Reception
Ben, or he supposed it was 'Peter Parker' now, felt less lost and more satisfied for the first time in weeks. The visions that'd been wildly protruding his brain ceased. It's as though the reunion with him and Natasha brought a small bit of stability to the whole ordeal. Sure, he still had many unanswered questions, such as how or why did he see himself as Spider-Man in his dreams, and of course his supposed 'doppelganger' coming into the picture, with apparently another 'May Parker' as his aunt. But at least they were getting somewhere. His fascination with science appeared limitless, as he spent much time learning new theories and principle revolving around complex topics like quantum physics and advanced engineering. Though, for him, a line had to be drawn at some point regarding what was possible or not. Alternate realities? It was science fiction at best, or so he thought. But he wasn't dreaming. This was real. The dreams even felt authentic, as though he'd lived them all some time ago. Aside from the kidnapping, there was more. Recalling events prior to the incident proved to be difficult for him also. What led to it even taking place? Who was HYDRA? Why were they even after him to begin with? The list of unanswered questions only grew in length, and what 'Ben' feared the most was that he'd probably have no way of ever understanding the secret behind it all. Maybe he'd be forever in the dark in all of this, like waking from a coma with partial memory loss. He didn't know what it felt like to have memories wiped from him, but if he could imagine something just as proximate to it, this would be it.
But Natasha hadn't mentioned anything about him being Spider-Man at all, did she? That idea didn't cross his mind until now. So he guessed it was just random, however, it didn't make the idea any less strange, the thought even penetrating his subconscious to begin with. He knew - it just had to be - that the webslinger had some connection to all of this. If everything else had been adding up thus far, there's no reason to doubt this also.
Following his regular route home after class, Ben took the train on the way back. He sat to himself like always with his head hanging low and headphones plugged into both ears. Spontaneously, a small tingling sensation began trickling down his spine, starting from the head. Ben jerked his hand up towards the back of his neck and began to scratch. He saw it as nothing more than the common itch popping up every once in a while. As the sensation began traveling down his back though, it became less irritable and suddenly gave him a sense of danger. The feeling was similar to when one goes into 'Fight or Flight' mode, except Ben didn't quite know where the danger was. It was strange. He'd never felt anything odd like this before (as far as he knew), his body suddenly having a mind of its own. But momentarily, the feeling came to a halt altogether. With that, the music in Ben's ears became clearer to him again as he was no longer distracted by the random itch and turned his attention back to the song currently playing. He was just about to sit his head back against the window of the train. When he did, not only did the strange feeling occur, but a piercing ominous sound followed with it, lasting for the longest one second, that sounded so loud that it drowned out his music entirely and everything around him.
Startled from the sharp sound, Ben instinctively picked his head up from the window and sat up straight this time. Looking around, he probably seemed crazy to the others aboard the train giving him awkward glances, though they quickly turned their attention away after figuring he'd just been dozing off with an abrupt awakening. If they'd only known it wasn't a normal occurrence for him. And the aura of danger returned also. What was it warning him of, he wondered. Clearly, whatever the source of the presence was, it didn't want him to get complacent. It wanted him conscious and fully alert. Goosebumps swarmed over his skin. His heart was beating faster than ever, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. Realizing this, Parker did the best he could to try and maintain his ventilation, but the anxiety still remained. He looked around the train, taking note of everyone in the seats, minding their own business. Flashes of memories began to hit him once again, like a bad scratch on a reel tape. The blonde girl came back to haunt him. It was the same scenario as before, with him being Spider-Man (or at least from his perspective), and failing to save her from the fall. Just when he thought things were at peace again, of course he had to be wrong. When his stop came, he quickly exited the train, taking in the breath of fresh air outside, hoping that would aid him in some way. It didn't.
Upstate New York
Later that night…
Carrying his binder full of research papers in one arm, and keys in the other, Erik Selvig activated the keyless entry of his car with the push of a button, and sat his binder on the top of his car while he shoved the clutter full of boxes and papers sitting in the passenger seat onto the floor. He was a mess indeed, but an 'organized mess', as he called it. Grabbing the binder and getting in his car, he shut the door and let out a tired sigh, with God knows who what on his mind. Before he had time to put the keys in the ignition, he jumped at the sight of Romanoff sitting in the back seat through his rearview mirror.
"Relax, I'm not armed," the spy informed, as if that would make it any better.
"What the hell are you doing in my car?!" the man retorted.
"It was the only way I could get your attention without getting anywhere near Stark."
Selvig let out a scoff. "W-Well, you've certainly got my attention now - what do you want?"
"I need your help, Selvig."
"Why?"
"... It's a lot to take in right now, but I'll do the best I can to explain it."
But Selvig wasn't buying it. "Why should I be helping you? Aren't you technically a fugitive now, with Rogers?"
Technically, he was right, and Natasha figured the old man might have a reaction like the one he's having now at the sight of her. He could easily turn her in, and with Stark's tech, it wouldn't be that hard for him to track her down, despite her being the Black Widow. She supposed if he wouldn't comply, rendering him unconscious would be an easy fix. Though, that's not really what she wanted. She wanted - needed - his trust.
Natasha sighed. "Selvig, I know what you're thinking right now, and I know your knowledge of the situation that went down might be a little… misinterpreted… but I'm not your enemy. You have to believe me on that."
"Look who's talking," he remarked, half-jokingly. "The master of lies and deception, second only to Thor's lunatic brother."
Natasha nodded. "Yeah… I lie for a living, and I have to live with that. But despite how selfish you may think I am, this situation at hand is much bigger than me. Bizarre, actually. I honestly don't know anyone else who might have extensive knowledge on portals and alternate dimensions more than you."
He didn't want to admit, but her words actually sparked a slight interest in Selvig.
"What's going on, Romanoff?" he asked, curious and suspicious.
There was really no way to make it sound unpeculiar. "Um… there's two Spider-Mans - Spider-Men? - or whatever, roaming around." It was clear on Selvig's face that he was puzzled. "Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are, but I think the only explanation has to be that the other Parker had to have slipped from another dimension or something into our reality. I don't know how any of this interdimensional lingo works, but if I'm right…"
"How do you know there's another Spider-Man? You've seen him in action - the other?" he asked.
Natasha hesitated. What was the point of protecting identities at this point? They'd all found out together soon enough anyways. Screw it, she thought.
"I knew him… in another reality. It sounds crazy, but I know. I've been having memories, memories that I didn't know existed, just popping up out of nowhere. At first I thought it was brainwashing or something, or that my memories had been wiped, but going over everything that's happened and retracing recent events, I know that's not the case. Something much weirder is going on…"
"So, you're telling me you knew this person in another… reality, you believe? H-How is that even-"
That's why I need your help. If anyone can figure this crap out, it's you. Your resume says it all."
He let in a breath, and then exhaled through his nose, giving a look of submission.
"Well, I suppose you'll kill me if I don't help you," he said, once again half-jokingly. Natasha's response was different from what he expected, with her tilting her head and giving a look of slight disgust mixed with humility, as though he offended her. "Explain more to me on the way. I'll have to make a pot of coffee when I get home for this."
With that, he put the keys in and started the car.
