More characters based off LunaMidnight1998 original character illustrations will appear in this chapter, read on to see for yourself!
Chapter 4: Blasts from the Past
"Every day there's a new development. There's no limit to the things that are happening."
x-x-x-x-x
"VENOM?!" Spidey shouted.
"Eddie?!" Ghosty cried.
They wouldn't believe it if they weren't seeing it with their own eyes, but standing in front of them was another familiar face, their old enemy and former friend, Venom! Only he looked different now, the colors of his symbiote costume had reversed themselves, with the spider logo now black and the rest of his body white. His face had changed too, the whole head was outlined in black and his eyes were a mustard yellow, and he no longer had his tongue hanging out like he always did before. Regardless of the alterations, the duo still remembered their last encounter with him in their time…
Future Venom answered them with a surprised yet calm voice, "Peter? Gwen? Is that really you?"
Getting over their shock, the spiders immediately got into battle stances, surprising the reverse themed symbiote. Ghost Spider declared, "STAY BACK! One more step and we'll drop you!"
"I don't know what you're doing here, or how you changed your look, but if you attack any of us, I SWEAR you'll regret it!" Spiderman followed.
"Wh…What are you talking about?" Future Venom asked, utterly confused.
Spidergirl intervened by jumping in between them, "GUYS STOP! Don't attack him! I called him here!"
Spidey and Ghosty were shocked for a second time shouting, "YOU WHAT?!"
Spidey stuttered to ask, "b…b…but he's Venom! One of our most dangerous enemies! Surely your parents have told you about him?!"
"Enemy?" Future Venom asked, "I'm no enemy, heck I haven't been since…oh my, it's that day, isn't it?"
Future Venom then turned to Spidergirl and asked, "They're not really your parents, are they Rose?"
Spidey and Ghosty were shocked once again, he knew Spidergirl's identity as well?! Spidergirl answered the inverted symbiote, "No they're not, at least not yet, but thanks for coming Uncle Eddie."
She walked up and gave the black and white behemoth a warm hug, shocking Spiderman and Ghost Spider once again! Their future daughter was actually giving one of their most dangerous enemies A HUG?! To add to the surprise, Future Venom happily gave it back.
"Aww, anytime sweetie, you know I'm always here for my favorite god-daughter," he said warmly as they broke the hug.
"Heehee, yeah right, I'm your only god-daughter," Spidergirl jested.
"All the more reason you're the favorite," Future Venom shrugged, his joke earning him an arm bump from Spidergirl who took it in stride. Spiderman and Ghost Spider on the other hand couldn't believe what they were seeing, their future daughter was actually being FRIENDLY with Venom?!
Spidey finally found his words, "Ok…WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Spidergirl turned back to him with a Spider-LOOK before answering irritatingly, "Didn't I tell you to not jump the gun? Venom isn't an enemy anymore, he's an ally. Heck, he's practically family!"
"FAMILY?!" Spidey and Ghosty gasped in shock once more.
Future Venom asked the future heroine, "I guess they're the reason you called for me right?" Spidergirl answered with a nod.
Future Venom then walked up to the time displaced spiders and asked them directly, "I'm guessing you two are from a time from when we didn't get along, am I right?"
Ghosty stuttered to answer, "uhhh, yes."
Future Venom sighed before saying, "talk about the past coming back to haunt me. Well I can promise you those days are long over, I've long paid my debts for my mistakes and I'm now leading a whole new life."
"Really?" Spidey asked skeptically, "since when?"
"To paraphrase what an old friend once told me, a lot can change in 25 years, and I mean A LOT," Future Venom said before he retracted his face mask, shocking the Spider Duo for a 5th time in a row, "...including me."
The future Eddie Brock had an uncanny resemblance to his younger self, but his face had matured, and he was sporting a full blond beard and mustache. Also, the madness they remembered seeing in his eyes was gone, replaced with nothing but a friendly gaze they remembered seeing from the days before Venom.
"Eddie? Is that really you?" Ghosty asked softly.
"Hey Gwen, great to see you again, time displacement aside of course," Future Eddie answered warmly.
Dropping her own mask, Gwen looked into his eyes so she could confirm it for herself. Soon enough, Gwen repeated Rose's gesture and gave him a big hug as well. Tears of joy fell from her face knowing and seeing one of her oldest friends was back, and redeemed. She whispered, "Welcome back old friend."
Future Eddie returned the hug and said, "Haha, well technically I've been back for years, but I guess that's not true in your time."
