Location: New York City, 3123
Karn turned towards the Spider Army, his mask hiding whatever expression was on his face. He took a few menacing steps towards Miles, a bladed staff materializing in his hands.
"You've made a mistake coming here." Karn growled, spinning the staff around before planting it into the floor.
"Karn, son of Solus and Matriarch. Brother of Morlun, Bora, Brix, Daemos, Jennix, and Verna. You were cast out of the Inheritors and forced to wear a mask after your mother died while trying to capture the Master Weaver." Jessica stepped to the front of the group, everyone else falling silent as she spoke. "All your family has ever done is punish and oppress you. Why do you keep working for them?"
"I made a promise to avenge my mother and to earn my place back in the Inheritors." Karn growled as the staff flew out of Miles' hands and into his. "Thanks to you all, once I absorb all of your life forces, they will greet me at home with open arms."
"They're using you, Karn. I know that's not what you want to realize, but it's the truth." Jessica asked. "I talked to the Master Weaver, and he told me what happens to you." This seemed to catch Karn's interest as he didn't make any movement towards them, waiting for her to continue.
"He said that if things continue to go the way they're going, Morlun will absorb your life force in order to fight us and he will fail. Don't you see? Even after everything you did to redeem yourself, you're going to be tossed aside again. Help us stop your family from destroying everything you've worked for, and everything we care about." Karn fell silent, no one making a sound until he finally looked up, his staff disappearing.
"The Master Weaver has been killed. If you want to get moving, now's the time." Karn said.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Superior asked Jessica, who pressed a button on her watch.
"We're going to have to." Jessica replied before she took a step forward as the portal opened. "You heard him, let's go. But I'd like to make a quick stop first."
Location: The Wasteland, Earth-3145
Ben sat in his rocking chair, staring into the cloudy sky, sighing quietly. He slowly stood up as the air parted in front of him, a portal opening as Jessica stepped out, followed by Peter, Superior, and the rest of the Spider Army. Peter walked up to Ben, holding out a watch, offering it to him. Ben looked at it, a small sigh leaving him.
"Why'd you come back?" Ben asked.
"I told you, Ben. I'll still have a watch for you." Peter replied, still holding out the watch. Ben shook his head as he began to sit back down, when Superior angrily pushed his way in front of Peter.
"You listen here. We're wasting valuable time because everyone insisted to come back and give you a chance to join them. Yeah you messed up, but you have a chance to redeem your sorry ass. You still have your powers, which means you still have responsibilities. So, if I were you, I'd get off that chair and come fight so the other Bens don't have to deal with what you had to deal with." Superior said, his voice firm and set. Ben looked at Superior, a small chuckle leaving his mouth.
"You sound like my Peter, well I guess that's because you are Peter." Ben said as he paused before taking the watch, putting it on his wrist. "Okay, I'll come. You're right, it's time to make things right."
"Great, now let's get going. Portals are closing left and right, we need to get to Loomworld as soon as possible.
Location: The Meeting Place
"I have made my decision." The Weavers of the Multiverse gathered around as the One Above All spoke. "The threat to the other multiverses has a chance to be stopped."
"Are you saying you don't have to eradicate this universe we speak of?" A weaver asked.
"Yes. The timeline has returned to a point where it may not pose a threat to the other universes. Hopefully it will stay that way." The One Above All replied.
"What is this danger from this multiverse that threatens others?" Another weaver asked.
"This multiverse could collide with another multiverse, two of completely different origin. The collision itself would disrupt the balance of space and time, and there's no telling what will happen inside the two multiverses. The distortion of the timeline is dangerous enough, but a collision would be catastrophic." The One Above All held a glowing orb, showing the Spider Army and Karn traveling in the Great Web, heading towards Earth-001. "Things are beginning to fall back in place, and let's hope it stays that way."
Location: Loomworld, Earth-001
Morlun stood on the balcony, holding a purple crystal that rested in a capsule. Jennix walked over, staring into the sunset.
