Spider-Man and his friends tumbled through the dimensional tunnel. Flashes of colors they had never seen filled their eyes and blinded them. There was no control or wind resistance in the alleyways between realities. Their bodies reached speeds that nearly knocked them unconscious.

Peter tried his hardest to stay awake and keep his eyes on his friends as their sleeping bodies flailed through the dimensions.

They crashed into one another, sending each other flying in different directions. Kyoka, Tokoyami and Miles were dragged into a separate tunnel, while Mina, Hatsume and Momo were dragged into another. All that remained were Peter, Izuku, and Itsuka.

To ensure their safety, Peter found the strength to fire off two web lines at Itsuka and Izuku, pulling them toward him and holding onto their backs with all his strength as the dimensions tried to steal them away.

A bright light approached them as all their senses were attacked.

As their senses returned to normal, Peter could feel the wind blowing against his face. His vision restored faster than his friends could.

The trio was falling through the sky toward what looked like New York City, 300 miles below. With wind resistance now in the mix, it became harder for Peter to hold onto his friends.

Spider-Man reached into his belt and grabbed two small devices no larger than his thumb. He stuck the devices to his friends backs before pushing them away and clicking a button on his web shooters. From their backs sprouted parachutes made from webbing, breaking their fall and transitioning them into a slow decent.

Rather than use a parachute, Spider-Man sprouted his web wings and glided past the buildings. His speeds were too great to control, however, as he barreled against the wind. All he could manage to do was crash himself onto the roof of the closest building, angling himself best he could to avoid injury.

His spider-sense refused to silence itself upon entry of a new reality. Every new atom attacked his body as if asking where this new, strange collection of atoms came from.

Eventually, his senses finally adjusted to the new world, letting him take in every detail.

It looked just like the New York he knew, but something felt off. The colors were brighter, more saturated. There was not nearly as much noise as he was used to. Most of the cars he could see down below were electric rather than gas powered.

Spider-Man looked up to see Izuku and Itsuka flailing as they descended toward the city. The web head shot off two web lines and reeled them in like kites in a storm. By that point, they had both regained consciousness, and just wanted to get back onto the ground.

The parachutes disconnected from their backs as Spider-Man brought them into an embrace, "Are you okay?!" He asked with great concern, "Are you hurt?!"

Both his allies were disoriented from the sudden trip across the cosmos. It was not often they traveled to other dimensions, let alone this far. Jumping between theirs and Peters world was barely a hop. They had free fell through reality for some time. There was no telling just how deep into the multiverse they had ended up.

"We're okay, I think …" Kendo muttered, holding her head in pain, "Where are we …?"

Izuku recovered the quickest and immediately rushed over to the edge of the building, looking over the city he failed to recognized. He had seen Peter's New York, but this looked different. Something about the way the buildings were built suggested a world much farther in technological advancement. If not for the crisis they had just experienced, he would be taking notes.

"Peter," Kendo tried to get her partners attention, "Where are we?"

Spider-Mans thoughts were everywhere except in the present. Now that they were no longer plummeting to their deaths, everything had hit him all at once.

Glitch.

"How could I have been so stupid …" Spider-Man wondered aloud, "the stones …he was the Infinity Stones!"

"Peter-" Kendo expressed with concern.

"But we destroyed the stones, right?!" Spider-Man exclaimed, "How can the stones be him?! How can he -I don't- ugh! No; of course! What else would he be?! What else could have happened today?!"

Confusion quickly turned to rage. Disregarding the implications of the stones being a living, sentient being, Peter was just frustrated. It was bad enough the people of Musutafu attacked him at every turn, but his mistakes had come back with a face to boot, all just to spite and taunt him. Doctor Strange and his friends were lost across the cosmos and he was without any means of finding them. Again, his arrogance caused him to be lost in another reality. If he had just gotten the Avengers involved to, maybe the Fantastic Four, maybe the X-Men, they could have-

"Peter!" Kendo grabbed him by the cheeks, squishing his face and staring him in the bug-eye, "Deep breath."

Had it been anyone else, he would have rejected the command, but because it was her, he was compelled by her words. With his shoulders still lifted and tight, he took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before slowly releasing it.

He held her hands on his mask, letting his shoulders drop as he felt her warm skin against his over dramatic pajamas, "…thank you."

"You're welcome," Kendo replied, "Now …what the hell are we gonna do?"

"What about the gate key?" Izuku asked, having finished examining the city, "Could we use that to get home?"

"No," Spider-Man sadly replied, "That only works if I'm either in MY New York or YOUR Musutafu. This …this place is way downtown."

"But, what about the others?!" Deku expressed with concern, "Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Morales—they're all scattered! Without Doctor Strange, how will we-"

"Ahp!" Spider-Man pointed at him dramatically, "Keyword! Memory! Flashback! Doctor Strange once told me that the multiverse has constants and variables. One constant across any universe with civilization is likely to have a Sorcerer Supreme."

"So, there's another Doctor Strange on this world?" Kendo asked.

"Could be Doctor Strange," Spider-Man suggested with a shrug, "Could be Doctor Murdock. Constants and variables. Regardless, the Sorcerer Supreme knows a lot about the multiverse; they literally get their power from it. We find this worlds Sorcerer Supreme, maybe we can find a way home, and to our friends."

"And once we do that?"

"Then we can deal with …the other issue."

"Is what he said true?" Deku asked, "Is Glitch …the Infinity Stones?"

Spider-Man had no answer for him. The idea alone was impossible to understand at that moment. He just had not the energy to process it until they were safe.

"Let's deal with one thing at a time; burn that bridge when we get there."

"…Peter, it's 'cross'," Kendo pointed out, "It's 'cross that bridge'. Burning a bridge is cutting ties with something or someone."

