?
Eli woke up laying on his back in an open field. The sky was a beautiful blue with a light breeze of sweet air. Birdsong filled the air as he sat up and looked around and he saw a giant avengers A, a pirate ship with black sails, a crashed version of Zephyr One, a flagpole with a tattered flag designed with a black half circle and three red, white, and blue stripes, there was a sword in a stone, and a massive daily planet along with other relics from throughout the multiverse. Eli could see the occasional oak tree sprouting up from the tall green grass.
Eli saw one person sitting under one of the oak trees. As he approached the man he could see he wore black converse, blue jeans, a red and green plaid button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his shirt tucked into his shirt, a brown trench coat, round coke bottle lens glasses, and a red beanie that went over his short brown hair except for a little bit of curly hair that covered his forehead.
The man didn't notice Eli at first and was lost in playing an acoustic guitar as he sang a tune.
"Oh there's a part of me, that still remembers we, once were friends. I called you my enemy, but you kept me company, you believed in till the end. It's bittersweet, that's the only way I can describe this feeling. bittersweet. Bittersweet." The man noticed Eli and stopped singing, "Oh, hello there" the man said in a British accent.
"Hi there." Eli said, keeping his guard up. "you mind telling me where I am?"
"Certainly," The man said in a cheery voice, "welcome to the in between."
"In between as in dead?" Eli asked.
"No, no, no, it's just what I call it. It's kind of this weird mindscape that exist out in the multiverse." the man said. "Access to it would be a side effect of your multiple psychiatric rewrites and your former vibe powers."
"How do you know about-" Eli asked.
"It's better not to ask questions, because I might accidentally say things I shouldn't." the man asked, "besides, you'll wake up any minute."
"Do you spend all your time here by yourself?" Eli asked.
"Not at all." the man said, "people show up for a bit and then disappear, I'm usually out exploring, you happened to catch me while I was relaxing."
"Do you have a name?" Eli asked.
"Call me, umm," the man clearly was trying to think of an alias, "Wilbur." the man said as he stuck out his hand for a handshake. Eli took his hand. Soon Eli noticed the world, including Wilbur, slowly fading away.
"Will I see you again?" Eli asked.
"Oh trust me," Wilbur said as he leaned back up against the tree and began to strum the same tune, "you'll be seeing again. Oh there's a part of me, that still remembers we, once were friends. I called you my enemy, but you kept me company, you believed in till the end. It's bittersweet, that's the only way I can describe this feeling. Bittersweet. Bittersweet…" Wilbur and the rest of the in between disappeared before Eli woke up in his own bed.
CH 14 : THE SECRET WARRIORS
Central City
Barry had every memory from the beginning of the war all the way to the time travel on Battleworld thrown back in his mind as he gasps awake and looks to see he's back in his home.
"Oh, looks like you're finally-" A voice said, catching Barry off guard as he turned and throws a lightning bolt by accident and was shocked to see the voice came from Daisy and she quickly dodged the blast. "-awake...since when could you throw lightning?"
"Daisy?!" Barry asks as he got up and looked around to see everything's back to normal. "No, wait, you can't be here."
"Wow, that's how you greet your girlfriend in the morning?" Daisy sarcastically asked him.
"My what?" Barry asked in shock. After everything he went through with the other Daisy, he doesn't know how to feel.
"You okay, Barry?" Daisy asked. "You have like a bad dream or something?"
"I...I don't know." Barry confessed as he got up and tried to put his head on straight. "How did I get here?"
"I...well, we fell asleep in front of the tv, and I just sorta woke up." Daisy said and gestured to the cup of coffee in her hands.
"Battleworld." Barry muttered as he remembered everything that he and the others did. "The Batman Who Laughs."
"What's Battleworld? Sounds like something the Avengers would go up against." Daisy commented as Barry sped over to the curtains and opened them to see the entire city is going about their normal lives.
"No, something's not right here. I mean, everything's right. Which is why everything is wrong." Barry informed Daisy who was taking a sip of her coffee.
"Wait, Barry, can you repeat that?" Daisy asks, no idea what he just said when her phone buzzed. "Oh, it's Coulson. Says he needs us."
"Coulson?" Barry asks and suddenly thinks of Hunter and Cisco, maybe they have some answers for him. "Okay. Yeah, let's go." He agrees and speeds the two of them off to Star Labs.
Cisco and Lance were hanging out in the lab together and were extremely confused as to what's happened.
