The Sensational Spider-Man (Marvel;Re)/Issue 2

The second issue of Marvel;Re's The Sensational Spider-Man series and the second part of the comic's "Sensational" story arc.

Synopsis
Peter has his first encounter with the Vulture while furthering his relationships with his various friends.

Plot
We open with John Bestman, son of Gregory Bestman and the current owner of Bestman, Inc., talking to his mother on the phone. He hangs up. He turns around and starts typing something on a computer. As he does, the Vulture is seen outside his window slowly getting closer to him without him knowing. Eventually, Vulture makes his dramatic entrance by smashing through the window and grabbing John, who screams as Vulture takes him out the window. Toomes holds John close to his face, which is partially covered by a "beak" mask. Vulture dramatically flings his arm out while saying this. As he does, John notices blood on his claws. Vulture removes his beak, revealing a sadistic grin. He takes a deep breath. Before we can see what he's about to do, we cut over to Peter Parker sleeping in bed, his alarm clock ringing. He attempts to turn it off but it doesn't work. Eventually, he gets up to check on his clock, revealing the alarm is actually coming from Cindy Moon's phone. Cindy lightly slaps Peter's arm. In school, Peter writes "Kr" on the chalkboard. Peter's phone rings and he picks it up. Smash cut to Harry being followed by a small army of reporters as he enters the diner. Harry manages to lose them and sits down at the same table as Peter. MJ sneaks up behind Peter. Mary Jane puts the group's food on the table while she and Harry laugh at Peter. We see small glimpses of the three's conversation. The first is Mary Jane: Next is Harry: And finally, Peter: Everyone goes quiet. Harry's expression shifts to a stern look while Peter nervously drinks a milkshake. MJ sits blissfully unaware of what she's done. Peter pulls out his phone and texts Mary Jane. Mary Jane and Peter remain silent while Harry stares daggers at Peter while drinking some soda. Peter opens his mouth to speak but instantly closes it. Harry angrily squints at him. Peter's phone beeps. Peter runs out of the building and suddenly we're with Spider-Man swinging through the city. Peter lands on a cop car at the scene of the crime. A large blue tarp covers something up, though it is being lifted by Captain Yuri Watanabe, who is looking at something under the tarp. He lifts the tarp. The pair look above them, revealing the Vulture hovering just over their heads. Vulture says nothing. Vulture swoops into Peter and picks him up, flying at top speed through the air with him. Vulture stops mid-air and holds Peter in front of him, wrapping his hands around Peter's neck. He reaches out his right hand and pops his claws. Vulture slashes Peter's chest and his face before letting him drop. Peter manages to save himself by webbing a wall and sticking to the building. Peter's Spider-Sense goes off and he begins running up the side of the building, the Vulture flying just behind him as he does. Vulture removes his beak and takes a deep breath. There's a brief moment of tension building silence before he lets out a sonic scream so powerful it sends Peter flying miles into the air and shatters all of the windows of the building Peter was running on. Peter flies over the building and crashes on its roof. Peter slowly gets up as Vulture hovers to the top of the building, his beak back on. Vulture takes his beak off and gets ready to scream. Peter webs Vulture's mouth shut and attempts to run and attack him. He drops to the ground. Peter gets up and jumps off the building. By the time Vulture gets the webbing off of his mouth, he realizes Peter is gone. Enraged, Vulture lets out a powerful scream, though not a sonic one. Later that night, Aunt May is listening to Just the Facts with J. Jonah Jameson. May hears the doorbell ring. Nobody answers. Cautiously, May walks to the front door and opens it, revealing Spider-Man standing in front of her. He collapses into her arms. Peter unmasks himself. Peter passes out in May's arms.
 * John: Yes, mom, the company's doing fine... Yes, I know, thank you, mom... No, you can't talk to dad, he's been dead for years. Okay, bye, mom...
 * John: Damn dementia...
 * John: What in the hell?! who are you!?
 * John: Wha... Adrian Toomes?!
 * Vulture: The very same! Although nowadays I prefer the term "Vulture" to describe myself!
 * John: What's wrong with your voice!? you sound like a freakin' robot!
 * Vulture: I've upgraded myself, Mr. Bestman! Unfortunately, the upgrade causes me to be unable to speak without my... let's call it a beak.
 * John: why're you here!? You already killed my dad!
