Tombstone Headquarters — Tombstone’s Office — Morning
The first rays of sunlight were only just beginning to illuminate New York, but behind the wide windows of Tombstone’s office, the atmosphere remained cold and heavy.
Seated behind his imposing desk, the head of the organization was already holding his phone to his ear, his gaze fixed on the horizon as an important conversation began with Norman Osborn.
— “Hello Norman, excuse my absence. I had… a few matters to take care of.”
— “A few matters? Maybe I could help you, we’re partners after all.”
— “Have you heard about Spider-Man?”
On the other end of the line, Norman slightly frowned.
The name had been circulating for some time already, fueling all kinds of rumors, but he had never really paid much attention to it.
— “Spider-Man? Those are just rumors… why bring him up?”
— “Because he really does exist. And he’s going to cause us problems.”
Norman’s interest was immediately piqued.
— “Meaning?”
Tombstone took the time to calmly formulate his response, even though an obvious frustration could be heard behind every one of his words.
— “It’s been a while since we last spoke, so it’s not surprising that you aren’t aware. But for months, all of my operations have been sabotaged by this masked man. I’ve lost a lot of money. And if this continues, our projects could suffer because of it.”
Norman remained thoughtful for a few moments, calmly processing this new information before speaking again.
— “I understand… but I imagine you’re not calling me just to complain. You have a plan?”
A slight smile appeared on Tombstone’s lips.
This was precisely the direction he had hoped to take the conversation.
— “Yes. But I’ll need you.”
Norman leaned slightly back in his chair, now fully attentive.
— “I’m listening.”
— “Yesterday, I sent a large group of my mercenaries, led by Montana. They ambushed him to neutralize him… but it failed. He took them all down. Even Montana, despite having advanced equipment that made him dangerous. And despite all that… Spider-Man won.”
As Tombstone spoke, Norman’s curiosity continued to grow.
One detail, in particular, had caught his full attention.
— “That equipment… you’re referring to the device that generates shockwaves, correct? I didn’t think it was already operational…”
Tombstone slowly nodded.
— “We managed to get it working, yes. But let’s be honest: your engineers are far better than mine. If we want to take Spider-Man down, we need to put opponents on his level against him. Not simple mercenaries. Transformed men, capable of surpassing him. You see what I mean?”
Norman’s fingers slowly came together in front of his face as he already began considering the possibilities such a request could offer him.
More than a simple business opportunity, this proposal represented a particularly stimulating scientific challenge.
— “You expect me to create super-soldiers. That’s not a bad idea… You already know that I believe a powerful opponent should be fought with an even more powerful one. But for that, I need test subjects.”
Tombstone had never intended to avoid that difficulty.
He knew Norman’s methods perfectly well…
and knew exactly what he expected from him.
— “I’m fully aware of that. I’ll provide you with as many test subjects as necessary. But in exchange, I want soldiers capable of crushing that bug.”
Those final words seemed to satisfy Norman.
A discreet smile appeared on his face.
— “As long as you bring me the test subjects, there won’t be any problem. In fact… one of our latest inventions is ready to be tested. If you want to strike Spider-Man today, send me your first volunteer. I’ll be waiting.”
New York — Streets of Manhattan — Morning
Once again, Peter Parker was late.
Suspended between the skyscrapers of Manhattan, he swung from web to web at an impressive speed, taking advantage of every burst of momentum to gain a few precious seconds in the hope of reaching Midtown High before classes began.
Despite all his efforts, he already knew the battle was lost.
— “Great… late again. Seriously, how is that even possible? I’m Spider-Man, I’m faster than cars and I can never be on time! This is ridiculous…”
As he continued racing above the busy streets of New York, his gaze instinctively swept over the traffic below.
That was when one vehicle immediately caught his attention.
Its trajectory was erratic, uncontrolled, and it was speeding straight through traffic without slowing down.
His expression immediately changed.
— “Well… school can wait!”
Without wasting a second, Spider-Man abruptly changed his trajectory and dove toward the street.
At the same moment, a pedestrian nearly got hit head-on by the truck speeding at full speed.
