Chapter 9: All the Kingpin's Men Part I

Chapter 9: All the Kingpin’s Men Part I

Spider-Man was not having a very good morning, due to being thrown right through the wall by a giant man dressed in a rhino costume. Landing with a thud, Spider-Man pulled himself up, as this rhino man stampeded forward and attempted to impale the horn of his outfit right through Spider-Man but Spidey was too quick, propelling himself into the air with a somersault. Rhino crashed into the wall and caused it to topple but he turned around like nothing had happened and he took a swipe at Spider-Man but he ducked the attack.

“Bah, and people have been having trouble with a little creep like you,” said Rhino as he raised his hands and smashed down towards Spider-Man but Spidey dodged the attack. The street was cracked and Spider-Man shot webbing right around Rhino but he easily snapped it and rushed forward. “This should be the easiest job the boss ever threw my way, so now be a good little bug and sit still so I can squash you.”

Rhino knocked Spider-Man to the ground and attempted to stomp on him, but the web head slid out of the way quickly and he bounced to his feet and he went for a punch but Rhino easily blocked it and flung Spider-Man up into the air.

“Just who are you anyway?” demanded Spider-Man as he dodged another attempt for his enemy into bits.

“CALL ME RHINO!” bellowed Rhino loudly as he attempted smash Spider-Man’s skull in once again, but the web head was just a bit too quick for him.

“I wouldn’t call you for dinner with that face,” quipped Spider-Man, as he shot two strands of webbing at Rhino and pulled with all of his might but Rhino just stood there and pulled Spider-Man forward. It was just narrowly that the hero avoided getting impaled right in the heart. He slid around and a punch was blocked before Rhino smashed his hands down onto the head of Spider-Man, dropping him to his knees. He bent down, but Spider-Man shot webbing right in his face. Rhino was temporarily blinded, as Spider-Man climbed up onto a car, before he looked over towards a police officer who had a stun gun. “May I borrow this?”

With a quick movement, Spider-Man took the stun gun and somersaulted forward, before he switched it on and jabbed Rhino with it, causing several volts to bombard Rhino but Rhino grabbed Spider-Man by the throat. With a shove, Spider-Man hit the ground with a thud and he leapt up. Spider-Man slid out of the way and Rhino stomped the ground, causing the crowd watching to collapse.

“You’re going to cave in the entire block if you’re not careful!” shouted Spider-Man.

“Good, at least I’d get you then,” grunted Rhino as he moved forward, but Spider-Man shot his webbing and attempted to yank to remove the thick armor for Rhino but his webbing broke and caused him to land on the ground.

“Got to get that body armor off somehow, so I can have a fighting chance,” muttered Spider-Man but a punch impacted him right in the ribs.

“Ha, it doesn’t come off, you puny bug,” said Rhino. “It was welded onto me and it never comes off.”

Spider-Man stopped before he voiced the most obvious question that came to mind based on Rhino’s situation.

“Dude, like how do you got to the bathroom then?” asked Spider-Man but the answer to this pressing question was never answered as Rhino punched Spider-Man once again. He tried to fight but Rhino hoisted him up.

“Any last words,” grunted Rhino but Spider-Man just responded by kicking Rhino right in the face. Rhino was staggered and Spider-Man swung out of the way as Rhino charged forward and attempted to smash Spider-Man but the hero dodged and Rhino smashed a car, and turned around.

“Face seems to be a weak point, maybe I can use that to my advantage,” thought Spider-Man, but he saw Rhino struggle, before he pulled a light post out of the ground. He just barely had enough strength but it was more than enough as he charged Spidey, who dodged the attack. The light post slammed right to the ground. “Of course, I should get him away from these people.”

“Hey, Rhino, think you’re so tough, catch me if you can!” taunted Spider-Man and Rhino rose to the bait, as he stampeded forward, with Spider-Man motioning for him. The crowd had gotten less and less, as Rhino continued to rush forward, with less people being put in danger. “What’s the matter Rhino, afraid I might stuff you as a trophy?”

