The Human Torch zipped through the corridors of Starbase Four like a flaming comet, to the admiration of all he passed. Unlike his fellows in the Fantastic Four, he enjoyed the limelight every chance he got. Still, when his combadge chirped and Reed summoned him back to Four Freedoms Plaza, he was excited at the prospect of some action.

“Hot damn! It’s Reed on the official FF channel! It’s about time I had a little action! Gangway, world—here comes the Torch!”

It didn’t take him long to come barreling into Reed’s laboratory. Reed turned without surprise to regard his visitor.

“Here I am, bossman! No applause, please—it embarrasses me! I see I got here ahead of Ben and Sue—as usual!”

“They’re not coming, Johnny!” Reed began. “They’re busy working on a detailed report of our Molecule Man case!” He stood at last and crossed the room to some of his equipment. “As for me, I’m in the middle of some new experimentation—trying to find a way to improve Alicia’s eyes so that she no longer needs her V.I.S.O.R.! I just can’t stop now.”

Alicia Masters was a friend of the Fantastic Four, after she betrayed her father, the nefarious Puppet Master, to help them. She had an ambiguously romantic relationship with Ben Grimm.

Reed continued, “So you’re the only one left to handle the little task which I have for you! That is, if your gaggle of girlfriends can spare you long enough!”

“Set your mind at ease, big man! Whatever your caper is, I’ll still wrap it up in time to date some lucky chick tonight!”

At that point, Reed donned some kind of apparatus on his head which looked roughly like a crash helmet, but less inspiring. “Okay, Romeo...while you’re fighting your inferiority complex, I’ll fill you in on your mission...but I’ve got to warn you, little bashful buddy, it may be tougher than you think! I just learned that The Sandman has broken out of jail—and that spells trouble, no matter how you read it!”

Johnny snapped his fingers when he recognized the name. “The Sandman! Flamin’ fireballs! Isn’t he the joker who almost fought Spider-Man to a standstill a few months back?”

“Go to the head of the class, pal!”

“From what I’ve heard of The Sandman, he’s a real tough customer! The molecules of his body had kinda turned to sand, and he was able to change them into a zillion forms! In fact, he nearly walloped the crap out of that swell-headed Spider-Man in their first battle, as I remember!”

“You’re right, Johnny! But then, at the last minute, Spider-Man was bailed out by the Enterprise’s security team, who neutralized Sandman with their phasers! Then, while he was still incapacitated, he was hustled off to prison, where it was hoped he would remain!”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that Spider-Man didn’t beat him all by himself! That costumed clown really bugs me! Anyway, what happened next?”

Reed took the helmet off and went for a padd on his workbench. “Just what we might have expected! I received this message from Starfleet Security just a few minutes ago...Sandman bided his time in prison, waiting for the right moment, and then—he laid a trap for the guards by clinging to the walls of his cell as such a thin film that it appeared he was gone. They shut down the force-field and stepped inside, and then he knocked them out and made his getaway.”

“Okay, you don’t have to spell it out! Now you want me to bring him in, right?”

“Not exactly, little friend! I want you to find Spider-Man! After all, he’s had more experience against The Sandman!”

Johnny immediately became incensed. He flamed on and took to the air in a posture which said that he was ready to fight.

“Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?!” he raged. “Since when does the Human Torch act as a messenger boy for that dim-witted, blister-brained Spider-Man?!”

But Reed was nonplussed. “Since right now, fella! I still give the orders in our combo, and don’t you forget it! Now get going, and skip the temper tantrum! I’m not impressed!”



Johnny departed the room with a sour expression, and Reed watched him go, musing for a moment on the problems of youth.

I hate to talk to Johnny that way, but like any normal teenager, he needs a dressing-down once in a while!



Johnny tore through the corridors, thinking. He cut over from Four Freedoms Plaza to the Starbase, all the while wondering just how he was supposed to contact a so-called superhero who regularly appeared on the Starship Enterprise...which could have been anywhere!

“Of all the crappy luck! A guy finally comes along who looks like a real good opponent for me, and I’m supposed to hand ‘im over to Spider-Man on a silver platter!!”

Well, suppose I can’t find Spider-Man?! How do I know where he hangs out?! He sure as hell isn’t listed in the Federation database! The Enterprise is probably hundreds of light-years away right now, so I guess I’d better hop on a shuttle and--

--wait just a minute there! Why don’t I just look up where The Sandman was last spotted, and go there? I might be able to find the Enterprise with a little pluck, but hey, even then, there’s no guarantee that Spider-Man’ll show himself. If I can find The Sandman, maybe I can succeed where Spider-Man failed and take him down all by myself! That’ll burn him up good!




Aboard the Enterprise, it was Peter Parker’s late day. Not that it mattered much, because he remained busy in spite of his apparent reprieve. There was a message on his computer console from Admiral Jameson, and it absolutely scathed.