Spider-Man appeared at the last second, grabbed him in one smooth movement and pulled him out of its path before setting him down several meters away.
Around them, several people had already stopped.
Some, shocked by what they had just witnessed.
Others…
by the person who had just intervened.
— “Oh my God… it’s Spider-Man! Look!”
— “So he really exists?!”
Without paying them any more attention, Spider-Man leaped onto the roof of the truck, which was still speeding uncontrollably.
He immediately leaned toward the windshield and saw the driver, completely unconscious over the steering wheel.
His expression tightened slightly.
— “Great… he’s out cold.”
He quickly forced the door open, took control of the steering wheel to avoid the other vehicles, then pulled the driver out of his seat before gently placing him on a thick web stretched between two buildings, where he would be safe.
But when he turned his attention back to the road, his blood ran cold.
A young girl was crossing the street against the red light, her eyes buried in her notebooks, completely unaware of the danger rushing straight toward her.
— “Oh shit…!”
Without the slightest hesitation, he violently turned the wheel.
The truck abruptly swerved from its path, missing the young girl by only a few centimeters before crashing into the front of an empty building with a deafening impact.
The collision threw Spider-Man against the cab.
His right hand violently struck a metal part of the vehicle while several pieces of glass and concrete lightly tore through his suit.
A few seconds later, he pushed away the debris around him and stood up with a grimace.
— “Ow… that stings.”
Despite the pain, his first reaction was to check on the people around him.
He quickly scanned the area before calling out to the bystanders.
— “You okay? Is everyone all right?”
To his great surprise, no one answered him immediately.
The faces surrounding him showed neither relief nor gratitude.
Only fear…
and distrust.
A woman eventually spoke timidly.
— “W-who are you?!… Are you… a monster?”
Before he could even answer, another man spoke up as well.
— “You almost killed us, and the driver too!”
Those words struck Spider-Man head-on.
For a moment, confusion appeared in his eyes before giving way to frustration that was difficult to contain.
— “A monster? Seriously?! I just saved your lives! And without me, that driver would’ve died! Do you even realize that?”
Despite his words, no one answered.
The passersby simply kept staring at him with the same distrust, as though they still couldn’t decide whether he was a hero…
or a threat.
Spider-Man let out a slight sigh.
— “Are they serious right now…?”
A hesitant voice suddenly rose behind him.
— “Uh, excuse me…?”
Spider-Man immediately turned around and his gaze met the young girl’s.
And that girl…
was Gwen Stacy.
For a fraction of a second, everything else seemed to disappear.
Fortunately, she was perfectly fine.
A deep sense of relief immediately washed over Peter behind his mask.
— “Gwen…? She was the girl?! Thank God she’s okay…”
Gwen slowly approached him, still shaken by what had just happened.
Her expression revealed genuine guilt.
— “Like an idiot, I crossed on red while reading my notebooks. If you hadn’t been there… I don’t even want to imagine it. Thank you, really.”
Seeing her smile, filled with gratitude and kindness, Peter immediately felt his cheeks heat up beneath his mask.
He looked away slightly before regaining his composure.
— “You’re welcome. But be careful, okay? Danger can come from anywhere. It’s up to us to stay cautious.”
Gwen’s gaze instinctively dropped toward Spider-Man’s injured hand.
— “Yes, you’re right. And you, take care of your hand.”
Peter quickly looked at his injury before letting out a small laugh.
— “Oh, this? It’s nothing serious. I’ve had worse, trust me.”
He was about to leave.
His wrist was already raised toward the sky to fire a web when an almost uncontrollable impulse made him turn toward Gwen one last time.
And without really thinking…
The words came out on their own.
— “Very nice smile, by the way.”
Time suddenly seemed to slow down around her.
Gwen remained motionless, unable to stop thinking about that simple sentence.
She had already heard it.
Word for word, the day before.
Peter had said it to her.
Her smile gradually faded, replaced by a more troubled expression, while a strange feeling slowly began to settle deep inside her.
— “Peter…? No… what am I even saying… It can’t be him. And yet… that sentence and that voice… it’s strange.”
Midtown High — Morning
After leaving the scene of the accident, Peter stopped for a few moments on the rooftop of a nearby building.
