A/N: Shad here, and thank you all again for supporting this story! I think something about that last chapter rung true with some of you, so I've clearly been doing something right. We're coming close up to a straight year of this story running, and it definitely has not felt like it. In a perfect world, I would like to have this story wrap up on the anniversary, but at my current pace, that's probably not happening, especially balancing three stories at once, which yes I said three.

For those who don't know, my other currently serializing story is a Super Smash Bros. story called Smash: United. Any further support I can get on that story would be much appreciated!

And for #3, a while back I teased and started writing an almost sister story to this, a Marvel and Star Wars story entitled Guardians: Lost Stars. Those who follow that however know it's been a rough few months for that story, and I've announced it's death a couple times. Which is why I will announce this both here and there that it will soon be replaced with a work I have more confidence in: Nova: The Lost Star. It's in the planning stage right now, and will only begin when I have a solid 3-4 chapters written, and I will put them all up at once. Until that time, people can still read what Lost Stars was until Nova replaces it.

Finally, before this chapter of Defenders begins, I wanna talk about something concerning last chapter: the Strange looking into the Multiverse scene. Based on the few responses I got, you guys spotted the big references. But not all of them. Here's a list:

- Star Wars

- DC Comics

- Red vs Blue

- Jurassic Park (Just wanted to have a fun little reference, there are no plans to include this in future stories)

- Halo

But that's not even half. There are 8 more franchises teased in those little dialogue lines, all of which will be involved in future stories. I wanna see if anyone can get the full list. Happy hunting, and let this chapter of Defenders of Remnant begin.

Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...

Prowler coughed hoarsely and hacked up blood before slowly pulling his shattered mask off, revealing a bruised and bloodstained face. "Next time you look at yourself in the mirror, I want you to think about all the kids that will die when you do what you're going to do, then look at yourself… and see if you can keep a straight face in the middle of that massacre."

Tarantula's fist tightened, and he reeled his fist back to deliver a final, fatal blow.

Then webbing enveloped his fist and he looked above to see Spider-Man in his classic suit holding the line of web. "I like the cosplay, but if you're trying to copycat, I usually don't kill the bad guys!"

"You!" Tarantula exclaimed before yanking on the webbing and pulling Spider-Man towards him.

Peter tore off the mask to see Tarantula's face…

… And only saw his own. He took a step back in pure shock. It wasn't a mirror image; the other face had a shaved head, blue eyes instead of brown, and the other face looked a year or two younger, but it was still undoubtedly his face, the face of Peter Parker.

"W-What…? H-How…?" Peter stammered, still trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

"W-What? H-How is this…? This isn't…" Tarantula was trying to come to terms and failing just as Peter was.

"W-What are we looking at?" Yang asked.

"Genetic replication," Peter sighed.

When he saw my face, his face… it looked like he was as confused as I was. They're not treating him as a partner, as another assassin. He's being used just as a tool. He doesn't even know what it's like being a human being."

"Taskmaster didn't like you up and running like that.

"They want you alive, but they didn't say they wanted you unscathed!" Electro shot a storm of electricity at the man before he could recover, forcing screams of pain from his lungs. He began convulsing and squirming helplessly as endless currents of electricity shot through his body.

Penny narrowed her eyes and pulled more swords out of her pack before rotating them quickly in a circle in front of her, soon forming a ball of energy in the center, just as she had done at the battle at the docks. As soon as the energy reached its peak, she fired the massive beam of energy directly at Electro. The superpowered criminal was too preoccupied with torturing his victim to notice the attack until it was too late. Electro was sent flying away with the blast

"Sir! Are you alright?" Penny turned the man over, feeling the extreme heat of his body after the electrocution. When she flipped him over, his hat was gone and his mask had been burned off, and she saw a face she recognized. "Peter?" Tarantula, meanwhile, groaned and barely moved.

The Defenders of Remnant

Chapter 30: Trauma

Peter sat in one of the chairs set off to the side, rubbing his eyes as he struggled to stay awake. The team had been right, he needed more sleep. His body wasn't healed up enough to keep up with his work, and he was starting to feel it, the aches in all his wounds. He took one deep breath and looked blankly forward.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Penny asked, breaking him from his trance.

