GENERATION X SPIDER-MAN (Issue #6)

TIME PASSAGES

     It was early morning in the historic city of Boston. From behind the two polarized lenses on his Spider-Man mask, Peter Parker was watching the sunrise on a city that he had become acquainted with over the last couple of days. Those days had been both exciting and excruciating. He fought against a new enemy, Dr. Octopus, on two different occasions. Each fight had left him with both physical and emotional pain. Being Spider-Man wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. After being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, Peter thought he could use his newfound abilities to help other people. He wanted to believe in good and fight against evil. However, the teenage hero was worried that his best wasn't going to be good enough. The idealistic teenage boy was worried that he might fail and innocent people would get hurt. He hated that feeling. While sticking to the wall of the enormous John Hancock tower, the idealistic young man looked out across the historic city. Normally, Peter loved this time of year. Early Spring. Things had a way of seeming more positive and hopeful. Like everything was coming alive. The days were getting longer and the weather was getting better. Trees and flowers began to bloom. The entire city was in his view right and it was inspiring. However, his thoughts were occupied by something else right now. Peter couldn't stop thinking about Gwen Stacy. She went missing last night while on the run from Otto Octavius. Mary Jane asked her to keep the Genetic Potential Formula safe. Now, she was gone. Missing for almost twelve hours now. Peter had been concentrating as hard as he could, but his spider-sense wasn't helping him locate her. He wasn't sure why, but he had a theory. It was possible that the beating he took from Octavius last night had weakened him so much that his spider-sense wasn't able to help him locate Gwen. He still had a headache from some of those vicious sledgehammer blows. In a sense, Peter felt lucky to even be alive. He was mere moments from being finished off by Octavius, when he was rescued by a mysterious stranger. Peter wished he knew the identity of his savior. He could use their help right now. The teen boy pounded his gloved fist against the side of the building in frustration. Peter felt helpless. Similar to the way he felt when he was younger and kept losing things. His parents. His Uncle Ben. Now, Gwen was missing just when the two were beginning to start a relationship.

A half hour later Peter was back at the hotel. After changing back into his regular clothes, he had a quick bite to eat. The teen boy thought eating something might help him get back to his old self. Jonah Jameson and his journalists from the Daily Bugle were still at the hotel in an attempt to cover this breaking story. Peter was careful to avoid that area of the lobby, because he didn't have the patience to deal with Jameson right now. All he wanted to do was check in with the others and hopefully get some good news. Instead he was stopped on the way by his science teacher, Mr. Maguire.

"Peter, we've been looking for you." he said. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I was just getting some fresh air." the teenager replied.

"You're supposed to be wearing a shirt and tie," Mr. Maguire informed him. "We've got to get a move on. The Academic Decathlon starts in an hour."

With everything that had been going on, Peter had forgotten about the competition. The Decathlon was the centerpiece of the weekend's events. It was the most prestigious academic team competition in the United States. Teams that represented high schools from all over the country competed with one another for the top prize. The Academic Decathlon had a question and answer format. The team were quizzed on a variety of different subjects.

"I'll go back to my room and change," Peter told him.

"You better hurry up," Mr. Maguire informed the young man.

His thoughts had been so preoccupied with Gwen it was no surprise that he forgot about the Academic Decathlon event. The competition was only supposed to last for a couple of hours, but Peter didn't know how he could be a part of it with Gwen missing. It was so hard to concentrate. After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, the teen came to a decision. He wasn't going.