A/N: Well holy shit, this really is it! Sorry it took so long! I injured my hand - or at least I thought I did! In fact I pinched a nerve in my neck. I couldn't use the computer at all for about two weeks and I was panicking about ever being able to write again (which was obviously melodramatic, but for some reason the whole thing really shook me). Eventually I got some help and learned some stretches and now I can type pretty much the same as the normal. It felt SO good to write again, and it feels so good to finally be bringing you this epilogue. I want to say here that the end of this arc does NOT mean the end of this series! There's plenty more to come in Peni's universe. The first thing I'll do after finishing this will be to write more of my 'Into The Spider House' story for a bit, but in the new year I'll be looking to start this series up again. I've learned a lot from writing this arc. Apparently I've been at it for over a year now. This is my first truly novel length fanfic, as well as my first novel length self-contained story arc, and honestly it feels amazing. I'm really proud of it. It's not perfect, not by a long shot, but I feel satisfied with what I've made, and I know that I can make something even better with the next arc :) Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey! I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Heart-Shaped Box!
Recap: Peni has had a difficult few weeks. A new semester is always a challenge, but she didn't expect to get a stalker. First he sent her threatening messages, then he replaced her as New York's hero of choice. He put her through hell. But during her involuntary trip to an alternate universe Peni learned to believe in herself again, and when she came back, she came back fighting. Mysterio had taken over the whole city and kidnapped her friends, but that didn't stop Peni. She rebuilt her mech and went down to Broadway to fight her opponent. It took everything she had, but she defeated his lackeys and drove him back - finally facing him one-on-one on a skybridge over a deep canyon.
In the end she needed to be saved by Daredevil, who swooped in to save her from a lethal fall. Her friend took care of Mysterio while she went back to the theater, where from her mech she sent out a video to all the people of New York, asking them to stand down and withdraw. She knew not all of these people had a home to return to. Many of them were fighting for their very lives. Yet still they put their trust in her, and ceased their attack on the city. Peni swore to herself she wouldn't let their sacrifice be in vain.
Swinging back to base, she encountered some Oscorp security footmen abusing their power on some retreating protesters, and she stepped in to stop them. But one citizen didn't buy Peni's message of peace. He punched her in the face, exacerbating her existing head injury and sending her to hospital. His act of violence unintentionally became the catalyst for peace that New York needed, and for better or worse the rioting stopped. Now Peni is out of hospital, dealing with the aftermath of the chaos...
Chapter 22: Heart-Shaped Box (Part 15)
Deep in the bowels of Satellite City, beyond the sun's reach and hidden from the white glare of the ever-lit streetlights, I watched SP/dr solder steel panels onto the leviathan frame of a corporate satellite tower. Straining at my arms were two bags overflowing with food and clothing. I charged them straight to my Oscorp account. Not that I really had a choice. All payments are biometric in New York City. The camera saw your face and that was that. Mr. Osborn wouldn't be happy though.
"Screw that asshole," the homeless lady told me as she relieved me of my bags, "He's lucky you haven't blown him to kingdom come."
I watched SP/dr climb down the scaffolding and fetch another slab of metal, "He won't be able to kick you out this time, Mrs. Torres."
She sighed, "I appreciate you building this for me Peni, but it won't stop him. Nothing will."
"I will. I promise."
PARKER AND BECK: OUR GENERATION'S BONNIE AND CLYDE
Editorial by J. Jonah Jameson
New Yorkers have always been fighters. It was New Yorkers who started the Stonewall riots in our own Greenwich Village, all the way back in 1969, that set the stage for LGBT civil rights across the world. And it was New Yorkers who started the Occupy movement by occupying Zuccotti Park in 2011, long before the rest of the world decided to get up off its ass and do something about income inequality. As the years went by we kept on going, leading the way on civil rights every single time. Animal rights, synthetic rights, we fought for them all, because New Yorkers are made of tougher stuff, and we always root for the underdog.
People think I'm some stick in the mud, that I'm a relic of the past, unwilling to change. I've had letters calling me a fraud, a thief, a robber baron — you name it. I've been accused of being a corporate shill more times than I can count. But let me tell you this, readers: whatever people may call me, I always have been, and always will be an advocate for freedom and equality.
But what I'm not is a fool.
Peni Parker would have us think that she was fighting against Mysterio, real name Quentin Beck, but we know better. Or at least, we should know better. No one would advocate punching a twelve-year-old in the face, but you can't deny the gentleman had a point! Mysterio's supposed campaign for synthetic freedom fell flat on its face after our so-called 'hero' arrived, but Peni's approval ratings shot through the roof. And of course, where her ratings go, Oscorp's sales are sure to follow. It doesn't take a child genius to put two and two together.
That's right, I'm saying exactly what you think I am. I'm saying that Mysterio was never really Oscorp's opponent. All those riots, all the carnage wrought upon our great city was planned and paid for by Oscorp itself. If Norman disagrees he can sue me — but he won't, because he knows I'm telling the truth. He did everything he could to strongarm the good people of this city into buying his crap, and when that failed he tried a different strategy. He figured that by letting the more radical elements of the anti-Oscorp movement have their wicked way he could convince us that Oscorp are actually the good guys. Well I'm not buying it, and nor should you. Ask yourself: if Peni Parker really cared about synthetic freedom, why didn't she join the protests and demand change from her employer? And if she thought Mysterio was out of line, why didn't she take him down from the get-go?
Of course, now that the dust's settled she's everywhere and anywhere — always in front of a camera, of course. Building houses for the homeless one minute, webbing up police cruisers the next. Suddenly she's a rebel. Except she isn't. This is just another performance, and you owe it to yourselves to see through it. Peni Parker doesn't care about this city. She wants you on side so that when Norman Osborn peddles his next poorly designed product you'll all line up happily to empty your wallets for it. She's taking us for fools, but we aren't fools! We're New Yorkers! Stubborn, resilient, and above all, skeptical! So don't trust her. Don't let her into your hearts. Don't forget how she betrayed us all by working with Osborn and Mysterio to damn near destroy this city, all in the name of the bottom line.
When I pitched this article to the board of Bugle Publishing they called me insane. They refused to let me publish it in Gene Pop. They refused to let me publish it here, in the Daily Bugle. Hell, they almost voted me out of my position as CEO. But what those idiots forgot was that I own the damn company! So from this point on the Daily Bugle is flying solo. I'm splitting the company, taking it private, and selling Gene Pop. I don't need the money when I have the truth to sustain me. That said, I am starting a new venture: a podcast owned by me and me alone. I call it, 'Just The Facts', and that's all you'll be getting when you tune in: the facts that the establishment doesn't want you to hear. You can help support my fight for the truth via my FundBucket, which you'll find in a link at the bottom of this article.
Stay vigilant, readers. Though the city is peaceful for now, we're not out of the woods yet. We never will be, not while Osborn and his cronies own the place. But I'll be here in your corner for as long I have breath in my lungs and a cigar between my fingers. Freedom and truth are in my bones, and now, through these words, they're in your hands.