"Uh.. yeah, yeah, just… just tired. Been busy, and things will only get busier," Peter answered.

"Ruby said you've been working yourself too hard, right? Does it have to do with the hero work?" Penny asked.

Peter was surprised at first, then remembered she was there when Ruby found out who he was. "I keep forgetting you were there that night."

"I personally don't blame you. My father and General Ironwood generally try to keep me out of the public eye unless it's absolutely necessary, and sometimes I still fall into those habits," Penny said, looking away with a small frown forming on her face.

"And sometimes you still show up to fight Faunus at docks?"

"I was helping Ruby search for Blake at the time. Once I'd stumbled upon the White Fang, I couldn't just let things be. I had to help."

Peter couldn't help but smile. Whether out of wonderment of her pure heart or amusement at the very idea that tore him apart a year ago, he didn't bother to figure it out. "You really are a kind person. I can see why Ruby likes you." Penny replied with a small cheerful giggle that tugged at Peter's heart. She really was pure, untouched by the dark, harsh reality of the world. Even Ruby wasn't that lucky, she had lost her mother. She grew up having to learn to move past the fact she didn't have that in her life.

While Ruby was still cheery, positive and heroic… Penny is pure through and through. In a way, it amazed Peter, to think someone could still be as such. It reminded him of the kind of people he became a superhero to protect. So why did he stop for so long…?

"The bioscan has finished," Penny said. It broke Peter from his thoughts and he quickly stood up and took Penny's side at the results screen. "He has minor lacerations and burns across his body."

"I figured as much, give me the basic biological specs, see if he's altered from me in any way," Peter said.

Penny worked for another few moments before getting their results. "There are minor genetic differences between your DNA and his, most likely defects from an imperfect cloning. We already noted different eye colors, yours being brown and his being blue. But it seems his genetic structure also shows blonde hair roots, even if it's shaved down."

"Me as a blonde? Ugh…" Peter remarked.

"Your powers as Spider-Man are genetic as well, correct? A mutation?" Penny asked.

"Yeah. Looks like his genetic strands have less of my mutations from the spider bite. Pull up the scan of his brain." Penny does as asked and momentarily an image of his brain scan appears on the screen. "His brain waves are different from mine, that of a normal person. He doesn't have a Spider-Sense…"

"Spider-Sense?" Penny asked.

"Think of it as a sixth sense, a sort of warning system my brain creates to warn me of coming danger. But apparently this guy doesn't have one. It's weird he wouldn't have my most useful power…"

"Well, again, cloning is a very flawed science. One could try to clone a human, and accidentally make a faunus," Penny said.

Peter looked down at the brainscan again and saw a set of flagged anomalies on Tarantula's brain stem. "What are these?"

"The scan picked up a miniscule electronic device that was attached to his brain stem. Unfortunately, it's unidentifiable, because it short circuited and was destroyed in the electrical attack. The short circuit also caused damage to his brain."

"What parts of the brain are damaged? If it's extensive, he could be comatose right now, maybe even brain dead."

"His brain is still active, no signs of a coma. The damage seems to only be present in the temporal lobe."

"So he either will wake up with amnesia or paralysis…" Peter sighed.

Penny nodded. "Whether it will be a minor case or in totality will have to be determined when he wakes up. I don't track any nerve damage, however, so amnesia or partial memory loss is more likely."

Peter let out a heavy sigh and leaned onto the table. "We were so close… We could have had the chance to know exactly who Taskmaster's working with, but chances are that's what he'll have forgotten."

"I mean… we still saved him," Penny pointed out. "He had to have been running for a reason, right? If he left the enemy behind, perhaps he intended to do good before he was attacked."

"I appreciate you trying to look for the best case scenario, Penny… but we'll have to wait to find out, and I don't think he'll be up anytime soon. You should go back to your dorm, get some rest."

"If anything, it is you who needs rest. You're barely keeping your eyes open, and you promised Ruby you would get rest. I am more than capable of keeping an eye on him while you sleep."

