Chapter 7: A very enthusiastic leap

Gwen then continued, taking me out of my musings, "After the two of you passed out and with your...situation, we called the ambulance as soon as we could, seeing you both to...well, here." she motions around the room for her point. "I've tried everything I could to go with you, but Oscorp wouldn't let me. They said I was needed there and dismissed me without a second thought as if they didn't care about you getting hurt in their own company. Aggh, The nerve of them; I would've quit right then and there for that if it weren't for Harry talking me down." I watched Gwen pout as she mumbled her short tirade about work; honestly, I found it rather cute, so long that the rant was not toward me. She then blushes a little in embarrassment, realizing she was getting off-topic, "Heh, sorry; ahem, so I came here as fast as I could with my dad to see if you were alright. Poor May, she was exceptionally worried about you, and the doctor stated that you were in a coma, claiming it to be caused by overstress. It took your uncle an entire night to take your family home."

"How did Peter take this?" I asked, being generally curious after our heated argument in front of everyone.

"You kidding? Pete was the first besides me to rush over to you; I'd say that your twin was more worried about you then than everyone. He was so relieved you wouldn't die."

Huh...That's good. Maybe I'm not as much of an obstacle to him.

"Afterwards, he didn't come back, too engrossed in his new internship to even come with us and visit you. I swear I-"

... Never mind.

This time I stopped her, "Gwen, it's okay. Peter probably feels guilty about our fight and may need some space from me. " We both could use some time for ourselves," I said, speaking the truth. I was still angry at Peter, but I must focus on my current issues first, which are slowly growing. Before Gwen could question me, I went on, "Besides, it's a family, or sibling, problem, so worrying about us is unnecessary." she *hmphs* in frustration, not satisfied with this outcome, but this was much like Gwen... or, at least, my Gwen to act, always being our rock in our little group. I quickly moved on, "By the way, you never told me why you're also working at Oscorp with my twin."

Her face softens slightly before shrugging, "It was my dad's idea. He got wind of it somewhere and thought it would be great to have on my resume. He's right about that, but the pay is also a nice plus."

I smirk, "Still planning on making that rock band of yours, I see."

Gwen then smiles back at me, "You damn right I am! God, I've been setting this up since the beginning of summer and only got the money I needed to get the starting equipment recently; however, finding the right members is still a pain in the ass. You wouldn't know anyone who can sing or play guitar, would you?" And like that, we talked for 30 minutes straight, going back and forth on who could be a good fit for Gwen. She was picky about the decision, being an all-girls band, and only wanted people she could trust. I tried to talk Gwen out of her band name idea to avoid things getting awkward when a particular redhead eventually showed up, but she was adamant about that too. Either way, seeing her smile helped ease my stress a little bit... *Sigh* But what should I do?

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It was only a short time until Gwen had to leave due to visiting hours ending, which was fine because I had too many things on my mind. "What should I do?" was the million-dollar question I asked myself while staring into space. What's done is done. The spider bit me and not Peter. The cannon that I thought I would follow is no more. Heh, to be honest, I probably should have known this when I was born. It could've saved me the headache, yet I have power. With that, a butterfly flew off with my security blanket, leaving me uncertain about anything, future events or otherwise, and giving me two paths I could take...

One path where spider-man stays a memory, where I focus on my personal life and keep my loved ones safe. I'll leave the crime for the police to handle, with hopefully no threat of villains. Even if that was possible, there are other heroes, like Iron man and Captain America. Hell, Cindy also got bitten like me, right? What if she took my place as spider-woman or silk, huh? But I'll be doing what I told myself I wouldn't do: standing there and watching on the sidelines, looking the other way. I'll live my life alright, but always in fear. The different path is where I dawn the mask and run head first into untold dangers. I'll go out there every night and day, risking my life, contentedly, with no thanks or recognition. This path may be adventurous, but I'll have a chance to be in an early grave every time I put on that mask. The same could be said for the ones I care about if my identity gets to my enemies.

Die early as a hero or Live longer as a coward... Not an easy decision to make, especially when you're me. 'God, and there I was, willing to put this shit on Pete's shoulders. Some "good brother" I am.'