“Parker, if you’re reading this, no doubt you’re sitting alone in your quarters doing nothing at all productive. I’ve got news for you! Spider-Man has angered me for the last time. If you don’t get out there and get some decent shots of him doing something--anything--you’re going to get knocked down to Cadet so fast your commbadge will spin! Get moving, pronto!”

But Peter Parker didn’t care one bit about Jameson’s attitude. His shenanigans were meaningless, because the last time they’d encountered one another, Peter had done something truly marvelous. When he finished reading it, he deliberately brushed off his apprehension and bounced around the room, employing his spider-powers to their full effect.

“WAH-HOOOO!!! Look out, world! I’m comin’ through! I’m spider-fast—spider-strong—large as life and handsome, too! And best of all, I really rate-- ‘cause don’t you know I’ve got a date--an honest to God grade-A date--with the one, the only--Betty Brant!”

I still can’t believe it! Me, the guy they voted most likely to sit home alone on Saturday nights—I’m taking Betty Brant to dinner!

I’d just fought The Vulture in the Bugle offices, and beat him despite my sprained arm. I must’ve still been punchy from the fight—because I was brave enough to actually flirt with Betty—and it sorta seemed as if she liked it! I figured I’d say something before I lost my nerve, so--

He remembered sitting on the floor beside Betty’s desk, where she’d hidden during the battle.

“Ah, Betty, ah—I was thinking--”

“Yes, Peter?”

“Maybe this Friday we could maybe, ah, have dinner together?”

“I’d like that, Peter. I’d like that a lot.”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Oh, Peter--You’re such a kidder!”

I guess she couldn’t tell how nervous I was—going toe-to-toe with Doc Ock would’ve been easier than asking her out.

He had strode out of the Bugle offices and tossed away his sling with impunity. “Ha! I don’t need this anymore! The way I feel, I could do handsprings on the Empire State Building! In fact, I think I’ll call it up in the holodeck once I’m back on the ship!”

And he almost did, but then the news caught up with The Sandman...




“...and you have no idea how to contact him?” Johnny asked Captain Picard.

“No, we do not. And quite frankly, I prefer it that way. I’d like it if he’d turn himself in, instead of cavorting about my vessel with his juvenile antics.”

“Right, sure, whatever. Thanks, Captain. You’ve been a big help!”

Johnny severed the connection and leaned back in his chair, wondering what Reed might say about this particular turn of events. Then he decided he had to act.

After hours of relentlessly scouring the Federation database and local star charts, Johnny Storm was able to figure out The Sandman’s last known whereabouts. Apparently he’d remained close to where he’d been imprisoned—the Alpha Centauri penal colony. Johnny landed his shuttlecraft and proceeded with his flame powers. He wanted to face Sandman man-to-man, just like Spider-Man did.

Before long, he spotted him crossing a bridge, plain as day. Johnny flew in low from behind him.

“Well, looky here! The Sandman, strolling across the Alpha Centauri Bridge! Big as life and twice as clumsy! He wasn’t hard to find! Looks like every patrol shuttle in town is zeroed in on him! My conscience is clear! I couldn’t find Spider-Man, so it looks like it’s up to Susie’s kid brother himself now!” He dropped until he was flying right alongside Sandman. “Okay, Sandman, the party’s over! Give up now and save yourself a lot of flaming fireworks!”

Sandman was, at first, alarmed to see this newcomer. “The Human Torch!” he exclaimed. But then he calmed down and played up his confidence. “Beat it, Junior! I don’t waste time fightin’ kids! The Spider-Man’s the guy I’m after—and until I find him, no flamin’ fathead is gettin’ a rise out of me!” He turned away and started to climb over the side of the bridge. “You may scare the bejesus out of small-time punks and juvenile delinquents, but you’re out of your league this time! This is The Sandman, sonny-boy! And don’t you forget it!”

“Wait! Come back! Don’t jump! For cryin’ out loud--!”

But Sandman couldn’t hear him. “See you in the funny papers, Shorty!” He took a leap off the bridge and dropped toward the water below.

Within seconds, The Sandman was completely out of sight, and the angrily frustrated Human Torch scanned the river below, seeking a trace of him.

“He’s gone!” a dumbfounded security officer exclaimed, looking over the edge while his partner stood by and scratched his head.

The Torch made a fist, and took off, flying all around the bridge in a fit of restlessness. “He tried to make a laughingstock out of me! Acted as though I wasn’t important enough to waste time fighting! The loud-mouthed creep!”

The two security men contacted their chief. “Where did he go?” she asked them.

“No idea, sir,” one of them replied.

“Now look, I’m not letting Sandman walk free while he’s on my patch. Got it? We need to nail that bastard, and there aren’t a whole lot of ways I can think of to go about doing it that won’t end up killing him. Phasers on a slightly higher setting than stun have worked in the past, according to the Enterprise’s records. Set yours to a wide beam and be prepared for him if he turns up again.”

