Disclaimer: Yo, It's me, it's me; it's KiloWhiskeyOscar. First I'd like to thank everyone for reading SPIDER-MAN 4, I really appreciate the support. I don't retain any ownership of Spider-Man or any supporting characters or villain. Now, in the words of the late Heath Ledger…

"And, here we go!"

SPIDER-MAN
5

Chapter I
Foreseeable Future

New York City – The city that never sleeps! The city of dreams! All those corny little nicknames you hear people say. But me, I just call it home! I figured you'd know you I am by now but if not, I'm Peter Parker; the spectacular one himself.

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Peter Parker couldn't bring himself to remember a more perfect day than at that very moment as he gazed at the early afternoon sky; from thirty stories up. He sat on a building ledge next to a gargoyle statue, wearing his Spider-Man costume and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Almost three months ago, he took the biggest figurative plunge of his life when he finally proposed to Mary Jane Watson. There was some apprehension at first; there always was and that was to be expected. They hadn't told anyone other than their immediate family members; MJ told her mother and Peter told Aunt May. Then there was the search for a new place to live; Peter couldn't well have MJ move in with him at the still dingy apartment he'd living. There was so much to do and seemingly so little time. Peter rested his head against the wall, and then turned his sight to the stone gargoyle that appeared to be laughing, which Peter jokingly named Bruce.

"What do you think, Bruce," Peter asked the statue, not really expecting to get an answer. "You think I'm jumping into this marriage too quickly? Maybe I should consider slowing down," The statue didn't, couldn't say anything and Peter deduced his own answer. "I thought not! Thank Bruce; you're a heck of a listener, although I'd prefer someone prettier to talk to."

Peter pulled on his mask and fired a web line, diving off the ledge and into the skyline. It had been so quiet lately, with no major villains running around since the Lizard and Scorpion. There were some minors nuisances from time to time but nothing too enormous that the web slinger couldn't handle. Spider-Man swung on through the buildings until heard a very faint ringing from the streets below and landed on a flagpole. He spotted a group of individuals, thieves of course, leaving the First American Savings Bank with money bags in either hand. Way too early for a withdrawal, Spider-Man figured as he swung after the vehicle, which was racing through traffic like a bat out of Hell. There were five individuals inside, two in the front seat and the other three in the back with the loot.

The driver looked out at the review mirror and spotted the web head rapidly gaining. "Oh, crap! Heads up, guys; we got company!"

One of the other thieves spoke up. "Keep your eyes on the road, son," he spoke with a thick Southern accent as he got up from his seat. "I'll take care of the bug!"

The supposed leader of the group looked nothing like his compatriots; he was dressed in a yellow and brown full body suit and chrome silver boots. He slipped on a similarly colored mask with a single green eye piece, followed by a pair of chrome silver gauntlets onto his forearms. The leader opened the double doors of the van, spotting Spider-Man rapidly approaching from behind. Wasting no time, the thief reared back one arm and let loose a blast of compressed air, for which Spider-Man was ill-prepared. The web slinger was sent flying in the opposite direction before impacting an oncoming police cruiser, while another one passed by. Spider-Man picked himself but could feel his teeth chattering, looking behind to see two shell shocked officers staring at him.

"Um, sorry!" he quipped, firing a web line and continuing his pursuit.

The two cops watched Spider-Man swing away and then looked at each other, both stunned. One had the gall to ask, "Did you see that?"

The lone police cruiser continued its chasing of the getaway van, which kept weaving in between traffic. The man in the suit fired another compressed air blast, this time with both arms, at the front wheels of the cruiser. The blast flipped the car forward, up and over and it came to a halt, while Spider-Man swung passed it and after the van. The shocking man or Shocker more accurately, fired at Spider-Man, who was able to dodge the air blasts in midair. The van made a sharp left turn, throwing Shocker and his goons off balance.

"Where'd you learn to drive, boy?" Shocker bellowed.

"Sorry, boss!" yelled the driver in defense.

The van was coming up near Grand Central Terminal when in was suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. The sudden jerking sent Shocker and his goons crashing into each other and the rear doors to shut. It was Spider-Man who was responsible, having snagged the van with a thick net of webbing attached to the axel. The driver literally put the pedal to the metal, bringing an unfavorable result as the axel was pried away and rendered the vehicle useless. Spider-Man landed on a nearby street light as the double doors were blasted off, and Shocker emerged from the wreckage.

"Nice outfit," Spider-Man quipped. "Let me guess; The Cushion or maybe, Mr. Triple Ply?"

