"So, you finally asked her," Jimmy said, a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Yeah," Peter said, pulling a photograph out of the developing fluid, and hanging it up to dry.
"You two done anything yet? Had any hot dates?"
"Not really. She's been busy. I've been busy . . . "
Jimmy stopped what he was doing and looked right at Peter. Even with the dim red light of the darkroom, Peter could see the playful scowl on Jimmy's face. "Busy. That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard."
"Okay, so we did have a couple of 'study' dates."
"I'm sure you got a lot of studying done," Jimmy said, turning back to his work.
"It's a good thing I don't really need to study that much," Peter replied, keeping a straight face.
"Sounds like you had fun."
"Fun might be an understatement."
"So, you two have anything planned?" Jimmy asked.
"We might go somewhere this weekend."
"It's funny. You started high school as the geekiest of the geeks - "
"Thanks," Peter interjected, sarcastically.
"No, seriously. Even the geeks thought you were a geek."
"You sure you're not exaggerating?"
"I think you get my point. Anyway, you go from Mr. Brain to scoring the hottest girl in our class that's not a cheerleader."
"I guess that's a compliment."
"So, what's you secret?"
"Secret?"
"No one goes from geek to Mr. Cool overnight. But you did."
"I assure you, it was not overnight."
"Whatever."
The two were silent for a moment as they continued working.
"Damn, I wish I knew your secret," Jimmy whispered.
"There's no secret. Things just worked out." Actually, there is a secret, but I'm not sure how much it has to do with my personal life. Could Spider-Man actually be helping me out?
Jimmy stood up from his station. "Whatever. I'm done here."
"Hold up. I'll be done in a sec," Peter said.
As the two walked out of the darkroom, Peter couldn't help but notice the snow falling through the large windows of the Daily Planet City Room.
"It's such a beautiful sight," Jimmy said.
"Yeah, and highly unexpected," Peter replied.
"And it makes it harder to chase stories," Lois Lane added, walking up behind the two. "It's starting to stick. Traffic is worse than normal."
Ben Urich was following her. "Which is why Perry is letting most of us go home early," he said. "He said he doesn't need a full staff stranded here."
"Is it going to be that bad?" Peter asked.
"I was just over by the weather desk, and there's predicting over a foot just by tonight. Possibly three by the time the storm's over."
"That doesn't sound good," Jimmy said. "On the one hand, it means school's out, but on the other . . . "
"Three feet of snow probably won't shut the city down, but it will definitely slow it down," Ben said.
Peter looked at his watch. "I better get those photos done and get home."
By the time Peter reached home, at least an inch of snow had accumulated.
"Aunt May?" he shouted as he entered. He received no response, so walked up to his aunt's room, and saw the red light blinking on the answering machine. He played the message.
"Peter, this is your aunt. Anna Watson and I are at a friend's house. We don't feel safe driving in the snow, so we'll be waiting it out here. I know you'll be okay on your own, and I'll try to get home as soon as possible."
Peter walked back downstairs, and flipped on the television. All of the channels were saying the same thing. The worst snowstorm of the past decade had just started.
The doorbell rang. Peter answered the door.
"MJ!" he exclaimed. "What's up?"
MJ wasted no time giving him a hug. "Our aunts are stranded on the other side of the city, and I didn't feel like staying alone in the house."
"I'm glad you came, because I probably would have been feeling the same way."
The two walked into the living room. MJ took off her coat, and laid it on the chair. She and Peter then plopped down onto the couch.
MJ leaned back and Peter held her, as he turned the TV back on. Soon, both had fallen asleep.
When they woke up, it was already dark, and the snow was almost a foot high.
"You have a nice nap?" Peter asked.
"Yeah. And you?"
"Yup." Peter stood up and looked out the window. "I don't like how some of those power lines are sagging," he commented.
"Think the power might go out?"
A second after the last word left MJ's mouth, the house went completely dark.
"Not a word," MJ said.
"Actually, I was just going to go for some flashlights," Peter said. He began walking slowly towards the hall, hoping to be able to safely find his way to the closet. Mary Jane followed right behind him. Peter found a small flashlight, and used it to look in the closet for another. He saw one on the top shelf, and reached for it. He barely got a grip on it, and ended up knocking a book to the ground.
MJ picked it up, and Peter shined the light on it.
"It's a diary or something," MJ said. She read the name on the cover. "Richard Parker. He related to you?"
"That's my father . . . " Peter replied. "Let me see that."
MJ handed it to him. Peter looked it over. "Come on," he said. "This'll be better if we're sitting."
"Don't you need a key for the lock?"
Peter handed her the light. He grabbed the lock and pulled. It broke open easily.
"Wow," MJ said, impressed.