I got the message while meeting a group of Oscorp construction droids. A dull buzz in my backpack. Even though I knew Mysterio was in the Raft it still sent a chill down my spine. The message was from Aunt May. School was back again. They'd repaired the damage and hired a replacement biology teacher. They wanted me in tomorrow at 8am sharp.
"Aw man…" I sighed.
A red droid, who'd been telling me about how he couldn't get the repairs he needed on the company insurance, said, "That from Oscorp?"
I tapped my phone on my leg, "Not exactly."
"You had that 'it's from Oscorp' look on your face."
"There's a look for that?"
"Well normally you're all smiley."
"Heh," I chuckled, "It's nothing serious. Just school."
Just school. I put the phone away. School, coming back into my life like a log washing up onto the beach. Like a dream. It was hard to believe school had even happened. All I could remember was Mysterio. His messages, his grandstanding. I remembered the fear I felt in the hall that first time he messaged me, when he sent me a photo of my front door. I remembered seeing my own shaking hands. I remembered the journey to the Science Center, remembered holding Cindy as she cried, but the day to day of it was all a blur.
School. It didn't feel real. I never liked school. I never liked any school. Never had any friends. I preferred it that way, at first. Talking to teachers was way, way easier than talking to the other kids. I got by. I didn't even feel that lonely. School was just a place, just a place I had to go to. Then I met Harry, and it gave me a reason to show up. I had to be there to protect him. He needed me, and it felt good. He actually liked talking to me. When Mr. Osborn finished setting up Mason Banks it seemed like everything might finally come together. A school for people like me. But of course, there's no one like me. No one who could really like me or understand me. Even Harry doesn't understand me — that's what I told myself. I'm alone. After I got moved up a year it was true. I was alone, just like before. They moved me and moved me and it was just me, alone in a sea of kids. They were older than me, but I felt older than them. One of the teachers called me a middle-aged eleven-year-old. Being famous made things worse, not better. Everyone knew my persona, but no one knew me. Eventually it was decided: I needed another move — because of course I did. Even so, I didn't expect much. When they sat me next to Cindy I thought it'd be the same as ever. But I was wrong. There was something about the look in her eyes that day. It was that look, that look you get when you see someone who's truly like you. I didn't recognize it straight away. I could feel she was different. Not like the others. Not like anyone I'd ever met. She had bowl-cut hair and her uniform didn't fit properly and she was really, really smart, which was certainly different, but it wasn't any of that. It was something more. I didn't realize what that 'something' was until almost a year later, as I was lying in hospital half asleep.
I was only half asleep. You've gotta remember that. You drift in and out of sleep a lot when you're lying in bed all day. I mean, it's not like I couldn't walk. After the first few days I got my balance back almost completely. But a hospital's a hospital. It's not exactly a fun place to wander through.
But I did wander through it. With Cindy. Every morning she was there. She was there before visitors were even allowed. I learned later that Aunt May had got her put on a special list or something. She was with me from start to finish, sun-up to sun-down. She was like a nurse. The actual nurses couldn't stand it. My physiotherapist, an android named Steve, always gave her a dirty look when he came in the room. He thought I didn't notice. She pestered him the whole way to the hospital cafeteria before he left us alone.
"I'll look after her," she said.
She practically lived in the hospital. Aunt May was so impressed with Cindy that after the third day she didn't even come in to visit anymore. She just video called me and sent me sappy messages (which I replied to with equally sappy messages). I felt kinda guilty having Cindy wait on me hand and foot, but at the same time I couldn't help but enjoy all the attention. I'd never been so intensely cared for in my entire life. It blew my mind. Cindy had been through so much herself; kidnapped by someone she thought was a hero, swarmed by an angry mob and almost beheaded. Yet there she was, holding my hand, propping me up. I started to wonder if maybe she felt she owed me after I saved her life. I wanted to tell her she didn't owe me anything, but I didn't want her to think I didn't enjoy her company — because I did. A lot. I always had.
Before everything went wrong this semester we used to swing through the city together. She likes photography. Her Echo page is almost entirely photographs of places we visited together. I can remember all of them. Neither of us ever feature in any of the photos, but when I look at them I can feel us there together. I can hear her laughing as she leaned over me to get the best shot of the Grand Central megatower.
"Enjoy the view," she said, her butt half in my face.
"You know I love that downtown vista."
In the hospital, the day everything became clear to me, she was telling me about this story she was writing.
"It's not a book, if that's what you're thinking," she explained, "it's collaborative. You take photos of places in the city and then someone else invents a fictional history for it. I usually take the photos, but this time I thought I'd try writing something."
"You've gotta show it to me when you're done," I grinned, keeping myself steady with a walking stick.
"Maybe," she replied with an embarrassed smile, "I don't know if I'm any good."
"Well you're great at taking photos. Why not writing too?"
"They're totally different things."
"One way or the other you need imagination. That's how my dad made the mech too. He imagined something no one else could."
We were almost back to my private room. One full circuit of the corridors on my floor. Once I was back inside the tracker on my ankle would relay my biometric information to the hospital's central computer for Steve to download later. I was starting to feel dizzy. My arm was trembling. Weaker than it should be. In the back of my mind I felt SP/dr warn me.
"Cindy—"
Her arm was round me before I even had a chance to stumble. The walking stick fell. I lurched, and she held me tight. I closed my eyes as the whole world did a 180.
"Cindy…"
"I've got you."
Before I knew it I was leaning against the bed. One of the nurses came in and helped me up. Cindy tucked me in.
I said it without thinking, "You don't have to do all this for me, you know?"
Her reply wasn't what I expected, "I know. But I want to. It's better here, with you. Better than being alone."
"You don't wanna be stuck here," I mumbled, grogginess setting in, "I don't wanna trap you here, Cindy. Lola and Rafferty are probably waiting for you."
She grabbed my hand, "No. I wanna stay. I need to stay…"
Sleep took me without warning. When I awoke my eyelids were pitch black. As I became aware of my body, I realized something warm was wrapped around my hand. It all felt far away, as if each of my limbs were at the end of a long tunnel. I didn't open my eyes. I didn't speak. I just laid there, half-aware, half-asleep. That's when I heard her voice, spoken so softly into the darkness.
"I love you."
Those words fell into me like pebbles into a lake. They sank through my chest, rippling out into my stomach, tingling across my arms and legs. Excitement, fear, and confusion whirled around my head. My breath caught in my throat. For a moment I thought she noticed. Then I felt her palm press into mine, warm, though not as warm as her fingers, and I heard the soft poof of her butt landing in the room's plush couch. I was frozen there for a while, wide awake in the darkness. Then I opened my eyes.
"Cindy…" I whispered. I didn't know what I wanted to say.
The chair rustled as she leaned forward, "Peni?"
I couldn't see her in the shadows. But in my mind's eye I imagined her. I imagined her shy smile. Her goofy laugh. I imagined those eyes that saw me for who I am, who I really am.
I took a deep breath. Then I chickened out, "What time is it?"
"Two AM."
I blinked, "You stayed here all this time?"
