In the vast majority of the multiverse, it looked like a gigantic web that was always connecting to other strands. When these strands continue to interconnect, they form vast worlds and realities.
"Time." A mysterious voice called out, as one world showed off Peggy Carter ending up in the current time. She then fell in love with Richard Parker, leading to the two getting married.
"Space." Elsa Oldenberg was currently in deep space, fighting off Chitauri with the help of Peter Parker. By their side were also Rocket Raccoon and Groot the living tree.
Then a world where the Avengers were being led by Spider-Man as he, Wasp, Ant-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and Hulk protected the world from threats. "Reality."
Then there was a simpler reality where Peter Barton and Yolanda Montez fell in love. "It's more than a linear path."
"It's a prism of endless possibilities." Then an even darker world where Peter Parker was raised by HYDRA and conquered the world. He sat on a giant throne, surrounded by slaves of the conquered world, as well as the six infinity stones around his chest. "Where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities."
Speeding past infinite different bundles and webbing showing off the thousands of different realities. They were created by either small unnoticeable choices or gigantic moments that were altered. "Creating alternate worlds from the ones you already know."
Then we are met with a giant figure who stares at the vast universe, looking down at the extended universe of the What If Universe. "I am the Watcher. I am your guide throughout all of these vast new realities. Follow me, and we'll journey into the unknown and ponder the question..."
"What if...?"
The Watcher eyed the familiar universe from the first time around. "Welcome back. I don't normally do sequels. There are many stories to tell in this universe, so why focus on one like this? Their story was given a happy ending, and they got to live happily ever after." Then he chuckled. "Then again, you have to say that this universe has plenty of potential. After all, not every world is home to the Fantastic Four and them alone. Almost alone."
New York, years ago:
As Peter Parker was playing in the park, he accidentally kicked his ball into the nearby bushes. He ran towards the bushes to retrieve the ball and as he bent over to pick it up, he noticed a foot on the ground where the ball was. When he looked up, he saw a young girl with enchanting green eyes staring at him curiously.
Peter smiled at the girl and gestured for her to follow him. As she stepped out of the bushes, Peter noticed that her face was blurry, except for her eyes. The young girl's voice sounded muffled as if she was speaking underwater, which confused Peter.
Throughout the day, Peter and his parents got to know the blonde-haired girl. As the day came to a close, Peter found himself sitting down on a blanket with the basket of food his mother had brought with her. The young girl rested her head on Peter's shoulders, and they watched as the sun began to set.
Suddenly, a gigantic shadowy figure appeared in front of the sun, extinguishing its light. Shadows reached out to grab Peter, but instead, they grabbed the little girl with blonde hair and yanked her into the darkness. She screamed out and reached for Peter, but he couldn't save her. The shadowy figure then grabbed Peter by the head, and everything went dark.
Peter woke up in his bed feeling groggy. He rubbed his head in confusion as he remembered the strange nightmare he had. These dreams had been happening quite frequently ever since he woke up from his coma after his fight with The Maker and surviving that singularity. Despite his efforts believing these dreams would just go away, they seemed to be here to stay.
"Alright, let's do this."
As Peter turned to his side, he saw a giant bush of golden blonde hair next to him. He smiled as he recognized the owner of the hair - Susan Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman.
"His name is Peter Parker, and for the past three years, he was the leader of the Fantastic Four."
As he got out of bed, Peter looked outside the window and saw that the city was already bustling with activity. He knew that he had to get going and join his team, the Fantastic Four. For the past three years, he had been their leader, and together, they had been protecting the world from various threats.
Quickly getting dressed in his Spider-Man suit, Peter met up with his team, who all looked determined and ready to face any challenges that might lie ahead. As they moved out, Peter swung ahead of everyone, his spider-sense tingling with excitement.
"And after they stopped Reed Richards, they were stuck cleaning up the aftermath of his destruction and all of the Inhumans that were unleashed on the world. Which..."
In a flashback, we saw how the team used Black Bolt's voice to disperse the cure while also using a Terrigen crystal to prevent his brother from using him as a sonic cannon and destroying all life on Earth. This process resulted in every person with Inhuman ancestry on Earth gaining superpowers. It was a risky move, but ultimately, it paid off as it saved the Inhumans from Reed's mind control.
"...Okay, yeah, that was technically their fault."
Despite the occasional misstep, Peter knew that the Fantastic Four was making a difference in the world. They were protecting people and fighting for what was right. And he was honored to be their leader.
"Despite all of their faults, they have become an incredible team."
Cisco walked through the halls of the Future Foundation headquarters. Sitting down behind his desk, it was revealed that the cube "Tesseract" that they had stolen from HYDRA was currently being used as a paperweight on his desk. He was studying it, but it didn't seem to be anything important anymore.
"Peter has enlisted Cisco as the head of the engineering division."
Caitlin was inside one of the labs herself and was currently working on something, while a few other scientists were working alongside her.
"Caitlin is now the new lead on bioengineering."
Bette was wandering the halls of the building while stopping to check in on a few of her men.
"Bette has been promoted to head of security."
Johnny had just flown around the city and landed right on the platform for the team to arrive and depart from.
"Johnny is still being Johnny. Except he took this whole Human Torch thing to the extreme. The team is basically celebrities."
Ben walked around with Alicia outside, enjoying everything. There were a few glances, but not enough to hurt him; most people see him as a hero nowadays, especially after he saved the world.
"Ben helps out but is mostly there to ensure they don't summon aliens and is there to assist them if they accidentally do."
Karolina Dean was packing up some books as she was currently attending college. After escaping from HYDRA, she had been trying to find normalcy ever since the Fantastic Four had taken her in. Now, she was attending Atlas Academy.
"Karolina went to California and is now attending college while also protecting people as...well, Cisco has been calling her "Radiance."
"Janet stuck around but rarely went out as Wasp since the Singularity incident. She is mostly around as a backup member of the team but also is the head of the newly developed Pym department named after their deceased friend."
Janet was doing her job as head of Pym department, looking for new ways to better the world and protect it, whether with or without her suit. Using the Pym particles to solve world hunger and many more problems in the world.
Katherine Power was still living in Central City and lived with an adopted family. Ironically, it was with Barry Allen's parents that she was staying. She would visit the Future Foundation to learn more about her powers and was best friends with Franklin.
"Katherine has been living with Henry and Nora Allen, Barry Allen's parents. She has been a close friend to Franklin when they met up at the facility or even at school."
Black Bolt and Medusa were sitting on the thrones of Attilan after their city had finally become a true location to the Earth after everything that they had done to fix their home after it crashed onto Earth.
"The Inhumans are starting to get a sense of normality after suffering massive life changes. For one being stranded on Earth after everything Maximus has done to it."
Peter and Sue were currently walking around their home and packing school bags for each of their kids. They sold the house and decided to live with the Fantastic Four in four quarters full time with everyone else. They renovated the top floors and even expanded the facility to provide the entire team with condo-like living conditions for everyone, and a few extra guest rooms for whatnot.
"And Peter practically became a father overnight."
Franklin came running into the room and grabbed his bag. "Bye, mom. Peter is waiting for me."
