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| Issue #2 April 2003 |
"Living for the Weekend" Written By Joel Phillips |
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Just after 11 o’clock, Spider-Man swung into his apartment. Tired from a long day on patrol, he peeled his mask away, becoming Peter Parker again, and collapsed on the bed. He was aching tonight, and not from fighting. It seemed just putting the costume on and swinging out in the morning pushed down on him, like grinding him into the dirt. Long nights and short days flowed together into one single thing: a lifetime as Spider-Man.
Forcing himself to sit up, Peter began to remove his costume, stopping first to turn on the evening news.
“Local area residents are in an uproar today about a controversial ruling allowing notorious super-criminal, the Rhino, to be released on bail while awaiting trial for a recent attempted bank robbery.”
“What?!” Peter yelled, falling back on the bed as he struggled to remove his costume. The report switched to footage from earlier that day, showing the Rhino and his attorney at a press conference outside the courthouse.
“I ain’t done nuthin’ wrong,” the Rhino said, towering over the mic stand.
The Rhino’s attorney, a thin-faced man Peter had seen advertising on late night TV, stepped up to the microphones.
“My client has made some terrible mistakes in the past. No one is denying that. But he has paid his debt to society and is trying to live a clean, honest life.”
“That’s right,” the Rhino said, pushing back to the front. “I been doin’ right and staying outta trouble.”
“Excuse me,” a reporter called from the crowd, “but then how do you explain the photographs published in the Bugle showing you in the midst of the robbery?”
The lawyer forced himself forward again, jumping at the question. “Now wait just a minute, I don’t see any pictures of my client committing any crime. I see pictures of my client being the victim of assault and battery. I see my client being hurled into that bank, abused by the Spider-Man, made into an unwilling pawn in the wholesale destruction of public and private property.”
“So you’re saying Spider-Man is responsible?”
“Yeah,” the Rhino grunted. “I’se just mindin’ my own business when Spider-Man sees me an’ he picks a fight. I gotta right to defend myself.”
“You have to understand that my client is a prisoner in this suit,” the lawyer said, gesturing at the Rhino. “He cannot remove it. Everyday he has to get up and look at himself in the mirror and be reminded of the mistakes he has made. And wherever he goes those mistakes are on display for all to see. So when two-bit vigilantes like Spider-Man swing on in and do whatever they please to him, everyone just assumes my client is guilty. But in America, everyone is innocent until…”
“Oh….” Peter groaned, turning off the TV. As he lay back in bed, his last thought before drifting off to sleep was to question just what it took to put the bad guys away anymore.
It was a particularly nice Saturday morning when Spider-Man next set out on patrol. As he swung past Central Park and watched the happy families, eating their lunches and playing and laughing, he thought of MJ, and Aunt May, and how quiet the apartment was at night.
She had called him, the day before the Rhino incident, and he hadn’t called her back. She didn’t even know about Aunt May yet. As he swung off, away from the park and back into the urban jungle, Peter thought he should give MJ a call and let her know what happened. He just didn’t know if he could talk to her right now, if he could drag that back up to the surface when all he wanted was to forget about it and push on ahead.
His quiet introspection was short-lived however as his Spider-Sense began blaring. Instinctively changing directions mid-swing, Spider-Man narrowly avoided some sort of blast which flew up and slammed into the side of a building. Spider-Man looked down to see the Shocker in the middle of the street.
“Hiya, Spider-Man!” the Shocker called up. “It’s such a lovely day, thought we could play a little game…”
Spider-Man swung down and past the Shocker, landing just behind him. “Any game in particular?” he asked, preparing to lunge. Before he had the chance, he caught a blur out of the corner of his eye and was suddenly struck from the left, sending him tumbling down the sidewalk.
“Howzabouttag???” It was a single quick word, all run together. Spider-Man looked up to see the Speed Demon come to a halt right in front of him.
“I guess I’m ‘It’,” Spider-Man said, tossing a line up and leaping into the air. He had just enough time to wonder how his Spider-Sense had failed to alert him of Speed Demon’s attack before he was struck again, this time in the stomach. He dropped the webline and doubled over.
“Yourityourityourit…” Speed Demon chanted, giggling and covering Spider-Man with a series of super speed punches. Stopping suddenly, Speed Demon kicked Spider-Man in the head, sending him tumbling out into the street. Spider-Man rolled off the curb and right in front of a taxi.
‘No time to aim,’ Spider-Man thought, still reeling from the blows, his Spider-Sense very aware of the cab bearing down on him. He blindly threw up a webline and jumped, just barely avoiding the oncoming taxi. Swinging more from momentum then from any directed effort, Spider-Man turned over in mid-swing to right himself, landing feet first into the side of an old apartment building.
“Come on, Spider-Man,” the Shocker taunted, “this ain’t much fun if you don’t try to tag us back.” the Shocker let loose another blast. Spider-Man jumped clear as the vibration shattered the side of the building. Doing a quick turn in the air, Spider-Man tossed a webline up and snagged a light-pole, swinging up and perching at the top.
Spider-Man shook his head rapidly, trying to startle himself back into attention. “Come on, Peter,” he mumbled to himself. “Focus. You’re not gonna go down to these bozos are you?”
The Shocker sent off another blast, toppling the light-pole as Spider-Man leapt clear.
“That’s about enough of that,” Spider-Man said, tossing a web into the Shocker’s eyes. While the villain tried to pry the sticky solution from his mask, Spider-Man swung around the corner and into an alley, sticking up on the wall.
“I’mcomin’togetyouSpider-Man!” Speed Demon roared around the corner, traveling fast enough to run straight up the wall and slam back into Spider-Man. Spider-Man came loose from the wall, crashing into Speed Demon and sending both of them tumbling back down to the ground. Speed Demon lacked Spider-Man’s agility however, and did not land anywhere near as gracefully.
Spider-Man turned to web up the fallen speedster, but Speed Demon was on his feet and out of the way before the shot got off.
“Man, am I off my game,” Spider-Man said. “Unless you’re faster then I remember.”
“Yeah,” the Shocker said, coming around the corner and into the alley, blasting. Spider-Man flipped out of the way and over the Shocker’s head, back into the street. “Speedy got himself upgraded.”
“Upgraded?” Spider-Man dove clear of another blast, quickly shimmying up another light-pole.
Speed Demon whirled back around, spiraling around and up the pole. Spider-Man managed to jump clear onto the ledge of an old slum. As he was still leaping, Spider-Man hurled two weblines out: one at the top of the pole and one at the bottom. Speed Demon, racing back down the pole, got tripped up in the second line and planted his face on the pavement. Again Spider-Man tried to web him down, but Speed Demon was too quick. Recovering faster then he should have been able to, Speed Demon got to his feet and raced up the side of the building.
“What does it take to put you down…?” Spider-Man called out. Wanting to stay clear of Speed Demon’s next assault, Spider-Man leapt into the window of the old building, crashing through what little remained of the glass. Rolling as he fell, Spider-Man landed in the center of a large, open room.
“Hello Spider-Man,” came a voice from the darkness. Spider-Man looked up to see the Rhino and the Shocker standing before him. “Nice to see yuz.”
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Next Time: Living for the Weekend, Part 2 of 2. Some unknown source has sent Spider-Man a stronger Rhino, a sneakier Shocker, and a speedier Speed Demon to face. Will he be able to defeat them alone? Or will an old friend stop by to lend him a… paw?