Gwen broke the hug and said with a tease, "nope, in fact the last time we saw you, you nearly squashed us."
"And I apologize in advance for that," Future Eddie said which Gwen nodded to.
Having now removed his mask, Peter walked up to look his oldest friend in the eye himself and merely asked, "bro?"
Future Eddie smiled before giving his time-displaced foster brother a noogie, "Hey little man, you miss me?"
The girls giggled at the scene as Eddie released him. Straightening his messed up hair, Peter could only laugh, "haha, this part of you, definitely. The Venom part, not so much."
Future Eddie nodded and said, "It's Anti-Venom now, and I fight with the good guys these days, in penance for all my past mistakes." He paused momentarily before continuing with a solemn tone, "I had to go through a lot to make my way out of the darkness I lost myself in. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but it was all worth it in the end."
Rose removed her mask before giving him another side hug saying, "definitely."
He returned it, and for the first time, Peter and Gwen smiled at the sight. Not only had their own family grown in the future, but one of their fallen friends had redeemed himself and become an ally and friend once again. One question remained though…
Gwen asked wryly, "and what's this I hear about being a godfather?"
Future Eddie shrugged before answering, "legal guardian technically, godfather just sounds better. It was actually you and Peter's suggestion, or will be rather…as in your future selves …uhhh, anyway yeah! The day Rose was born, my wife and I were also at the hospital. You both asked us to be Rose's legal guardians, and we gladly accepted."
"Wife?! You're married?!" Peter gasped, which Eddie nodded at.
"You don't have to sound so surprised bro," Future Eddie joked which Rose and Gwen giggled at.
Gwen then said, "well congratulations. I'll bet she's a lovely woman." She had an idea already on the identity of who the future Mrs. Brock might be, but kept it to herself to avoid anymore time stream damage.
"Yup, I'm a real lucky man," Future Eddie replied back as he drifted into sweet memories. Rose quickly brought him back out of it as she spoke up…
"Alright, now that we've cleared the air, we need to get back to why I called you Uncle Eddie," said Rose, causing Future Eddie to give her full attention. She illustrated what Peter and Gwen told her before, and with the time displaced heroes there to help fill in the gaps, the Future Eddie Brock was brought up to speed.
"...so that's where we are at right now," Rose concluded, "and now we were hoping you knew where Dr. Strange was located?"
"I see," Future Eddie said with arms crossed, "your future selves warned me about this day, so I guess it's up to me now."
Peter and Gwen were stunned before the former asked, "our older selves told you about us coming to the future?"
Future Eddie nodded before answering, "aside from George, my wife and I were the only ones they informed about this incident. Anymore, they knew they would risk further damage to the time stream, if it's not damaged enough."
"Well if we can find Dr. Strange, he should be able to set things right and return us home," said Gwen.
"Strange," Future Eddie said as he stood still in thought, "I've met him only once before, and it was far from a pleasant memory."
Peter and Gwen cringed with the former asking, "ohh, that bad huh?"
"Not with him personally, just what he deals with on a regular basis," Future Eddie clarified, "let's just say I'm not going back to a magic show anytime soon."
"Well, bias aside, he's our only hope of returning to the past, so can you take us?" Gwen asked.
Future Eddie said, "of course Gwen, fortunately, the other Peter and Gwen gave me his address before they left for the week."
"Yes!" Peter, Gwen, and Rose all cheered together before giving a group high five.
However, it quickly dissipated as Future Eddie finished, "...unfortunately, they also told me he was unavailable right now, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
Peter, Gwen, and Rose all groaned, with the non time-displaced Spider heroine gripping her head to relieve the headache.
"So, we're still stuck here?" Peter asked dismally.
"At least for the day, first thing tomorrow, we'll get you home safe and sound, I guarantee it." The three teenage superheroes breathed a sigh of relief, at least the hope of getting home was not lost on them.
"So, what are we gonna do until then? Do we have to hide somewhere where no one can see us?" Peter dryly asked, highly discomforted of having to spend a whole day not doing anything but hiding, even if it was to avoid a time paradox.
Rose nodded saying, "perhaps, you've already been exposed to too much now, I know it's not comfortable for either of you, but it might be our best option. So until we find a place, you'll have to stick with us for the time being," Rose interjected, which made Peter and Gwen turn toward her with a stunned look.
"Uh, what?" Future Eddie questioned.
