ALPHA RISING

Part I

By Tobias Christopher

*This issue takes places two years before Marvel Omega’s Amazing Spider-Man #1

“Thanks for inviting me out for this,” Peter Parker said as he walked into the stadium with his best friend Flash Thompson for a WWF wrestling event. “I haven’t had a night on the town in forever.” At least not as Peter Parker

“I was going to invite your Aunt May since she likes to watch wrestling,” Flash said. “But she said tonight’s her pole dancing class.”

“Yeah, apparently it’s good cardiovascular exercise and it’s good for your heart,” Peter told him as he looked around. “I haven’t been to this stadium in years.”

“This is where Spider-Man got his start,” Flash said. “Fighting Crusher Hogan.”

“How is that possible?” Peter asked. “He wasn’t wearing his Spider-Man costume. He hadn’t even appeared as a hero yet.”

“I know Spidey anywhere, and I’m telling you that was him,” Flash said. “I’d recognize his fighting style anywhere.”

“I knew you were a fan, but… wow,” Peter laughed.

“Not just a fan,” Flash reminded him. “He helped inspire me to get my act together. I was a bully and, let’s face it, a douche canoe. Idolizing Spidey was a big thing for me, it kept me sane during a rotten home life and helped me make my first, and still, best buddy,” Flash said as he put his arm around Peter’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without the two of you.”

“That’s good of you to say,” Peter said as he saw a picture of Peter in costume fighting Crusher on the wall. And to think I was only here because I was using my powers irresponsibly to earn money. That put me in the spotlight, and it led to my Uncle Ben’s death a few days later. If that hadn’t happened, I’d have never learned that “With great power comes great responsibility”. Sometimes I wonder how things would have gone if I hadn’t learned that lesson.

Midtown High, the next day

Andy Maguire fell face-first to the ground, having been pushed by the larger jocks that had been his tormentors since school had started. Andy, being scrawny and timid, couldn’t fight back and had to put up with the abuse. Most teachers wouldn’t do anything since the football team was what kept the school funded through local sponsorships and no one wanted to bite the hand that fed the school.

“Are you okay?” Aidan Denbrough asked as he helped Andy up. Aidan was the running back for the team, and one of the most popular guys in school, almost always being seen with a girl on his arm, but never *officially* dating anyone. He always took the time out to make sure Andy was alright after seeing his jock friends pick on him, knowing he wasn’t able to actually call them out on it without reprisal. “I’m sorry about those guys, they’re real jerks.”

“Why do you hang out with them?” Andy asked.

“It’s the school rule, I guess,” Aidan sighed. “Cliques have to stick together, whether you want to or not. Jocks with jocks, cheerleaders with cheerleaders,” Aidan and Andy saw A.J. and Billy walked down the hallway, staring lovingly at each other as Billy helped his friend stay steady after a recent chemo session. “And… other.”

“I don’t have a clique,” Andy told him as he picked up his books. “I’m just… me.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Aidan said as they walked to class. “You don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not. Anyway, I gotta get to gym class. Catch you around, Maguire.”

“Too bad I don’t know how to be anything else,” Andy smiled a little as he walked into science class. As usual, Andy found himself sitting at the back table by himself due to there being an odd number of students, and being one of the most unpopular kids in school, no one wanted to sit next to him.

“Alright, students, we have a lot of ground to cover,” Peter said as he walked into the classroom. “Today we’re going to learn how to make an environmentally friendly ice melter, which will come in handy this winter when the city looks like Jack Frost’s playground. But first, the more important matter of announcing which student will be assisting me for a personal science project.”

Billy raised his hand and Peter rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mr. Conners, it will count for extra credit.”

As Peter talked, Andy sat at the table, reading from a space adventure novel. Andy wasn’t the best student or the brightest, but he absolutely loved reading, especially science fiction and stories set in outer space. He knew it’d never happen, but Andy always wondered what it would be like to travel through the universe, seeing what was out there.

“And the student that will be assisting me on this scientific excursion is… Andy Maguire!”