“Come down here and fight me,” grunted Rhino and Spider-Man leapt down, before he dodged underneath a Rhino attack. Rhino swung around and hit the ground hard with his punch. Spider-Man raised his hands and shot webbing right in Rhino’s face. Rhino staggered, in an attempt to pull the webbing right off of his face and Spider-Man swung right towards him. A loud crash signaled Rhino being knocked right down. Rhino rolled over, right to his feet and he reached for Spider-Man’s throat, but Spider-Man slid underneath the attack. Rhino attempted to pull the webbing off but Spider-Man swung a punch right towards him. “Just wait until I get my hands on you…”

“You haven’t Rhino, and you won’t at this rate, you big lug, as Rhino attempted to rip the webbing but Spider-Man just shot more, causing his own hands to be webbed over his face. Rhino struggled forward, staggered, as he was being smothered by his own hands.

“Got to time to this right, enough to knock the wind out of him but not enough to kill him,” said Spider-Man but Rhino stampeded forward, loud grunts. “Judging by the fact that he’s still moving, I guess I haven’t reached the level where I need to remove the webbing from him.

The grumbling of Rhino continued, as he attempted to pry his hands free and Spidey was certain that he heard some quite nasty language. As Rhino continued to smash up everything, in an attempt to pry himself free from the webbing on his face, as Spider-Man swung a punch every couple of seconds later. He looked over his shoulder and winced, as he saw Eddie Brock watching, with a smug expression on his face.

Brock watched, this time he got some quality photos of Spider-Man with his brand new camera. It might have cost him a lot of money to replace the one that was destroyed before but it was worth it. He looked on with glee, given he was a professional, those photos would be preferred to whatever Parker did. He looked up with a smile on his face, but the smile quickly turned to a look of terror, as that nutcase in a Rhino outfit had knocked into the building, causing the ledge to be dangerously close to collapsing on him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” demanded Spider-Man as he swung in and pulled Brock out of the way, his camera sliding out of his grasp in the surprise.

“No, you idiot, we have to go back, my camera it’s still down there it’s…” started Brock before his eyes widened as he watched Rhino stomp on the camera, smashing it to bits and basically destroyed all of his photos. He began swinging his fists, pounding on Spider-Man. “No, no, no, there were some good shots, no, no, no, my camera, you’re out to ruin me, that is the second time you screwed me over!”

“Stop hitting me or you will be screwed over even more when I drop you,” said Spider-Man shortly as he swung down, roughly setting Brock down on the ground, as he turned to watch Rhino, who struggled, his breathing appeared to be shallow, before he dropped to the ground. Spider-Man reached down and pulled the webbing right off of Rhino’s face. Rhino laid on the ground, breathing, which was a good sign. “Weak, but not taking any chances, I’m sure the police have a way to contain this guy, but this should hold them until they get here.”

Several strands of webbing and Rhino was secured to the ground. He offered some signs of movement, but after being dehydrated due to his face being obscured and nearly suffocated, he was not going any place soon.

“Only twenty minutes late, ow, that was a tough one,” thought Spider-Man as he swung off, picking up this camera. “Get these photos to Jameson during my free, ow, period. Now the trouble is explaining why I’m late, again. I’m really pushing it with this early morning crime patrols, but then again when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t expecting to fight a large man dressed as a rhino. Oh well, change quickly and face the music, how I’m able to walk it’s a miracle.”

-

“Get all that Kingpin,” said a bald headed man with a goatee dressed in black, as he absent mindedly twirled a dagger in between his fingers, as he looked towards a monitor, that showed a figure cloaked in silhouette.