"How is our progress with the clone machine?" Morlun asked as he set the crystal down in a case. "I understand the destruction of the laboratory set you back greatly, but have you recovered any of the data?"
"No. The defense system destroyed everything inside the lab. It'll take me a week or two to get a capsule running before we can bring father back." Jennix said as he picked up the case before, he walked back inside the building, the echo of his footsteps slowly fading away. Morlun looked at the sky before he slowly turned around as Karn materialized behind him.
"Brother." Karn said, dipping his head slightly.
"What brings you here?" Morlun asked, his voice icy.
"I have brought someone that I thought you'd like to talk to." Karn stepped aside as Miles stepped out, hands bound behind him. Morlun raised an eyebrow, unable to contain the smile that appeared on his face.
"It seems like you are doing something right, for once. Well done." Morlun said before turning to Miles, an evil sneer on his face.
"Wait!" Miles said, Morlun stopping momentarily.
"What is it?" Morlun growled, orange light beginning to emit from his eyes. Miles lifted a hand out of the restraint, placing it on Morlun's shoulder.
"Just wanted to say, hey." Blue light emitted from Mile's hand as bolts of energy traveled all around Morlun's body, the shock sending him flying off the balcony. Running into the building, he was met by Jessica, Gwen, and Miguel.
"We grabbed the case from Jennix. The others are searching for the rest of the Inheritors. We need to find Cindy, Kaine, and Benjy before it's too late." Jessica explained.
"I'll try to fight Morlun as long as I can. Hopefully it'll give you some time to carry out your plan while he absorbs my life force." Karn said, the staff appearing in his hand as it began to glow red.
"I don't think so. We'll fight him together. Trading lives really isn't our thing." Jessica said as she and Miguel stood next to Karn. "Gwen and Miles, go look for the others. Find a way to get them to the Wasteland. There should be a tower there where they can't leave due to the radiation, so they can't hurt anyone else."
"Got it." Gwen and Miles said before running inside the building just as Morlun rose to the balcony, eyes orange as the shoulder where Miles shocked him had a large burn mark on it.
"Brother. Karn. Come to my side so we can finally get rid of this scum that dare try to foil our plans." Morlun growled as he landed on the balcony, his feet hitting the ground with a soft thud.
"On your side, brother? For eons this family has spurned me. Shunned me. Brought me nothing but pain. I renounce my inheritance! From this day forth, I fight on the side of the righteous." Karn growled, launching himself at Morlun as he swung his staff, the end forming a two-pronged trident. Morlun intercepted the blow, catching the staff in his hands as he glared at Karn angrily.
"I expected more from you, brother. You have brought shame upon this family too many times. I will not allow that to happen again." Morlun grabbed Karn's mask, his hand glowing orange as he began to steal his life force. That abruptly stopped when Jessica landed a kick, sending him sprawling onto the floor as Miguel webbed him down. Jessica walked over, helping Karn up as Miguel webbed him a couple more times for safe measure.
"Thank you." Karn said, pressing the staff into the groumd to push himself up.
"Like I said, we don't trade lives." Jessica said as she patted his shoulder. "Let's go. We need to make sure the others are alright."
Billy crashed into the wall as Brix and Bora fought Noir, May, Anya, and Peter B. Kaine held his side and Benjy as Cindy helped guide him towards a portal that seemed to be spinning out of control. Brix through his lasso, catching Cindy on the wrist as Benjy was taken from Kaine by Bora.
"Thought sneaking away would work? Think again!" Brix said, laughing as he pulled on the lasso, causing Cindy to crash into Kaine, the two landing next to Billy.
"Thought we were stupid enough to try and run away in front of you? Think again!" Peter Porker shouted as he leapt out of Bora's arms, producing a wooden hammer as he bashed her on the head with it. "Blammo!"
