Here we go with the next chapter. I'm relieved to see that there are those willing to give this story a chance! Thank you for your support.
High atop the cityscape of New York, a lone wall crawler sat motionless on a web hammock watching the sunset. He had very little on his mind, even his own demise had lost the impact it once held over him. To be honest, he felt numb. With the disappointment in Wakanda, the spider had finally resigned himself to death. It wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be. Actually, it was almost a relief. There was no one else to ask, and Peter was exhausted of asking. Even Doctor Strange had paid him a visit when he returned from Africa.
Peter gave a disconsolate sigh. One of the few times he'd moved or made a sound since starting his vigil. The spider remembered the arrival of the sorcerer supreme, popping into existence in his room and told him that Fury had informed him of Peter's condition and had requested he see if there was anything he could do to help. Doctor Strange then suggested making a quick trip to his sanctum. Peter had agreed, internally kicking himself for not even considering magical help. His team was downstairs helping May with dinner, Peter figured a quick trip with the Doctor wouldn't be noticed. And so, with a wave of his hand, the man had transported both himself and the spider to the sanctum.
Peter remembered looking around the room in morbid curiosity, his adolescent hands reaching out to touch only to be reprimanded by the sorcerer, "Don't touch that!" the former surgeon snapped, "Some of these artifacts are thousands of years old."
Spidey snatched back his fingers from where they were just about to graze the cover of a book, "Sorry," deciding the best place for his hands was intertwining them with each other, the spider continued following Stephen Strange "would that have opened the gates of Hell or something?"
"No." The Doctor replied, reigning in his obvious irritability to people "It's just that book is very fragile."
Peter nodded, tucking his hands under his arms as the Doctor stopped and directed him to stand in the middle of the room. Summoning a small golden disc that could fit in the palm of his hand, the sorcerer murmured magical words making the disc shine a golden light onto the spider. Peter shuffled his feet, rubbing his arms as Stephen peered into the light and found himself flinching when the doctor's eyes widened.
"Oh no," he breathed, "that's not good."
"What?" Peter asked, his own voice barely able to go above a whisper.
"I can see you have a malady, but it isn't physical." Stephen stated, his features grave.
Peter was rocked by derisive snort, his eyes bitter and hard, "It sure feels physical." He muttered.
"You would be amazed to find out how many physical ailments are caused by the spirit realm." The sorcerer replied, his gaze narrowing as he focused in on the illness, "And this sickness has the same properties of a curse. It is almost as if Fate has designated this to happen."
Closing the golden disc, Stephen Strange placed what he hoped was a consoling hand on the all too young man's shoulder, "I'm sorry, my friend. I cannot lift this curse, and the forces against you are unstoppable."
"So, that's it." Peter shook his head as the last option he had flew out the window, never to return "I'm going to die, and there's nothing anyone can do?"
"Yes."
After that Peter had been given the opportunity to be transported back home, but the spider was exhausted, and just wanted some privacy. He stated as much and the sorcerer supreme gave a sad smile full of empathy at the young hero. With that Spidey found himself on one of the tallest buildings in the city, with a perfect view of the setting sun. A strange and irresistible urge to build a hammock and watch the sunset overtook him, and that's where he'd been for the better part of the hour. Now, faced with the certainty of his death, Spidey found an odd sort of peace as he watched the fiery ball of flame dip into the horizon.
No more running all over begging for help. No more wondering if they would be able to stop it in time. The only thing left was to enjoy what time he had available before wasting away. He still needed to find a way to tell May, that was the only difficult thing on his to-do list, and the spider wasn't sure how to tell her. As far as he was aware, she didn't even know he was Spider-Man, and that alone was an earth-shattering revelation. How would she take learning that, and finding out her nephew was literally days away from being on his death bed?
"Hello Spider,"
Peter jumped out of the hammock, cursing how his spider sense had weakened enough that it barely alerted him of danger anymore. Whirling to face his foe, the young hero's heart gave a stutter as he took in the face of Morlun. Panic filled the young hero, demanding he run away from the single force on the planet capable of bringing mind numbing terror to his mind. However, the teen reminded himself that it was impossible for the man to actually be there.