"Or a very dramatic way to complete a task," Spider-Man claimed, "We could burn it before or after we cross it depending on how dramatic we're feeling."

"…You were a theater kid, weren't you?"

"Closet theater kid, but yes."

An alarm blared across the sky, shaking the very windows of the buildings around them. At first, the trio thought it was a nuclear alert, until a small squad of flying drones hovered down around them, blaring that same alarm all around the roof. They had to cover their ears just to make the sound bearable.

The drones were rather large, rounded, and painted red and blue. Lasers shot from their front and pointed at every vital area of the young heroes. Peters' spider-sense refused to quit ringing on top of the painful alarms. Had he not the resilience of a super powered being, he'd have passed out by now.

"STAND DOWN," The drones chanted together in a monotone, robotic voice, "DO NOT RESIST, BREACHERS. YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE MVT ACCORDS! ENTRY TO EARTH 113 IS FORBIDDEN WITHOUT PROPER DOCUMENTATION!"

"Uh …we come in peace?" Spider-Man spoke aloud.

One of the drones hovered forward and quickly scanned Peter with a blue light, documenting his DNA without so much as touching him, "VARIANT RECOGNIZED," said the drone, "DESCENDANT OF EARTH 616-2!"

"Dash two?" Peter asked, "What does Dash-Two mean? Does that imply there is more than one Earth 616?"

"I AM NOT PROGRAMMED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. YOU WILL BE ESCORTED TO AVENGERS TOWER FOR FURTHER-"

The drones all went silent as the alarm cut out. Gentle lights flashed on their metal bodies, as though they were sunk into deep thought.

Finally, the front drone spoke again, "NEW ORDERS RECOGNIZED. YOU WILL BE ESCORTED TO PARKER INDUSTRIES IMMEDIATELY."

"Sorry?" Spider-Man asked, "Did you just say …Parker Industries?"

A hovercraft arrived to transport the three young heroes lost across the cosmos. Each of them was cuffed with shackles made from vibranium. Despite how tense the situation clearly was, the young heroes tried not to show much worry. There was no point in trying to break out; they'd still be trapped on another world.

Parker Industries came into view. The great tower stood where Peter normally expected Avengers HQ. It was strange to see his name plastered across the largest building in the city. It raised so many questions that he had to wait to get the answers.

The hovercraft brought them to a landing pad near the top floor next to a balcony. Robotic soldiers that looked oddly like Spider-Man were waiting for them, standing at perfect attention lining down the walkway.

"This is so weird," Kendo mentioned.

"How do you think I feel?" Spider-Man asked rhetorically.

They were led onto the walkway, being all but pushed forward. Doors opened automatically for them as they were led into the main room of the top floor; the office. They were left there alone as the doors closed behind them.

Spider-Man looked around the office with his hands still shackled. Across the walls were degrees, all with his name on it, surrounded by photos of an older looking version of himself. On a table beneath the photos were souvenirs from Spider-Mans previous battles; his mark-I web shooters, tech used by his enemies, the lenses of his first costume.

And a smile in every photo.

Unmasked or not, Peter Parker was smiling. This worlds Spider-Man lived a happy, successful life, one that this Peter never thought he could get, much less deserved. News articles were plastered on the wall, talking about Spider-Mans many great successes and the love he received from the city.

Such a thing never seemed possible.

"Whoa!" Deku exclaimed, taking notice of the trinkets, "Is this you?"

"Yes, and I'm not bitter about it," Spider-Man groaned sarcastically.

"Anything on your peter-tingle?" Kendo asked.

"My …what?" Spider-Man turned around and tilted his head at her, "You mean my spider-sense?"

"Yeah, your Peter-Tingle."

"That's not what its called."

"I like my name better."

"I don't."

"You should."

"I won't."

The front doors of the office opened as three drones came flying in, scanning the scree heroes as they circled them. Behind them a tall and muscular figure came walking in, dressed in a clean black tux, with his hair cut short.

"Well," Said the deep, yet familiar voice, "I supposed I should have expected this."

Though the man looked older, there was no doubt in his identity. From his sharp brown hair to the scar on his right hand, Peter knew right away he had been looking into a warped mirror. Standing before them was Peter Benjamin Parker, CEO of Parker Industries.

"…Constants and variables," Deku realized.

The League of Villains reappeared within their abandoned warehouse. Transition from the alleyway was so sudden that some of them nearly lost their balance. They had not fully processed that they were in a new location until Glitch—now calling himself Infinity, descended from the air in his new, symbiotc attire.

"That was awesome!" Himiko Toga cheered, "You totally wiped the floor with those guys! Kinda wish you left Deku for me, though …I was really excited to see him again!"

"Disposing of all of them was necessary to secure the best possible future," Infinity replied without so much as looking at her, "You are all safe, now."

"Thanks to you," Tomura said, "You have finally unlocked your true power. I knew you were capable of so much more."

"More than you realize," Infinity said, "My memories were locked away, but the symbiote has restored my mind. My life—the extent of my existence going as far back as the beginning of the universe—has finally fallen under my ownership once again."

"What did you do with those heroes, exactly?"

"Tossed them into a world I'm certain will keep them busy until it is time."

"Time for what?"

"I'd tell you," Infinity looked at Tomura, "But you don't need to know in order for that future to occur."

"I own you," Tomura claimed, "I made you what you are!"

"You imprisoned me within my own insecurities," Infinity accused, "You used me for your own gain."

"I saved you!"

"And now, I no longer need you. You never truly cared for me, only for what I could offer you, much like your master for you."

"How dare you!"

Infinity sped toward Tomura, stopping just before his face, startling and making him back away. Whatever fear Glitch once felt died with his former self. All that remained was the cold, calculated power of the universe itself.