"See you, sweetie," Sue said with a smile, watching as Franklin ran towards the elevator.
Valeria was close behind as she grabbed her bag. "Is Daddy taking us to school today?"
"Yep, he's waiting for you two," Sue confirmed for her daughter.
Valeria has gotten into the habit of calling Peter her father since he's been there for as long as she can remember. Something that her real father was never going to be, even if he was still around. But thanks to whatever that singularity was, they never have to worry about Reed ever returning. Valeria also knew that Peter wasn't really her father, but she never considered anyone else especially Reed to be her father.
"And they thought that everything was going smoothly...until one day everything changed." The Watcher finished recapping all of the events that were going down. Then he sighed as he knew that this was going to change everything going forward. "But..." Then he grew concerned as he knew what was yet to come. "But be careful. I am not entirely sure if I can bear to narrate what might happen next..."
In a luxurious bedroom paved with the finest of treasures, there was a going bed in the middle of the room. In this bed lay a man and a woman, one with long flowing blonde hair that covered her face considering her current position. She was lying bare on top of her lover who bore an all-familiar face. It was Peter Parker.
A big grin popped over the woman's face, and she leaned in towards Peter to plant a full kiss on his hero's lips. The two exchanged an extremely steamy kiss. Peter wrapped his arms around the woman's bare shoulders as he caressed his way down her hips to her legs, all but feeling her alluring body. The sweet taste of her lips brought pleasure to Peter. The pleasure increased with her rotating her hips down onto Peter's torso area and making him groan in pleasure.
"Ah, this is what I always wanted." The woman leaned in close to Peter's ear, kissing his neck along the way. "Isn't this what you always wanted, my beloved Peter? To be married to a beautiful goddess?" She then cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. "We will love each other for eternity. You and me forever."
"Yes, I will always love you and be by your side. You're my entire world, my enchantress," says Peter with his eyes glowing while they start to kiss again.
The woman smiled as she leaned in and kissed him again. Peter's arms moved further downward, cupping her exposed backside, causing her to squirm.
The Watcher saw the whole scene and almost looked like he was going to shudder at the scene. "I guess I should give you some explanation. Let's go back a bit to how this all started. Two years after the Singularity."
CURRENTLY:
The Future Foundation's team had gathered early in the morning to attend a presentation by Cisco. The reason for the meeting was not yet disclosed, but the team was curious and eager to know what Cisco had in store for them. The team's base had undergone some upgrades recently, making it feel more like a real home. The circular center of the base had a giant number "4" painted on the floor, which gave a unique touch to the place. Furthermore, the base was now much cleaner and well-maintained, thanks to the diligent efforts of HERBIE, who was constantly cleaning up after the team. The team members also found HERBIE to be a great assistant whenever they needed anything during their work.
Cisco had even started a collection of artifacts from the various enemies they had defeated as a team. The collection started with the Maker's helmet after the singularity swallowed him up, and Maximus' armor plate after Black Bolt took his brother to their Inhuman prison. This collection not only acted as a reminder of the enemies they had defeated but also as a symbol of their achievements and growth as a team. And Cisco thought it was cool.
"Thank you all for showing up," said Cisco addressing the entire group. "I have gathered everyone here today to present to you all the new and improved uniforms of the Fantastic Four!"
"Do we need new suits, Cisco?" Susan asked the obvious question. "I mean, our uniforms have been working out well so far. No tears, no odors."
"And that's important when you're partnered with a guy who can scorch into flames," Janet added, gesturing toward Johnny. "Do you have anything to cover for that?"
"Are you even getting back in the suit?" Johnny asked her.
"I'm here when you need me," Janet replied with a shrug.
"Can we just..." Cisco tried to stop everyone. "Allow me to present, okay? Besides, you might like the new designs."
"New designs?" Bette asked curiously.
"Do we really need new suits?" Peter was curious to know. "I mean, the suits we've been wearing the past few years have been holding up perfectly fine."
"You see? That. That right there is the reason we need to do this." Cisco stated. "I mean, honestly, we need a new style to reflect the team currently."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Susan asks.
"Can I just show off the suits and we can see what you think?" Cisco asked, yanking off the tarp hiding the suits from them. "Ta-da!"
The looks on everyone's faces didn't exactly seem impressed. They looked at the outfits he had made and figured that they looked...fine.
Susan's outfit is a striking ensemble that features a black base color with a blue belt-style look, blue gloves, blue boots, and a blue belt. The most prominent feature of the outfit is the "4" symbol on the chest which signifies the Fantastic 4 team. The outfit is designed to complement Susan's style and personality and is perfect for her role in the team.
Johnny's outfit is similar to Susan's in terms of the color scheme, but it has a black base color with blue boots, gloves, a black belt waist, and a white torso that represents armor. The outfit also features the Fantastic 4 symbol on his chest, just like Susan's, but it is more pronounced due to the contrast with the white base color. The outfit is designed to reflect Johnny's character and his role in the team as the hothead with his fire-based powers.
Peter's suit design is based on athletic wear and compression clothing, which gives it a sleek and modern look. The suit features a red, orange, and blue color scheme, with the red color being more prominent. The blue color is concentrated around the legs, and the suit has white hand patches that extend up to the suit's wrists. The most distinctive feature of the suit is the large white spider on the chest, which replaces the traditional small black spider. The spider has long legs that end at the thin blue piping of the suit.
The suit also features modernized shoes with a sneaker-style design instead of knee-high boots. The suit now has web wings that can be deployed, which can be used to swiftly glide through wind tunnels for quick means of traversal.
The only clothing he has for Ben is a Fantastic Four's short pants with a black belt with a number 4 on the buckle. There was also a matching pair of black boots that were made for his size.
Janet looked over at the changes Cisco made to her suit. Her Wasp costume is comprised of yellow and dark blue color with a wasp-inspired two pairs of wings on the back and a helmet that resembles a wasp's face.
The team wasn't entirely sure they understood what was so special about these outfits compared to their old ones.
"So?" Bette asks.
"Yeah, Cisco, I don't really see anything special about this," Peter admitted.
"They look like random changes to our current suits," Susan commented.
"I mean, I feel I could use a change," Ben admitted. "My white suit isn't exactly white anymore."
"Yeah, that's where we get to the upgrades I made to these bad boys," Cisco stated as he grabbed his tablet. "And girls."
"Cisco, it's a suit. I don't care what you call it." Susan replied with a roll of her eyes.
"I will keep that in mind. Returning to these beauties, I have implemented into these suits self-repairing armor, nano-liquid circuitry, full-spectrum scanning, and a whole bunch of other big words. Chief among them..." He then tapped a button and the Spider-Man suit lenses started to give a red glow. "Your very own custom-made HUD. This thing is loaded with maps, schematics, and even menus of your favorite restaurants and your orders."
"Wow, I thought you were kidding about that one," Caitlin admitted.
"He is really tired of ordering the same thing constantly for everyone," Bette admitted with a laugh.
"What the hell is this?" Ben asked when he looked at the pants Cisco made for his new suit.
Cisco clutched his tablet like a child clutching a stuffed animal for comfort. "Well, I couldn't really do anything big due to your uhh odd physique."