 * Vulture: That's not good enough, John! Gregory Bestman ruined me! He's the reason I can't get work anymore outside of the supervillain business! That's why I have to topple any chance of his company ever returning from the dead!
 * John: Wha... what... what...
 * Vulture: I believe you're trying to ask "whose blood is that"? Simple. It's a mixture, John. This is the blood of your COO, your board of directors, every single person who would've taken over this company in the event you died! I slaughtered them all, John!
 * John: You're crazy!
 * Vulture: Yes, definitely! but at least I'm not denying it anymore! Now, I believe I mentioned my upgrades, yes? Would you like a demonstration...?
 * Cindy: You sleep in a lot so I decided to be your alarm clock for today. Can't have you being late for school!
 * Peter: Don't phrase it like that, makes me feel like a teenager again...
 * Cindy: Come on, Petey!
 * Cindy: Get up, get up!
 * Peter: I'm up, I'm up. Jeez, why do you care so much?
 * Cindy: I don't, I just like picking on you!
 * Peter: Seems about right...
 * Peter: Now, the elements are split into several categories. For example, the chemical element "Krypton" is considered a gas. More specifically, Krypton is a noble gas, which means--
 * Peter: Sorry, one second, class. Hello?
 * Harry: Hey Pete, it's Harry!
 * Peter: Oh, hey!
 * Harry: I know you're probably at work right now and I'm really sorry about calling you but I just wanted to know if you wanna meet up later. I got a visit from Spider-Man and I remembered how you used to take pictures of him and that got me thinking about how long it's been since we've seen each other.
 * Peter: Yeah, it'd be great to meet up again!
 * Harry: Great! Also, I found out Mary Jane works at a diner near Alchemax and she said she's up for meeting up with us there, so you'll get to see her again too! Should be great, you guys haven't seen each other in forever!
 * Peter: Uh... actually, I saw her yesterday.
 * Harry: Oh man, what...? Damn, thought this would be a cool surprise... You know what, it's whatever, it'll still be great to get the old gang back together! Hopefully, there aren't too many reporters on the way there.
 * Harry: Vultures, I tell ya, every single one of them...
 * Peter: Yeah, I hear you. I got hounded by reporters asking about Spider-Man the moment I quit the Daily Bugle. Good to see you again though, Harry!
 * Harry: Good to see you, pal!
 * Peter: Where's MJ though?
 * Mary Jane: Boo!
 * Peter: Aah!
 * Peter: Hardy, har har...
 * Harry: Oh, take a joke, Pete!
 * Mary Jane: I don't remember you being that jumpy when you were younger, heheh...
 * Peter (narration): My Spider-Sense protects me from stuff like Rhino's fist and incoming trucks and yet it can't protect me from embarrassment... wonderful...
 * Mary Jane: So, what've you two been up to?
 * Peter: Uh... I'm a chemistry teacher now!
 * Mary Jane: Oh really?
 * Peter: Yeah, it's turning out grea--
 * Mary Jane: I never liked chemistry.
 * Peter: Oh, what is this, Pick On Peter Day?
 * Harry: It's always Pick On Peter Day, you should know that by now!
 * Peter: I guess I never realized, but a lot of things make sense now...
 * Mary Jane: So, I'm trying to get back into modeling and basically nobody wants me... The ageist pigs say it's cause I'm almost 30 and "nobody wants to see someone that old in the magazines". Excuse me, but I will be damned if I don't still look 19!
 * Harry: Normie's gotten easier to handle in recent years but he's had a sudden flare-up cause of our youngest son, Stanley. He's pretty young so we have to give him a lot of our attention and Normie's gotten a little... to say the least, "jealous"...
 * Peter: Who, me? Not much interesting has really been going on in my life. I'm just the same old Peter!
 * Harry: Oh come on, some stuff must've changed in your life!
 * Mary Jane: Yeah, like... are you still friends with Spider-Man?
 * Harry: Yeah, Peter... are you still friends with Spider-Man?
 * Peter: One sec, I just got a text from my aunt.
 * Peter's Text: Harry thinks I killed his dad.
 * MJ's Text: Oh god... I was just trying to ask in code how your Spidey life was going!
 * Peter's Text: Yeah, I know. Still, we need to change the subject fast.
 * Peter (narration): Oh thank god, my Avengers Wave went off!