"Penny-" Peter started to say, then he saw the look in Penny's eyes. It once again tugged on his heartstrings, and this time he realized why. In Penny's green eyes, he was seeing Mary Jane's, and now he couldn't shake the image from his head. He looked away from Penny and rubbed his eyes, his entire body starting to feel heavy. "Fine, but I'm sleeping here in the lab. I don't want anyone else alone with this guy."

Penny gave him a full happy smile. "That is all I ask, friend!"

Penny's happiness was infectious, as Peter couldn't help but smile. He took a seat in one of the chairs and kicked his feet up onto one of the counters before closing his eyes, hoping sleep would come to him easily and peacefully tonight.

It was just as the sun was rising that team RWBY had made their way to the landing pad on the edge of school grounds, where a bullhead was waiting to take Ruby and Yang off to Patch Weiss and Blake helped them carry their things and pack it into the storage compartment aboard the airship. "Be safe you two," Weiss said.

"Don't want you falling off one of those cliffside shorelines right before the tournament," Blake smirked.

"Did Blake Belladonna just tell a joke?" Yang smiled before giving her a hug. "See you guys soon."

"You too," Blake replied as she hugged back.

"With any luck, we'll have this Kingpin and clone business settled before you get back," Weiss said with a confident smile.

"Well, since we can't expect him to stop, at least make sure he takes it easy. He isn't the only superhero in Vale," Ruby said.

"We'll manage," Weiss replied. "Now hurry up, you two, before they leave!" The two sisters quickly boarded the bullhead and it began to lift upwards into the air.

"See you guys soon!" Ruby yelled over the roaring engines just before the doors closed and the ship blasted away.

"Well, with that settled, let's go give Peter a break," Blake turned to Weiss.

Penny looked over at Peter, who still sat asleep in a chair off to the side. Once he had fallen asleep, he was out cold the entire night, barely a stir. Penny figured he was sleeping heavily, not that she knew what it felt like. She didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't experience many things commonplace for humans. She never knew if that made her superior, or if that made her an outcast. She looked back down at the screen before her to take her mind off of that train of thought. She glanced at the time in the corner of the display, taking note that Ruby and Yang would be leaving Vale about now. Part of her wished she could say goodbye, but what she was doing was, in one sense, more important, and Ruby would be back soon anyway. Penny had nothing to worry about, at least concerning that.

She did worry when she heard a stir and the groans and moans of someone waking up, and could still see Peter sitting still in the chair. She glanced over and saw Tarantula start to wake, and quickly looked back over to Peter, debating whether to wake him or not. Then she thought about it, and maybe putting the two together off the bat would be problematic. So she rushes around and covers Peter with a spare lab coat gently before then rushing to stand before Tarantula, ready to defend herself and Peter if necessary.

Tarantula's eyes slowly fluttered open, his head aching and his body feeling weak, as if all the energy in his body had been drained from him. His vision was blurry at first, and his ears rang like an alarm. The muffled sounds of Penny's voice barely made it into his ears.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" She asked.

"Where… where am I?" Tarantula groaned.

"In a secure location until we make sure you're in good condition again. You were attacked, and we couldn't bring you to a hospital," Penny answered.

"It… it hurts…"

"You've suffered injury. We've treated it to the best of our ability, but you need time to heal. Please, calm down…" Penny said gently, trying not to alarm Tarantula.

Tarantula blinked and blinked until his vision finally cleared, and he saw Penny clear as day in front of him. He didn't recognize her, and became immediately more confused. "Wh-Who are you?"

"My name is Penny!" She greeted with a smile. "And you are?"

Instead of answering, Tarantula eyed up the windows at the other side of the room. In a moment's instinct, he leapt up to launch himself out of the windows-

And fell face-first into the hard floor, the chair clanging on the ground with him because his hands had been tied around the chair. And his body still felt weak anyway. "Ow…"

Peter jumped awake and threw the lab coat off of himself, taking a few moments to register he was awake, then a few more to see that Tarantula was awake as well, with his face pressed against the tile. He then got a smirk on his face. "You tried to jump out the window, didn't you?" Peter said.

"Yes…" Tarantula growled.

"You realize now that your hands are tied to the chair?"