Taking advantage of being out of sight, he quickly removed his suit, hurriedly put his clothes back on, slipped the rest of his equipment into his bag, then discreetly made his way down to the school.
Just like the day before, he ran the last few meters, hoping, despite everything, to limit how late he was.
But it was hopeless.
The moment he pushed open the classroom door, several students immediately turned their heads toward him.
A brief silence settled before a few laughs broke out once again in the room.
Peter let out a quiet sigh, now almost used to this kind of reception, then calmly made his way to his seat beside Harry while the teacher resumed the lesson.
Barely a few minutes had passed when an exclamation suddenly rang out across the entire classroom.
Flash Thompson had just jumped out of his chair, his eyes fixed on his phone.
— “HOLY SHIT, THIS IS INSANE!”
The teacher immediately stopped in the middle of his explanation and gave Flash a tired look.
— “Mr. Thompson! What is it now?!”
Phone in hand, Flash was visibly struggling to contain his excitement.
His face lit up like that of a child who had just discovered something extraordinary.
— “Nothing, sir! Well… except that we FINALLY have a video proving Spider-Man exists!”
Several students immediately straightened up.
— “What?! You mean the guy we’ve been hearing rumors about for months? He’s real?!”
Flash gave a triumphant smile.
— “Of course he is, idiots! Come look!”
Within seconds, a large part of the class abandoned their seats to gather around him.
The students lightly jostled one another to get a look at the video on his phone, while reactions quickly began flying.
Surprise, disbelief, excitement…
everything blended together into a growing commotion.
In the middle of all the noise, Liz Allan gave an amused smile.
— “What do you think he looks like? You think he’s hot?”
Sally didn’t miss the opportunity to joke.
— “If he’s hot, I’m going for him immediately! What about you, Liz?”
Liz crossed her arms with an amused smile.
— “If that’s the case, I’d have to break up with Flash first. And that’s not happening anytime soon.”
Sally slightly shrugged with a smirk.
— “Hmm… well, you’ve still got a few years ahead of you…”
Flash immediately turned his head toward her, visibly offended.
— “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?! You think Liz and I aren’t going to last?”
Sally innocently raised her hands.
— “Hey, I didn’t say anything! You’re the one doubting it, not me.”
While the entire class continued commenting on the video, Peter discreetly watched the scene from his seat.
A slight amused smile appeared on his face.
He almost found it strange to witness a conversation…
when he himself was the subject of it.
— “No wonder people are shocked. A guy in red and blue swinging between buildings… that leaves an impression. At first, a lot of people thought I was an urban legend. But now that I’ve been seen in broad daylight, my name is going to spread and people will eventually get used to it. Well… I hope.”
His gaze then drifted almost absentmindedly toward Liz.
And without him realizing it…
a misunderstanding was slowly beginning to take shape.
— “Wait… am I imagining things or is the nerd checking me out?!”
Liz’s words instantly caught the attention of the entire class.
Several students immediately turned their heads toward Peter, intrigued by the accusation she had thrown out with such confidence.
Completely caught off guard, Peter suddenly looked up, almost trying to figure out whether she was really talking to him.
— “Uh… are you talking about me?”
Liz crossed her arms, putting on a falsely scandalized expression.
— “And now he’s playing innocent! No way, this guy is crazy!”
Peter immediately frowned.
The more the seconds passed, the less he understood what was happening.
— “What the hell is she talking about…?”
Flash immediately turned his head toward Peter.
— “Hey.”
Flash’s expression had completely changed and his smile had disappeared.
He slowly walked up to Peter, his gaze hard, stopping only a few steps away from him.
— “Is it true you were checking her out?!”
Around them, several students were now watching the scene with obvious amusement.
Some were already exchanging knowing looks while others began imagining all kinds of theories.
— “You think Peter’s in love with Liz?”
— “Noooo, he’s probably just fantasizing about her…”
Those remarks obviously didn’t help the situation.
Peter immediately raised his hands, determined to put an end to the misunderstanding before it grew even more.
— “No! I wasn’t checking her out at all! I was just lost in thought! Ask Harry, I do that all the time!”