Johhny laughed when he heard him say that. "What he means is that he couldn't do anything due to your humongous rockslide of a body."
"I'll show you french fries a rockslide!" Ben growled as he ran after Johnny who took off running away.
Cisco managed to duck and get out of the way as Ben seemed to be focusing his attention on Johnny for now. "Yeah, get him, Ben!" he really didn't want to be clobbered.
They heard what sounded like Johnny and Ben fighting and something breaking in the distance.
"And you wonder why we can't have nice things," Bette whispered to Caitlin.
"Okay, now I am interested. Dude, what else does this do?" Peter asked as he approached the suit and was curious to actually try it out.
Cisco then reached over and picked up a book. "Well, lucky for you, I wrote an instruction manual." The book looks like it was over give hundred pages long. "Come on, we're not animals."
"Nice work, babe," Bette tells Cisco as he then makes his way back to his labs quickly to hide from Ben.
"I know!" Cisco cried as he kept going.
Peter looked down at the book and groaned. "Alright, you know what?" He then tossed the manual aside. "I will look at this later." He then saw the time and knew he should get going. "I got a meeting to get to. Meeting with Medusa about those safeguards she wanted to bring to Attalan to protect them from having someone steal their Terrigen crystals."
"I still don't know who or why anyone would want those," Susan commented as Peter walked towards the elevator. "Especially after everything that happened."
"Well, we opened a whole new world." Peter reminded them as he walked into the elevator. "Inhumans and Metahuman powers are the new currency."
Peter was showing Medusa all of the security protocols that he and his people had set up to protect their most valuable artifacts such as the Terrigen crystals. Since they landed on Earth two years ago, there have been countless people and even a few government agencies who have been trying their hardest to break into the city so they could steal their crystals to try and gain powers for themselves.
"See here, we have used some new techniques so that only you and your family can enter this vault." Peter showed her the features. "We've got it so your hair needs to reach these switches, whilst getting your eyes scanned and detecting how many people are around you. Crystal needs to hold these handles whilst also conjuring weather. And your husband just needs to whisper, sending tremors to the vault to register it as voice commands."
"You have put a lot of effort into ensuring this for us." Medusa complimented.
"Well, your Terrigen crystals are important to you, and it is much safer to leave them with you, rather than have them out on the streets," Peter commented.
Medusa nodded and took this information with her as she saw that there was work to be done to explain to her husband and sister when she returned home. That was when there was an alert on Peter's watch, summoning him to an emergency Cisco found.
"Uh, oh. Duty calls." Peter said as he left Medusa.
Medusa watched as Peter left and walked off. Peter made it to the Fantastic Four labs where he wondered what was going on there. "Hey, what's going on?"
"We got word our old pals, Juggernaut and Beetle were spotted in a junkyard," Cisco informed him.
"Juggernaut in a junkyard with Beetle?" Susan wasn't sure what to think about that.
"Well, whatever they are doing out there, we'll clobber 'em!" Ben stated, pounding his fists together.
At the Central City Junkyard, the Juggernaut, one of the newer either Inhuman or Metahuman that they came across after they defeated Reed Richards, The Maker, from destroying the world. He was a humungous humanoid that was basically walking muscle wearing a red suit. He was walking around aside from the Beetle. He is a mercenary who wears an all-armored suit that has a ton of gadgets within it.
"The signal is leading us here." Beetle comments as he looks around. "What? There's nothing here."
"There's nothing but junk here!" Juggernaut was mad to see.
Then a fireball flew and smacked Juggernaut in the face, causing him to wince and tumble back a little. They looked and noticed the Fantastic Four coming down and preparing to fight. Peter landed in his famous pose, Ben came leaping and crashing into the ground. Susan used a forcefield to fly on down and land aside them. Johnny flew around and stayed in the air right behind the team.
"Well, you said it before I could." Johnny quipped. "You two are back for another butt whopping?"
"You guys think you can take us down?" Beetle asks. "Take them!"
"With pleasure!" Juggernaut cried, racing his way over towards them.
"Hey, Ben, do you know what time it is?" Peter asked his friend with a grin.
"Oh, yeah, I do, Webbs." Ben chuckled as he got ready to charge. Then he went off running towards the approaching Juggernaut. "It's clobbering time!"
Juggernaut charged towards The Thing, his massive frame barreling through the piles of scrap metal. The Thing stood his ground, bracing himself for impact, and as Juggernaut reached him, he swung his powerful fist toward The Thing's head.
The Thing ducked under the punch and countered with a powerful uppercut that landed squarely on Juggernaut's chin. Juggernaut stumbled back, but quickly regained his footing and charged again.
This time, The Thing was ready. He sidestepped Juggernaut's attack and landed a series of punches to Juggernaut's midsection. Juggernaut grunted in pain but didn't falter. He grabbed a nearby car and hurled it towards The Thing.
"Johnny, give Ben a hand, me and Susan will take Beetle," Peter told the team.
"Got it," Johnny stated as he flew off and threw a fireball at Juggernaut before swirling around Juggernaut.
The Thing caught the car with one hand and hurled it back at Juggernaut, who took it head-on and it smashed it to pieces with his head. The two continued to trade blows, each one landing with the force of a freight train.
Without wasting any time, Spider-Man swung into action and charged towards the Beetle. He landed a powerful punch, but the Beetle was no pushover. "Hey, Beetle! From arachnid to bug, can we just talk this out?" With his super-strong armor, he retaliated with a powerful energy blast that sent Spider-Man crashing to the ground. "I guess that's a no!"
Invisible Woman quickly used her powers to create a force field around Spider-Man, protecting him from further attacks. She then launched a barrage of invisible projectiles at the Beetle, but his armor proved to be too tough to penetrate.
"You think this will stop me?!" Beetle asked and then charged towards Invisible Woman. "I'll fight you on my own!"
But Susan simply went invisible and dodged his attack causing Beetle to look around in confusion as to where she went. Then she reappeared behind him before he even knew what happened. As he turned around, she used her powers to trap him in a force field, immobilizing him.
But then Beetle watched as the fight between Juggernaut and Thing made its way towards them, causing Susan to shriek and shield herself for her own protection. Beetle managed to break free and then shot several missiles toward Susan and Spider-Man.
Peter was quick to react as he leaped and maneuvered around the missiles and then went to punch Beetle. But to his surprise, four mechanical arms came spewing out of his suit's back and then began to punch and attack Beetle's armor. The Beetle was sent flying and crashing into the ground, and Peter looked back at the mechanical arms in his back.
"What the heck?!" Peter asked as he looked over the new suit. "Cisco, explanation!?"
"You didn't read the manual, did you?" Cisco asked. "Those are your mechanical arms. They don't work completely, but they give you an edge in a battle."
"Would have been nice to know before!" Peter cried as he ran to dodge Beetle who came flying in and tackled Peter.
"Spider-Man!" Susan cried and began to try and use her forcefields to get them off one another.
As the battle raged on, the fighters were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a strange, swirling portal. This wormhole seemed to open up out of nowhere, and it was immediately clear that it was a force to be reckoned with. The intense gravitational pull of the black hole-like vortex quickly began to draw in everything and everyone in the vicinity, and chaos ensued.