"Like it or not Uncle Eddie, until we can send them home, we are officially responsible for their well being. I mean it's unspoken what could happen to me or US, if something were to happen to THEM," Rose clarified, which made Peter, Gwen, and Future Eddie sweatdrop. Coming to an inevitable conclusion, he agreed.
"Right...alright then, until we meet with Strange, you two stick with us," said Future Eddie.
"We can work with that," Peter said with a nod.
Rose then snapped her fingers, "oh man I just remembered! Mom wanted me to pick up a couple groceries today, and this whole ordeal threw me off!"
Gwen consoled, "no worries, you can go do it now, in fact, I'll go with you."
Everyone was flabbergasted by her suggestion, Peter was first to ask, "uh Gwen, what are you doing?"
"What? I'm helping out. After all, they shouldn't put their own lives on hold just because they're looking after us," Gwen replied.
Both Peter and Future Eddie were stalled for words, and could barely let out a mutter before she said, "...well I guess that's settled. Come on Rose, let's go!"
Rose was stunned for a moment before blinking herself back to reality, "uh, okay."
The two spider women returned their masks and swung away leaving the other two behind still speechless. Peter finally said, "why do I get the feeling she just pulled a fast one?"
"Haha, because she just did," said Future Eddie with a lightened mood and a slap on the back, "and trust me bro, it won't be the only time she does."
Rekindling their lost friendship, the spider themed heroes of the past and future now sat atop of the construction building by themselves. Sitting by his oldest friend's side, Peter asked his first question, "So you were finally able to get the symbiote under control?"
"Yes I was," Future Eddie answered, "I can't give out specific details and risk it not happening at all, though I can say it involves a painful encounter with a supervillain."
"Yikes," was Peter's reply which Future Eddie nodded to. Though his explanation prompted Peter to ask, "can you say which one? Or would that also be compromising the future?"
Future Eddie replied, "no to the first, and yes to the second." He sadly couldn't inform Peter of which villain he was about to face when he went back. Though given that this version of Peter was a fresh 11th grade graduate, he was sure that he would be meeting said mystery villain real soon in his own time.
Peter thought of something else to ask, "ok, on a different topic, how's married life for you?"
"Hehe, everything's actually pretty good right now. The missus even has her own career. I have mine too, as an Agent of SHIELD."
"Really? That's great!" Peter said, "I'm really happy for you bro. I always believed you had a shot at redemption. Now I'm more than glad to see that it all worked out, even if I'm unaware how right now."
Future Eddie nodded in appreciation, but Peter had one more question, "so that one time you encountered Dr. Strange, what exactly happened with him that made Anti-Venom, anti-magic?"
Future Eddie chuckled at the underlying pun before answering, "like I said, it's not exactly a pleasant memory, and timeline maintenance aside, I prefer to not give all the details. Let's just say, it involves an interdimensional incident which almost cost me my son."
Peter nodded at his explanation, until what he said in the last sentence finally sunk in, "YOU HAVE A SON?!" Future Eddie quickly covered his mouth, hoping he had not attracted any unwanted attention with that outburst. After seeing the coast was clear for a whole minute, he released him again.
"Please don't do that again," Future Eddie emphasized.
"Right, sorry. But seriously, you have a son?!" Peter asked in a quieter voice.
Future Eddie calmly nodded, "yup, and I've made sure to teach him all the lessons that I didn't learn at his age, last thing I want is for him to repeat my mistakes."
Peter nods in response before asking a major question, "what about the symbiote, has any of it passed on to him?"
"Fortunately not, the symbiote is permanently bonded with me, and it will stay that way until I pass on, which also keeps it from replicating anymore," Eddie explained.
"That's good," Peter said, "...and speaking of the next generation, Rose seems to have handled her inherited abilities quite spectacularly."
"Hehe, she's her daddy's little girl that's for sure. Believe me bro, the future is bright," Future Eddie commented.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Peter said as he reflected on everything he had just learned, and for the first time in so long, felt at full peace with himself. However, their conversation was overheard by the same eight limbed bug that continued its video feed from a few girders away.
The figure on the other end said to himself, "a bright future indeed, FOR ME! As for you arachnid, as of this moment, your future is now in MY hands! Hehehehahaha…" He wickedly laughed to himself as he activated the plethora of machinery around him with a thought.
