sense, each avoided the others blows, although they were fighting more than twice as fast as normal humans. Peter realized that thanks to his injuries from their last battle, he wouldn't be able to outlast Blackout. Because he had used it longer, he knew he had to trick Blackout's spider-sense. As Blackout's next punch came near Peter's face, Peter moved to act like he was dodging, when he suddenly grabbed Blackout's hand and spun hard. He threw Blackout into the wall, leaving a huge dent in the metal. "Betcha didn't expect that, Blackie. Now please say you are down for the count so I can web you up and take you into custody."

"Never! I will defeat you, you MORON!"

Suddenly, Blackout disappeared. "Gee, Blackie, I've heard of Hide-n-Seek, but this is just ridiculous!" Just then Blackout reappeared on the other side of the room. Spidey ran toward him, but something screamed at Peter not to. In the heat of battle, though, he ignored it and concentrated on Blackout. As he got closer, he realized what it was that was bugging him. Wait a minute, Blackout's not moving! Oh, no, I think I just got duped by an illusion. Just like the kind I told him wouldn't fool me. Crap! Blackout suddenly appeared right in front of Peter, and the Blackout that Peter had been running toward disappeared. As Spider-Man saw Blackout step to the side and extend his arm, he realized what was about to happen and his spider-sense tingled like mad, but he was unable to stop or change direction. "Oh, sh. . . " was all he managed before the clothesline caught him full on the neck, taking all the breath out of him, and flipping him into the air, before he landed hard on his side. "Well," Spidey choked out, "Now I now how Charlie Brown feels after trying to kick the football."

"You have spoken your last words, wallcrawler! Let's hope they were not as frivolous as they sounded to me." He brought his fist for the finishing blow, when the room disappeared, replaced by a holding cell. "What the?"

"Leave him alone!" Mirage cried out, "Try me now."

"Very well, but you will regret this, child." Blackout concentrated, and the room went pitch black. Both Spider-Man and Mirage screamed in pain, and Blackout hit Mirage hard enough to knock her out. "You really should have gotten a different shtick; this one just didn't work out how you thought it would." He swung down at her unconscious form, about to punch through her skull when suddenly there was nothing there. His fist hit the concrete floor, and it cracked under the blow. He looked up and saw Spider-Man with Mirage jumping out the window. "Spider-Man! Come back here you coward!" he snarled with rage.

"Sorry, Blackie, but I have special appreciation for this thing called life, and I don't really want you taking it from me. Oh, and Fury told me where your bomb was. It has already been defused and destroyed. See you on the ground floor!" Spidey jumped out the window, and onto a web cushion he'd fashioned on the ground. He got Mirage over to the medics and instructed for them to leave her mask on. He then looked up and saw what he'd hoped to see, a red figure using a billy club to do what Spidey did with his webs. "Good old Ben," he managed to mutter then he collapsed. Just then, a figure jumped out the window where Spider-Man had come from.

As Ben swung toward the building, he could sense Peter down on the ground, and by the sound of his pulse, he knew Peter was badly injured. Oh, Pete, what have you gone and done? I just hope this crazy, stupid scheme works. He angled down and swung at the figure that had just jumped out of the window.

Two minutes earlier

On the street below, Nick Grey surveyed the scene. The blackness surrounding the building had lifted and it looked normal, but because of their bond, Nick had been able to tell that Blackout was still inside. As he scanned the building, and on the sixth floor, he saw the darkness concentrated in one room. He looked to his right and saw a man drive up, when he recognized him from his picture in the newspaper. "Mr. Harvey! Over here." David looked up when Nick called his name.

"And who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Nick Grey. I called you on the phone the other day. The police think Blackout has left, since the blackness around the building is gone, but I can tell he's still inside. I tried to tell one of the policemen, but he ignored me. I need you to tell them to get away from the building."

Just then, Spider-Man and Mirage landed on the ground. As Spider-Man handed Mirage to the medics and collapsed, Nick saw Nick Fury jump out of the window that Spider-Man had come out of. One of the policemen ran up to him, "Oh, Colonel Fury! It's so good to see you made it out safely! How did you survive the jump?"

Fury smiled wickedly, and Nick realized why. He tried to scream out, "That's not Nick Fury! Get away from him!" but his warning came too late. The illusion surrounding Blackout disappeared, and he lashed out at the officer, punching clean through his chest. "Boy, Spider-Man, I must say I didn't realize how strong you were. This will come in quite handy."