"Yes…"

"Do you want out of the chair?"

"Yes!" Tarantula exclaimed.

"Then we have some questions for you," Peter said before nodding to Penny. Penny quickly brought the chair right side up, returning Tarantula to where he was before. As they did this, Weiss and Blake entered the lab as well. They froze at first at the sight of Tarantula conscious before walking to Peter and greeting him. After that, the four of them stood in front of Tarantula, with Weiss and Blake being more standoffish, Peter in a neutral state, and Penny clearly uncomfortable with some of the situation.

"I'm sorry…" Penny quietly apologized to Tarantula. It caught him off guard.

Tarantula glanced at Penny for a second before turning to Peter. "You… you're him. Spider-Man."

"And you are…?" Peter asked.

Tarantula was hesitant to answer at first, but this was the reason he left, after all. "Black Tarantula."

"'Black Tarantula'?" Weiss repeated.

"It's the only name they ever gave me," Tarantula replied.

"So they didn't even bother to humanize you?" Blake asked.

"I'm not even sure they recognized me as a living thing, let alone human…"

"And who is 'they'?" Weiss questioned. "We know Taskmaster is working with someone, someone from our world. So who is it?"

"I… can't remember…" Tarantula tried to focus on his memories, but there were dark spots, blank spaces in his recollection he couldn't explain.

"Oh, what a load of-" Wiess started to say, but Peter cut her off.

"This is what I was afraid of…"

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

Penny was the one to answer. "When we initiated a bioscan of Tarantula's body, we found minor damage to his temporal lobe, so we diagnosed possible amnesia."

"I don't think that's it…" Tarantula said, trying to think. "Amnesia is supposed to be general memory loss, right?"

"For the most part," Blake answered.

"Well, I can remember almost everything else clear as day. My first day out of the chamber, being trained by Taskmaster, the night…. The night at that club. It's all there. The only back spots are-"

"The associates," Peter finished. "The people Taskmaster might be working with or for. Those are the only dark spots in your memory, aren't they?"

Tarantula weakly nodded. "I… I know the names, the faces, I just… I just can't bring it up…"

"That device in your head didn't short circuit, it did exactly what was needed of it, then destroyed itself," Peter deduced. "I think they figured there was a possibility you might turn rogue on them, so they installed a safety measure in your head to make you forget the most important parts of their operation. Let me guess, you don't remember their plans either?"

After a few moments of trying to focus, Tarantula sighed and shook his head.

"I don't get it, how is that possible?" Weiss questioned.

"They used the same thing that was already in Taskmaster," Peter said.

"What does that mean?" Blake asked.

"Taskmaster's power of copying became too much for his brain to handle, so he got a memory chip installed in his head to store any additional fighting styles he learned. If they made something similar for, uh… Tarantula's brain, they could be selective about what information was stored in the chip and what was stored in his brain. And if need be, they could make the chip self-destruct and erase any information stored on it."

"That… That's right… I… I remember now…" Tarantula muttered.

"How could you possibly know about that?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Because I remember when they put it in… I remember every poke and prod as they tore me apart and put me back together…" Tarantula's tone became hateful and hurt. "They made me just as a tool, and as soon as I had a conscience, they wanted me gone! They only made me…" He looks up and stares Peter right in the eyes, his scorn almost falling to him. "... to kill you."

"And yet you chose to run away," Blake noted. "Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"As I recall, you were supposed to be an enemy. You are responsible for the death of multiple people. Not reputable people, but still people!" Weiss exclaimed.

"You think I don't know that, Princess?!" Tarantula yelled back. "Do you think killing people was one of the things I forgot? Because dear god, I wish I did, but I didn't! All I hear when I try to sleep is him, because I killed him!" The outburst caught everyone off guard, but it didn't stop there. "Do you know what it's like? To see someone's face whenever you close your eyes because you know you ended their life?"

The three huntresses stared at Tarantula in silence as he panted heavily, trying to recover the breath spent on yelling at them. He stared back at them in the uncomfortable silence, before Peter broke it.

"I do, actually…" He said. The girl turned to look at him, and Tarantula looked past them at the same man.