Peter, being quick on his feet, immediately sprang into action. He knew that he had to act fast to save his friends from being sucked into the void. With his trusty webs, he spun a web around Susan and Johnny, pulling them back towards him and away from the edge of the portal. Ben was already a safe distance away, but he still tried to help his friends escape from the vortex.
Beetle, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. Despite his jetpack, he found himself being inexorably pulled in by the powerful gravitational force of the wormhole. Even as he tried to fly away, he couldn't break free. Meanwhile, Juggernaut was in even more danger as he was closer to the portal. Peter knew that he had to act fast if he wanted to save his friend.
With all his might, he shot webs toward Juggernaut, hoping to pull him back from the edge of the portal. But the webs kept getting snapped or tangled, and Juggernaut was still being dragged closer and closer to the void. In the end, there was nothing Peter could do but watch in horror as Juggernaut screamed and fell into the portal.
As the vortex closed, it left the team in disarray. Everyone fell to the ground, and even Beetle's jetpack ran out of fuel. Peter was left reeling from the shock of what he had just witnessed. But as he looked back towards the portal, he noticed something strange. In the distance, he could make out what looked like a world or a land of some sort. How was that possible? If the vortex was truly a black hole, how could anything exist inside it? These were the questions that raced through Peter's mind as the team tried to regroup and make sense of what had just happened.
"What...the hell...was that?" Johnny asks.
"I don't know," Peter confessed.
The following morning after the incident, the Central City Police Department (CCPD) and Future Foundation were on the scene to investigate the strange occurrence. Peter, who had been present the previous night as Spider-Man, was now present as himself, discussing the events with Susan and Yuri to provide an explanation of what had happened with the Juggernaut being swallowed by a black hole.
Meanwhile, Cisco was busy scanning the area with the assistance of Barry, who was representing CCPD, while Cisco was there on behalf of the Future Foundation. However, it was a bit unusual to see Cisco in a decontamination suit, which raised some eyebrows. Despite the strangeness of the situation, everyone was working together to uncover the truth behind the incident and ensure the safety of the surrounding area.
"So, a black hole opened up and ate the Juggernaut?" Yuri asks them.
"Either that or a Metahuman/inhuman with the power to open portals," Susan replied.
"Medusa did mention a few of her people have been going missing in recent years," Peter commented. "Maybe it's related to that."
"I thought she said they just left Attilan," Susan replied.
"They were never heard from again." Peter corrected her. "But back to the current topic, Yuri, is there anything that you can tell us?"
"Well, I can tell you that I know of a few police reports from here," Yuri confessed all she knew. "Some petty thefts from what I can remember."
"People file police reports on missing trash?" Peter was surprised to hear that. "Seriously?"
"Well, yeah, not everything here is garbage." Susan saw the beauty in small personal items. It was one of the few things that Reed ever gifted her to own in her marriage with him. One of the many reasons she was happy to know he was gone.
Then they heard something getting knocked over, and they looked to see Cisco getting frustrated with some garbage on his foot which ended with him kicking it. "Everything here is garbage!" He screamed in anger. "I hate garbage."
"Okay, well, I am gonna see what he found out," Peter said to Yuri as he and Susan approached Cisco. "Hey, what have you got for us?"
"This site is littered no pun intended with gamma rays and magnetar fields." Cisco showed them the results of his work.
"What are you saying?" Susan wasn't sure if he was saying what she thought he was saying. "That we were attacked by a-"
"Yeah, a frakkin' black hole," Cisco confirmed.
Returning to the Future Foundation, they filled in everyone on what exactly it is that they appear to be facing. To say they didn't understand the data that Cisco was showing to them would be an understatement. Goose was just sitting around the desk and licking herself while the team was hard at work. Janet was keeping their company together while they were currently busy saving the world.
"I...don't get it," Johnny admitted.
"What else is new?" Ben replied. "Someone wanna break this down for us?"
"Basically, when we were fighting, a black hole opened up and swallowed Juggernaut." Susan recapped.
"And right now, Yuri is questioning Beetle to figure out if they had anything to do with it," Caitlin told them. "I am actually gonna head out and meet with Barry to see what he has to say."
"You turning this into a date?" Cisco asked with a smug smile.
"No," Caitlin replied but then considered it. "Well, we might get lunch, so it might just turn into a lunch date."
"Well, let us know if anything comes up," Peter said as Caitlin headed for the elevator.
"And this is going to take some time because this is a whole lot of information to disseminate," Cisco commented as he turned back to the screen.
"No one's ever extrapolated this much data from a black hole before." Susan agreed with him.
"There's something else," Peter commented, recalling what he saw. "When I looked into that black hole, it was like I saw...something."
"How about the empty void of space?" Bette commented. "Because that's what a black hole is."
"That's the thing. It was like there was something in the far distance in this thing." Peter tried to explain it. "It was like there was some sort of structure or even ground."
"So, you don't think this was a black hole?" Bette asks.
"Not exactly." Peter tried to explain it. "Okay, HERBIE? Pull my camera footage up."
"Consider it done, Dr. Parker." HERBIE cheered as he flew around and plugged himself into the computers.
Then they watched as Peter's camera footage came up and they watched as HERBIE zoomed past most of the fight right up to when the wormhole first opened. They watched through Peter's eyes as he was struggling to hold onto the webbing to protect his friends. Then he took a quick glance towards the portal where HERBIE froze the footage. They looked closer and had their robot zoom the footage in and they started to make something in the distance.
"That looks...like some sort of other world." Cisco took a random guess.
"Well, we do know there are other planets out there," Peter stated the obvious. "The Guardians, Inhumans, there are likely other civilizations out there."
"Maybe this is from a world with no atmosphere, and that's why we were getting sucked in." Susan took a guess.
"But...doesn't that mean that Juggernaut would have...died?" Bette asks them.
Peter groaned as he didn't even consider that for a second. "Yeah. I hate to say it, but we gotta face the idea that Cain Marko could be dead." Then he saw the sorrowful looks on everyone. Even though he was their enemy, they never wished death among any of the people they fought. "I know this isn't the outcome we would like, and we could hope, but our big brute might be gone forever."
"He's right," Susan said with a sigh. "It's not what we wanted but we need to help protect everyone else."
"So, let's say that we are dealing with a black hole, how do we stop that?" Peter asked them.
"I can get to work on some schematics." Cisco took a sigh and walked off. "Maybe I can use some of those HYDRA notes on the Tesseract. They tried to use it to create interdimensional portals, but all I got out of that brick was a cool glowing paperweight."
"He's using a Nazi-collected prize as a paperweight?" Peter asked Bette.
"Don't look at me. I am just security." Bette quipped as she strolled out of the room.
Caitlin had met up with Barry at Jitters where they started to talk and he handed her over some case files. "Okay, so these are some strange theft reports from the junkyard. Yuri gave me confirmation to pass this on to our good friends at the Future Foundation. More specifically the Fantastic Four. Beetle says he had nothing to do with what went wrong, but Yuri is still grilling him for what he was after."
