Earth 7-2014-7
Infinity soared across the sky of Musutafu with rage in his heart. He wanted so badly for Mayume to side with him, but he knew the odds were against him. Despite his anger, he desperately did not want to be alone.
If there had been better odds – better futures – Himiko and Jin could have joined him, but it never would have lasted. Mayume had a small enough chance of reclaiming her Lumina identity, but it was risky from the start.
Who was he kidding? When they learned of what he really wanted to do, they never would have sided with him. There were no good futures where they'd join him; he just hoped he could defy the odds.
He did not have to do this. He had the power of the mind stone; he could manipulate anyone he wanted. If he did, however, it would not have been real. He wanted it to be real. He wanted them to be given a choice; to give him a reason to be spared and consequences for his actions.
Only one thing was needed to go forward with them.
Infinity knew exactly where to look for his old friend, zeroing in on him instantly. Martin Li – Mr. Negative – sat alone in his apartment. He had kept low since the incident with Glitch and the Pro he killed. He was not one for stressing himself out for no reason, so he tried not to worry too much about Glitch. Still, that did not mean he was not in his thoughts.
Infinity suddenly phased through the wall of the apartment, throwing Martin off. He stood up and changed to his negative form quickly, pointing his katana toward him.
Infinity peeled back his mask with a stern face. Martin slowly lowered his katana after seeing his friend.
"Where the hell have you been?" Martin asked, "And what's with the new getup?"
"I'm here for an offer, and a request," Infinity said, keeping himself aloft in the apartment.
"An offer?" Martin laughed, "If this is about rejoining the League, no thanks. I'm not interested."
"No, I already left them," Infinity told him, "I'm just offering that you side with me."
"For what?"
Mayume Aihara struggled to hover across the city, stumbling into a landing on a rooftop across from Martins apartment. She could see Infinity inside, talking with Mr. Negative. What was her 'nephew' after?
"I want friends at my side," Infinity confessed, "You're my second to last request."
"No thanks."
Infinity had to do a double take. Ironically, he had not seen such a quick response in any of the futures he foresaw, "You haven't even heard what I have in mind."
"I can see it in your eyes," Martin explained, "You're angry, and powerful, and that's a dangerous combination. You have something big planned, and I don't need that in my life right now. I've got my own plans ahead of me, and I gotta focus on those. I need to be my own man for a while."
"So, you won't help me."
"No. Sorry."
"…Okay, then onto my other request," Infinity held out his hand, "I need your Negative Sword."
Martin paused, let the words sink in, then shrugged, "fine."
Martin handed over the sword, fully charged with Negative energy, "No questions?" Infinity asked.
"I may be trying to go solo, but I'll still give my friends support. I've got plenty more weapons I can imbue with power. One sword is easy to give away."
"People will die with this," Infinity told him, "A lot of people."
"That's your business."
Infinity let his feet touch the ground as he held the sword in his hand. The Negative energy synced with his own, branching the six stones colors around the blade, "Thank you," He said with a smile, "Negative energy is toxic to the walls of the multiverse. It's exactly what I need."
"Just leave me out of it, and I'll wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you …friend."
Infinity put back on his mask and phased out of the apartment, flying away with a sonic boom that shattered all the windows on the street.
"Damn!" Aihara shouted as she flew after him.
Infinity flew high into the air, aiming for the clouds. Aihara tried going after him, but became weaker as she went higher. The oxygen thinned, while Infinity seemed unbothered the whole time. A portal of purple smoke opened in front of Infinity.
It began to close immediately after he passed through. She pushed her powers as far as she could, reaching out with her hand.
The portal tightened around her wrist, failing to close but refusing to open. Extreme pain was caused to her entire body. The energy from the portal was trying to return to the plane between worlds, but being unable to, needed to funnel somewhere else.
The energy, against her wishes, funneled into her body.
Her eyes lit up with purple energy. She tried to pull her arm out of the portal, but it fought back against her. The pain became so terrible that she started wishing she could just cut her hand off. It was like needles inside her body, trying to break free from under her skin.
Finally, the buildup in energy pushed her hand out, letting the portal close.
