Chapter 12
DC Multiverse
The Dreaming
Dream was only half listening the complaints of his older brother; the other half was trying its best to ignore the words completely. As Destiny's distressed ramblings continued to gush from his sigil, Dream's two opposing halves battled for control of his focus, neither seeming to win out over the other; causing his internal processes to remain in an unpleasant, hazy, stalemate. One that did not clutch at his attention, but instead limply presented it on the palms of indifferent and flaccid hands.
To say Dream was not concerned with his sibling's words would be an understatement, but, nonetheless, he still felt the gnawing intensity from his brother's voice slowly eroding his composure, his impatience growing with every sentence. Eventually the connection was ended, Dream felt himself sigh a breath of relief at the merciful reprieve.
"He is frustrated… it is understandable. The book of destiny is becoming unreadable… Something which shouldn't even be possible." Dream turned to the female voice; he could see her ghostly visage through the tear in his realm which was closing slowly.
He held a look akin to disdain, he had forgotten that his brother was not the only being pestering him with their fears of 'destiny becoming unreadable', as they both had put it. Her ethereal voice calling out from behind the veil had reminded him of that fact.
"Hmmm. That is not my concern." He replied with a measure of over-amplified impudence, his tone an attempt to make the woman physically feel his lack of care.
"It may well be your concern soon, Dream, should Peter Parker fail… All of creation could be on the brink of collapse… The future is unclear, even to me, there is no set path. I will have to move carefully from now, it is vital we do not fail…" Mocking Dream's emphasised disregard for the fate of reality, she used her voice to punctuate the severity of the potential consequences to reality.
Dream turned to her; Madame Web looked old, she used that to her advantage, it gave her an aura of wisdom, even over Dream himself who was many ages older than her. She was thin with flowing grey hair; She had a face which was textured with dignified wrinkles, giving her a wizened visage, one that Dream still felt appeared a lot younger than her true age. She sat on a metallic chair which mimicked the bodice and limbs of a spider.
He truly felt the weight of her words. But still, he did not like the disrespect in her tone. His lack of care was not the result of ego as her voice would imply, (though his ego was what motivated his own disrespectful tone) but instead the result of his very nature.
Cassandra Webb may interfere with her web, as was her right as its guardian, but Dream was tied by ancient cosmic rules. He could not interfere with destiny, only his brother that held its namesake could. The consequences of Morpheus' interference could be worse than the consequences of inaction that Madame Web dreaded.
She kept a steady expression on her face, her red glasses resting over her blind eyes which could 'see' many truths and infinite falsehoods at once; pasts that were being rewritten and sliding over, under, through and between one another across several realities. Presents that were happening always, yet never at all. And futures which would never come to be, yet were still the only possible outcomes.
She stopped looking at the web of creation she still had control within and turned to Dream, attempting to look past his realm and into Earth-Prime where Peter would be, his form was shadowy, unstable, a gaseous form dancing in the wind of a thousand storms. Then it was gone again, she knew she would not be able to watch over him again, he was lost to her now.
She grimaced slightly as she spoke with a tinge of regret and frustration, "My reach is slipping, the tears in creation are mending themselves… But should they be torn apart again… the cataclysm would be beyond anything seen by any of these realities. Spider-Man is the key, but Peter is beyond my reach now… I can no longer help him."
Dream thought on her words. He remembered the crisis that swept through the multiverse, destroying countless worlds until only fifty-two remained. "It was written in the book of destiny…" Their brother told the other Endless when they questioned him.
Most beings across all the worlds that were left, did not remember. They had no knowledge of Dr Manhattan and his interference with the infinite realities there once was. But still, that crisis was destined to happen. It was a cataclysm of told proportions, one that did not threaten the Endless, nor even affect them in anyway aside from giving Death a lot of work to do.
But the idea of facing a cataclysm of untold proportions? One which was not predetermined? That did cause a bristle of worry to run up Dream's spine.