“What about a...I dunno, sir...a tractor beam? Could we snag him in one of those?”

“It’s worth considering. Look, I’ll get in touch with all the patrol shuttles and have them set up a dragnet. We’ll catch him one way or another. Oh—I hear the Human Torch has joined the festivities?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“We’re very lucky. He’d better step up his game and get this guy.”




As the minutes ticked by, all returned to normal on the bridge. No trace of The Sandman was seen in the water below, and the security men soon returned to their normal duties, albeit with a keen eye open for the new threat to their city. As for the Torch...

“He’s too ornery to drown! He probably just turned to sand and drifted away somewhere! But I’ll get him yet!”




But it seemed that the first round was unquestionably The Sandman’s, for he had not fallen into the water below. Instead, unseen by all of his startled pursuers, he had merely oozed onto the underside of the bridge, where he remained until the coast was clear.

“Guess it’s safe for me to leave here now, although I’m just beginnin’ to get comfortable! Good thing I can make my particles of sand cling to almost any surface! Yes, sir! Getting caught in that atomic blast was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me! A guy with a sandy body can do just about anything--and a million Human Torches can’t stop me!”




Peter couldn’t believe it when he read the latest dispatch about The Sandman. And me, all the way out here, helpless to do anything about it! There was literally no option for him, short of asking for leave, and he had a feeling he knew how that would go over. What could he say? That his aunt was sick? Oh, sure, Captain Picard might buy it, but for how long? What if he ever spoke to her, what would she have to say about this supposed bout of illness?

Peter got up from his chair and paced about his room, nervous as ever and in need of something to take his frustration out on. A punching bag or a project, anything...

Before long, he found himself on the holodeck. “Computer, let’s try to make The Sandman...”

After painstakingly recreating every facet of The Sandman’s appearance and power set that he could recall, he set the facsimile into motion. “Computer—have the construct attack me.”

The hologram before him lurched forward with uncertainty. It formed a hammer out of one fist and swung down at his head, and he effortlessly sidestepped. It then drew itself inward and upward and turned to follow him as he moved, and it slowly groped for him, but he was disappointed with it.

“This is no good!” He clenched his fingers in his hair in frustration and tried something else. “Computer, load boxing and wrestling engrams for this hologram.”

“There are--”

“I know, I know, there are like a hundred thousand different styles to choose from, so--”

“Incorrect. There are--”

“Shut up now, computer. Load any random fighting style, as well as artistic engrams so that it knows how to use its powers creatively.”

And then Peter thought of all the people who would be fighting The Sandman without him, and added, “Also—disable safety protocols.”

“Disabling--”

“I know! It’s dangerous. Just do it, okay?”

Before long, he was engaged in a battle with Sandman on a replica city street. He clung to the side of a building, and a giant fist stretched and swung in his direction. Peter sprang off the wall over the fist and shot a webline toward Sandman’s face. To his dismay, Sandman caught it and tugged, pulling him in. Sandman’s other hand became a giant block of bricks. There was nothing Peter could do. He took a crushing blow and dropped to the ground, where he was hammered again, and again, and again! Four punches later, he lay unmoving and broken on the ground, and as Sandman loomed over him, ready to deliver the coup de grace, Peter spoke up and said “Computer, for the love of all that’s good and decent in the universe, freeze program!”

Sandman’s form was stuck in mid-step, a sneer on his face as he drew back his mighty fist to punch again. Peter was woozy. He partially regretted his decision, but another part of him felt that he had suffered enough.

He had obviously not, however, because the return to his quarters was an agonizing one, as he crawled through the Jeffries Tubes frantically—it would have been too much to just change out of his costume and let people see him battered and bruised.

Ooh! Owtch! Ow! My ribs are on fire, my body aches, and I can barely walk! All I want to do is to get home and to crawl into bed! I wonder...do Thor and Giant-Man ever have days like this—or is it just me?

He got back to his quarters and changed.

Ow! Owtch! Ooh! I’m nothing but one continuous bruise with a head on top! I can barely stand to put my shirt on! Good thing my face wasn’t marked up, or I’d have no chance of doing my duty without a superior officer noticing!

Later that day, he received a comm from his Aunt May. Guess I’ve gotta take it. I don’t want her to see me like this, but what can I do?

“Peter! You’re white as a ghost!” Aunt May gasped, with her hand to her mouth. “And the way that you’re slouched in that chair—what’s wrong? Have you hurt yourself?”

“It’s nothing, Aunt May—I just, ah, overextended myself at volleyball...”

“Peter—I wish you wouldn’t take part in these dangerous sports! You know how delicate you are, and if anything happened to you--”

I hate lying to her—I just hate it! But the truth—that might hurt her even more...



And, soon...

“You’ll see! Spidey’ll come out swingin’, and he’ll turn that dick Sandman into kitty litter! Don’t count him out yet!” Flash Thompson was rousing a couple friends into support for Spider-Man, but they were all distracted as soon as Peter Parker made the scene. He was just trying to get by them to the science lab, but...

