MY GOD that last chapter got like 80 reviews! That's my most reviewed chapter! That's so awesome!
I love you guys.
Ok so getting down to it, THIS IS FINAL NO MORE DISCUSSIONS
After carefully looking over the reviews and the reasoning I have decided to stick with my original pairing of Miranda and Peter.
It's unconventional, different and original rather than easy. It's not that the pairing of Liara or Tali wouldn't work, it's just that I feel it would have been too easy and I wanted a challenge. I wanted something different cause I've seen a lot of these in the reviews, you don't get a lot of Miranda pairings.
I will be sticking to it and that's that, no more arguments. I know I said three chapters of voting time but I have changed my mind and my decision is now permanent.
So it's pretty obvious in this chapter that Spider-man will lay all his cards out on the table. Been a long time coming. And I don't mean to brag but *COUGH COUGH* I feel proud of the fact that I managed to withhold the whole spilling out the story of a character from another world.
By the way quick side note. Since I have stated in previous chapters that there's some differences with this Spider-man then the main Spider-man we all know so well, don't be surprised with some of the alterations I've made with Spider-mans origin story here. Almost all of it is exactly how it was save for a few things here and there that you'll see in a bit
After the next chapter, the three year gap will commence in full swing.
That means the focus will shift entirely on spider-man and his escapades with the supporting cast of the Normandy crew past, present and future
Nothing else left to say
Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day
Along Came A Spider Chapter 16: You're from another Universe?
The meeting room was silent as all eyes were on Spider-man and the being who literally had the Multiverse floating around her.
No one dared say anything or move from where they stood.
"Ok…." Spider-man finally broke the silence "This isn't awkward at all….maybe I should have phrased that better"
"No" Garrus said, still in a bit of a shock "You said it the first time"
"We're just having a bit of a hard time accepting what you just said" Shepard wryly added
"You're from another universe?" Tali whispered in disbelief "Keelah, that's amazing"
"Amazing?" Ashley whispered "That's an understatement"
"Hang on a second" Wrex spoke up "So you say you're from another universe or reality or whatever"
"Then why aren't you…you know, freaking out or anything?" Wrex asked "I may be a tough son of a bitch who's lived for a good few centuries but even I would be shitting my pants at the thought of winding up in another reality"
"Let's just say this isn't my first and most definitely will not be my last foray into another universe" Spider-man said whimsically
"Wait what?!" Ashley exclaimed "You've done this before"
"Couple dozen times" Spider-man said offhandedly "Give or take a few. Probably give a few more…..like 25 times tops"
"25 times!?" Kaidan nearly fell out of his chair "You've done this 25 times?!"
"It's a rough estimate" Spider-man said making hand motions like a scale "In my line of work, you kind of lose track of all the insanity"
"That's an understatement" Shepard said repeating what Ashley said "So seriously Peter, who are you really?"
Spider-man looked at everyone, the eclectic group of characters he had grown to call great friends the past few months. The group of aliens from all walks of life that made he dubbed the Avengers of this galaxy. And he was a proud founding member of this team.
"Madame Web" Spider-man glanced back to the elderly lady seated behind him "I could use your help in this"
"Of course, Spider-man" Madame Web said, nodding her head "I am just glad I managed to locate you here at long last"
"How long has it been exactly back home?" Spider-man asked anxiously
"A month and a half of time has elapsed back in your original reality" Madame Web answered
"Have you spoken with the Avengers?" Spider-man asked
"Not yet" Madame Web shook her head "I needed to find you first before I could contact the Avengers"
While the two talked, the Normandy crew in the background took their time to observe the various webbed images that surrounded Madame Web.
"What do you think all those pictures are?" Kaidan asked
"Looks like….alternate versions of Spider-man" Shepard observed
"You think they're telling the truth?" Ashley whispered to the others "That they're both from another reality?"
"They are" Liara stated
"How are you sure?" Garrus asked "You mind melded with him?"
"Yes" Liara confirmed "When I first mind melded with him, it was quite honestly impossible to believe. It took a while for me to accept it, but the more I thought about it and the more I went back to the memories…the memories felt to real, they didn't feel like a falsified history of one mans life"
"Keelah" Tali rubbed her chest "Is this actually happening? Is Spider-man really from another universe"
"The more I think about it" Shepard said, crossing his arms in thought "The more it seems likely. When you really think about the history of humanity or every species in general has man like Spider-man ever existed? What he can do, what he is able to do, while plausible and even possible it never happened"
"I also believe that even if Spider-man's powers and what he is able to do is possible, why did it happen now and so suddenly" Liara added "With the way this galaxy has been over the centuries, why have people like Spider-man not cropped up sooner? There are anomalies here and there but most of those were either undocumented or once in a lifetime events"
"What about Sakoln?" Kaidan asked "He seems like somebody who actually fits into a place where Spider-man comes from"
"It's all very science based really" Tali answered that "Soundwave and shockwave technology has been around for quite some time now. It just hasn't been weaponized on such a miniature scale until Sakoln figured it out"
"Guys, I don't mean to be a buzzkill on this philosophical discussion or anything. I'm all for it really" Ashley interrupted "But I think we should get some answers from Peter already. It's been a long time coming"
"You're right" Shepard said, nodding at the red head
"Peter" Garrus stepped up making Peter look back to the others "I think it's time you start from the beginning"
Peter knew that there was no point in delaying it any further. So, removing his mask, Peter turned to Madame Web
"Cassie"
Wordlessly, Madame Web focused on the web behind her which began to branch out and expand before encompassing the entire meeting room in a domed web.