“Yes, Bullseye, rest assured I have seen the entirety of Spider-Man’s battle with Rhino and I must say seeing him first hand is an experience,” said the Kingpin, in a distorted voice. No one would be able to tell that it was really Wilson Fisk on the monitor. “I do find his skills to be something that I may have a use for yet. He may have a use as an assassin for my empire yet. I have many enemies who wish to do me in and Spider-Man could match them, even if they were without fear for example.

“If you ask me, that punk got lucky,” grumbled Bullseye.

“Ah, but I didn’t ask you, Bullseye,” responded the Kingpin swiftly. “And luck does have very much to with success, especially when matched with skill and Spider-Man’s ability to exploit an enemy’s weakness is something that I admire greatly, as he did with Rhino. The only flaw I can see is his mindless heroism but with effort I can even see that being bent to my advantage.”

Bullseye sat quietly. He was the Kingpin’s chief assassin, with unparalleled accuracy and the ability to use even the most mundane objects as a weapon. The fact that this Spider-Man was moving in on his territory did not set well for the assassin.

“There are many more tests to await Spider-Man before I make him an offer that he would be a fool to refuse,” said the Kingpin roughly. “Stand by for further instructions Bullseye, as I need to oversee an experiment.”

“Right, boss,” said Bullseye as he watched the distorted image of his boss fade, as he cracked his knuckles. “It would be a shame if Spider-Man suffered an accident that caused him to be unable to join up with the boss as a potential chief assassin. A damn shame if the Spider’s was squashed.”

-“I swear, JJ, I got photos, but Spider-Man tricked Rhino into smashing my camera,” said Brock in a pleading voice.

“That’s all I ever hear from you anymore Brock, excuses!” bellowed Jameson. “Parker’s just e-mailed photos of the battle between that web head and that Rhino freak just a bit ago, not the best, bordering on garbage even but better than the nothing you’ve been giving me.”

“Parker, that’s just it, some kid’s able to get photos about Spider-Man and I’m not,” said Brock. “If you ask me, it’s a conspiracy…”

“Brock, if I wanted your opinion, I’d ask you for it,” said Jameson but he suddenly looked thoughtful. “Still, you could be on to something, Brock, Spider-Man and Parker…the kid might know something more that he’s letting on about Spider-Man…”

“C’mon Jonah, do you really think Spider-Man and Peter are orchestrating an elaborate scheme right under your noise?” asked Robbie.

“Parker’s a punk teenager and desperate for money and that web crawler is using his desperately for publicity, he’s hungry for the spotlight, that’s got to be it,” said Jameson as he ranted, pacing back and forth. “Parker, has to know something and I need to find out what, so I can expose that wall crawler for the threat he truly is. After what he did to my son, that’s the least I can do.”

“I thought Spider-Man was the one who saved your son, Jonah,” said Robbie in an even force. “Dr. Doom was the one who tortured him and…”

“If Spider-Man was just a bit quicker and didn’t spend too much time showing off, then John wouldn’t be in the state he is and wouldn’t have gotten tortured by that tin point dictator,” said Jameson, waving off Robbie’s attempts to inject logic into the situation. “Poor boy, can’t even leave home, he’s a wreck, well I’ll see what Parker knows. It might not be much but any clue and I’ll jump on it.”

Jameson turned muttering under his breath in a slightly crazed manner but most of the office staff at the Bugle just brushed it off. It was just another day in the life of working for J. Jonah Jameson.

-

“Flint Marko?” asked a scientist with a clipboard as Marko was lead in by two men dressed in suits.

“Yes, that’s me, I understand that the Kingpin wants to see me,” said Marko in disbelief. He was unable to believe that the Kingpin would want to see such a small time hood like himself.

“That is correct, Flint,” said the distorted voice of the Kingpin over an intercom. “I understand you have had some problems with Spider-Man recently.”

“Yeah, that’s right, I have,” said Marko with a nod. “Worked with Mysterio, the guy was a little unhinged but at least I would get a decent cut out of the spoils when he made the entire city nuts. Spider-Man ruined that and I went home with nothing.”