“Hey, here comes Parker!” one of the rabble pointed out. “Betcha he hasn’t even heard!”

“You never know, Charlie,” said Tiny, the biggest of the bunch. “Hey, Pete—we were just talkin’ about whether Spider-Man is washed up, or if he’ll make a comeback and beat The Sandman. What do you think?”

Peter walked by in a haze, barely noticing any of them.

“Geez, Tiny,” Jason criticized, “when did you get so friendly with Parker? He isn’t even listening—he’s lost in a fog like always. Besides--” Jason moved forward to shove Peter, “--Parker wouldn’t know anything about fighting unless it was written in a book! See?”

“Uh? Jason?” Peter was genuinely caught competely off-guard, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

“Parker!”

“Peter!”

“Hey!”
The reactions were varied, but everyone was generally concerned. Jason was getting a thorough browbeating from one of the girls present. “Jason Ionello, you...!”

“Well, whaddaya know?” Flash commented as he crouched over Peter along with Tiny.

“What? What?” Jason defended himself in the background. “I barely touched him!”

“Save it, Flash,” Tiny said. “This doesn’t look good. Peter?”




Soon, in sickbay...

Ow, my head! I hope I don’t have a concussion or anything! I can’t belive I humiliated myself like that! The kids must all think I’m a complete wimp--but I can’t let on about the truth, even if they’d believe it. “No, honest, guys—I was brutally beaten by The Sandman!” Yeah, right.

Doctor Crusher approached him now, and she wasn’t alone. Wesley stood by her side, looking as concerned as ever.

“Well, Mister Parker--”

“Pete, you okay?”

She flashed her son a warning look, and he looked immediately chagrined.

“It looks as if you’ve been in a very bad fight! There’s no way you could have gotten that many bruises just from being pushed into the bulkhead. If you’d like to be excused from duty for the rest of the day, I can contact your C.O. Explaining your condition...”

“What?” Peter sat bolt upright and physically pushed away on the bed. “No! I don’t need a note! I don’t need to go home!” He jumped off the biobed and bolted for the door. “Thanks, Doctor Crusher--but I’ll be fine! And please, please--don’t tell anyone! I’ll be okay, really!”

The Crushers were taken off-guard by his sudden outburst and his bizarre behavior, but they chose not to react.




If I didn’t know he was all alone on this ship aside from Wesley, I’d suspect—but no. The Doctor thought as she watched him leave. He obviously doesn’t want to get a reputation as a roughneck, a studious boy like him. And who am I to go against that--?



Peter, hands thrust in his pockets, trudged down the corridors toward the science lab. Doc Connors wouldn’t be there—he was still recovering from his bout as The Lizard—but there was a Lieutenant covering for him, which meant there would be duties to perform. Peter didn’t care, though. He was lost in thought. Right now, I couldn’t become Spider-Man if I had to—I’m almost too weak to walk, let alone web-sling! But even when I’m recovered...can I face The Sandman again, knowing how much he can hurt me? Will the fear of being hurt again slow me down—cost me that edge I need to survive? Or is it worse than that? Now that I’ve been injured like this, am I just gun-shy—have I become a coward?

Betty Brant saw him on her way to the bridge, and she stopped to make chit-chat. “Hi, Peter! Are we still on for tonight?”

Peter didn’t even look up. “Why? You want to cancel out?”

“What? No--I’m looking forward to it! I was just making conver—Peter! You look terrible! Are you alright?”

“I’m just dandy, Betty! I don’t have a care in the world! I just joined the Starfleet Academy wrestling team, and I’m having my biography professionally converted into a holonovel! Okay?!”
“I—you seem so bitter, so depressed--I don’t know why—but if there’s anything I can do--!”

“Thanks for the offer, Betty—but I don’t know if there’s anything anyone can do. This may just be the all-new, all-different life-of-the-party Peter Parker, that’s all...”




The Sandman strolled through the streets of Alpha Centauri, for all the world like a man who was totally unconcerned with being recognized. Then, on a viewscreen at the center of town, he saw Spider-Man atop a building.

“Sandman, this is the Spider-Man calling! Wherever you are, I dare you to show yourself, you sniveling coward! You may be able to lord it over the Human Torch, but this is Spider-Man talking! I almost beat you once, and I’ll make sure to do it this time! The entire building has been cleared, Sandman! If you really aren’t afraid to face me again, this is your chance! I dare you!”

“Spider-Man!” Sandman exclaimed. He clenched his fists and held them up is abject anger. “So! He wants a fight to the finish, does he?! Well, he’s gonna get it! And this time it’ll be his finish!”




No matter where Sandman is, he’s bound to learn of my challenge through the Federation News Service! Thought the figure at the top of the skyscraper. So I’ll just sit here and wait for him!