"Great. Thanks." Caitlin said as she took the files and placed them in her bag. "This will certainly help us fight whatever this is. Be Metahuman or Inhuman or experiment."
"Man, having the power to open portals," Barry commented with a chuckle. "You imagine being one of them? Like...if you had the power to choose your gift, I mean, I would go for maybe speed. Have the power to run around fast."
"Hm. Personally, I would go for a healing touch." Caitlin admitted what her powers would be, looking over the names of people who were in the junkyard for any specific names that could stand out. "Heal the world."
"Always thinking about others." Barry chuckled. Then he watched as their cups of coffee began to shake. "You feel that?"
As Caitlin looked around, she could feel the panic rising within her as the whole building began to shake violently. She knew that something terrible was about to happen and she needed to act fast. Without hesitation, she took out her phone and started to summon the team for help.
But just as she did so, a strange and ominous wormhole suddenly opened up right at the entrance of the establishment. Barry quickly grabbed onto the table, which thankfully was screwed down to the floor. The glass to the entrance shattered and was then absorbed into the black hole, leaving Caitlin scrambling to grab onto anything she could find. Barry tried to grab her, but he wasn't strong enough to resist the immense gravitational pull of the black hole, and she slipped from his fingers.
Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the team arrived just in time to prevent disaster. Peter came crashing in through a window, webbing Caitlin and holding her on top of the side of the building. Susan then came in and used a forcefield to protect the team and all of Jitters from getting absorbed by the black hole.
The wormhole seemed to be slowly growing, and the team knew that they had to act fast to prevent any further damage. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the black hole closed, leaving everyone shaken but safe.
Susan sighed with relief and closed the forcefield, while Peter released the webbing and saw that everyone was safe. It was a close call, and the team knew that they had narrowly escaped a catastrophic event. However, they also knew that if this wormhole was growing, the entire city might be in danger now. The team needed to act quickly to prevent any further disasters from happening.
Caitlin was now in the Foundation sitting in the medical bay where she was getting looked over by HERBIE. He gave her a once over and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her.
"How are you feeling?" Johhny asked his friend.
"Like I should be dead." Caitlin sighed.
"Well, let's be thankful you're not," Peter said, happy she was safe before getting to the problem. "Okay, we need to deal with this black hole. I saw it at Jitters, it's definitely getting larger. The next time it comes, it could be a singularity 2.0, and we don't even know what stopped that last time. We can't take this up to chance."
"Okay, but why did this black hole decide to go from a junkyard to a coffee shop?" Ben asked them an interesting question.
"That's a good question." Peter didn't even consider that there could be a pattern. "At first, we thought that this black hole was a result of Beetle and Juggernaut trying to escape. But now this new info shows they aren't the ones in control."
"HERBIE, did you find anything in the files?" Bette asked the robot.
"Indeed, I believe I have, Ms. Bette," HERBIE said as he activated the screens. "After going through the list of people frequently visiting Jitters, and anyone with the background to create technology and visiting the scrapyard, I believe I discovered who might be behind it: Meet Chester P. Runk."
The screens then showed a young man wearing glasses standing over a device that looked like it was built from scraps.
"Hey, what up, party people?" Chester asked on a live chat stream. "Welcome to a world where all are welcome and anything, including the scientifically impossible, can and probably will happen."
Healthyskeptic45: This guy is totes a #madscientist.
"This is your boy chug-chug-chug-Chester!"
"I like him," Johnny admitted with a laugh.
"With knowledge from the bleeding edge of physics and beyond! Behind! Beyond!" Chester continued with a chuckle. "I've been working on that echo."
DerekIsAwesome6676: That was a solid echo
Danika_Heart: I love this guy's energy!
Chester said as he showed some coffee. "And yes, as usual, I am fueled by some.." he took a sip from a coffee cup from jitters. "Damn, fine cup from everyone's favorite beanery."
J-MONEY: Bet that's like his 6th cup today
"Poured, of course, to perfection by s certain special someone," Chester said in a cheeky tone, meaning he was likely talking about some crush. "Huh, huh, huh?"
WookieLover77: YOU ASK NATALIE OUT YET?!
"Uh, no, WookieLover77, I didn't ask Natalie out yet, but I got my punch card. Three more Invisa-chinos and I'm making my move, baby!" Chester said as he revealed a card that revealed the superheroes of the city that had been given their own drinks.
Those drinks were Rocky Thing, Invisa-chinos, Torch-latte, and Spider-slurpee.
HERBIE then fast-forwards the video and skips ahead. "This portion isn't helpful. He talks about his crush for a while."
"Wow." Johnny scoffed. "Okay, so I am not getting the evil scientist vibe off from our boy here."
Peter then watched what Chester was building and was shocked. "Wait, is he building what I think he's building?"
"Behold, believers: a gravitational wave emitter powered by a modulated neutrino charger. In other words. Time to call some aliens!" Chester stated in a cheery tone again.
"He built this in his garage?" Cisco was shocked to see.
"Out of garbage." Susan was shocked to see when Chester turned on the machine.
"Guys, look at the date." Caitlin pointed to the date of the video.
"Two years ago?" Peter froze when it finally came to mind. "Oh, no."
"Uh...oh. What's happening?" Chester asked as he heard a siren going off in the distance. This was the same day that everything went down against Reed and the Inhuman army.
The video was fast forwarded and they watched the cloudburst of Terrigen mist that they watched as the cloud reached Chester and touched him, causing the video to glitch and freeze.
"He was hit by the Terrigen Mist." Peter sighed as he recalled that was also something they caused.
"Has anyone heard from him since then?" Susan wonders.
"Not on public records or police records," HERBIE replied.
"We should check this out," Peter stated and walked over to grab his phone. "I'll call in Medusa and Crystal, and see if they can meet us at his place."
"You seriously think he is still there?" Johnny asks. "I am sure someone would have found him by now."
They found Chester's garage and found what looked like a gigantic crystal with a few cracks around it in the middle of the room with the machine that Chester was working on in the video in pieces.
"Huh. They didn't move him." Johnny was a little surprised.
"He's been like this for two years?" Crystal was shocked to hear as she approached the Terrigen cocoon. "This never happens before."
"It looks like someone tried to move him." Medusa took notice as she saw cracks in the cement on the ground. "This is the Terrigen process that is a defense mechanism. The Terrigen deemed this place unsafe to wake up. It is keeping Chester safe until it deems it is safe."
"So, is it him who's making these black holes?" Peter asked Medusa.
"It is possible," Medusa commented. "That could be his power. Creating rifts in space."
"Well, these rifts are becoming dangerous," Susan tells them. "We need to figure out how to stop these."
"With these cracks, I think that it might have to do with Chester's mind starting to decay." Medusa guessed. "The crystal has been protecting him for so long, that his mind has become its own entity. Trying to find a comforting place to wake up."
"You think Chester's brain is causing all of this?" Ben asked in confusion. "How does that work?"
"It's his mind that is trying to wake up his body. The Terrigen is trying to help, and is releasing his powers to open up." Crystal explained the best she could to him.
"So, how do we stop this?" Peter asks.
"You need to get Chester's brain back into his body," Medusa said as if it was obvious.
