Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 2– Chance Meeting.
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I pull my mask back up over my head as I jump back up into the trees and jump through the forest and out of the cemetery, leaving the graves and, indeed, that part of my life behind as I move forward to new horizons, I still remain in the Spider-Man suit, but that is just out of necessity as I have nothing else to wear.
I plan to leave spider-man behind as well, this world only needs one spider-man, and I know just how crucial being spider-man is to Peter, so it's time I left that life behind, and if I am honest, I don't feel as much pain as I should at the prospect because of my new memories.
Coming out of the cemetery, I move in the opposite direction of the sirens, which is coincidentally in the same direction as Aunt May's house, which I don't want to even go near, afraid of the possible feelings that might erupt at being close to such a wonderful woman, I continue my method of parkouring across the buildings and sticking to the shadows knowing that there will be a lot of questions asked if two spider-men are seen in two different places.
I am now Ben Reilly which means that I have to leave everything Peter Parker at the door before I leave New York, which includes the costume. Still, I will have to keep wearing it till I find something else to wear. Still, as I ponder about the outfit, I begin to think about some critical questions about Professor Miles Warren. This costume is made of the same material as it always has been. I am still wearing the same underwear I was when I was till Peter Parker yesterday morning, which begs the question, how did The Jackal get so close to discover these things about Peter Parker?
I know that Peter wouldn't be idiotic enough to not notice if his costume was different or his underwear had suddenly changed the brand, which means that both myself and Peter were wearing the same exact items of clothing when we awoke at Shea Stadium, The Jackal knew precisely what underwear we were wearing which is a frightening thought because if he had observed us so much that he knew that then what else does he know?
I shake my head to rid myself of thoughts, knowing that those questions don't matter now that The Jackal is probably dead. At the very least, these questions aren't relevant to me anymore as they are questions for Peter. So I will leave these issues to him, just like I will leave everything else to him as well, which means I will also have to leave my appearance behind as well and to do that to the best of my abilities at this moment in time will mean that I have to dye my hair a different colour than my current brown and got some contacts or at the very least shades for my blue eyes.
Spotting a nearby convenience store, I drop down from the rooftops to the alleyway behind it and then crawl into the establishment through a small toilet window. I immediately regret it as this must be the most disgusting broken-down men's room I have ever seen.
All I can do is be thankful that the ceiling is much cleaner than the floor though that is not saying much, making sure to avoid the different shades of dark brown on the top (how is that even possible?) So I begin to lurk at the 90-degree angle above the doorway, waiting for some poor shmuck to make the mistake of coming in here and grace me with the choice of leaving.
It takes about twenty minutes, but eventually, some fat guy enters through the door looking as dirty and disgusting as the bathroom itself, which is made even more apparent when he makes no noise of surprise at the state of the place, not wanting to dwell on that situation any longer I quickly slip out before the door closes and begin to sneak around the roof of the convenience store looking for what I need which is quite hard to do when you are trying to sneak around on the ceiling of a well-lit convenience store dressed in a red and blue costume and trying to read all the signs and products upside down.
However, I finally managed to pinpoint one of the items I was looking for, that item being blonde hair dye. So with a quick check around, I quickly and quietly shoot a web at it. It sticks on, after which I pull it up, but being a shoddy convenience store, things are not appropriately stacked, so when I pull the hair dye off of the shelf and up to my waiting hands, the rest of the products on the shelf lose their precarious standings. They all begin to topple over one after another, with quite a lot tumbling down to the ground.
I quickly take a look around the convenience store to see if anybody has noticed, which of course, they have. All of the people inside are looking up at me at the ceiling, shocked though one little child does seem to be happy. I don't stick around any longer and quickly run across the ceiling before jumping out of the door, snagging the first pair of black glasses my hand touch from the glasses stand as I bolt out and web zip onto the rooftops before running away.
"Come back, Spider-Man! I didn't want to believe it, but Jameson was right about you. You are a MENACE!"
Sorry, Peter, but needs must and all that. one thing I am not gonna miss about being Spider-Man is all the hate I get (though I was in the wrong in that situation, still, I bet Captain America doesn't get all this flack for taking emergency supplies without paying) and Jameson's big head and loud voice calling for my condemnation every 2 minutes, I continue to run across the rooftops before I finally slow down and take a rest for a minute and stare down at the two items I hold in my hands (seriously, why doesn't this costume have any pockets or even a utility belt?) with one of them being the blonde hair dye.
