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Another Strand In The Great Web – Episode Twenty Shadow Play Part IV
Parker Residence on Western Long Island, afternoon
"I think you like Wes." Mayday teased her sister as the pair got out of Jarvis' vehicle shouldering their backpacks.
"I do not! Wes is a wuss and his weird," April snapped at to her sister.
"We're weird too," Mayday said smiling.
"We kind of are," April said smiling back.
"April language," Aunt May admonished.
"Sorry Grandma," April said. "But he is really wimpy. He cried all morning after our teacher showed us the Red Balloon."
"Momma, papa," Mayday said spotting Mary Jane and Peter coming out of the front door of the house.
"Mom, dad, you're back from Rochester," April said. She and Mayday ran up to their parent happy to see them. Peter scooped up April in his arms while Mary Jane did likewise with Mayday. "Did you bring us back anything?"
"Hmmm let me think," Peter said feigning confusion. "Only a couple of bikes along with safety accessories. One for each of you."
"Thanks, Dad," April said putting her small arms around her father. She had been asking for a bike almost since her arrival. The adventurous type, April wanted nothing more than to explore her neighborhood.
"Oh thank you, momma," Mayday said hugging Mary Jane.
"No doing wheelies or any other riding tricks until you've had plenty of practice." Mary Jane said.
Mary Jane had not wanted to let the girls have bikes. They were not quite seven and would not be for another three almost four months. However, as Peter pointed out they would likely be exposed to far more dangerous situations than a bike ride down a suburban street during their lives. Although Mary Jane hoped her husband was wrong part of her feared he was right. What were the chances their burgeoning abilities would stop at precognition, very slim.
"Okay mom," April said.
"We promise to be good, momma," Mayday said.
"Run along inside you two we need to talk with Grandma and Jarvis," Peter said putting April down. He refused to call Jarvis "Grandpa" until Jarvis and Aunt May officially wed (an idea he remained uncomfortable with).
"You're bikes are in the garage. No taking them out until after supper and you don't leave the backyard until you have a few days of practice." Mary Jane said after she put Mayday down.
"Ah but mom." April tried to protest.
"That's final young lady. Go inside and change out of your school clothing we'll join you in a bit." Mary Jane said. When Mayday and April had vanished inside Peter's expression became serious as did Mary Jane's.
"What did you learn, if anything?" Jarvis asked while Aunt May squeezed his hand for moral support.
"Dr. Warren aka the Jackal is alive and so is Ben Reilly," Peter answered. Best to rip the bandage off quick he concluded.
Aunt May felt faint. "But how?" She asked.
Shortly after Peter revealed that he was Spider-Man he told Aunt May about Ben Reilly and later Kaine. Peter said it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. For months now Aunt May felt guilty she was not there for the clone he sounded like he had desperately needed an understanding friend or more exactly a mother figure.
"They're not entirely sure yet." Mary Jane said. Out in the open, they could only pretend they were told about Peter's "cousin" Ben Reilly by the authorities.
"He's in rough shape, mentally more so than physically although his body has also taken quite the beating. The authorities think Jackal tortured him, maybe for months or even years. His recovery will likely be a long and hard one." Peter paused here for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. "Ben is like the brother I never had. I refuse to turn my back on him in his hour of need. He also saved my life. I won't be here if not for Ben. I owe him everything."
"We owe him everything." Mary Jane added.
"I'm, we're," He self-corrected glancing over at Mary Jane. "Going to nurse Ben back to health. We'll stick by him for as long as it takes him to make a full recovery."
"Could he be dangerous?" Jarvis said giving voice to a fear everyone else harbored by dared not give voice. "Do they know exactly what Jackal did to him? I hate to suggest such, but Jackal could have planted mental commands in Ben's mind."
I can handle anything Jackal might have done to Ben." Peter said.
"Are you sure, Peter? What about April and Little May?" Aunt May asked.
"I'd never knowingly put them in danger or any of the rest of you," Peter insisted. "I've arranged for a friend to perform a thorough examination of Ben after he is released from the hospital and before he comes to live with us." Peter's "friend" was Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. "After supper, I have to go and meet with my boss. He and Spinneret confiscated some rather sensitive materials from Jackal's lair that I'll help catalog."
"The creep was up to his old tricks." Mary Jane said a scowl on her face.
"Oh dear," Aunt May said.
"Luckily Spider-Man and Spinneret got the most sensitive of materials out before authorities arrived," Peter said. He remembered how difficult removing the stuff had proved even with their greatly enhanced strength and speed. Good thing he had put a transport truck on standby before he left the city, just in case.
"What are you going to do with these sensitive materials?" Jarvis asked.
"For the time being, we'll store them in a secure warehouse rented by Spidey Inc out in Newark New Jersey," Peter said. "Long-term we haven't decided yet. Dealing with some of the things recovered raise complex ethical issues."
The "sensitive of materials" of which Peter spoke were a number of fully developed Gwen Stacy clones (yuck, Jackal you prev) in cold storage capsules along with something Jackal had labeled as a "proto clone" also in a cold storage capsule. There were also various miscellaneous items including DNA samples of multiple individuals (a majority of which were unlabeled) and copious amounts of computer notes, most of which appeared to be heavily encrypted. Peter knew sorting through all of Warren's junk would take weeks maybe months. His head ached just thinking about it. A major headache or no major headache he needed to find the truth Little May and April deserved that.
"Where is Jackal now?" Jarvis inquired.
"He's been arrested. They took him to the Raft Prison." Mary Jane answered.
"At least that dreadful man is behind bars where he belongs." Aunt May said. "I'm relieved he won't be hurt anyone again."
"I sincerely hope so, Aunt May," Peter said.