"Lance...what the hell?!" Cisco cried in terror.
"I was just about to ask you the exact same thing." Lance cried as he looked around to see they were back home, and it was as if nothing happened.
"What are you two talking about?" Fitz asked them, causing them to freeze and turn to see him standing there.
"Fitz!" Cisco and Hunter cried in happiness and ran to hug him.
"What is happening? "Fitz asks in complete confusion as the two hugged him.
Barry quickly sped in and saw them all together, having a feeling that they must remember everything. "Fitz, Coulson want to see you." He informed the man who broke out of the hugged and walked off.
"Be careful around them, I think they're a bit messed up." Fitz tells Barry before walking out of the room.
"I got it." Barry promised and kept calm until he finally left and turned around with a face of terror. "What the hell happened?!"
"You tell us, dude! The last thing I remember is being turned into ashes!" Cisco informed the man.
"Wait, so, did it happen?" Hunter asks the most obvious question just as there was a portal swirling in the center of the room.
"Oh, what fresh hell is it this time?" Cisco asks in fear just as a figure dropped out of the portal and they see it's Madame Web, back in full strength, still wearing her glasses and red trench coat.
"Madame Web?" Barry asks in complete shock.
"Oh, it happened, Mr. Hunter...it all happened." Madame Web confirmed with a wide smile. "And you did it. You fixed reality."
"But...if we did it then how are you here?" Cisco asks Madame Web.
"That's where it gets interesting." Iron-Specter said, scaring Hunter and Cisco again as they see him appear behind them. "We have officially collided realities."
"What?" Barry asks in shock.
Madame Web nodded to the Specter who opened his hands and showed an entire map of the new WhatIfUniverse. And their reality has officially become a part of it.
"But...that means..." Hunter was waiting for someone to finish his thought for him. "...can't finish this myself, guys."
"It means...welcome to the multiverse." Madame Web tells them with a smile. "Or as it should be...Welcome home."
Earth-118
Elsa suddenly woke back up and looked around to see she was alone in her bed, but then looked to see a note on her nightstand.
'Didn't want to do anything to wake you up. Come to the fireplace when you do.'
She quickly got up and raced down, past Anna and Kristoff who remembered everything, and raced into the fireplace to see Peter standing there with a smile.
"Miss me?" Peter asked with a smile as Elsa raced over and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
"But...how?" Elsa asked as she broke off.
"After I woke up in bed, I was confused and then Madame Web explained everything to me." Peter explains.
"What did she explain?" Elsa asked.
"That you two were meant to be together." Madame Web said as she suddenly appeared. "I could've separated your realities anytime I felt like it. But I saw what would've become of your universes unless they were together. You would have never learned how to love again." She gestured to Peter. "And you would be afraid of your gift for your whole life." She informed Elsa. "Which is also why I didn't remove the ice."
"Wait, you could've removed the ice from my heart the first time we met?" Peter asked her in shock.
"Peter, I can bend realities to my will. I can make the oceans chocolate syrup and make it the norm. Of course I could've removed some ice." Madame Web said a bit snarky.
"Then why the heck didn't you?" Peter questioned.
"Because I knew what would've happened. You would've just defeated the Sinister Six, went back to New York, and never be heard from again. With the ice, you learned to love again. So I decided to slow it down for a while longer." Madame Web told him.
"Well, then I think I owe you my thanks." Elsa said as she pulled Peter in for another kiss as Madame Web sees her work is done and leaves the couple.
Earth-46 : Sanctuary's Edge
Hiccup suddenly opened his eyes and were met with Heather's eyes as they looked around and saw they were back home.
"Hiccup...?" Heather breathed in shock.
"Did that happen?" Hiccup asked as he looked down to see they were currently planning the attack on the Dragon Hunters that they already had rescued the dragons from before the Dark Knights came.
"Mom? Dad?" A voice shocked the two as they looked to the doorway and saw Hope was standing there, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You guys still up?"
"Hope!" Heather cried as she raced over and hugged her daughter. "Thank you, Kara." She whispers to her universal friend as she crushed her daughter with a hug.
"Dad, what's wrong with mom?" Hope asked her father as she was extremely confused.
Hiccup just smiles as he walked over and hugger her himself. "Just embrace it, honey."
"Okay..." Hope guessed and hugged her parents happily.
Earth-173: Enchanted Forest
Hiccup and Elsa were on a cliff side looking out at all they've accomplished and how everything's back to the way it's supposed to be as they were holding their son and daughter.