The other is a pair of polarised sunglasses that are pitch black which actually works quite nicely, and they are the weird type of glasses that cover the sides of your head as well, which is truly perfect for me. So now I just need a place to dye my hair blonde without being disturbed for 2 hours because the instructions on the box say I need to leave it alone for two hours.
Before that, I have to wash my hair, which means I need a bathroom, but it needs to be a place where I won't be disturbed for over two hours. I would prefer it to be clean, and I think I know precisely the place I am looking for. I need to use the disabled toilets at a government-owned building as the government-owned building will have kept well-kept and clean disability toilets. I know that disabled toilets are in much less use and more well supported than others, so I will have to go to the train station, the courthouse or the library.
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I am now at the library, it took a lot of work and time, but I eventually managed to figure out where the disabled toilets were in the building by stalking and observing quite a lot of people discretely through the windows, which was a bit weird but necessary, I managed to finally figure out that the disabled toilets were on the edge of the building providing easy access for me as all I had to do was slip in through the correct window, and then make sure the door is locked before beginning the process of turning my brown hair into yellow hair.
The window was one of those small windows next to the ceiling that was hard to reach and kept slightly open to keep the room fresh, which made it easy for me to then pry the window fully open and then crawl along the top of the ceiling before dropping down and then locking the door which it already was weirdly enough, I breathe a sigh of relief and turn around only to see a bar of soap fall and slide across the ground towards me, and when I look up, I spot a young child with crutches who was in the middle of reaching for the tap and seemed to have dropped the soap in shock at the sight of me.
Before the kid can do anything, I reach my hand up to my mouth and shush him, I don't need more trouble now, and I certainly don't need everyone seeing Spider-Man at the library and then getting confused about why he was also in another place as well.
"Shhhh, quiet, please. I can't have anyone know I am here in case some supervillain finds out. I just need a moment to wash up before I go do my superhero thing again, okay?"
The boy rapidly nods his head yes with pure excitement on his face before he waddles towards me on his crutches, I think he's coming for a hug or handshake or something, but instead, he just tries to pick up the bar of soap on the floor which he can't do as he tries to lower himself to the ground while still standing on his crutches which just looks really awkward and painful, not wanting for this to go on and wanting to get him out of here as soon as possible I reach down and pick up the bar of soap before dropping it into his hand after which he moves back over to the sink which is directly under the window to wash his hands and as he does so he begins to talk to me.
"I-I can't believe I am meeting you. This is a dream come true, and it's happening in the toilets. I have so many questions. What is it like to swing through New York? Are you friends with Captain America? Do you spin webs out of your butt and then collect them to put into your web gadgets? Can I get your autograph? Are you here to use the toilet? Do all superheroes still go to the toilet?"
The kid rambles on asking meaningless dumb questions, which get on my nerves, especially the web one, since if I did spin webs out my butt, then the only logical option would be to collect them at home and then put them into my web shooters but thankfully that is not how it works. I want to get this kid out of here as soon as possible, and if that means I have to answer his questions to hurry him along, then so be it. I just need to dye my hair to stop looking like Peter, get enough funds and then get out of this city once and for all.
"In order, it feels amazing. I think I am friends with Captain America. I do not spin webs out of my butt. If you have a pen on you, then I can give you an autograph, I am here to use the toilet, and I need somewhere private, so I can take care of business and then get back to business as usual and finally, yes, nearly all superheroes still going to the toilet, they are human after all. Now is that it, or do you have another question?"
"D-Do you, do you think they also pick their boogers?"
"Oh yeah, but only when there is no one watching."
The kid begins to giggle uncontrollably, finding great joy at the prospect of heroes like Iron Man and Hawkeye picking their noses, and I find myself smiling at just how much enjoyment he has gained from a few of my words. I allow the kid to continue with his laughter as he finishes washing his hands and goes to the hand dryer to blow his hands, and once he's stopped laughing, he begins to talk again.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"You're funny, Spider-Man. That's why you are my favourite hero. When something big is going down, and everyone else has serious faces, I just see you still being the same person and cracking jokes, and it makes me feel safe knowing you can still joke because if you are joking, then that means the situation is not as bad as it might seem. My parents really hate you and say you are a menace to society, but I think that is just because they read too much of the Daily Bugle. Unlike them, I really like you, and most of the kids at my school do as well. It's a shame that I don't have a pen for an autograph, but that's fine. I'll leave so that you can use the toilet and then get back to fighting crime as soon as possible."
Saying so, the boy uses his crutches to walk out of the disabled bathroom, surprising me with just how chill that young teenager was, but I ignore that for the moment in favour of running over to the doors to make sure that they are locked and also checking the rest of the bathroom to make sure there were no other surprise people waiting to catch me with my mask off, after that and having a moment of respite I worry that the boy who just left might actually tell someone not being able to contain his excitement. So I go through the window again, being assured that no one will enter again since I have locked the door.