"You're just a hallucination…" Peter breathed, "that's all, you're not real."
"Oh, I'm quite real." Morlun hissed, "and I assure you that I'm biding my time until I have regained my strength to take you down."
Spidey shook his head, even as his body began to tremble violently in waves from his shoulders down to his knees, "No, no way," the teen croaked, "I saw you die. You couldn't possibly have survived that, no one could survive that!"
Morlun's features stretched with a predatorial grin, "I didn't," he shrugged, "at least not that body. But we, the Inheritors, are not bound by so archaic laws such as body and soul. You can kill this body as many times as you please, but you'll never be rid of me. I'll always come back to reclaim my prey."
A small whimper whispered from Peter's lips, even as he valiantly tried to command his body to stand strong in front of his enemy. Unfortunately, Peter found that his body wasn't very keen on listening at that moment. Morlun stepped toward the trembling arachnid, and his grin grew feral when Peter couldn't stop himself from taking a step back. A smug chuckle shook the broad shoulders, "It is so delicious to see that look of terror infecting your frame," the man purred, "and you would do well to fear me, because I will be the one who sucks the essence from your body. You will be my bounty, my game, the one who will strengthen me to go into new worlds and hunt more of you spiders until they are wiped from existence."
"If you're so hungry, why not eat me now?" Curse his stupid big mouth and how it seems to be the one thing that never shuts down.
"I don't quite have the strength yet, I'm here only as an astral projection. I'm not quite corporeal yet."
"So, I guess me punching you would just be a waste of time, then?" Stress, stress is what fuels his stupid mouth. Which is why it can taunt a seemingly unkillable interdimensional vampire.
"It would be like punching through a cloud," Morlun shrugged, spreading his hands wide, "but my time is soon at hand. I'll deal with you soon."
"Are you sure you can't reschedule? The next couple weeks look kind of busy." Stupid, stupid mouth. You can shut up at any time.
Morlun threw his head back with a bellowed laugh, "Ah, you are amusing little one, I'll give you that. But you and I both know that you don't have that much time left in you. You're fading, and I intend to hunt you while you still breathe."
With one last smile tinged with a hungry snarl, the man disappeared, leaving Spider-Man alone atop the world.
…
"Look, I know that you've been through a lot, but all we ask is that you roll with it, ok?"
Peter cast incredulous brown eyes on his friends, one eyebrow quirking at their request. It had been almost a week since that evening on the roof top and he had still not informed them of his run in with Morlun. As far as they were aware he had just spent the evening watching the sunset. He had told them about Doctor Strange, however. They took the news about the same way that he did.
Which prompted the last few days of everyone doing their best to give him amazing memories. And also led to that morning, when Peter was suddenly tag teamed by secretive smiles and grasping hands compelling him to follow them to the Heli-carrier and onto one of the jets.
"And what exactly am I rolling with?" Spidey asked Nova, who had a very firm grip on his right arm.
"It's a surprise." Sam deadpanned.
Peter pouted, "What's the point of a surprise if you don't spoil it, bucket head? That's completely contrary to your character."
Ava giggled, even as Power Man gave a wicked grin, "He's got you there Sammy," the muscular teen chuckled, "I don't think you've ever kept a secret longer than a few minutes."
Sam clamped his lips shut in stubborn rebellion, determination blazing in his eyes. Iron Fist patted Nova on the back, "We have every faith in you to keep our secret this time."
Peter laughed, in the almost week since being told he was going to die the spider had managed to sleep without nightmares. It was almost as if confirming the worst had the ability to scare away the dark fears plaguing his subconscious. Whatever the reason for it, Peter was grateful to at least have attained some measure of restful sleep. Although, it still concerned him how he and the others were able to somehow block out their team's impending loss. They were operating as if he had only a few days left to live, doing fun things like playing hooky from school to go ride rollercoasters on the boardwalk or take beach days (with Fury's blessing, no less). Now his team was snagging him to go on yet another adventure.
"Do I at least get to know where we're going?" The spider queried.
"Nope!" Ava cackled as she punched in their destination to the auto pilot.