"To do this, we'll have to go back to my cheesy over told origin story" Spider-man said, a chunk of an image descending down between them showing a much younger Peter.
"So here we are in my generic Queens High School living as a generic shy guy who really doesn't fit in and excels at science and was a minor photographer at the time" Spider-man began
Along with what he said there brief clips and images of peter going to school and all that, with several of him spending time with an elderly couple.
Peter had a sad smile on his face when he saw two of the most important people in the world to him.
"I wasn't raised by my parents" Peter said sadly "They had to leave me with my Aunt May and Uncle Ben when I was five. I learned later that they died several short weeks after they left me"
The group held sympathetic faces when Spider-man went to sit down, exhaling shakily. He flipped the chair around backwards so he could sit while resting his still somewhat aching arms
"But my Aunt and Uncle was the family that kept me afloat and supported and loved me since I was a kid" Peter said fondly, tearing up slightly at the memories
"Peter?" Liara asked, cautiously approaching him.
"I'm alright" Peter said calmly, returning to his tale
"So I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle" Peter said "They were really all I had save for my three friends in School. Gwen Stacey, Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn"
"Life was simple really" Peter said "That all changed during Sophomore year however"
The image before them changed into one of a high tech lab with students mingling in between different exhibits.
"This was the day that changed everything" Peter said enigmatically.
Instead of talking, Spider-man just allowed the little memory to play out on its own accord.
The team watched intently as a 15 year old Peter Parker was scribbling down notes and taking pictures of various exhibits.
During a group shot of his three friends, the memory zoomed in on a spider that was slowly descending from on high down to where Peter stood.
Completely oblivious to said Spider, Peter continued on with his note and photo taking while the spider landed on his shoulder and crawled up to his hand.
The team actually held their breath in anticipation as time seemed to slow for a moment when they saw the spider move up a bit before biting down onto Peter's hand.
"And from there" Peter said with a surprisingly aged look "Is where everything went to hell"
"So…a spider biting you gave you powers?" Ashely asked in disbelief
"A genetically mutated spider" Spider-man corrected her "It was compounded by various rays and such and well that permanently changed my genetic make up"
Peter looked back to all the memories.
"From that one bite, I began to develop my powers, testing the waters in seeing what I could do" Peter went on "Wall crawling, super strength, reflexes, all of that good stuff plus the precognitive Spider-sense"
The next set of memories showed him testing out his ability on the buildings of Manhattan.
It honestly looked exhilarating as he was jumping from rooftop to rooftop with a cry of freedom and joy.
"I wasn't always the man I was today" Peter said with a sense of shame "When I first got these powers I used it for my own selfish interests. There were multiple underground wrestling rings across Manhattan and I won practically all of them. Most of the money I kept for myself with some of it secretly going to help out my Aunt May and Uncle Ben with rent and such"
"For a while, things seemed actually kinda good" Peter said rubbing the back of his head "But that came crashing down in one day"
It was a memory of Peter and Uncle ben sitting in the car.
By the looks of it, it seemed as though they had an argument of sorts and Peter was about ready to get out of the car when Ben placed a hand on Peters shoulder.
"Peter" Ben said tiredly "I know life hasn't been easy for you living with us"
Peter stops and turns to Ben who looks peter in the eye
"I'm not a brilliant man like your father. I stopped helping you with homework by the time you were 12" Ben said with a fond chuckle "You are so much like your father, you know that Peter. I've said it to you many times. Sadly though, one of the things our father taught us was never taught to you"
Ben had a far away look in the eye
"It was a tradition you could say that the father always 'passes down' this saying to his son" Ben said
Ben gave Peter a proud look then
"Peter, you have a brilliant mind and a kind heart" Ben said "And with the abilities you have the power to change the world"
"But what if I don't want to change the world Uncle Ben" Young Peter argued back, looking down dejectedly "I don't know if I want to do anything anymore"
"Peter, listen to me" Ben said sternly but in a father like manner "I understand things have been tough lately. Aunt May and I have noticed you haven't exactly been on top of your 'game' and you've been neglecting your chores and schoolwork. I understand that it's not easy right now, going through high school, growing up without your parents. It's difficult finding your place in a world as chaotic as this on"
"But if there's one thing you should know, one thing that I believe in just like your father did" Ben paused "Is that with Great Power, there must also come Great Responsibility"
The Normandy team had heard Peter say this before on a few occasions. But there was something really special about hearing it from the one who told it to Peter himself.
The young Peter in the memory only sighed, getting out of the car, murmuring
"I'll see you later tonight" Peter said in goodbye
"But…it didn't go as planned" Present peter said shakily, getting Liara to place a comforting hand
The memory changed once more, showing a visibly frustrated Peter Parker, towering over an unimpressed booker.
"Sorry Kid but the ad specifically states that you have to last three minutes with Crusher Hogan" The Booker said without a care in the world
"You don't understand, I need that money!" Peter Demanded, angry at the fact that he was getting screwed here
"I forgot the part where that was my problem" The man said dismissively
Growling in frustration, Peter turned to leave.
He currently stood at the end of a long hallway, sour mood and all.
"HEY STOP THAT THIEF" Yelled the voice of the booker.
Peter turned back to see a man running away frantically from the office of the booker, bag full of money in hand.