Her body plummeted toward the earth, smoke trails following her decent. She could barely keep herself conscious. Was she a thousand feet in the air? A hundred? Would she hit the ground at any second? Would it take a lifetime? She did not know, and had not the energy to.
Something broke her fall. Her body fell into a large, white web that stretched to absorb her momentum. She stuck to it easily, so there was no bounce to throw her off course.
"Aihara!" Mirko shouted as she jumped into the web with her, looking over her unconscious body.
"Is she okay?" Anti-Venom asked from above.
"I don't know!" She said, "Aihara? Can you hear me? Aihara!"
Aihara was barely breathing. Would she be okay?
Crack
A large boom came from the sky, followed by a powerful light that was quickly silenced. Storm clouds formed above the city, gentle at first, but getting stronger. There was nothing in the weather report about a thunder storm. Where did it come from?
…
Earth 7509
Doctor Strange had started getting used to the black and white universe he had been trapped within. He had spent the last few hours meditating in an empty room provided by Mr. Fixit. Slowly, his magic had been returning to him. With Scarlet Witch gone, this worlds magic was free once again.
"How long you gonna float there like a stubborn fall leaf?" Noir asked as he leaned on the door frame, spinning his gun around his finger.
"I thought I asked for solitude," Strange asked.
"I thought I asked for a normal night in New York," Noir retorted, "We don't always git what we want."
"Noted."
"So, how long till you go home?"
"Soon. Channeling the energy of the multiverse is not as easy as one may think. Only a handful of wizards on each world can do so without fault."
"I'm gonna pretend that made sense ta' me so ya' don't bore me again."
Strange may have been used to that world, but he was still not accustomed to this alternate version of his friend. His Peter certainly would never approve of the use of guns, but this world operated off different rules.
"How goes the cleanup?" Strange asked.
"Fixit smoothed things over with the police," Noir told him, "The reporters outside ain't the wiser about what really happened, no sign of the red witch, and my surrogate sister is already planning her wedding."
'The Red Witch' he called her. It was difficult not to feel sympathetic for Wanda. Unlike back home, this Wanda was a slave to the God of Chaos, consumed by his will and desire for destruction. Perhaps he could have saved her if he was stronger, but there was no way of knowing. For the moment, she was gone; banished to the Chaos Realm where her master resided.
Perhaps if he was stronger, he could have saved his sister all those years ago.
Crack
A large boom came from the sky, followed by a powerful light that was quickly silenced. Storm clouds formed above the city, gentle at first, but getting stronger. There was nothing in the weather report about a thunder storm. Where did it come from?
…
Earth 1165
Miles perched atop the roof of the League's hideout, watching over the red and green-lit city. There was no commotion like he had expected after the Führer's death. Perhaps Hydra simply wanted to keep things quiet. If anyone knew their leader was dead, there would be riots. People would revolt. Rebellions would be born.
Perhaps too much chaos for the time being.
"Are you brooding?" Tokoyami asked as he approached Miles on the roof.
"No!" Miles defended, "I'm …surveying."
"It's okay. Brooding is a classic superhero activity."
"No! Superheroes sit on tall buildings and think about their past and their mistakes and the darkness of the world when they brood …like …I am totally doing now - oh, my god."
"Congrats," Tokoyami smiled, "Guess you're an official super hero. Thought of a name, yet?"
"I'm just gonna stick with Spider-Man."
"Does Parker not own rights to that name?"
"Technically, but …It just feels right; I can't explain it. Like, it feels less like a name and more like …a title. I want to be worthy of that title. To be Spider-Man means being there for your community when everyone else just fights the big bad. While Pro's take on people like All For One, I wanna help a struggling homeless man find a home."
"That is …admirable," Tokoyami admitted, "I respect that. Most heroes stick to punching the bad guys."
"What about you?" Miles asked, "What kind of hero are you gonna be?"
Tokoyami looked over the edge and pondered this, "I suppose …someone who can teach people not to be afraid of the darkness. For you see, it is not darkness we fear, but that which lurks within it. I want to revel in the darkness as a protector, so that when people walk at night and look down that dark alleyway, they won't imagine a villain is watching them, but rather me, protecting them from afar."
