Time seemed to slow down. I felt something inside me vibrate as my body started to move on instinct. I pulled MJ closer and wrapped one arm around her chest, jumping to the side.
A large slab of concrete flew past where we had been standing just a moment before. I landed hard with MJ clutching me tight. We both watched the slab of concrete embed itself into the side of a building wall.
"What was that?!" MJ cried out.
"I — I don't—"
"GRRRR!"
It was an earth-shattering roar. My grip around her tightened as we turned toward the sound. Harlem was burning. There were people running in every direction, fires burning, cars broken and overturned. It had happened so fast. And then I saw it.
A monster — easily twenty feet tall, with enormous, bulging muscles and skin splitting at the sides, bones protruding outward through the flesh. It stood naked except for a pair of torn shorts. I took one look and felt my blood run cold.
"Abomination," I whispered in horror, realising too late that MJ and I were standing right in the middle of the final battle between the Hulk and the Abomination. This was the final fight scene from The Incredible Hulk.
I looked down the road. People were screaming and running. Out of a crater that had formed in the middle of the street, a green hand reached out.
"No," I whispered. The hand pulled itself free, revealing a green figure slowly growing in size. "No." He grabbed the tattered remains of his shirt and ripped it off. "No."
"Hulk!" Abomination roared with something resembling joy. "Come and face me!" The two titans charged one another, and that was when I knew we had to run.
"We have to move!" I yelled as I held onto MJ and took off down the road. The Hulk and Abomination charged each other, each step they took hitting the ground like a thunderclap. When they finally met, the impact created a sonic boom that shattered every window on the block.
I was swept off my feet from the shockwave. I went airborne — but landed on my feet with MJ held safely in my arms.
I looked up. The Abomination had the upper hand, hurling the Hulk through a fire engine. I sighed in relief as their battle moved further down the street.
I looked down at MJ. She was watching the fight in wide-eyed horror. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," she nodded. "W-what is that thing?!"
I drew on Peter's memories. He had followed Bruce Banner's research closely enough to know about the Hulk. I could share that much without giving anything away.
"That's the Hulk," I pointed at the green monster currently tearing a police car in half to use as makeshift brass knuckles. "I... I think he's one of the good guys."
"We need to get out of here!" MJ called out.
"R-right," I nodded. The Hulk could handle himself. She was right — we needed to get to safety. I put her down and we ran, following the crowd of people ahead of us.
But as we did, I spotted a man pinned beneath a downed lamppost on the side of the road. People rushed past him, ignored him. His legs were bleeding as he cried for help and no one came.
I stopped. I couldn't help it. I didn't like seeing people suffering. I ran to the lamppost and grabbed it. "Hey — don't worry, I'll pull it up. You shimmy out, okay?"
"Peter?" MJ asked in surprise as she saw me crouched over the man.
The man was panting, trying not to think of the pain. He nodded at me. I pulled with everything I had and felt the post slowly, grudgingly rising — thank you, spider strength.
He began to shimmy out from underneath it, but it was slow. I couldn't hold the pole up indefinitely; my body wasn't used to this kind of sustained stress. I was just about to lose my grip when MJ grabbed hold as well. Between the two of us, we kept it up long enough for him to pull himself completely free.
I dropped the pole with a heavy gasp.
"Thank you," the man breathed.
"It's okay," MJ said to him gently, guiding him to the side, away from the fighting.
I turned around. More people were screaming. More people were getting hurt from the random debris flying out from the battle between Hulk and Abomination.
The monsters were fighting like there was no tomorrow. Abomination kicked the Hulk through several buildings before jumping upward to follow him. I saw a military helicopter descend low. Abomination ignored it entirely, jumping onto a rooftop and running in pursuit of the Hulk.
More people were going to get hurt. A lot more people.
"Peter? We need to go," MJ called out. But I could barely hear her.
What would the real Peter Parker do? Would he fight? Or run? No — he wouldn't run. Not when so many people were getting hurt. He would stay and he would help. He would throw himself at the Hulk himself if it meant keeping people safe. He was a hero and... and so was I.