"Go, now!" Anya shouted to May, who dashed inside the portal with the real Benjy, which closed behind her.
"I'll admit, that was smart." Brix said as he readied the lasso. "But don't expect that you'll be able to escape as well."
"Have you seen anyone yet?" Miles asked as he and Gwen ran down a hallway, looking in every possible direction in hopes of finding their friends.
"Nope, they must be farther down. We just need to find a way to get down there." Gwen replied as they slowed down, looking for any staircases. "I guess if we really needed to, we could crawl through a window."
"That won't be necessary." Daemos said as he stepped around the corner, followed by Verna. Miles stepped back raising his hands which clenched into fists. "Can't seem to catch a break, can you?"
"No thanks to you." Miles grumbled as he looked around for something to launch at them. Spotting a shelf, Miles fired two webs past Daemos and Verna, both hitting it as he pulled the web back towards him. The shelf fell but shattered as Daemos punched the wooden frame. At the same time, Verna ran towards Gwen, her fingers morphing into claws as she swung at her. Gwen stepped back, dodging as Miles swung towards Verna, kicking her into Daemos.
"We need to go find the others." Gwen said as she webbed Daemos to the wall, Miles doing the same to Verna.
"There's no use, Brix and Bora would have taken the Totems into the web. It's over." Daemos said, laughing as he struggled, trying to rip the web off him. Verna stayed silent, glaring at Miles and Gwen as they ran off, looking for a way to get to the other Spidermen. After they left, she extended her claws and began to saw at the webbing.
"What's the matter? Can't handle the fight?" Brix asked as he stepped back, wiping blood off the corner of his mouth.
"In my defense, I would have worked out more if I knew I was going to be fighting a pair of psychopath twins." Peter B. fired back, regrouping with the others.
"I'm starting to think we may need more backup." Noir said, adjusting his goggles as he rolled up the sleeves of his coat. He turned around to find Gwen and Miles run into the room, followed by Jessica, Miguel, and Karn.
"Are you guys alright?" Jessica asked, glaring at Brix and Bora who grinned back.
"Yeah, but we may be in a bit of trouble." Peter B. said as Daemos, Verna, and Jennix entered the room. "The other half of the group went to the rendezvous point. We just have to lead the Inheritors over there."
"Sounds like a good plan. Any idea on how we're gonna get it to work?" Miguel asked as the five Inheritors began to close in on them.
"Ah, glad to see we're all back together again." Morlun said as he walked into the room. "I say we left on a bitter note. Let's fix that."
"Great, the whole party is here." Spider-Ham grumbled as he readied his hammer. "So, are we going to bash each other's heads in or what?"
"I guess we aren't going to walk away from this one without a couple scratches." Jessica sighed, sending Miguel a signal before running towards Brix and Bora, the other Spidermen running at different Inheritors. The already damaged room was trashed as people and objects crashed into the floor sand walls. Miles fell, looking up to find the tide turning against them, even with Karn helping them. Slowly standing up, he eyed the case that he had taken from Jennix, which was sitting on the ground.
"Hey, call a portal, I have an idea!" Miles called to Jessica as he grabbed the case, dodging one of Bora's knives which embedded itself into the wall. Jessica nodded as she pressed a button on her watch before catching Miguel, who was thrown at her by Daemos. Miles looked around, finding the Inheritors advancing on them quickly.
"Is the portal getting here anytime soon?" Miles asked nervously, it was now or never.
"I can't control the Great Web, Miles. Portals are closing left and right, and there's nothing we can do to stop it." Jessica said, exasperated. Miles turned around to find Verna approaching Gwen, her hand beginning to glow orange. Seeing the portal open, Miles fired a web at Verna who dodged it, glaring at him.
"Hey, aren't you missing something?" Miles asked as he held up the case. He wasn't sure what was inside it, but he assumed it was important by the way it was being guarded. Verna snarled as she walked towards him, the orange from her hand fading and being replaced with claws.