"My parents know."
My head was so muddled I could barely think. I forced myself to speak, "Thank you…"
Her fingers interlaced with mine. Threads of warmth weaving through my mind. We sat in silence like that for a while. It gave me time to process what she'd told me, though it didn't give me the confidence to respond. She had no idea I'd even heard her.
"I'm sorry," I said, when my heart had finally stopped beating so hard, "I should've been here to protect you from Mysterio. Then none of this would've happened."
Her reply was emphatic, "No. I shouldn't have trusted him. When the spot guy teleported me to that theater…" I felt her lean on the bed's railing, "I thanked him. I looked right up at Mysterio's domed head and thanked him for saving me," her breathing became more ragged, "Then he grabbed my arm. Hard. It hurt right into my shoulder he grabbed it so hard. He threw me into the chair. Oh Peni…"
I squeezed her hand, "I'm so sorry Cindy."
"You told me he wasn't what he looked like. You said he was a fake. Why didn't I listen?"
I sat up and pulled her in for a hug, "He's in the Raft now. He can't hurt you anymore. He can't hurt anyone. He's gone, and you're here, safe."
She pressed her face into my neck, "I don't deserve you, Peni."
"Well you're stuck with me, whether you deserve me or not."
She giggled at that, "I'm a mess."
"It's okay, I'm always a mess."
"Do you ever brush your hair?"
"No, and you can't make me."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
The natural smell of her hair drifted into my nose. My mind fell back into the theater, back to that moment, that kiss. SP/dr gave his opinion in the form of a sensation, the feeling of my lips on her soft hair.
I can't.
I wanted to. A part of me thought I should. But by the time I'd finished fighting that inner battle with myself the moment was over. Cindy pulled away, brushing a hand on my cheek.
"You're amazing, Peni," she said. I could've kissed her then too.
I told her what I meant, as best as I could, "I'm so glad I met you, Cindy."
She sat back in her chair, and I laid back down in my bed, and we sank once more into a comfortable silence. This time she fell asleep first. I went soon after, floating away on the sound of her gentle breaths.
I was in hospital for two more days after that, and that night hung over us for both of them. We talked, we laughed, but that tension never left. Every time our eyes met, all I could think about was the feeling she'd given me when she'd said those magic words. I wanted to say the same. I wanted to tell her that I appreciated her more than just as a friend. I wanted to say, 'I love you'.
On the last day, with my bloods and scans and my strength and my mobility all back to normal, 'I love you' sat behind my lips, waiting to be spoken. I looked Cindy in the eye as the experts discharged me. I saw her parents for the first time all week. They looked worried, and so did she. My body was back to normal, but my heart didn't have the strength to say what I meant. As I left, I hugged her for the millionth time and told her only, "Thank you," then I got into the car with Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
That was four days ago. We haven't messaged each other at all since then.
When I see her in school I'm gonna tell her. No matter what. I'm gonna say 'I love you'.
That thought covered me like a warm blanket as I flopped into bed and fell asleep with SP/dr on my forehead. Its heat stuck with me long after I woke up and let myself out of the house. It wrapped itself around me as I climbed into my new mech, built by me and my aunt and my best buddy SP/dr, bringing a smile to my face as I swung to school.
School… I never liked school. I never had friends at my old school. None of the kids understood me. None of them liked me. Even the adults didn't like me much. But at Mason Banks I had Cindy, and Harry, and in another world far away, in a whole other dimension, I had a whole family of super-people who understood me completely.
I love all of them so much…
In perfect sync with SP/dr I flew down First Avenue, the buildings' crystal peaks rising up either side of me. I was in the canyon. In front of me only skybridges and a smattering of cars.
I'm gonna tell her, SP/dr. I'm gonna tell her how I feel and everything's gonna be good. I'm gonna make sure of it.
Suddenly the bright, rainbow lights of a store sign cut through my reverie, and I gasped.
"Ice cream! If only we had time… do you think we have time, SP/dr?"
He did, so we perched the mech on the skywalk and strolled inside. Sergio the ice cream guy saw me right away, even as he was serving a table of four.
"Peni!" he cheered, "It's great to see you back on your feet! What can I do for ya?"
"I'll have a super triple chocolate tub please! Oh and can you put some of those little mint cubes on this time?"
"Oooh!" he said with a mischievous grin, "Not like you to go in for mint!"
"I'm in an adventurous mood."
"I gotta warn ya, the cubes kinda taste like toothpaste."
I smirked, "That's why I like 'em!"
He laughed, "Of course. Well, here you go!"
"Thanks!"
I went to scan my retina on his payment processor, but he covered up the lens and with a smile said, "You know it's on the house."
"Are you sure? You give me so much free ice cream."
"And I got plenty more. Now scram! Your aunt told me you got school today."
I stared at him open mouthed, "My aunt told you that? How did she even know I'd come here?"
He tapped his nose, "That's a trade secret. Have a good day at school, Peni."
I shook my head with a rueful grin, "You too, Sergio. I'll tell Aunt May you said hi."
Before I could get in the mech, before the ice cream store's autodoors even finished closing, a fan called out to me from down the skywalk.
"Oh my god, Peni! It's really you! And SP/dr too, holy cow!"
She was taller than me — but then so were most people. She looked about Cindy's age, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She stopped in front of me and just looked at me, her face going from shock to joy to something between fear and relief.
She clutched her phone in her hands, "When I heard you were in hospital, I…"
I waved dismissively, "That was nothing. I mean, it was boring. Like, real boring. But I'm okay."
"Thank you for saving the city."
"I didn't save it, the people did. I just kinda helped the whole thing along."
"You can't be serious! You're a hero! You know, I've always looked up to you…" she fidgeted with her phone, "You're the reason I got into science…"
"Really? That's awesome! Any science in particular?"
"I wanna go into engineering, like you."
I shot her a wink, "I'm sure you'll do great at it."
Quietly, the sweet smell of chocolate drifted into my nostrils. I didn't resist. I picked up the little plastic spoon that was jammed into the top of the ice cream mountain in my hands and licked some of the chocolate off. It was like lightning down my neck.
Chocolate is too good for this world.
The fan noticed how much I was enjoying myself, "This is that place you're always eating at, right?"
"I wouldn't say always…"
"Is it good?"
I didn't even have to think about that one, "It's the best! The best ice cream I've ever tasted!"
She smiled, "I'll have to try some then. Oh!" she averted her eyes sheepishly, "Uh, can I… can I take a picture? Like of us, together?"
I beamed up at her, "Sure!"
Still carrying my ice cream I shuffled into position beside her. We took a truly ridiculous selfie together and she posted it on Echo, tagging me in the photo. Then I waved her goodbye.
"Thank you so much!" she squealed, almost hopping up and down on the spot. She waited there while I sank into the mech, and watched us swing away up into the highest echelons of New York, out of sight.
deez nuts and bolts robobunnydeluxe
[LOOK WHO I MET TODAY!]
(IMG: 'peni_selfie')
we stan the spider spdrpatrol
Replying to robobunnydeluxe
[omg lucky!]