Sandman clung to the side of the building and shimmied up it until he could see his target, a red-and-blue target waiting to be squashed.

There he is...like a sitting duck! If I can catch him unawares, our fight will be over before he knows what happened!

He got to the top and stood right behind his target, still completely unnoticed. He couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t question it either. I’ll just form the sand molecules of my hands into a concentrated, oversized, rock-hard fist, and then...that blamed “spider-sense” of his must be asleep at the switch! Sandman had been standing there, readying himself for a long time, and he’d evoked nothing at all.

WHAM!

He swung with all his might, and Spider-Man went flying right off the top of the building into freefall. “So long, sucker! Even Spider-Man can’t survive a fall from this height!” Sandman wasn’t quite sure how he knew that, but he wanted to believe it. Even still...



Staggered, on the brink of unconsciousness, the costumed figure seemed to be plunging madly toward his doom as he strove desperately to clear his head...and then, just before the impact...

Got to snap out of it! Got to take action before I hit the ground! Now! Now’s the time!

“FLAME ON!”

The Spider-Man costume burst into flame, dissolving into ashes, as the fiery, blazing figure of the Human Torch was revealed, swooping skyward again.

“Well, bright boy, looks like my imitation Spider-Man costume fooled you! You never guessed that it was me under it!” The Torch taunted when he got back to the rooftop.

“The Torch! Sonny, you’re the one who made the big mistake! Spider-Man might have had a chance against me! But you...!! This is gonna be the last time you butt that flaming nose of yours into anything again! And if you think I’m kidding, follow me!” With that, he dove into an open turbolift shaft.

Several Starfleet security officers with phaser rifles beamed in to take advantage of the Torch’s convenient ambush, but they were too late. Only the Torch could follow where the Sandman led.




“All I’ve got to do is re-form my sand molecules into separate particles and drift down this shaft like a feather! Then, I’ll just put myself back together again when I land! I’ve got to keep the chase up long enough for the Torch’s flame to grow weak, and then...BAM!”

Sandman touched down atop the turbolift car, and he looked up. Here he comes again, just as I planned!

“Okay, hothead, let’s see you follow me through this air duct!!”

“There’s no place you can go that I can’t follow, loudmouth!”

I know it, you lame-brained squirt! If you weren’t such an excitable teenager, you might have stopped to figure out what I’m up to! But you’re too dumb! He’ll be melting through that grating any minute...and his flame should be weakened enough by now for me to handle him! I’ll be he clean forgot that sand doesn’t burn!

The Torch tried to melt through the grate that stood between them, but Federation metals were much too strong. So, after a lot of work, he ended up removing it. “Okay, Sandman! This is the showdown!”

“You don’t know the half of it, shorty!” Sandman lurched at him, and the Torch was out of the way in a flash, so that Sandman struck the wall with a splat.

“Too bad your lumpy body can’t move as fast as your big mouth, pal!” Johnny laughed. But inside, he was worried. I’d better think of something soon...my flame’s starting to weaken! Hey! What an idiot I am! That’s probably his plan...to lead me on a wild goose chase till flame dies down!

“Come on, Torch...use up some more flame on me...let’s see what happens!” Sandman confirmed stupidly. “Attaboy! Waste a whole wall of fire! Now watch me walk like through it, lamebrain! You forgot that sand doesn’t burn! But now I’ve got you just where I want you!...as you’re gonna find out right now! Computer—emergency! Activate fire suppression system!”

“Damn it!” The Torch recoiled. “I forgot! These big buildings are equipped with automatic fire suppression systems! He made me use up enough of my flame that I’m susceptible to them!”

There was nothing visible. No water, no foam. But the Torch was battered by an unseen force that tamped down his flame until it was barely visible, and his legs were uncovered except by his Fantastic Four uniform.

“Computer, override fire suppression system and deactivate, by command of Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four! Override code F-F-4-J-S!”

The system stopped working, but not before Johnny was significantly weakened. He was running away from Sandman as he shut the system off, but Sandman easily kept pace with him.

“Now you’re only half a hotshot, kiddo! And the half that’s still burning is weak enough for me to handle!”
Got to stay away from him! He’ll try to smother the rest of my flame with his sandy body! Lucky I worked on dodging obstacles all those hours on the FF practice field!

Sandman cornered him at the end of a corridor. “Hah! Looks like I win now! Your flame’s too weak to keep fighting, and you’ve no place left to run now!”

“I’m through running, Sandman! Come and get me! I dare you!”

“You nut! I’ll make flaming goulash out of you! I’ll--hey! Wha--?”

“Good! You didn’t notice the firing squad behind you, just like I was hoping!”

“Th-their blasts are disintegrating my sand molecules! I won’t have enough to attack! But I can still reach out and grab you, Torch! And your flame can’t affect the sandy composition of my arm! So the final victory is still mine!”