I turned to MJ. "Get him to safety, MJ. Find somewhere safe and stay there. People still need help, and I'm going to help them."
"What?! Peter, are you crazy?!" MJ cried. "There are monsters fighting out there!"
"And there are people getting hurt! I promise I'll be fine. I'll call you as soon as I can." And without another word, I took off.
"Peter!" she cried out. I heard her voice fade behind me. She must have thought I was a glory-seeking fool. I knew I would have, in her position. But the truth was this — I was afraid. I was absolutely terrified. But if I had these abilities and could use them to help others... oh my god. I had just realised something.
I was going to be Spider-Man.
I ran down the street and spotted a second-hand clothing store with its window blown out. I ran in and looked around. I needed a costume — fast. I grabbed a red hoodie in my size, a blue pair of athletic pants, a ski mask and a pair of gloves.
I ran into the fitting room and quickly changed. I reached into my back pockets — my web shooters were still there. I slipped them on over my gloves and tested them.
They worked. Good.
I grabbed a school bag from the store and stuffed all my regular clothes inside, zipping it up. I slapped a twenty on the counter and ran for the door — but stopped. There were cameras out there. I couldn't let them find me and blow my secret identity. I had to be careful. Paranoid, even.
I looked around and spotted an open window near the ceiling, leading out into the alley. I climbed up the wall, thankful that my wall-crawling worked through the gloves, and pulled myself through.
I dropped into the alley outside and pressed the bag up against the wall, sealing it there with webbing until I could come back for it.
An explosion drew my attention. I looked up to see a military helicopter spiralling down a few blocks away. It was now or never. I stretched out one arm and fired a web line at the nearest building. My stomach was full of butterflies — nervousness and dread intertwined.
I slowly pushed off the wall and held on tight to the web line, swinging like a pendulum across the alley into the open street.
My stomach lurched as I flew over the destroyed road and landed on the roof of the building on the other side. I stuck the landing and blinked at my hands in wonder.
'Yeah... this is absolutely incredible!' I grinned and sprinted forward. I jumped off the roof's edge, shot out a web line, and swung from building to building toward the sounds of destruction, toward the monsters fighting in the heart of Harlem.
The helicopter was still in one piece — thankfully. The battlefield was a broken wasteland of rubble, lit by barrel fires. Standing on top of the downed helicopter was the Hulk, looking more annoyed than anything else.
The Abomination charged, throwing the Hulk hard into a broken wall and pinning him there with a series of blows. I looked at the chopper and saw soldiers pouring out, along with a female civilian — Betty Ross.
There was fuel leaking from the engines, sparks flying everywhere. It was only a matter of time before it went up, and even the Hulk seemed to sense it, struggling to break free of the Abomination's grip.
'Looks like it's my turn,' I gulped, and jumped off the roof into a roll. "Hey, all! Fancy seeing you here!" I called out. 'Why did I say that? That is so stupid.'
The soldiers looked at me like I'd completely lost my mind.
"Get out of here — it's going to blow!" Betty warned me. Nice lady.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." I turned to the leaking fuel tank and fired web line after web line, wrapping the strands around the tank and covering it completely with layered webbing. The tank was now insulated. The fuel that had already leaked was dripping harmlessly into the ground and being absorbed. Crisis averted.
I turned back to the Hulk. "Hey, big guy!" The monster turned to look at me. "I've got this! Kick his ass!"
Hulk grinned, turned back to Abomination, and gave him a headbutt. The resulting crack was so loud I heard it from where I stood. Abomination reeled back, clutching his nose in pain. They resumed their fight, moving away from the helicopter and freeing me to focus on saving lives.
I turned to the soldiers still trapped inside the downed aircraft, jumped in, and one by one pulled each of them out, handing the unconscious and injured ones to those who were still standing. Some civilians had rushed over to help as well, dragging wounded soldiers clear of the wreckage.
Betty ran up to me as I pulled out the last injured man. "You have to help him!" she urged, pointing back toward the main fight.
I looked up and saw the Hulk being driven back, the Abomination using a length of heavy chain as a whip. He knocked the Hulk aside and then turned his attention toward us, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"General," he growled, raising his chains to throw.
