Disclaimers
All characters appearing in Marvel Comics are copyright Marvel Entertainment and Walt Disney Company. No infringements of these copyrights are intended and are not authorized by the copyright holders.
All original characters are the property of Celgress.
Another Strand In The Great Web – Episode Twenty-Eighty Edge of Time Prologue
A highrise rooftop in New York City present day, night
"H-Have t-to g-get u-u-up." Spider-Man stammered. He lay face down bleeding on a rooftop his costume in tatters, one half of his battered face visible.
Not long ago Spider-Man alongside Iron Spider had stumbled upon Anti-Venom trying to "cleanse" a group of street children who just so happened to be X-Gene of their "demonic affliction". Several of the unfortunate children died as a result of Anti-Venom's "cleansing grace" being "bestowed upon them" before our heroes could stop him allowing the children to escape from the rooftop where he took them. Enraged by what he perceived as inference with his "heavenly mandate" Ant-Venom viciously attacked Iron Spider followed by Spider-Man beating each unmercifully. Spider-Man was eternally grateful that Spinneret was at the movies with their twins, otherwise, she would have likely also been depowered and beaten within an inch of her life by this insane brute.
"For too long have you frustrated my divine mission," Anti-Venom said stalking over to where Spider-Man lay helpless. Anti-Venom hoisted Spider-Man up by his neck holding him high overhead. Spider-Man was forced to look down into the fanged face of his tormentor. "Tonight you pay for your many sins Spider-Man. Tonight I bestow upon you final judgment."
"If anyone should pay for their sins it should to be a self-righteous, bible thumping, murderous, sociopath like you Eddie." Iron Spider said who was located somewhere off to Anti-Venom's left.
Iron Spider flew into Anti-Venom at full speed. Iron Spider's severely damaged suit sparked and sputter from its many holes. Iron Spider carried Venom and himself off the top of the building and into a trio of tightly packed generators located atop an adjacent office building. The generators exploded with a loud band destroying both Anti-Venom and Iron Spider in a surge of flames.
Spider-Man was swept off his feet by the shock wave from the explosion but was otherwise unharmed. "N-No, n-n-not a-again, Ben..." Spider-Man moaned. He vainly reached out with his right arm before unconsciousness claimed him.
Alchemax Headquarters New York City 2104, night
Miguel O'Hara the Spider-Man of 2099 (the year he assumed the legendary mantle) sat crouched in an air vent listening intently to a conversation between Walker Sloan head of Alchemax R&D and a strange cloaked figure who called himself Spider Reaper. While no stranger to tight spaces being stuck inside the vent, where he had remained hidden for an hour now while waiting for his targets to arrive, was starting to get to him. It was hot as hell in there and he could barely breathe plus he really needed a bathroom break. He hoped they would hurry up and monologue (as in his experience villains often did) about whatever nefarious plot they had hatched before he bailed due to panic and other problems.
"If I understand correctly the workings of this device we've created once it is properly calibrated a temporal portal can be generated to any time period in the history of New York the operator so desires?" Spider Reaper said.
"Correct," Walker Sloan said happily a spark of madness in this eyes. "With it, I will go back to the 1970s and establish Alchemax decades before its historical competitors existed. I will then directly shape the destiny of New York and the World as I so desire. Think of it, we'll become gods!"
"I'll become a god Sloan you, on the other hand, will become nothing because you'll be dead." Spider Reaper said. He raised his gloved right hand which he pointed at Sloan. A concentrated beam of thin white energy shot from his gauntlet burning a small hole through Sloan's head Sloan died instantly as a result. "Thank you, Sloan, I couldn't have done this without your temporal know how. While travel between realities is second nature to me I find mastering time travel far more difficult." He stepped over Sloan's smoking body retrieving a key card from the dead executive as he did so.
"Now to implement my latest plan. The Peter Parker of this timeline, of this world, simply must go. He and his partner have already frustrated my ultimate design I will not permit their possible interference in my upcoming takeover of the Web of Life. I shall travel back in time to the fateful day all original spider people share the day this Peter Parker was bitten by the mutated spider and prevent that event from ever occurring thus effectively erasing this Spider-Man from the history of his own world." Spider Reaper said while he inputted the proper space-time coordinates after swiping the stolen key card through a card reader mounted next to the control panel. The portal roared to life creating a large, swirling multicolored energy vortex. Spider Reaper made ready enter the vortex.
Spider-Man 2099 only understood half of what Spider Reaper said but that was enough. He knew he must stop this masked maniac from altering time. Spider-Man 2099 emerged from his hiding play. He landed between Spider Reaper and the portal.
"Hmmm, what do we have here a future Spider-Man?" Spider Reaper wondered aloud.
"The one and only." Spider-Man 2099 said. "How about you step away from the time machine and we both go home happy."
"How about no." Spider Reaper said. A disorientating pulse of invisible energy rippled through the air from Spider Reaper's raised left gauntlet. Spider-Man 2099 wobbled on his feet but did not fall down in a matter of seconds he had all but recovered. "Interesting, you obviously do not possess traditional spider sense if you did my hyper charger pulse would have temporarily disorientated you." Spider Reaper mused. "No matter, if once you fail, try, try and try again."