Exiting out of the downtown grocery store in their civilian clothes, Rose held one bag with one hand while Gwen held a large paper one with both hands. Having completed their shopping, they made their way back toward Rose's family apartment. Having now gotten over her earlier discomfort, Rose appreciated the help from her mom-to-be, "Thanks for the extra hand Gwen, it really helped."
"No problem Rose," Gwen accepted her thanks, and took the chance to bond with her future daughter by asking, "I guess you and your mom shop like this a lot?"
Rose nodded, "yeah, it's one of the things we do together that we bond over, aside from the stuff that isn't, well you know, normal."
The jab at their secret superhero life made the girls giggle before Gwen replied, "That's great to hear, it really is."
Rose was confused at her sudden drop in tone, "are you ok?"
Gwen sighed before saying, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound downcast. It's just…I never got the chance to form any kind of bond with my own mother. She died when I was very young, so any chance we had of sharing anything was gone before it began."
Rose sympathetically nodded realizing her context. She remembered hearing about Grandma Stacy from her own mom when she was little. In the years that followed, Rose recalled all the times her mom always went out of her way to make many of their outings meaningful, not just due to being a good parent, but also creating the memories that she never got to make with her late mother.
Gwen noticed the discomfort on Rose's face, and immediately felt she stepped out of line, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything, I…"
"No no it's alright," Rose consoled, "believe me, I understand. I actually once asked about Grandma Stacy, who I was partially named after, and mom told me how she passed away when she was a kid," Rose said sadly, "she also said in carrying her name, I carry her memory, and in doing so honors her life."
Gwen finally cracked a smile, happy to hear how wise her future self turned out to be, as well as the mother she never got to know herself. "Sounds like you and your mom are really close."
"We are, dad too," Rose nodded, "I still remember when my powers first developed, I was so freaked out. But they were there to help me accept who I was and what I was born into. They taught me how to use my abilities, and how they were a gift given to my family, as well as our responsibility."
Gwen nodded, "hmmhmm, I learned that from Peter after I first gained mine. It was wisdom he passed on from his late Uncle Ben, your brother's namesake as I've heard?"
Rose laughed and said, "Yup! Though I've always considered it ironic that such a little pain-in-the-butt could be named after such a wise man."
"He's just a kid, give him time," Gwen advised, "though I'm guessing he hasn't developed any powers yet?"
"No, he's only seven, mine didn't fully surface until I was twelve," Rose explained. "Certainly made entering puberty all the more stressful."
Gwen gave a sympathetic nod, now realizing what major role she and Peter had inadvertently stepped into. Any future offspring they would have, and the generations to follow, would most likely be developing spider powers naturally. She had no idea of the possibilities passing down these super genes to their future children would entail. Right now, all Gwen could do was hope for the best regarding this spider legacy she and Peter would inevitably create. Though, she couldn't help but feel both honored and thrilled at what they would be starting together.
"HEY ROSE!" The call made the two girls break out of their thoughts and look ahead to see a dark-skinned teenage girl with green eyes and dark hair coming their way. Following her appeared to be a young man whose face was hidden behind a pile of store boxes he was carrying.
While the identity of the new girl was unknown to Gwen, she couldn't help notice that other than the green eyes, she looked a lot like Liz Allen! Rose greeted the new girl with a best friend hug, "Anna! Hey girl! What are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the seasonal sales, so the usual," Anna replied with a shrug breaking from the hug before asking, "so where were you? I called you three times but got no answer?"
Rose said, "oh yeah sorry, I missed them. I've just had my hands full with other things today." She said while gesturing toward Gwen. Gwen and Anna observed each other for a moment, before her friend asked.
"Who is this?" Anna asked Rose.
"Anna, this is my distant cousin, uh…Jean! She's visiting for the day," Rose introduced her mother-to-be in disguise, "Jean, this is my best friend since forever, Anna."
"Nice to meet you Jean," Anna said warmly.
"Likewise," Gwen said smiling, going along with the alias Rose chose for her.
Then the greeting was interrupted by the teenage boy behind Anna who was struggling with his wide load, "Woooaaahhh!...whew! OK, I got it. Please tell me we're almost to your house Anna?"
Rose recognized the voice instantly, "Andy?!"
He turned around so he was visible to them, "Oh, hey Rose! Fancy meeting you here."
Gwen was shocked to see that the boy looked just like Eddie Brock! Simple deduction, the Andy she had heard about earlier was actually Eddie's future son?! While she was still too stunned to speak, Rose wasn't, "fancy meeting you here too, both of you, and what are you doing?"
