Mary Jane Watson-Parker is terrified! And not because she is being carried like an old carpet under the arm of an insane super powered maniac called the Scorpion, while he runs through a sewer under Manhattans bustling mid day streets! She is terrified for another reason altogether. When last she saw her husband, he was smashed backwards by the tail of the Scorpion, landing limply on the ground like a sack of wheat. Her husband...

The Amazing Spider-Man!

Peter Parker was once a normal high school student. He was introverted and shy. A bookworm by all accounts, who never excelled at sports or anything remotely physical, he was considered nerdy by most of his peers, Peter led a quiet life of studying and inquisitiveness with his loving Aunt and Uncle.

But that was before he was bitten by the radioactive spider…

At that moment his entire life changed, In an eye blink he became one of the most agile, powerful men on the face of the earth! Able to crawl walls as easily as you or I could take a stroll down the street. Able to lift 5 Cadillac’s stacked up over his head at once, with a reaction time 15 times faster then the greatest athlete and a danger warning ‘Spider-sense’ to aid him from unseen threats, Peter Parker has gone on through the years since forging a legacy of greatness that awes many to this day! A hero loved, hated or feared by many, Peter Parker is now and forever,

Spider-Man #444

 Tail of death, tail of the Scorpion

By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

Peter lays on the ground, surrounded by the staff of the Daily Bugle. Joe Robertson, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Leeds, and Ben Urich among others. Peter lies limp as Joe “Robby” Robertson runs back from his desk after calling for an ambulance yet again.

“He’s not breathing.” Joe nervously speaks aloud, as he looks at his watch yet again.

Betty leans forwards and places her ear to Peters chest. “I-I hear his heartbeat, but it’s so weak.”

“C’mon Pete, hold on .” Ben Urich mutters under his breath.

But in the mind of Peter Parker, there is a quiet peacefulness, unfazed by events surrounding his waking world persona

Peter walks across a grassy plain, trees wave in a silent breeze about him, as he approaches an old man sitting on a hill. A man he instinctively knows as

“Uncle Ben? I knew I’d find you here? Is there where I think it is? Is my life over?”

Ben Parker turns towards his nephew, who will always be a son to him, and smiles. “Peter! I’m so happy to see you my boy! Yes, this is where you believe it is, son. But this is not your time yet. You have many years before you’ll be here. This is just a visit for you. You have a lot to do yet, in the earthly plain, Pete.”

“Uncle Ben, what are you talking about?” Peter asks quizzically, while scratching his head, as a bird lands on his arm, and begins to sing.

“Pete, you have to get back to Mary Jane, and little May. They need you. And they’re not the only ones. Lots of people need you, Pete. They need your power to help them out of all kinds of sticky situations. They need Spider-Man. The world does, m’boy.”

“I-I know Uncle Ben, but I want to talk to you more. I want to tell you about all the things I’ve done and everyone I’ve helped. I think you’d be proud of me. I always took your advice to heart I always remember what you said . ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ .”

“I know Pete, I am proud of you. I’ve always been Petey. Always will be too. You’re the best a man could hope to be. I know sometimes things get rough for you, but never forget that I know you’re doing the best you can, and that’s all anyone can ever ask of anybody. You’ve turned into quite a young man. You’re someone that anybody with half a brain would be proud of. You’ve done so much in your life. So much more then anyone could hope to do. You’re a hero, Peter. That’s more then any man could hope to be. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different Pete. You’re a success where it counts, in life, in your heart. Now get back there son. Go save your wife, she needs you now.”

Peter suddenly feels a tugging, pulling him back towards somewhere else, and he begins to see his uncle Ben receding into the distance. “Uncle Ben, wait? Where Aunt May? Why isn’t she with you?”

Ben begins to speak, and then suddenly Peter feels himself being lifted towards daylight, as a dark hole suddenly has a blinding light spot at it’s end that he shoots through at super speed...

And suddenly Peter Parker bolts upright!, surrounded by the Bugle staffers!

“Wha, what happened?” Pete moans as he feels the back of his head suddenly throb, almost blinding him with pain.