"Ok, then."
After that they spent the hours traveling playing cards, or any other travel game they could think of. Peter even allowed himself to lay down for a brief nap when his weakening body gave a threatening wobble. This had concerned the team as they all stated he would need his strength for the surprise. So, with a shrug and a grumbled complaint, the leader allowed his team of mother hens to bundle him into one of the jet cots and fell into a deep sleep for the remainder of the trip.
It wasn't until they landed that the spider got his first look at where he had been dragged to by his team.
"Latveria?" Peter asked, "Why are we in Latveria?"
"Well, since Doom is currently missing, and hasn't been seen in months-," Luke began.
"Rumored to be dead," Nova cut in between exaggerated coughs.
Power man rolled his eyes, "Mr. Fantastic told us about something interesting in his castle you might find…fun."
"What could possibly be fun in Doom's castle?" The spider scoffed, "This is the guy who still thinks medieval torture is a good interrogation tactic!"
Ava patted Peter's head reassuringly, "Don't worry web head," she purred, "we'll keep you safe."
"I'm not scared!" Peter defended, his mask distorting slightly as his bottom lip poked out in a pout, "I was merely pointing out logistical issues with our plan!"
"Of course," Iron Fist smiled.
"Hey guys," Nova announced, "I'm going to fly ahead and get the front door open."
"Sounds good." Ava nodded.
"Be careful of the moat!" Spider-Man cautioned, "last time I was here there was a nasty moat monster."
"Please," the young guardian scoffed "I've fought monsters in deep space, you honestly think a moat monster will give me any trouble?"
Peter opened his mouth to shoot back a retort but found Nova speeding away. Within seconds a shrill scream followed by explosions rocked the air. Spidey slowly covered his face with his hand, drawing it down from his eyes to his chin while giving a long-suffering sigh. "Do we rescue him?"
Another scream echoed back to them, making Power Man wince "Maybe we should?"
"I'm not sure," Ava smirked "he did say he could handle it."
"This is the same person who stated he could handle a hot dog eating contest with the Spider," Iron Fist intoned sagely.
Peter felt a maniacal giggle burble from his lips "And we all remember how that ended," he chirped, happily remembering his victory pose as Nova lay groaning on the floor.
"You did have an unfair advantage," Luke chuckled, "Nova never seems to remember that your powers hyper accelerated your metabolism."
"Serves him right for challenging me, then." Peter quipped with a haughty sniff.
It was in that moment that the guardian himself reappeared, bedraggled and panting hard, "I…opened…the front…door." He gasped.
"Good job!" Spider-Man popped up two enthusiastic thumbs up to his teammate, smiling when Nova straightened with a proud grin.
"Now, let's get inside before we attract any unwanted attention," Ava stated, pointing her finger in the direction of the castle for good measure.
"You mean, any more unwanted attention, right?" Luke deadpanned making the team laugh.
"Right," Ava nodded.
As one, the team ventured through the bushes and trees and approached Doom castle. It looked deserted, except for the large moat monster beached on the shore and a small platoon of robot guards. Spidey wasn't sure if Doom was truly dead, as those kinds of rumors had a tendency of proving to be exaggerated. However, for the moment everything seemed quiet and even weakened his spider sense wasn't alerting him to anything. So, Peter allowed himself to be ushered across the moat and through the imposing gate.
After climbing several flights of stairs that had the spider desperately trying to hide how out of breath he was, they finally arrived at their destination.
A dusty lab sat in the gloom. Countless instruments and computer screens dark, and unmoving. A space once filled with the productive hum and electric crackle of machines, now lay in solemn repose, awaiting the return of its master. Tucked away in the corner, an innocuous wooden door stood guarding a secret which proved greater than anyone approaching would think. White Tiger tried the knob but found it firmly locked.
"Hey, Luke," the female hero cocked a thumb at the door, her mask wrinkling from the grin underneath, "mind giving me a hand?"
Power Man cracked his knuckles, then reared back a fist and swung forward to demolish the door. Spider-Man nodded in approval, "Very nice. Now, why are we destroying Doom's castle?"