"It was rusted. Easy to break," Peter lied.
They sat down, and Peter started reading over it. "Oh, man," he said.
"What is it?"
"Just listen." He started reading the first page. "'I am Richard Parker. My wife, Mary, and I are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a job we've loved and been good at for many years. However, recent events have made me uncomfortable, and I need a place to tell my side of the story. I fear that something may happen. If it does, I want my story to be known. Yet, I don't need SHIELD knowing that I have this book.'"
"SHIELD?" MJ asked.
"MJ, I'm going to have to ask you to keep all of this to yourself," Peter said. "If certain people find out we're reading this, it could put us into danger."
"But no one knows about it," MJ replied.
"We don't know that. Besides, even if no one else has knowledge of this book, we don't need to be alerting them. Can I trust you?"
"What kind of question is that, silly? Of course. I won't tell."
"Thanks. Now, where were we . . . "
I've had a lot of time to think the past couple of weeks since my incident in Russia. A SHIELD agent with a mostly shattered leg is useless. Yet, they still haven't been able to find the Commie bastard that shot me.
I don't know what happened. I used to like my job. But now, it feels like I'm shooting in the dark every time I go on a mission. Ever since we started chasing this Scarecrow virus, everyone has been acting weird.
There was a time when I couldn't envision myself being able to settle down and have an average life. Staying home, going to an office for eight hours a day, repeating everyday. Maybe have some kids. But now, that seems more and more appealing. And now, with the birth of our first child, that looks like a very good possibility.
But I feel I'm stuck at my job. If I want to leave, the only way they'll willing grant my request will be if I'm six feet under. Of course, that's just speculation, but it's always a risk when you work in a super top secret job.
Peter closed the diary.
"Hey!" MJ exclaimed. "Aren't you going to find out what he said?"
"I will, but right now isn't a good time. I really need the time to properly concentrate on it, and be able to read it in decent light."
"I guess I understand that."
"I also need to talk this over with someone."
"Who?"
"I shouldn't say."
"Tell me, Peter."
"Victor."
MJ was silent for a second. "You two are beginning to worry me, Peter. You seem to hang out too much and are always talking about something secretive."
"Do you want to know what it's all about?"
"You mean - "
"Yes or no."
"Okay. Yes."
Peter stood up. "Good. Put your coat on. We're taking a ride."
"Out there? Are you crazy?"
"I've been called that before."
Peter walked over and peeked out the door. No one was around to see him. MJ walked up behind him.
"You better have a good excuse for acting so weird."
Peter pressed the button on his watch that activated his Spider-Man costume.
MJ gasped. "No way! You're Spider-Man!"
Spidey nodded. "Wanna go webslinging?"
All MJ could do was nod.
"Good. Grab on and hold on tight!"
MJ jumped onto Spidey's back, and Spidey fired a web. They started swinging towards the city.
"This is so cool!" MJ shouted.
"So, now do you understand?"
"Sorta."
Spidey and Mary Jane landed on the roof of a building.
"Okay," Spidey began. "A few ground rules. One, you never, ever tell anyone about this. Two, you understand that I can't take you webslinging whenever you feel like it. Got that?"
"Uh huh. But what does this have to do with your secret conversations with Victor?"
"Victor is the Shadow. You have heard of him, right?"
"A little bit."
"He keeps to himself mostly, and lets me take all the credit."
"That's nice of him."
"That's how he is. But we're trusting you to keep the secret too. The only people who know about our dual identities other than Victor and me are you and Natalie."
"You mean Natalie knew before I did?"
"Calm down. It wasn't my choice to tell her." Spidey could see MJ starting to shiver a bit, and so he put his arms around her. "Now, for the diary . . . I've lived my entire life my parents died in an accident. A little while ago, I was given evidence that proved otherwise. It turns out they were agents of SHIELD."
"They were secret agents?"
"I'm not sure exactly what they were, but I think that's close enough a job description. Meanwhile, Victor's father and grandfather were both the Shadow in their younger days."
"I've heard about one of them. He fought in the 40s, with the JSA, right?"
"That would be Victor's grandfather," Spidey replied. "Anyway, the second Shadow disappeared shortly after Victor was born. Victor was told he was institutionalized, but no one ever wanted to talk about it."
"And now you think that that might be false."
"I think that whatever happened to my parents involved his father somehow."
"Why?"
"Victor and I were doing an internet search for his father, and SHIELD came up. It seems like both were involved in cases that dealt with some drug called Scarecrow."
"Wait a minute. A drug called Scarecrow? Does it have anything to do with Oz?"
"That's what we're trying to find out. It's too much of a coincidence."
MJ walked to the edge of the building and looked down. "It looks so different up here."