It isn't hard to find the kid again, and he is sitting at a computer desk at the very back of the library. I worry that he might be posting about his chance meeting with spider-man, and so I risk it and crawl inside the library window at the very back, where there are, thankfully, not a lot of people. I crawl along the ceiling and manage to get a glimpse of what the boy is doing on the computer, and when I do, I feel bad for doubting the boy who sits there and continues to work on his homework.
With no reason to be there any longer, I move to leave and return to the disabled toilets. Still, before I do, I catch out of the corner of my eyes a pot of pens and markers on a nearby table and wanting to repay this kid for my doubt in him, I attach a web line to the ceiling and lower myself to the ground after making sure that it was clear, now having a black marker in hand I pause for a second considering what object I should do it on. Still, there is nothing, not even a sheet of paper, nearby, so I pick the closest thing that I know the kid will be taking home with him.
I sneak over behind the kid at the computer desk and slyly snatch one of his crutches that is leaning against the desk, and then I sign Spider-Man's autograph on it before placing it back and heading back to the disabled toilets. The kid deserves it for being such a good kid, and I know for a fact that Peter has given a few autographs before.
But, of course, a few in New York means a lot, especially when most of the population hates him. But, on the other hand, I'm sure he doesn't remember most of them, so this one should be okay, and he also does take secret stops in restrooms all over the place, so this whole scenario should be acceptable.
Getting back into the disabled toilets, I pull out the hair dye and glasses from inside my suit (the power of stick is beneficial when you don't have pockets, who would have thought?) before setting them on the side of the sink, I then pulled off my gloves and mask. I placed it on the side of the sink as well for easy access if someone breaks through the door and I have to pull my mask back on in a hurry since I don't want to expose Peter's secret identity as that would be a dick move.
Opening the faucet, I pool the water in my hand and begin to wash my hair entirely in order to prepare it for the blonde dye which I will be applying later on. one thing for sure is that this will begin the process of the death of Peter Parker's clone and the birth of Ben Reilly who is his own man and has nothing to do with Peter or Spider-Man.
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After about an hour, I had to leave as there was a librarian banging on the door since quite a few people had complained that someone in the disabled toilets was taking too long. So I didn't quite get to even out the dye in my hair correctly and get the right colour. Still, I was happy with what I had as I no longer had brown hair, which meant that the first change was complete, no matter the difference in colour.
All that mattered was that my hair was now different. So, putting my gloves and mask back on and stowing the glasses in my suit before disposing of the rest of the blonde hair dye box, I go over to the door and unlock it before quickly booting over to and out of the window before anyone could come in. After that, I began to run and leap across buildings while being discrete as possible with my next destination already in mind.
I have already completed my first objective to the best of my ability at this time without sufficient resources on hand, so I know it's time to move on and achieve my second objective, which is to gather resources and money so that I can live well for a while and have some time to figure out what I am going to do without worrying about money and try to sort out some identification and proof of identity.
For this, I was going to have to get a little on the wrong side of the law. While Peter Parker would have had a problem with that, Ben Reilly sees the necessity and is willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good, and so I continue to transverse through the city until I begin to reach the edge of New York.
I am planning on robbing some bad guys for a bit of wealth to tide me over until I can get the proper identification and get a job and maybe even restart my education and get a great job. Still, for all that to happen, I need to get some money and to get some money, I need to find some bad guys. When you want to see bad guys, there is only one place you can be sure to find them.
So I stare down at the docks and nearby warehouses, knowing that somewhere in this area is a lot of ill-gotten cash that would certainly feel better in my safe and capable hands. Still, I have no doubt that it will not come without a fight, so I am prepared to bust a few heads and maul a few bad guys to the necessary funds.
I am sure that it won't hurt to have one last outing as Spider-Man and bust a few heads for the good ol' NYPD that loved me so much that they sent me loads of bullets every day. I am sure that it isn't going to hit the news headlines, so Peter should be unaware of this as well. If the crooks claim that Spider-Man robbed them of their money, then obviously, no one will believe it.
If they do investigate, then I know Peter will be in the clear as he isn't the type, and I know that his innocence will be proven. Still, maybe it is good he gets some hardship since I am the one who has to run away and leave the only family I have, no matter how diminished my feelings are now. Still, even so, I only have any emotion for them right at this moment and no one else, so I am obviously butt hurt at my forced eviction from New York.