Flash immediately turned his head toward Harry.
— “Is that true, Harry?!”
Caught between his best friend and the school bully, Harry immediately felt every pair of eyes turn toward him.
Visibly uncomfortable, he hesitated for a few moments before trying to answer.
— “Uh… well…”
— “‘Uh, well’… shut up!”
Flash didn’t even give him time to finish and stupidly imitated him, mocking him.
A few bursts of laughter immediately echoed throughout the classroom.
Clearly encouraged by his classmates’ reactions, Flash turned his full attention back to Peter and stepped even closer to him, his fists already clenched.
— “And you, man… you’re getting it today…!”
Peter let out a deep sigh internally.
Seriously…
the day had only just begun.
At the exact moment Flash was about to punch him, a powerful voice exploded throughout the entire room.
The teacher had just stepped between the two boys.
— “THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Silence instantly fell.
The entire class froze before turning their eyes toward the teacher.
Some looked surprised, others were still struggling to hold back amused smiles, while a few students seemed genuinely uncomfortable with the direction things had taken.
The teacher slowly swept his gaze across the entire class before returning to Peter and Flash.
His irritation was now obvious.
— “I naively hoped things would calm down, but apparently that’s impossible with you two. So listen to me carefully…!”
He then pointed a finger at both boys.
— “THOMPSON and PARKER! Detention after school!”
Flash’s eyes immediately widened.
— “What?! Is this a joke?!”
Beside him, Peter simply let out a long sigh accompanied by a slight growl of frustration.
Without trying to protest any further, he eventually let his head fall onto his desk, perfectly aware that, once again, he had been punished for something he had done absolutely nothing to cause.
Oscorp — Morning
The massive glass doors of Oscorp Tower slowly opened, allowing a confident-looking man to enter.
The moment he stepped into the lobby, several security guards approached him professionally, ready to carry out a routine search.
One of them was already extending a hand to ask him to stop when a calm voice, yet filled with natural authority, rang out behind them.
— “That’s enough, gentlemen. No need to search him, he’s expected.”
The guards immediately stepped aside.
Norman then walked toward the newcomer with a slight polite smile, measured and perfectly controlled.
— “Welcome, Mr…?”
— “Mac Gargan.”
A slight smile appeared on Norman’s face.
— “Ah, there we are! Forgive my memory lapses.”
Mac shrugged.
— “Listen, nothing personal, but I don’t care about manners or smiles. I was told I could get stronger and make money. So let’s cut to the chase, okay?”
Those words only caused Norman’s smile to widen slightly.
The man had just confirmed exactly what he had hoped to hear.
— “Perfect. Let’s get straight to the main subject.”
The small group crossed Oscorp’s long hallways before taking a private elevator that carried them deep beneath the tower.
The farther they descended, the colder and quieter the atmosphere became, until the doors opened onto an enormous laboratory bathed in the white light of fluorescent lamps.
It might have been the largest laboratory a man could ever see in his life.
Numerous pieces of high-tech equipment filled the area, while imposing reinforced glass walls separated the various experimentation rooms.
Norman naturally guided the group toward the center of the room before gesturing toward a man in a white lab coat who was already preparing several instruments.
— “Here we are in Oscorp’s underground levels, where the experiment will take place. Let me introduce you to Doctor Otto Octavius. A genius in his field… you can be certain the results will meet expectations.”
Otto slightly inclined his head.
— “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Norman then pointed toward Hammerhead.
— “This is Hammerhead, but I assume you already know him. He works for the Big Boss, and he’s here as an observer.”
— “Yeah… he’s the one who found me and offered me the deal.”
— “Perfect. Then let’s get serious.”
A few moments later, Mac Gargan was securely strapped to a massive metal table positioned at the center of an airtight room.
Behind a large armored window, Norman Osborn, Otto Octavius, and Hammerhead calmly observed the final preparations while a mechanical arm slowly positioned a syringe above Gargan.
Otto quickly adjusted a few settings on a control console before looking back up at his test subject.