"W-What…?"

"You would've been lucky to get out of their grip without killing anyone. Sometimes, it can't be helped, or you can't control yourself. If you could ever get through life without getting blood on your hands, you'd be one of a lucky few. You'll never forget it either. Those faces will stick with you forever. They'll constantly be a breath on your neck and a voice in your head. Sometimes you'll see them in the mirror instead of yourself. Sometimes you wonder if it would've been better if you'd died instead, just so you wouldn't have to suffer that constant torment for the rest of your life."

The rest felt sympathetic for him, then in turn felt sympathetic for Tarantula. They both had done something taboo in society, that they luckily didn't have to cope with: murder. But neither did it coldly, not entirely. It was something they didn't, and hopefully never would, understand.

"You've barely been in this world, and you've been forced to do something no one should ever have to go through. You don't understand the world, but already know its darkest corners," Peter sighed exasperatedly. He then stepped forward and stood in front of Tarantula. "Are you serious about trying to be free of Taskmaster and the rest?"

Tarantula slowly nodded. "I'm tired of being told who I am. I want to be real…"

Penny clutched her hands over chest and her eyes widened at the expression. It hit home for her, wanting to feel like a normal person, knowing well she may never get that.

"Then are you willing to fight to be real?" Peter asked.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"Help us fight Taskmaster, help us end this threat. And after this is done, I promise you, you will never be used or controlled by anyone ever again."

Tarantula sighed and shook his head. "We can't beat them… they're too strong."

"We can beat them. Together. All you have to do is trust us and work with us, and in time, your life can be your own. Please, Tarantula…"

For long moments, nothing was said, and the silence became painful as a response was awaited by the three huntresses behind Peter. Weiss and Blake kept their hands on the hilts of their weapons just in case things went south.

"You're crazier than he is, y'know that, Spider-Man?" Tarantula asked. Peter couldn't help but smirk a little at that. "So what would the plan be?"

A sigh of relief was unanimously shared between the Huntresses, and Weiss lifted her hand from Myrtenaster. Blake wasn't fully convinced yet, though, leaving the palm of her hand rested on Gambol Shroud.

"For now, get you fully patched up and get everyone here some food. You're probably not gonna be able to leave the lab for a while, we can't risk Taskmaster or whoever finding out where you are, and to be honest most of the good guys don't need to know of you yet either. Not yet, at least. Maybe when things cool down in a few days, we can move you to someone's dorm to keep you safe, but until then, this lab will have to work as your home."

"A home is better than a prison," Tarantula remarked.

"Speaking of which…" Peter said before removing Tarantula's restraints, letting him stand free for himself. He rubbed his wrists, which were sore and were marked red from the bindings.

"Thank you. All of you," Tarantula thanked gratefully, looking up and addressing all four of them. "Without you, I'd be dead."

"We watched over you, but if anything, you should be thanking Penny," Blake said, gesturing to the secret machine girl. "She saved you from Electro and brought you here."

"Well… thank you, Penny…"

"Of course!" Penny replied with a warm, comforting smile, the likes of which almost made Tarantula feel completely relaxed. Something about her energy in particular calmed him.

"Oh, and by the way," Peter said, pulling Tarantula's attention back to the webslinger, "Just call me Peter."

"Peter… it'll take some getting used to…" Tarantula said.

"Well, we'll need to figure out a name for you too. Something better than 'Black Tarantula'."

"Yeah, no kidding…"

Peter turned to Blake as he started taking off his lab coat. "Hey, Blake? Mind coming with me to get breakfast for everyone?"

Blake gave Peter a look as if asking, Are you serious? Clearly he was as he motioned for her to follow him. She rolled her eyes and took his side as he headed for the door.

"Weiss, Penny, if you could stay here with him until we get back…" Peter started.

"We've got this handled," Weiss assured him.

Peter nods and looks at Tarantula. "If you need anything, just ask them. We'll be back in a little bit."

"Thank you… again…" Tarantula sat back down.

"Be back soon," Peter said before he and Blake left the lab, closing the door behind them.

A beat of silence passed before Penny spoke up. "Sooo… what do we do now?"