"I do not see how one mortal… a simple human boy, could hold such a responsibility…" he spoke passed his newfound sense of concern.
"Then you do not understand Peter Parker, Dream."
"Is that why you had me allow him entry into my realm? So, I may guard him? Learn about his role in what is to come?" Dream spoke, he was interested in the mortal man, but the Lord of the Dreaming did not appreciate feeling like an errand boy for Madame Web.
"Why, you sound almost disapproving, Morpheus..." Madame Web spoke as she felt her connection to the other strand of reality fading every moment.
He did not share his insulted ego, instead he lied about the nature of his disapproval, "I am not one for breaking our rules so callously…"
"Now, Dream. That is simply not true, must I remind you of Nada?"
Through the unintended consequence of ripping apart the multiverse, two multiverses, Cassandra Webb had been granted visions of this realities' beings. Among others, she saw the Gods Old and New, the multiverse's heroes, and most fortuitously, the Endless.
Dream did not respond, but he fixed the woman with a stare. Though she did not see it, she nonetheless felt it, "Oh please do stop glaring at me like that, I meant no offense… I was merely making a point."
She paused, her voice became even more severe than before, this time with a hint of gratefulness, "Do not take my bluntness for a lack of gratitude, Morpheus… You have my sincerest eternal thanks for helping Peter Parker…
"Soon he will be separated from my web entirely, the web of life and destiny. His destiny. That is why he must dream…" Her tone was normally laced with severity, but now her voice was so immense even Dream felt the weight of countless universes pushing down on him as she spoke, "He must be able to explore his pain, his power, his responsibility, even while he sleeps… Though I need not explain that to you. Of all beings in all realities, you are the one to most understand the importance of dreams…"
"Madame Web… I agree with your sentiment. But Peter Parker's destiny is his own. The story he writes is beyond even us… Beyond even Destiny himself… Though, nevertheless, you have my word; I will watch over him. His story is one I intend to read most eagerly…."
The rip in the cosmos began to close further, but before it disappeared entirely, Madame Web spoke once more, "Thank you, Dream. Though I implore you to help him as best you can… He must not fail. He must be ready to face what is to come…"
The tear closed and she was blocked, once more, from the multiverse outside her own web.
Dream spoke aloud to himself, "That, Madame Web, is entirely up to him."
Marvel Multiverse
The Web of Life and Destiny
For her part Madame Web merely sighed with a mild sense of defeat and uncertainty. She saw as the rip was sealed shut and she was left alone in her own realm once more. She steadied her resolve, Peter Parker of earth 616161 was now beyond her supervision, but others were not.
There were other Spiders whose role in the coming events were just as important as Peter's.
She peered into the present, into the earth designated 616161, she watched the sleeping form of Miles Morales as he tossed and turned. His dreams plagued by untold horrors that even she struggled to comprehend while she still attempted to shield his mind from the scope of the multiversal collapse he was encased in.
Marvel Universe 616161
New York – Brooklyn
21st of April
Miles' body writhed and twisted in discomfort as his unconscious mind was plagued with dreams of the day Peter was lost.
As though peering through the eye of a needle, he could see himself through someone else's eyes, though he did not know whose. Then as if snatched back into his own dreamed form he experienced the day all over again. And once again, like that day, he could see into the mind of one who was not him…
Miles was running, carrying Dr. Johnathan Ohnn, one of the first collider's accursed fathers, in a firefighter's grip.
Miles turned to face the thundering noise approaching them from behind; there was no time for his mind to even consider processing the image that flashed in front of his eyes before his entire being was engulfed in a wave of pure energy. The scientist to be thrown from his grasp as all the atoms that made up Miles' body were deconstructed, rearranged, reconstructed, and turned inside out ad Infinium.
Both he and Dr. Ohnn felt the wave of energy ripple passed, throughout, under, into, over, and all around them. Except it wasn't just energy, it was something else entirely. Raw, powerful, primordial, astral, physical, ancient, new, fictional and, all the same, very real.