SP/dr therealspdr
Replying to robobunnydeluxe
[Let me know what ice cream you get!]
…
FREE QUENTIN BECK! mysterymachine
[We've almost hit our target for the 'Free Quentin Beck' fund! Just a few dollars more and we can get our hero (the REAL hero) the legal help he deserves!]
Whatever calming effect the ice cream had during my journey was gone the minute SP/dr and I touched down outside Mason Banks.
I'm gonna just come out and say it. She's already said it to me, even though I'm not meant to know it.
I sprinted down the halls in a daze and arrived as late as ever to class 3-3. I caught Miss Drew just as she was leaving.
"Don't worry," she said, giving me a gentle tap on the shoulder, "I told the chef to prepare you tomato pasta."
I sat at my desk as usual. Everyone gossiped around me as usual. Everything was so usual that for a moment I doubted that the past few weeks had even happened. But there was one thing out of place: Cindy. She wasn't there. Her desk was conspicuously empty, and it stayed empty even as our new biology teacher strolled up to the front of the class.
"Hello everyone," he said in a mumble so quiet that I could barely hear him even in the silence that now pervaded the classroom. We all watched intently as he activated the classroom's smart display. With a flash his credentials lit up the board behind him. A biology professor with a specialism in gamma radiation.
Where's Cindy?
I got out my phone as the teacher adjusted his glasses, "My name is David Bruce Banner, though you can call me Bruce. Or Mr. Banner, if you prefer."
Wait… this guy is the David Banner?
I'd read his name in countless textbooks. He was world famous. So why was he here? How the heck did Mr. Osborn convince him to teach us?
I stared speechless as Professor Banner pulled up the topic for today's class.
"I'm not sure what your last teacher covered," he explained, "But given the circumstances I think it's best we start afresh. I hear you're bright kids—" he looked at me. My mouth was still open, "—so I won't linger too long on the easy stuff. If you check your tablets, you'll see you have all your new textbooks on there."
Including one written by him. But we didn't read it that morning. No, the material that morning was written by another scientist I knew: Professor Curt Connors. He was an excellent writer, and Professor Banner was an excellent teacher, but I already knew everything we were gonna cover. So I messaged Cindy. If Banner noticed he didn't mind.
[Are you feeling okay?] I asked her via a messaging app, [You're missing out on meeting the David Banner!]
I tried to be lighthearted, but I knew something was wrong. Cindy never missed class without a reason.
A few minutes later her reply came back, [I tried to come, but I just couldn't make it]
[What, like you couldn't walk? If you're that ill you should definitely stay in bed. I'll come see you after school]
[You don't have to. I should've tried harder to come in…]
[Don't be silly! You did the same for me. I'll be there as soon as classes are over]
I thought she might send one last reply to that, but she didn't. My phone stayed dead through the rest of the class, through English Lit and Math too, right through to lunch break. I pushed it to the back of my mind and meandered towards the lunch hall. It dawned on me then, that I really was back at Mason Banks. I'd never felt that shift before. I'd go out and beat some bad guy up and then come back in time for class (or not), and it would just work. I'd slip right back into school mode, no problem. But now, being surrounded by all the students, hearing the chattering and the laughing and the shuffling of shoes on hard tiles… it almost didn't seem real. It felt especially unreal as I was experiencing it all alone.
Cindy… what's wrong?
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Flash standing in front of me until my nose connected with his chest. I staggered backwards and clung onto one of the lockers to keep myself upright. Fluorescents temporarily blinded my eyes. In the haze I saw Flash smirk.
"Parker."
Kong giggled as if Flash had just told the world's best joke. Flash raised his arm, his hand balled into a fist. I readied myself for the punch. It wouldn't be the first he'd given me. The only mercy was it usually only took one to knock me down. Once I was down he was satisfied. I flinched as his arm swung through the air. Then it hit me. Not a punch. A clap to the back. A clap so hard that it knocked the breath out of my lungs.
Huh…?
I glared up at him, refusing to show either my shock or my fear. His smirk had softened now. It was almost a genuine smile. In a quiet voice he told me, "Glad to see you back."
Then he turned and walked into the lunch hall, Kong by his side. Once again I was speechless.
Can today get any weirder?
My plate of red hot spaghetti didn't think so. Its savory-sweet aroma promised a brief moment of true normality. Well, as normal as normal ever can be for me. You hear people say sometimes that there's no such thing as normal. But when you're as weird as I am, you can feel the difference between you and a normal person. I don't think normal, I don't look normal, and I definitely don't live normally. I mean, it doesn't help that each day is completely different. You can never tell when some egomaniac in a power suit is gonna start trouble in town. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, normal isn't all it's cracked up to be. But it sure is nice when you've had a week of nothing but wall-to-wall crazy.
I can always rely on spaghetti to cheer me up.
"Peni."
Harry frowned at his whatever-the-heck he was eating. I never did learn much about cooking, and ever since going veggie I've become kinda meat blind.
I asked him, "You don't like it?"
He stirred his fork around the sauce, "We've been friends for a long time now."
"Like five years, right?"
"Something like that."
I jammed some spaghetti in my mouth, "If you want to share my pasta, be my guest. I'm not gonna make you go hungry."
"Has Cindy spoken to you yet?"
Anxiety's cool tingle crept up my spine, "Yeah… I think she's ill. Said she couldn't make it here."
He looked at me, "Is that all she said?"
I paused mid-chew, "Pretty much. Why?"
"It's nothing."
I put my fork down, "Harry, is there something I need to know? Is she okay?"
"It's nothing!" Harry snapped, "It's nothing, okay? It's…"
Cindy and I told each other everything. If she was hiding something from me it had to be really, really serious. Suddenly her late night confession took on a new meaning.
Maybe she told me because she knows she's ill, that she's gonna—
Die…? No, no way. I didn't even wanna think about that.
"Harry, please."
Every part of him looked wound up. His arm was a coiled spring jittering on his plate, "She really likes you, you know?"
I froze.
Hold on, does Harry know? Did Cindy tell him before she told me?
Anything was possible, but I had to play it safe, so I feigned ignorance, "Of course! We're friends! I feel the same about you, Harry."
He chuckled emptily, "Oh Peni, I wish you did."
I wrapped some spaghetti round my fork, "I don't pick favorites with my friends, you dummy. You know that."
He stared at his plate, "Peni… I… I've always…" his voice caught in his throat, coming out as a choked squeak, "I love you, Peni. Love you, love you."
I squinted at him, confused, "What…?"
He stood up, "I'm sorry!"
"Harry, wait! It's okay!"
He ran out of the cafeteria, leaving his food uneaten.
"Harry!"
Everyone was staring. I stared back, but you can only meet so many eyes when you only have two of your own. I sat there, watching them watch me, till finally people went back to their lunch. Then I was alone. Just me and SP/dr. He crept down my arm to steal a nibble of spaghetti.
I sighed, "Nothing's ever simple for us, huh?"
I heard a tray clunk beside me. It was Lola, followed close behind by Rafferty. Cindy's friends. The only other friends she had. They looked worried.