"Not for long, it won't! You really shouldn't have done that." Daredevil swung down and kicked Blackout in the face. Blackout recoiled slightly from the blow and laughed again.

"Obviously, super-strength isn't your ability. Why don't we find out what it is?"

Before Ben could even move, Blackout had moved to him, using his super-speed. He knocked Ben back onto the ground, and grabbed his face. Ben screamed in pain as Blackout absorbed his ability.

"Now, let's see EXACTLY what your ability is."

As he stood there, he suddenly screamed and collapsed. This time, it was Daredevil's turn to laugh. As he stood weakly, he went over to Spider-Man and helped him up. "You were right, without him being blind, my power was too much for him to handle. Even though he was surrounded by darkness, he could see straight through it. When he activated my power, all of his senses went into overload, and his body shut down. It looks like his disguise is gone, so let's see who is inside the suit.'

As they walked over to reveal Blackout's identity to the world, suddenly the entire block was filled with darkness. Amid the screams and cries of pain, a sickening voice could be heard. "You have defeated me this time, but I will recover, and I WILL return to kill you." With that, the darkness was gone, and Blackout with it.

The next day, Peter looked at the paper and sighed. Once again, Jameson was blaming him, saying he had some part in helping Blackout escape. At least Mirage and Ben got good press. Geez, what is it about that guy that makes him hate me so? Oh, well, I'm glad I webbed Aunt May's camera to the building across the street in case the battle came outside. At least that picture of me looks nice, even if it is the one where I'm collapsing as Daredevil kicks Blackout..

At the Bugle, David looked at the footage of Blackout's defeat. "Oh, I haven't proven it yet, Zane, but I now know that you are Blackout, and I'm going to show the world. They deserve to know the truth."

[Frostbite200]

I don't really remember much of that...I think I might reread them sometime!

[cradleman]

Ok, I figured I'd give a quick update. I have the first draft of the Next issue done, and i have one issue left to finish the arc. Yeah, it's short, but it's necessary. depending on what kind of homework I'm given over the next few days, I hope to finish up arc 2 over the weekend, meaning Issue 7 will hopefully be posted on Wednesday. Stay tuned for further updates. Oh, and if you need to reread or catch up, now is most definitely the time to do so.

[Frostbite200]

Feb 2, 2010 23:47:14 GMT -6 cradleman said:

Ok, I figured I'd give a quick update. I have the first draft of the Next issue done, and i have one issue left to finish the arc. Yeah, it's short, but it's necessary. depending on what kind of homework I'm given over the next few days, I hope to finish up arc 2 over the weekend, meaning Issue 7 will hopefully be posted on Wednesday. Stay tuned for further updates. Oh, and if you need to reread or catch up, now is most definitely the time to do so.

Anything yet?

[cradleman]

no, not yet. I haven't been in the writing mood in a little bit. maybe soon

[Frostbite200]

Feb 15, 2010 13:35:09 GMT -6 cradleman said:

no, not yet. I haven't been in the writing mood in a little bit. maybe soon

Alright ,thanks!

[cradleman]

Issue #8: Discoveries

Vicki slowly opened her eyes as she regained consciousness and nearly screamed in the agony that she experienced. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and when she went to wipe them away, she realized that she was unable. She strained to remind herself of what she was doing when she blacked out, and finally she remembered why she hurt so badly. Blackout! He must have enveloped me with that wicked painful darkness of his. I think he may have broken some of my bones too. God, where am I? Last I remember, I was fighting him in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. . . . She looked around, even as every nerve in her head and neck screamed at her to lie still and as more tears formed in her eyes. She looked at her hands and saw them strapped to her side. She was under a white sheet, and it looked as if she was on a hospital bed. Looking to the side, she saw herself in the mirror and breathed a small sigh of relief. At least they left my mask on; it would have been embarrassing for Mom and Blake (and Joe) to find out who I was. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to tell them, I’ll just go on pretending to be a human for my entire life. Just then, she heard a voice, but it was unlike any voice she had ever heard. It was almost as if the voice was being broadcast directly into her brain.

