Author's Note:
Well, this has been a long while. Multiple technological troubles across the years and a global crisis, plus wanderings into different fandoms and a few other things have finally led me back to this. Hello. I am sorry for the wait, and part of me pondered over just giving up writing for a time, but I have my interests and they won't stop yapping. So no matter what happens (looking at my computer here) or how long it takes, I will not abandon my literary pursuits, however small they are in the grand scheme of things. For the few who are still watching and waiting, thank you, and I hope you are all doing well/as well as you can be.
So, a fresh start. Let's do this.

Key:

"Underlined" = "arachnid/spider speech"

"Italics" = "thoughts"

"Bold Italics" = "thought/mental/telepathic conversations"

Chapter 1: Divergence

Spider-Man's P.O.V

I was so unbelievably stupid.

How on planet Earth could I have believed that Doc Connors would have betrayed me? Well…I'm just going to blame that on the whole ageing thing.

I dimly heard the Vulture screeching in triumph, despite being old again – he's probably just glad to have my mutation out of him. Knowing that I had all of it, including the faulty genes back as well as my youth was a major downside. Then again, beggars can't be choosers…and I couldn't afford to waste time dwelling right now! There was still the matter of the Scorpion and the Vulture to deal with.

My spider-sense flared as I dodged Scorpion's tail when it whipped towards me – how good it feels to be young again! – and grabbed him, throwing him into the Vulture (yes, he's an old guy. But still, a bad old guy).

Hearing Doc Connors and the newcomer (another professor of science, judging purely from the coat) arguing, I turned around and witnessed Doc Connors nearly completely transformed into the Lizard, if the scales and the new arm were anything to go by. Plans formulated in my mind for dealing with everything slower than the situation was developing. "Come on Spidey! There's the animal party, fire, and the docs to get out of here." I shot a web in the direction of a blur of green while leaping over to the doctors, prioritising getting them out of here. Then… Then I heard the countdown sequence.

10…9…8…7…

This entire place was going to explode, and very soon. I hurriedly grabbed the scientific duo and web-swung out the window as bird-boy and Scorpion scattered.

6…5…4…

Landing heavily on the pavement outside, I set the newcomer down and yelled, "Run!" Thankfully the Doc was beginning to return to normal as I carried him away.

3…2…1

"Get down!" I shouted as my spider-sense reached a crescendo.

We both hit the deck.

The Neogenics lab exploded.

I shook my head to clear the ringing from my ears. Seeing that Doc Connors and the new guy – wait, was the new guy Dr Farley Stillwell? Anyways – were fine apart from a few superficial cuts and abrasions, I sighed.

"That was lucky."

Doc Connors was beginning to stir. I set him on his feet and draped his one good arm across my shoulders to steady him. "Are you alright?" I asked.

He breathed for a few seconds before replying, "Yes, are you?"

"Hey, I'm Spider-Man, I'll be fine."

He immediately frowned, so I could tell that he didn't believe me, but as he went to say something else, Dr Stillwell interrupted. "Well…that was an exciting experience, but I simply must be getting back to the asylum now – I suspect that they will be wondering where I am. Good luck to you, Doctor Connors, and farewell Spider-Man," he said while turning and walking away.

I blinked, looking to the Doc. "Asylum?"

"… Never mind. Although I think I can stand by myself now, thank you." I nodded and stepped away, remaining vigilant as he swayed for a bit, then straightened. I turned to look at the – now ruined – Neogenics lab, the flames creating quite a heat even from this distance. Yeah, nothing was getting salvaged from that bonfire.

That was when it hit me – no Neogenics lab, no way to control my mutation. I would turn back into that monster in less than a day. As if to cement that conclusion, my sides gave a painful twinge. Subconsciously, my hand rose to grip near it. I looked back at Doc Connors. "I have to leave."

He tried to stop me. "I may be able to –"

"No!" I winced at how harsh that sounded – he was only trying to help me. I said again, gentler this time, "No. Even you can't rebuild that Neogenic Recombinator in less than twenty-four hours. I have to leave before I…change…again, otherwise I'll be a danger to everyone." I clenched my fists. That couldn't happen.