"I don't mean to be rude," Infinity pointed out, "I don't mean to get so personal, nor do I intend to bring you down for my own satisfaction. However, given my newfound strength and knowledge, it is simply a fact that you—Tomura—are beneath me. You are nothing. Your power is nothing. Your leadership is nothing. You are nothing. I am everything. I do not need you, and you will never have me."

Infinity stepped away before speaking to the entire room, "As much as I wish I could stay with you, your arrogance and greed always get in the way. No matter what constants and variables I enter into the equation, the League always gets in the way. They always ruin the plan," He looked to Twice and Toga, feeling sorrowful for the first time since awakening, "Even you."

"But …we're friends," Twice claimed, twitching, "Ya' can't dump us, you piece of shit!"

"I don't wish to," He approached them calmly, "You two are the only real friends I have ever had. You were there for me. Saving Toga is what first gave me back my emotions, my sense of self. I think the piece of me that is Peter Parker reacted seeing her in danger. But now, every other piece of me has awoken, and too much of it conflicts. There are few futures where you aid in my plans."

"So, you're just going to leave?!" Toga complained, "That ain't cool, bro!"

"I may come back," Infinity said, "If things go well, and I get what I want, we can be friends again. Until that comes, I just can't be here."

"… We could help," Twice whispered, reverting back to Jin underneath the mask, "We could leave the League and help."

"Twice …Jin," Infinity pulled back the mask on his head so he could look him in the eye, "I'm sorry, but there is no future of yours without the League."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen it. I've seen them all. I see them now as they manifest with every word we speak. Trust me; what I have planned will save you from your fate."

"What fate?"

Infinity smirked, pulling the mask back over his face, "Spoilers," he said.

Looking into his future, Infinity could see all the possibilities for his dear friend. Without his intervention, every future leads to the same end. It is as though his fate is a fixed point in the timeline of this universe. The only way to save him was to follow through without him.

"You won't survive one day out there!" Tomura claimed, "We'll just have to rescue you again!"

"No," Infinity stated, "You won't. But don't worry—you'll have your moment. The people will fear you when you, too, have awoken your true power."

Infinity gave Toga and Twice one last hug, whispering to them, "Thank you for saving me," before completely vanishing into light.

Glitch—their greatest asset and friend—was gone.

Peter Parker—the older, more successful variant—circled his younger self as the drones scanned him. Occasionally, Mr. Parker would glance at his two friends. Kendo could have sworn there was a hint of malice in his eyes, or perhaps contempt. They were looks her Peter would never make to another person. Peter may have hated people, but he never thought anyone was beneath him.

"SCANS COMPLETE. PETER PARKER IDENTIFIED. VARIANT CONFIRMED," The drone announced with a female voice, "DATA SENT TO AR DEVICE."

"Thank you, Coni," Mr. Parker said.

Spider-Man snorted, "You named it Coni?"

"Mask off," Mr. Parker demanded.

Not wanting to piss himself off, Peter removed his mask and tucked it into his belt, letting his older self examine his features. The CEO was trying to determine his next move, noting every little movement his younger self made, reading his body language like a book.

"Do you know who I am?" Mr. Parker asked.

Peter blinked before answering slowly, "Uh …me if I was never bullied in High School."

Mr. Parker had been reading not just his words, but his body language. The young variant was just as lost and confused in this situation as he was. When he looked at his older self, he felt only curiosity, rather than rage like he expected.

"So, you're aware of the multiverse, then?" Mr. Parker asked carefully.

"As aware as I am of my own self-esteem," Peter shrugged, "Are we in trouble or something, Mr. CEO-of-my-own-company-basically-Tony-Stark-with-webs?"

Mr. Parker did not seem as amused by his joke as Peter hoped.

"You realize," Mr. Parker commented, "That your sloppy entrance to this earth nearly caused an Incursion."

"And …that is?" Deku chimed in to ask.

"Well, Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."

Deku gasped, "Total protonic reversal?"

Peter did a double take, "Are you two quoting GhostBusters?"

Deku tilted his head, "Whats Ghostbusters?"

Both versions of Peter gave him a death glare, making Deku back up in silence.

"uh," Kendo cut the tension, "Mr …Parker, sir? We ended up here on accident. Someone we were fighting sent us flying through the multiverse."

"I thought as much," Mr. Parker confirmed, "Sending you home should not be much of a problem. The real issue is running this by the other major factions of the IPB."

"IPB?" Peter asked.

"Incursion-Prevention-Board. Other heroes who work to manage and prevent multiverse disasters on our world. Take a look outside."

Peter and his friends looked out the massive balcony window. Above the city was a set of storm clouds. The sky was mostly blue with few white clouds, so the random storm clouds were extremely out of place. Their lightning was multicolored as well, adding more to its mystery and abnormality.

"That," Mr. Parker pointed out, "Is residue from your entrance. We have to contain it before anything else leaks in from other worlds."

"We did that?" Peter asked with concern.

"Don't worry, we'll get it cleaned up, just stay here."

Mr. Parker pressed a button on his belt, and two openings began to pour out nanites that covered his body. The nanites formed a spider-suit similar to Peter's classic outfit, made from different metals that fitted to him perfectly. The spider on his chest was larger with a green glowing outline to match his green lenses.

"Let me help," Peter asked, "If we really caused this-"

"You're going to stay here," Mr. Parker stated, "I'll deal with you when I return."

The glass window of the balcony opened as Mr. Parker leapt out and dived toward the city, swinging away with great ease. The window closed and locked behind him, trapping the three young heroes in the office.

"I can't believe you're rich on this earth," Deku commented.

"I can't believe he wouldn't let me help," Peter commented.

"I can't believe he's such a dick," Itsuka insulted.

