Spider-Man : The Story of a Hero

New York — New York Hospital — Late Afternoon

Peter arrived at the hospital in civilian clothes, his backpack slung over one shoulder. Out of breath, he pushed through the hospital doors and headed straight for the reception desk.

A woman was sitting behind the counter.

— Good evening, young man. Is everything alright? she asked in a gentle, slightly concerned voice.

— Yes! Excuse me, I’d like to see a patient: May Parker, Peter replied, out of breath, speaking quickly while remaining polite.

— Very well... and you are? A friend? Family?

Peter hesitated for a split second before answering in a softer voice:

— My name is Peter Parker and... I’m her son.

— One moment, let me check...

She typed on her keyboard for a few seconds before opening a file on her screen.

— Ah yes, Peter Parker. Alright, you can-

Peter immediately turned around, ready to run through the hallways, but the woman’s voice stopped him.

— Wait! You don’t even know which room she’s in!

He froze instantly before turning back, visibly embarrassed.

— Oh... that’s true. Sorry.

Lying in her hospital bed, eyes open, May stared at the ceiling. Despite her exhaustion, sleep refused to come.

— I wonder where George went. He seemed in such a hurry... I hope it’s nothing serious.

Her mind drifted back to their last conversation.

George Stacy had just returned to the room. His face was tense. He had just hung up his phone.

— So... how’s Gwen? May asked.

— She... she’s doing very well. Don’t worry.

May frowned slightly. She could hear an unusual tension in his voice.

— George... are you sure you’re okay?

— Yes, yes! Listen, May, I’m sorry but I have to go. I have something important to take care of... and now that you’re awake...

— I don’t know what it is, but don’t worry. As you can see, I’m doing fine! Go do what you have to do, but be careful. It’s dangerous out there.

— Thank you...

He turned around, ready to leave the room, but May called out to him one last time.

— When I get out of here, we’ll have our little outing, just like we promised.

George gave her a gentle smile.

— Of course.

Then he left the room, almost running.

May returned to the present and let out a soft sigh.

Suddenly, the door to her room burst open.

— Aunt May!

She immediately turned her head.

— Peter?!

Peter quickly approached, pulled up a chair, and sat beside her bed.

— Hi, Aunt May...

— Hi, sweetheart...

Peter took her hand. His eyes were shining with emotion.

— I... I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.

— I forbid you from apologizing, Peter. George explained everything to me: you were safe at his place with Gwen. And I’m happy to see that you didn’t take any risks. After all, I had a police officer with me.

Peter chuckled lightly.

— Yeah, that’s true.

Then his expression changed slightly.

— By the way... where is he? I thought I’d see him when I arrived.

— Oh, he had to leave.

— Really? Do you know why?

— No, but he worried me a little.

At those words, Peter’s heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling immediately washed over him.

— Worried you? What do you mean? Peter asked, trying not to show anything.

— Well... we had just sent you a picture of the two of us. Then he got a phone call. I thought it was Gwen, but when he came back, his expression had changed. He looked... nervous.

Peter remained frozen for a few seconds.

— I just hope it wasn’t anything serious... and that Gwen is okay, May added, slightly worried.

— And how long ago did he leave?

May let out a small laugh.

— An hour, I think. Well... I believe so. There’s no clock in here, so I’m losing track of time a little.

Peter remained silent. A forced smile stretched across his lips as he tried to hide the fear rising inside him.

— I’ll call Gwen and her father to make sure everything’s alright. I’ll be back.

He left the room, pulled out his phone, and first dialed George Stacy’s number.

The ringing echoed.

Again.

And again.

No answer.

A knot formed in his stomach.

— Let’s try Gwen...

He immediately started a second call.

— Come on, Gwen... pick up!

After several seconds that felt endless, the line finally connected.

— Gwen! I’m relieved to hear from you. I was starting to worry. Is everything okay? Do you know where your father is? He was with Aunt May, then he suddenly left and it got us a little worried.

But no familiar voice answered him.

— Gwen? Can you hear me?

— Uh... yeah, I can hear you. But I’m not... Gwen.

Peter froze.

A man’s voice.

On Gwen’s phone.

His jaw immediately tightened.

— Who are you? How did you get her phone?! Where’s Gwen?!

— Whoa, calm down! I was outside walking and I found this phone. I was going to take it to the police, but then you called. I have absolutely no idea who Gwen is.

Peter’s expression darkened.

Frustration.

Confusion.

And above all, fear.

— Alright...

He took a deep breath to regain control of himself.

— Okay... can you tell me your name and where you are so I can come pick up the phone?