“Guess again, moron!” The Torch caught his arm and pulled him into the line of fire. “You haven’t got me...I’ve got you! I’ve just enough flame power left to drag your whole body closer to their phaser rifles!”

“This won’t help you, brat! If I’m in the line of fire, so are you! You’re just as vulnerable to phaser fire as me!”

“You nude beach, I won’t need to stay in the line of fire to handle you now! Just watch...”

The Sandman lost more and more of his mass as he was hammered with phaser fire, and then they both heard a voice over one of the security officers’ badges.

“Okay, I’ve got a lock!”

Sandman thought about the implications for a hot second, and then he screamed. “NO! NOOOO!!!”

He was beamed away by a transporter. All they needed was a lock, and they were able to get it thanks to line of sight and keeping him in one place.

“Torch! You did it!” one of the officers exclaimed. “You stopped The Sandman right in his tracks! We didn’t think you could handle it by yourself!”

“Well, I wasn’t alone. You guys did a fine mop-up there at the end!”

“Glad to be able to help. This time Sandman’ll be put away somewhere where he can’t escape!”

“I’m betting that he won’t want to escape again! Not when he knows the Human Torch will be waiting!”




The door chime sounded in Betty’s quarters. She opened up, and there was Peter Parker with a dozen roses and a dour expression on his face.

“Hi, Betty. These are for you. Ready to go?”

They were probably replicated, but she didn’t care. It was the thought that counted.

“Oh, I think so! I made this dress myself—I worked all week on it! What do you think?”

She was stunning, that much was certain. It was green, and it ended above the knees...Peter didn’t know what more he could ask for.

She looks fabulous! But she deserved better than a loser like me!




Soon, in Ten-Forward...

“Earth to Peter Parker! Earth to Peter Parker! Come in, Parker!”

Peter sat, glumly playing with his food, and Betty earnestly tried to get him to lighten up.

“Huh? Oh, sorry, Betty--I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I should hope not! I’ve been telling you all about my adventures as a snake handler for the Klingons during their war with the Romulans--and you didn’t so much as bat an eye! You’ve been glum and incommunicative all day--and I want to know why!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Betty, but I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe I’m just not the man you thought I was...”

“Hold it right there, Peter. You don’t have to tell me what’s going on—but maybe I can help anyway. I...knew someone once who was facing a pretty tough situation—and he gave up on himself, because he thought that everyone else had—that nobody believed in him. I don’t know you that well yet...but I do know that you’re stronger than you think you are. And maybe the question that you should be asking yourself isn’t whether or not you’re the man you think I think you are—but whether or not you’re the man you want yourself to be.”

“You...you’re right, Betty. I’ve been wallowing in self-doubt, but I’m not helping anyone by doing that—least of all myself.” He stood to leave. “I’ve got something to do, but I hope I’ll be seeing you again soon. And, Betty...thank you.”

Betty sat, dumbfounded, and wondered what the hell was actually happening. Peter Parker asked her out to dinner, and now he was rushing off after a short, quiet date.

Guinan appeared at their table before Betty could rush out of sight, embarrassed as she was. Of course, no one was privy to their conversation, but she was still self-conscious. In the dress that she’d painstakingly made, eating alone in Ten-Forward. People would ask questions.

“He’s a nice boy,” Guinan assured her.

“I don’t understand why he had to run off like that! I want to help him, to be there for him, but he seems like he’s a million light-years away and there’s nothing I can say to get through.”

“I find that what usually works is when you leave somebody alone for a little bit,” Guinan explained. “I talked to him when he first came on board, and he told me about something that happened to him. It was pretty bad. So he’s gonna need some time to get over it. If you give him that, I promise he’ll come around.”

“I hope you’re right, Guinan.”

“I’m not often wrong,” she conceded, conceited. “And neither are you. In case you think you’ve done something wrong—you haven’t. Peter Parker has some secrets, but deep down, he’s a nice boy. Trust him and be patient, but don’t hang your life on him.”

“Thanks, Guinan.”

“No problem, sweetie.”




Minutes later...

I hope Betty’s not too mad at me for walking out on her like that—but if I’m going to win back my self-respect, I’ve got to start now! I’ll make it up to her—if I live that long! Meanwhile, this holographic recreation of Alpha Centauri will enable me to practice against The Sandman again, and this time, I intend to win! The real Sandman might be the Human Torch’s to fight for the time being, but I don’t plan to sit on the sidelines forever! Maybe after this, I’ll see if Captain Picard will let me borrow a shuttlecraft...yeah, right! I’ll have to come up with something a little better than that!

Bingo!

He spotted The Sandman on a rooftop and swung down to meet him. “Hey, Sandman! Nice night for going to jail, don’t you think?”

The startled Sandman turned around in surprise and formed a giant block with his fist, then pushed Spider-Man right through a wall. The safeties were still disabled, so it was no glancing blow.