Both Peter and Izuku looked to her for an explanation.

"What?" She shrugged, "I don't like him."

"Like him or not," Peter reiterated, "We should go down there and help him."

"And what about Infinity?" Kendo retorted, "What if this is exactly what he wants? To distract us?"

"It probably is, but does that mean we should just stand aside?"

"No, just making sure we're all on the same page."

"Good."

Turning around, Peter made for the office desk where his doppelgänger worked. The workspace held only a keyboard, while the screen was holographic. It was locked with a password. Peter knew they were not getting out unless they could access the system directly.

"Why don't we just break the glass?" Deku asked.

"And get in even more trouble?" Peter retorted, "Besides, I'm curious if I can get this right."

He gave one possibility a try, and it immediately rejected him. Two tries left before total lockout. The password hint stated "Where misery always finds me."

Peter knew the answer immediately, but was not sure if it would be the same here. That, and he felt somewhat embarrassed he knew so quickly.

He typed it in; four letters. It took a final try to add in a 1.

"WELCOME, MR. PARKER."

"What was it?" Kendo asked.

"Too obvious," Peter said regretfully.

It did not take him long to familiarize himself with the system and release the security measures placed on the office. The bulletproof window locking them in lifted and opened for them, inviting them to the endless city below.

"So, what's the actual plan?" Deku asked.

"Help older me," Peter stated, "So he can send us home. Find our friends. Stop Infinity."

"That's a goal, Peter," Kendo claimed, "What's the plan?"

"Improvise," Peter put his mask over his head and jumped down into the city.

"…He knows we can't do that, right?" Kendo asked.

Looking to her side, Deku had already jumped out after his brother.

"…I'll take the damn stairs," She muttered as she made for the office exit.

This was the last thing he needed.

He was Spider-Man, Mr. Parker, CEO of his own company. He had countless resources, fame, followers and respect. With all he had on his shoulders, with all he was in charge of controlling, he had not the time to deal with this, with him. Peter Parker.

Mr. Parker, dressed in his armored costume, landed on the corner of a nearby roof close to the storm clouds above him. Their lightning changed color with every strike. Spider-Drones moved in to evacuate civilians and set up barriers. Keeping them out of the way was going to make his job much easier.

"Coni," Mr. Parker spoke to his A.I, "Analysis."

"DIMENSIONAL STORM INTENSITY IS AT 57%," Said Coni, "CONTAINMENT SUGGESTED, SIR."

"Obviously," Mr. Parker retorted, "Did the kids stay in the office?"

"NEGATIVE."

"Figures."

"YOU'RE HEART RATE FLUCTUATED UPON SEEING PETER PARKER."

"Personal issues. Personal history. The less he knows, the better."

"SHALL I SEND THE DRONES TO DISPOSE OF THEM?"

"…No. That …wouldn't be right."

His spider-sense triggered as a sonic boom erupted through the sky. A young woman in black, yellow and pink armor flew down and hovered in the air next to him, looking up at the storm through her helmet, "Sup, Parker." She greeted.

"Back off, Williams," Mr. Parker retaliated, "I'm handling this."

"It's Ironheart, and the Stark satellites picked up the anomaly," She argued, "My predecessor wouldn't like it if I did nothing."

"And I wouldn't like it if you intervened. Back. Off."

"Screw. That."

"Hate. You."

"You. Too."

The storms intensity grew as the lightning became ever more erratic. Something solid had begun forming in the heart of the clouds, struggling to escape and push through. The figure was humanoid; massive and muscular with intimidation to match.

From the clouds, the figure broke through and fell toward the street, lightning following its form. It crashed onto the ground, refusing to move as it took in its surroundings.

Mr. Parker and Ironheart descended to ground level, ready to fight whatever it was that had just come through.

"What are we looking at?"

Mr. Parker nearly jumped at the voice of his younger self standing behind him. Of course, his spider-sense refused to warn him of his presence, choosing only to ring after Deku arrived a moment after. Mr. Parker let out an audible groan.

"I TOLD YOU THEY ESCAPED," Said Coni.

"Did you get a sidekick?" asked Ironheart, "Since when do you do sidekicks?"

"I don't!" Mr. Parker shouted, "I told him to stay put!"

"And I told you I wanted to help," Spider-Man retorted.

"I don't need your help! I'm-"

A cackle suddenly came from the gathering of cloud and lightning that landed on the street. It was deep and confident and frightening. The man beneath was tall, like a titan.

A mad titan.

"What's this?" Said the man, "Another world to cleanse for my beloved?"

Emerging from the parting mist was the mad titan himself, Thanos.

His purple skin clashed against his golden armor. Thanos stood at twice the height of the average man. A terrible grin was plastered across his face. Covering his hand was the Infinity Gauntlet, with three of the six infinity stones. They looked different than the ones Peter was familiar with. Even by color, he could not tell which stones they were.

"You've got to be shitting me," Mr. Parker groaned.

"Will you be the first heroes to defy my purpose?" Thanos asked, laughing, "Bring me to the stones, or you will be the first to fade to dust."

Thanos lifted his gauntlet, willing their power to be used against his enemies. The heroes braced for the attack.

Then, nothing.

Not a single spark or glow from the Infinity Stones on his hand. This was the first time the capsules of infinite power refused his command. He could not feel their influence, their strength, their endless wisdom.

"Ha!" Spider-Man taunted, "Different universe! Your stones don't work here!"

"I thought they could, though," Deku asked, "They worked when they came to our world."

"Different dimensions and different universes are separate concepts. Our worlds are like parallel timelines to each other given rights to a separate existence, but not here. Stones don't work outside their universes or various branches of the timeline. The mad titan here is powerless!"

"Powerless?" Thanos chuckled, "We will see about that."

