Infinity Crisis Aftermath: An Amazing New Year
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their owners. This is just for fun.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to Ben2Dartmouth's "Make the Holiday Amazing".
New York City, Earth-8017. December 31st, 8:30 PM.
A teenage boy walked around the cemetery, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked around until he found the tombstone he was looking for. It was still covered by flowers and momentos. It was not surprising, as the person honored in the tomb was regarded as one of the City that Never Sleeps' greatest heroes.
Peter Benjamin Parker
Beloved Nephew and Friend.
The boy was Afro-Puerto Rican, wearing a pair of black sweatpants, snow boots, a gray hoodie, and a red coat. His buzzcut was under a black and red wool cap.
Spider-Man II. Real Name: Miles Morales. Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City. Physiology: Enhanced Human. Affiliation: Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends II.
"Sorry I'm late, Peter." Miles said as he put the bouquet down among the other flowers. "I just had to get these. And I wanted to wish you an early Happy New Year, man."
Miles looked up when he heard someone treading on the snowy ground behind him. His Spider-Sense didn't go off, so there clearly was no danger here. He turned and saw an East Asian teenage boy walking up to him. His short black hair was covered by a blue wool cap. He wore a blue turtle-neck sweater with blue jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket. His hands were in the jacket's pockets.
Iceman II. Real Name: Jerome "Jerry" Chang. Birthplace: San Diego, CA. Physiology: Inhuman. Affiliations: Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends II. Powers and abilities: Cryokinesis. Skilled martial artist and detective. Enhanced memory and computational skills.
"I figured you'd be here, Miles." Jerry noted.
"Hey, Jer." Miles greeted. He then smirked. "It's funny seeing you not wearing that cape and hat of yours." Jerome rolled his eyes.
"We've discussed this, they're called an Inverness cape and deerstalker." The Chinese-American reminded. When adventuring as the new Iceman, Jerry's costume included a custom-made blue Inverness cape and deerstalker. They were nods to Jerry's favorite character, Sherlock Holmes.
"Right, right." Miles nodded. I forgot that Jerry's got a thing about using exact words for things. I think that's part of his being autistic. "Where's Sandy?"
"Right here." A smiling blonde blue-eyed girl with curly hair in a ponytail said as she walked up. She wore a yellow jacket and black pants with brown snow boots. She had on a red wool hat. Her hands were covered by a pair of red mittens.
Stratosfire. Real Name: Sandra "Sandy" Vincent. Birthplace: Santa Rosa, CA. Physiology: Enhanced Human. Affiliation: Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends II. Powers and Abilities: Can generate and harness microwave energy for various effects, including heat blasts, flight, and teleportation.
"Your parents called us." Jerry said. "They wanted you to spend New Year's with them."
"We figured we'd find you here." Sandy noted. "You've spent quite a bit of time here, after all."
"Yeah." Miles nodded. "I just..." He looked at the tombstone. "I just still feel so terrible about what happened to the original Spider-Man, you know."
"Miles, it wasn't your fault." Sandy said.
"Indeed." Jerry agreed. "You did not kill him. And if you had attempted to save him, you likely would have died as well. And then this truly would be a world without a Spider-Man."
"You don't know that." Miles countered.
"Yes, I do." Jerry countered. "I ran all the angles in my head."
"He has." Sandy nodded. "If Jerry says you would have gotten fried, I believe it." She shook her head. "Miles, I know what it's like. I struggled with the guilt over those other test subjects..." Miles and Jerry knew exactly what she was talking about. Not long after she ran away from her home, Sandy was captured by Roxxon and used as a test subject to create superhuman agents. Both Miles Morales and Jerry Chang had been investigating the disappearances of various homeless people and runaways at the time.
The incident led the two neophyte heroes to team up for the first time. They discovered the Roxxon lab and shut it down. Unfortunately, Sandy Vincent was the only test subject to have survived, having gained microwave powers in the process. Afterwards, the three started teaming up together as a new generation of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.
"I know, Sandy. Believe me, I wish I could have saved them as well." Miles sighed.