*Good morning Miss Malone. My name is Charles Xavier. Welcome to my Institute.*

Forty miles away from the Xavier Institute of Westchester, Spider-Man was busy swinging through the Sky Scrapers on the island of Manhattan. He had been working, trying to root out crime from the streets for almost three hours, and it was starting to get dark. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for the people of Manhattan) Peter hadn’t seen a single crime today. Nothing! Not a mugging, no carjackings, no robberies, I can’t even find a jaywalker! Its days like these, Peter thought to himself as he swung, that really annoy me. It’s like being a superhero has made me wish there was more crime, but still! I’m pissed off that we couldn’t capture Blackout, AND I just got a B on 2 tests! I can’t believe that! So now I need some lowlife creep to pound into submission, and what do I find? Not a single motherf-

Just then, he heard what sounded like a gunshot below and slightly behind him. He grinned under his mask and released his webline, turning around and dropping 30 stories before firing another one as he took off toward the sound that was becoming more and more frequent over the passing seconds. When he finally arrived, Peter could only stare in disbelief at the sight of a kid slamming a door over and over again. Suddenly the kid noticed him standing there and just gave him a look. Spidey realized how stupid he probably looked, and quickly blurted out “Hey, kid, stop slamming that door. Someone might get the wrong idea and think bad guys were shooting at you or something.”

“What is wrong with you? Who in the heck would be stupid enough to think that?”

“Uh, no one of course, but it, uh . . . never hurts to be certain. Bye!”

Great, now there’s no one to hit AND I look like an idiot. Some days. . . Peter shook his head in annoyance and turned to swing toward home. As he neared his home, he looked at his cell phone and realized what the date was. Oh my God! It’s November 23! That means that tomorrow . . . tomorrow is the 6 months to the day that Uncle Ben died. And he died because of me. It was because of my selfishness, because of my greed. If only I’d listened to his words of advice, but no. Because I had to go and have fun, my uncle is dead. I’m so thankful for Aunt May and Ben, without them who knows where I would be. About this time, Peter looked up and saw that he was already at his house. He brushed away the tears that had formed during the brief walk home and opened the door.

Nick held the phone in his hands, unwilling to dial the number. He felt hurt and betrayed, but he didn’t want to make the call to talk about it. He wanted to pretend as if it weren’t true, but he knew it was. He sighed and finally dialed.

Ben was alone in his apartment trying to catch an afternoon nap when he heard his phone ring. He slowly got up and walked over, attempting to clear his head before answering. “Hello, this is Ben Reilly.”

“Ben, it’s Nick.”

“Hey, man, how’s it going? You need some help studying for your tests that are coming up?”

“No. Look, we need to talk about something. Can you meet me at my place in half an hour?”

“Um, sure thing Nick, I’ll see you then. You okay?”

“I’m fine. See you in a few minutes.”

Ben hung up the phone and went to go get his costume. After all, he thought to himself, why take a cab when you can swing around the rooftops on a billy club? Nick said he was okay, but he sounded pissed off. I wonder why?

Peter opened the door and walked quietly inside. He looked at his watch, which read 9:00 PM. Oh, gees, I’m late. I sure hope I don’t get grounded. I wonder where Aunt May is, she must have gone to bed already. He walked into the kitchen and looked for dinner on the table but there was none. He looked toward the stove when suddenly he caught the smell of something burning. Is that the food? Aunt May would never leave the food on too long. Heck, if anything she undercooks everything. I wonder why she left it on too long, or why it would even still be burning at 9. Something must be wrong. Although he was trying to keep himself calm and collected, Peter started to panic on the inside a bit. He called out for Aunt May, but there was no answer. Peter went to walk to the other side of the kitchen counter to turn off the stove and tripped. He looked down and nearly yelled in shock.

“Where did you take me?” Vicki was not happy. Not only was she in massive amounts of pain, but this bald freak in a wheelchair wouldn’t tell her where she was.

*I’ve told you several times to calm down, and everything will be okay.*

“I don’t WANT to calm down; I want to know where I am and when I can get home! And will you get OUT OF MY F-”

“I know what you were about to say, and you are not to speak like that in this house, Miss Malone. I will speak with you verbally if that makes you more comfortable. Now, if you remain calm, I will tell you what you want to know. So will you calm down?

“Yes. But you’d better tell me what’s going on”

Ben reached up to knock on the door when Nick opened it. “Come on in.”

“Thanks. Hey, man, what’s wrong? You sounded kinda irritated on the phone.”

