Am I Peter Parker?

Chapter 11: Spider

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The New York sky was covered in a faint haze that reflected the lights of the city. Peter Parker, still dressed in his makeshift Bagman suit, swung the immobilized hooded man with his web as he carried him towards a rooftop. Despite having momentarily stopped his enemy, he felt something bigger looming, something that made him feel uneasy. The mysterious hooded man had not stopped talking about Kingpin and an impending threat.

—"What is Kingpin up to now?" —Peter wondered as he landed on the roof of a nearby building. He had defeated him on many occasions, but this time it sounded different. Kingpin had mobilized someone with supernatural abilities, and that was not a good sign.

As he pondered, he felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his makeshift jacket. Pulling it out, he saw a notification from Aunt May. He smiled briefly, grateful for that small break of normalcy amidst the chaos. Despite everything that was going on, just seeing his aunt's name filled him with warmth. It was a reminder that at the end of the day, he too was just a young man dealing with everyday life issues.

The message from Aunt May read, "Don't forget graduation dinner, Peter. We're so proud of you, sweetie."

Peter's smile widened, though he knew that with his life as a hero, nothing was guaranteed. Graduation was right around the corner, an important milestone in his life that somehow felt alien compared to the responsibilities of being a vigilante.

But he couldn't let those distractions take him away from the threat before him. He put his phone away and approached the hooded man, ready to get some answers.

"Look, buddy," Peter said, his tone relaxed but firm. "I brought you here for a reason. Kingpin doesn't just send any thug out on the street. What is he planning? And if you mention the word 'criminal rule' again, I promise I'll leave you hanging on the Times Square sign."

The hooded man raised his head, his face hidden by the shadow of the hood, but Peter could feel his cold gaze. After a moment of silence, the man spoke, his voice harsh and full of resentment.

"You have no idea what's coming, Bag-Man. He's gathering something... something you can't stop alone. And I'm not the only one he's sent. There are more, many more."

Peter felt a chill run down his spine. He already knew the famous crime boss as a master manipulator and ruthless strategist. If he really was preparing something big, that meant the streets of New York were about to become a battlefield.

"How many more? And who are they?" —Peter asked, leaning a little closer.

The hooded man smiled sinisterly. —"You don't know them... but you will. One by one, you will fall to them."

Parker, still disguised in his peculiar improvised suit, was lowering the mysterious hooded man from a spider web, right at the entrance of the New York police station.

Before Peter could think about it, his spider sense suddenly activated. Something was approaching, fast. In an instant, he turned on his heels just in time to dodge what seemed to be a black spider web shot out of the darkness. The impact was strong enough to destroy part of the brick wall where Peter was standing.

—"What the hell?" —he muttered as he jumped back, launching himself into the air with a somersault. It hadn't been a simple spider web. It was much more solid, more dangerous.

From the shadow, a figure emerged. It was a human silhouette, but wrapped in some sort of black and gold suit, with a spider-like design on the chest. His eyes glowed a dark red, and his presence was suffocating.

"Another one with the spider theme?" Peter thought. "This is getting weird."

The man in the black suit approached, his gaze fixed on Peter, his voice as cold as the wind that was beginning to blow between the buildings.

"The King considers you a nuisance, Bag-Man," the stranger said, his tone icy. "I have been sent to eliminate you."

Peter wasted no time. He shot his webs at the man, but the man moved with a speed that rivaled his own. He dodged each attack with almost superhuman precision. Within seconds, Peter knew he wasn't dealing with just any criminal. This guy was something else, something he couldn't easily identify.

—"It's not even been an hour and they've already sent another one at me. I must be the star of the night," Peter thought out loud, as he prepared his next move. The man in the black suit showed no emotion at the comment. With a quick gesture, he launched another of those black webs, but this time, Peter was ready. With a quick jump, he propelled himself upwards, just in time to dodge the attack, and counterattacked by launching a direct kick towards his opponent.

However, the stranger blocked it with ease, grabbing Peter's leg and throwing him against a wall with enormous force. The impact was brutal, and although Peter managed to partially cushion it with his web, the blow left him stunned for a moment.

—"Who the hell are you?" —Peter asked as he stood up, sore but still combative.

The man in the black suit approached slowly, with a disturbing calm. —"I am no one you need to know, but soon, you will be the one who will be forgotten."

Before Peter could react, the man launched a series of quick attacks, each one more accurate than the last. His movements were calculated, almost as if he were reading Peter's thoughts. Every time the arachnid tried to counterattack, his enemy anticipated him, blocking or dodging his blows with disconcerting ease.

Parker knew he was in trouble. It wasn't common to face someone with skills so similar to his own, let alone with a skill that surpassed his own in several aspects.

—"This isn't just some simple Kingpin thug," —Peter thought as he tried to gain some space to plan his next move—. "This guy is trained. Something else is going on here."

In the middle of the fight, the hooded man he had left at the police station had somehow freed himself. Now, from the shadows, he watched him, his sinister smile still on his face.

—"You thought we were just pawns," —the hooded man shouted from his hiding place—. "But the King has been gathering the best of the worst. And you are not prepared for what is coming, Bag-Man."

Peter ignored the words, focusing on his direct enemy. He knew he couldn't let himself be distracted. In one swift movement, he launched a series of webs towards the nearby buildings, swinging upwards to try and get away and buy time to plan.

But the man in the black suit followed with ease, moving like a shadow. Within seconds, he was already on Peter again, launching another one of those black webs that Peter barely managed to dodge.

"You're fast, I'll admit it!" Peter exclaimed as he landed on another rooftop. "But I'm not one to give up."

The man didn't respond. Instead, his hands began to glow with a dark glow, as if he was channeling some kind of unknown energy. Peter felt the air around him grow thicker, more dangerous.

"There's more to this guy than just speed," Peter thought as he prepared for the next attack. "If I don't play my cards right, this could end very badly."

The man in the black suit launched his attack, a blast of dark energy that tore through the air, aimed directly at Peter. The arachnid managed to narrowly dodge, but the power of the attack was overwhelming, destroying a good portion of the rooftop he was standing on.

The battle had only just begun, but Peter knew he was facing something bigger than he had anticipated.