— I... my name is Miles Morales and I’m near Fifth Avenue.

— Fifth Avenue? Okay! Stay where you are. I’ll be there in 10 minutes!

— Alright... I’ll wait for you.

Peter immediately hung up.

— George isn’t answering and Gwen doesn’t have her phone? I really don’t like this...

He returned to May’s room.

Seeing his troubled expression, she watched him carefully.

— Uh, Aunt May listen... I know I just got here but I-

— You have the same look he did.

Peter blinked.

— Huh? What?

May gave him a small smile.

— You have the same look George had. Would you mind explaining why you seem worried?

— Uh, well... actually...

She let out a soft sigh.

— Come here.

Peter obeyed.

When he got close enough, she held out her hand.

— I don’t know what’s going on, or why you and George both seemed concerned. And if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay. But...

— It’s not that I don’t want to but-

— All I’m asking is that you don’t do anything reckless. Be careful. Do you understand me?

Peter lowered his eyes slightly before answering.

— Yes... yes, of course, Aunt May.

A smile appeared on May’s face.

— Good. Then get going!

— I still want to apologize. I know you’re hurt and I-

May gave him a wink.

— Peter... stop talking and go.

One last grateful smile crossed the young man’s face.

Then he turned on his heel and ran out of the room.

New York — New York Police Department — Late Afternoon

At the New York Police Department, Yuri Watanabe was sitting at her desk, leaning over a stack of files. The fatigue was visible on her face, but she continued working tirelessly.

One of her colleagues approached her with a smirk.

— Hey, Yuri!

Without looking up from her paperwork, she replied:

— Yeah?

— So, is it true what they’re saying? You teamed up with Spider-Man?

— Yeah. Why? Are you a fan of his?

The man shrugged.

— Me, not really... but my kids are. And you have to admit, he’s pretty impressive, right?

— If you say so...

She added nothing else.

Instead, she checked her phone.

Still no new message from George Stacy.

Her eyes settled on their last conversation. The final message was about Tombstone’s right-hand man.

Since then... nothing.

Noticing that she had been staring at her screen for several seconds, her colleague couldn’t resist teasing her.

— A guy you like?

Yuri slowly raised her eyes.

The dark look she gave him was so icy that the man immediately raised his hands in surrender.

— Okay... I’ll shut up, I’ll shut up...

He quickly retreated, leaving her alone.

Yuri sighed inwardly.

— I know I shouldn’t worry... but it’s bothering me. Normally, he always replies. Especially when it’s me...

She reread their last conversation one more time before putting her phone down.

— And when I ask the others, it’s the same thing. They all tell me they haven’t heard from George, but that he’s probably busy.

Frustrated, she rubbed her temples.

— The only person I haven’t asked, and who might know, is...

For a brief moment, Spider-Man’s image crossed her mind.

She immediately pushed it away.

— Let’s check his place first. Maybe he’s resting? After all, we’ve all been through a lot since the start of this mess.

New York — Fifth Avenue — Late Afternoon

Meanwhile, on Fifth Avenue, Peter Parker stood on the roof of a building.

In civilian clothes, he carefully watched the streets below, looking for a boy matching Miles Morales’ description.

His gaze eventually settled on a teenager in the distance.

Impossible to be certain from this far away.

Peter quietly climbed down into an alleyway, pulled out his phone, and dialed the number.

— Hey, I just got here! Can you wave your hand?

— Uh... yeah, here.

In the distance, the young man waved several times.

— Okay, that’s definitely him.

— So you can see me? Where are you?

— Right over there, to your right. I’m coming!

Peter stepped out of the alley and walked over to the boy.

— Hey!

— Hey!

Miles seemed a little shy.

Peter gave him a smile.

— Nice jacket.

Miles’ face immediately lit up.

— Thanks!

Then an awkward silence settled between them.

The two boys found themselves looking at each other without really knowing what to say.

Eventually, Peter broke the silence.

— So... can I have the phone, please?

— Oh, uh... yeah, of course! Sorry.

Miles handed him the device.

Peter took it and immediately slipped it into his pocket.

Then he hesitated for a moment before continuing:

— Sorry for asking again, but... if I understood correctly, you were just walking down the street and found it by chance? I mean... it was just there? On the ground?

— Yeah, that’s right.

Peter frowned slightly.

— And you didn’t see anyone else? Anything that seemed... strange?

Miles thought for a few seconds.

— No. Then again, people don’t really go outside much these days.

The faint smile on Peter’s face disappeared.

— Yeah... that’s true.

