When Peter and Mary Jane Parker have a child, they envision a beautiful future ahead. But when Spider-Man is finally unmasked and the world learns his true identity, their dreams are shattered. With a new generation of villains running rampant through New York City, May is no longer safe as long as she is a Parker.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All credit goes to the brilliant Stan Lee.
“You can’t run forever, Spider-Man!” Goblin yelled.
Peter twisted in midair to dodge a grenade and shot a web from his wrist, which tethered itself to a satellite on top of the nearest building, and managed to swing out of the way at the last second as the bomb exploded in the side of an office tower.
He ducked his head as flames roiled up, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, and held the little bundle close to his chest. The baby squirmed and cried, but Peter could only flee as he swung through the streets of downtown New York.
I have to get May to safety, he thought. There’s gotta be a way to shake Gobbie!
But web-slinging was hard enough to do with one hand without a baby and the Green Goblin on his tail. It was all he could do to evade the Goblin’s attacks and keep from falling out of the sky. He was starting to regret not taking the subway.
Peter took a hard left, veering around the corner into a side street, narrowly avoiding a collision with a bright neon sign. He landed on the third floor of an aboveground parking garage and hit the ground running.
He ducked stealthily behind a pillar and bounced May gently in his arms, trying desperately to quiet her.
Peter pulled off his mask so as not to frighten her and spoke in a low voice, “Daddy’s here. You’re going to be okay. Shh.”
May’s cries subsided somewhat and Peter scanned the area, knowing better than to let his guard down for even a second. He could distinctly hear the whoosh of the Goblin’s glider somewhere overhead. Sirens wailed in the distance.
“Only cowards run from a fight, Peter Parker!” The Goblin’s taunts echoed off the surrounding buildings.
Peter whipped around, backing up slowly as his eyes flicked back and forth, his heart pounding loudly against his ribs.
He quickly shot dozens of webs in rapid fire, creating a sticky barrier in the side of the building from ceiling to floor until there was a massive spider web stretched across the opening.
And not a moment too soon, for the Goblin suddenly swooped in out of nowhere and found himself trapped like a butterfly in a very sticky net, glider and all.
The Goblin roared in fury, struggling uselessly against his bonds and Peter ran. He knew his webs were only a temporary fix; he’d only bought himself a few precious minutes.
He swerved around a few parked cars and headed straight for the room with the elevator bank.
Peter dropped to his knees in a corner and gently set the bundle down.
By this point he was running short on options. Peter couldn’t outrun the Goblin without putting May in further danger. He’d have to stand and fight. And as much as it ripped him to pieces, he knew he was going to have to leave her behind and get the Goblin as far away from her as he could.
It was then that Peter had to consider the possibility of his return. If he couldn’t make it back to her …
Suddenly, he spotted an old flyer and a pen on the ground. Peter hurriedly snatched them up, flipped the flyer over and scribbled a note on the back. Tears stung his eyes as he wrote his final goodbyes to May and he signed it with a flourish.
Peter folded the flyer and tucked it carefully into her blankets, his eyes burning.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” he said thickly, “but with great power comes great responsibility. Your great-uncle Ben taught me that. You’ll understand someday.” His voice broke and Peter desperately tried to compose himself. He couldn’t afford to grieve another loss. “I swear to you,” he whispered, “there will never go a day when I won’t be searching for you. And even if it takes me twenty years, I will find you. We will see each other again.” He kissed May’s forehead. “I love you, May.”
And with a heavy heart, Peter rose to his feet, pulled the mask over his head, and took off without a backward glance.
He burst back into the parking garage, flipped over a car, and charged right for the angry Goblin.
“Looks like I caught a live one!” Peter yelled, and he executed a flying scissor-kick, sending the both of them free-falling to the street below.
Peter shot another web, and it latched to Goblin’s chest. He yanked upward, reeling him in to plant a kick in his gut.
The Goblin landed on a police cruiser with a sickening CRUNCH and the roof caved in, the windshield shattering.
Peter dropped to the ground in a crouch and slowly straightened up.
“It’s over, Gobbie,” he said. “You can’t mess with a veteran of the state and expect to get away with it. You’re still new to this game. Word of advice?” He grabbed Goblin by the neck with lightning speed. “Stay off my streets. This spider’s got bite.”
Goblin leered at him through the mouth in his helmet. “Where’s the baby?” he crooned softly.
“Out of your reach,” Peter snarled.
Goblin gave him a wicked smile. “You’re bluffing! Didn’t you know my newest glider has a self-destruct feature?”
Horror steeled over Peter as the side of the parking garage blew up.
“MAAAAYYYY!” he screamed.
All else forgotten, he zipped into action, swinging high over the explosion and dropping to the next level above. There were more people up here, running in terror.
“To the elevator!” he yelled. “Everyone, now!”
Peter caught hold of a middle-aged woman and pulled her back.
“There’s a baby on the next level,” he told her. “Across from the elevator in a corner wrapped in a bundle. You get her and I’ll cover you.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Make sure she’s safe. Now go!”
Peter watched her run into the crowded elevator.
“Make sure she’s safe,” he whispered.
Then he launched himself off the building and out of sight.