Just then, Ruffrunner came up and pushed up against Hiccup. "What?" He asked him. Ruffrunner looked down to the prosthetic leg shyly as his siblings were eying it. "Oh, fine." He shrugged as he removed it. "You guys know it's not a chew toy, right? Is this what you want? You want my leg? Go get it!" He tossed it off the cliff and the three siblings charged after it.
"You know, maybe you should consider what the others said." Elsa told Hiccup.
"About going to Berk?" Hiccup asks. "No, I don't see that happening. They casted me out. They didn't want me. I don't want anything to do with them."
Elsa sighed and leaned against him just as Dart came back with the leg and tossed it to Zephyr who immediately tossed it again.
"Mine!"
"Not this time!"
"It's mine!"
Hiccup and Elsa laughed at the three siblings and then back to Liry and Toothless who rolled their eyes at their Night Lights.
Earth-616: S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ
"Director Parker, if you think that you can get your costumed thugs to clean up this mess, you're sadly mistaken."
The Council is demanding answers from Peter regarding everything that's happened. It's gotten to the point where they're sounding like angry kids who haven't been given their toys back from their friend.
"Considering this attack is the reason Project S.W. was put in place, I fail to see what the problem is." Peter stated.
"It is this council's duty to oversee S.H.I.E.L.D.'s objectives." Another member of the council stated.
"No, you were thinking differently than I was." Peter corrected her. "What I said was we needed to be prepared for the next inevitable Crisis. You all said 'make Terminators' as a response. You wanted an army that would follow orders, I put together a team that can feel."
"So you put this team together, and now you don't have any idea of their whereabouts?" An elder member asks.
"Oh, I have them all located, and their universes have been mapped out." Peter informed him. "But that intel is for Agents Level 10 and up. Meaning only I, Agent Michelle, the Avengers, and a handful of others have access to it. Even then, only half of the intel can be found there. Only I possess the whole Index."
"I truly believe you haven't seen the consequences of your actions. These people. They're dangerous."
Earth-2
The Avengers and JSA were all just hanging out at Pat's garage, sharing stories of their biggest adventure yet, no idea what they're going to do now and explaining everything to Beth.
"They truly are. The most dangerous heroes in the universe." Peter confirmed. "They're crazy. Psychotic. Unpredictable." Peter agrees with the council.
Earth-161
The Avengers were back, and all decided over shawarma that they were taking some time off, considering everything they just went through.
Hopefully, nothing like that ever happens again in their lives.
Earth-616
"That is why they will be the greatest heroes to ever exist." Peter stated.
"Director, do you have contingencies in place for these Warriors?" The first one asks them.
Earth-65
The Legends all returned to the Waverider and were shocked to see it was all new and redesigned for them.
"The Director outdid himself." Rip commented on the repairs from Murder Machine.
Just then a breach opened up and they saw Lane Evans step out of it in his gear. "Permission to come aboard?"
"Of course I'm working on something." Peter confirmed. "But once again, classified information. This team will remain a secret to everyone, everywhere, and anywhere. All those who know of them will either fear them or come and face us. And when that happens, they will be ready."
"Permission granted." Rip stated.
Earth Prime : Central City
Peter, Tommy, and Tina were in the workshop (also known as the Spider-Lab, but they don't know that) and were finishing the paintjob on a giant metal ball with orange circles on it.
"I think we did it." Peter said to his children and looked to Tina. "Where's his head?"
"I'll get it!" Tommy offered and quickly raced over to a drawer to pick up a half-oval shaped head and hands it to his father.
Peter placed the head on and activated the robot as it suddenly began to bleep and came to life before looking around its area.
"BB-8?" Peter called the robot and the exact replica from the Star Wars movies swirled its head around, recognizing its own name.
"It works!" Tina cheered as Peter placed the robot off the table and onto the ground, allowing him to move around the area and the twins chased after him.
"Well, even I didn't see that coming." Frost admitted as she and Caitlin watched them interact from the sidelines.
"I thought it'd be faster than that." Caitlin shrugged.
They then heard a loud BANG! and quickly looked to see BB-8 rammed headfirst into a desk.
"It's already acting like a lost puppy." Frost commented.
"Better than an actual one." Caitlin was happy to say.
