Discovered

Peter Parker stood atop the tallest building in New York looking over the city as it passed by, unaware that he was there. You might ask what he was doing up there, but also most importantly, how did he get there? Well after being bitten by a radioactive spider, his DNA was altered, giving him the abilities of that spider. He had since taken on the mantel of Spider-Man, protecting the city from criminals. He wore a tight fitting spandex costume, coloured red on the torso, mask, gloves and boots and everywhere else was blue. Black webbing formed over the red parts, with a large black spider centred on his chest and a larger red spider in the middle of his back.

The ringing of a mobile phone interrupted Spider-Man's thoughts. He bent down to a backpack that he had webbed to the base of the spire. He pulled out the phone and looked to see who was calling. It was his best friend Harry Osborn. Peter pulled his mask up away from his mouth and answered the call.

"Hey Harry, what's up?"

"Hey Pete, are you still ok about tonight? I just wanted to make sure you were alright with meeting dad."

"Yeah of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Great. So see you at six then?"

"Sure, I'll be there."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Peter hung up and stuffed the phone back in his back and zipped it up. He pulled the mask back down and leapt off the building, falling down towards the pavement. Within seconds of becoming a pancake, he curled his middle fingers on his right hand into his palm and shot a web from his wrist towards a nearby building and began to swing through the city. He was having a great time, it was one of the best feelings in the world. Peter loved the freedom it gave him. Had he been told only just over a year ago that one day he would be dressed head to toe in spandex and have the proportional strength of a spider, he would have laughed and told you that you were mad.

However here he was, the crowds below shouting adoration and some rude things out towards him as he passed over their heads on his round across the city. Most people in the city and across the country loved him and saw him as a hero, but there were those who only saw him as a menace. One in particular person was Daily Bugle editor, J. Jonah Jameson. He used every opportunity he could to criticise Peter (as Spider-Man) and the good work he was doing.

Once he had done his round, Peter swung back to his backpack and began to pull on his civilian clothes. He took off his mask, boots and gloves, slipping them into a hidden section in his bag. he picked up the bag and leapt from the building once again, this time heading right down towards an alleyway.

Once back on the ground, Peter emerged out of the alley into the crowded pavements of New York, heading towards the large mansion house owned by Harry's dad, Norman Osborn CEO of Oscorp Industries. When he arrived he pushed the doorbell and waited. The door soon creaked open and revealed the Osborn's aged butler, Bernard.

"Hey Bernard, I'm here to see Harry," Peter said smiling. He had always liked Bernard, who often gave him and Harry a sweet treat when they were younger.

"Good afternoon Master Parker, the young Mister Osborn is up in his room," Bernard replied in his stiff upper lip British accent. "You may go up, he informed me of your expected arrival."

Bernard moved to one side to let Peter in, who promptly headed up the staircase in front of him. He heard Bernard shutting the door behind him. Once upstairs, Peter navigated his way to Harry's room and gave a light knock on the door.

"Come in," Harry's voice said coming through the door.

Peter opened the door and walked in to find Harry sitting at his desk, typing away.

"Hey Pete, how are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Fine thanks, what are you up to?"

"Oh Dad is trying to get me ready to take over the company one day and he wants me to go through the figures and it is really boring."

"I can imagine."

"Anyway, enough about Oscorp, have you managed to get anymore photos of Spider-Man today?"

"Yeah a few."

"Can I see them?"

"Sure."

Peter pulled out an iPad from his bag and also his camera. Taking out the SD card, he inserted into a connector, which then went into the iPad. Loading the photos app,Peter brought up the photos for Harry to look at.

"Wow, these are fantastic," he murmured out-loud. "It still amazes me how you get these photos Pete. You must go up some awkward places to get them. It almost seems as though you are right next to him in the air."

'Little does he know I am,' Peter thought to himself.

Harry was zooming in and out of various photos and turning the iPad side to side, studying the images from several angles.

"This guy is amazing. I don't care what people like Jameson say, he is a hero no doubt about it."

"Yeah definitely," Peter agreed.

"I would say that Spider-Man is a menace to society," another voice chimed in.

The two teenagers lifted their heads to see Norman Osborn standing at the door, watching the pair of them.

"Come one dad, he has helped save several people and stop criminals in their tracks. How does that make him a menace?"

"Any man who wears a mask in not to be trusted, regardless of if they do good or not. if they can't even show their face, how can they want our satisfaction that they won't turn to evil?"

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Norman held up his hand to stop him.

"Enough about Spider-Man, Bernard informs me that dinner is ready and I would like to eat now, as I have to get back to the office for a meeting."

Peter put away his camera and iPad and the two lads followed Norman to the dinning room. They sat down and waited in silence whilst Bernard distributed plates piled high with food onto the mats in front of them.

"So Peter, Harry tells me a lot about you. Your interest in science fascinates me, perhaps you should come to Oscorp and see some of the projects we have going," Norman said, as he lifted his cutlery and began to eat his food.

"Thank you sir, I would be honoured to."

"Please, call me Norman. I am to young to be called sir by anyone who isn't an employee."

"Yes, Norman," Peter replied.

They continued their meal, talking about various topics, but as both Harry and Peter noted, the conversation steered well away from any discussion on Spider-Man.