"Huh?" Peter asked.
"Here." Caitlin then showed them some data that she got from the black hole and the scans of the Terrigen crystal cocoon. "Normally stimuli enter the brain through the sensory area, goes up to the sensory area, goes up to the temporal lobe, and then back around, but watch Chester's brain." They watched as a lone flow through his beds but stopped halfway through. "It starts, but after halfway through the rotation, it disappears."
Caitlin then pulls up the footage of the black hole and shows the inside, where a flow of energy flows in a half circle before vanishing. Linking the two of them together, they see that both halves of the circle link up.
"So half of Chester's brain is a black hole?" asked Susan.
"So, if we wanna stop the black hole, we gotta find a way to get his mind out of the black hole, reunite it with his body, and when his condition stabilizes, hope the black hole should just collapse." Peter recapped the plan.
"Right. But they didn't exactly teach us how to remove half a brain from a black hole in med school." Caitlin informed her friend.
"Okay, but we can't let Chester die," Susan stated.
"Nobody's saying that. I am just saying we need to think of a way we can accomplish this, without risking the whole city." Peter stated.
"The electrical impulses that are making up Chester's mind are just past the black hole's threshold," Caitlin started coming up with a plan, "but since his synaptic energy has a negative charge-"
"We just need something with a positive charge to attract his energy." Susan followed where she was going.
"Okay, then how are we going to accomplish that?" Caitlin questioned.
"I have been working on something that should help," Peter confessed. "It was supposed to be a surprise for the team, but..."
Peter gathered everyone in his lab, excited to show off his latest project. He dramatically pulled back the tarp, revealing a sleek, futuristic jet that he had been tirelessly working on. The jet had four seats arranged across the vehicle, providing ample room for passengers. To further add to its uniqueness, the number 4 was boldly painted on the front of the vehicle.
As Peter explained, the jet was designed to be able to separate into four individual vehicles, each with its own cockpit and controls. This feature would allow for greater flexibility and maneuverability in the air, making it an ideal choice for various types of missions.
The cockpit of each jet was designed with safety in mind, featuring a closing mechanism that could be activated if needed. This would provide an added layer of protection for the passengers, ensuring their safety even in the most extreme situations.
Overall, Peter's latest creation was a true marvel of engineering, showcasing his incredible talent and dedication to his craft.
"Ooh, how could you hide this thing from me?" Cisco asked as he praised the vehicle. "This is beautiful. I...I just might cry."
"Please don't," Peter told his friend. "Look, I built this thing as a means of space travel should the occasion ever come and we don't have access to Lockjaw. It should be able to withstand the pressure of the black hole."
"Okay, Pete, this is by far the coolest thing you've ever done!" Johnny stated as he looked it over. "Oh, man, you gotta let me fly this thing."
"No, way. I'm the best pilot here. I'm flying." Ben stated.
"You kidding? We'd be lucky if this thing can carry you." Jonny replied.
"Guys!" Peter cried out to stop them from arguing. "I'm flying. You guys are gonna make sure the outside of the hole is secure so I can get the brain out of it."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Caitlin asks.
"With this," Cisco said as he showed them what looked like a small impact mine. "This is the world's first inverse mass angular disruptor. I call it the mental Grenade. It'll suck up Chester's subconscious, dragging it along the way out of the black hole."
Susan then got an alert on her phone. "Good thing, too!" She showed everyone the news. "Because the black hole is back."
People were running in chaos as the black hole opened up right outside midtown. People were trying to escape the pull of the black hole and a few of the people were being dragged away towards the black hole.
Luckily for them, Susan arrived on the scene and used her force fields to scoop them up and move them away from the black hole's gravity pull.
"Run!" Susan told everyone.
Ben was helping people as he was throwing cars out if the way as the gravity pull was dragging them inside. "Get somewhere safe!"
Johnny and Peter were flying in with Peter behind the wheel of the Fantastic Car. "Fantastic-Car, heading in for the cortex."
"Fantastic Car?" Cisco asks. "That's what we're calling it? Mind if we maybe workshop that together?"
"It's my baby, I get to name it," Peter exclaimed.
Cisco laid back in his seat and muttered. "I thought I was the naming guy."
Bette showed sympathy and rubbed his shoulder. "You're gonna have to let this one go, babe."
"Peter, your window is now," Caitlin tells him.
"Oh, pray for me, gang," Peter muttered as he flew the car right into the vortex.
"Let's hope this works," Cisco said in terror.
As Peter flew into the cortex, he felt the sudden impact of a blinding light, which eventually subsided. As he opened his eyes, he was taken aback by what he saw. It was not the vast expanse of empty space that he was expecting, but rather, he found himself inside what appeared to be a small pocket dimension. This realization left him feeling bewildered and disoriented.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that this was no ordinary dimension. It was like a Negative Zone, where everything seemed to be inverted and backward. Peter noticed that there was no source of light, yet the skies above him were glowing a deep shade of red. As he looked down, he saw that the ground beneath him was covered in a thick layer of red dust, which seemed to be shifting and swirling in the absence of any discernible wind. The atmosphere was eerily silent, making him feel like he was the only living being in this strange, otherworldly place.
"HERBIE, you with me?" Peter asks.
"Of course, Dr. Parker," HERBIE confirmed.
"See what kind of information you can gather from this place," Peter asked the android.
"Aren't we hate for Chester's frontal cortex?" HERBIE asks.
"Yeah, do that too but...wait..." Peter saw something in the distance. "HERBIE, we're gonna test the separating mechanism. I'm gonna check something out, you find the frontal cortex and gather data."
"Alright, sir," HERBIE said.
Peter watched as the Fantastic Car split off into four different vehicles and went off into the distance.
The group of onlookers watched anxiously from a safe distance outside the black hole, waiting for Peter to emerge. As time passed, their apprehension grew, and they began to worry that the vehicle had been crushed by the immense gravitational forces of the black hole.
Susan couldn't contain her fear any longer. She whispered, "Come on, Peter, where are you? Please be okay."
Johnny stood a little further away, his eyes still fixed on the black hole. "Where are you, man? We're all waiting for you."
Suddenly, with a burst of energy, the Fantastic Car shot out of the black hole, reassembling itself. As the car came to a stop, it became clear that the Juggernaut was attached to the front of the vehicle, unconscious but alive. The glowing canister attached to the front of the car revealed that they had successfully collected the frontal cortex.
Relief washed over the Fantastic Four as they watched Peter's vehicle fly off towards Chester's place. When they arrived, they found Medusa and Crystal waiting. They watched as something flew overhead and dropped a canister that rolled towards them.
Without hesitation, Crystal picked up the canister and realized that it contained the half of Chester's brain that they had been searching for. They attached the device to the Terrigen crystallized Chester and waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.
"Chester?" Medusa called out. "Chester, it's alright. You are among friends."
The cocoon started to slowly break and shatter, finally releasing Chester from the restraints of the Terrigen Crystal. "What up, party people?!" He then opened his eyes to reveal they were flowing with black and orange energy. "Hey, what did I miss?"