Sighing, I chose to wash my face to wake myself up since I had slept enough already; but, as I do that, I notice something... odd. There's some strange white spot at the bottom of both of my wrists; rubbing the areas, it felt a little softer than my skin but also...sticky. 'No fucking way,' was my immediate thought after recalling a particular movie trilogy with the same thing I had. I started to search for the nearest thing around me, spotting a toothbrush the hospital has for guests, then immediately slamming it to my wrist, only for it to stick there as if it was super glued on, not moving off no matter what I do. I begin to pull on the brush as a series of webs stays on, getting longer the more I pull, holding on to the toothbrush, and that hold is firm. 'Okay, how do I...' as if on command, the webs became weak enough to break the brush off. "T-that, that was so awesome!!!" facing my wrist, my hand forms the famous hand sign to shoot a web to the ceiling above me; *Thwip*...only for me to shoot a web at my face instead.

"Agggh, mmhh mmmmmhhhh ffffmmmmhhh!!!!!" Thank god I chose to lock the door; I can't let anyone see me flailing about in a panic, trying to get a web covering my face off like a rabid animal, now do I? "*Gasps* Haaa...haaaa...so...that's what that feels like; good to know, I guess," I said after struggling with my web for a full minute; man, it was stronger than I thought. "But, holy shit, organic webs!!! Initially, only Cindy should be the one who can do that, though I didn't get why since the same spider bit her and Peter; now that I've been bitten instead of my twin, it's different. "This requires further testing, but that's for later. For now, I'll give this universe a point for the positive change." and speaking of changes; I haven't checked if my body for any other modifications. I take off my shirt, 'There should be nothing noticeable. The changes spider-man had were noticeable due to Pete's lack of physical fitness. On the other hand, I am already fit due to my "hobbies," so there shouldn't be anything to point out...'

"...Woah..." I wasn't fit;...I was fucking ripped!!! How did I not notice this? I bearly had any fat on me, from my torso, arms, forearm, abs, shoulders, waist, back; you name it. I can easily see every muscle; they're much more developed than two days ago. I even have an 8-pack! How is that a thing? From what I can tell from some stretches, I can quickly move freely, and my body is still in the shape of an MMA fighter, only more... perfect. I can also tell that this body is packing some serious power. "Hold on...," I checked downstairs. "Jeez. Well, that weapon just upgraded to a monster. What's that now, 3 points to the universe" I check myself out in the small mirror for at least 15 minutes. Don't judge me. My curiosity and excitement grow as I think about my new powers. This only leads to me getting sick of being in this hospital room. I want to take a walk, at least outside, to think about what to do next, but it's not like the doctors or nurses would just let me walk out of this place alone. And I can't forget that there might be cameras throughout the building, and I don't feel like hacking every single one.

"Which leaves me with only one option." My attention turned toward the window, and I broke into a cold sweat, discovering that I am on the 5th floor. "Well, it's every spidey fans' dream at some point, right? eh heh."

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"Oooooohhhh, okay... this is way more terrifying than I thought. Why the fuck did we spidey fans think this was cool!" I yelled out quietly as I could, even though my voice was already muffled by the wind blowing mixed with the neighboring ambiance. I needed not to draw any attention to myself, seeing a couple of rooms lit around me. What was I doing, you may ask? I had my back hugging the outside wall as my figures and feet were the only things holding me up. In the meantime, I was trying; but failing not to look down at the nearly 300-foot drop below, 'Don't look down my ass!'. I'm doing what gave the original a reason to be called "spider"-man...wallcrawling.

Luckily for me, before Gwen left, she told me that she had brought some extra clothes after visiting my house. May wanted to ensure I had fresh clothes for when I woke up. Bless that woman; I wish she wouldn't have told Gwen about all of my clothes. I don't care how funny it is; puppies are adorable! Anyway, after I put on a quick outfit, I hesitantly crawled out the window. It was probably the most dumbest thing I could be doing right now. From what I know, all the other spider people would avoid doing something like this right off the back, but the kid in me really wants to know how climbing up a building like spider-man feels. 'I should stop listening to that little bastard.' So here I was, my figures and feet being the only things keeping me on the wall of a hospital 300ft in the air. 'Should I be questioning my sanity at this point?' I thought while trying not to focus on the ground below.