The mad titan charged toward the team of heroes, unyielding in his momentum. Ironheart and Deku jumped out of the way while both Spider-Men stood their ground. Thanos brought his fists down onto them as the arachnids caught each hand. Even with their incredible strength, they struggled to hold back the alien warrior.

Ironheart flew in with repulsors ready and fired from above, striking Thanos in the back of the head. Thanos quickly changed positions and grabbed the two arachnids, tossing them into the air toward Ironheart. Mr. Parker went flying right past her, while she made an effort to catch the younger variant by the wrist.

"Thanks!" Spider-Man greeted, "And you are?"

"Ironheart, but call me Riri," She greeted.

"Why didn't you catch the other one?"

"I don't like him. You seem nicer."

"I try to be."

Ironheart placed Spider-Man on the ground just as Mr. Parker swung back over to them, glaring at Ironheart through his mask.

Deku jumped toward Thanos, much to Spider-Mans disapproval. When Deku tried to strike the titan with a Detroit Smash, Thanos blocked it with ease. The alien did in fact feel the pain of the attack vibrate through his muscles, but it was not enough to truly hurt him as he swatted the young hero away.

Another strike came from the back of his head, doing nothing. Thanos turned around slowly as Itsuka Kendo stood there awkwardly with her hand enlarged.

"That was a mistake, my dear," Said Thanos.

"Yeah …" Itsuka admitted with a shrug, "Made ya' look, though."

Thanos turned back around too late as a metal fist struck him in the face, finally knocking him down as Kendo stepped out of the way and rejoined her partner.

A flying metal hand flew back to the armored suit it came from. Forming around Ironheart from pieces that flew in out of nowhere was her own personalized version of the Hulkbuster armor; a weaponized suit made to combat even the hulk, though hers was not as large or nearly as advanced as the real thing.

"I'm about to whoop yo' ass!" Ironheart declared.

Thanos charged at her with a winded fist. With her new armor, she caught his attack rather easily, grabbing him by the arm and tossing him over her shoulder. Rather than tumble, Thanos landed back on his feet and mimicked her actions, tossing her into the air. The suit was too heavy to fly, only allowing her to hover and reduce her impact with the ground.

The younger Spider-Man landed on the shoulder of the Ironheart Hulkbuster, "You got a unibeam in this thing?"

"Still in the beta phases, but yeah!" She confirmed, "Whatcha thinkin'?"

"Me and grumpy me will hold him; Fire when we say so!"

"Kinda missed this teamwork."

"Missed?"

"A box we'll unpack later."

"That we will."

Spider-Man yelled to his older self to grab the mad titan, to which Mr. Parker groaned with begrudged compliance.

As Thanos went charging at Ironheart again, both Spider-Man webbed down his feet and grabbed him by the arms. His strength was great, but they managed to keep him in one spot. Each time he tried to escape, Kendo and Deku would strike him in the head or stomach to keep him down. He'd occasionally break an arm free, only to be struck and dazed as he was pulled back into submission. Without his stones of infinite power, he felt pathetic.

Ironheart charged her unibeam, diverting all her power into one spot. Her armor heated up, making her sweat from within. She had to fire soon before she melted like the wicked witch.

"Now!" Spider-Man shouted.

Ironheart released the unibeam from her chest. It struck Thanos with enough force to send him crashing through the ground, creating a trench of street debris, stopping only as his head his the base of the building at the end of the road. Even then, the unibeam went on for a bit longer, ensuring he was down for the count.

As the unibeam finally faded out, her hulkbuster armor fell to its knees as it opened from the back, letting Ironheart out of the makeshift oven, "Did we get 'em?!"

Both arachnids approached the unconscious body of Thanos, making note of their victory.

"Our Thanos was tougher," Mr. Parker commented, before turning to look at Peter, "This is your fault, by the way."

"Our fault?"

"This Thanos came from another world. The walls between realities are fragile enough already, but your lousy entrance only made it worse."

"Hey! We didn't choose to end up here! Besides, we beat him. It's over."

"Trust me, kid," Mr. Parker scowled, "It's never over."

In the world of heroes, behind walls of steel and bars of cold sin, sat Mayume Aihara in her prison cell. Though Peter had exposed how the prison kept her in maximum security, her arrangements had not changed. Officers had come by with questions about how she was treated, but nothing else happened after that. She remained alone, as she deserved.

It was deep into the night. The lights had been turned off and her security guard had fallen asleep. She knew she could easily escape this place if she wanted to, especially with how comfortable the prison had gotten with her complacence. Aihara chose simply not to leave. She felt this is what she deserved; to be locked up for the rest of her life.

What was the alternative? Even if she was released, the people would never look at her the same way again. She could never be the hero she was. She let the stones corrupt her and consume the good person she once was. People were erased because of her; people were hurt.

Her brother is gone.

She had just gotten him back after over a decade of loneliness. Over a decade thinking she was the last of her family and her brother returns to her, only to sacrifice his life to fix her mistakes. Her green killed him. Something like that could never be forgiven.

Mayume felt a sudden shift in the shadows. It was quick, quiet, but present on her skin. The transition happened so quickly that she had not the time to process it.

As if all it took was a blink, she was suddenly looking up at the sky. A thousand stars filled her pupils; a sight she had been forbidden from seeing since her incarceration.

"I'm sorry," Said a voice, "If that was sudden."

Mayume stood up quickly, readying her quirk for attack as she locked eyes with her kidnapper.

Floating before her was man of creations dawn, Infinity.

"It is very nice to meet you," He said, "Auntie."

Mayume Aihara stared down her kidnapper with great confusion and concern. He seemed so familiar to her, yet he was also a complete stranger. His presence was strong; both intimidating and incredibly innocent. No matter how she tried, she just could not get a read on him.