"Because" Nova replied tugging his leader through the door, "inside this room is the only time machine in existence."
"Time Machine!" Peter felt his jaw drop, "Waitwaitwaitwait! We can't go back in time! I want to live, you guys know I'm not happy about this whole radiation cancer…thing. But we can't just go back in time! We'd have to go all the way back to when I got my powers, or at the very least to the night Morlun attacked and if we change that we have no idea just how many people he could hurt much less ki-!"
"Spidey!"
Peter shut up; his eyes wide at how loudly Ava had just bellowed his name. White Tiger cast sad eyes at her leader. "Even if that was our plan, we can't." she murmured, "This Time Machine can't bodily send you back in time. If anything, it's like a window into the past. The Chronal Displacement would keep us just out of phase with the past events that we wouldn't be seen or heard; we'll basically be ghosts. Observing, nothing else."
"Oh,"
Ava shook her head mournfully. True, they had considered changing the past with Morlun, but the more they talked about it, the more they realized just why messing with the past was a bad idea. Peter could still die, Morlun could have killed him in some other way that could sacrifice innocent lives. Of course, Peter would rather face his impending death alone as opposed to dying at the hands of a maniac after witnessing the deaths of others. The Spider would never want people to get hurt because of him. Beyond this, it was just as she said. The time machine itself wasn't capable of full travel to the past. It could only take them there insomuch that they could witness the events but were not able to physically touch anything or interact. Which was as it should be.
"Anyway," Ava said, forcing brightness back into her demeanor, "we thought about it, and even accessed your files again, and we think we found the best time to go back to."
A red webbed head cocked to the side, much like a puppy, "When?"
Suddenly the space went white, Peter flinching at the brightness of it. He had vaguely seen Luke standing at a computer and punching something in. He must have been inputting their destination. Soon the bright expanse dissolved away, revealing a familiar street and an all too familiar house. The Parker residence, looking younger, better maintained, and walking through the door was a young couple carrying a small boy no older than six.
"Mom…Dad?"
Spider eyes grew wide, and Peter trailed after the couple, mouth hanging in wonder. The team followed, soft smiles on their faces as they acknowledged that they had made the right choice. Walking through the door, the spider and his teammates observed the last memory Peter had of his parents. An attractive couple with brown hair and laughing eyes kissed and tickled the miniature Peter, making the boy erupt in shrieking giggles.
"We're going to miss you so much," the woman growled playfully, covering his cheeks in smooches.
The man chuckled, ruffling little Peter's brown hair and giving a smirk that Peter realized was one he saw in the mirror every day, "Just make sure you be good for your Aunt May and Uncle Ben, ok?"
"Wow, web head," Nova smiled gently, "you look a lot like your dad."
"No kidding," Ava nodded, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder, "but I definitely think you got your mother's eyes."
"You two be safe, got it?"
Peter almost wept when he heard the familiar rumble of Uncle Ben's baritone. With shaking hands, the spider pulled off his mask that was already becoming soaked with tears. His parents, Uncle Ben, they were back. For only the most fleeting of moments, he had the people he loved and lost back.
"Mom," Peter said in a broken whisper, "Dad."
Red gloved hands reached out to touch their shoulder but flinched when it went through them like a ghost. Fingers curling in regret, Peter drew his hand back but walked around so to get a better view of his long dead parents. The past version of himself was snuggling his mom, burying his face in her light brown hair, and clinging to her neck. "I wuv you, momma," his little voice said.
"I love you too, pumpkin," she said, her smiling shining brighter than a thousand suns.
"Hey, what about me?!" his father exclaimed, "What am I, chopped liver?"
The six-year-old Peter looked between his parents, a mischievous glint in his eyes before lunging back into his mother's arms, "I wuv momma more," he announced, a shrieking giggle echoing in the room when his daddy fell on the floor in a mock death scene.
"Uh-oh," Peter's mom whispered, "you better go save him! He needs kisses if we want to bring him back to life!"
Little Peter scurried from his mother's arms and pounced on his dad, giving the man kisses on the cheek, "I wuv you daddy, you gotta get up, 'cuz I wuv you too, kay?"