"Do you mind telling me what we're doing on a roof in the middle of downtown Vale?" Peter asked Blake. "Actually, let me phrase that better; What am I about to be chewed out for that we had to be away from people?"

"I think you know exactly what we're about to argue about," Blake said sternly while crossing her arms.

"There doesn't have to be an argument," Peter shrugged, keeping his voice even.

"This isn't a joke, Peter," Blake furrowed her brow.

"Is anything with you?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Peter!" Blake snapped.

"What do you want me to say, Blake? That I'm sorry for not throwing him back out onto the curb to be killed?"

"He was made to kill you! And not only did you bring him to the school, but you willingly untied him!" Blake exclaimed.

"Ok, what else was I supposed to do? Huh? Let him be hunted down like a wild animal? You of all people would know I can't let that happen!" Peter replied, starting to also get riled up.

"We don't know if he's telling the truth! He could be back there waiting to stab us in the back! He was made to be used against us, and all of this could be just another elaborate lie!"

"He's not lying!"

"How do you know that?!"

Peter took a pause, his emotions bubbling to the surface. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Blake seemed to catch on and also backed off, crossing her arms and looking away. "No."

Peter recognized the guilty expression, and his face also softened. "I'm sorry, I…. I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I-I'm sorry…" Peter sighed and walked past her, lowering himself and seating himself on the edge of the roof. Blake took a small moment to compose herself before seating herself near him, putting a few feet between them.

"I know you don't trust him, and to be honest, I probably am crazy for taking this chance. But when he let loose like that, when he… just kept going… I got this hard case of deja vu. Maybe it's just because he looks like slightly-younger me, but… the things he said, that look in his eyes… all I could think about was me after… after him."

Blake scooched over, lessening the distance between them. "Pete… you're the most selfless person I know. You've given up everything, but you haven't become the thing you swore to destroy. You are not him."

"And Tarantula doesn't have to be either," Peter replied. "Yeah, he… he killed Aaron. But that's because he was being manipulated. That death will never go away, that much I can't change for him. But he ran away from them, tried to leave them behind after what he did, when he did what he was made to do. I truly believe there's good in him, Blake, and if there's even a one-percent chance that we can change his life for the better… I have to do everything in my power to try."

Blake sighed and looked out at the city. "You're too kind, Peter. Too kind for this world. I only hope what you're doing is the right choice…"

"I'm not telling you to trust me, Blake. I'm not even asking you to trust me. I can't force you to follow my path. Hell, I'd understand if you wanted to go tell Ozpin about the guy right now. I've just made my choice."

Blake glanced back at Peter, who's sights were also now forward, probably lost in thought. Something about Peter's wording… it tugged strings within her. He had once said the inverse of those words. Adam. He begged, no he told her to trust him and what he was doing. He believed he was right and thought everyone else should just follow along. His choices made his world.

But that wasn't Peter. Peter was making his choices for himself and himself alone. He didn't try to coax others to follow his lead. He didn't even want to be a leader. If his choices led him down a path that ended in him alone against the entire world, then he would accept that. Adam had told her to trust his choices. Peter didn't even ask. Someone could be his closest friend, but he's more than willing to accept a reality where he has no one to watch his back as he faces down whatever danger comes before him simply because he knows someone's choices and faiths are their own.

Blake quietly scooted all the way over and gently placed her hand on one of Peter's. It broke him from his stupor and he glanced at their hands, then up at her in confusion. "I trust you, Peter. I'm with you the whole way." The faunus girl gave him a small, nervous smile to assure him. Peter was slow to respond at first as a slight blush grew on his cheeks, but then he awkwardly smiled back and gently, albeit nervously, held her hand as well. It then caught her off guard.

"Thank you, Blake. Really. It's good to know someone's got my back in all this."

"I-I'm sure Weiss would say the same," Blake said nervously, her own cheeks turning pink as well.

"Yeah, just maybe a more long-winded snobby way," Peter joked, chuckling a little.

"Maybe," Blake fully smiled and laughed a bit with him. Neither of them noticed that as the tension lifted, their hands gripped one another firmly, with Blake's fingers curling around Peter's.