“Kinda irritated? Kinda irritated! How does super freaking ticked off strike you? Why didn’t you tell me? Did you think for even a second that I wouldn’t find out?”

“Why didn’t I tell you what? I have no clue what you are talking about, Nick.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were like me? Why didn’t you tell me you were a mutant?”

“Me? A mutant? Where did you get that idea?”

“Oh, now you are going to play games.” Nick’s features were contorted in anger. “You know my ability, right?”

“Yeah, anybody you touch you can see their future.”

“Yeah, well, I have a secondary ability too. Anybody I’ve touched, I form a bond with them. If I concentrate hard enough, I can find them anywhere on the globe at anytime. Well, a neat little side-effect is that I can also tell whenever they are near me. Not too long ago, I touched you, so I always know when you are around. That’s one of the reasons I knew to open the door when you got here. Here’s the kicker. As I was watching Spider-Man battle Blackout, I felt the signal you were near. I looked all around me, but realized the signal wasn’t coming from anybody in the crowd. Then I realized what you were . . . Daredevil. I’m not mad that you are a superhero, I’m glad you are doing something positive with your gift. What I’m upset about is that you wouldn’t tell me what you were. You wouldn’t trust me, wanted to shut me out of a part of your life! I have shared everything with you! And the one thing we have most in common, the mutant gene, you won’t even tell me about!”

“Nick, I-I’m sorry, I should have told you. I know this sounds corny, but I didn’t want to get you hurt. You are my best friend, but I never knew how you would respond to me having a mutant ability. I was wrong, and I apologize. Can you ever forgive me?”

Nick slowly looked up; the anger had faded, but a hurt expression had taken its place in his eyes. “Yes, Ben, I do. I’m probably being overdramatic about this, but even so it hurts that you wouldn’t trust me. Of course, hey, it’s not every man who can say his best friend is one of New York’s biggest superheroes.”

Just then the phone rang. Nick looked up with a puzzled look on his face. “Ben, did you give anybody this number?”

“Peter and Aunt May have it, I think. But they should have called my cell phone.” He reached into his pocket and came up empty. “Of course, they probably did. I can’t believe I left it at home.” Ben walked over to the telephone and picked it up. “Hello?”

Nick watched as a shocked expression spread over Ben’s face. He dropped the phone and turned to Nick.

[Frostbite200]

Sweet , Though I find the scene jumping is a little confusing.
Did you do that before?

[cradleman]

In previous issues the jumps were more distinct. I did it like that deliberately. cause i'm mean. no seriously, i just liked the way it flowed like that.

[Frostbite200]

Mar 16, 2010 18:06:37 GMT -6 cradleman said:

In previous issues the jumps were more distinct. I did it like that deliberately. cause i'm mean. :*- no seriously, i just liked the way it flowed like that.

OK, I don't mind that much.

[cradleman]

Author's note: this is a shorter issue and is the final part of the 2 issue arc 2. Both the title of this issue and the title of the arc will be revealed at the end of the issue.

Peter sat in the waiting room, dread filled his heart. His mind replayed the events of a few hours ago. When he had gone to turn off the stove he had tripped. As he looked down, Peter saw her lying on the ground, unmoving. “Aunt May!” Oh no, what has happened to her? Peter had felt for a pulse, and then let out a slight sigh of relief when he found one. It was faint, but it was still there. He reached for the phone and dialed 911. When the doctors had finally come and taken Aunt May to the hospital, Peter called Ben. He finally was able to reach him at his friend Nick’s apartment, and Ben said to wait for him and that he would be at the hospital as soon as possible.

Now, at midnight, waiting was all Peter could do. The seconds ticked by, but each seemed to be an hour long. More thoughts filled his mind. Some were of regret, but most were of helplessness. With great power, comes great responsibility. It’s easy to say, comes right off the tongue. It sounds good, but what does it even mean? Six months ago today, I failed to save the man who loved me more than life itself. Now another who has that same love for me is lying motionless in an operating room. I know that I have been given an extraordinary gift, but if I can’t use it to save the ones that means the most to me is the power even that great? I want to help her. I want to be in there saving Aunt May, but even with this amazing power, I’m totally helpless. The feeling, it’s . . . just too much.

