The marvellous spider-man

Chapter 23

The shuttle was slowing, but it was still racing through the sky at unimaginable speeds. In the white corridor Peter, his masked face staring down Kraven, knew he had to end this quickly. They would be running out of fuel soon, and the ship would crash. He had to defeat Kraven quickly.

Why then, did he find it so hard to move? Kraven's grinning and that noise that sounded like purring didn't help.

Calm down, Peter told himself, you can do this. He's just another bully to outsmart. At that thought Peter remembered how he had outsmarted bullies in the past, protecting himself and Harry. Of course Flash Thompson was the one who came up the most. Peter remembered when he had first seen Flash picking on Harry. As frightened as Peter was, he managed to make Flash less scary. Peter walked right up to him and said, "Gee Flash, I know you got beat up in the last football game, but do you have to take it out on Harry?"

His first quip.

Peter then focused on the enemy before him, and suddenly found a way to make him less intimidating. He saw the tiger stripe war paint.

"Aw!" said Spiderman as if he was looking at something cute. "Look at the kitty makeup! It makes you look so pretty!"

Kraven, however, reacted with just a small twitch of his eye. Otherwise he seemed unfazed by the comment. He grinned his hyena grin and that sound like purring turned to a distinctive growl. He started walking, slowly picking up speed until he was running.

Well, thought Peter, this is it.

Spiderman just stood there for a moment, and then shot some webbing. Predictably Kraven dodged and sliced his way through it, his blade singing through the air. Despite his shaking Spiderman ran forward. They met and Spiderman jumped as if you leap over him, but Kraven swung right at him, the blade singing through the air and ready to slice Spiderman across the chest.

Until Spiderman stepped off an invisible web he had placed a moment ago, allowing him to change direction midair.

In that moment Spiderman twisted and landed on Kraven's back with a line of webbing around Kraven's neck. Kraven screamed angrily and thrashed wildly, trying to shake him off.

Peter suddenly felt even better than before.

"Yee haw!" cried Spiderman. "Ride that bucking bronco! YEE HAW!"

Kraven tried to smash Spiderman against the wall with his back, but Spiderman put his foot behind him and kicked forward.

"Oh a wise guy eh?" said Spiderman. "Trying to use my own tricks against me, eh?"

Kraven swung his blades behind him, and Spiderman dodging, all the while managing to stay on Kraven's back.

"Missed me!" said Spiderman. "Missed me! Missed me! Missed me!"

Suddenly the blades cut the webs, and Spiderman was forced to backflip away before Kraven cut him. Kraven turned around and ran towards him as Spiderman landed. With Kraven, wild eyed and brandishing his machetes, running straight towards him, Peter realized that this was usually the moment he would start running away.

Not this time thought. This time he was going to beat this creep.

He waited for Kraven to swing once, back flipped, and then threw a punch just as Kraven swung his blade.

Kraven's arm caught on the stealth webbing and his blade stopped. Spiderman's fist, however, connected with Kraven's face, much to the hunter's surprise.

Got you, thought Peter.

And that's how Spiderman fought. He'd dodge a few blows, only for Kraven's arm to suddenly catch on stealth webbing. Kraven could rip the web off when he knew it was there, but it kept catching at odd angles when he least expected it, and every time his arm caught it left an opening for Spiderman to hit him in the face.

Kraven began to get annoyed.

Spiderman Dodged, twisted, and flipped away from the singing blades. Then Kraven's arm would catch, and POW! Kraven was hit. Behind the mask Peter was getting a rush. I can do this, he thought. I can do this!

Suddenly as his arm caught once again, Kraven ducked the inevitable punch and kicked Spiderman in the stomach and sent him flying. As Spiderman felt pain from landing on the cold floor he saw Kraven prepare for a leap. Immediately Peter shot a visible line of web to the ceiling and pulled with all his might.

His feet connected with Kraven midair, smashing the hunter into the ceiling. Peter twisted to land on all fours while Kraven fell down face first, his blades clattering away. Peter webbed the blades and threw them away, and then webbed Kraven. With all his might he swung Kraven against the wall. Kraven grunted in pain, and Spiderman swung again.

Again and again he swung Kraven on his web line against the floor, the ceiling, and the walls, yanking with everything he had and grunting each time. He was going to make certain this guy was knocked unconscious before he stopped.

Suddenly the ship lurched. Spiderman stumbled, and suddenly the lights went out. He yanked on the line once again, not taking any chances, but it was lighter than before. He pulled the object at the end of the line to him and caught it. Suddenly some of the light came back, though it was not as bright as before, and Spiderman saw what the object in his hands was.

It was Kraven's lion skin vest.

As Spiderman looked around, Kraven was nowhere to be seen. Not good, Peter thought. Not good at all.

....

"What happened?" asked John Jameson in the cockpit.

"The ship sir," said one of the other astronauts. "It was designed for space travel. It was never intended to go this fast while in earth's atmosphere. It can't take the stress sir. It's falling apart. Frankly I'm surprise it's lasted this long. The main power is fractured, and auxiliary power won't last long either."

"Great," said John. "More bad news. Anything else I should know?"

"Don't be surprised if this ship starts losing pieces."