"What's it look like? I'm getting paid a hundred bucks to help Anna with her shopping spree," Andy explained.
Rose turned to her friend with a scolding tone, "Really Anna?"
"What? Like he said he's getting paid, and this is good conditioning for his football game next week." Rose scoffed at her friend's quick wit, something she inherited from her mother as Anna often talked about.
"Come on Anna, the poor boy goes through enough intense training on the field, did you really have to put him through this?" Rose asked in a coy manner.
"It's actually not so bad believe it or not," Andy cut in, "the weight I can handle, the real challenge is balancing everything."
"As is life Mr. Brock," Anna added in, "by the way, have you met Rose's cousin Jean?"
"No I haven't," he said while turning to greet Gwen, "Andrew Brock miss, hello."
"Hello to you," Gwen greeted back, "so Andy Brock, you wouldn't happen to know an, Eddie Brock?"
"He's my dad," he answered, confirming Gwen's suspicions.
"Figured as much, you're his spitting image."
A surprised Andy asked, "Wait, you know my dad?" Rose appeared nervous as Gwen might have divulged too much information.
Her concerns were eased when Gwen answered discreetly, "Rose and I ran into him earlier, though he said he was in a hurry."
"Probably out rescuing someone, he does that a lot," Andy answered with a shrug, although it was followed up by an elbow in the gut from Anna, and a glare saying, 'shut your big mouth!'
Gwen was confused until Anna cut in, "what Andy is trying to say is, his dad is a social worker that is often out helping the community."
A perplexed Gwen turned to Rose, who nodded back to her before she answered, "Really? Awesome, sounds like a real cool dad."
"Yeah he is," Andy said, recollecting himself, "well, it's been nice meeting ya, but I have to help Anna get her stuff home. See ya Rose, nice meeting you Jean!"
"Likewise," Gwen said as he walked around her while Anna walked up to Rose patting her shoulder, and said in a wry whisper, "don't worry, come Monday, he's all yours girlfriend."
"Shut up," Rose whispered back with an arm bump. Anna just smiled back before following Andy. Gwen heard every word despite their discreteness, including noticing the light blush that appeared on Rose's face in response to Anna's comment. She smirked to herself knowing what this meant, but was also curious about something else.
As soon as Rose's friends were out of sight, Gwen said, "Looks like you have good friends."
Rose replied, "Yup! They're the best anywhere."
Gwen then asked her question, "so, do they know about…you know?"
Rose nodded and said, "Yeah, I told them right after mom and dad told me the family secret. They also told me of the tangled mess dad dealt with when he originally kept his secret from everyone. I didn't want that for me and my friends, so they gave me a choice whether to tell them or not, so I did."
'No wonder they were so secretive about Eddie's Anti-Venom persona, and it's nice to know Peter learned from his mistakes after all these years', Gwen thought before speaking, "You really trust them that much?"
Rose nodded and said, "Of course, our families have been friends since before I was born, who else could we trust?"
As they resumed their walk down the street, Gwen asked, "Really? Andy I get, but who are Anna's parents?"
Rose smirked and said, "take a guess."
Gwen reflected on Anna's appearance and mannerisms, then suddenly realized, "no way, Mark Allen and Mary Jane Watson?!"
"Good guess," Rose confirmed with a nod.
A happily surprised Gwen replied, "haha, no wonder she looked and acted so familiar, my other guess would have been Mark's sister Liz."
Rose clarified, "Anna says she hears a lot how much she looks like her Aunt Liz. She got her looks mainly from her dad's side, save for the green eyes and personality she inherited from her mom."
Gwen laughed, "hehe, I noticed." It pleased her to know that her and MJ's friendship stayed strong after all these years, and now extended to their own children. Though that raised another question, "what about her dad? Has she inherited anything 'else' from him?"
Rose understood her context and answered, "no, she doesn't have powers, neither does Andy. Out of the three of us, I was the only one to develop any powers, since unlike me, their parents' abilities are synthetic, not natural."
Gwen nodded in understanding as they rounded the next bend, after which Gwen coyly asked, "Speaking of Andy…"
A confused Rose asked, "what about him?"
"You like him, don't you?" Gwen asked in the same tone.
Rose's blush returned as she stuttered, "well yeah, of course I like him, he's my other best friend. So yeah, I like him, he likes me, so…yeah…"
Gwen sweatdropped while thinking, 'my goodness, is this how I sounded to MJ?'