“I’m well aware of that, Mysterio’s plan showed potential but he was unable to carry it out due to his supreme arrogance,” said the Kingpin. “I, on the other hand will be able to carry out this plan and I would not be wrong in saying that you want revenge on Spider-Man for costing you a chance to cash in.”

“That’s right, I’ll do anything to get my hands on that web crawling freak,” said Marko gleefully.

“Then I believe we have a deal,” responded the Kingpin. “I offer you one thing that few dream about. Power and lots of it. Just think about it, you would have abilities that fe would even dare to dream of and enough power to eliminate Spider-Man.”

“Where do I sign up?” asked Marko with a greedy expression in his eyes.

“Step into the chamber, Mr. Marko,” offered the scientist. “And you will be given power.”

“This won’t hurt, will it?” asked Marko but he stepped inside.

“Does it matter when power is involved?” asked the Kingpin over the intercom as Marko sat down in the chamber, before his arms and legs were suddenly strapped to the chair.

“Just a precaution, we wouldn’t want you to fidget,” said the scientist as she walked over to the control panel. “You may feel a slight stinging feeling as your molecules are rearranged to compensate for this power.”

“Right, as long as I do get power,” said Marko roughly as he had a focused look on his face, he could almost taste the defeat of Spider-Man as the scientist prepared to adjust the chamber but a frantic scream from outside and the doors burst open.

“What now, this is a very delicate procedure, with no room for failure!” cried the scientist but there was a dark haired man strapped to stretcher, looking like he was having a seizure and his body was covered by electrical burns.

“Forgiven the interruption, but there was an accident, one of the circuit breakers blew and the electrician that was trying to fix it was caught in the second expulsion, electrocuted for several minutes, it’s a wonder why he’s not dead,” said one of the men. “We should really get him some medical attention but I doubt he’ll make it to the…”

He stopped when sparks began flying from the man, as he began to thrash madly. The lights in the room began to flicker back and forth, before they blew up one by one. Marko shifted, as the chamber that contained him he began to light up.

“The process is starting,” started the scientist as she looked fearful. “Without the safety protocols being activated…”

‘SHUT IT OFF THEN!” snapped Marko, completely losing his, but a large surge of electricity leapt and landed on the control panel, melting all of the buttons and causing the chain reaction inside the chamber in increase. In frustration, Marko attempted to pull himself free as he watched the scientist and the other people in the room flee. “Hey, what are you doing, you need to get me out of here, I don’t know…it’s getting rather hot in here.”

The pleas of Flint Marko fell on deaf ears as the chamber heated up, before several hundred pieces of metal began to pierce his skin at an accelerated rate. He gave a blood curdling scream of absolute agony, before there was an explosion within the chamber and nothing of Flint Marko but a pile of white hot sand, as the pieces of metal dissolved into it and the chamber had finally shut itself down.

The sand shifted slightly, as the scientist carefully stepped back into the lab. As she turned around to the electrician on the gurney, the intercom cackled back to life.

“Room three,” said the Kingpin calmly which caused the scientist to jump. “There is a suit that should be able to help stabilize this unfortunate young man. It is a bit unconventional but it will work. A shame that Marko had to suffer for his misfortune, but that’s the way things happen. Sacrifices must be made.”

-

“Liz, listen, I made a terrible, terrible mistake, I didn’t know Osbrat’s mother was dead,” said Flash but Liz just stood in front of him, arms folded. “Please, we can get through with this…”

“Surely you don’t need me Flash Thompson, I mean the great hero of Midtown high and star quarterback can get any girl he wanted, after all that’s what you said the other day,” said Liz as she stared down Flash.

“I wasn’t thinking,” said Flash.

“There’s your entire problem, the reason why we broke up, that we keep breaking up Flash,” said Liz. “Talking to you sometimes is like talking to a locker, I swear, we tried to make this work, well I tried to make this work, but the point is we’ve grown apart.”

