Peter Parker remembered his excitement about moving to Seattle a year ago. After the bad break-up with MJ, he moped around for weeks before Aunt May convinced him it was time for a change. Even the bad guys were starting to figure out that Spiderman’s crime-fighting days were over as they planned their latest assaults on the Big Apple. But Peter didn’t care anymore. He lost everything when he lost MJ and it was all because he couldn’t be both superhero to the world and to her at the same time.

He reluctantly answered an employment ad for a photojournalist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, got the interview and then surprisingly got the job. He booked a flight, kissed Aunt May, and headed west. How could he have known then that the staunch Seattle newspaper that was almost 150 years old would belly up just months later? Darn economy. He packed up his desk and walked out of the P.I. office building with sixty other people who were out of luck and out of a job. It was a Friday.

But Peter knew he wasn’t ready to return to NYC. He tried unsuccessfully to get a job with other local papers, but no one was biting and the competition was fierce. Peter finally reached the end of his lackluster severance pay and knew it was time to file for unemployment. He wondered if the benefits were better for an unemployed photojournalist or a reluctant superhero at rock-bottom.

Peter made his way to the unemployment office on a dark and rainy Monday morning. Although he showed up at 7:30, the line to get in was already snaking around the corner of 7th and Pike. Everyone was hunched down in their coat collars with their hands shoved deep in their pockets. Their collective breath was fogging up the day’s promise. Peter took his place at the end.

By 8:15, Peter made it to the take-a-number. 74. He settled in to the standard-issue State agency chair and tried to concentrate on the now-soggy Sudoku book he brought but after fifty minutes, he started dozing off and on.

"Parker…Peter?"

Startled, he quickly gathered his belongings and followed the State worker through a maze of cubicles and found himself seated across the desk from the efficient-looking brunette. She typed in information from his file and then took a long time reading what came up on the computer screen.

“Been in Washington less than a year, huh?” she asked while still staring at the screen.

“Yeah. I like Seattle. Not a lot of crime.” Peter realized he said this with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Sometimes, I guess. We had the Green River Killer though."

Peter looked quizzically at the woman. How many unemployment interviews started out with serial-killer speak? Oblivious to Peter’s lack of response, she handed him additional forms to fill in.

“Mr. Parker, there are very few openings in your field of work at the moment. Would you be willing to register for other types of work?” She looked over at him and repositioned her hands on the keyboard.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m looking for something in my salary range though.”

“Well, that could be a problem right now. We’re hoping that we can just get you back to work for the moment in anything. What are your skills and interests?”

“I’m pretty strong in web design.”

“Ah, computers. Of course, Microsoft is laying off right now, too, so we’ll have to look somewhere else.” She kept typing, back-spacing, paging forward and then paused.

“Anything else?” she asked.

“Maybe something in the security field, like a guard?” He offered.

“Do you have a concealed weapons permit?” She looked interested.

“No, I don’t need one. I’m sort of a superhero,” Peter replied, half-smiling.

“Right. Well, there aren't any superhero openings at the moment and without a permit, the salary range is quite limited,” she said without humor. “I’ve got you in the system now. Take this ID number and PIN so you can log in to the database and search for jobs at home. Here is the number to the weekly claim line. You need to call every Sunday and answer the questions truthfully. If accepted, the State will deposit your allowance in to your checking account by Wednesday. Do you have any questions?”

“How long will the benefits last?”

“About seven months. You can apply for an extension if you still haven’t found anything by then.” She closed Peter’s file and threw it on to a stack of about twenty others. He was definitely dismissed.

Peter picked up his Sudoku book and turned to leave.

“Thanks, umm…”

“Ms. Watson.”

“Of course. “

This story is part #5 of my fan fiction series called The Superhero Chronicles which places comic book characters and superheroes in real-life (kind of) situations.

To catch up on part #1 of this series, please read about how Lois Lane is forced to downsize at: http://www.xomba.com/lois_lane_trades_in_her_suv

Part #2 mixes up love-struck Aquaman with Pamela Anderson's Hollywood here: http://www.xomba.com/aquamans_hollywood_screen_test_for_baywatch

Wonder Woman puts on a bit of weight in part #3: http://www.xomba.com/wonder_womans_wonder_weight

And in part #4, Robin succumbs to his gambling addiction:
http://www.xomba.com/texas_hold_em_gotham_style