Peter instantly knew what was going on, and….
He stepped aside, allowing the crook to pass by him.
"What the hell man" The booker ran up to Peter, panting "You could have caught that guy no sweat"
"I forgot the part where that was my problem" Peter shot back at the man surprising his team at his blatant dismissal of said man.
"This….wasn't my proudest moment…." Spider-man looked away to hide his guilt ridden expression
"Peter" Said the soft voice of Madame Web "You must let go"
Peter let out a humorless laugh "Never gonna happen"
The memory continued with Peter going outside only to hear a gunshot in the distance. Hearing people scream, and an uncomfortable gut feeling, Peter began to jog towards the source of it all, before stopping dead in his tracks.
The teams eyes widened with horror at who it was laying on the ground.
"Uncle Ben" Peter murmurs in disbelief
Next thing they saw was Peter pressing down on the bullet hole that was bleeding profusely whilst Peter was crying and yelling out for help.
The memory shifted, showing peter in a make shift spider suit of sorts, getting a lead as to where the gunman was hiding.
He was relentless in his pursuit on the man when he at long last cornered him.
"Please" The Criminal begged "Give me a chance"
"A CHANCE?!" Peter Parker roared in anger "GIVE YOU A CHANCE?!"
Peter gave the man a wicked punch before grabbing him by the collar, pulling him close
"WHAT ABOUT THAT OLD MAN?! WHAT ABOUT HIM?! DID YOU GIVE HIM A CHANCE?!" Peter shouted in his face before lifting him up into the light
And once more the entire team froze as they, like Peter instantly recognized who it was.
"You're…" Peter dropped the man who scrambled away as fast as he could.
"You're the one that ran away" Peter realized that had he just stopped this man…Uncle Ben would still be alive
"Look man" The murderer pleaded, crying now "I never meant to do it. My finger just slipped when he grabbed my gun, I got scared. I never meant to kill him"
Peter was already on the guy, cocking his fist back, shaking with Fury.
"It would TOO EASY, to end your pathetic life right her, right now" Peter said, getting right in the face of the crook
He suddenly back up and cleanly knocked him out
"But wouldn't be the man Uncle Ben raised" Peter said aloud, grabbing some nearby chains "Because he Told me That with great Power, There must also come Great Responsibility"
The memory ended leaving a very somber team who glanced over to Peter who had his head resting on his arms, trembling a bit.
Liara pulled over another chair and gently place her arms around Peter.
Garrus, Tali and Ashley all went over to join Peter in their attempt to comfort him.
"It's alright" Peter said gratefully "I'll be fine. I'm not done with my hearty tale yet"
"After Uncle Bens death, I became Spider-man" Peter said "It was simple as that really. At first all I really focused on was making sure that I kept new York safe…of course, that was easier said than done"
The memories that Madame Web showed next was brief glimpses of how quickly Spider-mans life fell into chaos.
From fighting regular thugs, to high school, to trying to see friends, to rent, Peter's life just seemed to only grow worse.
And it did just that with the arrival of multiple Super powered enemies that just crawled out of the wood work ranging from Doc Ock, Electro, Kraven, Sandman, Hydro Man, Rhino and so on, all of this just made Spider-mans life a living hell. Then there was a bit of a growing distance between his friend Harry Osborn as his father, Norman Osborn seemed to openly favor Peter over Harry.
"Dude" Kaidan spoke up "How? Just seriously man. How?"
"Honestly…I really have no idea how I didn't break" Spider-man answered, looking around at all the memories "I just really don't know"
"Spider-menace?" Wrex abruptly read aloud from a nearby web memory "What the hell is this about?"
"AH" Peter said mirthfully "Old Jolly Jameson and his campaign to show the world how great I really am. Great boss"
"Repugnant man" Madame Web said distastefully
"Now come on Web" Spider-man jokingly said "He's only bad six days out of the week"
"What's this Jameson like?" Shepard asked
Madame Web and Peter shared a glance
"Well…"
"PARKER, WHERE ARE YOU" Came the booming voice of Jolly Jameson from the memory "I WANTED PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN AN HOUR AGO. GET IN HERE NOW OR YOU'RE FIRED"
"That's your boss?!" Kaidan and Ashley exclaimed in disbelief
"What a jackass" Garrus and Shepard said simultaneously
"Was my boss" Spider-man corrected "And let me tell you, that is one of his nicer days"
"How did you put up with that…..man?" Tali asked, unsure if to identify the male with the bulging vein on the forehead as a human
"He was the only one willing to hire a 16 year old photographer" Spider-man answered "I needed money for my aunt and for my time as Spider-man so I couldn't really say anything"
"And I thought you had quads before" Wrex said good naturedly
Spider-man just grinned at the Krogan
"Can we please put that memory away?" Liara asked tentatively "I am getting a headache just by looking at the man yell"
"Gladly my dear" Madame Web responded in kind, the memory vanishing
Spider-man continued his story, talking about how high school went on, harder than ever. New villains like the Lizard, Mysterio, Chameleon, Hammerhead, The Kingpin, Jackal and Morbius cropped up.
"Ah, look at this" Tali squealed a bit, pointing at an memory in the web
Ashley was the closest and instantly held a teasing grin "Peter's got a girlfriend"
"Oh god, here we go" Peter muttered in dread as the team crowded around the memory of Peter smiling happily and bashfully while a blond girl his age planted a kiss on his cheek
"So" Shepard asked slyly "You gonna tell us who this is or not?"