For the briefest of moments, yet also the longest of all lifetimes, the two people were no longer people. No longer two entities, they were one, they were none, they were everything and everyone. He, she, it, them, we, us, you, me:they became all of them at once, as well as all those between.
They could feel the very fabric of reality, all realities, tearing through them in perfect chaos and imperfect harmony. An unravelling of all time and existence could be seen and felt, yet not. As it unravelled it also mended, while simultaneously not moving at all.
Colours non-existent yet ever-present overwhelmed their mind, their minds, their bodies, their body. They existed as everything and nothing, yet they also didn't exist, they never had and never would, all at once and not at all.
They were bound by infinite contradictions, yet freer than any being had ever been. The source-code of everything was shown to them, they saw themselves as a figure on a screen, as a word on a page, a drawing, a thought, an idea and something which had never been considered at all. They were both a being of infinite complexity and simplicity. They were one and they were zero, they were both, they were all and they were neither.
The specific aspect of the entity which once called itself Miles could see the web of all creation. The web she guarded. Her web. Infinite and boundless. Yet still he saw its borders, and past those he saw more. Not the same infinity, another different infinity. Then he saw another and another. Rows of infinity never crossing yet interweaved, stacked one and all atop the others, and then below the everything of all.
This aspect of us, and it, saw flying men of blue and red, we saw the ones who created him, and they saw ones who created them. It saw beings of night, watchful guardians. He watched the watchers, and they watched him, yet neither truly comprehending the other while all at once they understood each other completely, as they too, were one.
He saw all the faces of the lonely god, the madman in a blue box, the one who commanded time itself. He saw as time was written and rewritten by them. He saw an angel in the form of a wizard in grey and then white, he saw their quest and their fellowship. Their death and rebirth.
He saw Uatu and the ones that even he could not see, yet that he knew could see him. She saw the Beyonder and the ones beyond them. We saw a naked man of pure blue staring at us yet seeing through us. You saw all the Endless and you saw their end, and they saw you, though you were out of their reach. I saw the beginning of all and saw that it had always been, yet it had never been at all.
They saw it all and it felt all of them, the mismatched entity that everything had become. We were everything, everywhere, all at once and we were nothing, nowhere, and never. We felt it and so did our spider-sense. It protected us. We shielded him. He aided them. They defended her. And she guarded us from all and all from us. She allowed us to embrace it and for it to embrace us.
Nothing made sense and everything was infinitely nonsensical, yet also entirely comprehensible in its incomprehensibility. Peace was the only word to describe it, as if all things in every reality were caressing the being that was once, and hoped it would again be, Miles.
The other aspect of the entity, who was once called Johnathan, did not fare so well. Instead, he stared without eyes in distressed horror as he tried to fathom the unfathomability of it all. What was once his, now hers, theirs, its, mind was being ripped to shreds and rebuilt an infinite number of times.
This aspect of the being fought to remain as he, and only he. The conscious state that once only belonged to himself was clinging desperately to the identity of Johnathan Ohnn with an ineffectual grip.
As such, his unprotected mind failed to please the chaos, and so the chaos did not hold back. His mind was lost and would never again be truly found, he was fighting to maintain control of the uncontrollable, to stop the unstoppable, and to comprehend the incomprehensible.
A mass of singular consciousness and unending masses of multiple thoughts. Infinite amounts of beings always and forever creating other beings, and those beings creating more. As if there was a tower of infinite floors, each floor infinitely present. It was ever ascending and descending. Growing and shifting and yet, all the while, staying the same. As if it had always been there and always would.
He felt a coarse scraping against his squishy, once human, brain; the rough reality of all things that ever could be, mercilessly removing more of his psyche each passing moment as it grinded against his being. Bleeding tears opening themselves in his once brilliant mind, his sanity slowly dribbling out of the rips, his thoughts leaking from him with fluid rhythm as he felt the warming sensation of his consciousness turning to soup.