Lola asked me, "Is Cindy okay?"
Suddenly I wasn't so sure.
The school bell was still ringing through the halls as I sprinted to the mech. I wanted to message Cindy and ask her what was really going on, but at the same time I didn't wanna force it out of her.
"Why are relationships so hard!?" I complained to the lobby's autodoors, then I was outside. Warm air lifted my hair out of my face and ruffled my skirt. The mech waited for me round the corner, past some vending machines and a low wall which I hopped over — almost catching my shoe on the railing in the process. I thwumped into the seat and SP/dr made his way through my hair, down the back of the seat and to his private cockpit. I promised Anna that I'd drop by the Science Center after school to say hi, but that was gonna have to wait.
"I don't think I can make it," I told her, to which she replied—
"Got villains to fight?"
"No, nothing like that. It's… complicated."
"Girl trouble, got it."
"How do you even know!?" I exclaimed as I swung past an enormous holographic diamond, "I've never once talked to you about relationships before."
"I have nieces, Peni. I know these things."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Call it chef's instinct then."
"You're a chemist."
"So are you or are you not dating?"
I sighed, "That's not important right now. Cindy, she's—"
"I knew she was into you."
"Anna, please!"
I heard her laugh over the comms, "Sorry, sorry. I'm listening."
"I'm serious!"
"I can tell."
"Anna—"
"Look," she said in a mellow voice, "you do what you gotta do, alright? Me and Reed'll still be here in the morning. Hell, the way the professor's been working he'll probably be here all night anyway."
I hopped off of one of the chimneys in the Bryant Park recycling complex, "I'll come as soon as I can."
"Like I said, we ain't going anywhere. Good luck, kid."
"Thanks Anna."
I'd only been to Cindy's house once. I have a good memory, but not a photographic memory like she has. Of course, SP/dr's memory is even better than either of ours. He plotted the route on a map in his mind and then sent that image straight into my head telepathically. All I had to do was hold it there while we wound through the multi-layered streets of New York City.
Like my aunt and uncle, Cindy's parents worked for Oscorp — but in admin. Admin didn't pay like the science divisions did, so they had to live right in the bowels of the city, in the Fast Food District. It used to be a trendy part of the city before the floods took everything away. Her little stretch of West 34th Street was once home to millionaires and celebrities and no one else. They called it Chelsea back then. They called it Chelsea after the floods, too. Then it got renamed to Zuckerbergville after the vat-grown son of some billionaire, but then he died and Synth Burger moved in, and it's been known as the Fast Food District ever since. At the bottom you've got all the food processing factories, and at the top you have the restaurants themselves. Cindy lived kinda in the middle of all of it, in a little crack wedged between a Synth Burger megatower and a Viking Buffet hall.
"Number 342… that's what she said, right?"
On the block between 6th and 7th Avenue. I could see the apartment building. It stood out amongst all the factories, a thin noodle of grey plating stranded in a maze of industrial pipework. We dropped down to the entrance. The door, which was windowless and stained with green gunk, was way too small for the mech. I clamped the mech to the wall a few feet up and scaled down the building using the window ledges. It took me forever to remember how to open the door. The answer was hidden inside the door's bulky frame: a tiny intercom, a simple one with just a touchscreen and a mic. I scrolled along the screen, immediately regretting it as my finger slid over something sticky, till I found Cindy's name.
"There it is. 342."
I rang her apartment. A few seconds later I heard her answer, "Hello…?"
"Cindy?"
"Peni!" she sounded shocked.
"I told you I'd come visit, remember?"
"I lost track of time…"
Me and SP/dr could both hear in her voice that something was very, very wrong. I closed my eyes and tried my best to calm my nerves, "Well I'm here now! You gonna let me in?"
"One sec."
A moment later I heard the main entrance's lock clunk open. I gave the door a tentative push and it swung wide to reveal an impossibly tall staircase.
"Thank Galactus this place has an elevator," my voice echoed. SP/dr agreed. The stairs went right to the top — and you could smell it. Even from where we were standing SP/dr could taste the deep fat fryers on his sensitive leg hairs. He cut our psychic link as the foul stink of greasy meat swept over his skin.
Thanks, buddy. You're really taking one for the team there.
Unfortunately, as we ascended the stairs (the elevator was out of order) I started to smell it too.
"Jeez," I mumbled, "How does Cindy live like this?"
The smell intensified with every step I took, and not just the smell — the air got thicker too. My hair started sticking to my cheeks with all the fat it was collecting. I felt tired, I felt exhausted, I felt sick. By the time we reached her apartment I was a deep-fried zombie. But I shook all that off of me. Squaring my shoulders and holding my head high, I knocked on her door to the tune of 'shave and a haircut'. She opened it slowly, peeking out from behind it. When our eyes met she yanked off the chain and dragged the door fully open.
"Come in," she said in a hushed voice, ushering me into her living room. It took all my strength not to cry out in joy as my lungs filled with fresh, meat-free air.
Yesss! Thank god her air vents work properly!
Cindy's house was all carpets. Everything had an extra layer of fabric on it, even the walls. There were so many tapestries and photos and crayon artworks drawn by Cindy and her brother that there was almost no space left for the wall to be itself. It was cozy. Like a big hug. Very different from the clean and clinical state Aunt May kept our house in. I liked it.
"How are you feeling?" I began as Cindy sunk into the protective embrace of her squishy sofa, "Like, really."
She gazed into the muffled reflection on the surface of her turned-off TV, "I'm not feeling great."
"Like a cold? Stomach trouble?"
Her breathing was loud in the quiet room, "I…uh…" she looked off to the side, worming her hands around in the lap, "I did try to go. To school."
I moved closer, "Forget about school. If you gotta rest, you gotta rest."
"I opened the door—" her eyes met mine again. I could feel the sadness in them, "—I tried."
"It's okay," I sat next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "it's just one day."
A tear rolled down her cheek, "I looked out at that hall… and I… I remembered him. Taking me out of nowhere. He's out there, Peni."
Finally it clicked, "…Mysterio?"
She nodded, "I've been having nightmares since I got back. He finds my apartment, then he takes me away."
"We beat him, Cindy. You beat him! You punched him halfway across the room!"
She shook her head, "It doesn't matter. I didn't really stop got lucky."
"Hey, I didn't get lucky," I said. I wanted to believe that, though a part of me knew it wasn't true.
"Yeah," she half-agreed, "You're right."
As soon as she said it I felt wrong, "No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."
She wiped her eyes, "Am I being stupid?"
"No," I wrapped my arm around her, "It's not stupid. But you don't need to be afraid of him. I'll protect you."
"In the hospital I felt safe."
"Is that why you stayed so late?"
She sniffed, "That wasn't the only reason."
Her confession resounded in my mind. My heart couldn't take all this at once — I didn't know what to feel. I was sad she was hurting, I was anxious to tell her that I loved her too, I was angry at Mysterio. Most of all though I just wanted her to be happy. I wanted to do anything I could to make her happy again.
