I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 76: Parker Press (Patreon)

Harley was taking the whole business venture seriously now. She had never shown much interest in studying, but when it came to running a company, she was suddenly full of energy. She was eager to handle everything, from organizing the shop to finding a printer and making connections.

As the future company's guarantor and the only adult in their group, Quentina naturally got pulled into the discussions about what came next. It didn't take long for her to catch their enthusiasm and start dreaming big, too.

They talked about growing the business into something huge, even surpassing the Daily Bugle someday.

Unfortunately, Peter wasn't around to bring them back down to earth. He had towed Harley's car to Uncle Ben's house and was working on it in the yard. After all, they were all supposed to go fishing together over the weekend.

"Good thing this car's built tough. I should be able to fix it by replacing a few parts..." Peter said after looking it over.

The damage wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared. He'd driven a little too aggressively, but the car hadn't suffered any serious collisions. There was no need for a major overhaul. A few replacement parts, some work on the paint, and it would be good enough. Anything else could wait.

Harley had already ordered bulletproof windows, a reinforced front bumper, and other upgrades. She was only waiting for Peter to install them.

Uncle Ben stood nearby, handing Peter tools. He was the one who had taught Peter to repair cars in the first place, and it was how Ben earned a living now. Still, he worried about his nephew and stayed close in case anything went wrong.

A radio beside them was playing the latest big story. The famous astronaut John Jameson was due to return from his space mission soon. As the son of J. Jonah Jameson, he was naturally getting plenty of coverage in the Daily Bugle. And the attention wasn't undeserved. It had been a dangerous mission, the sort of achievement that would go down in history if completed successfully.

"Maybe someday you'll be fixing rockets instead," Uncle Ben remarked.

"Oh, if I get the chance... You know, Uncle Ben, Oscorp provided technology and support for that rocket. Seriously, they're involved in everything."

"That's how it goes with big corporations," Ben replied.

"Whew. There, that should do it." Peter crawled out from under the car. "The modifications are pretty much finished."

He glanced up at the sky. He'd spent the entire afternoon working, and it was already evening.

"Although... something still seems a little off."

"Something even you can't fix?" Ben asked. "Want me to take a look?"

"No, no. It's nothing serious." Peter climbed into the car and pressed the horn.

The blast was deafening.

Fortunately, they lived far enough from the neighbors that nobody would accuse him of disturbing the peace.

"I'll deal with it tomorrow. By the way, has Aunt May made dinner yet?"

"I imagine it's nearly ready by now."

"Oh, no, I hardly ever get to come home these days. I should be the one cooking! I've learned a whole bunch of new recipes from making meals for my friends."

"Too late, Peter! I had a feeling you'd say that, so I finished cooking already. Come inside and eat!" Aunt May called from the window. "And don't underestimate me. I've learned a few new things myself lately!"

"She certainly has," Ben said, putting an arm around Peter and guiding him toward the house. "She's been practicing just to surprise you."

Then he leaned closer and whispered, "But her Swiss steak hasn't improved a bit. Find some time to teach her, will you?"

"All right. I'll make time."

...

The next day, Peter met up with the others at school. Harley brightened the moment she saw him.

"Peter! We spent all day discussing things yesterday, and we realized something really important."

"What's that?"

"What do you think we should call our company?"

"I'm fine with anything. But the way you're asking makes me think you've already decided."

"Parker!" Harley announced. "We all agreed that you've contributed the most, so we're calling it Parker Press!"

"Uh... okay. I won't object." Peter sighed. These girls really were something else. Oh, well. He might as well let them have their fun.

"Anyway, the paperwork should be approved in a few days. And I've been working on getting us some funding," Harley continued. "A few people think our project has potential and want to invest."

"You actually found investors?" Peter said in surprise. "Wow, Harley. That's impressive."

"Of course! People like Manfredi and Fisk, and the Hardy Foundation. They're willing to give me a little money to try things out. It's not a huge amount, but I think it'll be enough."

Peter was about to point out that those people probably wanted to invest because of her mother, Norma, when he suddenly froze.

"Wait. Who?"

"Um, Manfredi and Fisk. They're famous philanthropists, real estate tycoons, arms dealers... You know them, don't you, Peter?"

Peter covered his face. "Oh, I know them."

He knew them far too well. Silvermane and the Kingpin? Seriously?

What the hell had their tiny company done to attract the attention of those two heavyweights? And what would happen next?

Sometimes knowing too much was a curse.

Hopefully, it was just a casual gesture. From what Harley had said, they weren't putting up any serious money. Maybe they were simply doing Norma a favor.

For all he knew, Norma had some questionable dealings with both of them.

Whatever. Peter was only a high school student. He'd leave that mess to someone else.

He would rather think about the weekend fishing trip and Mary Jane's band's debut performance.

As for Parker Press... once these girls watched their grand plans crash and burn, they'd learn that the real world wasn't so simple.

Still, there had been some good news lately.

Connors had been reinstated, and funding for his laboratory had been restored. Unfortunately, the project's focus had shifted from life-saving medicine to lethal weapons. The military was eager to find a way to mass-produce that enormous lizard monster.

Connors was taking advantage of the renewed funding to work on an antidote and free himself from his terrifying mutation. Peter had also returned the three experimental serum vials he'd taken earlier. He could only hope Connors would make some real progress.

Naturally, Gwen could resume her internship, too. That just left Mary Jane unhappy again.

Then again, when had Mary Jane ever been happy about it?

What sort of band had a drummer who was never around? At this point, getting Gwen to show up for the occasional rehearsal felt like a stroke of luck.

A band needed time together to build chemistry. Mary Jane had already become close friends with the other two girls, and Cindy was practically following her around like a little sister. Gwen, meanwhile, kept appearing and disappearing without warning.

Peter had to report to Otto's lab himself, although he wasn't sure whether that was good news or bad.

Since Peter and Gwen were both spending their days at Oscorp Tower, Harley had nothing to do alone at the apartment. She ended up tagging along and hanging around the building, too.

As for the publishing company, Quentina was running things now. She was genuinely invested in the venture and doing an excellent job.

Apparently, if everything went smoothly, they would have the paperwork and other preparations finished in another week or so. Then they could start selling the comics. Quentina planned to promote them through her own social media account as well.

Once Parker Press got off the ground, she would get her share of the profits as a partner. That meant money for her superhero equipment!

Gwen had a similar idea. She was thinking about using her Spider-Woman identity to advertise a few things, too.

She could charge advertising fees and use the money to buy equipment of her own!