"So do I. But we could not." Jerry stated. "And dwelling on it does nobody any favors."
"I get that people go around calling you 'Iceman', but do you have to be so damn cold?" Miles snorted.
"Lay off, Miles. You know he can't help that." Sandy frowned.
"I do not lack empathy, Miles." Jerry said. "Nor do I lack emotion. I just have trouble expressing it."
"I just…" Miles sighed. "I don't think you get it, Jerry. You didn't witness Peter Parker's death."
"No, I did not." Jerry agreed. "But I am trying to help you overcome your guilt."
"Well, isn't this interesting?" A new voice popped up. The three superhuman youths turned and saw two adults walking towards them. One was a brunette woman wearing a yellow coat, jeans, and red boots with a pair of yellow earmuffs. The other was a blond man wearing a blue hat, with a matching coat, black jeans, and white boots.
"I had heard a new version of Team Spidey was running around." Robert "Bobby" Drake, the original Iceman, noted. Jerry frowned.
"Let me guess." The Chinese-American teenager sneered at his predecessor. "You're here to stop us, right? Well, allow me to make one thing clear." He blasted the ground beneath him, forming a block of ice. The block exploded, revealing his superhero costume. It consisted of a blue jacket and vest with a black shirt and white tie, with blue jeans and black work boots. The costume was completed with a scalloped blue Inverness cape with a clasp in the shape of an icicle, a matching deerstalker and black domino mask and gloves. He made a pair of ice daggers appear in his hands and struck a martial pose. "I did not start my work as a detective to seek anyone's approval."
"Dammit, Jerry!" Miles groaned.
"Whoa!" Bobby held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Take it easy! We're not here to fight."
"We've just been hearing about you and want to know your story." Angelica Yoshida (nee Jones) explained. She smirked at Jerry. "I take it you're the so-called 'All-New All-Different Iceman'?"
"The name was given to me by the media." Jerry explained, relaxing himself. "I had no intention of using it."
"I go by 'Stratosfire' myself." Sandy smiled. "I figured since you were still using the Firestar name and all..."
"So we can guess you are the new Spider-Man." Bobby deduced, pointing at Miles.
"...yeah." Miles admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I...I have my reasons for doing it."
"You know, you're not the first 'new' Spider-Man to visit." Angelica recalled. "An Indian Spider-Man from another dimension visited that grave a few days ago."
"Really?" Jerry raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Angelica nodded. Huh. So the Fox Theory might be true after all...
"Wait, Indian as in 'from India', or as in 'outdated term for Native American'?" Sandy asked.
"He was from India." Angelica explained. "At least, another reality's India."
"Hmmm...multiversal theory...fascinating..." Jerry rubbed his chin in thought. "I will have to think on this..." He pulled out a calabash pipe with a blue wooden bowl from his pocket, and poured some liquid into it from a small blue container. He then put the pipe to his mouth and blew some bubbles out of it. Angelica and Bobby shot confused looks at Miles and Sandy.
"From what we understand, it helps him think." Sandy explained. "I have no idea where he found a bubble pipe that looks like that..."
"Custom-made." Jerry explained, a smile on his face. "A gift for aiding someone in a previous case."
"You said you had reasons to put on that suit." Angelica said to Miles. "I'm curious as to why."
"We also overheard Jerry and Sandy here say that Peter's death wasn't your fault." Bobby added. "What did they mean by that..."
Miles's stomach rumbled. "Maybe we can talk about this over some food? There's a diner we regularly hit. And it is a bit cold out here..." He looked around. "...I'm guessing I'm the only one who feels the cold." Miles realized.
"You deduce correctly." Jerry nodded. "It can be easily assumed the rest of us have a great resistance to it. Mrs. Yoshida and Sandra because of their heat-based powers, and Mr. Drake and myself because of our mutual gifts involving ice."
Miles rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, Sherlock."
