#25--May 8, 2019
When Peter Parker was two months shy of his tenth birthday, he thought he was never going to see his Aunt and Uncle again.
It had been two years after the events of Skip Westcott and it had been a few months after Peter had gone to the Stark Expo where he actually saw the Iron Man. Tony Stark himself. He remembers being so excited when he got the tickets on his ninth birthday. But it was even more exciting when he stood up to that Hammer drone like Iron Man himself and Iron Man had shown up. He can still hear the "Nice work, kid" ringing in his ears.
"Pete, get up. You need to get ready for school!" his Aunt yells through the bedroom door. "You don't want to miss your last day of school, do you?" Peter groans as he throws his covers off him, muttering under his breath as he pulls out a random pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He vaguely recognizes it as the Stark Expo shirt he got a few months ago and it makes a smile grow on his face even if he's tired.
Peter shoves his door open after throwing on his clothes, still grumbling as he makes his way into the bathroom. "I don't want to hear any grumbling, Peter!" he could hear his Aunt's voice shout down the hall. "It's your fault that you're tired. And your Uncle's. You two shouldn't have stayed up all night watching Star Wars."
"But it's Star Wars!" Peter whines as he walks into the bathroom, doing his business before washing his hands. He makes his way out to the kitchen, sitting down at the small rickety table as his Uncle places pancakes down. He smiles as his Uncle gives him a wink, digging into his pancakes.
Aunt May just raises an eyebrow at him, sipping at her cup of tea. Peter tosses his plate in the sink when he's done, running to his room to grab his backpack before remembering that he doesn't need it since it's the last day of school. "You're doing the dishes when you get home," Uncle Ben says, nodding to the sink where Peter's plate sits. "Come on, let's go, buddy."
Peter runs to the door as his Uncle grabs his jacket and they both make their way into Ben's car. "School ends at twelve," Peter reminds Ben as they pull up outside of the school. "See you at home!" Peter jumps out of the passenger seat, stopping when Ben calls out for him.
"Remember that you're gonna have to walk home today, bud," Ben reminds him. "You're Aunt and I'll be at work until one. Head straight home, okay?" Peter nods his head. He's walked home before since the school is only a few blocks away from his apartment building. "Okay, see you when we get home, buddy."
"Bye! Love you, Ben!" Peter shouts, running away and waving at his uncle. He sees his Uncle say 'I love you' back before he joins the rush of kids and enters the elementary school.
Throughout the day, Peter can't help but feel like something is off. It's not just that he'll never see Forest Hills Elementary again, and it's not that they're doing nothing for the next six hours, it's just something feels off. And the feeling becomes more intense the closer the end to school comes.
Peter flinches as the shrill bell proclaiming the last day of school rings. Peter had spent all day more or less reading, playing a few of the games the teachers set up and mingling with a few of the students who don't really mind him. Peter doesn't have any friends, not since he went to live with his Aunt and Uncle and especially not since Skip, so he spends most of the day more or less alone.
Peter takes his time leaving the school, however, since that foreboding feeling is still there. Slowly, Peter follows after the few kids that live near his apartment, but they all end up living a few blocks before him and then he's alone. Peter can't help but fidget and look around him as the heavy feeling creeps up on him, but he pushes it away, thinking that it's his anxiety working up again.
It's only when he passes by an alley that Peter realizes that it wasn't his anxiety. He's grabbed by rough hands and can't even shout as a hand covers his mouth, knocking his glasses off his face and bruising the bridge of his nose. Peter immediately squirms in the man's hold, chest heaving and heart racing in fear.
"Let me go!" he screams into the glove-covered hand, flashbacks of Skip haunting him. There had been times where Peter would fight against Skip as the teenager tried to coax the boy into his bedroom. Skip had ended up holding Peter a similar way that this man is holding him to make him go into his room without making too much noise.
"Shut the brat up, already!" a foreign voice enters his ears as he's thrown into the back of a van. A man holds him down as another shoves another needle into his neck, causing Peter to wince and slump in the man's hold not long after. The only thought Peter has in his mind is I'm not going to be able to do the dishes...
When Peter awakes, he realizes that he is not at home and his vision is blurry due to the loss of his glasses. He flinches as the door to what he realizes is his cell is thrown open. "Peter Parker!" the man says, making Peter still because how do these people know my name? "It is great to see you."
Peter looks up at the man in confusion. He can't see him that clearly, but since the man is far enough away he can make out some features instead of blurs. The man is tall and kind of lanky with dark brown hair and light eyes that remind him of Skip's. The thought makes him want to puke. Instead, he asks, "What am I doing here? Who are you?"
"Ah, that is the question, isn't it?" the man muses, rubbing his hands together and fiddling with the collar of his white lab coat. "I'm Albert Malik. You see, I knew you're father," Peter freezes, "but he refused to give the information I asked for so I took it from him and your mother. They were exceptional scientists who were working on a way to recreate the effects of the super soldier serum. They were trying to find a way to mutate animal and insect DNA, well arachnid, technically, and tried to mutate it with human DNA. Spiders have exceptional strength, did you know that? They can hold onto something that is 170 times their body weight and can jump 50 times their body length. And let's not forget their amazing senses."
"Okay..." Peter said, eyeing the man warily. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Ah, and there's the million dollar question," Albert says, smiling. "You see, when Richard was testing human DNA with a spider's DNA, he used his own DNA. And we can't use the spiders he had since they can only mutate to him. And since you carry half of your father's DNA, the spiders should be able to mutate you."
Peter blinks as the man acquires a small capsule with a spider crawling away from it. Albert begins walking towards him, making Peter scramble away from him before the two guards who were standing behind the scientist grab him. Albert tsks at him as he removes the cap to the small tube, placing the front of it on Peter's arm.
The small red and blue spider crawls over Peter's arms, making him shiver as it stops. Peter yelps as the spider bites him, causing him to jerk and throw the spider off him. Albert scowls at Peter, slapping him and causing Peter to whimper as he picks up the spider. Its legs are curled in, showing its death.
The two men drop Peter and they take their leave. Albert gives Peter a chilling smile, "I'll be back in a few hours to monitor your vitals and see if you're acquiring any abilities. Until then, goodbye." The cell door slams shut, leaving Peter alone in the dark. His chest begins to heave as gasps escape him. He's not going home. He's not going home. He's not going home. And, he killed my parents.
Albert comes in two times a day for the next week, but nothing is happening to Peter. His senses are as weak as ever and he doesn't possess any type of super strength at all.
"Dammit!" Albert shouts, throwing a tray of tools across the room. Peter's strapped down to a medical table and blood pours down his arm from where the man took some of his blood. "That stupid spider did nothing. Nothing." Peter warily eyes up the man as he paces back and forth, his heart rate spiking at the man continues to yell. "I guess I'm going to have to make the spiders myself," the man mutters.
Peter's heart sinks. He's not going home.
When Peter Parker was two months shy of his ninth birthday, he was kidnapped by Hydra.
When Peter Parker was two months shy... series