"It might be best to leave this to the police, Peter."
I gritted my teeth as I crawled high along the brick wall, peering down into the dark alleyway below.
"I've almost got 'em, Karen," I offered to the voice in my head. "I've been trying to take down this dealer for three weeks."
"I count six assailants with the dealer," Karen responded as my eyes scanned through the fading evening light. She was right. Five heavily-armed bodyguards surrounded a tall, lanky man with greasy black hair and sallow skin.
"Okay," I murmured quietly as I crept closer, inching down the wall. "Six isn't bad."
"Five would be better," said Karen.
"We need to talk about your positivity settings."
Pushing aside the doubt that nagged at the back of my mind, I strained my ears to listen in on the conversation taking place between the thugs.
"You worried about Jamie not showing the other night?" one of the guards asked the leader of the group. "Word on the street is the spider guy got him sent to the lock-up." I couldn't help but smirk, recalling the tussle from three nights earlier.
"Jamie's the least of my worries," their leader answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. "He's got nothing on me, and he'll prove useless to the cops." My stomach dropped at the man's words.
"Whatever you say, boss," said the guard who had spoken earlier, shrugging nonchalantly as he paced back and forth, smacking his gum loudly. I held my breath, keeping to the shadows as I closed in.
"You don't think that spider… thing's gonna show up tonight?" another guard piped up, shifting nervously.
"I doubt an amateur hero in a spandex onesie could be smart enough to track me this far," the leader scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well that's a little rude," I exclaimed as I leaped off of the wall, landing on the lid of a nearby dumpster with a thud. The group of men instantly spun on their heels, all eyes turning towards me. "Do you have any idea who made this suit?"
Before anyone could offer a response, I shot a web from my wrist, watching in satisfaction as it latched onto the nearest guard. Swinging my arm, I sent the man crashing into one of his companions. They both went tumbling to the ground, screaming and cursing loudly as I bound them to the ground with another web.
The remaining guards rushed towards me in a flurry of movement, and I quickly jumped off the dumpster, dodging a wave of bullets as they peppered the brick wall behind me. I ducked as the guard nearest to me swung the butt of his AK-47 towards my head. I rammed my shoulder into his larger, lumbering frame. He released a sharp, ragged breath. I sent a web shooting upwards until it grasped a streetlight above. Then, propelling myself off of the ground, I landed a heavy kick into the guard's chest, and he fell to the ground with a tight gasp. I swung to the brick wall opposite me, scurrying away in the nick of time as another volley of bullets splattered the side of the building.
"You should… have a little more respect…" I yelled in between breaths. "For personal property!" With my last cry, I launched myself back towards the guards, firing two shock-webs each. They hit their mark with a splat and sizzle, and the bodyguards crumpled to the pavement as the spasmed uncontrollably.
I skidded to a halt, dusting my hands as I turned towards the leader, who had grabbed a pistol from somewhere beneath his leather coat.
"Now, let's put that away," I said, yanking the weapon away with a web and letting it drop to the ground with a clunk. I could hear sirens approaching, and so could the man, no doubt.
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," the man spat viciously. I feigned a gasp of surprise.
"Oh, so we're going with the threatening speech?" I said, clapping my hands together eagerly. "I love these! Please, continue."
"You need to get out of this business," the dealer continued in a deep growl as a frown covered his pale, weathered face. "Street thugs and drug dealers are one thing, but I've heard stories about you. You're getting in too deep. And one of these days, it's going to cost you everything." I sniffled loudly.
"Wow," I replied. "That was… moving, really. I'm touched. And flattered that you're so concerned." I paused, glancing over my shoulder as a pair of police cars sped into the alley, their doors cracking open as the officers flooded onto the street, guns bared. "But I think I can handle myself."
With a wave of my hand, I whirled around, giving a salute to the approaching policemen and women.
"You're welcome, officers!" I said before bounding up the wall, and disappearing over the roof of the building.
After my success with the drug dealer, I decided to call it early for the day, and headed home. Aunt May was more than happy to have me for dinner, of course. After hanging up my suit in the closet and pulling on some comfortable lounge clothes, I scampered to the dinner table, where I scarfed down a hefty meal of spaghetti and garlic bread.
"Catch anyone good today?" asked May, her eyes glowing warmly behind her wide-rimmed glasses.
"Yeah, actually," I answered between mouthfuls. "This drug dealer I've been after for a few weeks."
"Drug dealer?!" May exclaimed, her face masked in horror. "Doesn't that seem a little… over your head? You shouldn't be messing around with gangs. That's awfully dangerous." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"It's nowhere close to Vulture," I muttered. "Trust me, May, I was fine."
"Well," said May, biting her lip as she fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth as she always did when she was nervous. "If you say so. But, and I mean this… if you ever get into a situation where you're in too deep… you call for help, ok? Promise me?"
"I promise," I assured her, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.
Before the conversation could continue, my cell phone began to ring. I picked up the device, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the contact name blinking across the screen: Tony Stark.
"Take it, honey," May said, her expression softening as she gave me a warm smile. I grinned gratefully, then took off towards my room.
"H-hello?" I said squeakily into the phone as I closed the door to my bedroom.
"Peter!" a familiar voice called over the speaker. "I just got a report from Karen about your latest takedown on the streets." I felt my face flushing slightly, and I shuffled my feet.
"It was nothing, really," I replied, scratching the back of my neck as I walked back and forth along the length of my room.
"Well, great job," was Tony's answer. "How's May holding up?" I sighed, running a hand through my dark hair.
"As well as she can, I guess," I responded. "She worries, of course."
"Hmm," Tony murmured. "Anyway, the reason I'm calling…" he paused for dramatic effect, and I waited with bated breath.
"Yeah?" I asked after a moment of silence, unable to contain myself.
"It's your suit," Tony said. I froze.
"Do… do you want it back?" I stammered.
"What?" Tony replied. "No, don't be silly. The suit's yours. But I've been really thinking about that other suit I slaved over for, you know, a couple months, that you just casually brushed aside like it was nothing -"
"I appreciated the gesture, Mr. Stark," I interjected before the intense guilt could overcome my senses. "But I told you I wanted to stay on the streets for awhile. Be a neighborhood guy, you know."
"Which I understand," Tony responded. "But I know you. You have heart, and you can't stand to see people suffering. And when something big comes, you're gonna go after it, no matter what. I just want you to be prepared."
"What do you mean something… 'big'?" I asked, my brow furrowing at his mysterious words. There was a sigh from the other end.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "So, how's school going?"
With that, the conversation drifted back towards normalcy. We chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. I set the phone down on my desk, then walked over to my bedroom window. Sliding it open, I hopped out onto the wide sill, dangling my legs over the ledge and staring out over the city.
The city was dipping towards the edge of the horizon, splashing the sky's canvas in an astounding array of colors behind the New York skyline. I couldn't help but smile. The sunsets never got old.
As I listened, however, I realized it was quiet. Deathly quiet. A breeze rippled through the air, sending a shiver down my spine. I gulped, my eyes narrowing.
I thought back to Tony's words from moments earlier.
"When something big comes, you're gonna go after it, no matter what."
Then, I remembered what the dealer had spoken of.
"You're getting in too deep. And one of these days, it's going to cost you everything."
The words sunk into my mind, and I replayed them over and over. An ominous feeling settled into the depths of my heart. Like something was coming. Something inescapable, and terrible. Something like…
War.