Part 1 - Fires of Revolution

Chapter 17 - Art of Deceit

Gwen and Miles didn't move. They just stared at the view screen, speechless. Miles was brought a little back to his senses by the sound of a resounding crash from the room where Edward had disappeared. The bridge officers looked in that direction, then at each other questioningly.

"Were those your parents?" Asked the officer at the helm.

Miles looked at them.

"Yes. The first lot meant something to the admiral, the second were my parents. The last person was Gwen's father."

He felt tears pricking his eyes. Edward re-emerged from his office, his face contorted with rage. He tapped his com badge.

"Admiral Melbourne to HQ control. Transfer me, and the two spider kids to the High Council room. Inform all other High Council members to meet us there."

"Yes, sir."

Miles felt paralysed, then his vision began to go dark.

His vision returned and he found himself standing with Gwen and Edward in a room with an enormous round table. A number of other people were appearing in numerous coloured beams of light. Edward pulled out three chairs from the table and pointed at them, meaning for Gwen and Miles to sit. They did so as the final seats were filled. A couple more people arrived, then silence fell on the room. For a few seconds nobody spoke, then Edward piped up.

"I don't know how many people know what just happened..."

"We all do. He killed someone from all our lives." Replied a woman.

"Conall said we could come and get the survivors if we wanted, but there's a problem with that." Said a man.

"Yes, Doctor. The problem is we don't know which dimension it was."

"Ah, but we can narrow it down. That looked like a pretty extreme environment. If it's anywhere, it's in the zero stream."

Thanos shook his head.

"That does not narrow it down. There are still billions of worlds in that stream."

The room fell silent. Miles saw his opportunity to solve it.

"I think I know which one it is."

Everyone looked at him.

"What are the kids doing here, Edward?" Asked the Doctor.

"These two lost family as well. They have as much right to be here as the rest of us."

There were some murmurs throughout the room. Miles sighed and stood up.

"Do you guys want to get your families or friends or whoever it was he took back? Or are we just going to sit around and wait for him to kill them as well?"

"Where do you think this was?" Asked Thanos.

"01." Replied Gwen, also standing up.

"That's...the first ever dimension." Muttered someone.

"Can we also just take a moment to notice that the Borg are gone?" Said someone else.

Everyone looked around. It was true; the Borg queen was nowhere in sight.

"Their ships were all gone as we were returning." Added Thanos.

"If they've left then we're in trouble. They had all the Ethereal Plates we had collected since even Conall wouldn't walk into a hive of them." Replied the Doctor.

Miles' heart sank. So, he and Gwen had ventured to Middle Earth to retrieve a Plate, only for it to be taken away and stored somewhere with the resistance. That had led to the deaths of all those people in Minas Tirith. And it was all in vain.

"No." Said Edward.

All eyes turned to him.

"I went against the decision of the council. I'm sorry for that, but it seems my logic was sound. I kept the Plate from stream two."

The room erupted into a roar of protest and defence of Edward's actions. A single voice could be heard above them all.

"Shut up!" Screamed Miles.

The room slowly fell silent again. Edward gave him a nod of thanks.

"Perhaps if you let me explain my reasoning?"

There were a few nods of approval. He stood up.

"When these two kids came to the station, the girl, Gwen, told me something I did not expect to hear. We've known for a few weeks now that there are at least two entities capable of touching the Ethereal Plates and not dying. Conall is one, but we did not know who the other was. That was until Gwen told me this: she can touch them. I've never trusted the Borg, so I ordered the plate to be taken to R&D eight. I've worked with the people in there for a while, so I trusted them to keep it secret. At the same time I ordered them to create something, nicknamed Project Exodus since only someone who can wield the power of the Plates can defeat Conall and free the multiverse from his tyranny."

Everyone in the room had relaxed. They seemed to be enjoying this a lot, like children listening to a bedtime story. Gwen was watching Edward with a steely gaze. He turned his head a little, noting the seriousness in her expression.

"What is Project Exodus, Edward?" She asked.

"Project Exodus is simple. Its goal was to create Gwen a new suit which allowed her to wield the Plate, while ensuring she was able to do what spider people do best: save people. The key weapon of a spider person is their speed and flexibility. Some, like Miles, have a few other abilities, but across the board their agility is the main thing."

"And did Exodus succeed?" Asked the Doctor.

"It did. They found a way to break the Plate back down again, and merge it as required."