Flying the car back to the Future Foundation, after dropping Juggernaut off at Iron Heights prison. Peter exited the vehicle only to be greeted by Susan running up and engulfing him in a hug and kissing him.
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Susan demanded, punching Peter. "You scared me to death!"
"Wasn't all that pleasant for me either." Peter defended with a laugh. They entered the main room and saw everyone. "Hey, did it work?"
"Medusa and Crystal are bringing Chester to Attilan so explain to him how his peers work and help control them.
"Dude! What was it like?" Cisco asked as he was curious.
"See for yourself," Peter said as he passed a drive to Cisco. "HERBIE got some interesting data there, and even some information on opening up a portal. Maybe we can create a portal to go there ourselves. Safely. Imagine that, exploring a strange new world."
"To boldly go where no man has gone before," Cisco stated as he looked over the drive in awe.
"Oh, and this is for our collection," Peter said as he picked up the helmet he got off of the Juggernaut. He placed it down on the table with a smile. "Seems there actually is an atmosphere there."
"Ooh, this is going to be so much fun," Cisco said as he ran off to find more information off the drive. "I call being Neil Armstrong. First man in this world."
"Pretty sure that Juggernaut already beat him to that, but let him have that." Peter chuckled. "Hey, what do you guys say to getting some drinks? Celebrating our little victory."
"I'm gonna pass," Caitlin told them. "I'm gonna go meet up with my mom. She's in town and has been begging to see where I work."
"I'm also gonna be a bit busy with some work I gotta catch up on," Susan confirmed as she pecked Peter's cheek. "But you saved billions of people. You deserve a night of fun."
Peter chuckled. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Susan said as she pecked his lips. "Oh, and has anyone seen Valeria?"
Peter groaned. "I think I know where she is."
Valeria was currently sneaking around in her parent's bedroom until she came across what she was looking for.
She found one of Peter's old Spider-Man costumes hidden away and immediately started to put it on. She then placed the mask over her head and even though the suit was too big, she was embracing the fantasy of being Spider-Man.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Peter asked with a grin.
Valeria shrieked when she saw Peter looking at her with a smile. "Daddy!" She then took off the mask. "Sorry."
Peter chuckled as he walked over to her. "I gotta find a better place to hide that. But then again, it's hard to hide anything from you. You're too smart for your own good."
"Sorry." Valeria felt it was her fault.
"Hey. No." Peter stopped her from apologizing. "Never apologize for being a genius."
"Daddy, is there a chance that I can get powers like you?" Valeria asked.
Peter sighed and knew that there was no possible way she can get his powers. If he was biologically Peter's daughter, there was a chance, but she was Reed's daughter biologically so there was no chance.
"Well, sweetie, you know your real biological father, right?" Peter asks.
"Yeah." Valeria didn't like to admit Peter wasn't her father. He was there for her first word, her first steps, and her first day of school. He was always the father figure she didn't have. "Why?"
"Well, I'm not saying it's impossible. But since we don't share DNA, we don't share powers." Peter tied his bets to explain. "There's no even a chance if we were related, you could gain my power."
Valeria looked upset for that. "Oh."
Peter however tried to lift her spirits. "Hey, that doesn't mean you might not do something incredible in the future."
Valeria smiled and wrapped Peter into a hug. "I wish you were my real daddy."
Peter smiled as he hugged her back. "Me too, sweetie."
Susan watched the whole thing from the doorway and was impressed by how much of a difference Peter had made in the kids' lives. Susan then left them alone so that she could go check on Franklin to make sure he was okay.
In the faraway kingdom of Latveria, there stood a cold and dusty castle where a man sat on his throne, seemingly lost in thought. The man was clad in a suit of armor that covered his entire body, save for his eyes. He wore a green tunic over the armor, with a hood attached to it by yellow clasps on the chest. A brown belt with a yellow clasp encircled his waist, completing his ensemble. The man's breathing could be heard throughout the room, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Suddenly, a hologram appeared in front of the throne, showing a news conference from Central City. Peter was speaking about the Future Foundation's scientific achievements and their role in saving the city, with the help of the Fantastic Four. However, the man on the throne was not interested in Peter's words.
"We are glad to have helped with the advancements we made here, and with help to the Fantastic Four, the city is safe yet again," Peter told the news conference. "And we are-"
In a fit of rage, the man unleashed a bolt of electricity from his armored fingers, destroying the hologram. A strange robot then entered the room, kneeling before the man.
"My lord, your project is ready for deployment," the robot informed him.
The man's almost metallic voice snarled in response, "Begin Phase 1."
It was clear that he had a sinister plan in motion, and this robot seemed to be part of it. The room was filled with ominous energy as if something terrible was about to happen.
And back in Central City, the guys all went out to celebrate the victory against the black hole that almost destroyed the city. This was the first threat to the whole city that came close to destroying the city since Reed and his Inhuman army, as well as the singularity that almost destroyed the world. The boys were the only ones out because it went from a victory party to a boy's night out to celebrate.
"And I have to ask," Barry said to Peter. "The car. What is it made out of?"
"It's made out of some special material that Sharon got me from S.H.I.E.L.D. called Nth Metal," Peter explained as he took a sip of his drink. "Man, I wish I could get drunk. Even if just a little."
"Man, I almost forgot." Cisco stopped drinking and pulled out a small serum. "Caitlin gave this to me, and said it would actually work to give you at least the buzz of the drink."
"I'll take it," Peter stated as he took the drink and placed it into his current drink. "If this becomes like the Hangover, you're gonna explain this to Susan."
"I'll take full responsibility," Cisco promised.
Peter put on a brave face and took a chug of the drink. But then he coughed and felt the burn down his throat. "Okay, wow, ouch, that burns like hell. How do you people drink this stuff?"
"Who knew the hero couldn't hold his liquor?" Ben laughed, taking a drink from a personalized mug made from steel.
Everyone around Peter found it amusing, but Cisco noticed something different. His attention was drawn to a gorgeous woman sitting at the end of the bar, looking in their direction.
She had fair skin, green eyes, and long blonde hair that cascaded down her back, reaching all the way to her waist. Her physique was a perfect blend of voluptuousness and athleticism, with toned broad shoulders and long, shapely legs. She wore a stunning green dress that was sleeveless, accentuating her arms, and had two delicate straps that crossed over her shoulders. The dress ended just above her knees, giving a glimpse of her toned legs when she crossed one over the other. However, what stood out the most was a peculiar green headband in her hair that looked like a crown. It added to her regal aura and made her look even more stunning.
"Uh, guys, I don't know how to tell you this, but some girl is looking at us," Cisco told them.
All of them looked over towards the bar and noticed the girl playing with her hair. She then got up from the bar and began to approach them.
"Uh, should we be concerned?" Barry asks.
"Nah, she might have recognized Johnny." Peter knew that Johnny was a publicly known person. "Might just want an autograph or something."
"Hi." She spoke with a shy voice. "Sorry, I don't do this often, but I just had to talk to you."
Everyone at the table was confused about who exactly she was referring to and ended up looking at one another. Peter ended up pointing toward Cisco, Cisco pointed toward Barry, Barry ended up pointing toward Ben, and Ben ended up pointing back toward Peter. Johnny however was actually pointing towards himself, thinking he was who she wanted to talk to.