“Fine, I tried giving you another chance, but we’re through, this time I mean it,” said Flash as he turned. “Seriously, I mean it this time Liz, I tried to put up with you bossing me around and I just can’t take any more. Here that ladies, Flash Thompson’s single and available.”

“Good luck with Flash, I’m sure you’ll find some girl who is shallow enough to take you,” replied Liz and Flash turned around, muttering under his breath, but he was still kicking himself. Perhaps he should have apologized to Osborn, but how was he supposed to know? Still, he could not really do that, it would make him look bad. Besides, he would make up with Liz, he always did in the end, they were just going through another rough patch in their relationship.

At the end of the hallway, Peter, Gwen, and Harry stood watching as Liz and Flash concluded their argument, among others.

“I could have sworn we just went through this song and dance with these two a couple of days ago,” remarked Peter. “So do you think this time it’s for real or…”

“Something tells me that this might be for real, Liz looked really disgusted at Flash for what he did yesterday,” said Gwen as she turned to Harry with a knowing expression.

“What, Gwen?” asked Harry.

“Ask her,” replied Gwen.

“What?” asked Harry.

“To the dance,” replied Gwen.

“What?” asked Harry.

“Ask Liz to the dance, it’s obvious you like her,” said Gwen. “Even it’s obvious to Peter and we know how dense he is about these things.”

“Hey,” said Peter in mock outrage but he knew Gwen had a point.

“What if she says no?” asked Harry in an undertone.

“What if she says yes?” countered Gwen.

“Is that the best counter argument that you can come up with?” asked Harry before he turned to Peter. “Pete, tell Gwen she’s crazy.”

“Here she comes now, Harry,” said Peter with a smile, with no plans in telling his girlfriend that she was crazy as Gwen tried not to laugh at Harry’s discomfort at this matter.

“Hey, Liz!” called Gwen as Harry frantically started shaking his head, but it was too late, as Liz had already heard Gwen.

“Gwen,” answered Liz calmly, confused at why Gwen was speaking to her in such civil terms, after the comments, some of them quite rude, she directed towards the girl over the years.

“Harry, wants to ask you something,” responded Gwen.

“He does?” asked Liz, surprised at this news.

“Yes, I do,” said Harry at an encouraging look from Gwen and a smirk from Peter. “Er, how are you doing?”

“How am I doing?” asked Liz as Gwen turned, putting her hand over her face in frustration. “Fine, couldn’t be better, since I decided to wise up and dump Flash, I guess. Why the sudden interest?”

“Just wondering…oww!” groaned Harry as Gwen elbowed him right in the side much to Peter’s amusement. “So since you’re not with Flash anymore, you probably don’t have a date to the dance.”

“No, I don’t,” said Liz slowly as she caught on, not completely oblivious to the entire situation. “Are you asking me to the dance, Harry Osborn?”

“Yes, kind of, I guess, look Gwen put me up to it,” said Harry as Gwen began laughing along with Peter. “And Peter’s just as much to blame, but I do want to ask you to the dance, if you want to go.”

“So, you want to go to the dance with me,” said Liz in an even tone.

“Yeah, I know,” replied Harry. “It does sound stupid, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll go,” replied Liz, jumping at the chance immediately. Harry did seem rather decent compared to most of the guys who showed any interest in her.

“So I’ll just…wait a minute you’re go with me?” asked Harry.

“Yes,” said Liz with a smile. “Who knows, maybe this could amount to something more than just one date?”

“Right, great, I’ll see you then, well I’ll see you before then I guess, because the dance isn’t for a couple of weeks,” said Harry as Liz smiled at him.

“See you around, Harry,” said Liz as she walked off, with a crowd of girls, most of them fellow cheerleaders looking at her dumbstruck.

“Thanks Gwen, you’re the best friend in the world,” said Gwen to Harry. “And not crazy either.”