And I moved.
"No! Don't!" I heard General Thunderbolt Ross shout behind me.
My spider-sense roared, screaming at me to get out of the way. I jumped just as Abomination hurled the chains at me. I rolled as I landed and immediately charged straight back at him. I didn't know if I could take him down — but I had to try. I had to do enough.
I ducked under his first swing, slipped inside his guard, drew one arm back, and with every ounce of force I could summon, threw a punch straight into his gut.
Abomination's eyes went wide as his body was lifted briefly off the ground. I felt my web shooter creak from the impact — and then crack. It exploded in a burst of webbing, covering my arm and his torso.
'Damn it!' I realised, stuck to him. Abomination landed back on his feet and looked down at me still attached to his side. He sneered.
My spider-sense was shrieking now. But I couldn't break free. He reached for me and I jumped over his enormous arm. The webs stretched — good, I had some give to work with. I used the tension to circle him again and again, wrapping both arms tight against his chest. Then I grabbed my hoodie sleeve and tore it loose, releasing myself from the web line.
I leaped away as Abomination struggled. His arms were bound tight against his body. He pulled and I could see the lines beginning to strain — but it was enough to buy the Hulk time to put him down properly.
I knew I couldn't punch Abomination unconscious. That was the Hulk's job. No — I needed to be smarter about it. He had to have a weakness. After all, at his core, he had once been only... human.
He needed to breathe.
I ran straight at him and leaped onto his chest, aiming my one remaining web shooter at his nostrils. They were enormous. If I wanted to make sure he couldn't pull the webbing loose, I had to pack it in deep.
I fired two solid web lines directly into his nasal passages, blocking his airway. Abomination's eyes went wide in horror as he realised what I was doing. He fought to free his arms, the binding strands finally snapping. I fired one last web line into his mouth, covering it as well, before leaping clear.
I landed far away and watched as he clawed desperately at the webbing covering his airways. But his fingers were too large and clumsy — he couldn't get proper leverage on the ones lodged inside his nose, and the one over his mouth was packed too deep to grip.
I stood there panting, watching as his movements slowed. He swayed. Then, with a tremendous crash, he toppled forward and hit the ground.
I hadn't even realised I'd been holding my breath. I looked around. Police had formed a perimeter, guns aimed at the fallen monster. The Hulk stood nearby, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
He let out a low growl before releasing an earth-shattering roar that sent everyone scrambling backward. Betty Ross was the only one who didn't flinch. She walked straight toward him. General Thunderbolt held his men back — he clearly didn't trust them not to do something stupid.
"Bruce," she whispered, tears on her cheeks.
The Hulk looked down at her. He tried to wipe away her tears but found his hands were too large and clumsy to manage it gently. "Betty," he rumbled.
Suddenly a spotlight swept over him. A camera helicopter circled above, broadcasting everything live. The Hulk looked up at it.
He took off into the night, the helicopter pursuing him. I lost sight of him within seconds, leaving the whole scene silent except for the crackling fires — and everyone turning to look at me.
"What's your name, son?" Thunderbolt asked as he approached me.
"Me? I'm—" I hesitated for just a moment. "I'm Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man? What kind of a name is that?"
"The kind I chose," I answered.
"Are you planning on playing dress-up every night?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup."
He didn't seem to have expected me to admit to that. He looked at his men, who were all awaiting orders. He nodded toward Abomination. "Secure him." Then he turned back to me, his expression shifting to something that surprised me. "You saved lives tonight, son. If you hadn't come when you did, those monsters would have torn this whole neighbourhood apart. I owe you a debt."
I shrugged. "I don't know. The green guy looked like he had it handled."
"Trust me, son — he didn't," Ross said gruffly. "It's people like you and me who keep the world safe. You did your country a great service tonight. Thank you. If there's ever anything I can do—"
I blinked. This was unexpected. "Ah, thanks... I guess." I looked around. People were snapping photos of me on their phones. I needed to disappear. Now. "Anyway — bye!" I turned and sprinted for the nearest building before launching a web line and swinging away back toward my stashed bag and MJ.
"Sir, should we follow him?" a soldier asked Ross.