"Him." She gestured towards Peter.
"Me?" Peter was surprised to hear.
"Yeah, my friends overheard how I thought you looked cute and dared me to talk to you...so, please talk to me."
Peter looked around at the gang and they all seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"We will defend you to Susan," Cisco promised.
"She approached you, you didn't indicate this," Barry assured.
"Just talk to the girl," Ben stated taking another swing of his drink.
Peter shrugged and then got up and made his way over to the bar so he could talk to her privately. "So, what's your name?"
"Amora." She introduced herself.
"Wow, that's a beautiful name," Peter told her.
Amora blushed and moved some of her hair behind her hairpiece. "Thanks. You are pretty cute, Peter."
"Thanks. Just a quick warning though, I do have a girlfriend." Peter warned her.
Peter noticed a small look of pain from Amora when he said that, but she seemed to be putting on a brave face. "That's something I should have expected. You are a handsome man, and would likely not be on the market."
"Sorry," Peter told her sympathetically. Then he looked at her headpiece. "That's a nice hairpiece."
Amora looked up at her hair and tapped it. "It's a hundred years old. Viking heritage."
"Huh?" Peter was confused to hear that.
"I'm an archeologist, which means that I dig up old people's things and make them look nice," Amora tells him.
"That sounds interesting," Peter commented. "Why did you choose that path?"
"Yeah, I ended up being stuck in my house for years because of some stupid thing," Amora tells Peter. "I ended up reading a lot about Mid- a lot on Earth's history. So it was either archeologist or historian, and archeologists get out more often."
Peter chuckled. "Well, what brings you to Central City?"
"I am just moving here, my old home got a bit suffocating," Amora tells him. "So, I came here hoping to get some space. To be free. To be myself. To be wild." Then she reached over and touched Peter's hand. "Maybe even to be wild with someone."
Peter started to feel as if she were flirting with him, even though he had told her that he had a girlfriend. He wanted to ask her to stop, but somehow his mind seemed to be telling him not to. This must have been a side effect of the alcohol. Peter looked around at his friends, who had disappeared, wondering why they had left him.
They then heard some sort of dance starting, and they turned around to see some people dancing on the dance floor. Amora looked over towards the dance floor and then over to Peter with a smile. "Would you like to dance?"
Peter knew she was likely flirting with him still, but figured there was no harm in dancing. Maybe this alcohol was having more of an effect on his head than he thought. "I guess it's alright. But I am not much of a dancer."
Amora grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him towards the dance floor. The music was loud and the lights were flashing, creating an atmosphere of excitement and fun. Amora started to move her body to the beat of the music, dancing around Peter. He felt a little awkward at first, not quite sure how to move his body in response to her movements.
As the song continued, Amora's dance became more personal and intimate. She started to lean on him while shaking her body, getting as close as possible. Peter felt a little overwhelmed, but for some reason, he didn't resist. Instead, he bounced and shook around.
As she continued to dance around him, Peter started to relax. He liked how close she was getting, even though they had only just met. It was nice to feel this connection. Whether it came from the alcohol or even from this girl. He only felt this around Susan, but now it felt like he was on cloud nine around this girl. A warm feeling of calmness washed over him, and he realized that he was enjoying himself more than he had in a long time.
Finally, Amora seemed to have enough to drink that she could barely stand up; Peter had to walk her out of the bar. Since the gang took the car, he ended up having to walk Amora home. He had his hands wrapped around her waist to support her with his strength, while she was wrapping her arms around him, wanting to be as close as possible.
"You are such a great guy," Amora said as she kept on rambling. "Why do all of the good guys always have to be taken?"
"Yeah, but there could be more guys out there," Peter said to support her.
They finally reached Amora's apartment building and Peter helped her into her apartment. "Here we are." He said as he helped her into her apartment. "You have a pretty nice place."
"Thanks. A friend of mine found it." Amora said as Peter helped her to the couch. "Lester is a great guy."
"Oh, yeah? He single?" Peter joked as he helped her to lie down.
"No, he's not that kind of guy. He dates...differently than me." Amora explained. "I had a great night." She then leaned up and pecked Peter on the cheek. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, I guess," Peter said as Amora lay down.
Amora laid down on the couch, raising one foot and letting her dress slip up. She glanced at Peter with a mischievous smile, wondering if he would catch on. Peter wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He had been enjoying spending time with her, but he wasn't sure if she was purposely flirting or if she was just drunk. He fixed her dress and got back up, trying to keep things friendly.
"Alright, well...how about I leave you my number?" he said, trying to break the tension. "I think you could get along with the girls."
Amora seemed to have fallen asleep already, but as Peter scribbled his number on a piece of paper, she opened one eye and watched him. Peter chuckled and placed the paper on the table before heading to the door.
He locked the knob, and as he disappeared down the hallway, Amora sat up and looked over to the door. She was no longer drunk, and her eyes sparkled with a mischievous light. She raised her hand, and a green mist exited her palms. She shifted out of her dress and into something different.
She now wears a green, skin-tight suit, which leaves her shoulders bare, and a matching mini skirt. She also wears tight green arm sleeves that go almost up to her shoulders, black tights with green circles on the sides, and a green tiara. She looked at herself in the mirror and chuckled, feeling her lips from where she kissed him.
"Soon my beloved..." she whispered to herself, looking forward to their next encounter.
As Peter walked down the bustling streets, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation in the back of his neck, warning him that something was about to happen. His spider senses were on high alert, and he quickly looked around to see if he could spot any danger. It was then that he heard the sound of a lighter clicking, and his eyes were drawn toward the entrance of an alleyway nearby.
To his surprise, he saw a man emerging from the shadows, dressed in a giant light-colored trenchcoat and a white shirt with a red tie. The man lit a cigarette in his mouth and slowly made his way toward Peter, with a confident swagger in his step.
"So, you're the famous Spider-Man," the man said, his voice deep and gravelly with a British accent. "Not what I expected."
Peter felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he realized that this stranger knew who he was. He tried to deny it, but before he could say anything, the man muttered some strange words under his breath, and suddenly, Peter found himself standing in his Spider-Man attire. "Uh, listen, I don't know who you think I am, but whoever it is, it's not-"
"Veram revela te ipsum." The man enchanted, causing Peter to look down in shock at seeing him in his Spider-Man attire. "Not to worry, mate, I am not here to cause you any harm. In fact, I am here because I need your help."
"My help?" Peter asks.
"Yes, you see, some of my Mystical Users of the Dark Arts have begun disappearing, and I believe you and your pals have something to do with it," he told Peter. "There is a war coming. And I have a feeling that only magic and science working together can be the answer."
Peter wasn't sure what this guy was talking about. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Constantine. John Constantine." He then showed Peter a business card.
JOHN CONSTANTINE
Exorcist, Demonologist, and Master of the Dark Arts
Despite his initial skepticism, Peter found himself agreeing to help Constantine. He knew that he couldn't ignore the call for help, especially when it came from someone who seemed to know so much about him and his friends.
Except he didn't know what this path was going to lead them all down.