“Sit back Peter.” Betty admonishes him. “A second ago, we thought you were dead. Then you suddenly sat up.

“Never mind that”, Peter answers as he rubs his neck and grimaces. “Where’s Mary Jane?”

“Peter, you better sit still.” Robbie answers.

“Robbie, where is she?” He again asks, staring Robbie in the eyes.

“He took her, Peter. The Scorpion has her. He ran down a manhole after he almost split a car in two with the manhole cover.”

Peter bolts upright and is immediately nauseous, wobbling he leans back against the wall.

 “Did he say anything , Robbie? Where he was going? Where he was taking MJ?”

“He said he was taking he to the Intrepid museum and that Spider-man had to come there to save her. He said he’d kill her otherwise.”

“Let the wall crawler go , Parker. If we’re lucky, those two maniacs will kill each other, and we’ll all be that much better off for it.”

Peter turns towards Jameson, and his eyes narrow uncharacteristically. “If you hadn’t financed the creation of the Scorpion with your insane hatred of Spider-Man, my wife wouldn’t be at that lunatics mercy right now. Back off Jameson. You’re not my favorite person right now.”

Peter pushes past Jonah, shoulder bumping him as he practically falls into the older man, stumbling towards an elevator.

“Peter, wait!” Betty shouts at him “ The ambulance just pulled up in front. Let them check you out at least.”

“I-I’ll stop on the way down, Betty. I have to get a hold of Spider-Man. He’s MJ’s only hope right now.”

The elevator doors close, and everyone turns towards Jonah, who is still in shock at the way Peter dismissed him. Then the rest of the Bugles staff turns away and goes back to their desks, all the while eyeing Jonah out of the corners of their eyes. He stands still, slack jawed, then slowly returns to his office, and quietly shuts the door behind himself.

Joe Robertson follows Jonah with his eyes, then picks up a phone and calls the lobby down below. “This is Joe Robertson, Peter Parker just left the office, and should be stepping out of an elevator any minute. Don’t let him go. Make sure he’s check out by the EMT’s. He took a bad fall and still looks dizzy.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Robertson,” The desk security guard begins, “The elevator just got here, and Parker wasn’t on it.”

Robbie drops the phone back onto its cradle, as someone across the office suddenly shouts “Look! There goes Spider-man!” Robbie follows the pointed finger, and sees Spidey arcing across the skyline, towards the west side highway. “Go get him, Spidey!” The same woman shouts. Robbie looks at Jamesons closed office door, then sits back down at his desk, deep in thought.

High above the city, Spider-man swings, arcing gracefully, as his left hand drops to his side, and his right rhythmically swings forward, releasing a strand of web fluid, as his legs kick forward, then he lets go of the web line, and tumbles forward, ending his roll into a dive, he bounces off a cornice of a nearby rooftop, and leaps twenty feet into the air, then depresses his left web shooter, releasing a strand of webbing, resulting in another swing.

Then suddenly. Spidey stumbles in mid leap and begins to fall ! Almost instinctively, he throws out his hand, and releases his web line again, swinging into the nearby wall he attached himself to, with a bone jarring thud!

‘Unnngghh! That hurt! My Head is still spinning! Now my arm is numb from slamming into this brick wall at sixty miles per hour. But I have to move! Have to save Mary Jane!’

With a herculean effort, Spider-man leaps off the wall, and swings towards the docks, his head a swirling mass of a nausea inducing maelstrom.

Spidey lands shakily on the deck of the Intrepid, his Spider-sense ringing ever so slightly. ‘He’s got to be around here somewhere, my spider-sense is going off.’

“Okay Scorpy, come out, come out wherever you are! Time to play!” The web slinger taunts.

Suddenly a deck plate buckles upwards, as a huge green tail whips up, followed by a green clad body. Under his arm is the frantic form of Mary Jane Watson-Parker!

“Hey web head, how ya doin’?” The Scorpion taunts greasily.

“How do you think, Gargan? Isn’t it time you gave this game up? We do this to often. You beat on me, I beat on you. I knock you out, you go to jail. Seeya again in a few years. C’mon Scorps, let the girl go, and we’ll have a nice game of ‘go fish’ instead, whaddaya say?”