"Wow," Miles said, "You've given this a lot of thought."
"I'm not the most …pleasing hero to look at," Tokoyami admitted, "My appearance is by no means horrifying to the common passerby, but most see the classic hero as …"
"Tall? White? Cheek bones?" Miles joked.
"I was going to say …normal."
"There are plenty of heroes who don't look normal."
"And how many of those heroes are in the top ten?"
"Ah …I see your point."
There was something the two of them had shared, it seemed. Both were self-conscious of how others saw them. Both felt they had to work twice as hard as others. Though for different reasons, they had shared the same frustrations.
"Guess that's kinda the problem on this world, huh?" Miles asked, "Everyone is hated for who they are. If you don't fit the mold, you're tossed away."
"That's why people like us have to fight for them."
"Yeah …I feel ya'."
Crack
A large boom came from the sky, followed by a powerful light that was quickly silenced. Storm clouds formed above the city, gentle at first, but getting stronger. There was nothing in the weather report about a thunder storm. Where did it come from?
…
Earth 7590
As the night grew older, the hidden sewer base of mutants and heroes became quiet. Most of the refugees inside had gone to sleep, or sat quietly while the television played on low volume. With the chaos of the world above – overrun by riots and protests and sentinels galore – the underworld of the city remained calm and peaceful; the only version of safety they may ever know.
Mina sat on the couch browsing the photos in her phone, while Momo laid down in a hammock made of webbing. Kaine had insisted she lay down and continue to rest her leg, even though the pain had well since subsided. Despite his violent nature, he was rather protective of her. She liked that, perhaps more than she would admit.
"Why didn't he kill us?" Momo wondered aloud.
"Who starts a conversation like that?" Mina asked as she closed her phone.
"I'm talking about Infinity," Momo clarified, keeping her eyes on the ceiling, "Was it mercy? Sympathy? If we were such a threat to him, why did he spare our lives? Why send us to alternate worlds?" She sat up to look at her friend, "If he really is the Infinity Stones, he could have frozen us in time, or sent us to the future, or shrunk us and put us in bottles."
"Like Tinkerbell?" Mina asked, a little to excitedly.
"Are you calling yourself a fairy?"
"I used to dress as one every Halloween growing up. Claimed my horns were magic like a unicorn."
"Double unicorn?"
"Like a double rainbow!" Mina squished her cheeks, "What does it meeeaaaan?!"
Momo chuckled, "Fair enough. I guess I'm just wondering if he sent us here for a reason. Did he mean for us to get separated? Was that an accident? When he changed, he seemed so …cold and calculated."
"You don't think it was an accident?"
"No, I don't. Whatever he has planned …I'm fearful of it."
"We'll stop him," Mina promised, "We'll get home and kick his ass."
"But-"
"Strudels."
"Have you ever even had a strudel?"
"Stru-of-the-dels."
Momo knew there was no arguing with her air tight logic, and resigned to laying in her hammock, looking up at the ceiling.
Before Infinity attained that symbiote, he seemed so afraid. He was like a child desperate for approval, wanting to make up for their mistakes. Meanwhile, Peter had looked at him with so much hatred. To be hated for what you were, even if it was not your fault; that was not different from what the people of this reality experienced.
To be hated and alone; she could never imagine it.
Crack
A large boom came from the world above the sewers. Mina switched to the weather channel to see what was going on. Storm clouds formed above the city, gentle at first, but getting stronger. There was nothing in the weather report about a thunder storm. Where did it come from?
…
Earth 113
A few hours of waiting had begun to get on the young Parker's nerves. He needed to clear his head after everything he had been through.
Spider-Man swung through the unfamiliar variant of his city. Some streets were familiar, while others were so different that he would easily get lost. It was certainly pretty, though, and far more peaceful than his own world. He had not heard many, if any sirens since he started swinging.
Likely, that was because of the drones.
