Chapter 12: Arc One. Chapter Twelve. Ripple Effect

While Peter had agreed to show Aunt May around the warehouse he had to go to work first. Alexsi had received a shipment of old American style fridge freezers. Big and normally fitted into the kitchen wall, these had been ripped out, wires cut with evidence of plastic wrap on some. Peter knew they were probably stolen but as usual, he didn't ask and didn't care.

It had taken Peter most of the day to strip them out and get them all working, but he had scored a laptop and a water heater. It wasn't just a small kitchen one but a huge industrial model, Alexsi had shooed him when Peter asked about it but Peter caught the small grin on the man’s face, he knew a lot of the things that came through the junkyard were things he needed and Alexsi was helping him the best he could.

As soon as he fitted it into the warehouse's water supply the whole building would have hot water and he wouldn't have to wash with a rain barrel anymore. Of course, he had to carry them both back to the warehouse before he could get ready for Aunt May's visit.

Stopping in, he waved bye to Alexsi before hoisting the water heater onto his back. He failed to notice Alexsi frown, geez, how strong is that kid? he thought to himself. Too busy to think more on it, he shook his head and went back to the diagram he was examining, his mind on more important matters.

After Alexsi shooed Peter out of his office as the phone on his desk rang three times and then stopped. Sighing, He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a cellphone, dialled the only number stored on it. "What? You agreed never to call me unless it was important."

"It is, where is Bennie?" It was Normal Osborn, Alexsi had dealings with him every time he needed something done off the books, he paid extremely well, even if it was just to stay quiet.

"Oh him, you mean Bennie the rat bastard. You set me up to get the cops and feds up my ass, well, get your shorts on, it’s a swim to see him."

"Alexsi, he was a good man, you had no right"

"Yeah, so? and you would have gotten a new boss in huh, tough break Osborn, tough break. So, are you calling to bust my balls or what?"

"Don't say my name. Are we ready for Friday?"

"All set up and good to go on your order, Boss."

"Good, pull this off and you'll get another shipment like the last, do it with no witnesses and I'll double it. Screw this up however and I'll make sure you and Bennie will be getting reacquainted."

The line went dead and tearing open the phone Alexsi pulled out the sim card and flicking open a lighter torched it.

"Yeah yeah, asshole."

From a rooftop across the street, the Black Cat surveyed the scrapyard once more, she'd set up micro cams all over and nothing escaped her attention, The target, Alexsi Sytsevich had just gotten off the phone and looked unhappy, she hadn't dared enter his office yet, someone was always there during the day and at night and worse still there was a new kid. She couldn't decide if he was a mole or a plant but he seemed too young to be anything more than a runner. She'd keep an eye on him next time he showed up for work, he might just be her way into the office and she watched as he hauled a large box out of the yard with him, making a mental note to track him down as soon as she was done here.

Across the city Norman Osborn had just put down his phone, the call leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth, damn bastards he thought to himself until a knock at the door of his office drew him out of his thoughts and his son, Harry entered after a brief pause."Dad? Umm, can I talk to you about Pete?"

Norman scowled at his son, "No Harry, you can't, what's done is done, even if I wanted I can't go back on what's happened"

"But Dad, Pete got me through chemistry, he got me my grades back to a passing level, you can do something, that's your name on the building remember." Harry pleaded.

"Son, I could but Jack Thompson has weight on the board," Norman tapped his fingers on his desk, the boy trying his patience. "You need to remember, it's my name on the building but we still answer to shareholders. It's just one kid, Peter will get over it, he'll move on and he'll be fine, you should worry about your own future."

"Son, you carry the Osborn name and with that comes certain responsibilities, your own greatness relies on being able to see a bigger picture and right now, forging a bond with the Thompson boy will bring you greater benefits than with the Parker kid." 

"Okay dad, if you think it's for the best." Norman waved the boy out, he had more pressing matters to deal with than some childish fantasy about saving his friend.

After closing the door to his dad's study Harry's normally stoic face cracked a smile hearing the fate of his friend, good, he thought. Now if his other plans worked out just as well, he'd be chairing the board instead of his father.

"Well, that went well, Mr Osborn," a rich feminine voice sounded out from the shadows outside Norman's office.

"What do you want, Liv?" Harry asked.

"Well, we got the footage you asked for, here." A white-coated arm slid out of the shadow, handing Harry a tablet, he hit play on the pre-loaded video. Harry watched as the intruder snapped pictures of the genetics lab and then in hiding from a security guard, tripped the emergency hatch release for samples one to twelve, each scuttling free. He wanted to throw the tablet Liv had handed him when he saw sample six bite the man on the back of the hand before running off across the floor.

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"How bad is it?" Harry asked her.

"Well, he's definitely enhanced now and while we did blood work on the kids, I'll bet any money so are they. We had two pass out, and one reported feeling sick afterwards. Your little friend Peter was one of them."