— “Here’s what’s going to happen. The syringe above you contains modified scorpion DNA. The injection will fuse that DNA with yours and transform your body. You’ll gain its abilities, its strength, but your skin won’t-”
Norman slightly raised his hand to interrupt him.
— “Otto, there’s no need to give him a lecture. Mr. Gargan already told me he doesn’t care about the details. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Otto remained silent for a brief moment, slightly unsettled by the interruption.
— “…Very well.”
— “He’s right. Go ahead. If it makes me stronger and richer, I’m in.”
Otto discreetly inhaled before turning his full attention back to the controls.
— “Then… injection in three… two… one.”
The syringe slowly descended before piercing Gargan’s skin.
The liquid gradually flowed into his system, and then a heavy silence settled over the laboratory.
The three men carefully watched the scene through the glass, never taking their eyes off the screens.
Several long seconds passed and Hammerhead frowned.
— “Osborn… nothing’s happening. Is your thing actually supposed to work?”
Norman didn’t look away from his test subject.
On the contrary, an almost fascinated gleam shone in his eyes.
— “Be patient, Hammerhead. Watch.”
The instant he finished speaking, Mac Gargan’s body violently arched on the table.
A brutal convulsion tore through every one of his muscles and a scream of pain ripped through the laboratory.
Before the three observers’ eyes, his skin gradually began to transform.
It thickened visibly, took on a greenish hue and gradually became covered in a hard, segmented shell resembling that of a gigantic scorpion.
Only his face still retained a human appearance, creating a disturbing contrast with the rest of his body as the transformation continued.
Norman watched the scene without looking away.
Every passing second seemed to feed his fascination even more as the transformation exceeded all his expectations.
— “Incredible…”
Under the effect of the muscle mass that continued to develop, the metal structure of the table began to groan under the pressure.
The restraints gave way one after another with the sound of twisting metal, before the entire structure finally collapsed beneath Gargan’s weight.
Yet his transformation still wasn’t finished.
— “So? Is it over? Hammerhead asked, slightly impatient”
Otto kept his eyes fixed on the different screens analyzing the evolution of his body in real time.
Despite the scale of the transformation already achieved, several indicators were still changing.
— “Not yet… the tail should appear any second now…”
The instant he finished his sentence, a violent spasm ran through Gargan’s back.
His spine seemed to twist beneath his skin, while a long growth slowly began to emerge from the back of his body.
Centimeter by centimeter, a massive segmented tail developed until it reached several meters in length, ending in a gigantic razor-sharp stinger.
The mutation was now complete.
The man who had been lying on that table only moments earlier no longer truly existed.
In his place stood a terrifying-looking creature.
He was now the Scorpion.
— “Holy shit, this is… this is insane! I feel like I’m giving off monstrous strength just by breathing!”
He observed his arms, slowly clenched his fists and moved his tail with astonishing ease, as if he had always lived with this new anatomy.
Every one of his movements now radiated a raw power that seemed almost difficult to contain.
— “Perfect. And you know what you have to do.”
— “Yeah. Smash the guy in the red and blue pajamas. With this kind of power? I suggest you start preparing a big bag full of cash!”
A slight satisfied smile appeared on Norman’s face.
The results clearly exceeded the initial expectations.
He then turned his head toward Otto.
— “Congratulations, Otto. Excellent work. Take the day off.”
Otto slightly raised his head, surprised to see the experiment end so quickly.
But he was mostly uncomfortable with the way Norman spoke to him.
— “…V-Very well, sir.”
Without adding another word, Otto calmly removed his gloves, gathered a few documents from his workstation, then left the laboratory.
He took the elevator back up to the upper floors before leaving Oscorp Tower to head home, leaving Norman alone with Hammerhead and their brand-new creation.
Norman waited a few moments before slowly turning his head toward Tombstone’s henchman.
— “So, Hammerhead… what do you think?”
Hammerhead continued to observe the Scorpion carefully, silently assessing his size, his power and the way he already seemed to control this new body.
— “It’ll be up to the Big Boss to judge. But from my point of view… I’d say it’s good work.”
Norman slowly nodded, visibly satisfied with that answer.
— “Perfect. When you need more soldiers, you know where to knock.”