Spider-Drones flew around the streets with spotlights on constant search. Peter saw a group of them corner a family and question them aggressively. When one tried to run, they were tased and the police were called in soon after. He wished he could intervene, but it all happened so quickly, and he did not know the full story. This world was just too different from his own.
At least some things had not changed.
Peter had not done it on purpose when he swung to his aunt May's house, or at least where it would have been on his world. The house looked identical, minus a few curtains in the windows and greenery around the property. He had not seen the lights on in the house since her passing. Was she still alive here?
Did he dare find out?
Like habit, he swung over to what would have been his bedroom window. He jimmied the lock and it easily came undone, just like back home.
He was not going to expect to see his own bedroom when he entered. Still, what he did find was quite the surprise.
Some items in the room looked familiar; old photos of him and his family, trophies he had won, a bag of old costumes in his closet. If it was not his room now, it certainly was once upon a time. Now it belonged to someone else. To her.
In the corner of the room was a small, red and blue crib with soft toys spinning as they hung above. Spider-Man entered the room carefully, easing over to the appropriately themed crib.
A baby slept within, gently snoring under the covers with dozens of small pictures that looked like his mask. The infant was dressed in blue footie pajamas with red highlights around the limbs.
His spider-sense tingled, but not for danger. It echoed off the same tingle coming from the infant before him. There was a connection between them he could not understand.
Peter should have left before anyone noticed, but something in the back of his mind compelled him to reach in and pick the baby up. It was calm and content in his arms, as if even asleep it somehow knew he would keep her safe. So much love echoed off their spider-senses, connected through spirit and through blood.
This was his daughter.
A gun clicked behind him, "Stop right there!" the feminine voice shouted, "Put her down!"
Pulled back into reality, Spider-Man slowly turned around as not to startle her or the baby.
Standing at the door frame was a woman with long, bright red hair. Peter could have sworn he had seen her somewhere before, just unable to place it. She pointed the gun right at him, yet his spider-sense did not tingle. There was no way she would pull the trigger while he still held the baby.
"I don't know who you think you are dressing like that," The woman scolded, "But the real Spider-Man will be here soon! Put her down and get out!"
An empty threat; he could tell. She just wanted him gone and her baby safe. As he tried putting the baby down, she suddenly woke up and cried in distress, only stopping when he held her close again. Something in his mind was telling him to stay; was it the baby?
With one option left, Spider-Man slowly removed his mask with one hand up in surrender.
The woman looked at him with wide eyes, slowly putting down her gun, "Peter?" she asked, "I don't …you look so young …"
"I'm sorry," Peter spoke quickly, "I was just kind of exploring, and I found my aunts house, then the baby was- she has a- is she my-er, his-" he took a deep breath, "Hi."
"…Hi."
"I'm uh …from another dimension."
She took a moment to absorb the information, before finally letting her guard down, "So that's what today's storm was about."
"Oh good, you're familiar with crazy Sci-Fi shenanigans."
"You have no idea," the woman placed the gun on the dresser, "I'm sorry; even with the spider-drones patrolling, I never know when a super-villain might come our way. So …you're really Peter Parker?"
"Not the one you know, but yeah."
"Does he know you're here."
"He does. We're working on a way home, so I decided to explore."
"I nearly shot you."
"You wouldn't have."
She scoffed, "You sure have the Parker confidence."
"Parker confidence? That's a thing?"
"Let's start over," She shook her head, "My name is Mary Jane Watson."
Peter nearly jumped back as he had an epiphany, "MJ Watson! Aha! I knew I recognized you! We went to school together in my dimension! You look so much older-I mean … different."
"Nice save."
"Thank you."
He knew an MJ of his own; he even had a crush on her once upon a time. Of course, that was the past. He never imagined a world where she played this much of a role in his life.
"Is this his daughter?" Peter asked with a gleeful grin on his face, playing with the baby's hand as she laughed.
"Yes," MJ smiled, "Her name is May. We like to call her Mayday."
Peter looked up with surprise, followed by joy, "May?" he looked back at the baby, "Are you named after a great woman? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"
Little May laughed again, reaching for his face.
"She seems to like you," MJ declared, "She might think you're actually her father."