 * Harry: You get a text?
 * Peter: Yeah, my boss wants to see me. Fine if I go?
 * Harry: Alright, but our conversation's not over. You hear me, Pete?
 * Peter: Absolutely!
 * Peter (narration): Man, thank god that went off when it did. The ol' Parker Luck might just be turning around! Still though, I shouldn't of blown Harry off like that... I should talk to him as Spider-Man about his dad. Even if he'd hate to see me, it'd be good to at least somewhat fix our relationship...
 * Peter: Yuri! Good to see ya, what's the sitch?
 * Yuri: Hi, Spidey. I'll be honest, I don't exactly know what happened... I mean, it's definitely murder, but I'm not sure how the murder happened. You can come see but I'll warn you, it's gruesome...
 * Peter: Oh, come on, how bad could it possibly--
 * Peter: Oh my god!
 * Yuri: Eyewitnesses say the victim was John Bestman, CEO of Bestman, Inc. but I honestly can't tell. The guy was grabbed out of his office by the Vulture and, apparently, Vulture did something that caused the poor guy to... basically explode.
 * Peter: How's that possible...?
 * Yuri: I don't know...
 * ???: I can tell you...
 * Vulture: In fact, I can give a live demonstration...
 * Peter: Vulchy! we were just talking about you! Love the new voice and look, by the way!
 * Peter: Oh what, no response? Why're you suddenly acting all tough? You were one of the first guys I ever fought, Vulture. I basically know everything about you now! There's no way you could--
 * Vulture: "There's no way I could beat you"? That's what you were about to say, wasn't it, Spider-Man?
 * Peter: I... can't confirm or deny that...
 * Vulture: Even when I quite obviously have the upper hand you still quip at me. You truly are the scum of the earth, aren't you, arachnid?
 * Vulture: But that doesn't matter anymore. Because I'm better now... I'm stronger than you could possibly imagine.
 * Vulture: My new suit comes with several upgrades. Plus, I myself have received quite the incredible new ability thanks to some experiments I performed on myself after I escaped prison...
 * Peter (narration): Claws? since when does Vulture have claws?! Plus, his wings were always attached to his arms and it made him move clunky. But now he can move around all he wants without worrying the edge of his wings'll clip the side of a wall! I guess the jets on his back could make it hard for him to walk around tight spaces but they looked retractable... Crap, Mary Jane was right when she said my bad guys just keep getting better...
 * Vulture: You won't be able to outrun me forever, Spider-Man! In fact...
 * Peter: Ow... Jesus, oh god... Healing factor, don't fail me now...!
 * Vulture: I must say, I'm impressed, Spider-Man. The last person who took a point-blank blast from my sonic scream completely exploded from its power!
 * Peter (narration): That's what happened to that guy?!
 * Vulture: Although your superhuman durability seems to have protected you from my scream, I doubt that your eardrums would be able to withstand a few more blasts. Though maybe it'd do you some good! Think about it, you could be the world's first deaf superhero!
 * Peter: Wait!
 * Vulture: ...?
 * Peter: The... the deaf superhero role... is filled... because... Hawkeye exists...
 * Peter: Agh!
 * Peter (narration): That fall hurt my back something bad... Plus the damage already done to my ears is throwing my balance off... There's no way I'd be able to beat him in the state I am now! As much as I hate to say it... I'll have to take the way of the coward and run away!
 * Jameson: Welcome one and all to the grand return of Just the Facts, with J. Jonah J. For those who are unaware, CEO of Bestman, Inc., John Bestman, has been murdered. At this point, I'm almost positive you know what I'm about to say: Spider-Man!
 * May: Oh, how is it him this time...?
 * Jameson: Spider-Man has clearly driven some villain so insane that they decided to take it out on a poor innocent man! He's done it before! Half of the villains in Ravencroft and Ryker's site Spider-Man as the reason they started their careers! And, yes, I know what you're thinking: Eggs, milk, cauliflower, cheese... wait... this is somebody's grocery list, not my script! How the hell did this crap get mixed in here!? Lloyd! You're fired! No, I don't care it's not your fault, somebody has to get fired over this!
 * May: Who is it?
 * May: Spider-Man? What happened to you...? Poor thing, are you okay?
 * Peter: Aunt May...
 * May: Wha...?
 * Peter: Please help...
 * May: Peter?!