Spider-man chuckled a mirthful chuckle, a single tear falling from his eye.
"That" Peter croaked out, startling the team "That is Gwen Stacey"
Peter had a faraway look to him as he told the team just who Gwen Stacey was.
"I was the ultimate wallflower in high school and college with only one friend" Peter said "But then she saw past everyone and came to me. Out of everyone she chose to be her first boyfriend, she chose me"
Silent, happy and sorrowful tears trailed down his cheeks.
"She was my everything" Peter whispered "There was nothing that I didn't tell her about myself. We never really hid anything from each other, except…"
"That you were Spider-man" Liara stated
"Yeah" Peter nodded to her, sighing a bit "Life went on like always, Spider-man, work, Aunt May, College and Gwen. That was how things were for a while"
"Why do I have a horrible gut feeling" Garrus said aloud
"Cause you have every right to be" Peter said, recalling another memory that appeared beside him
The memory displayed a blond man in a uniform
"This is Captain George Stacey, Captain of the New York police department, Gwen's father and also one of the few that openly supported my actions as Spider-man even with the Daily Bugle outing me as a masked menace" Peter said to them
"What happened?" Tali dreaded as to what Peter would say
"He was on a routine shift, doing what he usually did" Peter said
"Only this time, it didn't go that way, did it?" Garrus asked somberly
"You know it to well Garrus" Peter said
"Doctor Octopus was doing a bit of an intense robbery" Peter said "Something along the lines of material needed to conquer New York or something repetitive along those lines"
"But Captain Stacey was in his way, wasn't he?" Garrus surmised grimly
Spider-man shuddered with remorse
"By the time I got there, Captain Stacey was already dying" Peter said distantly "He suffered from serious head trauma and damage to the chest area, collapsing his chest"
It was becoming harder to talk about the memories
"He just said one last thing" Spider-man was beginning to tremble more now "For me to take care of Gwen"
Now Peter was openly crying
"But I failed" He said "I failed to save her"
"All because of him" Peter said darkly, glaring with intense hatred
A mad cackle of pure insanity came from one of the many web memories around them.
Said memory came out and enlarged itself, displaying something of a freak of nature.
It was human presumably though with dark green skin, pointed ears and nose, sulfuric yellow eyes, purple garbs, pumpkin bombs, hover board with a complimentary maniacal grin.
"This" Madame Web said solemnly "Is the Green Goblin"
"Green Goblin?" several teammates murmured "Sounds kinda like Halloween"
"Where there is a Spider-man you should always expect a Goblin" Spider-man said, dark tone and all.
He abruptly got up and moved to leave.
"Excuse me a moment" Spider-man said, leaving the room leaving a somewhat stunned team
"Alright, that's it" Garrus whirled round to face Madame Web "Who is this guy? This is not Peter's everyday bad guy is it?"
"You kidding me?" Wrex murmured "Never seen the guy like that before. If looks could kill man"
"I only saw brief glimpses of him during my mind meld with him all those months ago" Liara said "But they were only glimpses"
"Who is he, Madame Web?" Shepard asked intently "Who is the Green Goblin?"
Madame Web only sighed tiredly at the thought of it.
"He is Spider-mans greatest foe" Web said somberly "No other enemy that Spider-man faced ever left such an impact on Peter Parkers life. This…demon is responsible for one of his greatest tragedy's"
Madame Web held out her hand and another memory appeared, showing Spider-man swinging at record speed towards a bridge.
And up ahead, the team saw Green Goblin flying away on his hover board.
Garrus being the one with the sharpest eyesight of the team zoned in on Goblin before his eyes widened with horror.
"Is that?"
The team clamored to get a better view which was pointless as the memory zoomed in on the fleeting form of Goblin. And in the Goblins hands was none other than Gwen Stacey.
A feeling of dread loomed over the entire team as the team observed the chase make its way over to a bridge, Spider-man inches away from Goblin until he had to avoid a Pumpkin bomb to the face.
Peter only watched as Goblin taunted him mercilessly while holding the terrified figure of Gwen, who could only stare at Peter.
Gwen was mouthing the words 'I love you' over and over again when suddenly, Goblin dropped her.
With speeds they had yet to see Spider-man pull off, he shot at the Goblin with a wicked right hook and dashed over the edge to fire a web line at Gwen.
"SPIDER POWERS DON'T FAIL ME NOW" Peter exclaimed when the line grabbed her, snapping her to a stop.
All seemed well at first until Peter pulled her up.
"Hey, don't fall over for me saving you just yet Gwen I…" Spider-man paused, noticing Gwen was unresponsive
"Gwen?" Spider-man's voice broke
Tali began to shake at the sight tearing up while Liara already held up her hands to her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Shepard was already by her side, comforting her whilst Ashley cried onto Kaidan's shoulder who himself was fighting back tears.
Garrus moved to place a hand onto Tali's shoulder who held up her hand and gripped Garrus's firmly. Wrex only sat down, looking away from the memory.
He may be Krogan, he may be the toughest son of a bitch on the ship. But even he had to admit, that was too much for anyone to bear.
"God Dammit" Shepard whispered watching Peter take his mask off.
He was only 18 at the time but he had already suffered this much.
The poor boy was cradling Gwen's lifeless body closely to his own as he screamed in agony, tears pouring down his face.