"No. Let him go. He's not our enemy," Thunderbolt ordered, then turned and walked toward his daughter with a heavy sigh. It was going to be a long night.
---
I landed in the alley where I'd stashed my bag against the wall. I opened it and quickly changed back into my regular clothes, which was quite the challenge when you were standing perpendicular to a brick wall.
Once I was back in normal clothes, I stuffed my makeshift 'uniform' into the bag and tossed it into a nearby burning car. I couldn't bring it with me — MJ would ask where I found a bag, and I certainly couldn't explain it. Besides, if I kept it and Ross started to get curious, it could only lead somewhere bad.
With all the evidence gone, I took out my phone. Three missed calls from home. One from MJ.
I called MJ first. "Hey, it's me. Where are you?"
"Peter? Oh, thank God! Your aunt has been worried sick! I'm at the Starbucks down the street near the ambulances."
I looked around and spotted her. "I see you." I quickly jogged over and grabbed her into a hug. "I'm glad you're safe."
"Me?! What about you?! When I told your aunt what you were doing, she nearly had a heart attack!" MJ yelled as she broke the hug and stepped back.
"Hell," I cursed. I really didn't want to get yelled at. "I'm sorry. Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?"
"No, no, I'm fine. What about you?"
"Helped out a few soldiers stuck in a helicopter. The fight's over. Some guy in a red hoodie and a mask came in and dealt with the big monster."
MJ blinked. "Some guy?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't catch his name, though. He spoke to the general and then just left. I think he was a superhero."
"I see..." She narrowed her eyes at me. I gulped. "Fine. We're going home. Now. And you're going to call your aunt and tell her you're alright. I swear, the last thing I need is her dropping dead before I even start school."
"Right," I agreed as we tried to hail a cab. The city was in complete disarray, though, so we couldn't get one. We were forced to take the bus, and on the way I had to sit through Aunt May's phone lecture.
By the time we got on the train, May had run out of steam. She hung up with a firm promise of more yelling the moment I got home. I sighed as I ended the call and leaned back in my seat.
"That bad?" MJ asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, you deserved it," she huffed.
"I was just trying to help," I shrugged.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Peter!"
"That seems to be going around these days," I smirked.
MJ groaned. "I'm serious. I literally just met you and — news flash — if you'd gotten yourself killed, that would be a really terrible way for me to start school."
I smirked. "Aw, I love you too." Growing a little bold, I pressed a quick peck to her cheek. MJ blushed furiously.
"Ugh, you're lucky you're cute," she huffed. "Still — what were you thinking, going off on your own like that? What if you had gotten hurt?"
"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," I said. "I'm not that kind of person."
"I thought you said you didn't want to be a hero. Isn't it too dangerous?"
I was quiet for a long moment. "Maybe," I replied at last. "But to be honest... I don't think I was ever going to just stand by and let people get hurt. Not when I could prevent it. Or at least try."
"And why is that your job?"
I smirked. "With great power comes great responsibility."
"How zen. Where did you hear that one?"
"Uncle Ben," I told her. "It's his favourite line. I... I think I'm only just starting to understand what he meant."
"Hm. He's a wise man."
"Yup."
"But you do know he's still going to give you an earful the moment you get home, right?"
I sighed. "Yup."
"Good," she chuckled, and leaned her head on my shoulder.
My body was sore, especially my arms. The amount of muscle strength it took to swing from building to building was immense — I'd need to train somewhere private, some place where no one could see me. If anyone saw someone like me effortlessly pressing half a ton, they would panic.
"For what it's worth, though, Peter — you're my hero," she said softly, pressing her lips to my cheek. "Good job, Tiger."
I blushed. Silence settled between us. The train's constant rhythm filled the air. MJ looked exhausted, and so was I. I had just fought the Abomination, and won. I knew I'd need to take this whole thing seriously if I was going to survive it.
I had super powers. How long had I always wanted super powers? And now I had them. I could help people. No — I had to help people. I supposed that in the end, there had never really been a choice. I was always going to become Spider-Man. I had to become a hero.
Looks like life just got a whole lot more complicated.