"Okay, spider powers, I may not have wanted you, but we're in this together now, so for the love of Stan Lee, keep...sticking." I said to the open air. I would've been geeking out at this, maybe trying to figure out how all this even works. However, I can't afford to be seen out here by anyone, so something to write on the to-do list for later. It's time to move.

"Alright, Alex, this should be easy, right? Think of it like rock climbing, just without the harness, and if you fuck up, you die...again? No pressure...I'm going to fucking die one day." choosing just to bite the bullet, I slowly turn around and move my right hand upwards before once again lashing it to the wall. Then I did the same with my left hand, and then the right again. Over and over again; right, left, right, left, not once feel the effects of gravity pulling me down.

I was doing it...I was actually wallcrawling. Crawling my way toward the back of the complex, noticing the lack of people and taller buildings, all the while nearly failing to hold back my giddiness at what was happening. My confidence grew with each movement I made, and I was getting relatively comfortable crawling around like this as if it were natural. 'Go,d this is like the world's best adrenaline rush.' It reached a point where I stood up and tried walking on the wall, only having to dodge a pigeon occasionally, but I was still okay.

Yet when I reached the back, I had another reckless idea. I was currently staring at an apartment building a block away, and doing some quick mental math, I estimated that the building was at the very least 80 meters or about 264ft from my position. 'I'm amazed that I can see that far.' Anyway, from what I can tell from my or Nate's memories, the longest jump he has seen Peter jump was precisely that in the comic. My twin possibly used all his strength in that jump, so in theory, I should be able to do the same if I use everything I have as well, and even if something goes wrong, I'll use my webs to stop my fall. "Yeah, that's the plan. Alright, Alex, time to see just how strong you really are." I said, getting into a crouching position on the wall. Pouring every ounce of power I had toward my legs, I could feel the muscles becoming bigger, and my pants started to tear around my thighs. A vain bulge on my forehead as I was laser-focused on my target destination. Feeling that I was at my max, I counted myself down...

'...3...'

'...2...'

'...1...' *Boom* I released all the power I had in my legs and shored quickly toward my attended building. Now, I won't say I made it across the block as I wanted.

...

Instead, I made it over 2 of them. "OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH FFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!" I cried out in a panic due to me losing control of my body. That was far more than I expected, I shouldn't even have that much strength, so what the hell? After what only took a second to set myself upright, I found out that there were no roofs in my path, and as if the universe had found this situation hilarious, gravity chose to collect its debt. "Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit!!!!" realizing that I had only a few moments before becoming a stain on the street, I instantly shot a web-line at the building near me to save my ass. *Thwip* Only for the web to shoot straight up instead, "Really?!". I use the other hand, and the same thing happens "...REALLY?!". I had to think of something fast, I got 26 seconds and counting before the impact. Seeing no other choice, I've made a plan B.

Maneuvering my body as if I was skydiving, I luckily aim myself toward a back alleyway and near a wall, no less. Timing this just right, I hold out my arm to stick to it. "I hope this works-" *Pop* "Aaaaaggghhh!!!!". Good news, it worked. Bad news, I now hope my healing factor can heal a dislocated shoulder quickly. Sadly, the pain was enough to break my wallcrawling ability as I once again fell to the ground below. Before I could do anything, I felt my back crashing on possibly a building's fire escape, bending it as well. Now falling forward, my head was saved by a closed dumpster as I rolled onto the ground, still alive. I groan, somewhat still conscious despite the pain.

"It's this what the infamous Parker luck feels?" I said, lying on the cold hard ground, feeling the drizzle of rain on my face.

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A/N~ Not going to lie; probably not my work, but you guys tell me. Anyway, don't forget to make your vote for my next project in the auxiliary. Thanks for the support.

~Stan out