All heads turned to Andy, who slowly raised his attention from his book. Despite being the lowest graded student in the class, Peter had seen the kind of life he had and wanted to give the kid a little confidence boost between inattentive parents and constant bullying from virtually every other student. Maybe if he had more confidence in his abilities his grades might improve and he’d make more friends.

“What?” Andy asked as he realized everyone was staring at him. “Oh, that, I couldn’t find my deodorant this morning so I had to use my Mom’s Liz Taylor ‘Diamonds’ perfume. I actually kind of like it.”

A crumpled piece of paper hit him in the head.

“I don’t get it, Pete,” Flash said as the two walked out of Flash’s AA meeting later that evening. “What is so special about this kid? You could have picked a smarter kid like A.J. or Billy, or that kid who eats paste.”

“I don’t know, I guess he just kind of reminds me of us when we were that age,” Peter told him. “The kid’s bullied like I was, and his home life’s almost as bad yours, he’s just not getting physically abused. Mentally, however.”

“Pete, you know I want to help this kid as much as you do,” Flash said. “But with all the sue-happy parents and the school rules that would land us in jail if we even though about laying a hand on the students that are doing to him, we have zero chance of helping him.”

“I know, which is why I think I can build his self-confidence,” Peter told him. “Maybe help him realize he can stand up for himself. I have to do this, Flash.”

“For him or for 15-year-old Peter?” Flash asked.

“Why me?” Andy asked as Peter led him to a storage facility in Upstate New York. “I’m the dumbest kid in school, I can barely maintain a C average.”

“Because I think you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for,” Peter told him. “You’re not dumb, you just never apply yourself.”

“My Dad says I’m, well, he calls me the ‘r’ word a lot,” Andy told him. “Because I’m always screwing up. Mom’s not really fond of me, either. I think she blames me for my twin brother dying of SIDS a few days after we came home from the hospital.”

“That’s ridiculous, why would something think you could—,” Peter stopped himself. “I think you just need someone to believe in you. That’s why I chose you because you need to have faith in yourself. And if this experiment works, you’ll get part of the credit for the success.”

“And what exactly are we doing?”

Peter opened the storage unit, revealing several pieces of equipment.

“Changing the world.”

Later that evening, Andy sat at the dinner table while he heard his parents arguing in the living room.

“That moron left the garbage can lids off and the raccoons got into them!” Ray Maguire shouted. “It’s the third time this month!”

“Andy’s just a little forgetful,” his mother Alice said. “Don’t be so hard on him.”

“The little idiot is 15, he’s old enough to know better!” Ray shouted. “Sometimes I think he really is damaged. He has no friends, he doesn’t play sports, and he’s practically useless around the house!”

“He’s still our son,” Alice said. “The only one we have since Randy died.”

“That’s no excuse for being a worthless brat,” Ray told her. “All he does is sit in his room and read those brainless sci-fi novels.”

Andy got up from the table and went outside to get some air where he saw Aidan in the yard next door, tossing a football around with his little sister. Aidan’s family has lived next door for years, but until tonight, Andy and Aidan had never talked outside of school.

“Hey, Maguire!” Aidan shouted. “I’ve never seen you outside before. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just getting a little air,” Andy said.

“Heard Mr. Parker picked you for an after school project,” Aidan told him. “Must be a real honor, I hear the guy’s a real genius.”

“He’s boring,” Andy said. “I’m not into science projects or checking mold for evolved life forms.”

“Come on, Maguire, it could be a huge chance to prove that you’ve got some brains in the cute little skull of yours.”

“…You think my skull is cute?” Andy asked.

“Well— I,” Aidan said nervously. “I gotta go in for dinner, I hear my mom calling me.”

“I didn’t hear anything,”

“She talks really low!” Aidan said as he picked up his sister while running toward the house. “See you at school!”

“You’re seriously calling them ‘Parker Particles’?” Andy asked. “Isn’t that just a rip-off of Pym Particles?”

“No, these are completely different,” Peter told him as he worked on an equation on the chalkboard. “I believe that we can use energy from the very universe itself to create a power source. Think of it: Unlimited energy. Clean, renewable, safe. No more power-outages or brown-outs. All we need to do is create a way to safely harness it. I have the equation ready, I just need to get the machine prepped. Do me a favor and grab that box of bulbs, I need to replace a few of the ones that have burned out. I have a few things outside to bring in, I’ll be right back.”