“I say you die, web head!” Instantly the Scorpions tail fires a deadly blast of energy from it’s tip, a blast Spidey deftly avoids, but only just. He lands a few feet away, after executing a complete somersault in mid air, to touch down in a crouch!

‘I’m in trouble. My reactions are off, my head is throbbing like a bass drum, and I may have a concussion for all I know. But he’s got MJ under his arm, and nothing else in the world matters right about now.’

Spidey leaps through the air, at Scorpion, curling into a ball, as he deftly avoids the slashing tail of the villain, to land behind him, crouched low, as the Scorpion instinctively whips his tail towards the spot Spidey landed!

Thoom!

His tail slaps the deck hard, shattering the steel deck like old wood! But Spidey is already gone! Leaping upwards instantly, he comes down feet first with a double footed kick to Scorpions head!

PWOOM!

“How’s that feel, Mr Green Jeans?”

Spidey instantly sprays webbing at MJ, ,and yanks her out of the momentarily stunned thugs arms. “Hang on Miss, I’ll have you down to the street in a flash!” Grasping MJ, Spidey leaps over the side of the Intrepids bow, towards the street below, where the Police have the area cordoned off. “You okay MJ?” He asks, worry tinging his voice.

“Yes Peter, I’m fine, thank God you got here when you did. Are you alright? You had me terrified the way you hit that wall back at the Bugle.”

“My head feels like someone is playing a battle of the bands inside it, but otherwise, I think I’m fine, though I’m feeling like a spaz about now.”

Suddenly Spidey shoves Mary Jane out of the way, his Spider sense screaming in his already beleaguered head!

“MJ MOVE!”

Instantly Spider-man is enveloped in a blast from the Scorpions tail! He drops to the ground in a heap as the Scorpion leaps over the side of the ships bow , to land at Spidey’s side. He grasps Spidey by the front of his costume, pulling his limp body upwards till they’re face to face.

“Yer to worried about the chick, web head. To bad. I knew I could get to ya through yer little friend Parkers babe. That’s why I was stakin’ out the Bugle, waitin’ for her ta show up. I know you got a weak spot fer the kid. But ya know what? I killed him. He’s as dead as a doornail. Same way yer gonna be in a minute”

“Let him go, Gargan.” A voice roars. Instantly The Scorpion turns towards the sound. “Who the hell are you?”

Facing Gargan are several armed cops, all pointing an assortment of guns at him. “We’re New York’s Finest, pure and simple. Now let Spider-Man go, or we start firing.”

From behind a barricade, where one of the cops hustled her off to, Mary Jane stares in horror, frightened for her husbands life.

“Drop him, Scorpion.” The officer repeats. “This is your last warning.”

“You want him? Come and get him, blue boy!” He tosses Spidey aside, as he turns back towards the cops. “You gotta be kiddin’ me you dope!” The Scorpion laughs as he sweeps his tail at the men, scattering them like bowling pins. “You clowns ain’t got no chance against me. No one does.”

Suddenly a distinctive ‘Thwip Thwip’ sound is heard, as the Scorpion’s ankles are wrapped up thickly in webbing, and the webbing is pulled tight, ripping the Scorpions legs out from under him, smashing Scorpion, chin first into the deck!

BWANG!

“I wouldn’t say ‘No one’ Scorpy. History has a way of repeating itself, especially where a numbskull like you is concerned.” Spidey leaps, and then kicks forward, at Scorpions thick head from behind, smashing him face first into the deck, actually burying his chin in the steel up to his ears!

BWOOM!

Instantly the tail whips out, knocking Spider-Man backwards again!

THWACK!

But Spidey is ready this time, his amazing Spider-Sense warning him, allowing him to throw himself away from the blow, so he’s merely grazed!

“You gotta try harder then that, Gargan! I gotta tell ya, big boy, I expected better of you this time. You’re really letting me down today, especially afert all your jawing!” He leaps towards the hull of the ship, bouncing off of it, as the Scorpion fires another blast from his tail, blowing a hole in the surface of the hull with its intensity! But Spidey is ahead of him!