Now I just need to search through the entire docks and the warehouses until I inevitably find the place where goons gather and money resides, which shouldn't take too long. after all, crime spreads like rats infesting a restaurant, and goons pop out of the woodwork like louses so a few criminals won't be hard to find in the crime-ridden New York. I probably didn't even need to come to the docks to see it, as there would have probably been a few criminal establishments surrounding the library.
Of course, I wanted the least public place. The docks and the warehouses at the port are the most isolated place you can get since no one really goes there except the workers. They are primarily paid by the crooks to keep their mouths shut, so I can be sure of my visit here not reaching Peter. I leap down off of the roof I am on and down into the hive of villainy. I am probably gonna find too much money in this place.
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"DIE, YOU GODDAMN BUG!"
I lean out of the way of a big burly dude lunging at me with a metal pipe in hand, and he goes flying by me and straight into a wall, and he ends up hitting his own head with the pipe and knocking himself out. I look down at him for a second before lucking out at the rest of the warehouse and all of the bodies lying down unconscious, as well as all of the bullet holes all over the place, and I sigh.
"Spiders are arachnids, not bugs. How many times does it have to be said before it gets through their thick skulls?" So I say to myself as I look around the ruined warehouse. All of this trouble, and I didn't even achieve what I wanted.
TV shows have lied to me. When they show these kinds of places on TV, there are always guns, drugs and money stacked up all over the place, but here there are only guns and drugs with no aforementioned money to be seen. They are supposed to have stacks of cash in here, and they are supposed to have made a money fort out of it, but I see no such thing. Hence, my disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined (the one thing I particularly enjoy from my new memories is all the funny memes, though I will probably be the only one who understands them in this world).
With no money to be found in this place and with this being the third warehouse I've raided, I am going to guess that these criminals are more competent than they look. But, unfortunately, they don't keep all of their product and wealth in a singular place which means I no longer have a reason to be here. I can leave this to the cops, but before I go, though. I spot an AK-47 just lying on top of a desk, and I get the uncontrollable urge to try shooting it, never having used a gun before.
While Peter had never properly held a gun, and he abhors the use of it, I am not him, and right now, I am curious about how it would feel. Hence, I go to pick it up as Peter would never do this, which is fine because I am not Peter. So I pick it up and go to fire it before I stop and think about what I am doing for a moment and then go over to one of the laid-out idiots on the ground and take their phone from their pockets before dialling a number on it.
"Hello, 911. I need help. There is some type of fight going on at the East Docks. So I-" I pull the trigger and fire the AK-47 towards the pallets of drugs in the warehouse, ripping through them and having fun while doing so. "-OH MY GOD, THEY ARE FIRING BULLETS, PLEASE SEND HELP NOW!"
They go to ask something, but I cut off the call before firing a few more rounds into the drug pallets and having fun doing so. Firing a gun and just doing mindless destruction is quite fun, and I can understand why some bad guys out there do it. Still, when you start harming people, it has gone too far. So I stop firing and throw the AK-47 to a random corner of the warehouse before jumping up and out of the window on top of the warehouse. Then, facing towards the ocean, I launch the mobile phone as far as I can and watch it skip a few times along the water before it finally sinks.
That guy will definitely be sad when he discovers he's lost all his progress on Candy Crush. I know because I looked through his phone, and he had progressed quite far. Also, he didn't even have a password on his phone for some reason. Still, he deserves it because he chose to be a bad guy. So, with that done and having vented some of my frustration by firing the gun, I move and resume transversing through the city, confused about what to do now since my plan fell through. I guess I will just run around a bit until I find something or come up with the next stage of my project, but I am very likely to find something, what with it being nighttime now.
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After having stopped several crimes by being quick and efficient so nobody would see me, I am now eating a hotdog while sitting on a rooftop in Manhattan. I got it by quickly stealing it from the vendor and leaving some money that I had misappropriated from some thugs' pockets. I stopped a few crimes, but nothing too big, and I still haven't found anything or come up with anything to do now that y last plan fell through.
I guess, for now, I should just finish off my hot dog and then find somewhere to sleep for the night before trying to figure out what I am going to do. I stare out into the night of New York City and hear the caterwauling and noises that ring out into the night and find it hard to believe that I am actually going to miss this place. Yet, as I look out at the city, my eyes manage to capture movement on top of the New York roofs.
Spotting a certain someone leaping across rooftops, I quickly stuff the rest of my hotdog into my mouth before getting up and running after them. I guess I finally found something fun to do that will keep my mind off of thinking about my future. Of course, this might find its way back to Peter, but I honestly don't care at the moment. I want to have some fun.