"YOU FOOL" Shouted the Green Goblin "She was dead the moment I dropped her. You truly are more of an idiot than I thought you'd be"
The crew watched as something seemed to snap within Peter as his expression darkened to the point where it was almost unrecognizable. He gently placed Gwen down and slipped his mask on, glaring at Goblin with all his hate to which the mad villain only laughed with insanity.
Then the team gawked a bit at the sheer ferocity Spider-man assaulted Goblin with, not pulling his punches any longer. Each punch sounded like the crack of a whip amplified by a thousand.
The fight continued until they reached an abandoned warehouse.
By this point, their suits were being completely scrapped to hell. Peter had taken A GRENADE TO THE FACE, and yet he brushed it off as if it were nothing. The pure hate, rage and rush of adrenaline actually made him look quite frightening in the eyes of the team as his fighting style bordered on the near fatal.
Spider-man grabbed Goblin by the throat when the Goblin spoke, his voice changing.
"Wait, Peter wait!"
Peter seemed to snap out of his rage when he let go of Goblin and backed away. The goblin took the opportunity to remove his mask revealing….
"Norman Osborn" Peter murmured in total shock, shocking even the Normandy team
"WHAT?!" The team shouted
"Harry's father…" Kaidan began
"Peter's mentor…" Tali continued
"Is his greatest enemy?!" Shepard finished
The memory continued on
"You…" Peter raised a shaky finger to Norman "You killed her….you killed the woman I loved…the woman of my dreams"
"It was the mask Peter" Norman pleaded like a broken man "I never wanted to do this. It was the power and the mask Peter. They corrupted me"
"All those people you killed" Peter listed off, now tearing up again "I…I looked up to you like a father"
"And you were like a son to me" Norman said with actual sincerity "You, who was the only friend to my Harry. You who struggled more than anyone else"
Peter's expression was one of blank shock. one might have even analyzed that Peter's mind had simply shut down.
"Please Peter" Norman begged "Please help me"
Peter seemed to snap out of his shock and gave Norman a stone cold expression.
"You better hope to god that they don't kill you Osborn" Peter said darkly "Cause you have no idea how much I want to do that Norman"
"I understand Peter, believe me I do" Norman said in earnest "It's just…Gods speed Spider-man"
Spider-man's expression changed into one of alarm and attention as his body instantly leapt into the air, easily evading the glider.
The team could only gape somewhat as the glider that had so faithfully served the Goblin in his many escapades of madness impaled him into the wall.
Norman only struggled momentarily before looking Peter in the eye.
"Peter…" Goblin coughed out, mouth dribbling out blood "Please don't tell Harry"
The memory ended, making Madame Web sigh "Please, I need a moment to rest. Coming to a reality unlike our own can be very taxing on me"
Shepard only wordlessly nodded
"I think…we can all use a break right now" Shepard said
That was hard to watch.
"Jesus" Kaidan said "That all happened when he was still a teenager?"
"Keelah" Tali said sadly "He survived all of that"
"I think we need a bit to take this all in" Shepard said to Madame Web
"Of course" Madame Web said "I would require some time as well. Coming to a reality very unlike your own is rather…taxing"
Shepard only nodded, Liara leaning onto his shoulder.
"I'll be back" Garrus got up to leave
"I'm coming with you" Tali said
"Me Too" Ashley added and the trio departed from the meeting room
Kaidan also chose to leave to get some drinks for the team.
Wrex simply observed the various images of all the memories and other alternate realties of Spider-men.
He snorted mirthfully.
700 years of life, 700 years of conflict and in all honesty, soul-searching. Thanks to Shepard, Peter, Even Garrus and the rest of the team, Wrex had finally decided on his purpose.
But after seeing so much…this right here. Knowing you are even more of a small insignificant gnat in something that's so beyond you.
And yet…Spider-man simply took everything that had happened to him into stride.
His contemplations were cut short when he saw something quite peculiar.
"Hey Shepard" Wrex called out to the only two present "You might want to come see this"
Liara and Shepard shared a look before the two walked over to Wrex.
"What is it Wrex?" Liara asked
Wrex simply nodded his head towards what he was looking at making Liara and Shepard do the same.
Their jaws dropped a bit.
It was them! And by the looks of it, alternate versions of them!
"That's us!" Liara said now taking her time to observe the closest images "That's us on Noveria! Feros! The Citadel!"
"What is this?" Shepard asked, turning to Madame Web who inclined her head in the Spectres direction
"Fascinating" Was all Web said "It appears that with the arrival of Spider-man in a universe that only has one linear timeline, an unintended glitch occurred"
"Meaning?" Wrex asked
"That now there is a multiverse revolving around this on universe" Web explained "While there always was a multiverse and this universe a part of it, this reality was very unique for it was the only one of its kind"
"However with the arrival of Spider-man and with the birth of a man such as yourself Shepard, this universe began to splinter off into just as possible or possibly improbable possibilities. It's entirely hypothetical" Web finished
But all she got was Wrex, Liara and Shepard staring owlishly at her.
"What?" Shepard uttered out
"Can you say that slower and stupider"
"I think…" Liara began unsurely "She means that…because of the birth of Shepard and the arrival of Spider-man, we have created alternate versions of this universe?"
"Precisely my dear" Madame Web complimented
"Well thank god for your mind Liara" Shepard said fondly making the Asari blush while Wrex chose to see what else the images had to offer.
He stopped dead at one and he slumped over in complete disbelief.