He would scream if he had a mouth to scream from, he would gouge out his eyes would that he had eyes to gouge and fingers to gouge them with. He would cover his ears, but he had no ears to cover, nor means to cover them. He would turn his thoughts to other matters entirely if he could. He could not, there were no other matters, for here was every matter that could ever be.
Madness, sanity, all that is between and beyond. He thought it all, and all of it was thought for him. Then, order was inflicted on him in a violent assault of authority. The very fabric of time and space was being squeezed into his tiny mortal mind. Primordial power, astral force and ancient eldritch dreams overtook his being. He struggled to hold on to himself, he grasped at his feeble mind until there was no thought, and he was nothing and no more.
The moment of eternity never passed, yet all the same it did. In less than a fraction of a second the once eternal and omnipresent, yet entirely fictional and non-existent, being was created and then destroyed again. The tiniest fractions of the being thrown back out of all reality and back into their physical form.
On the tiniest subatomic particle on the smallest piece of sand in a galaxy of desserts, Miles was whole again, and yet never again was he as whole as he was mere moments ago. He rubbed his head and pulled himself to his feet, he had no memory of the non-existent, and ever-present, journey he had been on. All he knew was his mind and body hurt above any prior imagined levels of pain.
The world seemed so heavy, the air had become a solid mass of smoke and the ringing in Mile's ears were clawing at his senses. As the smoke slowly cleared, he realised Dr Ohnn was gone, his lab coat being all that remained of the man, spots of smoking holes were dotted across the white fabric.
Miles grimaced and clenched his fist in a hopeless rage of self-disdain as he turned back around to the collider. The tunnel had become shorter, the basement where the collider once was had been replaced with a view into the afternoon air. No basement. No collider. No Fisk Tower. No Peter.
His dream was halted suddenly as his eyes snapped awake and his body wrenched itself upright. There was a sheen of sweat drenching his skin, his bed cover was thrown to the floor by the violent twisting of disturbed sleep. The ringing of his spider-sense softened until it ceased.
It had taken him from his own nightmare as it had been doing nearly every night since the collider exploded. It was supposed to warn him of threats, but the anxiety Miles felt knowing that those threats came from within his own mind left him sick to the stomach.
He knew he had that dream again, and once again he could not remember any of it. It was gone from his mind as if it were the words on a page that was cast into a fire. Ashen embers of ink burning into nothing.
He sighed and looked at the clock, it was midnight, and now it was the day he was dreading... Something within Miles was still screaming at him, he knew Peter was alive… Somewhere. But it didn't matter, today was still going to happen.
The collider was designed to visit other worlds and now the collider and the entire building above it was gone. He had protested to Reed Richards that Pete must still be out there somewhere, and he promised to try his best to find him if he was… But the man's face.
Even Mr Fantastic himself seemed defeated. There was no sign that the collider worked, only a blank space in New York city where Fisk tower used to be. Remnants of anti-matter coated the area where there was once matter. The sign that whatever was once there was almost certainly ripped apart and all but deleted from this reality.
Reed explained that even if Peter was alive in the multiverse, which judging from the way he said it, even Reed couldn't justify himself in believing. They had no way of finding him.
Richards even had access to the dimensional wrist band Peter had once used to travel the multiverse in the past, during an inheritor related adventure, it could not locate his biosignature anywhere. But still, in spite of that, something within Miles told him Peter was alive.
Spider-Man had his public ceremony a few days earlier, a week after the Fisk Tower event, in Times Square, Miles attending in costume. Even standing at the front alongside other heroes that he'd only heard of, he'd wanted to meet many of them, but not like this.
The imposter syndrome was fighting with him every moment of the service as he stood beside titans like Iron Man and the Hulk. The latter seeming to be so distraught his normal green hue appeared almost grey.
