The next morning.
Ben walked out of his room, looking down at his outdated phone.
There was a text from Harry.
It said the funds had been transferred and all the other paperwork was handled.
"Harry works fast."
Thank goodness for a trust fund kid like Harry. Even if Ben had the money, starting a company wouldn't be easy, with age being the biggest hurdle. But now, with Harry's money and connections, it was all sorted.
They'd agreed to meet after school today at a Williamsburg bank to open a business account.
They also needed to go to the tax office and the state government.
Ben was practically itching to go. He'd considered skipping school and going in the morning, but Harry had other things to handle.
As he walked downstairs, another door opened behind him.
Peter hopped down the steps while pulling on his jacket, looking rushed.
"Want to come to Oscorp with me today, Ben?" Peter asked.
"Why Oscorp?"
Hearing the question, Peter glanced toward the kitchen, where Aunt May was still making breakfast, and lowered his voice.
"That Lizard Man from last night might show up again. Dr. Connors is an expert in reptiles. I thought he might be able to analyze its habits or find a weakness."
Peter still hadn't connected the dots that Connors was the Lizard.
"No, I've got other plans," Ben said.
Peter's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Other plans?"
"Since when did you get so busy?" he asked, puzzled. "You used to come straight home after school. I never saw you do anything else. Are you hiding something from me?"
"Mind your own business, little cousin." Ben plopped down at the dining table.
"Morning, boys." Uncle Ben looked up from his newspaper. "The world's sure getting crazy, huh? Even lizard monsters are showing up now."
"What? Uncle Ben, how do you know about the Lizard Man?" Peter was startled.
"The paper." Uncle Ben spread the newspaper out for them to see.
MASKED SPIDER-MENACE BATTLES LIZARD MONSTER ON WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE!
"Menace?!" Peter exclaimed, outraged. "He was... Spider-Man was saving people! How can they report on him like that?"
Ben glanced at the paper.
"The Daily Bugle. Say no more."
He wasn't surprised at all by the Bugle's stance on Spider-Man.
J. Jonah Jameson, the 1.5 generation Spider-Man himself, had a notorious hate-boner for the web-slinger.
Ben could practically hear Jameson's manic laugh in his head.
"He's talking about that spider-freak. Why are you so upset?" Uncle Ben looked up, confused.
"I, well, it's just..." Peter stammered, struggling to find an excuse. "I just think he was doing a good thing. Like you always say, if you have the power to help, you should."
"That's true enough, but how much do you really know about him?" Uncle Ben countered.
"I..."
The feeling of being misunderstood and vilified after trying to help people was hard to swallow.
Especially since Peter couldn't reveal his identity. He was defenseless.
Seeing his distress, Ben felt bad for him and quickly interjected.
"Well, at least the reviews on YouTube are pretty good."
It was true.
News of the masked figure fighting a lizard monster on the Williamsburg Bridge was everywhere.
The blurry videos on YouTube had racked up tons of likes.
Even though it was Peter's first night out, his act of saving the cars from plunging into the East River had already earned him a number of fans.
Currently, Iron Man was the only publicly known superhero. Spider-Man's appearance quickly filled a void.
"I'm sure time will prove Spider-Man right. Don't you think, Peter?"
"You're right!"
Peter was easy to please. Hearing Ben's words, he immediately cheered up and sat down to join them for breakfast.
After breakfast, Ben and Peter got ready for school.
"Aren't you going to work, Uncle Ben?" Ben asked.
Uncle Ben was usually at work by this time, but today he was still home reading the paper.
Uncle Ben's expression was slightly strained.
"No, I... I have the morning off. Do you need a ride to school?"
"We're good," Ben and Peter both shook their heads.
Once the two boys were out the door, Uncle Ben let out a weary sigh. He looked at his wife, looking utterly drained. "I just don't know how to tell them I got laid off."
"I've been a technician for thirty-five years... but they said they had to cut costs, improve profits..."
He'd been sitting at the table with the paper, secretly hoping to find some job listings.
"Don't worry, Ben," May comforted him. "We've gotten through tougher times than this. We'll be fine."
"But the boys... they need to go to college," Ben said.
If Peter and Ben were poor students, it would be one thing. But one was a genius and the other worked hard. They deserved the chance.
"They need that opportunity. I can't let money be the reason they lose it."
May walked over and hugged him.
"You'll find something."
Outside the house.
Ben and Peter stood in silence.
"I had no idea. I mean... he never tells us anything," Peter said, his words tumbling out.
"Uncle Ben just doesn't want us to worry. He doesn't want us to miss our chance to change our lives," Ben said.
They walked together toward the bus stop.
Along the way, Peter said solemnly, "Ben, we have to find a way to help. We're not kids anymore."
"You're right, Peter." Ben nodded, an idea forming. "I actually have a money-making idea that might be perfect for you."
"What is it?"
"Remember the Daily Bugle?"
Peter nodded, confused. "They write hit pieces about me—I mean, Spider-Man. But I'm sure they'll change their tune eventually."
Jameson would never stop slandering Spider-Man unless the hero disappeared entirely, Ben thought.
"Actually, they're paying for photos of Spider-Man. The videos on YouTube are too blurry."
"Yeah!" Peter's eyes lit up. "You're right! I have a camera, and I know exactly where to find Spider-Man!"
Who could say that Peter Parker selling photos of Spider-Man wasn't the original form of a content farm?
/-\
~ PLEASE! don't forget to leave a REVIEW!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally.)
/-\
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter