Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Vol. 1

Chapter 6

His steps soft and quick, the creature then leapt off the nearest building, landing on the roof across the street as it continued its course. It needed to be very selective about the path it took, given the area of the city he had been put up in. It kept to the shadows as much as possible, but now that it was in its final stretch towards his destination, he'd opted for speed over stealth towards the finish, the night having grown quite late.

Finally, it could see its end goal up ahead, leaping across a street yet again, this time sinking its claws into a wall. He then lowered his foot, sliding open a window just down and to the right, flipping inside and landing gracefully on the floor, hardly making a sound despite his size. Standing to his feet, he then walked over until he was just in front of the bed. Taking a seat, the creature crossed its legs, took a breath, and closed its eyes.

Slowly, the creature began to settle, its heart rate slowing and breathing becoming regular again. He could feel the transformation happening, his body undergoing a change that once had been difficult, even painful. Now, however, it was simple and painless, though still requiring concentration, so his eyes remained shut as he allowed the process to carry on. After about another ten seconds, the man finally opened his eyes; he glanced down at what had once been a hand covered in fur, but was now merely like the average human hand, his ferocious claws now reduced to fingernails.

No sooner had his transformation been completed than he heard his phone ringing on the counter. Uncurling his legs, he stood up, walking over and checking who it was. Though there was no name with the number, he recognized it as being the one whom he'd been in touch with regarding his latest contract. Picking it up, he answered.

"Yes?"

"Our men said the deal went down, so I take it your evening was a success?" the voice on the other end inquired.

"Not yet," the man replied.

"You don't sound too disappointed," the individual pointed out, "especially for a man who failed to get the job done."

"I am disappointed," the man replied. "It was my belief that I would be dealing with a criminal and a vigilante, yet he purposefully abandoned our fight to save another man's life. Tell me, why would someone like who you had described to me do such a thing?"

"I assure you, he is everything we have said, and much more," the caller assured the man. "That should be enough for you. Now, can we count on you to finish the job?"

"Don't worry, your deposit will not be for nothing," the man replied to his caller. He then hung up before the individual could get another word in and strolled back over to the window, glancing out into the city. His mind returned to the battle, reflecting on his first encounter with Spider-Man. He had not followed much regarding the red and blue suited individual's career prior to the night, only reading the occasional Daily Bugle article that perpetually called him a menace and a threat to society. This lined up with what the one who'd reached out to him for his services had told him as well, with the supposed "superhero" having been plaguing his business dealings for some time.

He knew that he had a job to do, and he would do it. Still, from what he'd seen tonight, the man began to wonder if there was more to Spider-Man than he had been led to believe.

---

As the elevator doors within the Bugle closed, Peter tilted his head, trying to stretch his neck out a little. Though his enhanced healing abilities had done their job overnight and taken care of all the spots where blood had been coming from, he was still just a little sore. If he was being honest, he was concerned about whoever he'd fought last night like he hadn't been about an opponent since the Green Goblin. Whoever this was, they had attacked him with a ferocity he hadn't encountered often in his nine-year run as Spider-Man, which told him one of two things: it was personal, or someone had paid them EXTREMELY well.