Peter headed outside as Andy looked at the whiteboard, accidentally sneezing on it.

“Oh, no!” Andy said as he wiped it with his sleeve, accidentally taking part of it with him. “Mr. Parker’s going to kill me!”

Grabbing the marker, Andy scrambled to replace what he’d erased, finishing just in time for Peter to return.

“Everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah, everything’s fine!” Andy said with a pretend laugh as he grabbed the box of bulbs.

“I have to say, I wouldn’t have able to finish this project with you,” Peter told him. “You know your way around machinery. This would have taken weeks to complete on my own.”

“I studied a lot of Lego assembly books growing up,” Andy said. “It was just a matter of assembling the right pieces.”

“… … Right,” Peter told him as he tossed Andy a celebration soda. “To making the world a better place.”

The two toasted as they drank as Peter looked at the time. “It’s getting late, you’d better get  home. I’ll finish replacing the bulbs. Be here bright and early Saturday morning and we’ll see if this works.”

Andy was walking home when he saw Aidan hanging out at the pizza parlor with the guys from the football team. They looked like they were having a great time as Andy tried to avoid being seen. As he watched them, he wondered what it would be like to have a group of friends to bond with. He’d even settle for one friend.

As the jocks started to head in separate directions, Aidan stayed back, leaning against the wall.

“You can come out, Maguire, I know you’re here,” Aidan said calmly.

“I just didn’t feel like getting beat up tonight,” Andy said as he stepped out of the alley.

“Good call,” Aidan told him. “You hungry? I could go for another slice.”

“I don’t know,” Andy said. “I really should be getting home.”

“Come on, it’s not like we’re on a date or anything,” Aidan told him. “Just one slice, then you can get home, I’ll walk you.”

A few minutes later, the two sat at a booth as Andy just stared around.

“It’s weird being here with another person,” Andy told him. “You’ve probably had tons of dates in this place.”

“27, actually,” Aidan told him. “But I can’t recall being into any of them. Most of them were just my parents and friends pushing me into asking someone out. But they just end up talking about themselves and how they’re going to tell their friends that they’re going out with a football player.”

“They never ask about you?” Andy asked. “Like when you took that nasty hit in that game last week. I was worried that you were seriously hurt.”

“You were there?”

“I was duct-taped to the underside of the bleachers in my underwear,” Andy told him. “Saw the whole thing but couldn’t do anything until the janitor cut me loose.”

“It was just a hit on the head, they said I was lucky it wasn’t a concussion,” Aidan told him. “I was on my feet by the end of the night. Were you okay?”

“What, getting stripped and duct-taped? I’m used to it by now,” Andy told him. “That’s why I keep spare clothes in my locker.”

“I’m going to start talking to those guys more, this isn’t right,” Aidan said. “You don’t deserve to be treated this way. You’re a nice guy, and you’ve always been friendly to me. I wish I’d have talked to you more over the years, but— I was worried you didn’t like me because I was always into sports and hanging around with those jerks.”

“Are you kidding? You’re awesome,” Andy said. “The way you protect your little sister, and how you’re always volunteering for stuff. I wish I could be more like you.”

The two reached for the napkin dispenser at the same time just as their hands touched. Aidan quickly pulled his hand away.

“I have a long day of practice tomorrow, I guess I should be getting home,” Aidan said as he stood up.

“Yeah, I have to get home, too,” Andy added as he got out of the booth. “This was fun.”

“Yeah,” Aidan told him. “Come on, we can walk home together.”

That night, Andy was getting ready for bed as he stared across the way into Aidan’s bedroom window, not realizing that Aidan did the same thing some nights. Currently, Aidan was walking around the room on the phone while wearing a pair of pajama pants. Andy caught himself staring as he quickly closed the blinds. “What am I doing? He’s got like, 50 girlfriends. Meanwhile, I’m doomed to be alone forever.”

Andy arrived at the storage unit early that Saturday morning, ready to start the experiment.

“So, how exactly does this work?” Andy asked.