A local diner, 9:30 PM
The five heroes took a seat in a booth, and ordered some food. Bobby and Angelica just had some coffee (they already had eaten). Sandra had some spaghetti and meatballs. Jerry had some pancakes with eggs, bacon, and toast. Miles had a burger.
"So, how did you get your powers?" Bobby asked.
"You remember that whole science fair incident last year?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah, some kind of explosion?"
"A device had exploded there, containing a special crystal. It bathed people in the mist it produced. I was one of the spectators." Jerry bit into and swallowed his bacon. "Like several other people there, I...reacted to the mist. I found myself in a cocoon, and then when I hatched out of it, I had discovered I had gained the power of cryokinesis."
"Yeah, I had heard a bunch of people got powers from it."
"It's true. Unfortunately, not all of them decided to use their powers for good." Jerry frowned. He then shook his head. "A tragedy, really. But human nature and all that."
"You said that you were there when Peter died, Miles." Angelica recalled.
"Yeah." Miles nodded. "I had gotten my powers after being bitten by a spider."
"Just like Peter." Bobby noted.
"The spider that bit Miles was obviously enhanced in some way." Jerry added. "I've been wanting to look into it, but I've never had the time."
"Can't resist a good mystery, huh kid?" Angelica smirked.
"Just like his idol." Sandy teased.
"I have an insatiable curiosity." Jerry said, eating some egg.
"I didn't think I had gained any powers…at first." Miles said. "But then I discovered that I could turn invisible. But I never thought of really being a superhero with it, I was too caught up in my own teenage crap. And then the Dusting hit." He sighed. "I saw Spider-Man helping save civilians, and my Spider-Sense…reacted to his."
"Then…he got attacked. By some…what looked like a werewolf."
"A werewolf?" Angelica and Bobby repeated in disbelief.
"Peter…shoved me into a broom closet." Miles explained. "He tried to fight it, but that thing was too powerful. It was ranting and screaming about some girl named Gwen…"
"Gwen? As in…Gwen Stacy?" Bobby realized.
"Who?" Sandy asked.
"Gwen was a girl Peter knew in high school." Angelica explained. "She was killed when Peter fought one of his old villains."
"It wasn't a werewolf that killed her, though." Bobby recalled. "Peter told us about it after we started fighting crime together as the Spider-Friends."
"Likely this…'werewolf' was someone that loved Ms. Stacy." Jerry theorized. "Perhaps a relative?"
"Gwen's mother walked out on her and her dad when Gwen was five." Angelica explained. "And her father died thanks to Doctor Octopus."
"She also had no siblings." Bobby added. "We looked into it out of curiosity."
"…Peter mumbled the name 'Warren' before that thing killed him." Miles said. "I saw the whole thing. I had the door open a crack. I didn't leave that broom closet for what seemed like forever. Then my dad found me. He's a cop."
"Warren…" Jerry rubbed his chin. "Something to go on…"
"My God, how horrible…" Angelica gasped.
"That's no way for him to go out." Bobby sighed.
"At least he's with his aunt now." Sandy said.
"It was my fault he died." Miles said. "I had powers, and I did nothing to help."
"You couldn't." Jerry reminded. "You didn't have the level of mastery over your powers that you do now. You had no combat experience or training. You could not even turn invisible on command. Nor did you have your venom strike yet."
"Venom strike?" Angelica asked.
"That's what Miles calls it." Sandy grinned. "It's pretty cool!"
"When Miles touches someone, he can hit them with a burst of directed energy." Jerry added. "It can be compared to a taser. Why he calls it the 'venom strike', I will never understand. There is no poison involved."
"Rule of Cool, Jerry." Sandy said.
"Well, we knew Peter for a long time, and if you ask us, I don't think he'd be having any issues with you being the new Spider-Man." Bobby assured.
"It sounds your friend is right, Miles." Angelica added with a nod. "There was nothing you could have done. At least Bobby and I know that there's a new Spider-Man…" The brunette woman smiled. "And he seems like a good kid."
"Thanks." Miles responded. "I wear the suit to honor him in a way."