"He must be proud," Peter assumed, "I'm kinda jealous; a superhero with a wife and kid; a loving family. That's the dream."
MJ's mood quickly changed as she sulked in place, "Not as glamorous as you'd assume."
"How so?"
MJ rubbed your arm, "I guess I'm not surprised he didn't talk about us. Peter- my Peter – we're divorced."
Peter's sunshine mood quickly diminished at the dreaded word, turning his head slowly to her, "You two divorced? Why?"
"It was his idea," MJ leaned on the door frame, "A few months ago, he had a bad run in with one of his enemies; he died fighting Spider-Man. I think that day was really hard on him; he hasn't been the same since. A short while after, he gave me the divorce papers and said he needed to focus on his business and his career."
That did not add up in Peter's mind. If an enemy died while fighting him, he would want the people he loved closer as he grieved the loss. Why would his older variant just divorce his wife and child?
The baby could not have been older than a year; to simply cut himself from her life was not something he would do. Then again, this was a different version of him. Who knew just how different their lives really were?
"Are you with anyone?" MJ asked.
"Yeah," Peter shook his head, "Her name is Itsuka Kendo. She came here with me; actually."
"Red head?"
"How'd you guess?"
"It's always been your type. Does she approve of what you do?"
"As Spider-Man? Not at first, but she came around. She even started helping me."
"She's a hero, too?"
"Gonna be one of the best, one day."
MJ had also been hesitant of her ex-husbands life when he first told her. Like Kendo, she had eventually come around and supported him, loving the man he had become. She missed who he was, then.
"That's …good," MJ concluded, "To trust someone like that—enough to fight alongside them—I can only imagine how close you two are."
"She's one of the best things to ever happen to me. She challenges me in all the right ways, and never fails to support me."
"Does she call you out on your bullshit?"
"And sometimes backs up that very bullshit."
"I like her already."
Peter smiled, "I should get back," he said as he gently put Mayday back in her crib, despite her protesting, "It was really nice meeting you."
"I hope you get home."
"Thank you, MJ. Take care of her."
Peter put on his mask and stepped onto the window, looking back at MJ one last time before leaping out and swinging away.
Seeing the younger version of her ex-husband was somewhat therapeutic. He reminded her so much of the man she used to love, before everything changed so suddenly. At least there was a version of him out there that had not lost himself. That brought her peace.
Plus, Mayday liked him, so that had to count for something.
Crack
A large boom came from the sky, followed by a powerful light that was quickly silenced. Storm clouds formed above the city, gentle at first, but getting stronger. There was nothing in the weather report about a thunder storm. Where did it come from?
…
Peter swung back to Parker Industries as quickly as he could, pushing through the strong winds and rain that quickly began falling from the sky. He landed on the platform connected to the main office. His older variant was already at work on his computer, analyzing the storm.
"Another breach?" Peter asked as he took off his mask and shook out the rain water.
"Looks like it, and this time it's not because of you, nor is it just happening here," Mr. Parker explained, "It's happening all over."
"All over the world?"
"All over the multiverse," Mr. Parker looked up, "Its focused at a single point, but its echoing all across the dimensions."
"Where is it coming from?"
"I haven't located it, yet. Don't worry about it; focus on going home. S.H.I.E.L.D. is just about ready to send you."
"I can't leave yet if something is wrong."
"Yes, you can, and you will."
Silence followed. The older man was agitated, though that was nothing new. It was no wonder he and his wife got divorced. Still, it just seemed so odd.
"So, I stopped by Aunt Mays house," Peter mentioned, "Your wife lives there …with your kid."
"My Ex-wife, yes," Mr. Parker corrected, "We split up."
"Why?"
"That's my personal business."
"She said you fought a villain a few months ago, and they died—that ever since, you haven't been the same."
"So?"
"So, what happened? You had a loving wife and a kid and you just left them? Do you ever visit?"
Mr. Parker could not give an answer, simply shrugging with a scoff, "My personal life is none of your business! You're just a boy! I'm the greatest mind to ever live!"
"The so-called 'greatest mind' thought it was okay to patrol spider drones around the city like an occupying army, abusing and accusing innocent people?"