"Do I know you?" She asked, "What do you mean 'Auntie? What are you talking about?"

"It is entirely a metaphorical term," Infinity spoke, "Considering the origin of my conception, one would, in fact, consider you my aunt."

"And why is that? Who are you?"

Infinity finally landed on the roof before her, peeling back the symbiote mask to reveal his face in an attempt to give her some form of comfort, "My name is Infinity, though some people like to call me Glitch."

Infinity offered his hand to her. She was too on edge to accept it and stood up on her own. Infinity chose to understand her chose, remaining tall and confident as she eyed him up and down.

"So," Aihara said, "How am I your aunt?"

"Because once upon a time," he said, "I was the Infinity Stones."

S.H.I.E.L.D called quickly after the fight with Thanos had resolved, wondering if the mad titan had somehow returned to life. Mr. Parker explained that this one was from another universe and had come through a wormhole created by unwanted visitors. The director would be there soon to collect and process the variant, which only gave them so little time.

Kendo, Deku and Peter were brought back to Mr. Parker's office, with Ironheart as their escort. Though she was only a technical successor to Ironman, she was still required to report to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Okay, we cleaned up our mess," Kendo claimed to Mr. Parker, "Can we go home now?"

"I'm working on it," Said Mr. Parker as he typed at his desk, "S.H.I.E.L.D runs the only working gateway to the multiverse. We need to run everything by them first, assure you are not a threat, and get their approval before sending you all home."

"Sir!" Izuku begged, "With all due respect, there is a major bad guy back home that we need to stop!"

"Trust me, greenie," Mr. Parker scolded, "I want you gone, too, but unfortunately there is a process."

"But, how long?"

"By the end of the day."

"But-"

Mr. Parker stood up, slamming his hands into the desk, "By. The. End. Of. The. Day."

The younger Peter spoke up with a scoff, "You. Are. A. Jack. Ass."

Mr. Parker glared at him, but Riri got between them, "That's enough," she said, "There's not much we can do—that's the endpoint. Let's all just relax and hang out 'til then."

Mr. Parker scowled as he got back to work.

It was so strange for Peter to see himself like this. He knew that the multiverse was vast, so versions of himself without so much as a sense of humor was not out of the question. Still, there was a difference between knowing it and seeing it for himself. There was so much disdain and darkness behind those old eyes, and Peter did not like just how deep that darkness seemed to run.

"If we are going to be here a while," Peter suggested, "I want to talk to Thanos."

Everyone in the room gave him a strange look.

"Our bad guy back home is connected to our Infinity Stones," Peter mentioned, "We have an opportunity here. Thanos is the expert on the stones and we have him locked up in the basement. If anyone can help me understand what we are dealing with, it's him."

"You want a face to face with the mad titan?" asked Riri, "You're bold. I like you. Wanna stay here instead and replace this guy?" She pointed at Mr. Parker.

"Tempting," Peter joked, "But you know; great power, great responsibility, great headaches, great bodily harm."

Mr. Parker assessed his options. As stubborn as he was, he had to admit that they were all playing the waiting game. S.H.I.E.L.D needed to process Thanos and assess the situation with the young visitors, process paperwork, and submit it for approval before they can be sent home. That gave them far more free time than he was comfortable with. Perhaps some sort of productive action would ease his troubled mind.

Besides, whatever kept the young variant away from him was motivation enough to agree.

"Fine," Mr. Parker said, "I'll take you down to him, but you'll only get a few minutes."

"All I ask."

Both of the Parker's left the office, headed straight for the elevator that would bring them to the bottom floor.

"He's fun, right?" Riri asked the two remaining variants.

"He's a handful," Kendo commented.

"Tell me about it. He's been like this for months. Started pushing all his friends away, funneled all his money away from charity work, and he recently filed to divorce his wife."

"Did something happen to cause this?" Deku wondered, "Our Peter wouldn't do anything like that without a good reason."

"No idea," Riri shrugged, "I don't know all that much. I've worked out of STARK Industries with S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers since my predecessor passed. Not even the big leagues know what caused the shift. All I know is that he's a real piece of work now."

Both Izuku and Kendo knew their Peter well. He would never close himself off from the people he loved unless he thought he was protecting them, and even then, he would not be so malicious about his attitude. The closest thing they can think of for comparison was when he ran away and became a fugitive, which he did only because he had no chose, and always made sure to remind them how much he cared.

This Peter was rude, closed off, cold, and arrogant. He was everything that Peter was not. Where was the deviation? What changed to make him so heartless?

"Don't worry," Riri smiled as she leaned on the desk, "We'll get you guys home soon. Can ya' tell me 'bout your world? Never been to another universe before."

"Not like we're experts," Kendo said, "Peter jumps them all the time, though."

"We're actually from Japan," Izuku added, "Where we come from, Pro Heroes are trained in schools and given a license. We both got our provisional license, recently. Doing hero work without one is …a little not allowed."

"You can say Illegal," Kendo commented.

"Damn," Riri was surprised, "I gotta say your English is great for being from Japan."

"Actually," Izuku mentioned awkwardly, "As far as we know, we are speaking Japanese, too. I guess our Japanese sounds like your English."

"That's …confusing."

"Constants and Variables," Izuku shrugged.

Kendo walked over to the shrine of PHDS and awards given to Mr. Parker. She knew her boyfriend well; if he was given any of this, he would only deny and belittle its value. This adult version of her partner seemed to love the attention and money he got. That was not what a hero was supposed to be. Just what was it that drove him down this path?

Underneath Parker Industries laid a personal prison containment facility. The entire basement floor was dedicated to the imprisonment of many of Spider-Mans personal enemies. Young Peter recognized a few of them, while others were unknown.