Hammerhead motioned for the Scorpion to follow him.
— “Hey, Scorpion, come on. Your first mission is waiting for you.”
Without wasting a second, the two men left the laboratory.
Silence then fell over the place once again.
Left alone in the middle of his laboratory, Norman remained still for a few moments, his gaze lost among the many machines still surrounding the experimentation room.
Little by little, a subtle smile appeared on his face as new possibilities began to take shape in his mind.
— “It’s perfect. Test subjects and resources beyond anything normal people could ever imagine. I’m going to push every limit. And maybe… finally accomplish what I’ve always dreamed of.”
Midtown High — Detention Room — Afternoon
A heavy atmosphere hung over the detention room.
The silence was disturbed only by the faint rustling of pages from a book, the sound of a finger scrolling across a phone screen, or the occasional sighs of a few students counting down the minutes until the end of their punishment.
Some were reading to pass the time, others had rested their heads on their desks in the hope of getting some sleep, while a few simply stared at the ceiling, clearly tired of being stuck there.
Peter Parker was sitting at the back of the room.
His gaze lost ahead of him, he seemed to be following the course of his thoughts far more than the passage of time.
At the other end of the room, Flash Thompson sat with his arms crossed and his expression closed off, boiling with anger inside.
— “I must be dreaming… detention. Me?! Peter Parker! I can’t believe it…!” Peter thought
— “And here I am… stuck in detention… fuck.” Flash muttered
As if driven by the same irritation, the two boys raised their heads almost simultaneously.
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and a heavy silence immediately settled between them.
Not a word was spoken, but everything could be read in their expressions.
— “And all of this is because of that asshole!”
— “And all of this is because of that asshole!”
A few seconds later, a chorus of sirens suddenly rang out outside the school.
Their wailing immediately caught the attention of several students.
Peter instinctively turned his head toward the window and saw a succession of police cars speeding toward downtown.
At the same moment, his phone discreetly vibrated in his pocket.
He quickly glanced at the screen and immediately understood that something serious had just happened.
His expression changed at once.
— “This has to be serious. Not a second to waste!”
Without drawing any more attention to himself, he calmly raised his hand.
— “Ma’am?”
The supervisor looked up from her desk.
— “Yes? What is it, Parker?”
Peter put on a slightly pale expression before answering in a deliberately weaker voice.
— “Can I go to the bathroom? I… I don’t feel very well…”
The supervisor observed him for a few moments, hesitating over what to do.
Eventually, she let out a slight sigh.
— “Alright, fine. But be quick.”
— “Yes!”
— “Thank you, ma’am!”
The moment he received permission, Flash abruptly raised his head, unable to hide his indignation.
— “Seriously?! If that were me, you would’ve said no!”
The supervisor slowly turned her gaze toward him, visibly unimpressed.
— “Thompson… Parker is a good student, polite and respectful. You just make me want to quit this job. So keep quiet if you don’t want to stay longer.”
Flash immediately clenched his jaw.
His face twisted with frustration, but he understood that it was better not to answer.
— “Fuck…!” he thought
Peter, meanwhile, couldn’t help but form a slight smile before leaving the room, having discreetly taken his bag with him.
The moment he left the detention room, Peter quickened his pace through the school’s long hallways.
His mind was already elsewhere, entirely focused on the situation waiting for him outside.
In a hurry to reach an exit without drawing attention, he abruptly turned the corner of a hallway…
and collided head-on with a student coming from the opposite direction.
From the impact, several sheets of paper immediately scattered across the floor.
— “Oh, sorry!”
— “Nah, it’s okay, it’s nothing.”
Without wasting a second, Peter bent down to pick up the scattered papers.
At the same moment, the young girl did the same.
Their hands nearly crossed as they reached for the same sheet, and their eyes naturally met.
Then, surprise…
— “Gwen?”
— “Peter?”
They remained surprised for a moment to find each other there.
Then Peter smiled.
— “You’re finally here? You’re always on time.”
Gwen gave a slightly embarrassed smile as she gathered the rest of her things.
— “Yeah… let’s just say I had a little unexpected problem this morning.”