I told her, "I'll always be here for you Cindy. Always."
"He just teleported me away… One minute we were at school, the next…"
"I won't let him hurt you again."
"No," she said with conviction, "He won't hurt me again. As long as I stay here. He won't find me…" she clutched her wrist, "Agh…"
"You still get those aches, even with the medicine?"
She laughed bitterly, "Lately it's been in my fingers. As for the medicine… I lost it when I got teleported away. I feel like I'm breaking down, Peni. I don't know what's what anymore."
I took her hand in mine, taking care to be as gentle as possible with her wrist, "We'll get through this. He scared me a lot, too. For a while I thought about giving up piloting the mech."
She looked at me, "You did?"
I nodded, "But then…well, it's a long story."
"Is that why you went away? Because you were scared?"
"No, I got teleported away. But not by him."
And so I told Cindy the story of how I ended up in Miles's universe.
She blinked, "That's crazy, Peni."
"Who knew I had a whole extended interdimensional family?"
For a moment, a genuine smile graced her lips, "Of course you do. Every weird thing that can happen does happen when it comes to you."
"It was fun, and it made me think. It made me realize what's really important to me."
Our eyes met once again. We both knew what was coming next.
"Cindy," I said, taking a deep breath, feeling SP/dr urge me on from his hiding spot deep in my forest of hair, "I… I know this is a bad time, but… well… I…"
I shouldn't say it. Not now. She might've changed her mind.
Or she might not. Knowing I feel the same could make her happy.
I stared at my bare knees, "That time in hospital, the last time I fell down. The time that I kinda passed out in bed. It was late. I woke up in the night."
Her shirt rustled as her shoulders tensed up. I was starting to regret my decision, but it was too late to stop.
"You said something to me," I continued, "and… I heard it."
"Oh no," she gasped, clutching her face in her hands.
"No," I grabbed her, lifting her up, "It's not a bad thing. I swear. Cindy, Cindy listen to me," I could see the shame in her eyes. It was now or never, "I love you too."
She stopped. Stopped moving, stopped breathing. She was paused in place.
"You…" she whispered, "…do?"
I felt like all my organs had fallen out onto the floor, "Yes. I do. I realized it at the hospital. But I think… I think I've felt this way for a long time now. I just didn't recognize it. I've never felt like this before. Not for anyone."
She slowly sat upright, her hands resting on her legs. I could see that everything had fallen out of her too. She half-laughed, half-sobbed, "Oh man."
"If you've changed your mind, it's—"
"No no! I haven't!" she immediately insisted, "I just have a lot of feelings right now. Oh Peni—"
Suddenly her arms were round me, pulling me in for a hug. Her breath was warm on my neck. As she nestled her head on my shoulder I kissed her cheek. Slowly her hands slid along my back till they found my messy hair. We shifted on the sofa. Now we were almost nose to nose. I'd never wanted to kiss her so much. So I did. Softly, like in the theater, while all her family photos and childhood drawings watched. We melted into the sofa's many fabrics, surrounded by gentleness. Every kiss lit up my neck, cascading down my back, hot and cold all at once. I'd never felt anything like it. We kissed over and over. Our hands were everywhere. In the distance, my mind scolded, 'What would Aunt May think?' — but I ignored it. I kept going till my lips were numb and my clothes were drenched in sweat.
"Wow…" I sighed, rolling off of her, "…so that's what kissing's like."
She grinned at me, "For someone who's never kissed before, you're pretty good."
"They don't call me a genius for nothing. Anyway, wasn't that your first kiss too?"
"Shh!"
I threw a cushion at her, and we both descended into laughter. I stayed with her for a while after that, cuddling her and pecking her on the cheek. Now that I'd discovered kissing I was greedy for it. It was all I could think about. My mind was overflowing with excitement.
I thought, I've gotta tell Ham about this!
Then I remembered. Ham and Noir and the others were all back in their own dimensions. Dimensions I had no way of reaching. Suddenly all the excitement faded away.
"Cindy," I said, trying not to sound too somber, "I have to go to the Science Center. I uh, I promised Anna."
"Oh," she didn't hide her disappointment, "I understand."
I gave her a little smile, "See you at school?"
She looked back to her dead TV, "Maybe…"
I held her hand, "I'll see you tomorrow either way. I've got you."
"Thanks Peni."
I gave her one last kiss, "I love you, Cindy."
"I love you too."
Even as her door clunked closed and the rancid stench of fried beef filled my nose, those words stayed with me. 'I love you' — it felt so good to say it. I took the first step down the bottomless staircase and immediately looked back at her door. I could knock again right now, maybe even spend the night if I asked her parents real nicely.
No. I have to go. The city needs me. Aunt May and Uncle Ben need me.
Anna needed me.
"She did say I didn't have to come…"
But at the same time, if there was any way for me to see my friends again, I absolutely had to try. And there was only one way to find out.
Falling into the mech was like falling into bed. The pilot's chair was just the right amount of 'too big'. The interfaces shining across the walls and the clear domed screen reminded me who I am. By the time SP/dr reached his mini cockpit, I was ready.
"Let's go."
As I flew across Midtown I called the Science Center via the mech's comms unit. I didn't expect anyone to pick up, but sure enough, just like Anna said, Professor Reed Richards was still there. I was so surprised to hear his voice that at first I didn't say anything. Eventually I asked if Anna was still around. She wasn't. She'd already gone home. For a moment I considered turning around and going home. I'd been debating telling him and Anna about everything, but I hadn't gone through with it yet. Interdimensional travel was big technology, world-changing. Anything that powerful had to be in the right hands. But they were good people, and more than that, Professor Richards was an expert in teleportation technology. If anyone would know how to hop dimensions, it'd be him.
In the end I decided to tell him what happened. Before I even finished he insisted that I come in for some tests. He was ecstatic.
"Peni, if we can crack the interdimensional puzzle, just think — just think of all the good we can do! Think of all the places we could go! The whole universe would be ours to explore! Oh my god…" he started laughing, "Reilly particles… if they're as you described, if the laws of physics operate the same here as they do in that universe you visited… why Peni I think I could make them myself! I think we have the equipment! Hahaha! Peni you're a genius! I'm a genius! This is GREAT!"
I could hardly breathe, "Are you serious?"
"Peni, I've never been more serious in my life!" I heard frantic typing, "I'll be waiting for you in the gene labs. You know where they are."
Then he ended the call. I didn't exactly know where the gene labs were, but I figured I could find my way.
If Mr. Osborn knew about this he'd kill me.
And abuse the technology to wreck other universes for his profit, no doubt. Mr. Osborn… the man who owned the rights to my mech. If he knew I was visiting the Reed Richards Science Center he'd have a fit. But I didn't care. He owed me big time. As I swung up towards what used to be known as Spanish Harlem but was now known as Fisk Gardens, named after the city's mayor, my mind replayed the moment Osborn confronted me after I got out of the hospital.
"You nearly killed us all," he said. We were back at Oscorp. Aunt May was beside me. We were sitting down in one of the quiet rooms on the upper floors. The offices were still mostly empty after the chaos. The chairs were soft. Memory foam. He chose to stand.