He watched with overwhelming guilt and self-hatred as Captain America himself gave the eulogy. The words gliding over Miles as he heard nothing of what was said, only the sounds of a mourning city whose tears were the result of his failure.
He knew he shouldn't blame himself; he knew that Peter wouldn't ever blame him. But he also learned by example, and if the few months he knew Peter were anything to go by, Peter was the king of blaming himself.
The only mercy granted to Miles by the ceremony was that Peter's identity was kept a secret at the behest of his family and friends. Allowing Miles a momentary separation from his overwhelming guilt, he could focus on the mask of his mentor rather than the face of his friend.
Other heroes spoke to him, but Miles didn't know what to say, he froze. He even had members of the press trying to hound him for a statement of the day the collider exploded. He still couldn't say a word.
He was rescued by both the Jessica Drews also in costume as they shuffled the press away from him and stood by him. He still couldn't find the strength to look the younger Jess, Peter's clone sister, in the eye. Mask or not.
"Spider-Man. A moment?" A voice of complete sincerity broke through the air.
Miles' head whipped around and there in all his red, white and blue glory, stood Captain America. Looking directly at Miles, he moved to stand opposite him. Apparently, the service had ended, Miles hadn't even noticed until that moment.
Miles was between the two Spider-Women, wholly unaware of the droves of civilians and heroes alike that had begun to disperse. Slowly being ushered away by uniformed officers and heroes alike.
"Spider-Woman," Steve Rogers turned to the left of Miles where Peter's sister stood, "I just want to say, once again, how sorry I am for your loss. If there is anything I can do for you or your aunt, don't hesitate to call. And I think I speak for all the Avengers when I say that."
He looked to the other Spider-Woman for confirmation as he finished. To which she nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, Captain America. That means a lot." Jessica Drew-Parker replied, sincerely.
They both knew it was a formality as they had already spoken before the service, and all three of the older heroes knew that Miles was the one who needed the most words of support now. Both the Spider-Women had felt their grief, and settled with the pain that would stay with them, the younger Jess especially, but Miles had all but frozen, clinging to his denial like a security blanket.
"Please, call me Steve…"
"Thank you, Steve…" She said with a nod, before turning to Spider-Man, "We're going, Miles. See you back at Aunt May's?"
Miles stuttered; he wasn't ready to see her. He was so unprepared for the question he hadn't even registered that Jess had used his real name in front of Captain America.
"It's okay… I get it. Just… Don't become a stranger, alright?" She added as she gingerly put her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah…" Was all Spider-Man managed to say as he, for the first time, looked at her face.
He saw her mask. That was all. The white lenses, beyond which were her eyes, were looking at him. He had no idea what expression was on her face, but he knew that no matter what it was, he couldn't bear to see it. He didn't want to see whatever pain was inevitably on it, pain that was his fault. She nodded at him and began to walk away with the other Spider-Woman.
And so, Miles was left alone, opposite one the greatest heroes ever known, and for the first time in days, Miles felt the beat of his own heart. A rhythmic pumping of adrenaline, pain, and guilt.
"You know, I meant what I said up there." Captain America finally said.
Miles hadn't quite been able to focus on Captain America's speech, so he wasn't sure what he was referring to. It mattered little though as the leader of the Avengers continued.
"About Spider-Man being New York's greatest hero… That wasn't just me being dramatic… I truly do think he was the best of all of us." Steve Rogers was staring into the distance as he spoke, his voice calm and kind.
Miles couldn't help but hear his uncle's dying voice as Cap said those last words. 'Best of all of us…' The same words his uncle Aaron had said to him as he breathed his last breath. In that moment, as Steve Rogers reuttered the words in Peter's referral, Miles felt he hadn't earned them. As if he had failed his uncle, all his good as Spider-Man being rescinded by Peter's loss.
"Yeah… he was." Miles spoke and he felt the weight of his own words choking him as he replied.
