Part 11 - We Could Burn It All Down

Chapter 188 - Dead Before Birth

Miles' idea, about the news knowing where the handover of Scarlet Crucible was taking place, was correct. It didn't take long, and soon the spiders were on their way to Geneva, dimension 9578. They still had a day to go in which time they started working on their strategy.

"They'll have to bring the Crucible in on a truck; it's too big." Said Gwen.

"No, I remember it changing sizes to match whoever was holding it."

She frowned.

"I don't remember that."

"I do. What else do we need to think about?"

"We don't know who'll be there."

"A ton of security, I'll bet."

"Well yes, but I meant people with powers. I have a feeling Teresa might be there which complicates things."

"She's kicked your butt over and over."

"Even with a Plate. Edward might have Venom, but he's not much of a threat when we can both whistle."

"Why's nobody ever thought of that? Who else?"

"Unless we show up, nobody."

"So grabbing the Crucible: what do we do after that? And who do we grab it from?"

"If it's trucked in, out the truck. If someone's holding it, out their hands."

"Then after we'll be hunted to death."

"There's no sacrifice too great to stop the Scarlet King getting the Crucible."

"Right. But we'll have to stash it somewhere or they'll hand it over once we're dead."

"I'd suggest under a skyscraper."

"What about with the Quintari? They're weird, but they'd understand what we're saying."

"Maybe. Hey, we're forgetting we have Ethereal Plates."

They looked down at the relics on their chests, still covered in webs, and took them off, suddenly frowning.

"They're…what?"

The Plates had stopped glowing and were just dark shadows of their respective colours. Miles tried using his, but nothing happened. He growled angrily, throwing it to the ground and crushing it under his foot: it shattered just as easily as glass.

"I guess we don't have the Plates then. Anyway, the Quintari…I don't think they'd be happy keeping the Scarlet King's sword on their home world given that they were literally created to turn the tide of the war against him."

"So we just carry it around until we're both dead when it'll be handed over to the King anyway."

"We'll figure it out. First we need to get the thing."

The following morning, the spiders took positions overlooking a large square that they weren't entirely sure was there in many other dimensions. Suddenly, an enormous red tear in reality appeared through which stepped the Scarlet King. Miles was just about the height of the tops of the King's five horns and it reminded him of just how scared he'd felt going into battle all those years ago. His chain of thought was interrupted by the roaring of a squadron of Phantom combat aircraft. Most remained airborne, some simply hovering while others flew wide circuits. The ones that landed opened their cargo ramps from which disembarked a number of people including Teresa, Edward and a sizeable detachment of soldiers. In the middle of the group was some sort of floating containment pod, inside which the Scarlet Crucible could be seen. Miles glanced over to Gwen who suddenly leapt from her vantage point with little warning. He felt his heart skip a beat. Gwen fired a web as she dived, wrenching the pod's door open and clearing the way to the Crucible. Her second web hauled the gleaming red blade up to her and into her hand. However, before she could fire a third to get clear, a black creature leapt up, slamming her against a wall and pinning her there. Miles started to swing over and charged a venom strike, only to be grabbed in mid-air by an enormous red hand. He stared into the Scarlet King's burning yellow eyes, feeling cold sweat pouring from every pore. The King's usual creepy smile was replaced by a frown.

"You are not from this time. Yes. I see it in your mind. I see my victory and defeat. The fall of Bastria, the Battle of Zaltoxir…Dei Volente. You are twisting the past, and it is to my advantage. You can be spared."

Miles found himself plummeting towards the ground and he just managed to save the landing. He looked up just in time to see the King pull Venom off Gwen and pick her up in his hand.

"I know your blood, daughter of A'Habbat. Die now, and join her in the eternal suffering."

She cried out in agony before going silent as she was crushed. Her body hit the ground and Miles sprinted over to it, his mind both blank and racing as he tried to work out exactly what had just happened. He stared up at the Scarlet King once again as the Scarlet Crucible grew to fit the hand of its one true master.

"The Scarlet King's reign is eternal."

Khahrahk disappeared through his portal which sealed behind him. Miles lowered his mask and hood, staring at the corpse of the woman he loved. He heard a gun being cocked behind him and sensed it being aimed at his head.

"I told you if you messed with reality I'd destroy you. Would you like to explain? Or should I simply shoot you now?" Teresa snarled.

He didn't answer for a moment, but eventually put his hands up and stood slowly, tears starting to spill from his eyes as he came to accept Gwen was dead.

"Why would you do this?" He asked.

"I didn't do anything." Teresa snapped.

"You gave Kharahk the Crucible back!"

Teresa took half a step back and tightened her grip on the gun as Miles lowered his hands and stepped forward angrily.

"You made that deal. You know that."

"Another me made that deal. That me wasn't from a future where the Scarlet King nearly won. You should have listened."

"And so should you."

"I couldn't just stand there and watch it all happen again."

"You don't know what damage you'll do to the timeline."

"You don't know anything about time travel."

"Let's eat him." Snarled Venom off to the side just out of Miles' peripheral vision.

"Nobody get's eaten. Instead, Miles Morales, you're under arrest for crimes against the Republic and against time. If you resist, I will happily blow your brains out. Understood?" Said Teresa.

"Understood."

Venom morphed back inside Edward who watched the spider be escorted at gunpoint aboard a Phantom.

"Something isn't right, is it Venom?"

"Why would I know, Ed?"

"Because your kind are a bit more knowledgeable than humans."

"Yes we are. But I can't read the future, just the growls of our stomach…"

"No."

"Fine."

Somewhere in dimension 7065, on top of a New York skyscraper, sat this timeline's Miles and Gwen who were still on the run and blissfully unaware of what had happened now nearly six hours ago. Suddenly, a red tear in reality appeared behind them. From it emerged a large humanoid made purely from gold.