"I've built the perfect life! I'm the perfect version of myself! Better than the hell those idiots out there would rather give me!"
"What does that even mean?!"
"Just-!" Mr. Parker took a deep breath, "Just leave me to my work."
There was no making him budge, so Peter gave up and left him alone to his work.
As Peter left the office and closed the door behind him, he leaned on it with deep thought. He could understand if accidentally killing his enemy would make him cold, but to completely cut off everyone he loved? If anything, he would have needed his family more than ever. Now, he was trying so hard to get rid of Peter and his friends. Peter thought that it was because he was afraid of an incursion, but it felt so much more personal.
What was he missing?
"You okay, hon?" Itsuka asked as she and Izuku approached.
"Where have you two been?" Peter asked.
"Exploring the tower, mostly," Kendo said, "You have your thinking face on. What's up?"
"Older me divorced his wife and left his family," He said, "A few months ago a villain died in battle with him, and after that, he was just never the same."
"Sometimes grief can do that."
"Yeah, but he has the perfect life, yet he talks about the people like they've hurt him. He acts like he's against the whole world while they cheer his name. There's something I'm missing."
"Well, it won't matter in an hour, right?" Izuku asked, "We're going home to stop Infinity."
"I don't know if I can leave without figuring this out; my gut is telling me something is wrong."
Itsuka and Izuku looked at each other briefly before nodding to Peter, "What do you need from us?" Itsuka asked.
"Cover for me," Peter told them, "Keep S.H.I.E.L.D away from the building; stall them while I snoop around."
"Don't get caught," She pleaded.
"Caught? I'm not even here," he said sarcastically, putting on his mask and turning on his invisible cloak as he swung away.
…
The Spider-Drones that patrolled the halls of Parker tower did not notice the invisible boy crawling on the ceiling above them. They would never expect someone to sneak in my crawling on the ceiling for a building Spider-Man owns.
It took longer than he wanted to find the server room. Smaller spider drones monitored the inner workings of the Parker Industries network. All Peter had to do was stay out of their scanning range as he rappelled down on a web.
He pulled out a small, spider-branded flash drive from his belt. A wire hung from the back of it. He stuck the main end into the server slot, and the connected wire into a port on his wrist. The H.U.D. in his lenses updated with all the information on the network; schematics, schedules, payment information.
In moments like that, Peter remembered how easy it would be for him to be a thief.
There was no indication for what he was looking for, so he started with what he knew. His older variant fought a villain a few months back, and that person died. He must have a record of all his enemies.
Naturally, he found that list alongside the archives for his underground prison. Many of the names he recognized—Mysterio, Kraven, Venom— all imprisoned under the tower. Others he had never heard of before – Alistair Smythe, the Jackel, Chasm – names he wondered if he would ever meet for himself.
One name caught his eye immediately; Otto Octavius.
This worlds Otto was not listed as a villain. In fact, when he used the buildings internet to search up his name, he found that Otto in this reality died in an accident at his company years ago, experimenting with robotic arms. His project killed him in this reality, several years after Mr. Parker started college.
If Otto was dead, why was his name on the villains list?
The information was scarce, but with the Parker Industries network, Peter was able to find what little remained on the web. 'Octavius Returns – as a villain?!' the news article read. Otto had come back to life with robotic arms and fought Mr. Parker on multiple occasions. Their last fight was several months earlier, where he died trying to kill Spider-Man.
The dates line up perfectly to when his Otto disappeared.
Did his Otto end up on that world after he vanished in the damaged portal? If so, why would he fight another Spider-Man? Why would Infinity send them there? There was still something missing.
Glossing over the other files, he noticed something else strange. Parker Industries went through a few makeovers after Otto's death. A few are minor, but there was one notable difference.
Quite a lot of the power in the building was funneling into one room. The strange thing was how there was no clear way for anyone to access the room through traditional means; the room hovered in nothing on the schematics, as though it existed in the walls itself.
What was Mr. Parker hiding?