"But him being the best doesn't mean you can't be… Do you understand what I'm saying?" Captain America turned to face Miles and looked at him with determination as he continued.
"You're saying I have some big shoes to fill…" Miles spoke, automatically stuttering the words out.
Cap chuckled slightly, "Not at all, son…" Miles looked at him, and even with his mask, Steve could see his confusion.
"If you start trying to fill Peter Parker's shoes, you're only going to find that they don't fit. They'll fall off the first moment you're pushed. You need to make sure you're wearing your own shoes, so that when you stumble… and you will stumble. You can plant yourself to the ground and push right back." Captain America's voice held the severity that years of leadership had given it, "So, are you going to keep falling down trying to be a copy of Peter Parker, or are you going to stand tall as Spider-Man?"
"Don't do it like me… do it like you." Miles added softly as the message fell over him. Cap's words perfectly mirroring the advice of a Peter he had met during the first collider crisis…
"Peter's wisdom?" Steve asked with a smile.
"Heh… kinda." Miles chuckled softly, not wanting to go into details about the earlier misadventures with the collider before its destruction.
"Well, he was right. We may never know what really happened in Fisk Tower that day, but what I do know is we lost a great hero… And I also know that it was never up to Peter to make you great, you'll find your own greatness, son. Whatever form that takes." He spoke more candidly now, but his tone still oozed leadership.
Miles sighed an exasperated laugh, "Sounds like something my dad said…"
"I never knew your father, but if his actions at city hall is anything to go by, then he was a brave man." Steve's voice became a modicum more severe as he fixed his gaze on Miles.
"Wait… you know who my dad was?" Miles spoke, confused by the revelation. He knew the Avengers knew about Peter, but him?
"Tony… He likes to keep tabs on up-and-coming heroes. We've known about you for a couple of months now, Miles. Your father's sacrifice was nothing short of heroic and I can see that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree."
Miles paused a bit before he looked at Steve Rogers, resolutely, "Dad used to say a hero is just a guy who doesn't give up."
"Hm." Cap nodded with a smile as he surveyed the landscape around them, "That sounds about right."
Miles shuffled, unsure of whether to share his outlandish theory with Captain America, he stared forward at the older man as he felt resolution wash over him, "Well, I'm not gonna' give up, Cap. I think- No. I know Peter's alive. Somewhere. And I'm gonna' find him. I don't care what Reed Richards or anyone else says. I can feel him out there, man."
Steve turned to Miles, a bright paternal smile on his face. "Then you find him, and when you do, you tell me. If you believe he's alive, then I believe it too. I've been around for enough years to know that no matter how many people tell you something's impossible, it never changes the truth. But son, don't let this eat you alive, don't lose yourself trying to find Peter. New York still needs Spider-Man..."
The words faded as Miles withdrew back into his body, still sat on is bed. Miles was still staring at the clock as he retreated from his memories, it was now three minutes past midnight. He knew he would be unable to return to his sleep, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to, given what may be awaiting him in his dreams.
He jumped out of his bed and crept over to his suit, careful not wake his mom who was sleeping across the hall. She knew of his duties as Spider-Man, but he knew she wouldn't approve of him going out this late, at least not tonight…
As he donned his black and red costume and slowly slid his window open, the cool night air softly pressed against his mask, he could hear the bustle of the city just beyond, soft chatter, sirens and late-night traffic creating a symphony of Brooklyn.
In one smooth motion he leapt out of his window and pulled himself into the air, swinging with no real destination in mind, simply trying to focus his spider-sense, searching for somewhere he would be needed.
Trouble wasn't hard to find; Miles moved on autopilot, stopping several would-be muggers, a couple of drunk drivers and a would-be bodega robbery. Slowly finding himself being pulled further and further into the city. Eventually he found himself in Hell's Kitchen where he saw shadows dancing across rooftops, the chaotic, yet surprisingly quiet, sounds of a fight below.