'What…The actual…Fuck!' Wrex thought in total bewilderment
Was that him? In a spider-themed outfit?! And next to him was Tali! And Liara and Garrus and the entire team in some sort of variation of a spider-man suit.
"Uh Shepard, are you willing to see another shocker?"
"How bad is this one?"
"It's not bad, just…..I can't even….explain" Wrex said dumbly
Then of course Shepard saw it, jaw dropping followed by Liara, with her jaw dropping as well.
"Is that….us…in Spider-man's outfit?" Shepard asked dumbly, seeing him battling Shocker.
He then glanced over to Liara as Spider-man or woman or Asari really and saw that she was wearing a rather tight Spandex suit that really brought out all of her womanly…assets.
"This is remarkable" Liara said
"Due to Spider-man's arrival in this universe, so many more possibilities have now been made real or probable" Madame Web stated "All you see there have either happened or may happen at one point in time. But as of this moment, you need not fret. This is the prime timeline, so nothing will occur with this one unless it experiences a level of cataclysmic events"
"The Reapers?" Shepard murmured
Web only shook her head "Sadly, this is an occurrence that will always happen"
"Is it stopped at one point?" Liara asked, a bit pleadingly "In one of these realities, did we stop the Reapers?"
Madame web sighed, leaning back into her chair.
"So many realities, so many timelines" Madame Web said "And sadly I cannot divulge what is too come, only warnings of what can come"
"Oh wonderful" Wrex said with half lidded eyes "Let me guess. It's gonna be one of those riddle bullshit things, right?"
"Precisely" Madame Web Said making Shepard and Wrex groan in annoyance while Liara was simply put off by that piece of information
"Ok, just lay it on us" Shepard said monotone and all
Web simply nodded "The way is uncertain as now many branches exist. Many alternatives from the grandest of choices to the simplest of words exchanged amongst comrades and friends alike. You may gain great allies or suffer overwhelming consequences. Your character like your team before you will go through truly trying tribulations and challenges that very few could ever survive. The future is in constant motion between the bright light and utter darkness"
Shepard and Wrex only stared slack jawed whilst Liara was utterly lost
"THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING AT ALL" Shepard and Wrex exclaimed in unison
"Shit, that sounds like a fucking fortune cookie" Shepard said a bit crazily really
"The future is in constant motion?" Wrex grumbled "What did you watch a bunch mystic mumbo jumbo movies or something?"
"I'm sorry" Liara said, cradling her head like it was about to get overwhelmed with all this knowledge "I have no understanding as to what you just said….by the goddess I think I have a headache"
"You're not the only one, Liara" Shepard said
"It is all I have to work with sadly" Madame Web admitted "This a truly trifling image. It is in constant change. One moment I am seeing you all triumph in victory at the journey's end. The next…total annihilation. This is the prime of this little sub branch of the Multiverse. Due to its nature it truly has an unpredictable outcome"
Silence
No one said anything
Until…
"We'll prevail" Shepard said resolutely as if there was no argument to it "We will win. We will beat anything that comes our way. We've already beaten Saren and his little Reaper and Geth army. When those Reapers come, we'll have everything we need to kick their sorry ass back to where they came from"
Liara looked at Shepard in a bit of awe while Wrex merely grinned at the Spectre.
Madame Web stared at the man before a small smile graced her features.
"Well said" Web said warmly, having more confidence in the future for this reality.
Meanwhile, while this was all happening
Peter sat alone at his little work station, fiddling with the little Normandy ID card he had been working on for the past month now.
It was almost near completion.
Peter then sighed, lightly tossing the card onto the table as he leaned down, groaning a bit in….well a mixture of emotions really.
He was having a hard time trying to process what he had just showed his new friends. Peter literally poured out his life story to them…half of it thus far.
Still, it wasn't everyday where he told someone his story. Hell even the Avengers don't know his story….when he really thought about it….this was the first time in his entire life where he spoke to someone about his life. Let alone an entire group of oddballs.
"Peter?" Said the familiar voice of Tali
"Hey T" Spider-man greeted pleasantly "How are ya?"
"I'm fine" Tali responded rather…timidly
Peter noticed Garrus and Ashley with her
"So…" Peter said with a weak smile "Is this my intervention or something?"
Ashley simply walked around the table and hugged Peter close, like a sister would to a brother with Tali joining in to do the same.
"Or something" Garrus answered all melancholy
Peter just gave a weak grin that didn't really do much
"It's alright Peter" Ashley whispered caringly she had silent tears trail down her face "You have nothing to blame yourself for. For anything"
"Guys…"
"Just" Tali interrupted "Don't say anything Peter"
"We're here for you" Garrus stated "We're your friends man, so you don't need to say anything. Just know, we've got your back no matter what"
Peter stared at Garrus before shuddering momentarily
"Thanks" Peter let out a choked sob of gratitude
Fifteen minutes later
The entire team had at last reconvened at the meeting room finding a thoroughly befuddled Wrex, Liara and Shepard the latter of which promised to show them something unbelievable after Spider-man finished explaining his story.
"So" Peter restarted "I, for a while, gave up on being Spider-man. After Gwen's death I just didn't have a drive anymore. That was for several months before I finally returned to being a full-time hero with a crappy boss and to many responsibilities to count"
There was a brief montage of memories in clip-like videos and images until it stopped around the time he was twenty.
