By Peter
Part 1
Disclaimer: No, I’m not Stan Lee, so I don’t own Spider-Man. Peter, MJ, Harry, JJJ, and the rest of our colorful cast are the property of Marvel Comics. I don’t own them.
Rating: PG-13
Category: Peter/MJ. Come on…like there’s any other fan base out there yet.
Spoilers: Takes place after the movie. Say…a week.
New York City, in Central Park.
A large crowd is gathered in front of a wooden ampatheatre. Everyone from the old, to the very young are gathered there. It’s not uncommon…for something like this to be occurring. Despite all the Broadway shows and feature films being made in modern times, old-fashioned outdoor theatre was still a crowd-pleaser. Especially when coupled with cotton candy, pony rides, and a medieval theme.
It was, of course, a Shakespeare play being performed. The Merchant Of Venice, to be precise. The drama group at Empire State University had been rehearsing for months, wanting it to be perfect. With good reason…a crowd this size in such a public place usually drew talent scouts. Each actor was hoping that their performance would be impressive enough to perhaps get an audition on television or Broadway.
Even if they didn’t get asked, it was still exposure. So they gave their best performances.
The character of ‘Portia’ came on stage, dressed as a lawyer. Her usually long bright red hair was tied back behind her head, keeping with the disguise of the scene. The entire audience looked up at her in anticipation. Except one, who looked down.
You might saw this member of the audience was her number one fan.
Hidden at the top of a tall tree, perched on a branch, was one solitary figure. He was clothed from head to toe in bright red-and-blue clothing, not a single bit of skin showing itself. It was skin-tight, showing off his tightly muscled frame, which most Olympic swimmers would be insanely jealous of.
He wore a mask that covered his entire face. With giant, bug-like eyes that functioned like two-way mirrors. He could see out, but no one could see in. The red surface of the costume, more extravagant that the Shakespearian ones down below, was covered with a web design on the torso, boots, gloves, and mask. The rest was a navy blue.
Finally, in the center of his chest was the shape of a spider, with a slightly larger one in red on his back. He held a camera up to his eyehole, which went ‘click, whir’ as he took photograph after photograph of the play below.
As for who this mysterious stranger was, it’s quite simple. His name was Peter Parker…
…but when he was dressed like this, he was called ‘Spider-Man’.
I hate this, he thought. Why can’t I just go buy a ticket to this thing like normal people. I’ll tell you why, because Jonah ‘the miser’ Jameson won’t spring for a ticket, but still expects his photos. I swear, if oxygen was money, he’d be breathing through a machine. The guy knows I can’t afford a ticket on what he pays me.
Yeah, it was the truth, but only half of it. He probably could have afforded to spend a bit on a ticket, except for one small problem. He didn’t think he could face ‘Portia’ seeing him there.
The actress in the lead role was Mary Jane Watson, who had been his next-door neighbor since he was six years old. From the moment he saw her, he fell for her. Hard. Like a boulder.
Yeah, he had loved her for as long as he could remember, and what did he do? She basically declared she felt the same way to him, kissed him, and he broke her heart into a million pieces. Why? Because he had to.
“Face it, Pete,” he muttered. “Even when you win, you lose.”
Somehow, the Green Goblin had discovered who he was, and used that knowledge against him. First, by attacking Aunt May. Then, he kidnapped Mary Jane and brought her up to the Brooklyn Bridge. She would have died, plummeting to her death, had Spider-Man not made an seemingly impossible effort to save both her and the people on the tram.
The Goblin was dead now. Impaled on his own glider. Unfortunately, that didn’t solve the problem. If he could find out who he really was, so could other people. People who were even more dangerous than the Goblin. That meant that anyone close to him would always be in danger. He couldn’t stop that threat to Aunt May, but maybe he could space MJ that risk. No matter how much it hurt.
Walking away from her in that cemetery was probably the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. Even worse than before, knowing that she felt the same way about him.
All he could do now was watch her, from a distance. He saw her go backstage after the scene was over.
“God, she’s beautiful,” he sighed. “Typical old Parker luck, I guess.”
*****
Backstage, MJ rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
“And the crowd goes wild!” she exclaimed to her co-stars.
She smiled. This was exactly what she needed…to throw herself into acting again. The entire group had been working on this play for a month, and they were finally going to get a payoff.
