Billy Connors dug through the dumpster, finding enough discarded food to fill his stomach. He’d been surviving the past week on the street, finding what clothes, food,and shelter he could to make it on his own. In the past few days, he’d been catching up on what he’d missed ever he fell into his coma, such as his father being in custody in The Raft until a cure could be found for him; The incident with Midtown High being shut down for months until recently; and the death of the person he loved most, A.J., who’d been killed by The Lizard. And all before he could tell A.J. that he truly loved him and wanted to be his boyfriend.

Finding out A.J. was dead broke Billy mentally, making not want to reveal his location to anyone. Not his father, not his foster family, not Peter Parker, no one. He just wanted to be alone and not face anyone, especially not with his scarred face.

As Billy ate what he could, a young man in his twenties stepped into the alley. He had shortcut red hair and was dressed in black spandex with his arms behind his back.

“Billy Connors?”

Billy’s attention turned toward the man in the alley as he started running.

“I hate it when they run,” the young man said as he pulled out a remote. Several drones landed in front of Billy. “If you come peacefully, I’ll make this as harmless as possible.”

Billy ran towards the drones and took a jump, leaping high into the air and landing on the other side.

“Impressive, I didn’t think the Lizard’s powers allowed for something like that,” the young man said as he pushed a button. Two of the drones turned around and fired tasers as Billy, causing him to scream in pain. The third fired a weighted net over Billy, causing him to fall to the ground.

“Got him,” the young man said as he talked into a mic on his uniform. “This is Byrnes, I got Connors. Bringing him back now.”

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD

PART I

By Tobias Christopher

12 years ago 

“Alright, son, this is my first day working at Osborn Industries,” Daniel Meyers said as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. “I think we’re finally going to be okay.”

“No more living in motels? Daniel’s 16-year-old son Rick asked as he adjusted his dad’s tie. “No more scrounging for food? Maybe I can even start… going to school?”

“Ricky, if I can make this job work, I’ll finally be able to give you the life you deserve,” Daniel promised him. “The life you should have had all along. But losing your mother the way we did—“

“That wasn’t your fault,” Rick told him. “I kept telling you that we were going to okay, and now we are. Now go impress Mr. Osborn so we can finally live in a real home.”

As Daniel left the motel room, young Rick didn’t realize that his life was about to change forever on that day.

Today

“Okay, this is it,” Peter Parker said as he took a deep breath. “I have to admit that this scares me to death. I’ve never had to face a challenge like this, and I’ve faced some of the deadliest enemies on Earth. What about to dive into is the most horrific thing anyone’s ever faced. But I’ll you what, I’ll remain strong about this if you do, okay? We do this a team. On the count of three. One… two… three!”

Holding his breath, Peter reached in and changed his newborn son’s diaper as Stanley Richard Parker giggled.

“Oh God, I can still smell it!”  Peter said as he started gagging. “You’re one week old, how does something this small make a smell that disgusting? Oh— oh, jeez, it’s setting off my spider-sense! How does that even work?”

“It’s a diaper, not a fight with Doctor Octopus,” Mary Jane Watson-Parker said as she stood at the door of the nursery with a cup of coffee. “Don’t be such a wuss.”

“Have you smelled the nuclear bomb this kid’s created?” Peter asked. 

“Every day for the past six days,” Mary Jane told him. “Get used to it, Mr. Parker, because today I start hitting the gym to get my pre-baby body back. And since it’s Saturday and you don’t have to work, guess who has to watch after his son?”

Peter was about to speak up as Mary Jane headed to the bathroom for a shower. “And do not ditch this baby with your Aunt. I also ordered Tommy to spend the day having fun. Poor kid’s been studying without a break. You two have fun.”

Peter stared down at baby Stan, who only smiled at his father.

“Well, it’s never too early for some father-son bonding,” Peter said as he sniffed the air. “Really, kid? I just changed you!”

Stan laughed as his father walked away to get another diaper.

“Of course, I’ll be there first thing Monday morning!” Flash said excitedly. “Thank you, sir, I won’t let you down!”

