Marvel With Spider Power and Omnitrix

Early the next morning, Ben glanced at his old flip phone as he stepped out of his room. Harry had sent him a text confirming that the funds had been transferred and all the preliminary paperwork was complete.

"Harry's pretty efficient," Ben muttered with approval.

Having a wealthy friend certainly had its advantages. Even if Ben had the money, starting a company at his age would have been nearly impossible without the right connections. But with Harry's resources and legal standing behind him, those obstacles vanished.

They'd arranged to meet at Williamsburg Bank after school to open a business account, followed by trips to the tax office and state government building. Ben had been itching to skip school and handle everything in the morning, but Harry apparently had other commitments.

As he headed downstairs, another door opened behind him. Peter emerged, hurriedly pulling on his jacket as he hopped down the stairs.

"Want to come with me to Oscorp today, Ben?" Peter asked.

"What's at Oscorp?"

Peter glanced toward the kitchen, making sure May was still busy with breakfast, then lowered his voice conspiratorially.

"That lizard creature from last night might show up again. Dr. Connors is a reptile expert—I figure he might be able to analyze the thing's behavior patterns or weaknesses."

At this point, Peter had no reason to suspect that Connors had become the very monster he was hunting.

"Sorry, I've got other plans," Ben replied.

Peter's expression grew suspicious. "Other plans? You've been really busy lately. You used to come straight home after school—I never saw you doing anything else. Are you hiding something from me?"

"Mind your own business, little brother," Ben said, settling at the breakfast table.

"Good morning, boys." Ben, Sr. looked up from his newspaper as they entered. "This world's getting stranger every day. Now we've got lizard monsters running around."

"Wait, Uncle Ben, how do you know about lizard people?" Peter asked, startled.

"It's in the paper." Ben, Sr. spread the newspaper for them to see.

The headline read: "Masked Spider Freak and Lizard Monster: Two Monster Creature Terrorize Williamsburg Bridge!"

"What do you mean, 'monster'?" Peter protested indignantly. "Spider-Man was saving people! How can they report it like this?"

Ben glanced at the masthead. "The Daily Bugle. That explains everything."

He wasn't surprised by the Bugle's hostile coverage. J. Jonah Jameson had always been Spider-Man's biggest critic, treating the web-slinger like a public menace regardless of his heroic actions.

"They're calling the spider guy a monster. Why does that bother you so much?" Ben, Sr. asked curiously.

"I just... well..." Peter stammered, struggling to defend himself without revealing his identity. "I think he's doing good work. Like you always told me—if you have the ability to help others, you should use it."

"That's admirable in theory," Ben, Sr. said thoughtfully, "but how well do you really know this Spider-Man?"

It stung to have his best efforts questioned, especially when Peter couldn't defend himself openly. The frustration was written all over his face.

Seeing his adoptive brother's distress, Ben decided to intervene. "At least he's got good reviews on YouTube."

It was true. Despite the Bugle's negative coverage, the blurry footage of the masked hero battling the lizard creature on Williamsburg Bridge had gone viral, earning thousands of likes.

Though it was only Peter's first major public appearance, his rescue of cars dangling over the East River had won him considerable online support.

With Iron Man currently the world's only known superhero, Spider-Man's emergence was filling an obvious void.

"I believe time will prove Spider-Man's worth," Ben added meaningfully. "What do you think, Pete?"

Peter was easily reassured. After Ben's words, he settled happily at the table, ready to enjoy breakfast with his family.

After the meal, both boys prepared to leave for school.

"Aren't you heading to work, Dad?" Ben asked.

Ben. Sr, usually left for his job around this time, but today he remained at the table with his newspaper.

Ben, Sr.'s expression grew uncomfortable. "I'm taking a half-day this morning. Want me to drive you to school?"

"No thanks," both boys replied.

After they left the house, Ben, Sr. sighed heavily and looked at his wife with exhausted eyes.

"I don't know how to tell them I lost my job, May."

"Thirty-five years as a technician, and they want to 'reduce costs and increase profits,'" he said bitterly.

He'd been sitting with the newspaper not to read the news, but to scan the classified ads for employment opportunities.

"Don't worry, Ben," May said gently, moving to embrace him. "We've weathered worse storms than this."

"But the boys need to go to college," Ben protested. "If Peter and Ben's grades were poor, it wouldn't matter. But one's a genius and the other works incredibly hard. They deserve that opportunity, and I can't let money stand in their way."

May held him tighter. "You'll find something."

Outside, Ben and Peter walked in stunned silence.

"I had no idea," Peter finally said, his voice shaky. "He never said anything."

"Dad didn't want us to worry or feel like we might lose opportunities that could change our lives," Ben explained.

They continued toward the bus stop together.

"Ben, we need to find a way to help him," Peter said with newfound determination. "We're not kids anymore."

"You're absolutely right, Pete." Ben nodded, then smiled as an idea occurred to him. "Actually, I know a perfect way for you to make money."

"Remember the Daily Bugle?"

Peter nodded reluctantly. "They wrote that horrible article about Spider-Man. But I'm sure they'll come around eventually."

Ben doubted Jameson would ever stop vilifying Spider-Man, but he kept that opinion to himself.

"Here's the thing—they're actually paying for pictures of Spider-Man. Those YouTube videos are way too blurry to be useful."

Peter's eyes lit up with understanding. "You're right! I have a camera, and I know exactly where to find Spider-Man!"

After all, who could argue that Peter Parker taking photographs of Spider-Man and selling them wasn't the ultimate form of welfare fraud?

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