Pulling himself into a downward sling shot he landed on the side of a water tower where he saw several costumed members of the Defenders in a fight with… Ninjas? Controlling his excitement at the revelation (he'd always wanted to fight ninjas) he landed on the roof and grabbed the arm of sword wielding combatant who was charging towards Luke Cage, Power Man.
"Need a hand?" The young hero asked as he wrestled the blade from the grip of the ninja.
"Kid. If that was meant to be a joke you've gotta' start working on better material…" Power Man responded.
Spiderman webbed the red and black clad ninja into a cocoon before flipping over him and launching him into several other ninjas.
"I feel like I'm missing something here… Why would that be a joke?" Spider-Man asked, genuine confusion in his tone.
Spider-Man flipped over another sai wielding ninja and webbed his face before landing in a forward role, delivering a venom powered punch to the ground, and sending out a wave of yellow electricity which incapacitated three more enemies.
"These are warriors of the Hand. And, unfortunately for me, they are sworn enemies of the Iron Fist…" Danny Rand, Iron Fist was deflecting the strikes of several swords from numerous his glowing hand before he delivered one swift punch to the chest of the one closest to him, sending all of them flying backwards.
"They're also just a major pain in the ass…" Ava Ayala, White Tiger slashed at her assailant's arm with her claws causing them to drop their weapon she leapt forward delivering her knee to their face before landing and lunging towards another group of enemies.
"Oh, now I get it… 'Hand…' Damn! I wish I did that on purpose." Miles spoke as he continued to smother one of the enemies in copious amounts of webbing.
"I'm glad it wasn't. Even the other Spider-Man wouldn't go for such a cheap shot…" Matt Murdock, Daredevil threw his baton into the face of one the Hand, before kicking another in the chest as he swung his leg round to the attacker behind him before finishing his thoughts aloud, "No. Now that I think about it…. he would."
"I don't know, I've kind of missed the bad jokes. They help me to focus." Iron Fist replied while he blocked and parried another ninja.
Power Man was casually swatting away a member of the Hand as he asked, "Hey kid, not that I don't appreciate the assist, but what are you doing up this far anyway? I thought Brooklyn was your zone…?"
Miles launched a web to another ninja and yanked on the line, sending falling to the side and into one of his enemies' allies, "It is, but I heard this is where the party was, so I thought I'd 'swing' by."
A collective groan came from the mouths of three of the Defenders, all except Danny who genuinely seemed to appreciate the pun. His fist glowing a flicker brighter as he seemed to focus his chi.
"Seriously? Is it like a requirement for you Spider-People to tell crappy jokes about 'swinging' by?" White Tiger asked.
"Damn. Am I that unoriginal?" Miles asked as he backflipped over another ninja, attaching a web and pulling the warrior up into the air with him.
"Don't worry, it's not just you, the new Spider-Woman used that one just the other night…" She replied as she used her claws to slice away at the sword aimed for her face.
"Hey, maybe it's the Spider bite! Cause' I swear sometimes I just feel the bad puns 'thwip' out." Miles shot a web past White Tiger's shoulder and onto the face of the Hand member attempting to approach her.
"Ugh, even I think that one was rough." Iron Fist added running into a sprint towards another group of assailants.
"I can at least appreciate the effort…" Daredevil replied as he spun in the air, kicking two ninjas in the head.
Rather swiftly, the enemy numbers began to dwindle. Many had begun to retreat into the shadows, while most lay unconscious on the rooftop. This left only one standing, a lone warrior whose fear urged him to retreat but who nevertheless stood tall as Luke Cage began slowly approaching.
Before Luke could deliver a punch however, sparks of yellow static flickered across the Hand warrior's body as he tensed before falling forward onto the ground, unconscious.
"What the-" Luke found himself uttering the sentence before he could think.
His confusion was answered as Spider-Man turned visible once more, standing next to the unconscious form of the ninja, yellow sparks dancing around his hand, "I know… It's 'shocking' right?" Miles said as he looked to the older hero.
