Echoes of the Web: Just a Spider-Man story

Chapter 1: Awakening: The Spider's Rebirth

Queens, New York, 2010

The incessant beeping of an alarm clock pierced the stillness of a small, dimly lit bedroom in Queens, New York. In the midst of the cacophony, a 15-year-old boy lay sound asleep, oblivious to the world around him. With dark brown hair and fair skin, his features remained hidden beneath the veil of slumber.

"Peter!" A female voice called out from beyond the closed door, accompanied by persistent knocks. "Peter, it's time for school!"

Yet, Peter remained unmoved, lost in the depths of his dreams. Eventually, the door creaked open, revealing a woman dressed in nurse scrubs. Her appearance mirrored Peter's, suggesting a familial connection.

"Peter, it's your first day of high school," she urged, her voice tinged with concern. She approached the bed and pulled back the curtains, flooding the room with daylight. What she found was unexpected.

The sleeping teenager lay drenched in sweat, his sheets clinging to him as if he had endured a night in a sauna. Alarmed, she checked for signs of fever, finding none. Instead, she discovered a startling transformation.

"Has he been exercising?" she murmured to herself, puzzled by the sudden change in Peter's physique. His once frail frame now bore the markings of newfound strength, his muscles defined and toned.

Startled awake by the commotion, Peter struggled to orient himself. "Who's Peter? Where am I? What time is it?" he mumbled groggily.

Concern etched on her face, the woman rushed to Peter's side, fearing the worst. "Peter Benjamin Parker! What drugs did you take!?" she exclaimed, her mind racing with dire possibilities.

Confusion clouded Peter's mind as he grappled with his identity. "Umm, don't you have work?" he deflected, seeking a moment of solitude.

Ignoring his question, the woman pressed on, her worry palpable. "If you're sick, I can call in and the hospital would understand," she suggested, her voice tinged with uncertainty.With a sense of urgency, Peter assured her of his well-being, eager to be alone with his thoughts. "No, go to work. They need you there more than me. I'll go to school," he insisted, masking his inner turmoil with false bravado.

Reluctantly acquiescing to his request, the woman left Peter to his own devices, reminding him to attend to his hygiene before departing. Alone at last, Peter retreated to the bathroom, desperate for solitude.

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, a wave of disbelief washed over him. "What the hell is going on?" he muttered, grappling with the inexplicable changes wrought upon him overnight.Questions swirled in his mind as he attempted to make sense of his newfound strength and vitality. "Am I dreaming?" he wondered aloud, pinching himself in a futile attempt to awaken from this surreal nightmare.

The reality of his situation began to sink in as he struggled to comprehend the enormity of his transformation. "Am I Spider-Man?" he murmured, a glimmer of recognition dawning within him.Yet, amidst the confusion and uncertainty, a haunting truth emerged from the depths of his memory. "Oh... Yeah," he whispered, his voice heavy with regret.In that moment of clarity, Peter confronted the painful truth of his past, grappling with the weight of his own mortality. "Though, I don't think I regret it anymore," he confessed, his resolve unwavering.