Peter couldn’t help but think back to the accident he himself had saved her from that morning.
— “‘Little’ isn’t exactly the word…”
For a few moments, neither of them said anything.
There was something strange about this encounter.
A slight awkwardness, almost imperceptible, hung between them.
As she finally looked back up at him, Gwen suddenly noticed Peter’s right hand.
A slight injury was still visible on it.
Her gaze lingered on it despite herself.
— “That injury… it’s the same one…”
She slowly raised her eyes toward his face, unable to ignore that detail.
— “Your hand, is it okay? It looks painful…”
Peter instinctively looked down at his injury before immediately raising his head again with a reassuring smile.
— “Huh? Oh yeah, it’s nothing serious, don’t worry! But listen, I have to go. Can you do me a favor, please?”
The request surprised Gwen slightly.
— “Uh… yeah, tell me.”
Peter quickly glanced behind him, clearly in a hurry.
— “I was in detention, but I said I wasn’t feeling well. In thirty minutes, can you tell the supervisor that I went home? Would you…?”
Seeing how sincere he looked, Gwen felt all hesitation disappear.
Despite the many questions beginning to form in her mind, she didn’t have the heart to refuse him this favor.
— “If you’re asking that nicely, I guess I-”
Peter, already backing away down the hallway, gave her a grateful smile.
— “Thanks Gwen, you’re the best!”
Without even waiting for her to finish her sentence, he immediately turned around and ran down the hallway.
Within seconds, he disappeared around a corner, leaving Gwen alone with her papers in her arms.
She watched him leave before letting out a slight sigh.
— “He didn’t even let me finish…”
Thinking back to Peter’s injury, her mind almost automatically returned to the accident from that morning.
Those two…
they had the same injury.
But how was that possible?
That was when a strange feeling slowly began to take hold of her.
— “But this is really strange. That injury… it’s exactly the same as that man’s… Spider-Man’s…”
New York — Streets of Manhattan — Afternoon
A street in Manhattan had become nothing more than a massive field of chaos.
The detonations caused by the shockwaves echoed throughout the entire street while cars were ripped off the ground and thrown through the air like simple toys.
Storefront windows shattered under the violence of the impacts, debris rained down from every direction and passersby fled in all directions, desperately searching for somewhere to take cover.
In the middle of this general panic, a police officer froze when he saw a car tipping straight toward him.
He didn’t even have time to react before a red-and-blue figure suddenly streaked across the sky, grabbed him at the last second and pulled him out of the vehicle’s path just fractions of a second before it crashed heavily onto the road.
— “Everything okay, sir?”
Spider-Man immediately helped the man back to his feet, but the moment their eyes met, he recognized him instantly.
It was George Stacy, Gwen’s father.
— “Yes… thanks to you. Thank you.”
For a very brief second, Peter was surprised by the coincidence.
— “Gwen’s dad?! A cop?! Saving the daughter and the father on the same day… that’s starting to be a lot!”
George carefully observed his mysterious rescuer.
For several days, rumors about Spider-Man had been circulating throughout the entire city, but seeing him with his own eyes gave a completely different impression.
— “You are… Spider-Man, right?”
Spider-Man slightly straightened his shoulders before giving an almost theatrical salute.
— “Your humble servant!”
George couldn’t hold back a slight smile before immediately becoming serious again.
— “I’ve heard about you. My colleagues even saw a video.”
That remark seemed to almost please the young hero.
— “Well, my reputation’s going up. Nice.”
George quickly glanced toward the explosions still shaking the street.
— “Help us take this guy down, and you’ll be even more popular.”
As usual, Spider-Man responded with his typical humor despite the seriousness of the situation.
— “No problem. Tell your men to stay back, I’ve got this.”
He moved a few steps away, scanning the surroundings.
The overturned cars, clouds of dust and countless pieces of debris made it difficult to locate his opponent.
— “Alright… who’s today’s clown?”
A familiar voice then echoed through the cloud of dust.
— “I think… you’re the clown.”
The instant he heard that voice, Spider-Man felt a bad feeling wash over him.
— “Wait… that voice…”
A silhouette slowly emerged through the dust and rubble.