Shocker couldn't help but chuckled at the wisecracking hero. "You're a funny guy, but a sense of humor ain't gonna be enough save you."

Shocker let loose another blast at Spider-Man, who leaped out of the way. The street light wasn't so fortunate. Spider-Man kept swinging through the air, dodging one blast after another. Shocker, surprisingly, kept his cool and waited for the right moment to blow the web slinger away, but the hero had other ideas. Spider-Man swung directly at Shocker, both feet extended. The ensuing impact wasn't what Spider-Man expected as he felt like he hit a wall before crashing into the street. Shocker had erected a force field before the impact. Shocker tried going for an old school punch but missed when Spider-Man avoided it and stainless steel met concrete. Spider-Man kipped up and leapt over Shocker, landing behind the villain and grabbing him. Shocker had an answer for that; he vibrated his entire body and it was enough to shake Spider-Man off. Spider-Man fell backward but still managed to kick Shocker's feet out from under him. Shocker tried to blast Spider-Man but he back flipped away before leaping into the air and clung to a wall. Shocker got up and tried another compressed air blast with both arms but Spider-Man webbed up both arms.

Shocker vibrated his arms free as he and the hero reached a stalemate. "You got skills, hawse. I respect that in an opponent."

"So does that mean you're gonna surrender?" Spider-Man asked.

"Sorry to disappoint, hawse," Shocker said. "Being that my business is strictly professional, I'd like to finish this here and now, nothing personal!"

That being said, Shocker took yet another shot at Spider-Man, who leapt away again. The air blast impacted the wall, leaving a large hole. Spider-Man swung over to the crippled van, where one of the goons tried to ambush him. Fat chance of that! Spider-Man effortlessly back punched the goon, then yanked off the back metal bumper and leapt back into battle. Shocker kept air blasting at the web slinger, each blast dissipating in midair while Spider-Man kept swing around him with the bumper in hand. Finally, Spider-Man landed behind Shocker and swung the bumper. Shocker instinctively aimed both gauntlets, and they slammed metal on metal into the bumper. There followed a large blast that blew both Spider-Man and Shocker back in opposite direction. Shocker seemed to get the worst of it; his hands were trembling and the gauntlets were heavily damaged. It was then that the villain realized he was defeated as Spider-Man swung toward him and landed.

"Damn," Shocker cursed, knowing he lost this fight. He removed his mask to reveal a man in his mid 30's and his nose appeared to have a nosebleed. "I guess you got the best of me, hawse. I surrender!"

Spider-Man was slightly taken aback by this mans' honesty. "Wow, that's a first; a criminal surrendering. I must be making a heck of an impression on the underworld."

The man unofficially known as Shocker picked himself up just as some new police cruisers were arriving. "It's like I said, my business is strictly professional. So I ain't gonna hold a grudge."

Spider-Man fired a web line and swung out of the area, while Shocker remained where he was to be apprehended. The hero webbed up the other thieves to ensure they would escape before the police arrived to take them all into custody. Meanwhile, Spider-Man landed in an out of the way spot to pick up his camera before again swing away to parts unknown.

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"Okay, MJ! Show me some of that animal magnetism."

Mary Jane was certainly more than happy to oblige as she struck a series of poses for the camera man. She was looking as attractive as ever in a tiger skin leotard and matching headband. She'd been on a roll as of late, appearing on a series of magazine covers and she more often than not looked like she needed her smile surgically removed. Roderick Kingsley watched the young redhead from behind camera, a single cigarette between his index and middle fingers. Mary Jane could feel the fashion mogul's piercing gaze on her, though she didn't feel as apprehensive. She sensed that something was different about Kingsley. Maybe it was woman's intuition! Hell, maybe MJ develops her own spider-sense! Whatever the case, MJ felt as if she was facing an entirely different version of Roderick Kingsley. Speaking of whom, Kingsley glanced at the clock that was about the double door exit and clapped his hands.

"Okay, people, that's enough for today," he said with added enthusiasm. "We'll pick this up again at a later date. Well done, everybody," Kingsley noticed Mary Jane covering herself and approached. "You've been on fire as of late, Mary Jane, and you've been very chipper as well."

"Well, sometimes a person can have a great day or two," MJ said, brimming with new found confidence and a pearly white smile. "A lot can happen in the span three months when you least expect it."

Roderick nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed, I don't deny that. I think it'd wise to assume your happiness is due to certain photographer."

MJ looked at Roderick with an innocent, yet guilty smirk. "I guess you can read me like a book."