Spider Reaper squirted a sticky purple substance from the same gauntlet onto Spider-Man 2099 who failed to fully dodge in time as he still felt slightly nauseous from the pulse.
'Whatever this stuff is it burns like acid.' Spider-Man 2099 thought as the goop rather rapidly soaked through his costume something which should have been impossible given its unique molecular makeup. "Arrghhh," He cried out in pain falling to his knees.
"Ah, so you are a metahuman of some description, otherwise my purity formula would not have harmed you. Purity is only reactive to artificially altered genome types." Spider Reaper said pleased with his deduction. He leaned in closer. "It also temporarily weakens or rather dulls any biological abilities derived by artificial mutation." He whispered. "Here, allow me to demonstrate." Spider Reaper elbowed, kneed and otherwise beat the tar out of Spider-Man 2099 for the next minute. "While this has been fun I have an OG Spider-Man to prevent from being created, toddles."
Spider Reaper walked passed Spider-Man 2099 through the portal. In his haste failed to notice he had dropped the key card. The portal automatically closed behind Spider Reaper. Once alone Spider-Man 2099 picked up the lost key card and crawled towards the control panel. "Have to stop him." He groaned. In slowly diminishing agony he pulled himself up until he could examine the computer input. "This should work, I hope," He said. He inputted a set of coordinates which he thought matched those used by Spider Reaper and hobbled his way through the portal. He kept the key card just in case he would need it again. He silently wished he could consult his holographic AI Lyla but recently installed dampening fields in this part of the building prevented any non-Alchemax tech from functioning properly. "Here goes everything." Spider-Man 2099 limped through the portal into the unknown.
A highrise rooftop in New York City present day, night
Spider-Man woke up to find a bright multicolored light shining in his eyes.
"How long was I out." He moaned getting to his feet. His body loudly protested his efforts.
"Oh no, wrong time period." Spider-Man 2099 said upon seeing Spider-Man. "Now what am I going to do?"
Spider-Man 2099's holographic wrist watch blinked producing a small blue hologram of his assistant Lyla who while dormant had remained aware of the situation. "We can access the time gateway remotely from here. Push the key card against my sensor port." Lyla instructed.
"Am I ever glad to see you." Spider-Man 2099 said to Lyla
"And I you," Lyla said while she analyzed the circuitry.
"Miguel, is that you?" Spider-Man asked groggily. "Anti-Venom clobbered me pretty hard so I could be hallucinating this encounter."
"It's me, Peter, I'm no hallucination," Spider-Man 2099 said. "Wow, you look like I feel, awful."
"I know, I'm hurt pretty bad," Spider-Man said. "What's your story? Why are you here in the past?"
Overhead the sky literally dissolved into a fiery red mess as the fabric of reality was torn asunder. "No time for chit chat you better come with me." Spider-Man 2099 said. "Lyla you can open the portal any time now."
"Come with you where?" Spider-Man asked.
"Back to future." Spider-Man 2099 said.
"Sure thing Doc Brown," Spider-Man said with a small laugh that made his ribs ache
"What?" Spider-Man 2099 said not getting the reference.
"C'mon really," Spider-Man said exasperatedly. "Never mind," he sighed a moment later.
"Lyla, portal," Spider-Man 2099 said. Except for the building they stood upon the everything had turned to orange-red colored fire.
A new multi-colored portal appeared just before the rooftop would have ceased to exist in its present form. Spider-Man 2099 pulled Spider-Man inside with him. A second later the spot where they stood was gone.
Alchemax Headquarters New York City 2104, night
Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 tumbled out of the portal onto the cold metal floor. Spider-Man 2099 was surprised when he noticed Lyla's holographic interface remained functional. Both Spider-Men got to their feet and Spider-Man 2099 said.
"Lyla why hasn't your interface shut off?"
"My sensors indicate that other than this room the Alchemax Building has ceased to exist due to ongoing timeline alterations," Lyla reported.
"Why is this room protected?" Spider-Man 2099 inquired.
"I theorize it is protected from timeline changes because the portal generator is unstable as a result it is leaking large amounts of chroniton particles which have insulated this space from temporal changes. How long the insulating effects of chroniton radiation will last is unknown." Lyla stated.
"Could someone please tell me what is going on?" Spider-Man said rubbing his sore head. In the back of his mind he wondered how (assuming he got home) he would tell the others about Ben. If only there was a way he could change what happened.
"Okay, but brace yourself this is heavy stuff." Spider-Man 2099 said. Although by no means happy with the current situation Lyla's words had given him a glimmer of hope. With the time portal intact perhaps between the three of them they could fix things, somehow.
To Be Continued
Next up - A time travel epic as our heroes travel back to the fateful day Peter was bitten by the radioactive spider, Peter searches for a way to save his clone brother Ben, Miguel is forced to make a personal sacrifice, and the origins of the evil Spider Reaper are revealed!
Author's Note One -
Miguel has been the Spider-Man of 2099 for about five years thus this is set in 2104. Peter and Miguel know each other due to the events of the classic 1990s' Era story Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man (which is a great read, for those interested in Spider-Man 2099).
Author's Note Two -
This modified version of "Edge of Time" will mainly be a Peter (and Miguel) centric story. Expect the entire Spider Family (along with a few others) to take center stage during "Spider-Island" and then "Superior Spider-Man".