Rolled with the punch to get him inside, in an enclosed space! Looks like my strategy’s working! Now all I’ve got to do is stay alive long enough to figure out a way to capture him!

He bounced away from continued attacks, along the open floor of the room he’d been bashed into. He was at as much of a disadvantage as Sandman in an enclosed space, if only because it greatly reduced the amount of room he had to maneuver away from attacks. He was far more vulnerable when he was hit.

This is really stupid! He’s attacking all-out--and I’m only staying out of his way by inches! Unless I think of something fast—I’m dead meat! Spider-Man stopped and clung to a wall. This is a hologram. It has no idea how scared I am! He finally noticed where they were, and he pressed a button on the wall. Maybe I can use this...

He jumped off the wall and over Sandman’s hands, both of which had become hard and flat and had slammed together in an effort to make a spider-pancake. Then he curled up into a ball and bounced off Sandman’s back, making a splash in Sandman’s molecules. When he landed once again, he made sure it was by another button, which he promptly pushed. The Sandman kept after him, but soon, he was unable to take another step. Spider-Man had activated a powerful turbine situated in the room, and it sucked in Sandman without remorse. Spider-Man’s spider-sense went on full alert, and he got clear of the building just before a gigantic explosion scattered Sandman’s body over a vast radius. He hung upside-down from a nearby tree and surveyed the wreckage.

Wow. I was just hoping it’d pull him apart long enough so I could trap him in something—but instead it blasted him clear through the wall and dissipated him across the city! He’s been spread from here to the suburbs!

Doesn’t matter, anyway. It wasn’t the real Sandman, and yet again, I had to cheat to take him down. I don’t understand why my life always works out that way. The Parker luck sets up the nasty situation, and then hands me an out that amounts to little more than deus ex machina. Anything to maintain the status quo, I guess.

I wonder if Q is still watching me...if he’s still hoping that I’ll aspire to be greater than I am.

Just then, the landscape inside the holodeck changed, and Peter found himself on the bridge of the ship. The viewscreen flickered. The helmsman was slumped over his post, presumably dead, and weapons fire battered them so that they rocked and Commander Riker lost his footing.

“We’ve lost atmosphere from decks nine and ten! Phaser banks aren’t responding! Captain, what do we do!”

Belatedly, Peter realized they were asking him.

“Wha—how did I get here? How am I the Captain?”
“We don’t have time for you to question it,” Riker snapped, holding onto the railing as another blast rocked the ship. “Give orders or I’ll have to relieve you of duty!”
“No, don’t--!” Why do I care? I don’t know what orders to give and he probably does!

Stubborn pride nagged at Peter, though, and he tried to get a feel for the situation.

“Warp drive?”

“Warp drive is disabled,” Data reported.

“Um, why are we under attack?”

Riker stared at him incredulously, and Worf reported that they had just lost all forward shields.

“Somebody talk, or we’re dead meat!”

His spider-sense buzzed furiously, and this indicated that there was very real danger present. He couldn’t afford to lose a second.

“The Romulans think we stole their cloaking device!” Riker reported.

“Tell them we haven’t!” Peter squealed. “Tell them—tell them--”

“They will not listen,” Worf sneered.

“Wait, where’s—Tasha--Commander Riker, please take over now!”

The bridge dissolved, leaving Peter standing in an empty holodeck.

“Pitiful,” Q announced. “Absolutely dreadful.”

“That was you?!” Peter balked.

“All of it, I’m afraid. Every single actor. Not that it makes any difference. You, my boy, gave up command.”

“Yes, I did. I don’t have the experience to command a starship. I’m not a leader.”

“You are more of a leader than you realize. I suppose you didn’t know that, but it’s true. The first of your kind to take on the great power that you have, and you’re always rushing out to meet the ‘bad guys’ face-to-face. Yet this is how you react when real influence comes your way. When it’s time to make the big decisions, you hand them over to someone else. I’m disappointed in you, Peter.”

“What if I don’t care? What if it’s not up to you what I do with my powers?”

Q transformed in a blinding flash, and soon it was Uncle Ben who stood in front of Peter. “I’m disappointed in you too, Peter.”

Now Peter seethed between anguish and anger. “Uncle Ben...? You’re n-not here, you can’t be!”

“Petey, it’s time to grow up. Those stacks of wheatcakes will really just make you fat. Gotta get back on track and start eating right, exercising...and taking down Sandmen.”

“You couldn’t be Uncle Ben! I...I’m doing all I can.”

“Nonsense! I didn’t raise you to be a coward! Now you get out there, and you don’t let one more of these villains walk free! Not while you have the power to stop them! You understand!”

Peter sobbed loudly and fled the room, and Q, in the guise of Uncle Ben, watched him go with a smirk.