"I…" His face twisted and he sighed, looking from the blazing lab to the ground quickly. "I'm so sorry Spider-Man. After all you have done for me, I can't even help you this one time," he apologised, voice filled with regret.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, lightening my voice to something a bit more cheerful. "Hey Doc, relax! You've helped me more than you know." This was true. He was my friend and had helped me out loads of times. He had also taught Peter Parker all he could. Although judging by his expression my tone had come out more forced than I had wanted, so I dropped it with a brief sigh. "Come on – let's get you home."

With that, I fired my web and swung us to his address.

(Twenty minutes later.)

In my room, my web-bag was packed with anything Spider-Man related and I finished writing a quick note to Aunt May. I yearned to write more, but time was running short already. I couldn't stay and do things right when my body was a monstrous ticking bomb. All I could put down was:

Aunt May,

I am so sorry. I love you. Please do not look for me and trust me when I mean that this is important.

Peter X

I sighed as I set the pen and paper down on my desk, covering it with what I had left in savings.

"That's the best I can do."

Next I crept downstairs to say goodbye to Uncle Ben's picture, thankful that Aunt May was a somewhat heavy sleeper. Then I travelled to MJ's house and left a small present with a note attached on her doorstep. The present was a bracelet that she had had her eye on for a while now. She would always talk herself out of purchasing it despite being drawn back, so I had saved up little by little and bought it for her.

(It had taken a while with the meagre wages triple J sometimes gave me.)

The note attached to the box read:

MJ,

I hope you can forgive me for not being there for you today, as well as this. I'm sorry. Please don't look for me, and if you can, help Aunt May. Look after her.

Love,

Peter X

It may seem cruel – it felt it, at least – to put pressure on her by asking for help, but…she was ultimately the only one I could trust with my last relative. One I could never be around again.

This time it was me who was the danger to them and everyone else.

"I am so sorry you two."

I swung elsewhere quickly and glanced back in the direction of their houses one last time. Without looking back again, I leapt away. For good.

The sun had come up three hours ago. Best guess was that I was about a hundred kilometres out of the city, maybe (hopefully) more. Thank God for spider endurance.

"Have to get away, can't hurt anyone, have to get away!"

That was the constant mantra that blared in my head as I ran across a plain, heading towards a forest. A steep cliff drop down towards the sea was a few metres to my right. I had no idea where I was, only focusing on the fact that I had to get as far away as possible from civilisation. My web-bag bounced off of my back with each stride, keeping tempo.

"- have to get away!"

I web-swung through the trees, just a blur of red and blue.

"- get away!"

It was late into the night hours and I was hopelessly lost. I had no idea how long I had left. My spider-sense was giving me a headache. My sides sent random painful waves through my unstable body. Sometimes they hurt so much I cried out and fell to my knees, holding myself futilely.

I was almost out of energy – I had been going non-stop for almost twenty-four hours with no food and barely any water. My vision was clouded; I needed sleep. But I couldn't rest for even a minute. I had to keep going, so I pushed myself back to my feet.

"- can't hurt anyone, have to get away!"

... When the time came the pain was excruciating. I fell mid-swing and landed on my back in the mud next to a riverbank.

It was like nothing I had ever been dealt from the criminals and villains before. Pain was everywhere – wracking my entire body and I writhed hopelessly against it with no breath left to scream.

I gasped when I could, curling into a smaller target instinctively even though the effort was useless when it was your own body doing the damage. My mind felt fuzzy, almost. There was only blurriness whenever my eyes opened briefly. Mud flew – thrown – as the stabbing sensation of needles bursting out from underneath my skin grew, and shadows began encroaching from everywhere at once.

"Aunt May, MJ, Curt, I'm sorry…" I gasped, water too hot and salty to come from the river dripping into the mud.

Then, I surrendered to the darkness.