“I was going to ask her, Gwen, I just didn’t get around to it,” said Harry.

“Sure you were, Harry,” said Gwen in a patronizing manner.

“Still, wonder what a girl like her could see in someone like me,” said Harry, only low enough for his friends to hear him.

“Must be that charming Osborn hairstyle,” suggested Peter which caused the three to laugh.

-

“Are you sure this will work?” asked the scientist in a fretful manner. “Controlling the amount of power that this man puts out, it should be lethal, once again, he should be dead…”

“Controlling power is what I do best,” responded the Kingpin over the intercom.

“He’s beginning to come to,” said one of the men in a suit in the room. The electrician got to his feet.

“What happened, where am I?” asked the electrician, as he was dressed in a bright green suit with a yellow suspenders and a yellow mask that resembled a distorted starfish.

“Your confusion is understandable, you were involved in an accident,” said the Kingpin. “You have suffered greatly, your life will be changed, your body is charged with electricity, able to manipulate electricity and control appliances. The suit is the only thing that is causing the electricity from destroying you Mr…”

“Dillon, Maxwell Dillon,” said the electricity groggily. “I don’t remember what happened, but I feel different, I can’t believe that my life was ruined.”

“Yes, Mr. Dillon you were very fortunate because of the accident could have killed you,” said the Kingpin. “Thanks to Spider-Man’s careless actions, the rest of your existence will be lived in this form, not even able to enjoy the pleasures as simple as a cup of coffee or making love to a woman.”

“All because of Spider-Man,” said Dillon, his anger going, as sparks flew. “And this suit is the only thing that protects me from my powers?”

“Indeed, Mr. Dillon,” replied the Kingpin. “However while it protects you it doesn’t stop you from using your powers. The suit is yours, free of charge, the only thing that I ask is you eliminate Spider-Man.”

“Eliminate, Spider-Man, that’s a pleasure I’m willing to have,” said Dillon in a crazed voice. “But don’t call me Dillon anymore, because Maxwell Dillon was killed in that expulsion. From now on, my name is Electro and Spider-Man will find out what it’s like to mess with true power!”

The straps were released and the newly christened Electro got to his feet, cackling quite madly and left to do the deed.

“Such an unfortunate soul, the electricity may have zapped his brain as well, making him crazy, but there is no doubt about it, he will be a formidable foe for Spider-Man,” said the Kingpin smugly. It had gone off just as he had planned, the arranged accident. It was a shame that Marko had to suffer at the hands of Electro’s new powers, but there were certain sacrifices that had to be made for a bigger game.

Little did the Kingpin now that the sand that was the remains of Flint Marko had began to move, gaining some form of sentience, as he made its way down through a vent and out of the building, gaining more intelligence and power with each passing moment.

-

“So this is where you live Harry,” said Peter taking a look around, with Gwen after school that day.

“Yeah, this is the house that Norman Osborn built with the blood of the people he forced out of business and absorbed into Oscorp,” said Harry lightly.

“You do mean blood in the figurative sense, right Harry?” asked Gwen but Harry just shrugged with a slight twisted smile on his face. “Is your father okay with us being here?”

“Dad’s not here, and besides you’re only be around for a little bit anyway,” said Harry as he walked around. “Still I could use the company, it’s been a while since the three of us had hung out, it does get a bit boring around here with just the servants, they’re not supposed to talk to me anyway, just clean the house, serve the food, run the press off, that sort of thing.”

“Then I suppose I really shouldn’t be here,” said Peter jokingly as he walked around, before he looked at an open door, something catching his eye.

“Dad’s home office,” said Harry without Peter even asking the question. “Nothing in there but a bunch of boring paper work, wouldn’t want to leave anything incriminating lying around after all.”

“No of course not,” said Gwen but she peered inside and saw several press clippings on the wall, all detailing Spider-Man. “You know Harry, your Dad is the last person I thought would be a fan of Spider-Man.”