Peter got back to his quarters a frightened mess, and he slumped into his computer chair without thinking. Tears streaked down his face. He had to get his mask off and breathe, and try to get the sneering image of Uncle Ben out of his mind. Damn Q! How could he do that to me! Uncle Ben would be more ashamed of this than of my inability to get to Sandman! But I’ve got to see...I’ve got to see where Sandman is, what he’s done. Then, maybe I can steal a shuttlecraft and go after him.

He turned on his computer screen and looked for any information he could find. What he saw was more than a little surprising. Throughout the day, there had been a series of events involving The Sandman, the Human Torch and the Alpha Centauri colony. Apparently, the Torch had tried to find and contact Spider-Man to no avail, and then he’d dressed as Spider-Man to bait Sandman, and finally, with the aid of Starfleet security, he defeated him.

I guess the lesson for today is that even Spider-Man can’t be everywhere. But when I can’t, I have to trust that someone will handle the situation.



The next morning, Betty summoned Peter to the bridge. Jameson was on the screen. He held up a rival newspaper’s latest edition, and his face was beet red. “This proves that wall-crawling weasel is the menace I’ve always said he is—and it’s selling like hotcakes all over the city! You know what it doesn’t do? And don’t say ‘I don’t know’!”

Peter shrugged. “It doesn’t prove anything about the Human Torch or the Sandman?”

“You blasted fool! It doesn’t have ‘The Daily Bugle’ written at the top! It doesn’t have a single photograph by Peter Parker! Are you trying to ruin me?”

“I’m hundreds of light-years away from where all of that happened...”

“And so is Spider-Man. But he still managed not to show up. Couldn’t you have been there?”

“Not really,” Peter said simply.

Poor Jonah, Peter thought. This is the only joy he gets in life! But let him have his fun--I’ve already proved everything I need to prove to the person who really matters--myself!

After a thoroughly pointless dressing-down, the connection was severed and Betty got back to her on-board duties. Peter stayed for a moment to chat with her.

“So, pretty lady—care to let me make good on that raincheck I gave you last night? I’ve got this really good jazz club holodeck program--!”

“I’ll be with you in a sec, Peter. I have to relay this incoming message to Admiral Jameson.”

When she was done, she spun in her chair to face him and folded her hands in her lap, smiling.

“I know it’s short notice, but it is Saturday—so maybe Jolly Jonah can spare you for the evening?”

“I think that can be arranged...”




Johnny Storm returned to Starbase Four a new man. He hadn’t had many solo outings since he had become a member of the Fantastic Four, and he couldn’t wait to tell everyone all about it. He soared through the halls, his flame crackling brilliantly since he’d had time to replenish it on the shuttle ride back. He tore through the entrance to Four Freedoms Plaza...

...and there were Reed and Sue, arms crossed, waiting for him. Ben just reclined on the couch and watched a program on a viewscreen, looking like he really didn’t want to be there.

“What is it? Doc Doom up to his tricks again?”

Sue pointed to a chair. “Sit down.”

Johnny did as he was told.

“What were you thinking?” Reed scolded. “Taking on The Sandman by yourself...you could have been killed! I asked you to find Spider-Man, and you didn’t.”

“I tried!”

“You obviously didn’t try very hard,” Reed insisted.

“Listen, I beat him, didn’t I?!”

“You got lucky,” Sue said. “Can’t you ever think before you act? If it hadn’t been for Starfleet Security, that fire suppression system would have been the end of you!”

“Fine, fine, I learned my lesson. Can I go now?”

“I don’t think you have,” Sue told him sternly.

“You’re going to go and write a report about this incident,” Reed explained. “Just like Ben and Sue did concerning our last expedition. Except you’re going to pay specific attention to what could have gone wrong, and all the ways in which things could have turned south for you. Suppose you’d really been on your own. What would have happened? Suppose you weren’t quick enough. Get going.”

Johnny pushed off his chair with a sigh, and ran off to write his report.

“He’s a good kid, just a bit rough around the edges,” Ben observed, and then he belched loudly.

“He’s just a bit too impulsive sometimes. We’re going to have to put a damper on that any way we can. I’m glad that he’s eager, and that he’s difficult to discourage,” Reed observed. “But when we’re going up against the likes of Doctor Doom, we have to be on our toes mentally as well as physically. Pluck and determination are good, but it takes preparedness to rout his tricks.”




Doctor Doom watched the news reports detailing The Sandman’s capture, and he laughed deep in his throat, a sound that generated a bizarre echo from within his armor.

“So, the flaming pet monkey of Reed Richards has caught The Sandman. How wonderful. Nonetheless, he is nothing compared to the forces of Doctor Doom! Latveria shall rise against the Federation, and when that day comes, none shall stand against me and live! Not the Fantastic Four! Not The Sandman! Not Spider-Man, and not Captain Picard! I have seen what all of them can do, and even now, my people are building massive weapons of war to combat them!”

Deep within his castle in Latverian space, Doom dwelled upon his coming conquest, and in the meantime allowed himself to be forgotten by the unsuspecting Federation populace. When the time was right, he would strike.