"What the…" Miles exclaimed as the pair scrambled to their feet.

"Bathe in the shame of what you have done these past years, Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy." The creature said quietly.

Gwen's eyes widened as she recalled all the horrible things she'd done. She sank to her knees.

"No…it was the Plate. I wouldn't do any of it."

"Would you not? Was it not your own selfish desire for power that brought you to merge with the Plate?"

"It was love."

"And that justifies the deaths of billions throughout your lifetime? Perhaps you should sacrifice your own life to their memory? Blood is what the souls of the undead thirst for more than anything."

She began to sob uncontrollably, then took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the building.

"Gwen? What are you doing?"

"Avenging the people I killed."

She let herself fall off the edge.

"Gwen!"

Miles took a running leap after her, firing a web that caught her, and sticking himself to the side of the tower. The gold creature watched, bemused, as she stuck herself to it as well and crawled up to the man she loved who threw his arms round her. Suddenly, there was a horrific screeching noise and two beaked lizard-wolf-octopus abominations appeared beside the gold creature, using their tentacles to grab the spiders round their throats. Both struggled helplessly for a few seconds before Miles used a venom strike that set him free. He swung back up and mega venom struck the roof of the tower so that Gwen was freed and the gold creature was hit with thousands of volts of electricity. The spiders began to swing away at full speed, caring more about getting away from these things than not being imprisoned. When they were cetain they were safe, they stopped on another building to catch their breath.

"What the hell was that?" Miles asked.

"How would I know?"

"I dunno. Maybe you found some when you were Empress?"

"Well I wasn't exactly…Miles?"

He'd suddenly completely frozen and Gwen had an odd feeling as though something had sucked all the life from the world. That was when she turned round to stare directly at what looked like a walking corpse. A flock of crows circled overhead, one occassionally flying down to peck at the rotting flesh.

"What are you?"

Suddenly, her spider sense went off and she just dodged a double-bladed sword hurled at her from across the street. What happened next was a blur; all she knew was her head hurt like hell after it and Miles was moving again. She did catch a few words, however.

"Zihþ norst!"

In a flash, the sword's thrower, the crows and the corpse were all gone and the life had returned to the world. A person in silver and gold armour, and sporting a red cloak, stood before the spiders.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. I've never wished I was right as much as this before."

"Who are you?" Asked Gwen, tensing up for a fight if it was required.

The person's pitch black mask seemed to run down their face into their suit and they lowered the hood on their cloak.

"My name is Jacob. I was, or will be, your son Max's best friend. Unfortunately he died resulting in a lot of bad decision making and now there's another Miles running round. There was another Gwen, but I believe the Scarlet King killed her earlier. Look, things are getting messy, and the targets on your backs just became bigger. In my timeline, Khahrahk couldn't have cared less about you at this point. In this one he knows what Max will become and wants him dead before he's born. Those three guys you just fought were Moloch, Hastur and Jeser respectively, the King's highest ranking generals."

"You're here to help us?"

"If I can. But I need your help busting my timeline's Miles out of prison. Teresa arrested him for trying to stop Khahrahk from getting the Crucible. You're major criminals already; one more mark on the record can't hurt."

The spiders walked away a short distance and whispered between themselves for a few minutes. Jacob watched the world around warily in case anymore agents of the Scarlet King should appear.

When Miles and Gwen approached Jacob again, they agreed to help him.

"Thank you. Now cover your ears for a moment."

The spiders did as they were told.

"Firalþ Mulkrilkendov."

The omniverse seemed to echo the call, then Jacob knew exactly where his timeline's Miles was. He beckoned for the spiders to take their ears away.

"He's being kept in an prison in orbit of Mars, dimension 9559."

"How do we get there?" Asked Gwen.

"Easy."

Jacob muttered a few words in Elder Tongue and the trio were no longer in New York. Instead, they were standing in a corridor with steel doors all along its length. An alarm began to blare, most likely signalling they'd been found.

"Keep the guards busy. I'll find my guy." Jacob instructed, setting off down the corridor checking the panel on each door for the name of the cell's occupant.

The prison guards charged in and stopped, surprised to see the most wanted person in the multiverse standing before them. A split second later they regained their composure and began yelling for the spiders to get on the floor, aiming their guns. Both refused, and Gwen ran forward firing two webs with which she yanked two guards to the ground and propelled herself at the closest. Miles got to work too, leaping between the walls taking one guard out at a time. It was a short fight and neither spiders sustained any injuries. One of the guards groaned and started to get up again, but a web flew from down the corridor and pinned them down again. Jacob and his timeline's Miles ran up. The former said the same words he'd said before and the four were transported off the prison back to 7065. Future Miles turned to Jacob.

"I thought you said you were leaving me and Gwen?"

"You're welcome? I was wrong; you've changed history and holy crap you've made a mess. Khahrahk knows everything he did right and everything he did wrong now, and about Max becoming Dei Volente. Since you messed it up, have you got any good ideas about how to fix it?"

"Kill Khahrahk."

"It took the destruction of the omniverse to do that before. There's no Max to make Bastria nice and comfy for all the people you kill. Provided you could trap Khahrak in somewhere he'd be destroyed, that is."

Future Miles growled and stormed to the edge of the tower.

"I guess there's no turning back now." Past Gwen mused.

"Nope. We need allies." Jacob replied.

"I could try changing some minds." Past Miles suggested.

"Do what you can. We'll meet back here in three days. There's someone me and my time's Miles need to find."

Crossovers in this Chapter

- SCP Foundation
- Marvel Cinematic Universe