As the thoughts churned, ever repeating and never stopping, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Mary Jane Watson standing above him. She saw the tears streaming from his eyes, and gave him a small smile. “Hi, Pete. I just heard about Aunt May and I figured that, well, that you might need your best friend.”

“MJ, you can’t believe how much your being here means to me.”

“Thanks. I’m glad I can be a help. Do you know how she is doing?” MJ sat on the couch beside Peter, casually letting her arm slide around behind him.

“No. . . I-.” Peter’s voice caught, the words stuck in his throat. He responded to instinct, and just leaned forward, hugging her to him tightly. The tears flowed freely as he whispered, “She’s so sick. I don’t know if she’s going to make it. I. . . I d-don’t know what I’m going to do without her. I’m so scared. What can I do? I’m so helpless.” Mary Jane didn’t reply, she merely pulled him tighter and let him cry while her own tears rolled down as well.

Ben arrived ten minutes later. He would have come sooner, but his emotions had thrown off his radar sense, and he’d hit a few walls before he’d adjusted. He rubbed one of the bruises as he entered. MJ said hello to alert him to her presence. He asked quietly if he could talk to Peter alone. She whispered yes and went to go find some food. Ben sat down, and spoke slowly. “Peter, did the paramedics say what went wrong?”

“They- They weren’t sure. One said it was possibly a heart attack, the other said it could have been a blood clot,” Peter sobbed. “All that I know for sure is that they said her chance of survival is less than 20%. Here we have all this power and we are stuck in a waiting room. What can we do? Is there anything we can do?”

“Pete, I wish I knew. In times like this, the only things you and I are able to do are hope and pray. I wish there was something more I could say, but you and I both know the truth.”

“I know, but why Ben? WHY?! I can’t believe this is happening, not today. Does God hate me Ben? Am I a horrible person? And if it had to happen, why six months to the day that Uncle Ben died?”

“Pete,” Ben started, but stopped. He sobbed, just realizing when Peter had mentioned it what day it was. The grief doubled and he couldn’t help but cry. He tried to stop the tears, tried to be strong for Peter but it was just too much. “I wish I had the answer, but I don’t Pete. God help me, I’m just as lost as you.”

“When Uncle Ben died, I vowed to fight crime. I felt awful because I could have prevented his death. But as horrible as that was, this is almost worse. I KNOW something is wrong. I KNOW that she is in dire trouble but I can’t do anything. And that pain just stabs me every moment.”

They hugged each other tightly, neither wanting to let go for at that moment, to let go might mean to lose the other. Finally, after several minutes, the door to the hospital corridors opened and an intern walked out, a grim expression on his face. Ben and Peter got up and slowly walked over to him, the look of dread in their faces. Mary Jane watched from the vending machines down the hall. She saw the intern say something, then watched Ben’s head fall. Peter wavered for a second, and then fell forward. The intern caught him and helped him stagger back to his feet. MJ realized what the scene meant, felt that sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t believe Aunt May was really gone. She hadn’t been her own flesh and blood, but being Peter’s best friend she and May had become almost like a mother and daughter. After only a few moments, she couldn’t handle the emotions anymore, and sprinted silently out the door.

Peter and Ben sat; looks of disbelief in their tear-stained faces. Peter finally gathered the courage to speak the words both were thinking. “She’s gone, Ben. She’s really, truly gone. And I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Issue #9: Goodbye

End Arc 2: Loss

[Frostbite200]

Mar 24, 2010 22:43:31 GMT -6 cradleman said:

Author's note: this is a shorter issue and is the final part of the 2 issue arc 2. Both the title of this issue and the title of the arc will be revealed at the end of the issue.

Peter sat in the waiting room, dread filled his heart. His mind replayed the events of a few hours ago. When he had gone to turn off the stove he had tripped. As he looked down, Peter saw her lying on the ground, unmoving. “Aunt May!” Oh no, what has happened to her? Peter had felt for a pulse, and then let out a slight sigh of relief when he found one. It was faint, but it was still there. He reached for the phone and dialed 911. When the doctors had finally come and taken Aunt May to the hospital, Peter called Ben. He finally was able to reach him at his friend Nick’s apartment, and Ben said to wait for him and that he would be at the hospital as soon as possible.