"If you know what's best for you, give the case back now." Verna said as the other Inheritors saw what he was holding and began to advance on him. Miles ran to the portal, clutching the case as he entered it. His breath left him as the once peaceful scene now looked like it was falling apart, tears and gashes all along the vast space. Miles turned behind him to find the Inheritors entering through the portal one by one, the bait had worked.
Location: The Great Web, Earth-001Earth-3145
"Hey, I got all of the Inheritors after me. Are you ready?" Miles asked into his watch, sending the message to Peter. He waited but received no response. Turning around, he found that the Inheritors were getting closer and closer to him.
"Hey, anyone there? They're gaining on me." Miles called again, sending the message to everyone, but receiving nothing.
Location: Loomworld, Earth-001
"Did Miles get everyone through?" Peter B. asked as helped Noir up.
"I think so. Kid did a good job." Jessica said as she looked around, finding nothing in the air. "Hey, did the portal just close on us?"
"Coms are down as well." Miguel replied. "That means-"
"Miles is in there by himself with the Inheritors, and the others at Sims tower have no idea when Miles will get there." Gwen finished.
"I have an idea, but we have to act quick." Karn said as he walked over to another room. "The Master Weaver was killed, which is probably why your watches have been malfunctioning. I'll try to control the Great Web, hopefully letting you follow Miles. There, you can trap the Inheritors."
"Then once we're done, we'll come back and free you." Jessica said as she looked at Karn who shook his head.
"No. Once one binds themselves to the Great Web as the Master Weaver, they are to carry out the responsibility for the rest of their life. Don't try to tell me not to, I've been thinking about it, and I'm ready." Karn said. Jessica looked at him, before nodding.
"We'll need to intercept Miles somehow. We're too far away to be any help now, but-"
"A shortcut, got it." Karn said as he sat down. Blue light began to emit from him as he slowly began to float in the air, before he raised his hands, spinning orange fibers around in the air. Seconds later, a portal opened, now much brighter.
"Go." Karn said.
Location: The Great Web, Earth-001Earth-3145
"You can't run forever, Spider-Man!" Morlun shouted as Miles continued to run down the endless tunnel, breathing heavily as he clutched the case in his hands. His suit was torn in multiple places, and his mask hung loosely over his face. He let out a yelp as he rolled, barely evading another orange energy blast that was tossed at him.
"Don't you think this is a little overkill?" Miles yelled as he ducked again, dodging one of Bora's knives. He didn't wait for an answer as he saw an opening up ahead. All he could do is hope that the others were ready on the receiving end. Just as he reached the exit, he heard his coms come back on.
"Hey guys, anytime would be good."
Location: The Wasteland, Earth-3145
"Are they supposed to take this long?" Peni asked as she sat inside SP/dr, waiting with the others.
"Hey guys, anytime would be good." Peter said into his coms before a portal opened a few seconds later. Miles tumbled out, followed by the Inheritors as Peter shut the vault.
"What are you doing in there?!" Peter shouted at Miles who crawled back from the Inheritors.
"I was distracting them!" Miles shouted back as he opened the case, grabbing the purple crystal which rested in a vial. He held it in front of the Inheritors, who momentarily paused, all of them looking at the crystal. "Take one more step, and I break this!"
"Hurry, open the door!" Peni said to Peter who shook his head.
"No, don't worry. It'll only take a few more seconds." Peter replied.
"Few more seconds for wh-"
"You think I'm scared of you breaking the crystal?" Morlun sneered as he walked toward Miles, who raised the vial in front of him. "Even if you do break it, there's no getting out of here alive. You have my respect, taking a bold sacrifice for a petty cause."
"Does he always talk this much?" Miles asked he prepared to throw the vial.