Pointing his finger right at me he said, "Mysterio had my son in a chair with an axe above his head, all because of you."
I just glared at him in silence. Aunt May squeezed my hand.
Mr. Osborn stepped back, his lips falling over themselves trying to find the next thing to blame me for, "You had one job! To protect my company! To protect my family! And you ran away!"
I watched him as he paced the room, "I saved your life."
"After endangering it first. No, no more. I won't allow any more. You're out of control."
"I don't need your permission."
"Oh really?" his bloodshot eyes bored into me, "I guess you don't need permission to destroy my police force, either."
"They're hurting innocent people."
"They're protecting my property! And if you have a problem with that, you can leave the mech in the hangar."
I rolled my eyes, "I'm not doing this anymore, Mr. Osborn. The mech's mine. I don't care what you say."
He got up in my face, "You will care. You're forgetting that I own this city and everything in it. I own your mech. I own you."
Suddenly Aunt May stood between us. "You do not own my niece!" she growled, "Her life is hers, and I will not let you speak to her like that."
He chuckled bitterly, "Do you like your job, May? Do you want to keep it?"
I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the dizziness threatening to drag me under, and addressed my so-called 'boss' directly.
"Mr. Osborn, you can say what you like, and threaten us all you want, but don't forget that the only thing that stopped hundreds of thousands of rioters from destroying every Oscorp building in the city was me. You were doomed before I helped you. Think about that. Think about what they did to this city when they were angry at me, and think about how much further they would go if they were angry at you."
He stared at me, silent. His lips were frozen. His face was empty, like a statue. Then he clenched his jaw, lifted his head and grumbled, "Get out."
I stood my ground beside Aunt May. Mr. Osborn took in a sharp breath, "I said get OUT!"
As the door closed I told him, "I'm taking the mech."
And I did. Despite how angry he was he didn't fire Aunt May or Uncle Ben. He didn't demote them either. Well, not too much. Now they work with me. That's their whole thing. Maintaining and monitoring the mech. Uncle Ben found out about this new arrangement via Oscorp's internal communications app. When he got home he asked, "What did you say to him!?"
Aunt May, a cup of tea in hand, answered simply, "We reminded him who saved his life."
I was nearing the department store that sat on top of the Science Center when I got a call through the comms. I expected Aunt May, but instead I got—
"Toomes!?"
"Peni," his voice was matter of fact, "Doing your evening patrol, I see?"
"Pretty much!" I said. There was no way I was gonna reveal the truth to Norman Osborn's right hand man.
"I've been looking at those wings you made."
"Oh, those. Yeah, I had to borrow some material from a skybridge, so they're a bit clunky."
"They're brilliant. I can't believe you built them without any lab equipment."
"I had my multi-purpose hard light device."
"You reconfigured some mag-lane magnets. You did it consistently, too."
East 120th street was like a jungle. Every building rippled green with Fisk's signature wall gardens. I grabbed a handful of gummy planets from my super special 'pilot only' under-seat candy stash, "You'd be amazed what you can do with a good cell phone."
"I'd like to rework them," Toomes said, almost sounding excited, "I think they could become something really useful with a little bit of effort and some know-how. I'd like you to help me, if you're interested."
"Shure!" I garbled, mid-chew, "Just tell me when and I'll be there."
"Drop by my office after school tomorrow, if you're not busy."
"No problem. I've gotta go now, but could you tell Aunt May I might be home a little late? I need to see a… friend."
"I'll tell her."
"Thank you! Bye!"
The comms fell silent. I dropped down past a multi-story billboard featuring a photo of me I'd never taken wearing a dress I'd never owned. Yet another deepfake from Gene Pop. The billboard flicked between several equally fake photos of me in equally sultry poses. The tagline read: PENI PARKER CALENDAR NOW ON SALE! GET READY FOR 3146!
"They can't even fake me into clothes I'd actually wear. At least get your facts right if you're gonna be a creep."
Gene Pop was bad enough under Jameson. Ever since he'd left they'd only ramped up the weirdness of their articles. I had ten people 'at' me on Echo this morning asking if I really did use Extra Lavender Micropore Shower Cubes. I told them 'no'. I didn't tell them I still use the bargain brand kids shampoo you get at Wall-To-Wall Mart. It's the only one that doesn't make my eyes sting. Smells of apples, too. If it wasn't so toxic I'd probably drink it.
SP/dr doesn't need showers, of course. He cleans himself whenever he feels like it using his pedipalps (the little limbs next to his fangs). He likes baths though. Whenever I have a bath he sits on my knee and dips the tips of his legs in the water. Sometimes he likes to climb on my hand and ride round the bath as if he was on a little boat.
Not that I had much time for baths. I barely had time for showers as it is.
"Here we are."
We clunked down in the dark alley that hid the Reed Richards Science Center. The sign looked even worse than it did a few days ago.
"Yep… it's missing an 'E' now, too."
I had no idea what tests Professor Richards wanted to do on me. I knew more physics than most experts. I'd never met a teacher who could tell me something I didn't know. That knowledge told me that no test would give him any information about my interdimensional trip. The most he could hope to do was confirm that I hadn't sustained any internal damage during the hop between worlds. Even so, a part of me secretly hoped that there was something I was missing, that there was some secret technique, some equation somewhere that I'd never heard of, something that could maybe, just maybe, reunite me with my spider friends.
I miss them.
I'd never stopped missing them. I hadn't noticed it at first. I was so busy fixing everything Oscorp and Mysterio had broken that I didn't have room in my head for sadness. It was only when I was on patrol, swinging around with nothing to do, that those memories of old New York, Miles's New York, began to surface. I could still hear B's voice, still hear Gwen's laugh. I could still see Noir's eyes in May's subterranean lab, bright in the darkness, smiling mouthlessly at me while I snuggled up on the couch.
I need to see them again. Whatever it takes.
Betty Brant was there to greet me as I walked into the garage entrance
"Hey Peni! Professor Richards told me you'd be coming. He seemed really excited about something."
Professor Richards was waiting in the gene labs just like he said, a tablet in one hand and a glowing orb in the other.
"I'm getting closer!" he exclaimed, "And I think you're going to be the last piece of the puzzle!"
He put me and SP/dr through every test you can think of. We had scans and x-rays, span around in quantum field analyzers, had our brains read by his supercomputer, and I even gave a biopsy (he took the sample from my elbow).
"Amazing!" he said about an hour later, after he'd collated all the results, "Look at this," he pointed at two spectrum graphs displayed side-by-side, "This is from before your trip, and this is after."
I squinted at the screen, "I don't see the difference."
He grinned, "It's minute, but it's there. See that tiny band of silver? The little flecks in the purple."
"Ohhhh! I see it now!"
"That must be the Reilly particles."
I looked up at him in confusion, "What, inside me? They're literally inside me?"
"Traveling through the wormhole somehow bonded them with your body. I can't tell whether it happened on the way out, or the way back, but with the cellular decay phenomenon you described, I'm wondering if you picked these ones up after jumping into the collider."