As Flash put down the phone, he looked at a picture of him with Drew and A.J., having been taken weeks before A.J.’s unfortunate death.

“It’s all coming together, kid,” Flash told the picture. “I’m sober, I’m going back to work on Monday when Midtown High reopens, and I’m working on getting my family back. I just need to get Drew to forgive me. Think I can pull it off?” a dead silence came from the photo. “I knew you had faith in me, kid. Thanks. I’m going to need a new outfit.”

“And that’s how Daddy and Uncle Johnny ended up in our underwear and running from giant gerbils in Mojo World,” Peter whispered while holding his sleeping baby while walking around the living room. “I don’t know how to feel about my stories of adventure putting you to sleep.”

Peter sat on the couch while holding Stan and turned on the t.v. to ‘The Mandalorian’, seeing the main character having trouble controlling a little green puppet.

“I feel you, buddy,” Peter told the t.v. as the baby squirmed in his arms.

Rick Meyers kept a close eye on his surroundings as grabbed his food from the hot dog vendor, the only thing he had time to get. He had to keep moving before it was too late. By now he’d been noticed as missing from the compound and was already being hunted. He had to find Peter Parker and in a hurry, he just needed to find the man to relay important information to him.

“I shouldn’t have run away, but lives are at stake,” Rick told himself, still clutching the case under his arm. “Gotta find Peter Parker, no matter what.”

12 Years Ago

A knock came at the motel room door as Rick answered. The 16-year-old wore old clothes from the Good Will, including an 80’s t-shirt promoting the Oscar-winning epic ‘Mannequin’.

“Richard Meyers?” A man in a business suit and dark sunglasses said as he walked in. 

“My Dad calls me ‘Ricky’,” Rick told him. “Can I help you?”

“I’m a lawyer that works for OsCorp,” the man said. “Sit down, son, I have some… bad news.”

“What’s going on?” Rick asked as he sat on the bed. “Is my Dad okay?”

“There was an accident,” the lawyer told him. “Unfortunately your father didn’t make it.”

Rick felt his heart beating faster as the news hit him like a truck. He felt like he was going to die right there and join his father in death. “How?”

“I’m sorry, but those details can’t be released,” the lawyer told him. “But rest assured, he suffered no pain and went quickly.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Rick said angrily. “My father is dead! He was all I had!”

“Mr. Osborn deeply regrets this tragedy,” the lawyer told him. “And he wishes to make restitution. He’s prepared to offer a settlement of 2 million dollars.”

“I don’t want money, I want my father,” Rick told him.

“Mr. Osborn is also willing to pay for your education and offer you a job interning at OsCorp,” the lawyer told him. “According to your transcript, before  you had to leave school to work part-time jobs to help support yourself, you had a very high GPA, being especially gifted in science.”

“Why would you read my transcript?” Rick asked as he was handed a card.

“Call this number when you’re ready to take Mr. Osborn up on his offer,” the lawyer said as he stood up and left. Rick looked down at the card as the tears fell down his face.

“Mr. Osborn, I have a feeling he’ll call you very soon,” the lawyer said as he headed toward his car.

“I hate having to lose a valuable asset like Daniel Meyers,” Osborn said as he stared out of his office window. “But his son being in the employ of Oscorp is the real prize.”

Today

Tommy Byrnes sat in the park, studying despited Mary Jane telling him to have fun. A ‘thump’ was heard as a scrapbook hit the bench next to him.

“A.J. would want you to have that,” Drew said as Tommy stared up at A.J.’s brother. “It’s… his Spider-Man scrapbook. It’s what got him through his cancer treatments.”

“I thought his relationship with Billy did that,” Tommy told him.

“Billy wasn’t good for him,” Drew said. “He was a lowlife punk that got my brother impaled. I hate to say it, but… I thought you two were good together. You got him away from that bedside and you… made him smile again. He was starting to put his life back on track, and I was rooting for you two to make it. He died loving someone, so for that I thank you.”