Adopting her best friend's role, Gwen said to Rose, "That's not what I meant."
Gwen's encouraging look finally made Rose confess, "sigh…Yeah, I like him more than just a friend, huff, it's just so…"
Gwen asked, "just so what?"
Rose answered, "...complicated. I mean, besides the risk that I could end up ruining our lifelong friendship if he doesn't feel the same way, my responsibilities as Spidergirl already put him and Anna in too much danger already, can I really afford the chance of having something more?"
A sympathetic Gwen answered, "I understand your concerns, believe me I do. I was once in the same boat with Peter, even before I knew he was Spiderman. Look Rose, under the circumstances, I know I'm technically not your real mom. But if she were here, I'm certain she would give you the same advice I'm about to share."
She paused before continuing, "...It is hard risking a solid friendship on the chance of it being something more, but if it's what you really want, then girl you've gotta take the chance and go for it. From what I can tell, Andy has already shown he really cares about you in keeping your secret safe despite the risks, so how can you know for certain he doesn't feel the same? Just think about it."
Gwen finished sharing MJ's advice allowing Rose to fully absorb and contemplate it. She spent the rest of the walk back to her home thinking through her feelings.
Gwen waited up on the rooftop while Rose went inside to drop off the groceries at the Parker family apartment. Once they reconvened, the two female spiders redonned their costumes and Ghost Spider called out to her boyfriend through her mask communicator. Spiderman verified that he and Anti Venom were still at the construction rendezvous spot. Before heading out, the girls agreed to keep their earlier talk to themselves for the sake of Rose's privacy.
The two spider women then swung out to regroup with the guys. Once together again, the spider-themed foursome swung through the backstreets of New Manhattan with Anti-Venom leading the way. He was leading them toward the address given to him where he was told the Order of the Mystic Arts could be found. He figured that even if Dr. Strange wasn't there yet, at least someone else from the Order could provide Peter and Gwen shelter until they returned home.
Spiderman said aloud as they swung onto the side of a New York building in a back alley, "You know I'm all for stealth when it counts, but I'm not sure I work with this whole 'concealed web slinging' thing. It kinda takes the fun out of one of my favorite pastimes."
Spidergirl replied sitting ahead of him, "Well, we can't exactly have a younger Spiderman and Ghost Spider be seen swinging around Manhattan either, so until we get to Dr. Strange, deal with it."
"Who could argue with that logic?" Ghost Spider wryly said to her partner which made both females giggle and Spiderman sigh in exhaustion at their double team.
Anti-Venom called out from the front, "enough chit chat, come on this way!" He shot a white web from his arm pulling himself up to the top of a building in front of him. The others soon followed, and they found themselves on the rooftop of another tenant building that was adjacent to a busy street below.
Observing the layout of New Manhattan, Spidey had to say, "I'm still in awe that this is New York of the future, they're literally building all these new features over all the old ones."
Spidergirl nodded and commented, "all compliments of Manhattan's Neo-Reconstruction project. It's still in its infant state, so they've barely scratched the surface of what's to come. Good news is the people are always kept top priority, allowing any and all who are affected by the project complimentary relocation and assistance, and even offering training and employment to those who would like it."
"Awesome, sounds like progress of the right kind," said Ghosty with an approving nod.
"PEOPLE OF NEW YORK, I HAVE THE LATEST EXPLOITS OF OUR CITIES GREATEST MENACES!" A loud, obnoxious, and unfriendly familiar voice startled the Spider group, a voice the Spider Duo knew all too well.
"No way, is that?!...That can only be one person!" Spidey and Ghosty vented back to back.
"Yup, see for yourself," Spidergirl said dryly while pointing to a nearby holoscreen. On it was the all too familiar, and clearly not well aged face of J. Jonah Jameson. His face was more wrinkled and cranky then they remembered, though he still retained the same old ugly facial hair, and it was all he had left considering he was now bald with liver spots on one side. His attitude nonetheless remained unchanged if not worse as he continued his broadcast…
"ONCE AGAIN I HAVE DEFINITE PROOF RIGHT HERE THAT THE SPIDER FAMILY CONTINUES TO BE THE GREATEST PLAGUE OUR CITY HAS EVER KNOWN!" A video popped up behind him, showing Spidergirl busting Killerwatt's robbery earlier in the day. "AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS SHOWS EARLIER THAT OBNOXIOUS BRAT SPIDERGIRL TAKING OUT HER COMPETITION! FOILING THE HEIST OF THAT ELECTRICAL MADMAN KILLERWATT SO SHE COULD STEAL THE SPOILS FOR HERSELF! FORTUNATELY THE POLICE ARRIVED BEFORE SHE COULD COMPLETE HER FOUL SCHEME."