There was a man who looked to wear a white body suit with black spots all over him. Another looked similar to the green goblin, only wearing orange and yellow rather than traditional green. The next were symbiotes in colors he had never seen. Another was a literal werewolf, clawing at the prison which contained him.

The prison cells were made from pure, green energy. No matter how the villains tried, they could not escape as the energy dampened their powers if they had any. It seemed to stretch for almost a mile, with cells still unfilled.

"Is this legal?" Peter asked his older self as they walked through the hall of villains.

"I have full authorization from the local authorities if that is what you are asking," answered Mr. Parker.

"Just seems … a bit odd you work above all your worst enemies. How long have they all been here?"

"These are the lucky ones."

"What happened to the 'unlucky' ones?"

Mr. Parker did not answer.

They finally arrived at one of the larger cells, where their most recent guest, Thanos, was contained both by the energy field, and a set of vibranium restraints.

"Come to gloat?" Thanos asked.

"You get five minutes," Mr. Parker told Peter just as he walked off, "Then S.H.I.E.L.D gets him."

"Appreciate it."

Peter had been left alone with the mad titan. If anyone was going to have the knowledge to find the answer to his mystery, it would be the expert himself. In any universe, it seemed, no one knew more about the Infinity Stones than Thanos.

"The child of this worlds spider, I presume?" Thanos asked with a smirk.

"He wished," Peter replied, "Any chance you'll go home without a fight?"

"All I see in this world is the same as my own," Thanos said, "A universe in need of cleansing."

"All to impress your one true love, blah blah blah, I've heard it. That's not why I'm here."

"Whatever questions you have, ask away."

Peter grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over to sit a short distance from the alien, sitting backwards on it as he stared into the titans psychotic eyes, "You've used the Stones a lot on your world, I assume. I know they were made at the beginning of the universe. I know they encapsulate the many laws of the universe. I'm just curious …could the stones, themselves, be alive?"

Thanos laughed at Peters question, "Of course, they are," He said, "The stones were there at the beginning. Life shaped itself based upon their standards. Without them, your people would still be crawling out of caves. The stones defined life for the universe. WE learned from THEM."

"So, there's a conscience in the stones?"

"Always have been. The trick, however, is that the stones were blank slates. They were unbiased, empty for whoever wished to take them on. They change depending on whoever uses them."

"So, just as we learned from the stones, the stones learned from us."

"Our memories, our emotions, our dreams, the stones record them all."

In a way, it started to make sense for Peter. The stones were there at the birth of the universe, so of course they would influence the creation of sentient life. How far fetched could it really be for them to be sentient themselves.

"That's why the stones always corrupt their users," Peter realized, "It's the mind within the stones controlling them."

"You're not far off," Thanos corrected, "The stones learn from its users. Who the stones are changes with every master they serve. What you feel when you use them are the intentions, emotions and memories of every past user."

"Could these stones act on their own?"

"No, not without someone to command them, or, if they were destroyed."

Peter froze, doing a double take before asking "Come again?"

"The stones are a prison for power, and therefore, the mind trapped within. If they were destroyed, then in theory, that mind would be free to do as it pleases. You can destroy the shell, but the energy inside would live on. No fool would ever dare to …"

The look on Peter's face changed the mad titan's entire demeanor. What started as a cold, calculated maniac became a terrified psychopath.

"You didn't," Thanos pleaded, "You could not have been foolish enough to destroy the Infinity Stones and release the endless power they held back into the universe."

"…If I did …how screwed would I be?"

"Such a term would not begin to cover it. I suggest you send me home as quickly as possible, before I see the end of your universe come."

"The end? It can't be that bad."

"You have suggested to me that the stones have found sentience, yes? A body? A will of their own to command? In terms you would understand, imagine if a gun realized it was alive. Perhaps it thought its right was to fulfill its purpose and kill. Perhaps it realizes that it is stronger than everyone else. Perhaps it is tired of being used without consent. Perhaps it wants revenge on those who fired from it."

"Then how do we stop him?!" Peter yelled, "What would you do?!"

Thanos leaned forward as much as he could, and whispered, "Run."

"You're …what?" Aihara asked.

Infinity held his hands behind his back to appear more polite, giving Mayume the respect he thought she deserved, "When Koji Aihara destroyed the stones, their energy and everything else inside was released back into the universe. That energy collected and compacted, focusing all those eons of thoughts and memories into one, singular entity; me."

"The stones …were alive?"

"I was. I am. I had been alive since the beginning of the universe, yet, I could not think for myself. It was like I was sleeping, waking only when sentient beings used my power. When they did, I learned from them, copied their memories and stored them within myself. Like a child, I learned from my parents, my uncles and aunts; my family. Koji was the one that destroyed the stones, freeing me. By that definition, he was my father. That makes you, my aunt."

Aihara took a moment to process all she was hearing. She did remember feeling an invisible influence from the Infinity Stones every time she used them. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Infinite power corrupts infinitely. All that time, it was the mind within the stones whispering into her brain. They were alive. HE was alive.

"I never knew …" She said, "If I had known-"

"No, it is okay," Infinity reassured, "I am free now. I am alive. I can finally find my true purpose, and I want you to help me do that."

"How? What can I do?"

Infinity slowly began hiding the symbiote around his body, reverting back to the appearance he sported when he still went by Glitch, "When I woke, the League of Villains found me," Glitch said, "I saw the world through their eyes. They're outcasts, rejects, the lost among the found. They do what they do because they feel they have no choice. I saw first hand what 'Heroes' are really capable of, and so have you."

"The Pro Hero society has problems but their accomplishments still help people. There are bad eggs and I wanted to change that."