National City
Kara and Peter rest on the couch, finally glad to have time to sit down and just do nothing. Angel then walked over and sat on her parent's legs, causing them to moan a little, before smiling and Peter pulled his daughter in with a smile, happy that everything's back to their kind of normal.
DEO
Alex was with J'onn, filling him in on everything that he missed after being murdered by the Dalek's and he couldn't tell if she was being serious or not with the craziness she's describing.
Concert
Gwenyth was currently playing the drums to an entire crowd of people with the rest of her band, The Mary Janes. The band consists of the guitarist Gloria Grant and their band's lead singer and guitarist Mary Jane Watson.
In the crowd was Gwen's friends and teammates, Nia and Morg'Ann jamming out to the music, happy for their friend.
Earth-616
"Was that what all of this was about, Director?" The council member asked. "To make a statement?"
"A promise." Peter corrected him and turned off the monitors before strolling out of his office.
Earth-118
Peter sighed in relief as he dropped onto the couch, followed by his girlfriend.
"Well that was an eventful weekend." Elsa stated.
"Yeah, looking forward to the next crossover." Peter sighed sarcastically.
"It seemed you had fun with those kids." Elsa informed him.
"Meh, I'm a kid at heart." Peter shrugged. "I always get along with kids. I ever tell you about Timmy Harrison?"
"Who?" Elsa asked him in curiosity.
"He was this little kid...loved Spider-Man." Peter sighed at the reminder of the story. "When I was ready to give up being Spider-Man after Gwen's death, some parents came in and said they saw I took photos of Spider-Man and wished for me to give him a message. Their son was dying...and he wished to meet me before it happened."
"Oh my goodness." Elsa said with a gasp.
"I met him. He had a bedroom filled with Spider-Man things. From his clothes to the posters on the wall, just about everything. And we hung out for the rest of the day. I took him around the city, web swinging, he had a bunch of questions he wanted answers to. At the end of the day...he asked to know who I was."
"What did you do?" Elsa was curious to know.
"I took off my mask...and showed my face." Peter confesses. "Told him everything. And I even told him I was thinking of quitting. What he said will stay with me forever. You've inspired me to keep fighting. I bet you inspire a lot of other kids out there like me to feel like they can do more. Adults might not understand you, but we do." Elsa watched as a few tears slid down his face as he finished his story. "His parents were so thankful...and a few weeks later he died. They said he died happily, having the chance to meet his hero."
"Wow..." Elsa sighed, no idea what to think of that.
"He inspired me to keep going. That kid showed me that I could still be greater. Kids give us a chance to be better than we are. They inspire us to be greater in their own way." Peter sighed. "Every year since, I'd pay a visit to the children's hospital...because of him."
Elsa was amazed by her boyfriend even more and pulled him in for a kiss.
"What was that for?" Peter asks as he pulled off the kiss.
"For being a spectacular hero. Even when you don't realize it." Elsa stated with a smile while caressing his cheek with her thumb.
Earth-616
Peter marches out of his office and into a new area of the headquarters that is being built just in case of another battle/invasion to occur.
"Make sure it's about 100, 150 feet." Peter warns them all. "I need this room big enough for monitors, computers, and a big round table. About twelve chairs for all the realities."
Ava walked over and places a hand on his shoulder. "But room for more."
"Yeah. God help us." Peter agreed with a sigh before walking off and Ava followed him.
Web of Reality
"You want us to come back?" Alice asks the Specter and Madame Web with all the Warriors with them.
"Yes. We need you all to help us just in case this ever happens again." Madame Web confirmed as she shows them the universe filled with cracks. "We defeated the Dark Knights, but everything from their reality is still leaking into ours. Villians. Monsters. Creatures from our worst nightmares. And I won't be able to notice or see them all. Their actions will be blind to me. I'll only be able to see their outcomes, not what they're doing."
"We need you all back." Specter continued. "What do you say?"
"Well, I guess there's only one thing to say..." Eli stated as he looked and saw they all had wide smiles on their faces.
"When do we start?" Kyle asked with a smirk.
Earth-616
"Hey, Pete, so how does this work for us?" Ava wonders. "I mean, they all live on different realities, which all work on different time zones. A day here is like a month on their realities. If something like this happens again, what do we do?"
"Bring them together again." Peter shrugged.
"You really think they'll all come back for something like this again?" Ava wondered.
"I believe that some of them will." Peter stated as they ended up finding themselves back in their office looking out the window as Ava left.
MJ came in, worried for him, and saw his look and got only more worried. "You okay?"