…
Kendo and Midoriya made their way to the lobby, where S.H.I.E.L.D was supposed to pick them up and bring them to the Helicarrier. Riri told them they keep their inter-dimensional gateway atop a flying military base. Neither of them had ever seen anything like that, before. As excited as they may have been, it would just have to wait.
Rather than a band of agents like they expected, Riri Williams met them in the lobby for pickup. She was not wearing her armor this time, opting out for a basic hoodie and her school shirt. A few grease stains were scattered on the arm of her hoodie. Not the image of a high-tech superhero that they expected.
"Gateway is all set up," Riri explained as she approached them, "Where's mini-bug?"
Kendo snorted, "Stealing that."
"You're welcome."
"He's just talking with Mr. Parker," Izuku explained with a light sweat, "A closure thing, he said."
"Yeah?" Riri raised an eyebrow.
"Y-yeah!" Izuku reinforced, "I'm sure he'll be down soon!"
Riri eyed him for a moment. She could tell that he was lying, and something deeper was going on. Any other hero would have chewed them out, but not her. "What's Peter actually doing?"
"Nothing, just-"
"Cuz if it were me," Riri interrupted, "And I saw an older version of myself so different from me, I'd wanna know why."
There was an awkward pause, so Riri shook her head and spoke again.
"Parker has been acting weird for months," Riri explained, "When I first started as Ironheart, Spider-Man supported me. He respected how I wanted to make my own legacy beyond my predecessor. He understood my upbringing, what I struggled with. We became friends."
"But then that changed," Kendo deduced.
"He cut me off completely. Whoever that is under the mask, it's not the Peter Parker I knew. Your friend—your Peter—He's a lot more accurate to the guy I respected. I've been trying to figure out just what changed."
"Did anything happen a few months ago? You said that's when he changed," Izuku asked.
"He had a fight with a super villain, Otto Octavius," Riri said, "Thing is, our worlds Otto died years ago, so we knew this one was a breacher. They had a few fights, but Otto eventually died. After that, Peter was never the same."
Was it guilt, perhaps? Neither Kendo nor Midoriya knew Otto that well. Both only had minimal interactions with him; Kendo met him at the auction for the mind stone, while Izuku was nearly killed by him while Peter was fighting All Might. Both interactions told them that he was a brilliant and unhinged man.
"Wait a minute," Midoriya realized, "Peter said his Otto disappeared a few months ago through a makeshift portal. The machine was broken so he had no idea where he would end up."
"A few months ago?" Riri realized, "That lines up. Maybe your Otto ended up on this world."
"But that means he's dead?" Kendo asked, "And why were we sent here by Infinity? He said we would face a problem we couldn't resist. He couldn't have meant Otto, not if he's already dead."
"…Unless he isn't," Riri wondered, "Maybe Otto is still alive, just in hiding."
"Is that possible?" Midoriya asked.
"Weirder things have happened. Remind me to tell you about the time Captain America turned out to be a skrull."
"A what?"
"Where's your Peter now?" Riri asked again.
The two were silent. Riri sighed.
"I'm on your side," She promised, "I wanna know what's going on too. Besides, us young heroes gotta stick together."
They did not know what it was about the iron hero, but they somehow felt they could trust her. She did not share the same authoritarian vibe that most other adult heroes they had met. This was a young, hopeful, strong-willed teenager; at heart, she was just like them.
"Peter is snooping around," Midoriya explained, "Please don't tell him I told you, even if he might understand."
"Ima tell him," Riri teased.
"Nooooooo."
"What do you need me to do?" She asked.
"How long can you stall S.H.I.E.L.D?" Kendo asked.
Riri cracked her knuckles, "Long enough."
…
The power level on Peter's invisibility was running out, so he retreated into the vents as it recharged. Again, ironically, there were no cameras in the vents. Spider-Man himself would never assume anyone would use his own infiltration methods against him.
Having downloaded a copy of the building schematics to his mask, he followed the path to get as close to the hidden room as possible. The vents were rather large; it would not be hard for his older self to use them as a hidden passage. With the amount of dips and turns in the vent, only Spider-Man could ever use it properly.