"I thought Spider-Man doesn't kill? That crystal contains the soul of my father. Destroying it means you kill him." Morlun said, using the momentary distraction to dash forward, snatching the vile and grabbing Miles by his throat and lifting him up in the air. Miles kicked and thrashed as orange light began to emit from Morlun's palm, before it suddenly went out. Suddenly Morlun fell onto his knees as Miles stepped back, a visible smile on his face.
"Took long enough." Miles said as he watched the other Inheritors began to react to what Morlun was experiencing.
"What sort of trick is this?" Morlun growled as he slowly stood up. He raised his hand, growling as the once bright light emitting from his palm was now faint glow.
"Radiation. The only reason you aren't dying is because the bunker blocks out most of it." Peter said as Miles slipped out of the capsule before the door was shut again. "That way you won't die, but you won't be able to hurt anyone else."
"You won't be able to contain us forever, Spider-Man." Morlun growled as the rest of the Spider Army entered the room.
"Did we miss the party?" Spider-Ham asked as he walked over to the window of the capsule, blowing the Inheritors a raspberry. Miles looked at the crystal in his hand before handing it to Superior, who set it inside his gauntlet.
"Should we send them down?" Jessica asked as the Spiders looked at Peter. He nodded as he looked back at them.
"Well done, everyone, but there's much more that still needs to be done. The universes of the perished Spidermen don't have a protector anymore." Peter said as he called for a portal on his watch.
"Miguel and I will take care of that." Jessica said.
"I'd like to join also. My Earth gets kind of boring since Peter gets all the action." Anya said with a laugh.
"Sounds good. We'll go back to the Hub, where we can sort everything out." Peter said as the portal opened. Everyone nodded in agreement as the portal opened. One by one they walked through, until just a few remained.
"It was nice working with you." Noir said to Peni, Porker, Jessica, Miguel, Miles, Gwen, Peter B, Superior, and Peter.
"Hear hear!" Spider-Ham said as he climbed onto Noir's shoulder. "I volunteer to say an endless supply of dad jokes on the way back!"
"Hey, those are my thing." Peter B said, laughing as they walked through the portal, leaving Miles, Gwen, Peter, and Superior.
"Are you coming, Miles?" Gwen said as she stopped in front of the portal, looking at him.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a second." Miles replied, nodding at Gwen who walked through the portal. "So, this is it, I guess."
"Not entirely. We can still contact each other through the watches." Peter said as he looked at Superior. "You have something to say?"
"I... no. I'll explain it to you back at the Hub." Superior said before he walked through the portal. Peter looked at Miles, patting his shoulder.
"We should get going, Miles. The others are waiting." Peter said. Miles nodded and walked towards the portal, before he was stopped by Morlun.
"Hey, boy." Morlun called, smiling as Miles turned around. "Just remember, the hunt isn't over yet. This is the beginning of the end. We'll come back and kill everyone you care ab-" Morlun's voice was cut off as Peter pressed a button on the panel, the capsule lowering down into the bunker.
"Let's get going, they won't be able to hurt anyone else for as long as they live." Peter said, resting a hand on Miles' shoulder and guiding him through the portal.
Location: The Hub, Earth-TRN588
"So, then I said, you have a moral backbone of a chocolate éclair!" Spider-Ham said as the others laughed, some finding it funny and others wanting to be polite. Miles stood in the back of the room, leaning against the counter, mask lifted to his nose so he could eat a slice of pizza. Gwen walked over, holding a can of soda as she leaned against the counter next to him.
"Sure feels a lot different when everything isn't in danger." She said jokingly. "Anyways, I'm going to leave for my universe now. Just wanted to say bye."
"You'll keep in touch?" Miles asked as he finished his pizza.
"Of course." Gwen said, rolling her eyes as she playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I'll see you around. 'Kay?"
"Sounds good." Miles said as he bumped fists with her, before watching her walk over to say goodbye to the others. He smiled to himself as he listened to the other Spidermen talking, laughing, and talking about their experiences with each other.
Life was good.
