Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Stud

Chapter 9

Peter wondered if he should have been worried when it only took a little over a week for his new world to start feeling like home. Really, it wasn’t that different from how things had used to be. He still had to balance his day job with being a super hero. He still had plenty of street crime to deal with, even if he had some more regular back-up now. He ever still got the distinct pleasure of listening to Jameson’s latest rants on why he was a menace to society. Really, he hadn’t actually lost anything despite the inter-dimensional nonsense that usually spelled absolute disaster for him. He was a little tempted to start keeping an eye out for the Beyonder or something. His earpiece beeped and shook him out of his brooding as Gwen sent an quick ping to his phone, signaling an all clear over near Midtown. One of his multiple beautiful, super-powered, loving, polyamorous, and wonderfully alive girlfriends was sending him status updates. It was very nearly too good to be true.

There hadn’t even been a super villain attack all week, which might as well have been a miracle in New York City. Peter shook his head and took a bite from his hot dog as he let his legs dangle over the side of the apartment building he’d picked to take a lunch break on. It said a lot about New York that he could pick up lunch in costume and nobody batted an eye. He loved his city.

Then the sound of sirens roared down the street below him and he saw the flashing lights of two police cruisers. “Well, I was complaining about it being too quiet…” He sighed and stuffed the second half of his kraut covered dog into his mouth and yanked his mask back down before leaping from his perch and swinging after the two cars.

Peter let the wind whip by him and kept pace with the two cars until they swerved in toward Midtown and came to a stop in front of the Luxury Time store. Two other squad cars were already forming a line at the front of the building, with officers crouched down behind them for cover. The hero landed on the rooftop across the street and watched as a ski-mask wearing face poked out of one of the windows before vanishing from sight again. “Well, that makes things easy. Now, do I take it loud or quiet…?”

He watched the police setting up for a few moments and waited for any more signs of movement inside. Whoever was leading the robbery must have been running a tight ship, because there was hardly a shadow inside and not even a panicked shot out at the cops. “Well, no need to make a fuss.” Peter fired a line across the gap and launched himself to the opposite roof, landing smoothly on the concrete. Hopefully there would be a… Peter smiled as he carefully pulled the cover off the vent and slipped inside the shaft.

“I love how many buildings have nice big vents,” he muttered to himself as he crawled along the metal surface and slowly made his way down to the showroom floor. Thin bars of light signaled another vent cover as the superhero stopped and peered through. He could make out three gunmen on the floor, rapidly cleaning out display cases of their product.

“Hurry it up you guys,” a voice came from just out of sight. “The bosses want us to get to emptying the vault before any more cops show up. We need to get a move on.”

Peter smiled behind his mask. If the boss was here, that saved him a lot of trouble. He carefully jimmied the cover free, letting it stick to his fingers to avoid dropping it as he slid it aside. Then he crawled silently out of the vent, clinging to the high ceiling just out of sight. The hired goons spread out, too engrossed in looting the jewelry cases to notice the new arrival just above them. As soon as one strayed below him, Peter fired off two web lines and yanked hard, leaving the man dangling from the ceiling.

“Oooooh shiiittt.”

Another web shot gagged the criminal as Peter flipped down off his perch, straight at the next thug in line. The man cried out as the full weight of the hero smacked him against the ground and he lay there groaning. “Look guys, I know watches are in style this season, but gold is so not your color. Have you considered steel? Maybe on both wrists.”