While Peter hoped Aunt May was right he was was not completely sure their nightmare was over. He could not shake the feeling something was dreadfully amiss. Roughly a decade and one half of dealing with scheming supervillains had honed his senses to behind the scenes machinations. Something about this did not set right with him. Surely Jackal could not have pulled off this elaborate a plan singlehandedly, could he have? Peter sensed the hand of another party who lurked in the background moving through the shadows silently pulling strings. Too many coincidences had occurred too quickly; first, he found April and now Ben. While he loved April deeply and was ecstatic Ben was alive he knew the pair required a great deal of his focus. Could some heartless party be utilizing them as distractions? Did he really know what was going on or was he merely observing shadows on the wall; distracting shadows which obscured the truth whatever that might be?
The Antiquities Building of Empire State University the next day, night
Surrounded by a deep purple mist the so-called master of illusion Mysterio strolled up to a glass-encased exhibit. Inside was displayed an ancient Sumerian stone tablet. Mysterio was accompanied by a figure covered in a tattered brown hooded robe. He wore a dark grey bodysuit with silver metal claws on the end of his fingers, a silver-colored helmet covered his head. The helmet was shaped like a human skull but with notable differences, these were sharp teeth, mandibles attached to the jaw and glowing neon yellow colored segmented (insect like) eyes. Attached to his back and protruding through the robe were four silver colored metallic insect-like legs akin to those of Steel Spider or Iron Spider. On the torso of his uniform was a neon yellow spider symbol with long spindly legs. It was identical in coloration to his eyepieces. The emblem was similar in overall structure to that of an orb weaver spider.
"Ah, the Tablet of Order and Chaos," Mysterio said in his deep resonating voice.
"Enough monologuing, take it." The Mysterious Figure said in his electronically distorted voice.
"He's right, you talk too much Mysterio," Spider-Man said. He dropped from the ceiling accompanied by Spinneret. Both landed on their feet.
Mysterio summoned an illusion of a huge purple cobra from the mist. "Neat trick but ultimately its just that, a trick," Spider-Man said dropkicking Mysterio through the cobra. Mysterio was thrown several feet away by the impact where he landed on his back.
"If you want a heist executed correctly, do it yourself." The Mysterious Figure said. He smashed his fist through the display destroying it. He plucked out the Tablet of Order and Chaos before either Spinneret or Spider-Man could stop him. "Catch," He said throwing the tablet to Mysterio. Spinneret attempted to stop him but he effortlessly sidestepped her incoming attack and elbowed her aside. She stumbled back several steps but did not fall over.
"Interception," Spider-Man said snagging the tablet with a strand of webbing.
"I think not," The Mysterious Figure said. He lifted one of his hand out of which shot a pulse of blue plasma which burnt straight through Spider-Man's web line. The tablet glowed green in Mysterio's hands where it then landed. "We'll be seeing you around chumps." The Mysterious Figure said with a harsh chuckle.
Thinking fast Spinneret picked up a piece of the ruined display case, a heavy chunk of gold colored metal that had made up part of the base, and threw it at Mysterio who reflexively placed the tablet between himself and the incoming projectile. The hunk of display case hit the tablet breaking it into several pieces. One of these pieces remained in Mysterio's hand.
"Damnit," The Mysterious Figure cursed grabbing Mysterio's arm before both apparently disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Spider-Man you and your partner have no idea what you've just done!" A feminine voice shouted causing both Spider-Man and Spinneret to whirl around. In the far corner of the hall sat Madame Web in her chair which was supported by a massive black spider web.
"Yikes," Spider-Man exclaimed in surprise. "Madame Web, as if things weren't strange enough already you show up."
"The Tablet of Order and Chaos is among the most powerful of all mystic artifacts in all of creation." Madame Web said. "And you shattered it!" She pointed an accusing finger at Spinneret.
"Hey, it was an accident. I was trying to stop them." Spinneret said in her defense.
"The pieces are now fragmented, thanks to you, across other dimensions." Madame Web said. "Dimensions which are strange reflections of your own. Parallel universes unlike your yet similar in certain ways; a world where your lives took different routes due to different choices, a world with a time period out of sync with your own and a future which may yet come to pass." Flashes of these realities quickly passed before the bewildered eyes of Spider-Man and Spinneret along with many others.
"Wait is that Gwen Stacy as a spider person?" Spinneret said catching a glimpse of a version of Spider-Gwen.
"I'm wondering more about the cartoon spider pig thing," Spider-Man said catching a glimpse of Spider-Ham.
"Focus, both of you," Madame Web chided. "I require your help. Yours and the help of the spider heroes you'll find in the three worlds I specifically told you of. Those are others into whose worlds the missing fragments have passed."
"Time out, slow down a sec," Spider-Man said making the international time-out sign with his hands. "So you're talking about other versions of us existing in alternate universes, correct?"
"Indeed," Madame Web said.
"Way to make a guy feel not special." Spider-Man joked.
"I have already explained our dire situation to these ones they will gladly be your allies." Madame Web said. "You must gather all the pieces of the tablet before they fall into the hands of Mysterio and more importantly his ally, Spider Reaper." Madame Web said. "Or your reality, as well as theirs, could be utterly rewritten."
"Spider Reaper, cute name," Spinneret said feeling a shiver run down her spine. "Let me guess. This guy isn't exactly friendly to our kind?"
"He is quite unfriendly indeed," Madame Web said dryly.
"Save the Universe er Multi-verse from certain doom. So no pressure, huh," Spider-Man laughed nervously.
"Where do we start?" Spinneret asked.
"Through there," Madame Web said pointing at a swirling vortex of red energy that had appeared a few feet away from our heroes. Holding hands Spinneret and Spider-Man with only a brief hesitation jumped inside.
To Be Continued
Up Next part one of my AU rendition of the Spider-Man video gamer Shattered Dimensions!