Jaws of Death

Chapter 13

Aunt May was gone!

Peter had searched the entire house, upstairs and downstairs, with no sign of May Parker. He could almost feel his chest muscles vibrate due to his hammering heart. He had been so sure he would save her that the other alternative had never crossed his mind. Until now. It was all because of him. It was because he had decided to go poking his nose where it shouldn't be. What was he thinking? He wasn't actually Spiderman anymore. He was just Peter Parker. A nineteen year old, irresponsible and reckless kid who had just caused immense distress to the only living being in the world who cared most about him.

Of course, they would go hunting behind Aunt May. Why didn't he think it through before approaching the cops? God, Is she even alive?

She must be!

Soaking himself in self-hatred, Peter collapsed onto the couch. His wrist was still throbbing from the cut. Peter gazed at the cut, absently brooding. It was his mistake, right from the beginning to the end. Shielding the people he loved was the whole concept of wearing a mask. When did Peter Parker decide to play the hero that Spiderman was? When did the lines that separated Peter and Spiderman begin to blur?

Just at that moment, he heard a voice in his head, rugged and deep voice.

"...that your decision to put me behind bars, although so brave and heroic as it sounds, was really your attempt to garner some attention from the people in your life. It was only a pretext to make people care about you, to make women notice you and somehow fill that gaping hole in your life."

What if the Kingpin was right? What if, at the end of the day, Spiderman was just a weird kid wanting some attention? Peter was sure he wasn't going to like the answer any more than he liked the question.

What do I do about Aunt May?

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't really decide on a course of action. He didn't know where she was gone. He had absolutely no idea what had happened here in his absence. Searching for Aunt May in New York would be the personification of needle in a haystack story at a real-world level. But he had to search her. That was the only option he had.

He gazed out the window absently, working his brain furiously, when his eyes fell on the street lamp. In the middle of its shaft was a small cylindrical equipment.

Goodness, me, a security camera.

It dawned on him that the entire street was being monitored by security camera. It was a part of the Mayor's latest plan to regulate crimes, especially at night. (But despite his attempts, crime rate had still spiked all over the city). And it had just given Peter Parker a wonderful idea.

Twenty minutes later, Peter Parker sat with his laptop in his hand, working furiously through the recordings. He was unsure of the time, and had to scroll through the hourly recordings slowly. He saw a blind man, with a cane enter the house and after an hour later, he exited. On his exit, he dashed onto another man with a briefcase. He was lean, tall and strong and he entered the house after the blind man left. Peter just had a momentary look at Aunt May before she let the tall man walk inside.

He waited with bated breath, unsure of what he was going to see. His heartbeat was going into a frenzy. Clutching his chin with both hands in worry, Parker kept his eyes glued to the laptop screen. An ice cream van rolled across the street. A stray cat was chased by a bigger feline. Apart from that, the entire screen was motionless. His instincts were begging him to fast forward the recording, impatient to know what had happ-

The door opened. The tall man stepped out. He had no briefcase in hand, he was just holding someone. With horror, he realised that the man was holding Aunt May. The way she slumped told Peter that she was either unconscious or-

No! She's just unconscious! She's unconscious!

The tall man threw her onto his shoulder and clicked his fingers. Instantly, metal wings unfolded from his back and he donned a helmet attached with the wings. Peter watched in horror, as with a slight booster lift from the cannons in the wings, the man was in the air. And he started flying. The wings adjusted themselves as the man flew away with Aunt May on his shoulder.

What the hell?

Peter had seen only one man do this before. Adrian Toomes, notoriously known as 'The Vulture' in the criminal underworld. But Adrian was in prison. Peter himself had managed to procure lots of pictorial evidence along with eye witnesses to help put him there.

Who the hell is this guy?

Could this be his son, Alexander? He had no idea. But things began getting clearer. If this was, in some way, related to Toomes, Peter knew the possible location of Aunt May. Having snivelled into his private homes for collecting evidence, he knew where the Toomes family lived and worked. All he would need was some web-slinging.

So, let's start with Dr. Connors!

He had to get his powers back. At the very least, he had to know what was happening to him. It will help him in some way. But he had to make sure he doesn't make any more mistakes. Chances are, putting Aunt May in misery will forever be the most reckless mistake he had ever done. Yet, there was no room for self-pity. Absolutely no time for any of that shit. It was up to him to face the mistake and make amends. He had to save Aunt May.

Determined, Peter Parker rushed to his room and pulled out the costume he hadn't worn in two months.

It's time for some web-slinging!