The room was filled with whispers. Thanos spoke up, silencing them.

"I apologise about breaking this up, but my current estimates say we've lost between sixty and seventy percent of our fleet between battle losses and the Borg deserting us."

Miles felt the tension build in the room once more.

"With that little force, there's no way we can launch an assault on Conall's home dimension." Said someone.

"But we can't just leave our friends and family to be murdered!" Protested someone else.

Gwen stood up again.

"Me and Miles will do it. After all, as far as I can tell, me and him are the only ones who have been there. All we need is someone to take us. Our watches would work, but I don't think either of us wants to he traipsing through a desert for months on end."

Edward nodded.

"No Sol ship can do it; they're all either too big and detectable or not large enough to carry all those people. The same goes for every other ship, apart from one. Doctor, the TARDIS can get in and out whilst carrying the survivors. If the council agrees to this, will you take this mission?"

"I don't see why not. Conall killed an old friend of mine."

"All members of the council in favour, say aye."

Most of the room responded.

"So be it. You will leave at 1500 hours. If there's nothing else, this council is adjourned. Doctor, please stay behind."

Nobody spoke, so Edward stood up. People began to shuffle out the door, others teleported back to their ships. Soon, only four people remained: Edward, the Doctor, Miles and Gwen. Edward turned to Gwen and Miles.

"Can you two go stand outside? This will only take a minute."

The pair nodded and walked outside. Edward turned to the Doctor. He took a deep breath.

"Doctor, I'm going to be honest here. I have a bad feeling about this mission. I want you to promise me something."

"What can I do?"

"Those two are intent on saving as many people as possible; it's how spider people work. If things are going badly, promise me you'll do everything you can to get them back safely."

The Doctor stood up and nodded.

"I'll do my best."

"Thank you. You can go and get ready. 1500."

"1500. Good day, Admiral."

Edward followed the Doctor outside. He gave Miles and Gwen a grin and beckoned for them to follow. Gwen's heart was pounding with excitement. Finally she would be able to unleash her true power on Conall without worrying about running out of energy. She glanced at Miles. He looked equally excited, and grinned at her.

A few minutes, Edward punched in a code to a panel next to a door labelled 'R&D 8'. The door beeped and slid open. He stood in the entrance and glanced around. A scientist in a white jacket appeared.

"Ah, Edward. Something I can do?"

"It's time, Stanley. The High Council knows about Exodus. Is the suit ready?"

"Just about. We're just attaching the last Infinity Stone. Come in, is she with you?"

"Yeah, and the boy as well."

"The more the merrier, as long as these gems don't blow up in our faces."

Edward stepped inside and waved his hand to get Miles and Gwen to follow. Stanley guided them around a corner and stopped. He raised his hand.

"Project Exodus."

Gwen rounded the corner. A glass screen separated them from the suit. The first thing she noticed about the suit was that its colour scheme was similar to hers. However, there were a few differences. A teal spider was printed across the chest. Its two top legs pointed upwards, seemingly holding a diamond shaped gap. Each of its other six legs were adorned with an Infinity Stone. The next thing she noticed was that it seemed to be made up of some sort of plating. Between the plates, her signature magenta colour could be seen. Gwen realised she was standing right up against the glass. Stanley stood beside her.

"Programmable matter. Capable of harnessing the power of the Ethereal Plate created by combining the Infinity Stones."

Gwen noticed another small detail about the spider: there was a small hourglass shape. Perhaps it was just a symbol representing the Plate. Miles placed his hand on her shoulder.

"That thing looks incredible."

Gwen turned to Stanley.

"Can I try it on?"

Stanley glanced at Edward who nodded at him.

"I guess so. Lisa!"

A woman appeared from a room at the side of the glass panel.

"Gwen would like to try her new suit on."

Lisa nodded.

"Follow me, Gwen. Let's get you sorted."

Gwen disappeared into the room at the side after Lisa.

Ten minutes later, Miles was sitting at a table, tapping impatiently. There was a hiss as the side door opened. He looked up; Lisa appeared and stepped aside. Gwen followed, wearing the new suit with the mask on. Miles' jaw dropped; she looked incredible. Two silver katana blades were sheathed on the back in addition to the rest of it. He stood up, slowly.

"Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you." He said quietly.

She gave a quick spin.

"What do you think?"

"Epic...hold on a second. Turn around?"

Gwen turned her back to Miles.

"Where's the katana blades? They're missing? It's just the handles."