Now, at midnight, waiting was all Peter could do. The seconds ticked by, but each seemed to be an hour long. More thoughts filled his mind. Some were of regret, but most were of helplessness. With great power, comes great responsibility. It’s easy to say, comes right off the tongue. It sounds good, but what does it even mean? Six months ago today, I failed to save the man who loved me more than life itself. Now another who has that same love for me is lying motionless in an operating room. I know that I have been given an extraordinary gift, but if I can’t use it to save the ones that means the most to me is the power even that great? I want to help her. I want to be in there saving Aunt May, but even with this amazing power, I’m totally helpless. The feeling, it’s . . . just too much.

As the thoughts churned, ever repeating and never stopping, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Mary Jane Watson standing above him. She saw the tears streaming from his eyes, and gave him a small smile. “Hi, Pete. I just heard about Aunt May and I figured that, well, that you might need your best friend.”

“MJ, you can’t believe how much your being here means to me.”

“Thanks. I’m glad I can be a help. Do you know how she is doing?” MJ sat on the couch beside Peter, casually letting her arm slide around behind him.

“No. . . I-.” Peter’s voice caught, the words stuck in his throat. He responded to instinct, and just leaned forward, hugging her to him tightly. The tears flowed freely as he whispered, “She’s so sick. I don’t know if she’s going to make it. I. . . I d-don’t know what I’m going to do without her. I’m so scared. What can I do? I’m so helpless.” Mary Jane didn’t reply, she merely pulled him tighter and let him cry while her own tears rolled down as well.

Ben arrived ten minutes later. He would have come sooner, but his emotions had thrown off his radar sense, and he’d hit a few walls before he’d adjusted. He rubbed one of the bruises as he entered. MJ said hello to alert him to her presence. He asked quietly if he could talk to Peter alone. She whispered yes and went to go find some food. Ben sat down, and spoke slowly. “Peter, did the paramedics say what went wrong?”

“They- They weren’t sure. One said it was possibly a heart attack, the other said it could have been a blood clot,” Peter sobbed. “All that I know for sure is that they said her chance of survival is less than 20%. Here we have all this power and we are stuck in a waiting room. What can we do? Is there anything we can do?”

“Pete, I wish I knew. In times like this, the only things you and I are able to do are hope and pray. I wish there was something more I could say, but you and I both know the truth.”

“I know, but why Ben? WHY?! I can’t believe this is happening, not today. Does God hate me Ben? Am I a horrible person? And if it had to happen, why six months to the day that Uncle Ben died?”

“Pete,” Ben started, but stopped. He sobbed, just realizing when Peter had mentioned it what day it was. The grief doubled and he couldn’t help but cry. He tried to stop the tears, tried to be strong for Peter but it was just too much. “I wish I had the answer, but I don’t Pete. God help me, I’m just as lost as you.”

“When Uncle Ben died, I vowed to fight crime. I felt awful because I could have prevented his death. But as horrible as that was, this is almost worse. I KNOW something is wrong. I KNOW that she is in dire trouble but I can’t do anything. And that pain just stabs me every moment.”

They hugged each other tightly, neither wanting to let go for at that moment, to let go might mean to lose the other. Finally, after several minutes, the door to the hospital corridors opened and an intern walked out, a grim expression on his face. Ben and Peter got up and slowly walked over to him, the look of dread in their faces. Mary Jane watched from the vending machines down the hall. She saw the intern say something, then watched Ben’s head fall. Peter wavered for a second, and then fell forward. The intern caught him and helped him stagger back to his feet. MJ realized what the scene meant, felt that sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t believe Aunt May was really gone. She hadn’t been her own flesh and blood, but being Peter’s best friend she and May had become almost like a mother and daughter. After only a few moments, she couldn’t handle the emotions anymore, and sprinted silently out the door.

Peter and Ben sat; looks of disbelief in their tear-stained faces. Peter finally gathered the courage to speak the words both were thinking. “She’s gone, Ben. She’s really, truly gone. And I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Issue #9: Goodbye

End Arc 2: Loss

Wow, I gotta say, this IS the Best thing of yours, I've ever read...and I'm not just saying that!

10 outta 10!!!!

[sportsfan23]

just read both issues, and I must say, Excellent...really is some of your best work!

the emotions, the pain, I felt it as I read it and that's something a good writer can do. The suspense was also a great part of it, and then with a surprising, and depressing ending...it really adds a difference to the story...I think the two short episodes may, just MAY be, better then the first arc.