“Boy Scorpy I think it’s time you see the eye doctor, you can’t hit the broadside of a battle ship!, On second thought that’s about all you’ve hit”

“Shut up!” Scorpion shouts, infuriated.

Spidey bounces in, ducking below the swinging tail, and then extending upwards below the Scorpions chin with all his might, his right hand snapping through the air like a rocket, his rock hard fist connecting solidly to the Scorpions jaw, with a bone jarring

CRACK!

“Unngghh!” Scorpion grunts as he ‘s lifted off his feet by the blows force, to land on his back, ten feet away.

“I-I’ll kill you! I’ll rip yer heart out and shove it down yer th-throat.” Scorpion grunts as he fights his way to his feet .”

“I think you’re watching to many horror movies, you green goofball. Though with a face like your, you’d fit right in.”

Thwip! Thwip!

As he speaks, Spidey fires webbing at Scorpions face, covering it completely!

“I-I’ll kill you! I’ll get you ! You freak! I’ll rip you apart!” The Scorpion roars almost incoherently.

Spidey throws a web line to the ships command cabin, and swings skyward!

“With a look like you’ve got, Scorpy ol’ pal, I wouldn’t be casting any stones. Oh by the way, good night!”

Pa-BOOM!

Spidey swings in hard from above, kicking with all his might to the side of Scorpions head, snapping this legs around with blinding speed at the end of his swing, and impacting thunderously! The Scorpion lands in a heap in the middle of the West Side Highway, and Spidey is beside him almost simultaneously, webbing him up tight. Two cops approach him.

“Thanks web head, you did real good today. Saved that pretty lady over there and everything.” The first one says.

“No sweat, officer. All in a days work for your friendly neighborhood Spider-man!” He salutes and then throws a webline skywards, with a cursory glance towards Mary Jane, who nods at him and smiles, while the EMT’s look her over in the back of an ambulance, then he is gone swinging towards queens like a man possessed!

An hour later...

Mary Jane enters the house ,and slaps her keys onto the kitchen table. “Peter? Where are you?”

No answer.

“I hope he’s alright.” She speaks aloud to no one in particular, then she hears a feint gurgling sound from the top of the stairs, which she immediately follows up. “Peter? You up here?” Still no answer. She begins climbing the stairs, and enters the bedroom, then smiles and relaxes. Peter is in the bed, with little May beside him, and both are sound asleep. May cooing gently as she snuggles her daddy. Mary Jane smiles, shuts the door behind her and then whispers “Sleep tight my big strong super hero, you deserve it after today. And when you wake up, mommy’s gonna make you tired all over again.” She smiles as she makes her way back down the stairs.

Epilogue

Fisk towers. Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin stoicly watches his large screen monitor as the unconscious form of the Scorpion is bound in titanium chains and dragged away, yet again.

“Fool.” He punches the TV’s off button on his remote and swivels in his chair to face the man who stands before him. “Can you succeed where this idiot failed? Or are you as inept as he is?”

The man before Fisk answers with a smirk. “If I was so inept, why’d you ask me here in the first place?”

“Because I’m going to give you the chance to destroy Spider-Man once and for all. With all the research I’ve completed on your powers, I’ve decided that you would have the best chance against him, now that Gargan has softened him up. Do you want your shot? Or should I offer the million dollar kill fee to someone more deserving?”

“No one is more deserving then I am, Kingpin. I’m as deadly as they come. My powers always been underrated, but I can bring this city to the ground in a pile rubble, all by myself. Hell Kingpin, for that amount of money I just might do it anyway.”

“Really? Then do something more impressive. Bring me Spider-mans corpse. That alone is all I ask.”

“I’ll do one better, Kingpin.” The mystery man continues, “I’ll bring you his corpse with every bone ground to powder! And when the SHOCKER makes a promise, you can be damned sure he’ll live up to it!”

As he speaks, the Shockers vibro gauntlets glow menacingly, as a sinister smile behind his mask encompasses his leering face...

WebZingers C/O CptMarvell@aol.com