As if on cue for a play, Peter Parker popped into the studio and found his fiancé. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Mary Jane's smirk grew wide and she rapidly approached and hugged him, followed by a kiss. MJ broke the kiss, and then slapped him on the chest gently. "Where have you been, Mr. Parker?" she chuckled.

"Oh, you know…" Peter quipped. "Here, there and everywhere in between! Being a photographer is a tough job."

"You think that's bad," Mary Jane jokingly asked. "You should try wearing a leotard."

"I think I'll pass."

Roderick Kingsley grunted to make his presence known. "Mr. Parker, I gave you explicit instructions not come to the studio."

"Sorry, Mr. Kingsley," Parker half apologized. "But, rules were made to be broken every now and then."

Kingsley smirked. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I understand you two be getting married very soon."

"Yes, we will," Mary Jane confirmed. "By this time month, we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker."

Roderick Kingsley nodded his approval. "If that is the case, I wish you both a very happy and healthy future together. Consequently, if you two ever need anything, you can always come to me."

"Thank you, Mr. Kingsley," Peter said, inwardly feeling uneasy at this man's sudden generosity. "But I think we can handle ourselves in the coming weeks."

"Nonsense, Mr. Parker," Kingsley said, cocking an eyebrow. "It's the least I can do," Kingsley glanced at his watch. "If you will excuse me, I've some prior engagements that require my attention. Take care of yourself and Mary Jane, you can have the rest of the week off."

Mary Jane nodded and before she could say another word, Roderick Kingsley was already gone. That was weird! First the man was all generous and kind, and then strangely enigmatic! Peter was suspicious to say the least; in fact, last time he was confronted by Kingsley, Peter spider-sense went off. This time, there was no warning. Maybe a glitch, who knew for sure? No one knew, so Peter dismissed it as he and Mary Jane walked out of the studio together.

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Around the late hours, the First National Bank was locked up tighter than Riker's Island. Only a small skeleton crew of security guards was on hand to keep things in check. The usual paranoia would always be present, with some guards ranting about the possibility of the Sandman coming to make an illegal withdrawal. Scary stuff! Hell, it was scary when the guards read the Daily Bugle clippings of Spider-Man in the black suit. And what was that monstrosity that resembled a giant scorpion? How many of these freaks were there? In any event, two guards were seated in the security room. They kept a keen eye on the vault, where millions upon millions of dollars in gold bar and jewelry was kept. One guard had the audacity to start his coworker.

"Jeez, Baker, you gotta stop sneaking up on me like that. I'm liable to have a heart attack."

"Stan, you'd be lucky to go insane being so wound up like this," Baker said. "What's got you so uppity anyway?"

Stan pointed his thumb at one of the screen. "4 million dollars in jewelry, that's what's got me uppity."

"So?"

"So, it's just way too tempting if you ask me," Stan reiterated. "We already heard about the robbery at First American earlier today."

"Relax, Stan," Baker assured his worried friend. "The web head caught the guys and the money was returned."

"Yeah, but Spider-Man can't be everywhere at once." Stan insisted.

Baker shook his head. "Hang here, pal! I'll get you a cup of coffee because you need it bad."

"That's not all I need, if you know what I mean."

The last comment brought out a small chuckle from Baker as he headed out of the security room into the hall. Baker walked down to dark hall with a flashlight in one hand toward some wayward coffee machine, footsteps echoing. He absent mindedly passed by the vault, not knowing that there was some activity within. There was someone in the vault but they hadn't tripped an alarm, nor had this thief been spotted by the camera. The thief had rigged the camera beforehand so it would play the 15 second image in a loop. This person, whoever it was, appeared to be a master thief in every sense of the word as they repelled from the ceiling. The thief pulled out a single deposit box and managed to carefully crack the locking mechanism. The box opened and inside was a marvelous collection of a diamonds, which the thief dumped into a small bag before carefully replacing the now empty box. The thief did the same thing with three more boxes until the bag was filled. The heist now finished without a hitch, the thief repelled back up to the ceiling but not before stopping facing the still rigged camera. The thief mockingly blew a kiss to the camera before disappearing from the vault, and the security guards were none the wiser.

The thief ascended to the roof of the bank with the bag in hand, opened it and the diamonds glistened in the moonlight. "Well hello, beautiful!" She, a woman, whispered.

Tying the bag to a belt, the thief bounded off the roof and disappeared into the night.

Author's note: There we go, chapter 1 is finished. I dare you to guess whose the primary villain in this one. Oh yes, and um don't forget to read and review. (I knew I forget somethin'!)