Harry sighed, "Parker," he needed to cut ties with him before this blew out of proportion, "Thanks, and Liv, keep this quiet from."

The woman raised a hand, "Oh don't worry Harry, daddy dearest doesn't even know about your involvement."

Back in the warehouse, Peter felt a strange tingle, and he wondered if someone was talking about him, shaking his head he picked up an egg. To try and train his dexterity and strength Peter had taken to eating omelettes from breakfast, juggling the eggs over a bowl, so when he crushed one or dropped one, it wasn't a waste. Peter had just gotten up to 8 eggs when his phone dinged and it was a text from Harry. He hadn't talked to him since the incident and it would be good to speak to a friend again. Using a single hand he lifted his phone while keeping the 8 eggs in the air.

Sorry Pete, now you're not at school we should probably stop the tutoring, it's been great though, thanks. Harry

Peter crushed the egg in his hand, letting the others fall onto the counter.  Fucking ingrate, he tutored him, helped him with math, sciences and any fucking problem he had and he gets on the bad side of a stockholder and even Harry fucking bends over and kisses his ass. He threw the remains of the mess at the eggshell filled trash can, he'd make them pay, he'd make them all pay.

Checking the empty carton out Peter decided he needed some more eggs, fresh air would help clear his head, he needed to think, to decide his future once and for all, screw the rest of them, screw them all.

His phone dinged and while it was Gwen, he was in a bad mood, "Sorry, Aunt May will be here soon, talk to you later," he quickly typed.

At home in their lavish Brownstone house, staring at her phone Gwen shrugged and thought, oh well, to herself. She was in front of a mirror, phone camera ready to click but with Aunt May almost there she thought better of it. Running her hands down her body she stared at the silky black underwear she'd bought for Peter's 18th Birthday but had chickened out. He was going to freak out when he got to unwrap her now that they were dating.

Downstairs in his office, George Stacy stared at the report once more. Three, three costumed weirdos were terrorising his city and there was nothing he could do about it. The first report was about a local hood, Flint Marko, who'd been beaten so badly his ribs were sticking out his chest, local EMT's reported he'd be dead within an hour and if he hadn't disappeared this would be a murder rather than just a mugging gone wrong. The report included a witness, who described a huge latex suit-wearing man, completely black with a white spider design on his chest, who'd made a lame joke after driving Marko into a wall.

Then, some fetish nightmare with whip and razor claws strung up Dillon Murphy, a local drug dealer, all they got from the high as a kite dealer was big ass titties, over and over. George rubbed his forehead and then, last but not least another spider freak. Blue and Red costume, webs all over it but this guy, he knew police procedure, videoed the mugging, stopped it, all on camera and then restrained the guy before calling the cops. He hated vigilantes for these three reasons, one a brutalist, one an adrenaline junkie and the last, an actual do-gooder who'd get someone, or himself, killed. He felt a headache coming on and Gwen dating this Parker kid didn't make it any better.

The same reports had made their way via a series of bribes and connections to the offices of J. Jonah Jameson. He was staring at a nervous young man, holding another manilla envelope.

"So, you got the photos?" The grey-haired moustached man asked, drawing on his thick cigar.

"I do Mr Jameson, I do." The man standing in front of Jameson had at least made an effort, his short light brown hair neatly trimmed and his square but handsome face with piercing blue eyes was at least cleanly shaven.

"Spider-Man huh?" Jameson flicked through the photo's, each one capturing the vigilante in precise clarity. "A menace, that's what he is, taking jobs away from our honest to god police."

"Uh Mr Jameson sir", The photographer handed over a file he'd gotten from a ‘source’, "Spider-Man is the third vigilante to appear this week, and uh, he's the nicest."

"What? He's a menace. What's your name again?"

"It’s uh Brock Sir, Eddie Brock and yes, he still tied up that mugger sir but look." Eddie Brock showed J.Jonah Jameson the three police reports. "He filmed everything, to show he's not so bad but these two. "Mugger was found with his chest caved in," and as he flicked to the other report, “the dealer was found with a month's supply of LSD stuffed into his mouth."

"Wow, three menaces. Brock, get me photos of all of them, Spider-man, this Night Stalker woman and uh, uh, hmm, I'll think of something for the black one later, racial sensitivity and all that." J.J waved him away, "See HR for your pay son, these are good, these are really good, Brock is it? bring me more like this and I'll give you a full-time position."

Eddie left the envelope on the desk and taking a backwards glance he could see J.J reading his work. He inwardly sighed as he left the office, as he already had a full-time position, just right at the bottom. He hoped his big break would come from the editorial piece he had published in yesterday's edition about the three. He'd already named them. Spider-man was a given but Black Cat was more appropriate as she slashed the dealer with claws and was wearing a black catsuit but the last one, the spider outfit was a giveaway, was he the victim of one of Oscorps spider creations or something else entirely? Whatever his story, Eddie was sure their paths would cross, sooner rather than later. Spider-Man and Tarantula were fated to be on different sides of the law.

~

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