"And I'm sure he would be honored." Angelica said. "You can't save everyone, Miles. What saddens me is that like Peter, you had to learn that the hard way."
"Indeed." Jerry agreed.
"Hey, Jerry right?" Bobby smirked.
"Yes?"
"Tell me, why'd you decide to go calling yourself Iceman?"
"I never intended to use the name." Jerry explained. "In fact, it was the media that gave me the name. It's something that never bothered me…well, there is one annoying thing about also sharing the name with you."
"Oh? What's that?" Bobby asked.
Jerry glared at the blond man. "You would be amazed about how many people can get a straight Chinese-American confused with a gay white man." Sandy started giggling, making Jerry glare at her.
"To be fair Jerry, the mask you wear doesn't help." The blonde girl noted. Jerry just muttered and chewed on his pancake. "On a more positive note..." She looked at Bobby. "I do want to thank you, Mr. Drake."
"Really? For what?" Bobby asked.
"Well..." Sandy smiled shyly. "I don't know if you know this, but you're a bit of an inspiration to us in the LGBTQ+ community. Seeing you publicly reveal you were gay gave me the courage to come out to my parents."
"Wow, I'm honored. I hope it went well."
"Well..." She shuffled in embarrassment. "They kinda already figured out I'm a lesbian."
"Lucky you." Bobby sighed. "My parents barely handled my being a mutant. But after I came out, they treat me as a non-person." Jerry sneered.
"Then they are fools. Not worth your time."
"Yeah, Jerry's…Jerry." Miles rolled his eyes. "But he is right about that, though."
Outside the diner, 10:30 PM.
"Well, that was nice." Angelica said as the group of five walked down the street.
"Yeah, we'll have to eat there again sometime." Bobby agreed. The two veteran heroes looked at their younger counterparts. "I guess we should not be surprised there'd be a new generation of Spider-Friends at some point."
"It was nice meeting you kids." Angelica said.
"Same here." Sandy shook Angelica and Bobby's hands.
"Indeed." Jerry did the same. "Apologies for my earlier hostility."
"De nada, kid." Bobby chuckled. The two older heroes looked at Miles.
"We're not angry about you being the new Spider-Man, Miles." Angelica assured. "In fact, we think it's nice that there's another Webhead running around."
"Peter would be proud, kid." Bobby agreed with a nod. "Trust us, we knew him."
"Thanks." Miles smiled.
"Peter lived his life by a maxim: With great power must also come great responsibility." Bobby said. "And I think you're using your power well, kid." A new year, a new generation. I just hope these kids can handle the superhero life…
Location Unknown, January 3rd, 1:00 PM.
A white-haired and mustachioed man angrily slammed a newspaper down on the ground. He glared at the headline.
"A new Spider-Man…" He growled, his eyes flashing with fury underneath his glasses. "It's like fate is mocking me. It was because of him my lovely Gwen died…" He then smirked and looked at his hand. "But it's no issue." His hand started to sprout what looked like golden fur and black claws. "I rid the world of that monster, I can handle this imitator." He turned to another figure. "That is what I want. I'll help you, if you let me get my claws on him."
The Skrull sneered. "Fine. We don't care about your petty obsession with a dead woman and the boy in the webbed suit. What we want is your particular…expertise."
Miles Warren smirked. Gwen, this world was too horrible and harsh for beauty like yours…and now I'll get to make it pay for taking you from me…
Jerry gaining his powers is a nod to the video game Marvel's Avengers. Obviously, the Terrigen explosion there was not remotely as destructive as it was in the video game.
Sandy "Stratosfire" Vincent is an actual Marvel character. Her only appearance was in Iron Man Annual #9 (1987). Her gaining her powers as part of a Roxxon experiment was a nod to her comic origins.
And in case you're wondering, this Miles Warren used his knowledge of genetics to give himself a were-jackal form. The reason why Miles thinks he's a werewolf is because in real life, jackals are related to wolves. The golden jackal in particular looks rather wolf-like. In fact, that's why Miles's jackal form here has golden-brown fur instead of green, to make him look more like a real jackal.