“Well, if I followed the equation exactly, and as long as nothing goes wrong with the equipment, then once activated the machine will give off enough kinetic energy on the lowest setting to power this storage unit when I cut the power,” Peter said. “You brought your flashlight as I asked, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, and I’m wearing my glow-in-the-dark-underwear just to be safe.”

“Why you would need… you know what? Nevermind,” Peter said. “Mr. Maguire, we’re about to step into the future.”

“And we don’t even need a Delorean,” Andy said as Peter just stared at him.

“Okay, get ready to be assaulted with all the Parker Particles you could ever ask for,” Peter said as he turned off the lights and flipped the switch to the machine. The storage unit became pitch black as the machine started humming for a few seconds before a soft blue light filled the room.

“Whoa,” Andy said. “This is awesome.”

“Isn’t it?” Peter asked. “Any second now, it should provide energy and the lights will turn back on.”

The lights slowly started coming on, starting out dim but getting brighter.

“It’s working!” Andy shouted. “You’re a genius, Mr. Parker!”

The lights started getting brighter, far too bright for the tiny storage unit.

“I think we’re giving it too much power,” Peter said as the lights started exploding. “We need to shut it off!”

The blue light from the machine also started getting brighter as Peter’s spider-sense went off.

“I got it!” Andy shouted.

“NO!” Peter shouted. “Don’t go near the—“

The machine started sparking as Peter ran to push Andy to the ground, but the machine reacted first, shooting a beam of energy right into Andy, causing him to convulse as the machine exploded, blowing up the entire storage unit.

Minutes later, Peter pushed the debris off of him and Andy, having shielded Andy’s body during the explosion. As Andy lay there with his eyes closed, Peter pulled him close.

“What have I done?”

Across the city in a hidden lab, a scientist realized a sudden energy spike had caused his equipment to go crazy. Rushing across the room, he looked at the printout.

“Yes,” the man laughed. “Finally, after years of searching, it’s finally happened.”

Walking over to a hidden, a door opened as a purple and green metallic costume was revealed.

“Soon, my boy, you’ll be as good as new,” the man said as he looked at a cryogenic chamber where a young man was frozen.

The unintelligible sound of muffled talking could be heard as he started coming back to consciousness. He started moaning as he heard a familiar voice talking to him.

“Andy? HE’S AWAKE!” Aidan shouted. “Come on, Andy, wake up, buddy.”

“Where am I?” Andy asked weakly without opening his eyes.

“The hospital,” Peter said as he sat on the other side of the bed. “You’re going to be okay. I was worried, little buddy.”

“Did the experiment work?” Andy asked. “Is the world a better place yet?”

“Uh… no,” Peter told him. “We blew up a storage shed, so I’m not getting that security deposit back.”

“Where are my parents? Are they here?”

Peter and Aidan both seethed uncomfortably.

“Well, your parents- who by way were cool enough not to sue for endangering your life- Well, they kind of… left town.”

“What? Why?”

“I believe your Dad’s words to the doctor were “Unplug the little bastard and bury him in a ditch.”,” Aidan said. “You weren’t kidding about that guy being a dick.”

“Long story short, they sold your house and moved to Florida,” Peter told him. “Don’t worry, I snuck in, and because I’m no longer allowed to rent storage spaces, I have your stuff at my place. You’ll stay with me for a while until we sort this out.”

“They sold— how long have I been asleep?”

“Three months,” Aidan said as he noticed Andy was crying.

“I am so sorry, Andy,” Peter told him. “This is all my fault, I screwed up somewhere. I could have sworn I had the equation right.”

“You were off by several numbers,” Reed Richards said as he stood in the doorway. “When I learned of the explosion, on top of the energy surge my equipment reported, I investigated almost immediately,” Reed told him. “I found your whiteboard, or the pieces that were left, and connected the dots. Part of your equation was… horrifically wrong. But there’s worse news,” Reed said as he looked at Andy, pulling out an energy scanner that started sparking in his hand as he covered with a larger hand before it exploded. “I fear you may have unleashed something… powerful.”

