Pain Will Always Come Back to Haunt You

Faith, Trust, and My Guy in the Chair

'Maybe I should have said yes to the new suit,' was the first thing Peter thought while being surrounded by five robbers. This normally wouldn't phase him, but the sudden appearance of another masked man bearing a semi automatic rifle isn't the most encouraging thing. A sudden tingling sensation rapidly spreads from the back of his neck that makes his hair stand on end. Without hesitation, he leaps up to cling to the ceiling and uses his webs to fling three of the robbers out of the path of their partner's spraying bullets. The bullets ping off metal jewelry cases and shatter their glass. When the flung robbers collide with the wall, they stare at the demolished jewelry cases in utter shock. Before they can gather their wits, Peter sends another string of web their way. The web expands midair and encases the torsos of the three robbers, pinning them in place.

"Peter? Peter! What happened? Are you there?!" Ned's voice frantically asks through Peter's suit. When Ned heard the cracking of the gunshots then Peter's sudden radio silence, he thought of the worst possible scenario.

"Yeah! Yeah just, um, one sec!" Peter quickly shoots a web to yank the semi-auto gun from the robber's grasp and pulls it into his own hand. As soon as he jumps down, he uses his free hand to shoot a net web at the remaining two robbers, restraining them too. He bounces on the balls of his feet and shakes out his hands to release some of the excess adrenaline. "Hey Ned, can you check the security cameras to make sure no bad guys got away?"

"Yeah, no problem, dude," Ned answers immediately before Peter hears the clicking and clacking of the keyboard.

"Karen?" Peter asks the AI of his suit and her patient voice answers,

"Yes, Peter?"

"Scan everyone for injuries and check to see how far away the police are, please." He looks up to the frightened store owner and customers huddled behind the wooden counter. "Hey everybody!" He attempts to sound reassuring as best as he can. "Uh, are you all okay?" Even though he knows Karen has a scan radius of miles, he walks closer to them to get a better look of his own. A few of them nod while others stare at the webbed up robbers.

"Injuries seem to consist of mild abrasions and slight lacerations due to the glass. No one is in need of immediate medical attention," Karen answers for them. A small panel appears in front of Peter's face displaying heart rates along with the highlights of all the minor injuries. "The police are two blocks away."

"Awesome, awesome. Thank you, Karen." He lets out a slow breath. It's always a nerve racking wait to hear if anyone's hurt.

"My pleasure."

"I've checked all the rooms inside, the alley, and the surrounding block," Ned speaks up, "but I don't see anyone dressed head to toe in navy blue and masks. I'm pretty sure you're clear." He always sounds confident when he's my "Guy in the Chair," even though I'm pretty sure he's sitting in a bean bag chair right now, Peter thinks fondly.

"Thanks, man." When Peter hears the sirens get within a block, he swings out the front doors and up the side of the building. It isn't a long climb to the top, it only being two stories, and he watches from above as the police arrive. He smiles to himself as he crouches with his forearms resting on his knees.

"More evil-doers thwarted by Spider-Man and his Guy in the Chair," he declares with a wide smile hidden beneath his mask.

"That's because we're, like, the best team ever," Ned responds matter-of-factly, but Peter can still hear the grin in his voice. He can tell Ned loves this just as much as he does.

"Even better than Han Solo and Chewbacca?" Peter challenges and Ned gasps overdramatically.

"How dare you bring Han and Chewie into this." Peter can't help but laugh like the proud nerd that he is. Ned quickly joins in his laughter. "Alright, Karen, anything else happening?" Peter double checks.