"Well boys this has been nice, but now I need to be going. It was a pleasure to meet you Peter," Norman said, getting to his feet and dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

He placed the napkin back on the table, buttoned up his suit jacket and proceeded out of the room. After he left, Harry and Peter remained as they finished their desert course. However, the peace that they were in was not to last. There was an almighty explosion, ripping a hole in the side of the dining room, rubble flying everywhere. Peter jumped on top of Harry to protect him from the debris. A large figure appeared in the gap. It was dressed in a long trench coat and had six metal tentacles protruding from its back.

"Where is Norman Osborn," it hissed as it moved forward into the dinning room.

Harry and Peter knelt down behind the fallen table, for cover. Peter glanced around to find his backpack. He somehow needed to change into Spider-Man without either Harry or the intruder seeing. He soon spotted it. He turned to Harry.

"I have a plan to get help, but I need you to distract him," he whispered.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry, just distract him."

"Where is Norman Osborn?!" the figure demanded again.

Harry stood up and faced the intruder.

"Who wants to know?" he tried to say, without sounding wimpish.

"I am Doctor Octopus and I want to kill Norman Osborn. Where is he!?"

Harry glanced down to see what Peter was doing. He noticed him heading over towards his fallen backpack at the other end of the table. He then crawled over towards a large set pair of curtains that hung over a set of the large windows overlooking New York. At the angle Doctor Octopus was standing, he couldn't see what Peter was doing, but Harry could.

"Are you deaf child?" Doctor Octopus was getting further irritated.

"He has gone," Harry said turning his gaze back onto the doctor. "You literally missed him by about five minutes."

"Where has he gone too, you little runt."

"Don't you dare call me that. Why would I tell you where he went?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could still see Peter. What he saw next, took every ounce of self control not to exclaim aloud his surprise and shock. He watched as Peter stripped off his shoes, socks, trousers and t-shirt, to reveal the Spider-Man costume. Peter pulled on the boots, gloves and then mask which he had rescued from the bag. Spider-Man then jumped out of the window and swing round to the hole in the wall.

"You will tell me, or I will kill you," Doctor Octopus said, one of his tentacles drawing close to Harry's face, a sharp blade protruding from in between it's claws.

"Oh I don't think that will be necessary," Spider-Man said as he leapt into the room, slamming his feet into the doctor's back.

Octopus stumbled forward, distracted from his interrogation of Harry. He swung round on his tentacles to see his attacker.

"You!" he screeched. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious, I am here to stop you."

Spider-Man shot out a webline at Octopus and they began to fight. Harry ducked down behind the table, out of sight of the fight. Each pulled punches, Spider-Man with his fists and Octopus with his tentacles. The fight lasted for about ten minutes until Spider-Man was able to force the doctor out of the hole in the wall and crashing down to the pavement. Before he was able to follow, the doctor disappeared.

"Is he gone?" Harry asked, coming out of hiding.

Spider-Man turned to face him.

"Yeah he is gone, you should be alright...for now."

Spider-Man turned ready to jump out the hole when Harry called out.

"Pete, I know it is you."

Peter stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he would be out of sight behind the curtain.

"I'm sorry, who is Pete?" he asked, trying to sway suspicion away from him.

"I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know what I saw. You are Peter Parker and you know it."

Peter relented. One and a half years of being Spider-Man and no one had managed to work out his identity, until now. He walked over to Harry and stood in front of him.

"Nothing I say will convince you otherwise will it?" he said.

"No, I doubt it would."

Peter reached up to under his chin and pulled his mask back and over his head. He brought it down and tucked it into the top of his boot.

"Wow Pete, I never thought when we were young, the nerdy, weak Peter Parker would one day be one of the strongest people in the world, swinging around New York in spandex."

"Yeah, neither did I."

"Do you have a secret hideout? What technology do you have? Who else knows?" Harry asked, questions bubbling up for him to ask.

"Woah slow down. No I don't have a hideout, only my home science kit and you are the only one who knows."

"Aww come on man, you need a secret hideout!"

"Harry, I can't afford a hideout or any technology. I'm not made of money like you."

"Maybe I can help out with that," Harry said thoughtfully. "I know, you can use the house dad got me for parties I have. We could make some alterations, hide the technology behind panels and under furniture, a bit like out of a spy movie."

"Harry, calm down. What would I need it for?" I work alright as I am now."

"Yeah but what if you had someone who was able to feed you information about crimes and attacks, whilst you were out? I could do that. I could help you be more efficient. Then we can stick it to Jameson and those like him and show them you are the hero, not the villain."

"This is too much, I would have to think about it."

A noise came from out in the corridor. Peter grabbed his mask from where he had stuffed it and hurriedly put it back on his head. He turned to where he left his bag and shot a web hitting it square on. He pulled it towards him, catching it with one hand. Flinging it on his back he headed back over to the gaping hole. He looked back at Harry.

"I'll talk to you later, sorry about the mess."

"Hey no worries, dad has plenty of money to fix it up. I am serious though, I want to help."

With that, Peter leapt out of the building and began to swing away across the city. Harry ran over to watch him go.

"Wow Pete, just wow."

The door opened and Bernard walked in. He took one look at the mess and his eyes went straight to Harry.

"Bernard, our security has been compromised. A gentleman by the name of Doctor Octopus broke in here demanding to see my father. I need you to phone the police straight away."

"How did you get rid of him sir?" Bernard asked.

"Oh I didn't," Harry turned to look outside again. "Spider-Man did."

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