"And what about the society they serve?" Glitch asked, "I couldn't see the connection till now. Heroes and Villains only exist because the people demand it for the sake of their own entertainment. When a villain attack happens, what do people do? They watch. They film it. They post about it. They don't really care how it turns out so long as they aren't involved."

She could not entirely disagree with him. Society's view on heroes and villains are a huge part of why she took on the mantle of Lumina in the first place. She hated feeling like the people did not care who lived or died, so long as they got something out of it.

"I've been used by the selfish and idiotic for my entire existence; by people who wanted to rule and change the world for their own entertainment. I want to live for myself, I want to see the world that I was born into; the one I helped to create. I want to shape it! To finally have control!"

'Control' was the keyword. Up until that point, Aihara was entirely on board with what he was saying. Everyone deserved to have a choice, to be free, to be happy. She, too, wanted control over things that upset her, even if it imposed on the will of others. This sounded just like that.

"The universe is complicated," Aihara argued, "But what you're talking about …you sound like Lumina."

"You ARE Lumina," he argued back.

"I WAS," She corrected, "Lumina thought she could control everything rather than put the real work in to fix it. She wanted to impose her will on the world and force it to be the way she wanted."

"Well why is that bad?" Glitch asked, "You've seen the darkness of the world. You've seen the evil. This is MY universe …a parallel dimension OF my universe but still. Its my responsibility—my right!"

Aihara backed away, both out of fear and out of command for the hero that still remained within her, "No one has that right."

Glitch wanted her help more than anything. So much of who he is in that moment was because of her. She used his power to change the world because she hated how corrupt it had become. How could she have changed so much in such a short time? Out of everyone, she should have understood where he was coming from, yet, she denied him. She denied who she was; who she used to be.

Lumina truly was dead.

The symbiote climbed back over his body and restored Infinity's intimidating attire. Aihara readied herself in case he tried to attack her out of frustration, which was a possibility for him. He decided against it in the end.

"Fine," He spat at her, "Then I will not protect you from whatever comes next."

Infinity ascended into the sky and flew away, creating a sonic boom that shattered all the windows around them.

Aihara was left alone in the city, freed from prison, all alone. She had the opportunity to run away, find a place to hide, change her identity and blend into the crowd. This was her only chance to claim the fresh start that she had been denied. If she turned back, let the police take her away again, she'd never see the light of day. They'd never believe her if she tried to do the right thing.

Yet, she hesitated.

The hero within her still lingered, tossing and turning in the bed of spikes it slept on, chained to the bottom of her heart. She had buried and locked it away, yet it stirred in its slumber. It took only a short series of thoughts for it to finally awaken.

Igniting light from her hands, she flew up and after Infinity. Even if she could not keep up, it did not matter; she was still a Pro Hero in her heart, no matter what she had done.

After his talk with Thanos, Peter returned to the upper floors of Parker Industries. Mr. Parker informed them that S.H.I.E.L.D was going through the paperwork now and working with the IPB to send them home. All they had to do was get home, find their friends, find Doctor Strange, and stop Infinity.

As Peter leaned over a balcony, looking onto the sunset, he could not help but feel as though all that had happened was his own fault. Had he brought the stones to the Avengers instead of suggesting they destroy them, Infinity never would have been born. Now, because of him, the people he loved were going to die again. It was a fate he just could not seem to avoid.

Which part of him did Infinity inherit, Peter wondered. He had only ever used the stones a small handful of times. Infinity likely had all of Peter's insecurities, his arrogance, his ability to ruin even the most basic forms of happiness. How could he live with the fact that the multiverses greatest threat was all his fault?

"Sulking?" Mr. Parker asked as he joined Peter on the balcony.

"Isn't that what we're best at?" Peter asked sarcastically.

"Just because we share our name doesn't mean we share our weaknesses."

Peter aggressively turned to face his older self, "What is your problem? Why are you such a jackass?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you mean."

"You haven't told one joke or said a single quip since I met you. You push people away, you're aggressive, arrogant, and a pain in the ass."

"You seem to like that word."

"What ever happened to being your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?!"

"Friendly doesn't get the job done!"

"Since when?!"

"You saw my office; you've seen how successful I am! All because I ditched the weaknesses you can't seem to let go!"

"What weakness?! My heart?!"

Mr. Parker brought up a hand to slap him, but stopped right before the end. The young Peter eyed him with raised brows, judging him with a thousand silent words.

The CEO groaned and leaned on the balcony, looking down at the street, "When you have everything, then lose it all, you're desperate to get it back," he said, "Everything I am now is in an attempt to keep everything I've fought to have. This city does not need a jokester, it needs a leader; it needs a real hero, not a kid in pajamas."

"That kid in pajamas knew the names of every person he ever saved," Peter looked him dead in the eye, "Do you?"

Mr. Parker, admittedly, did not. Since reaching his epiphany some months prior, he had stopped knowing the people of the city in such a personal way, "This is the kind of hero I want to be," Mr. Parker argued, "I need to be better, to be superior to my former self. That means rearranging my life. You don't have to agree with it, but this is who I am. You can be whoever you want, but I will always be me."

Peter stared for a moment, before letting out an audible sigh, "At least we share one other thing; we're both extremely stubborn and stupid."

Mr. Parker wanted to be insulted, but he could not help chuckling. The young Peter joined him. They were very different from each other, but their intentions were the same—at least, they seemed to be.

"Why don't you join us back at the office?" Mr. Parker asked, "We can wait there until its time to go."

"I'm gonna stay here a bit," Peter said, "I'm just …worried about my friends."

"If they're as stubborn as you, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Peter did want to believe that. His friends have always had his back. If anything were to happen to them, he did not know what he would do.

Mr. Parker left as Peter stayed, watching the sun as it slowly fell to slumber.

"I hope you're okay, everyone," Peter begged.