"Mattie Franklin?" Peter called to the lone figure in the hall.
She did a little twirl for him, showing the costume she was supposed to have been buried in. "Me in the flesh, so to speak."
He was ecstatic! "That's great! Oh man, I'm so glad you're not dead."
"You never came to rescue me", the joyous occasion quickly grew cold.
"Wh-What?"
"You never came", she said again, her face not quite a smirk.
"I didn't-", he tried to explain, "I didn't know. The Kraven's... they planned the whole thing to get us". The explanation sounded weak to his own ears.
"Oh", Mattie's words took on a mocking quality. "They were out to get US? Or just you, and we were caught in the middle?"
Peter took a deep breath. He thought about the incident a million times. Maybe he could have caught on quicker, but other than that...
"I'm sorry Mattie. I never wanted you to go through that."
"Well, you messed up big time Spidey", standing across from him, Mattie crossed her arms and glared. "And Aunt Marla? Some petty revenge for the Spider-Slayers back then, hmm?"
She heard about Marla? "Now hold on. I didn't hold a grudge against her. That was in the past."
"Oh", she sounded like she was talking to a child. "No grudges? That didn't help her too much did it?"
Starting to get annoyed, Peter glared at the young woman. "I never wanted her hurt. I never wanted anyone hurt. But villains-"
"Sure love to hurt you", she cut him off. "And what's the best way to get at you?" Mattie started sounding a bit manic, "Torture, maim, or murder everyone close to you!"
"Now wait a minute sister, I didn't want her hurt. If I could have stopped it I would have!"
"Would you?" Mattie questioned, slowly approaching the irate hero. "Don't you get a little thrill playing us all for fools?"
Peter took a half-step back.
"You're no hero", the woman's face turned into something Mysterio cooked up for a horror movie. "You're a MONSTER!"
Peter yelled out and fell back when she lunged. Laying on his back, he covered himself with his arms and subconsciously shifted his mask back over his face. He waited for whatever punishment she would dish out.
"Spider-Man?"
Opening his eyes, the red and blue hero saw his three colleagues standing over him in concern.
"Spidey", Pym held out his hand. "You ok?"
Taking it and helped to his feet, he looked around for his attacker. "Anyone see where she went?"
McCoy began tapping on a tablet screen he held in his hand. "Who is this 'she'?"
"Mattie Franklin", Spider-Man told them, slightly distracted by reaching out to the arachnids around the school to try and find her. "She was Spider-Woman for awhile." No luck. "She... bit the big one a little while ago. Didn't know she was back."
"Um, Spider-Man?" Banner called his attention to McCoy's screen.
It was footage from a nearby security camera. It was playing in fast forward from 10 minutes ago. What it mostly showed, was a colorful figure appearing to have a conversation with the air.
"What?" It took Spider-Man a minute to process what he had seen in the video, and what had just happened to him.
"Perhaps", McCoy gently spoke up, "you should have a seat. Maybe have Rachel observe you for a moment?"
"No, it's ok Hank", Peter waved him off, mask peeling away once again. "I know what happened." He took a breath and dropped his bombshell. "I see dead people."
Of course they wouldn't believe him immediately. The responses ranged from pained groans to McCoy's, "that jest was in poor taste."
Peter palmed his face. "No seriously. It's a new thing. Haven't really gotten a good grip on it yet. It just happens once in awhile."
Mattie's spirit showed and tried to tear him a new one. Verbally, anyways. She couldn't hurt him physically, that's why his Spider-Sense didn't warn him.
"And, you can speak with the dead?" Banner questioned softly. Peter turned to look at the doctor, seeing a small bit of hope in his eyes. The other two had the same appearance. Of course they would be interested, who didn't have a loved one they wished they could speak with one more time?
"Um", the younger hero tried delicately. "I guess? I mean, there's rules to it supposedly. I got a bit of a crash course from an old mentor of sorts. He was pretty hip with the Spider stuff, but got the big rolled up newspaper a few years back. Him and Mattie are the only two I've spoken with." He paused slightly in thought, "that I'm aware of anyway."
McCoy's cough breaks the awkward silence.
Peter called it quits shortly after. McCoy was busy with his Apocalypse stuff, but Banner and Pym offered to run tests.