The Baxter Building

Two Days Later

Andy wore a special teal and black suit made of unstable molecules as he ran through a gauntlet of challenges in a training situation. As he avoided projectiles, lasers, sharp objects, trap doors, flame throwers, intense cold, and other obstacles, he displayed a variety of powers: energy blasts, super strength, super speed, force fields, telekinesis, matter manipulation, and flight.

After several intense hours, Reed went over the results with Peter. “It’s just as I feared. Fortunately, he can only use one of his abilities at a time.”

“As you feared? The kid’s healthy and he’s got superpowers! How is that something to fear?” Peter asked.

“Because this kid is now the most powerful being in existence. He’s funneling kinetic energy through the universe itself, which itself is still growing. As the universe increases, so do his powers,” Reed told him. “He’s gone way beyond being an Omega level threat if he turns evil. He’s now an Alpha level threat.”

“The kid’s not evil, Reed,” Peter told him. “The kid is scared of Pennywise the Clown. I know because we watched the movie at the storage unit one night and… let’s just say I had to buy him a new pair of pants.”

“This is serious, Peter,” Reed said. “If he doesn’t learn how to use his powers properly, he could end up hurting not just everyone around him, but the city itself. We need to find a way to depower him, and fast.”

“Ow!” Andy said as he shook his hand. “Pricked my finger. Got a band-aid? And maybe some orange slices?”

“He’s still vulnerable, at least for now,” Reed said. “He can still be harmed, so that’s one weakness. I assume he’ll still need to eat and drink. I should be writing this down…”

“Why? Are you planning to kill my student?” Peter asked.

“Of course not,” Reed told him. “But we will need to be aware of what countermeasures we can take if things get… out of hand.”

“This kid is my student, so he’s my responsibility,” Peter told him. “I’ll train him. I’ll show him how to be a hero. I ruined this kid’s life, I have to make it right.”

“Peter, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Reed said. “If his powers get out of control… I’m going to start working on ways to decrease his powers, just in case. In the meantime, make sure he stays out of the public eye. There’s no telling which of our enemies would love to get ahold of Andy to use his powers for some evil purpose.”

“No one knows about Andy,” Peter assured him. “Just us, and I intend to keep it that way. Does that costume you made for Andy come with a hoodie or a mask?”

“I thought you were dead,” Aidan said as walked past Andy’s old house. “I didn’t know what to do. I was going mad because there were all these things I wanted to tell you and—“

“What are you trying to say?” Andy asked as Aidan pulled him into a kiss. He pulled back as Andy just looked at him. “Oh.”

“I’ve had a crush on you since the sixth grade, but I was too scared to ever say anything,” Aidan told him. “Then I heard about the explosion and… I felt like I missed my chance. I can’t do that again, Andy. I like you and… I wanna be with you.”

“Okay,” Andy said. “We can do that.”

“Really? That’s all it took?” Aidan asked.

“The kiss helped,” Andy said as he stared up at his old bedroom. “I really like you, too. I just never thought a popular guy like you would ever see anything in a loser like me.”

“You are not a loser,” Aidan told him. “You’re a sweet, kind-hearted little dork and I want us to be together.”

Aidan gave him a quick kiss as he headed into his house. “I’ll call you tonight!”

“Did I just get a boyfriend?” Andy asked himself as he started laughing. “Fuck you, Dad! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!”

That night as Andy slept in a spare room at Peter’s apartment, the boy was awakened by a noise at the window. Andy opened his eyes to see Spider-Man sitting on the windowsill.

“Spider-Man?” Andy asked as he sat up. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see you, kid,” Spider-Man told him. “How would you like to be my sidekick? It’s going to be a lot of responsibility and you’ll need to work really hard to make it work. It’s not going to easy and a lot of bad guys are going to want to try to kill you. Think you can handle it?”

Andy was already out of bed and pulling on his costume. “Hell yes!”

“Didn’t expect you to be this into it,” Spidey said. “First we have to train you to use your powers responsibly. You ready to roll, Andy?”

“Yeah, but can you do me a favor?” Andy asked as he pulled the top part of his teal costume on.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Don’t call me Andy,” the boy said as he pulled a hood over his head and put on a black domino mask. “Call me Alpha!”

TO BE CONTINUED…