Wide Awake
Peter Parker was once a hero.
He was New York's favorite web-slinger, Spider-Man.
He saved kittens from trees, helped the elderly cross the street, stopped muggings or bank robberies, and occasionally stopped a super-powered freak or two.
As Spider-Man he saved lives, swinging around, risking his life every day to ensure the safety of the citizens of New York City. He aided the NYPD even when they threatened to shoot, but he didn't care, he just wanted to defend those who couldn't defend themselves out in the dangerous streets of New York. He didn't even care about the recognition, he just cared about what was right.
With great power comes great responsibility, right?
But that all changed when he was 17...
It was a hot July day and Peter spent it web-slinging in his new suit, a birthday gift from Tony Stark. During the school year Tony and Peter had worked on upgrading the materials, display, safety protocols, and web shooter combinations in his suit. Peter made sure to get rid of the instant kill mode.The new and improved suit's appearance was the same, it had the same bright red and black webbed design as the first suit Tony gave him, but he loved it all the same.Peter was happy, he managed to stop 2 robberies, 6 muggings, helped an elderly lady cross the street and even went to Dunkin to get a refreshing coolada to help fight off the summer heat.
Once he finished his patrol, at 8:00 PM, Peter slipped back into his civilian clothes that were stored away in a backpack, webbed to the wall of an empty alley. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Peter made his way over to his apartment.
Peter stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. The doors slowly slid shut and the elevator rose to the sixteenth floor without stopping.The lights flickered and the elevator creaked as it ascended, creating an eerie atmosphere in the elevator.
Ding
The doors opened in slow jerky movements and Peter exited wondering why he hadn't just taken the stairs.
As Peter walked down the hall he couldn't help but feel anxious. There was a was dull tingle at the base of his skull alerting him of danger in a seemingly empty hallway. Peter looked around the hall cautiously, but it seemed as if everyone had left because there wasn't a soul in sight in the typically noisy hall.
At his door, Peter reached into his pocket and extracted his keys, hastily opening the door and walking into his apartment.He dropped his keys and the world around him slowed down to a crawl-There were Hydra agents all around his apartment and his aunt was kneeling down on the ground with a gun pressed against her temple by an agent. His aunt was slightly shaking with fear but doing her best to stay composed for Peter. She shook her head softly, silently pleading for Peter not to do anything rash.Peter couldn't tear his eyes away from his aunt.
He knew this was his fault, why else would Hydra agents be in his apartment?
Right as Peter was about to reach out to his aunt a tall muscular man walked into the living room with a folder in one hand and a gun in the other. He walked over to Peter and threw the gun down onto the table beside them.
The man opened the folder, flipping through the documents within, then began to speak, "Hello Mr.Parker, we've been looking for you. You see, Hydra can't help but be intrigued by the powers you possess. Enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, healing, and a predicted sixth sense. You'd be a very valuable asset, but you'd be a danger out of our grasp. We can't allow you to become a threat, now can we."
Peter had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from blurting out a quip. The last thing he needed was a smart ass comment causing his aunt's death.
The man looked over to his aunt then continued, "Today is the last day of your life as Peter Parker, or as that ridiculous hero, Spider-Man."
The man holding the gun against his aunt's temple lowered the gun to her neck pressed the trigger-Bang! The bullet punched its way through her neck, forming a hole in its wake that quickly filled with blood. The blood gushed out like a geyser and Peter couldn't help but jerk forward, towards her body.Aunt May fell to the ground gasping. Blood seeped into her clothes as she choked to death on it.The once bright pink sweater was stained dark red, drenched in her own blood.
Her body laid lifelessly on the ground with a pool of blood forming around her head.Peter didn't even notice when his knees gave in, he collapsed onto the floor. The vivid imagery of his aunt, no his mother, laying on the ground of their small Queens apartment in a puddle of blood was too much for Peter to handle.
He couldn't speak, couldn't move, he couldn't even think. It was as if his body shut down.As Peter stared at her body in shock, the agents restrained him and injected a needle into his neck. Half of his senses shut down, and his arms and legs became limp like noodles. Peter's body slumped further down into the cheap tile floor and the agent's grip tightened around his arms.
Everything got hazy. His vision slowly became darker until his body was enveloped by darkness.
Beeeeep
Peter slamed his fist down on the alarm clock's snooze button and sat upright in his bed. His alarm clock was destroyed, but he doesn't give it a second thought, he was still thinking about the hyper-detailed dream. It was too vivid, too painful.
He doesn't remember most of his past but that moment is always fresh in mind, it's like a vivid picture painted with perfect clarity, which is unlike mostly all his memories.
The dreams are always the same, his life before capture. They're bits, and pieces of his past. They're questionable at best, unreliable at worst. They're fragmented, short, and unwanted. Sometimes he’ll get flashes of his, supposed, Aunt May trying to cook a meal with a smiling gracing her face, or a man with a nicely groomed beard putting his arm around his shoulders. His memories only serve as a reminder of what he's lost, igniting forgotten emotions. He could tell they both meant a lot to him in the past, but Peter doesn't have enough memories to understand their significance in his life.
Hydra had kept him for five years, he escaped when he was 22, but at the facility they attempted to wipe his memory, and for the most part they succeeded. Peter just happened to be more stubborn than most subjects and managed to escape with some semblance of who he once was.
He looked around his room. It's messy, guns and ammunition everywhere, his suits laying on a chair in the corner of the room, and his secure laptop on a desk. It's just a safe house, he won't be staying here for any longer than a week, just long enough to finish his job. It's 7:00 AM and the hit will be at 8:00 PM, that gives him 13 hours to prepare for the mission. Peter doesn't leave anything to chance, he studies the workers, schedules, and layouts of the buildings he infiltrates. He was trained to be stealthy, come in and out undetected, and Hydra didn't allow mistakes.
Neither did he.
He stood up and headed over to the bathroom, took a shower then brushed his teeth. Right as he was about to leave he began staring at himself in the mirror—dull hazel eyes that were once bright enough to light up a room stared back at him. As well as his high cheekbones and a sharp jawline, both very different from the chubby cheeks he once saw in his file. His chin and cheeks are covered in enough stubble to look like he's growing a beard. And there are hints of black under his eyes due to sleepless nights.
He should shave, but Peter decided its best not to. He doesn’t like how he looks cleanly shaven anymore, it makes him look young, Innocent even. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Innocence was before, back when Peter had a chubby hairless face, wide puppy-like eyes, and the most adorable smile imaginable. Now he's more he's more muscular, has a thinner face, and almost has a beard. His looks help him in his line of work. Depending on his clothing he can either look threatening or charming. Perfect for seduction and perfect for intimidation, both important aspects of his current line of work. His appearance is key to getting information when he's hired to do so, as well as his strength. He gets paid to assassinate, kidnap, con, hack, and interrogate.
He splashed water onto his face. All he saw was a ghost of who he once was. He's not the same Peter they once knew, Hydra changed him. Well, torture and experimentation will do that you. He's not sure if anyone is looking, but he's not sure they'd be proud of who he's become.