— “This time… you’re the one who’s gonna get humiliated, you little bug!”
When he finally saw his face, Spider-Man’s eyes widened.
He recognized the man perfectly.
— “Shocker?! But… I beat you and sent you to prison! The cops came to pick you up!”
Completely bewildered, he immediately turned his head toward George Stacy, looking for an explanation.
— “Sir, you don’t have anything on him?!”
George slightly frowned, just as surprised as he was.
— “I haven’t heard anything. But if you’re saying he was arrested, that’s strange… Are you sure?”
— “One hundred percent!”
Before he could think any further about the incomprehensible situation, George’s shout suddenly rang out.
— “Spider-Man! Watch out!”
He barely had time to react before the fight erupted.
Shocker immediately unleashed a succession of shockwaves meant to pulverize him.
True to form, Spider-Man began darting between the attacks with exceptional agility, dodging the first explosions without much difficulty.
Leaving the shockwaves to explode behind him with deafening force, every one of Shocker’s attacks tore apart chunks of asphalt or reduced cars to wreckage, but none managed to hit their target.
Spider-Man couldn’t help continuing to provoke him.
— “Seriously? Attacking from behind is low. Even for you, Shocky.”
Shocker clenched his teeth.
With every joke, his frustration grew a little more.
— “I’m sick of your shitty jokes! I’m gonna shut you the fuck up!”
Consumed by anger, he immediately unleashed several successive blasts.
The shockwaves tore through the street with tremendous violence, destroying everything in their path.
Yet Spider-Man continued to avoid them without much difficulty, slipping between them with almost unreal precision.
While dodging, his mind remained focused on an entirely different question.
— “Wait! If he’s out, are the others too? No, that’s impossible… unless…”
Shocker’s voice suddenly snapped him back to reality.
— “So, what’s wrong? You finally decided to shut up?!”
Spider-Man quickly pushed the thought aside.
That mystery would have to wait.
— “We’ll deal with that later.”
Taking advantage of an opening, he launched himself at full speed toward Shocker, ready to end the fight.
But at the exact moment he closed the distance between them, his Spider-Sense exploded in his mind.
— “NOW!”
At that exact moment, a figure suddenly emerged behind him.
Scorpion, who had been hiding until then, attacked with lightning speed, turning the fight into a true ambush.
His gigantic tail sliced through the air toward Spider-Man, its poisoned stinger aimed directly at his back.
Warned a fraction of a second before impact by his sixth sense, the young hero managed to narrowly dodge the fatal strike.
But during the movement, the stinger still grazed his arm.
The contact was brief, almost imperceptible…
but it was enough.
The venom instantly entered his system and, almost immediately, Spider-Man felt his body react.
— “So? You got him, I hope?” Shocker asked.
Scorpion quickly observed Spider-Man, still unsure about the result of his attack.
— “Yeah… I think so.” Scorpion replied with slight uncertainty
Spider-Man took a few steps back.
— “After the shockwaves, now we’ve got the Scorpion cosplay! Seriously, what’s next?”
But the moment he finished his sentence, he felt something change.
His balance became unstable, his vision began to blur and the surroundings seemed to sway around him.
— “Huh… my vision…”
His legs responded less and less to his movements.
He took a few more hesitant steps before completely losing his balance and dropping heavily to his knees.
His breathing became irregular and his heart was beating abnormally fast.
He tried to regain his senses, but the poison was already spreading throughout his entire body.
— “What’s happening…? He… he poisoned me…?”
Scorpion watched the scene with satisfaction.
— “Yeah, no doubt about it. I definitely got him.”
A cruel smile then appeared on Shocker’s face.
He slowly approached his opponent, savoring every second of the spectacle.
— “Well…? What’s going on? Not feeling so good anymore, spider…?”
Spider-Man tried one last time to get back up.
His arms were trembling, his vision was growing darker and darker and every one of his muscles seemed to be gradually refusing to obey him.
— “…Shit.”
His strength completely abandoned him.
His body tipped forward and collapsed heavily onto the road.
He had just lost consciousness.
TO BE CONTINUED.