Spiderman was livid with anger, "Ok, it's one thing for him to falsely accuse ME of being a menace in MY time, but Jameson, past, present, or future, has absolutely NO business slandering MY future daughter!"
Spidergirl shook her head before cutting in, "trust me this is nothing, he says far worse of you and mom."
Ghosty matched her partner's anger, "I can't believe this nutcase is still in business, hasn't anyone wizened up to him by now?"
"It's free speech Gwen," said Anti-Venom who matched his friend's exhaustion at Jameson's issues with the spiders, "its misuse is as much a problem today as it was before. Good news is that most of New York realizes now that Jameson is nothing more than a nut with an ax to grind."
"There's only so many times you can grind an ax before it's gone," said Spidey.
"Exactly bro, so believe me when I say, Jameson may still be a skinflint, but he doesn't have the influence he used to have."
"THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THE SPIDERS ARE LOOKING TO EVENTUALLY INFLUENCE AND CONTROL THE ENTIRE CITY! TRUST ME, I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE! I'VE FOLLOWED HER PARENT'S SHOWBOATING SCHEMES FOR YEARS! HER FATHER LONGER THAN THAT! YOU'VE HEARD THE PHRASE THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE? WELL IT'S NOTHING BUT ROTTEN APPLES AS FAR AS THIS FAMILY GOES, AND ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, THEY'LL ALL ANSWER TO…Bzzzztttt"
The screen suddenly went static, and they all turned to see Spidergirl pointing her wrist shooter at the screen. She turned to see their incredulous faces, "what? He was getting on my nerves, not to mention insulting my family lineage."
"Please tell me you didn't just vandalize public property?" Ghosty asked in a scolding tone, "I honestly believe you were taught better than that?!"
"Relax Gwen, huh, you know it's kinda cool calling you that," Spidergirl chuckled to herself, "anyway! I didn't vandalize anything, just cut off his signal with a little EMP bug."
"EMP? As in Electromagnetic pulse? Isn't that supposed to, you know, fry anything electrical?!" Spidey asked in a matching disapproving tone.
"Not this one, it only cuts off power for no more than a minute, by then, the board will have already moved onto another signal, with no damage done," Spidergirl finished explaining.
Ghosty turned to Anti-Venom and asked, "you're the godfather and the adult here, do you really approve of this?"
"What? Like she said, no damage done," Anti-Venom shrugged, "and it certainly beats the alternative, right?"
Ghosty could only sigh and shake her head while Spidey continued giving his own disapproving glare toward a chipper and apparently prankster Spidergirl.
BOOOOMMMMmmmm!
The sound of an explosion caught everyone's attention, making them turn left toward another street junction. A dense smoke cloud could be seen emitting from the area along with the sounds of panicked shrieking citizens.
"What was that?!" Spidey gasped aloud everyone's question, which was quickly answered.
"CITIZENS OF NEW YORK! HEAR MY DECREE!" Spidergirl and Anti-Venom then gasped themselves, while the time-displaced spiders were in shock, as another disturbingly familiar voice echoed from the cloud.
"No, it can't be…" Ghosty gasped.
"Please tell me that's not who I think it is," Spidey pleaded.
Their fears were confirmed when a giant holographic projection of a head appeared over the entire block. It had aged badly, with a bald white face with glowing red goggle eyes and wires that appeared to be fitting into the back of his skull feeding nutrients. However, the sound of his wicked voice was known all too well to Spiderman and Ghost Spider…
Doctor Octopus!
Future Eddie Brock aka Anti-Venom and his son Andrew Brock are both based off the artwork created by LunaMidnight1998. Anna Allan, the daughter of Mark Allen and Mary Jane Watson is my own character created for this story and is practically the Mary Jane to Andy and Rose like her mother was for Peter and Gwen in the S.S. series. Again, I don't know if Luna intended for Rose and Andy to have a love interest in each other or not, but I decided to go with it as it made for an interesting story element, and show how history can repeat itself for the better.
I hope I surprised you with who the main villain of this story turned out to be, and now you know who has been mysteriously tailing the spiders since they arrived in the future. See you next chapter!