The man peeked through a barely cracked eyelid, a smirk twitching his face before whirling on his small son and capturing his in a tickle attack, "You better love me, you little scamp," Peter's father chuckled, "because you're stuck with me!"
"Promise?" Little Peter asked.
"Promise, you'll always be my little champ."
Peter's heart gave an almost audible crack. He had forgotten how much he missed them, could still almost remember the smell of his mother's perfume. The feel of his father's arms when they would carry him to bed when he fell asleep watching a movie. How they would squish him between them in a hug, both kissing his face. He remembered this day. He remembered the warmth of their love.
"You better get going, or you'll miss your plane." May fretted looking at the clock on the wall.
"Oh dear, she's right, we need to split!" Peter's mother gasped.
"Hear that squirt?" Peter's father grinned, "Your mom said we gotta make like a banana…"
"And split!" Little Peter finished, giggling happily.
"Well, now we know where you get your sense of humor from," Luke ventured.
"The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree," Danny said in agreement.
Ava laughed; her features soft as she watched the phantoms of times past reenact their ghostly dance. "I have to admit, web head, you were a cute kid." She said but froze at the look on their leader's face. He looked almost broken, and suddenly, Ava wasn't sure this was a good idea anymore.
"Alright Petey," his mother said, her voice light "we love you and we'll be back really soon!"
"Promise, kiddo," his father said with a decisive nod, "you'll barely notice we're gone."
Spider-Man felt his frame begin to shake from the force of the sobs he didn't realize he'd even begun crying, "No," he whispered, "I did notice, because you're still gone."
The couple left through the door, clambering into a small car and beginning to drive away. A strangled sob wrenched itself from the spider's chest and he found himself chasing after them, "WAIT!" he choked out, "Don't leave! I need you!"
Peter put himself in front of the car in a vain attempt to stop it, only for it to pass through him, "Please!" he wept as he whirled around, chasing it down "if you stay, you don't die! Uncle Ben doesn't die…!"
Falling to his knees, Peter's body convulsed with the guttural sobs rocking his frame, "...I don't die…"
The Spider sat like that for several moments. Long after his past self finished waving good-bye from the front lawn. After the child and his new guardians reentered the house. After the street became quiet, and the evidence of the people who were going to catch a plane that would ultimately end their lives had been blown away by the evening breeze. Tears soaked the legs of the spandex spider suit, and Peter clutched his head between two trembling hands. Finally, after an eternity, a voice broke through the spider's mourning.
"Pete…you ok?" the timid voice of Luke hovered overhead, accompanied by the familiar presence of his team.
The spider fought his emotions, reigning them back in until he had firm control again. Without looking up, Spider-Man nodded a slow affirmative, "Yeah," he replied shakily, "I had my cathartic cry for the day."
"We're sorry," Ava murmured, kneeling down to rub Peter's back soothingly, "We thought this would be a good idea. I guess we didn't think it through."
"No," Peter shook his head forcefully, sniffling as he wiped his eyes clear of tears, "no, this was a good idea." He rasped. "I got to see my parents and Uncle Ben again back when we were all still happy. I'm glad we came here."
No one wanted to broach the subject of what Peter meant by 'still happy', unsure of what connotations it carried. The thought alone was enough to make them uncomfortable. Especially if it meant that Peter, for all his jokes and quips, wasn't happy. Not really. That the loss of his parents and uncle was a much heavier burden than he let on. Was he really so unhappy with his life that this long dead memory was the last time he could remember feeling true joy? The thought made the team squirm. Especially since they had no idea how to remedy it.
Suddenly, the surroundings went white, and all too soon they were standing back in the lab; but now it was alight with red strobe lights and echoed with a blaring alarm. "Uh-oh," Nova dead panned, "I think we might be in trouble."
The entrance to the lab burst open and the group was greeted by a rather large platoon of robot guards. Clambering to his feet, Spidey shoved his mask back on and faced his enemy, "That might be a slight understatement bucket head!"
Here's another chapter. I know it got rather angsty back there, but I'm sure you'll forgive me.
At any rate, PLEASE REVIEW. I love reading your opinions of the chapters.