My heart was pounding in my chest, "So what does this mean?"
"It means," he tapped a needle, "I need another sample of your blood."
"Again!?"
"With your blood," he sat me down next to a table covered in pill jars and strapped up my arm, "I can create a stable wormhole to any location."
"Wait, wha—OW!"
He offered me a sympathetic look, "Sorry, I'm not a nurse. This kinda stuff was more Susan's thing."
"Susan…?"
"My ex-wife," he stared at the needle as he drew out my blood, his face locked in stern concentration, "…Excellent."
As soon as he had my blood he jerked upright and strode towards a door at the other end of the room.
I called out, "Aren't you gonna unstrap my arm?"
"Oh!" he laughed, slapping his forehead, "Of course!"
He undid the strap and dropped it to the floor, "I'll deal with that later. First, we have to test this blood."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
I followed him down the white hallway, our steps muffled in the blue carpeting. A couple turns later we reached a shadowy room with a concrete floor.
"Wait here," he said. Then the door closed and I was sent into total darkness. I felt SP/dr crawl onto my cheek.
The professor seems even more frantic than the last time I saw him.
Anna said he'd been in the lab all day.
He must be really close to cracking this. If my blood really works…
It'd mean I could see the others again.
A voice thundered from above, "I'm activating it now."
I didn't need to ask what. Before he'd even finished speaking I sensed it, and so did SP/dr. Something big at the other end of the room. Its deep growl reverberated through my chest. When I looked towards the sound I got a prickly feeling on the back of my neck, then a strange pulling and whirling in my gut, just like the first time I traveled through the multiverse.
When it finally materialized I gasped, "Oh my god."
It was huge. The size of a house. A gigantic, sparkling vortex carved into the wall, surrounded by a bulky metal ring.
That must be what's stabilizing it.
I stepped closer, squinting into its technicolor glow. The wrenching sensation grew stronger, but it didn't pull me in. Not even the air in front of it stirred. It was like the wormhole wasn't even there.
I wonder where it's connected to? Is it connected to Miles? Or maybe B?
Maybe nowhere. I took another step. I was so close. One doorway between me and my adopted spider family. I wanted to hug them so badly. All of them. And I could, if I just took one more step…
Suddenly the door behind me burst open.
"I'm a genius!" Reed Richards cackled, "It really works! I can't believe it! Hahaha! Isn't it amazing, Peni?"
I watched the vortex slowly swim through all the colors of the rainbow, "…Yeah. It's beautiful."
"It automatically connected to that world you visited. The same place you acquired the Reilly Particles."
Without thinking I mumbled, "Miles…"
Professor Richards noticed, "Hmm?"
I looked over my shoulder at his now-goggled face, "Is it safe to go in?"
"I have no idea," he answered with a grin, "But one of us has to find out."
I frowned, "Can't you test it?"
He adjusted his gloves, "This isn't something you can test Peni. But I won't make you go. I've… made that mistake before…" for a second his smile drooped, then he collected himself, "I can go first."
I shook my head, "No. I'll do it. I want to do it."
He rested a heavy hand on my shoulder, "I'll be right behind you."
SP/dr stroked my cheek with his tiny legs, letting me know he supported me too.
Thanks buddy. I know I can always count on you.
In the center of the wormhole's rainbow whirlpool was a single, black dot. I felt it pulling me. One more step and I'd be through. I took a deep breath, then—
My phone buzzed. Professor Richards gave me a quizzical look, "Everything alright?"
"Probably just my aunt," I said, pulling the phone out of my backpack. But it wasn't Aunt May. It was Gene Pop.
I grumbled, "I thought I turned the notifications off for this stupid thing."
Then I noticed the story. A live story. The headline read: DAREDEVIL SWARMED BY OSCORP ENFORCERS. WILL THE DEVIL OF HELL'S KITCHEN FINALLY BE UNMASKED? The attached video showed Daredevil in a losing fight against an army of robotic police officers. If no one helped him, he really could get unmasked.
I sighed, "Sorry Professor. I have to go."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "What!? Now? Are you sure?"
I nodded, "I have to help a friend. He needs me. I'll… be back tomorrow."
The professor's expression softened, "I understand. I'll make a note of the wormhole's co-ordinates. We can try tomorrow, together."
"Are you sure? You haven't gotta put everything on hold cos of me."
He turned away from the wormhole and began walking towards the exit, "I haven't slept in two days. I need the rest. Besides," he looked back over his shoulder, a mischievous smile on his face, "You're the expert on that world. I'd rather go in knowing what I'm dealing with."
I smiled back, "Thank you Professor. I mean it."
"Go on. Go save your friend. I'll be watching the news for you."
I ran past him, "Don't watch it too much. It'll rot your brain!"
By the time we reached the mech my legs were jelly.
"Really gotta exercise more…"
But I didn't need exercise. While my human body was limited, our mech body was invincible. As soon as my butt hit the pilot's seat we started up the jet thrusters and propelled ourselves into the air. Then it was time for the webs.
"Here we go SP/dr!"
On instinct alone we webbed from skybridge to skybridge. Past Mayor Fisk's gardens and through the wall of traffic down Park Avenue. I had so much to tell my spider friends. I was gonna give each of them the biggest hug ever when we met. But they weren't my only friends. I had more friends now than ever before — and a girlfriend. The new school semester had barely begun and already everything was different to how it started.
It's only gonna get crazier from here.
I was ready. I'd been through just about everything. I'd even been through a rip in spacetime and made it back to tell the tale. I was strong. I was smart. And most importantly, I wasn't alone.
"You and me forever, SP/dr."
On the skywalks around me I heard people crying, "Hey, it's SP/dr!"
Their voices filled my heart.
"You can do it, Peni!"
"You guys are the best!"
"Go SP/dr!"
Their trust in me propelled me forward, reminded me who I am.
"Take 'em down, Peni!"
"You're my hero!"
I am Peni Parker. Mech pilot. One of two. The other is my best friend, SP/dr. Together we protect New York City from the forces of evil. Whoever they may be…
The comms flared up with Oscorp police transmissions, "Target is on the roof of Fisk Tower. Lethal force authorized."
I cracked my knuckles, "Alright buddy, time for you and me to remind Mr. Osborn who's boss."
Heart-Shaped Box: END
A/N: Thank you once again for reading this :) It's genuinely an honour to be able to bring you all some long-form Peni content. Our best girl deserves it and desperately needs it. I'd also like to thank GrimnirBorson for his awesome Peni story 'Sp/ Dr: An Ultimate Marvel AU'. His choice to ship Peni with Liz Toomes gave me the confidence to ship Peni with Cindy in this story. I'd planned it since the beginning, but I might not have taken the step if I hadn't seen him do it so well.
I'll see you all in the new year :) or sooner, if you're into my other spider-verse stories! The next arc is gonna focus more on the everyday aspects of Peni's life in New York, and be less dark - but no less complex or emotionally involved. I cannot WAIT to write it :D