"No thanks", red webbed mask back in place. "I've had enough tests done to last till a dystopian future. Besides, you guys seem to have a mystery on your hands." Referring to the work McCoy was fang deep in. "Let me know if there's something I can help with." He told them on his way out the door.
Let the big brains work out that stuff. They need someone to crack wise and glue things together, he was the guy to call.
Really, he knew he had more going on for him than that, but his thoughts were somewhere else at the moment. He wouldn't be able to focus on the work too well, and McCoy was on to something huge. He could feel it in his webs.
Stopping briefly to chat with Rachel which kind of threw him off but if she was being civil, he could too, he was out the front door, down the driveway, over the fence, and waiting for a decent sized vehicle to pass so he could hitch a ride to the city.
-Home-
Down the sky light, his suit was willed to rest over his arm. The clothes he wore while he was sick were plastered to his body. A quick shower and he felt at least 87% like new. He hadn't seen Laura on his way in, so he watched cartoons till it was time to face the music.
She returned halfway through "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and he could tell she was wearing her upset face.
"Hey Laura", Peter tried to break the tension.
Glare #42 was all he got in return.
He sighed and turned the tv off and gave her his undivided attention.
"First", Peter began, "thanks for taking care of me while I was sick. I mean it. Not too many would have. I know what Logan asked the both of us, but I feel like you went above and beyond and deserve a little praise for that."
Her frosty look warmed a degree so he continued.
"B, sorry for ducking out like I did. I know I was still under the weather and it wasn't cool to ditch you. But I had to get out of the house and see to a few things. Call Hank when you get the chance, there's some serious stuff might be going down soon."
He stood to stretch and put a hand on her shoulder. He was glad she didn't cut it off.
"And 4", her left eyebrow rose a millimeter on his numbering system, "I guess, I'm just sorry. I had it pointed out that people think I treat them like an issue I have to deal with, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Family is important, no matter how you slice it, and your family Laura. So if I haven't been proving that to you, I'm sorry."
Peter was rewarded with her face shifting back to get neutral gaze. "All right. As long as you know you were wrong."
He crossed his arms and gave her a smirk. "Yes ma'am."
The shorter woman nodded with a "Hmph" and gave him the rundown of her day while he was away. "Rand approved the remodel. I recommend also contacting Dr. Richards for additional safety measures. Miguel offered his help as well. From what I understand, this entire floor will be remodeled on the inside."
Peter let out a whistle. She sure was efficient. "Nice going Ms Howlett. Take the rest of the afternoon off and be sure to have those papers done by Friday."
She wasn't as entertained, but she didn't stab him so that was a win.
She was stepping away when Peter finally worked up the nerve. "Laura?"
She turned and he fumbled with his words. "Can you, I mean do you, or I'm pretty sure you do, but I was, uh..."
She didn't leave, but did cross her arms to wait.
He took a breath and tried again. "Could you teach me to meditate?"
-Later at a different apartment-
Carol dried off her cropped hair and went into her kitchen for something to drink. Grape juice was on the menu right now.
She bent to pick it up from the lower shelf, noticing the slight difficulty not for the first time. She figured she would be showing soon.
She opted to drink straight from the bottle since she lived alone and no one would see her.
The loud cough in the silent apartment nearly caused her to drop it though.
Raising the bottle high as an improvised weapon, she spun toward the source of the noise and drew energy into her free hand to blast whoever it was.
Sitting in her living room, the red and black Scarlet Spider and some teenage maybe Spider looking girl.
"Hey Ms Marvel", the man addressed her. She wondered if he was the same one that she threw at the mutated Queen.
"Can we talk?" The girl asked, mask peeling away from her face. It was some kind of symbiote, Carol realized. And the somewhat familiar face of the gir- young woman made her think of a certain brunette.
Carol put down the bottle but kept her hand glowing at full power. "Ok. Let's talk."
-Another School Elsewhere-
Students ran the course, again and again, while he stood high and watched on. His army was nearly ready.
A student tripped over his own feet and didn't get back up. Two others reached him and began dragging him away.
Another look at a large altar brought a smile to his face. Soon, his ultimate weapon will be complete. And he will be able to blast the unfit from the planet.
"My lord?" This body's lover approached. She was bent to his will, but her power set prevented him from utilizing her full potential. No matter.
"We have found him", she informed.
Excellent. The only other being who could completely survive the purge. He will be accounted for.
"And no one will stop me", the blue face twisted into an evil grin.