Lisa nodded.

"Quintari technology. You've never met them, I hope they'll join the fight soon. The blades are technically still there, but you can't see or feel them. Improves agility in case you need to do a back flip. You won't get stabbed."

Gwen spun round again.

"That's only half of it." She said.

She double tapped the hourglass symbol. In a split second, the Infinity Stones ran up the spider legs and into the diamond gap. There was a flash and a magenta plate appeared. In addition, the magenta trim between the plates was glowing. Miles' jaw would have dropped even more if it could; he was speechless. Gwen double tapped the side of her head. The mask and hood seemed to morph away, revealing her face. Magenta energy crackled in her eyes. She double tapped the hourglass again. The Ethereal Plate seemed to shatter into six pieces which slid back into their places on the spider's legs. The magenta glow faded, and the energy stopped crackling. Stanley gave a round of applause. Edward joined in.

"Stanley, Lisa, the three of us are going down to the bar tonight. Drinks on me." He said.

"Thank you, sir. What's the next project?" Asked Stanley.

Edward chuckled.

"I think I detect a bit of jealousy from Miles. The next thing might be a new suit for him unless he's happy with his current one?"

Miles didn't respond. He was still staring in awe at Gwen and her new suit.

"I swear an insect is going to fly into his mouth any minute." Joked Lisa.

"I agree. Earth to Miles!"

Miles shook himself out of his trance and closed his mouth.

"I think you two had better get ready for this mission. It's right up your avenue, though. You have my confidence."

At 1500 hours, on the dot, a blue police box materialised inside one of the hangars. Edward gave Miles and Gwen a thumbs up of confidence as they entered the TARDIS. Neither was entirely blown away by the fact that it was larger on the inside: both had seen Doctor Who in some form.

"You two must be the first ones to not have said it's bigger on the inside." Commented the Doctor as he clicked his fingers.

The doors closed themselves.

"You're a TV show." Replied Miles.

"Really? I quite fancy that."

The Doctor flicked a last couple of switches, then pulled a lever. A strange grating sound began. Outside, Edward sighed as the TARDIS dematerialised. The Doctor was trustworthy. He would bring them back alive. And Gwen had her new suit, after all.

The spiders stepped out of the TARDIS into the endless desert of dimension 01. The heat struck Miles like someone had thrown the sun at him. Gwen's suit contained some form of environmental control which kept her cool. They looked around, squinting in the eerie red light. The place was deserted apart from the lonely skyscraper.

"I guess this is why they call these places deserts." Said Miles.

"Antarctica is technically the largest desert on Earth." Replied Gwen.

"Your Earth."

"Yours too. I looked it up."

"You look up some weird things."

"It can't be anything compared to 9633. There were people dressed up as animals and stuff there."

"Now that's just really weird."

"Focus."

"Sorry."

Gwen drew one of her katanas. She held it up horizontally in front of her as they entered the skyscraper. There still seemed to be no sign of anything unusual.

The pair reached the top of the stairs.

"Where are they?" Whispered Miles, picturing his father locked away in a dark cellar somewhere with rats nibbling away at him.

Gwen shot a finger up to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Miles nodded. She pointed down the hall towards Conall's office. Seemingly oblivious, he was sitting at his desk, typing emails to his numerous ambassadors most likely. The spiders tip-toed down the hall and pressed themselves against the wall either side of the doorframe. Miles raised three fingers. Gwen nodded her understanding. He took one down: two. And another: one. As he clenched his fist, the pair burst through the doorway. Gwen darted forwards and pressed the blade to Conall's throat. Conall stopped typing and looked up.

"Is it just me or is this a bit of deja vu?"

"Where are the survivors?" Snapped Miles, taking out the new silver dagger that Gwen had summoned for him.

Conall chuckled.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?"

"Answer the question or I'll take your head off." Snarled Gwen.

"Temper, temper. If I die then you have no hope of finding them. A bit counter-productive since you came all this way."

"I will kill you." She pressed, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh please, Gwen Stacy. You couldn't bring yourself to kill a sewer rat."

"I killed someone at Minas Tirith. Miles did the same."

"The heat of battle does many things to a person's mind." Conall explained with a grin.

He pushed his chair back and stood up.

"My point is proven; that's a relief. Now, time to give you a reward for confirming my theory."

"I hope it's the location of the survivors." Growled Miles.

"Oh, I'll give you that. They're in the basement. Some radroach swarm has probably nibbled them apart by now."