Once again, silence settled between them.

The two teenagers looked at each other, unsure of how to continue the conversation... or how to end it.

Finally, Peter cleared his throat.

— Well... I won’t keep bothering you. Thanks for answering and giving me back the phone. A lot of people would’ve kept it.

Miles nodded.

— No problem. If I could help...

Peter gave him one last smile before starting to walk away.

— By the way... what’s your name?

Peter turned around.

— Peter Parker. Be careful on your way home.

He waved and quickly headed off.

— I really don’t like what’s happening... but let’s stay calm. No point imagining the worst. Maybe Gwen dropped her phone without realizing it? I’ll go to her place. Maybe George is there too... and they’re just spending some time together as father and daughter?

He returned to the alleyway.

Then he took off running.

A few seconds later, he was already soaring through the air toward the Stacy apartment.

New York — Stacy Apartment — Late Afternoon

After several minutes of swinging through New York, Peter finally reached the Stacy apartment.

He quietly entered through the window before scanning the place with his eyes.

— Gwen? George? Are you here?

No response.

He quickly crossed the living room, searched the kitchen, then the various bedrooms.

No one.

His concern immediately grew.

— Okay... now this is really starting to worry me. That her father isn’t here... that’s normal, he’s a cop. But Gwen... she should be here!

Suddenly, several knocks echoed at the front door.

Then a female voice.

— George? Are you there? It’s Yuri!

Peter froze.

— Yuri?!

— Hey, George! Are you there?

Completely caught off guard, he hurried backward, tripped over the rug, and crashed heavily onto the floor.

The noise echoed throughout the apartment.

— Damn it! This is really not the time to be clumsy...!

On the other side of the door, Yuri immediately frowned.

— Noise and no answer? Someone broke into his place?!

She drew her weapon.

Without hesitation, she aimed at the lock.

BANG!

The bullet shattered the mechanism.

The door immediately gave way.

Gun in hand, Yuri cautiously entered the apartment, scanning every corner.

Peter reacted instantly.

With a leap, he silently stuck himself to the ceiling.

For a few seconds, everything seemed to be working perfectly.

Then the unexpected happened.

A fart.

One of the most graceful farts imaginable.

Yuri immediately spun toward the source of the sound.

Too late.

Peter dropped from the ceiling.

A web shot out.

It struck Yuri right in the face.

Before she could react, Peter disarmed her, restrained her, and completely webbed her to the floor.

— Webbing?! Spider-Man, is that you?! What the hell are you doing here?! I knew it! I should’ve arrested you when I had the chance!

— Calm down, Yuri. Let me explain!

— No! There’s nothing to explain! You’re not at home, George is nowhere to be found, and you tie me up?! I have every reason to arrest you!

Peter blinked.

— Wait... you’re looking for Captain Stacy too?!

— I have nothing to tell you! Untie me!

— Listen, Yuri, we don’t have time. I’m not your enemy! I’ll untie you, but first... you really haven’t heard anything from the Captain? I’m looking for him too. Him and his daughter have disappeared, and I have a very bad feeling about this!

Yuri froze.

— What?! Gwen disappeared too?! And how do you know her?!

— We don’t have time for that. Just let me change clothes and I’ll untie you, okay? Thirty seconds, no more.

— What?! But...!

She let out a deep sigh of exasperation.

Without waiting any longer, Peter rushed into the bathroom.

A few moments later, he came back out wearing his Spider-Man suit. His civilian clothes were stored in the backpack he now carried on his shoulders.

— Alright, I’m done.

He freed Yuri from the webbing and then held out his hand to help her up.

— Sorry for the... uh... web.

She completely ignored the apology.

Despite the anger she still felt toward him, she remained focused on what truly mattered.

— So, you really haven’t heard anything from them? Nothing useful?

— No. Well... the only recent thing is that I got a message from the Captain about Tombstone’s right-hand man. And when I tried calling Gwen, some other guy answered. He said he found her phone lying on the street.

— You’ve got to be kidding me?!

— I’m serious! That’s why I came here. I thought she might’ve dropped it by accident... but she’s not here either. And I have no idea where she could be...

— Damn it... this sucks!

Yuri began pacing rapidly around him.

Her frustration was visible in every step she took.

Then suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks.

As if an idea had just crossed her mind.

She immediately pulled out her phone.

Intrigued, Spider-Man leaned slightly closer to look.

Yuri opened an application titled ”Track” and began typing several lines of code.

— Mind telling me what you’re doing?

— I’m launching my tracking program on George’s phone.

TO BE CONTINUED.