“That’s because he’s not, he’s more obsessed about Spider-Man or rather his powers,” said Harry. “At least that’s what I gather, he’s been more secretive lately than when he wasn’t around, if that’s at all possible.”

“Your dad is devoted to his work, Harry,” said Peter.

“Devoted, obsessed, call it what you like, that’s all that Dad thinks about,” said Harry. “But never mind, with Spider-Man, at least I’ve gotten the one thing that Norman Osborn could never give me.”

“And what’s that Harry?” asked Peter trying not to sound too curious, otherwise Harry might find a way to start putting two and two together.

“A positive role model, someone to look up to, I guess it sounds silly and while I don’t take it to the fanatical worshipping levels that Flash Thompson does, I consider Spider-Man to be one of the best things to ever happen to the city,” said Harry. “He’s a mystery but at the same time, he seems down to earth and at the same time, someone that can be a positive influence in my life.”

“I’m sure Spider-Man whoever he is appreciates any support,” said Gwen.

“Even if he isn’t in it for the support,” added Peter in a would be casual manner.

“No and that’s great, but still having someone that for once is a positive influence in my life is great and I owe it all to Spider-Man,” responded Harry but at that point the door opened and Norman Osborn stood right in the doorway, looking at Gwen and Peter, with Harry spinning around. “Dad, I didn’t expect you to be home so earlier.”

“Plans change, Harry,” said Norman. “I don’t recall giving you my consent to have your friends here.”

“I figured you wouldn’t mind,” said Harry.

“Besides we were just leaving,” added Peter hastily as Norman looked at it.

“It isn’t as if you’re unwelcomed here, Peter,” said Norman calmly. “It’s just that some very important business executives are coming here soon for a dinner. The boring but the absolutely necessary side of Oscorp and Harry has to get ready. Still, I do hope to have you at Oscorp sometime this summer for an extended tour, without the veil of the Daily Bugle overshadowing your visit. Perhaps you can find something that is of interest to you, as once again, I would love to have you as part of the Oscorp family.”

“I’d be honored, Mr. Osborn,” said Peter.

“The honor would be all mine, Peter,” said Norman. “The brightest young man to come out of Midtown High since myself, just imagine the work we can do together.”

“You know Gwen is just as bright, maybe even brighter than myself at these things, so maybe she could come along,” said Peter as Gwen just stepped back, as Norman gave her a very cold look, before he turned to Peter and pulled the young man aside so only the two of them could hear.

“I know you’re obligated to say such things due to obvious reasons, but let’s not delude ourselves Peter,” said Norman in a calm voice, before he stepped over. “Harry, do show your friends the way out and get dressed, the dinner is in the next hour.”

“Yes, sir,” said Harry as he motioned for Gwen and Peter to walk out with him. “Can’t believe I have to suffer through this, no doubt Dad wants the perfect picture of a family man, I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.”

“Hey, at least your father will be distracted conducting business,” offered Peter.

“And if the deal falls through, you can better believe it would be my fault,” said Harry but as they walked outside, they saw a clear view of the lights of several buildings blinking.

“What’s going on?” asked Gwen, as Harry looked forward, in recognition.

“It’s Morse Code,” said Harry as he looked it at. “It’s sloppily done Morse Code at that, but Spider-Man and battle and downtown and Electro, that’s about all I can read.”

“I’m actually surprised you could get that much out of those blinking lights,” said Peter.

“Yeah, my brain actually retained some information, who would have thought,” said Harry with a shrug. “Anyway, bye, Gwen, Pete, see you two tomorrow, if I don’t die of boredom.”

“So, some guy named Electro wants to fight Spider-Man downtown,” said Peter slowly as he turned to Gwen.

“I can make it home on my own, Peter, I’ll be fine, I’m sure the Bugle would want some photos,” said Gwen as she rushed off. The lights kept blinking, issuing the garbled challenge to Spider-Man. 


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