Peter kicked an opening in the vent and leapt out into the hidden room, ready for anything it would throw at him. There were no security measures for the room, likely because Mr. Parker never expected anyone to find it.
It was almost the size of an apartment, like a home away from home, even having a small bed in the corner. The rest of the room was filled with technology and scraps. Monitors covered the walls, constantly processing algorithms and data. The only fully built machine was something that looked like a makeshift helmet with wires spilling out the back.
On the front desk was a small laptop; password locked. The hint was 'My greatest enemy'.
That could have been anyone. Thing was, if his older variant was anything like him, there could only be one answer.
Peter typed in the name 'Spider-Man'.
The computer unlocked, allowing Peter access to the files. The most recently opened application was 'Camera'.
A set of videos popped up, and Peter clicked on the first entry.
What he saw and heard nearly broke his spirit.
…
The thunder outside grew more violent as rain pummeled the windows like rocks. Mr. Parker had continued working from his desk, organizing his drones remotely to contain whatever anomalies may have occurred. Whatever was happening, these storms were only the vibrations of whatever was really going on.
He heard the doors open again, and out of the corner of his eye, saw his younger self enter in silence.
"I should have figured you'd be too stubborn to leave," Mr. Parker commented, "Fine; if you wanna help, why don't you come around the desk? I can tell you how to control the drones from here. You can monitor the storm while I collect some energy samples we can-"
Peter dropped someone onto the desk, knocking everything over and nearly pushing the computer off the desk. Mr. Parker looked up as his eyes widened. So many emotions ran through his chest; shock, surprise, worry, anger; survival instincts kicked in as he kept himself on guard.
Sitting on the desk was a large, metal helmet with wires hanging out the back.
"Oops," Peter said in a monotone.
"…What is that?" Mr. Parker hesitantly asked.
"You know what it is. You built it."
"I don't-"
Peter slammed his hands into the desk, nearly breaking it in half.
Silence followed. The man was cornered. Only the truth would escape this moment.
"From the moment I met you," Peter started, "Something about you rubbed me the wrong way. I saw your photos on the wall, your achievements; all the people you've saved and all the glory you hogged. You've had the perfect life from the start. You stopped that robber before he could kill Uncle Ben, you started your own company, joined the Avengers, married a beautiful woman and had a wonderful kid. And yet, despite all this, you're so full of hate."
"People change," Mr. Parker argued.
"They sure do," Peter started pacing around the room, "I know what happened a few months ago. You had a fight with Otto Octavius, only your Otto is dead, so it had to be one from another world; mine."
"He was from your world?"
"I'm just gonna ignore you acting dumb and keep up the monologue," Peter spat, "My Otto disappeared through an unstable portal around the same time you started fighting against him. I think this is where he ended up. If I had to guess—since I know him so well – he saw how successful you were and hated you for it, probably started lashing out relentlessly to kill you."
Mr. Parker stayed silent, knowing it would not help if he interjected to try and save himself.
"Eventually, Otto realized he couldn't beat you," Peter determined, "He was jealous. He wanted what you had; his own company, the love of the city, power that no one could take away. Then, he realized something. He was one of the greatest minds on any world; if he couldn't beat you," Peter stopped, turned to face his old friend, and took off his mask with a stern glare, "He could be you."
'Mr. Parker's' face of concern slowly morphed into a maniacal grin, followed by a soft chuckle and evolving to insane laughter. He knew that he had been caught; there was no point in the act anymore.
Pushing a button on his desk, a compartment opened and something inside latched to the CEO's finger. Nanites traveled across his body and formed a new suit over him. It was different than the suit he wore earlier—much more accurate to his true identity.
The nanites started by creating a full black suit over the man's body, followed by coating red over his head and shoulders. A large black spider symbol settled on his chest, transitioning into the rest of the suit. His lenses were pitch black as well, reflecting the young Peter's face perfectly. A large red spider was worn like a backpack, with four circular slots in the center of it. Even his gloves were different, outfitted with claws.
"I was right after all," The man said, "I am the greatest mind of any universe. I have helped the world better than you ever could. I am Otto Octavius, and compared to you, I am the Superior Spider-Man!"