Drew turned to walk away as Tommy stood up. “Don’t go! Please. I— I need to know more about him. I barely got to know him before I lost him. Could you… tell me about him?”

Drew shed a tear as he turned around. “Yeah, I’ll tell you everything about my kid brother.”

Flash walked out of the store with a few new outfits to improve his self-esteem for his return to work. Yes, he was still a gym teacher, but dammit, he’d be a respected gym teacher. As Flash breathed in the fresh air, Rick ran right into him, dropping the briefcase as he started running again.

“Hey, watch the suit!” Flash said as he saw the case. “Hey, buddy, you dropped this!”

Several more men ran past him as Flash looked down at the case in his hands. “Great, now I have to find this guy and get him his case back. Hope it’s not too important.”

Two more men ran past as Flash realized they were holding guns and saying something about killing “the guy with the case”

Kevin Byrne stared at himself in the mirror of the small room he lived in. He had no memory of who he was or if he had any family. All he knew of was the mission he had, which was to serve the man who saved his life. He owed his entire existence to Normal Osborn, a debt he swore to repay. Kevin washed his face in the small sink as a small screen lit up with Osborn’s picture.

“Kevin, I hope you’re well-rested,” Osborn told him. “I have another job for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Kevin said as he grabbed his shirt. “What do I have to do?”

“I need you to kill this man. He’s been under the radar until today when he was spotted in New York,” Norman said as Rick Meyer’s photo came on the screen. “This is the most dangerous man in the world. He holds a secret that can destroy this company if the wrong people learn what he knows. He must die at any cost.”

“Yes, sir,” Kevin told him. “I’m on it.”

“Good boy,” Osborn said as the screen went blank. Kevin headed to a glass class where his Night Monkey costume waited.

The phone rang as Peter picked up while making a bottle on the stove.

“Pete, I think someone’s in trouble,” Flash said as he told about the situation. “I don’t know who this guy is, but these men want him dead. Badly.”

“Great,” Peter said. “Look, I can’t take Stan on a Spider-Man adventure, he’s not old enough. I have to wait until he’s at least 2-years-old. If I can bring him to you, can you watch him for a few minutes? And do NOT tell Mary Jane I’m doing this.”

12 years ago

“I should have said ‘no’,” Rick said as he walked into the office of Osborn Industries. “What am I setting myself up for?”

“You’re setting yourself up for the future,” Norman Osborn said as he stood outside of a lab, holding a vial of Spider-Man’s blood. “What you do here will change lives forever.”

Today

“I repeat, do NOT tell Mary Jane that I did this,” Spider-Man said as he handed his son to Flash, along with a large diaper bag after meeting him in the alley outside of the mall.

“I thought you said a half-hour at the most,” Flash told him as he looked at the bag.

“You’re right, I should have packed more diapers. We didn’t have a kid, we had a Play-dough Fun Factory,” Spider-Man said as he lifted the bottom portion of his mask to kill Stan on the head. “You be good for Uncle Flash. Daddy will be back soon.”

As Spider-Man swung away, Flash looked down at his Godson. “So, do you want to hit up the track or the strip-club first?”

Rick found himself cornered in an alley, with a high fence being the only obstacle.

“Hold it right there!” A man shouted as he pulled out his gun. He wore a black suit and glasses while holding a gun. “Surrender or I’ll-“

A web pulled the guns out of his hands, as well as the two other men with him. 

“Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, Mr… there wasn’t a third guy in the movies, so I guess, Mr. About To Get His Butt Kicked?” Spider-Man said as he webbed all three men to the wall before putting on his best Ah-nold accent. “Come with me if you want to live.”

The two ran out of the alley, passing the other men that Spidey had webbed to the wall on the way.

“Thank you, Spider-Man, but we have to hurry,” Rick told him. “You have to help me find Pe—“

A figure dressed in all black with goggles pulled Rick away from him, tossing him into the wall to knock him out.

“Go away, hero,” the Night Monkey told him. “Trust me, you don’t want any part of this.”

TO BE CONTINUED…