"And now we get to the part where I show the boys and girls in class as to how small I am on the scale of the world where I come from"
Another memory came up only this time it showed a picture of colorful individuals of which Spider-man was amongst and they all stood in a proud, heroic and intimidating fashion.
"Say hello to the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" Spider-man said proudly
"Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" Ashley tested the three words. She actually got a bit of a tingle
"That actually sounds kinda cool" Kaidan admitted
"It's honest to god crazy half the time" Spider-man remarked "Besides, this is the most recent iteration of the team"
"Wait, so there's been other teams of Avengers?" Shepard asked
"Kinda" Spider-man said with a 50-50 hand motion "The team constantly goes through a roster change up with some members opting to leave for a time being whilst others stay on. This is actually one of the longer teams. This Avengers team has been together for nearly two and a half year now and I am proud to say that I was a founding member of this team"
"So who do you got?" Wrex inquired, eager to find out about these super powered beings
"Woof" Peter said "Where do I even begin?"
"Peter" Web interjected "I believe I can help with this one"
Madame Webs being glowed momentarily when everyone's head, save for Spider-man's had the same aura.
They all blinked and widened their eyes.
"WHOA" Kaidan, Ashley and well everyone shouted at once
"I know…All of them" Liara said "Their names, powers, abilities, brief histories"
"Oh well that takes care of a lot of my explanation" Peter said with relief "Otherwise we would have been here a lot longer"
"How did you do that?" Kaidan asked in amazement
"Thanks to Madame Web here" Peter said, gesturing his head back to the elderly lady in the throne chair "She used her telepathic abilities to place most of my knowledge of my universe into your minds"
"…"
"Yeah, I know, I still go through the same thing every time she does that" Peter said cheerfully
"And" Web held up her hand and produced…an Omni-Tool?
Suddenly everyone's Omni-tools glowed
"I have managed to create multiple files in regards to the reality Spider-man comes from. If you wish to know more, then all you have to do is choose any file you wish" Web explained to the team
"Hey Madame Web" Peter said cautiously
"Do not worry, Peter" Madame Web said in her motherly tone "I have already set in precautions"
"Excuse me?" Shepard asked
"Those files can obviously cause more trouble than their worth" Web explained "So I placed a special, Spell you could say upon them. Those files can only be accessed by you and you alone unless you fully consent the files distribution to another individual"
The group stared wide eyed at the clairvoyant lady.
"Wow" Ashley said "Just wow"
"Yeah" Garrus nodded "You really thought ahead"
"So Web" Peter turned to her "What's happening in my universe? How much time passed by?"
"Thankfully, not long" Web said "Though you have been here for nearly a year, only a month time had elapsed in your reality"
"Whew" Peter said relief
"However" Web warned "This is something that has happened due to the tablet of order and chaos being shattered into multiple pieces scattered in this reality as well as back in your reality. This must be amended. Sadly I cannot detect any fragments that are near, but the only way I could truly find one is if I could find its energy signal flaring up in use"
"So what you're telling me…" Peter said with dread
"For the moment, you are stuck here"
Peter groaned but knew that this would happen. Blame it on the parker luck.
"Hang on a second" Garrus spoke up "This whole tablet thing sounds something like magic crap. I mean, isn't anything possible with magic?"
"It's not a simple as it seems" Madame Web chided the Turian "What we are dealing with is something that's an unpredictable element at most. While preparations and precautions can be made magic is still as unpredictable as science"
"That's reassuring" Kaidan murmured
"There's seriously nothing you could do to get Peter Home?" Shepard asked
"For the moment, no" Madame Web said with regret "There have been times where Peter has encountered an issue such as this but this is a different scenario. I had just established contact with this reality, a reality that is governed by radically different laws. Each reality has something that connects them to one another to the Multiverse. You Shepard and Spider-man here are the first instances of the multiverse element being introduced in this universe. It is going to take some time for everything to adjust in place for a much more easier access between this Reality and Spider-man's"
"Then he just has to wait until the right moment to go home then, right?" Tali guessed
"More or less" Madame Web stated "Though…"
"Let me take a wild guess" Wrex spoke up "It may take some time"
"More than you know" Madame Web said regretfully
"UGH" Spider-man moaned out "How long did time pass back home? A month or so, right?"
"Indeed"
"Hmm" Peter rubbed his chin with a thoughtful frown "I guess I've got no choice right now"
"There may be a faster way of returning you home Peter" Web said "But it again may take some time"
Peter seemed to perk up a bit from that. Even the team seemed to lean in with interest.
"Scattered across the Galaxy are other pieces of the tablet of order and chaos" Madame Web informed the entire team "If you can perhaps gather more of them you can find a way back home to gather the other shards to fully repair the tablet"
"That doesn't sound daunting at all" Garrus murmured "I mean the first two pieces we found I think we got on pure dumb luck"
"Got that right" Peter said
There was several moments of silence before…
"So what now then?" Peter asked Web
"For now, continue being here Spider-man" Web said the obvious "Continue being the hero you are along with everyone here. Continue being Spider-man"
"Shucks Web, you're making me blush" Peter said bashfully
"I leave him in your hands" Madame Web said inclining her head to the entire Normandy crew
"No problem" Shepard said confidently "We're practically family by this point"
"And that's all I needed to hear" Madame Web said with satisfactory before shortly disappearing
Peter sighed "Oh the winds of despair. Always blowing in my direction"
"Ah come on Pete" Garrus threw an arm around Pete's shoulder "You've got us here to help ya"
"Of course" Tali said, chipper and all "We're like those Avenger guys from your universe"
"Hey, yeah!" Kaidan said with a glint in his eyes "We are the Avengers of this galaxy. We did stop Saren from bringing back the Reapers"
"For now" Spider-man reminded "If you wanna be Avengers, you gotta already know that this is always just the start"
That sobered up the group entirely
"Pete's right" Shepard said "This is only the start"
"But since we're gonna call ourselves Avengers" Peter said with a grin "The Galaxies mightiest heroes. When they'll come, we'll be damn sure to kick their sorry ass back to where they came from"
"Damn right" Wrex said with a roguish grin
"So that's what we are now?" Liara asked, with a bit of an excited smile "Avengers?"