"It's one of the things I've come to love about being Spider-Man."
"How did it happen? Did you choose to be a superhero?"
Spidey sighed. "Yes, and no. It's a long story, which I will tell you, sometime."
MJ walked over to the wallcrawler. "How do you take your mask off?"
Spidey held up his hand. "I can use the watch to control the nano-machines."
"Take the mask off then."
Spidey allowed the nano-machines to slide off of his head. MJ grabbed Peter's neck, and passionately kissed him. Peter allowed the rest of his Spider-Man suit to disappear.
About a minute and a half later, the two were brought back to reality by Peter's ring.
"What's that?" MJ asked.
"It's a ring Victor gave to me. He uses it when he needs to contact me," Peter replied. As an afterthought, he added, "It's a Shadow thing."
"You need my cell phone?"
"No, Victor's telepathic."
"What?!"
{What's up, Victor?} Peter thought.
{Where are you?} Victor replied.
{I'm on top of some building with Mary Jane.}
{I take it you told her?}
{Yup.}
{Am I interrupting something?}
{Actually, you are.}
"Okay, this is freaky," MJ said.
"I'll just be a second," Peter replied.
{The mind talk's freaking MJ out. Where can I meet you?}
{My house.}
{I'm on my way.}
Peter activated his Spider-Man suit. "Come on, we need to go see Victor."
Victor heard a tapping on his window. He looked up and saw Spider-Man's mask looking back at him. He rushed to the window and opened it. Spidey and MJ crawled in. Spider-Man deactivated his suit.
"Glad you could make it," Victor said. "Hey, MJ."
"Hey, Vic. Or should I call you Shadow?"
Vic looked at Peter. "I see you really have told her."
"Only the basics. I didn't have time to explain much more. What's up?"
"Um, did you tell her about . . . "
"Our parents? Yeah. Well, a little."
"Okay. I've been doing some searching on the other end."
"Other end?"
"Investigating Oz and working backward."
"What have you found?"
"Not much. Except that Scarecrow was definitely used to make Oz."
"That must have been a pretty important drug. After all, it may have killed my parents, and it may have sent your dad away."
"That's the thing, though," Victor said. "I'm beginning to think that my father wasn't put into an institution. I've never seen him. No one ever mentions him. At least they had the decency not to lie to me and tell me he was dead."
"If only I was so fortunate."
"I'm sorry, Peter, if that was offensive."
"No need, Victor. It wasn't. It's not your fault. It may not be anyone's fault. Maybe they wanted me to think they were dead. Figured it would be easier on me."
The three were silent for a time.
"Um, Peter?" MJ asked. "You gonna tell him about the . . . "
"The diary, right." Peter turned back to Victor. "I found a diary my father kept. I haven't read much of it, but I believe it might have some dirt on SHIELD."
"I don't like where all of this is going," Victor said. "It seems the only way we're going to get any answers is to sneak onto the SHIELD helicarrier."
"No," Peter protested. "I've been there. I don't want to go back. Definitely not willingly, and definitely not without inside help."
"Where are we going to get that?"
"I know an agent. Name of Bridge. He worked with my parents. He might know the truth."
"Can he be trusted?"
"He seemed on my side when SHIELD kidnapped me. They weren't suspicious at all about him, either."
"That could be an asset."
"Don't be getting any ideas. Yes, I want to know what happened to my parents. But, I don't want to get involved with SHIELD if I don't have to."
"What about your aunt May?" MJ asked. "She might know something."
Peter sighed. "That's almost worse than going to SHIELD. For one thing, if anyone knew anything, it would have been Uncle Ben. Secondly, I don't want to bother her with something like this. I give her enough to worry about. No, we need to talk to Norman Osborn."
"But he's dead," MJ said.
"Harry's not," Victor replied. "He knew more than he let on. I think he knew more than his dad thought he did. He can help."
"If he's truly on our side," Peter wondered. "There's no telling what his agenda is. Especially now that he's been infected with Oz."
"Are you saying it could have affected his mind?"
"I don't know," Peter answered. "But, it's always a possibility. After all, I think the Green Goblin was created using Oz. Man, I really wish I knew who that was!"
"I'm sure a lot of people would like to know," Victor said.
"Any other clues you have?"
"Not right now."
"Well, I don't think we should try heading home, so can we hang here?"
"Sure," Victor said.
Outside, a lonely figure trudged along through the snow. He knew it was insane to come out in these conditions, but it might have been the only chance he got. He looked up at the large house, and looked in the window.
He smiled and then continued walking. He would be ready soon enough . . .
Next issue: Two mysterious figures appear to Spider-Man with cryptic messages. Mysteries deepen, and more questions are raised!