"You remember what you said to me when I proposed?" Peter asked of her.
"Of course." MJ assured him.
"Mind telling me again?" Peter asks.
MJ was confused but guessed he needed something to cheer him up. "I fell in love with you by accident. It was never indented, but it happened. And I wouldn't change it. When I learned you were Spider-Man, things became clearer. I know your life is dangerous. But I'll be there every step of the way."
Peter smiled and nodded while turning to face her. "And remember what we said about a family?"
"We couldn't risk it." MJ remembered.
Peter walked over and pulled her in close. "Ever thought maybe we could give it a try?"
"You...you want kids?" MJ asks.
"This whole mission...I've dealt with a lot of questions. And I saw that I should be doing things differently than just the same way that Fury did." Peter explains to her. "I don't want my only legacy, everything in my life, to surround S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent S. What do you say?"
MJ smirks and pulled him in close for a kiss before things began heating up between the two. "Lock the door, tiger."
"Yes, Ma'am." Peter complied. "EDITH, you heard the boss, secure the office." He demands the AI as the lights dim and the windows tint over.
MJ then dragged Peter off to the couch and...let's say three hours later, he needs a new couch.
Kitty was in her room, looking over the photos she took with her camera on Battleworld when she heard something scurry around in her room.
"Who's there?" Kitty asked, thinking it might be a rat or something when a familiar face stretched out from under the bed.
"Lockheed!" Kitty cheered as the dragon screeched and wrapped itself around Kitty's neck like a scarf. "I thought I'd never see you again." She said as she scratched his head.
Center of Reality
Madame Web and the Iron Specter have returned and were currently playing chess against one another.
"Doesn't it ever wake you up in the middle of the night? The weight of all of these lives that depend on you throughout reality?" Iron Specter asks Madame Web as he takes his move and uses a castle to take her bishop.
"Yes, it does." Madame Web confesses and uses a horse to take his castle.
"What do you do when you wake up to that thought?" Iron Specter wonders as he uses a pawn to take her horse.
"I have a great swell of pity who comes to my realities looking for trouble. Especially now." Madame Web states and thinks of her next move. "Because they're likely to find it."
"You know what I mean. We opened up two realities and now they must learn to live simultaneously. And now there will be more bigger dangers than their previous ones." Iron Specter explains his worries to her. "These realities are dangerous."
"They surely are." Madame Web agrees and then uses her queen to take his second castle. "They're crazy, filled with power, and now they have more realities to back them up. And the universe knows about one another. Every reality knows they're not alone."
"Is that all you're worried about? Making a statement to the power hungry people out there?" Iron Spector asks and uses his queen to take her queen.
Madame Web starts to think as she's running out of options and moves but sees he fell into her trap. "No, not a statement of power. A promise of will." She corrects him and then moves her bishop into place, and he realizes she set him up for a checkmate.
Iron Specter then renders defeat and flicks his king over. "Best out of 30?"
Web of reality
The web bundle has begun to regrow, but it has also began to form new realities, new worlds...new stories.
"In the end, there was two." Kyle said amongst the darkness and webbing.
The web grows slowly and tangled up against others and keeps on spreading as far as they can.
"Two realities. Combined after years and centuries of all realities being kept separate for melaenas." Alice continues.
"And this is only the beginning..." Chris adds.
"The multiverse unlike anything you've ever experienced." Noah continues
"Where rules, if there were any, don't exist." Eli goes on.
"We are your guide through these worlds." Garret keeps going.
"So sit back as we take you on a journey through the vast realities." Kyle finishes.
Stan Lee stands on an asteroid, looking throughout all of the realities, watching as stories new and old begin to unfold.
"I love being with people..." Stan muttered to himself why he always interferes when Watchers are supposed to observe. "It's the most incredible thing in all the world. The worlds might change and evolve, but the one thing that will never change. We are all part of one big family. We're all part of one universe that moves ever upward and ongoing."
"The greatest stories don't have to end."
"They can expand."
"Evolve."
"Connect each generation to the next."
"The rules of reality have been broken. No boundaries are left. And the multiverse is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day. And there are many stories out there that are yet to be told."
"And there will always be a guide to those who decide to come along on their journey."
In loving memory of :
Chadwick Boseman
Adam West
& Stan Lee
Thank you for inspiring us all to be greater and giving us an incredible universe that inspired us to write these stories.
Wakanda Forever!
Excelsior!