"Far as I'm concerned, you guys became Avengers the moment we came together" Spider-man said proudly "Captain America said this to me once. He told me that every time he saw a team of Avengers come together, he always saw a group of remarkable individuals all form different walks of life. Some had ordinary others extraordinary lives and abilities. Yet they all came together to set aside their egos and goals to become something more. To fight the battles no one else could. We are the Avengers of this Universe. There will be times ahead where we may not always be together, trust me it's a pain when it happens. But when the time comes, will come back together and do what we have to"
There was a spark amongst the group. Something special had happened here. This was a first amongst them as now, they felt more unity than ever before.
"Well all this origin story stuff and awe inspiring speech about us being Avengers has me famished" Ashley said classy and all "Manhattan Shack, Who's with me?"
Everyone unanimously agreed with a quick shout of approval
"Assemble" Spider-man said cheekily and with that, the team departed for a much needed celebration at the Shack
YES there was sappy moments here and that whole friendship and unity is magic type crap but I wanted to do it and it was the only thing that came to mind
Like I said earlier, after the next chapter we are kicking off the three year gap between Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2.
So a lot of fun stuff that I can create on my own
Anywho, I've got my newest crossover, The League Of Avengers out finally and while I just began I already have a shit ton of things planned
Like this little scene here
The meeting room was silent.
It had been this way for the past half hour as the four men in costume stood or sat in their spots in the room.
Captain America was seated at the table corner closest to the exit.
Superman was also seated on the other far end of the table with his hands crossed with a neutral expression.
Batman at a table, slowly reading a large file.
Iron Man stood facing the window, looking at the sky
"What's the rest of the team gonna say about all of this?" Superman asked, finally breaking the silence
"Who knows" Steve said absently
Iron Man sighed, turning to face the table, placing his helmet on it.
"God dammit" Tony muttered "God fucking dammit"
"So" Batman set the files down, his back facing the team "This is what it's come to then? After years of fighting tooth and nail to protect this planet, it's all being spat upon"
"Bruce" Clark whirled round in his seat to look at the vigilante "It's not like that. They're just trying to get the entire situation under control"
"It's been a long time coming" Tony dejectedly admitted "Last week was our wake up call"
"Our wake up call for what exactly?" Bruce challenged, turning to give Tony his patented bat-glare "That this world is under constant threat and we're the only ones that can do anything about it?"
"That's not what I meant Bruce" Tony shot back undeterred by the glare "You know how things are turning out now. After everything we've done you didn't think there were consequences to all of this"
"Consequences come with the job" Steve said, staring at his helmet in his hands on the table "It's something we signed up for the minute we put these suits on. To bare the responsibilities of our actions"
"Ok Spider-man" Iron Man said in a challenging tone "This is deemed as responsibility. Owning up to what we've done"
"What we've done, is made sure things didn't escalate further than they already did" Steve shot back "Variables happen. This isn't the first time nor will it be the last"
"Cap, the damages are already done and they're getting worse" Superman reasoned "We can't let this keep happening"
"What exactly is that, Clark?" Batman interrogated "To prevent evil men from carrying out evil deeds just for the sake of it? No, that's never going to go away"
"But we can do our damn hardest with this to put it to a stop" Tony argued
"We tried that" Steve said, facing Tony "We've been trying that for years. But things like Loki and Ultron, and Zemo and Strucker aren't going to get put down so easily"
"Especially the former two" Batman added
"We need to be put in check" Superman stated "We can't keep this up and not expect backlash"
"Try telling that to Spider-man" Batman said
"Enough" Tony said exasperatedly "You guys, this is going to happen even if we don't want it to"
"And what exactly are they going to do to those who refuse?" Steve asked rhetorically "Are you gonna condemn men and women who devote their lives to saving others? Tony, if I see a situation going south I can't ignore it. I wish I could"
Tony groaned a bit at that
"Sometimes, I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth"
"So this is it then huh?" Batman said now removing his cowl, showing his tired expression "The divide"
"It doesn't have to be this way" Superman said, almost pleadingly
"What other way is there?" Steve asked "Please Clark, if you have an answer, tell us then so this doesn't happen"
Superman looked at the good captain mouth opening and closing but now words or answers coming out.
Superman dejectedly sat back into his chair, his head hung in defeat.
"It begins then" Batman said, placing his cowl back on, exiting the room, before being shortly followed after by Captain America leaving the man of tomorrow with the armored Avenger.
"God" Tony was trembling "Please god, Please let this be the right direction"
So many fucking trailers these past few weeks and just before Batman V Superman
THAT CIVIL WAR TRAILER UGH JUST COME OUT ALREADY
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