“Ring scene, right?” she asked the director. “Wish me luck.”
She takes a drink from her water glass, and prepared to go back onstage. However, something stops her.
Something is wrong with the water. It’s…bubbling.
“Stacy?” she asked. “Is the stage uneven?”
“Huh?” one of the other girls asked. “No, we checked it this morning. Why?”
Mary Jane just continued to stare at the glass, as small circles started to become larger. Accompanied by quiet ‘booming’ noises.
Cautiously, she pulled open the curtain, and peered onstage. What she saw was wide scale panic.
The audience was running in all directions…screaming. And who could blame them.
Walking towards the stage was a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex.
It looked directly at her.
Then she screamed.
*****
“What the…?”
Spider-Man couldn’t believe his eyes. Standing in the middle of Central Park was a real live DINOSAUR?
“This is quickly changing from Shakespeare to Spielberg,” he commented, before pressing his middle and index finger into the palm of his hand.
A thin strand of webline shot out of his wrist, anchoring itself to the roof of the theatre. He jumped off his perch, swinging with great speed towards where MJ stood, screaming in terror.
*****
MJ stumbled backward, horrified by what she saw. It was like a nightmare come to life. A creature that shouldn’t even exist was standing right in front of her.
Worst of all, it looked as if she might be its next meal.
Too terrified to move, she held her breath as it’s opened jaws advanced towards her.
However, she quickly felt a strong arm grab her by the waist, lifting her up into the air. Suddenly, she found herself standing on the roof of the theatre, her rescuer beside her.
“Spider-Man?!” she said, surprised.
Spidey smiled beneath his mask, before turning towards the T-Rex.
“No, no, no,” he said. “You’ve got it all wrong. You’re supposed to go after the bald lawyer in the port-a-john and eat him first. Nowhere in the script does it say anything about the cute redhead. Do you really want the union coming after you?”
He swallowed when the T-Rex’s head suddenly faced him.
Oh, don’t tell me… he thought, as he grabbed MJ again and leaped over top of the dinosaur’s lunging jaws.
“My, what big teeth you have, grandma,” Spider-Man quipped.
Bounding off of its head, the two of them landed several feet away. The Rex following closely behind.
Turning back towards it, Spider-Man shot a strand of webbing towards its legs.
No effect at all.
“Persistent little bugger, aren’t you?” he said, as he aimed another line towards it’s jaws. “This’ll shut you up!”
This time, it went through the animal.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered.
Leaving Mary Jane on the ground, he leaped into the air. Sticking his foot out, he lunged into a flying kick towards it.
However, he passed through the T-Rex like a ghost, falling to the ground with a ‘thump’.
“How did..?” he asked, but his question was suddenly answered for him.
The dinosaur gave one last roar, then slowly faded away. Vanishing into thin air.
Picking himself off the ground, Spider-Man made two quick leaps that brought him next to MJ.
“You ok?” he asked.
She looked at him for a moment, a hurt look in her eyes. Spidey was puzzled. He knew she was upset with him…but only as Peter. Why would she be mad at Spider-Man?
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine!” she snapped.
Spider-Man looked at her, still confused.
“Just a little jumpy,” she said after a moment, her face having a friendly tone once again. “What was that thing?”
“Search me,” he responded. “I just want to know where it went.”
He looked at her a moment more, searching her eyes for some reason behind her earlier outburst. However, he didn’t have the time. News vans quickly entered the park, heading towards them.
“Gotta run!” he said, leaping into the air.
As he swung away, MJ watched him. Not paying any attention to the reporters with their questions.
She knew she should have said something. She should have told him. Mary Jane had to wonder if she’d ever get the chance.
Still, one question still flooded her mind.
Just what was that thing that attacked her?
*****
Spider-Man retrieved his automatic camera from the tree he webbed it too. If nothing else, Jonah would go nuts over these pictures. A real-live dinosaur running wild through Central Park would definitely be something Jonah would want.
The only question was where it came from. It was possible someone managed to pull a ‘Jurassic Park’ and clone it somehow. Or maybe is was a robot of some kind. But how did it just disappear like that?
He swung off towards the city, not noticing a man hidden in the shadows…watching him.
“I’ll get you too, if I have to,” the stranger muttered. “Just like everyone who wants to try and stop me from getting what’s mine.”