Miles flicked his dagger out of the way and fired two webs at Conall's hands, pinning him to the window.

"Come on, Gwen." He said, putting the blade away.

Gwen backed away slowly then followed Miles back down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom, they looked around for an entrance to a basement. It was quite obvious when you were looking for it, but would easily have been glossed over by a person exhausted from the heat. Miles kicked it open and pulled out his phone with its trusty flashlight. More stairs. They descended them quickly. Miles found a light switch and flicked it. The sight that met their eyes left a scar on both of them that would never heal. Miles dropped his phone in horror. Gwen sheathed her katana. Bodies were piled high. The stench of death filled their nostrils.

"If your suit has nose plugs built in, I might need to borrow it." Muttered Miles, unsure what else to say.

"It...doesn't. Miles, these might just be the people he killed on the screens."

Miles looked at the pile. He sank to his knees and shook his head as his eyes came to rest on a body he did not want to see.

"No. It's the survivors."

Gwen looked and recognised Miles' father. She put a hand over her mouth, fighting her urge to vomit.

"Miles, we have to go."

She wrapped her arm around his and pulled him to his feet. She continued to drag him back up the stairs, grabbing his phone.

The pair reached the top of the skyscraper again. Miles stormed over to Conall, drew his dagger and pointed it at Conall's throat.

"I'm going to kill you."

"Good luck with that. I gave you what you wanted."

Miles drove the blade into Conall's throat. Nothing happened. Conall's face spread into a wide grin as Miles withdrew the blade again. There was no wound.

"Corbo, door."

"Aye sir."

The steel door slammed shut.

"I'll be leaving now. Just so you know, Admiral Akbar has some good advice for you both."

The hologram faded away. Miles was seething. Gwen pulled him into a hug.

"There's nothing we can do now."

"Gwen, what he said about Admiral Akbar."

"What? Isn't that some fish guy from Star Wars?"

"'It's a trap.'"

"What?"

Suddenly, there was a mechanical whine, then a soft thud. It was joined by more and more. Miles and Gwen looked around in horror at the mechanical monstrosities.

"Borg." Whispered Miles.

"They really did desert."

Gwen turned to the window just as a shadow blocked out the sun. An enormous black and green cube had appeared. She swung her fist at the window, but the glass didn't break.

"Oh no."

The Borg raised their arms and began to fire green bolts of energy. The pair dived behind the desk and the Borg stopped, intelligent enough to know that shooting the desk wasn't shooting their targets.

"Gwen, if I don't survive this, I love you."

"You'll be fine."

"Oh, you have a plan?"

"Not really..."

"Well then, I love you."

"I love you too."

Suddenly, the glass in the office shattered. A golden ball of flames slammed into Miles. It struck the wall, still holding him, before diving outside. Gwen scrambled to the edge.

"Miles!" She yelled.

Her spider sense alerted her to danger. She rolled to the side just in time to avoid a pair of terrifying assimilation tubes. Without thinking twice, she leapt from the window and began to fall, tumbling for a bit before regaining control and firing a web at the tower. She swung out of the way of a laser beam from the cube. The beams intensified, blasting apart floor after floor of Conall's headquarters. Soon the building began to crumble, leaving behind nothing for Gwen to swing from. She tumbled towards the ground uncontrollably. At the last second, Miles leapt up and kicked her in a way that she struck the ground at an angle and didn't break anything. The golden ball of flames bore down on him again, pummelling him into the sand and dust. Gwen leapt at it but was hurled away by a tongue of flame. She stood up for another attempt, but could hardly stand. The dizziness in her head was sickening. Two green beams of light appeared in front of her, transporting two Borg drones. They closed in for one of the single greatest prizes the Collective could ever hope to assimilate. Suddenly, there was a grating sound. Gwen recognised the TARDIS; so did Conall. A golden gateway appeared and the ball of flames dragged Miles through before shutting it with a hiss like extinguishing fire. The TARDIS crushed the drones beneath it as it landed. The Doctor appeared at the door and hauled Gwen inside before sprinting back to the console.

"We have to get Miles back!" She said in a panicked voice.

The Doctor looked at her and shook his head.

"I made a promise to keep you both alive. I've already broken half of it. I'm not letting you swing on in there and get killed as well."

The TARDIS dematerialised out of dimension 01, back into the world between worlds.

Crossovers in this Chapter

- Doctor Who
- Star Trek
- Avengers