Luke stifled a chuckle as he pointed at Spider-Man smiling, "I'll admit. That one nearly got me." His face stiffened, "Still bad, though…"
"Pfff… Everyone's a critic…" Miles spoke to himself.
After the fight, the Defenders and Spider-Man collected the remaining bodies of the dazed and incapacitated ninjas laying around the rooftop before bundling them together as Miles webbed them into a ball.
They then regrouped on another rooftop further away looking over the city below from higher ground.
"Thanks for the help, Spider-Man." Daredevil spoke, before turning his head to the side suddenly, hearing something off in the distance… Sighing, he continued "It never stops… I gotta' go. Always a pleasure, Spider-Man. You guys coming?"
"We'll catch up." Luke replied as he looked to Daredevil before turning to Miles.
Daredevil nodded before leaping of the roof with impressive grace.
"You know, he's older than all of us and still he never seems to be as tired after a fight…" White Tiger added as the four of them watched Matt's form become smaller and smaller as he disappeared into the city skyline.
"So, Miles… Stressed about today as well, huh?" Luke spoke.
"What- Why would you think that?" Miles shuffled uncomfortably on his feet before continuing, sighing into his next word, "Is it that obvious?"
There was a collective nod from the Defenders.
Danny spoke grimly, "Trust me, none of us are looking forward to today."
"Have you seen May at all yet? You know, since the…?" Ava asked.
"No… I couldn't face her, Jess had to break the news..." Miles had been avoiding May in the weeks since the explosion, using tired excuses over the phone whenever she reached out and then feeling worse for avoiding his own problems. His mother having to talk with May on his behalf a lot of the time.
"We haven't either." Danny said, gesturing between him and White Tiger.
Ava nodded, "She wasn't at the service for Spider-Man."
"I don't blame her," Luke added, "One funeral for the kid you raised is bad enough. I can't imagine her wanting to go through that twice…"
"Luke, you've seen her, right?" Miles asked.
"Yeah… But it wasn't my idea… I wasn't ready, you know? But Jones wanted to bring her flowers…" He said, grimly. As if guilty for his avoidance of the woman, only seeing her due to outside influence.
'Jones' was the Defenders' chosen name for Jessica Jones, Luke's girlfriend, and a fellow part-time Defender. And most importantly, former schoolmate of Peter, although in the year above at school, the same year as (the original) Jessica Drew, she was good friends with Mary-Jane Watson and even had a mild crush on Peter before her accident…
The nickname mostly came about to avoid confusion between all the Jesses, but the name stuck and even Luke found himself referring to his girlfriend by her last name even while alone with her. Jessica also adopted this style of nicknaming, sometimes calling her own partner 'Cage' rather than Luke.
"How was she?" The tone of Miles' voice indicating he meant May. He was almost afraid to ask but his morbid curiosity got the better of him.
"…Quiet. Small. Don't think she's been eating. I've never seen her like that, man. It… It wasn't pretty…" Luke responded. His voice was cold against the night air.
A silence fell over the group of heroes, not knowing what to say. Miles had only known May for the better part of a year from when he started volunteering at F.E.A.S.T. after his father's death, but she became a bigger part of his life as he was thrust into the world of Spider-Man.
Miles always knew her as a strong, wilful, and kind woman. A woman with such powerful maternal instincts, that she exuded a natural air of warmth. Yet by the same measure she was extremely independent and energetic, saving up her money so she could spend several of her weekends, though relatively rarely, going skydiving, rock climbing, paintballing, and other high-octane activities.
To think that a woman like that could become so frail in such a short amount of time made Miles dread seeing her even more than he already did. He felt more guilt pile on top of the tower of self-loathing that had been steadily building itself in his conscience.
"Do you really believe he's still alive?" Danny asked Miles.
He paused as he looked at the older hero, a face of uncertainty behind his mask. He hadn't wanted to share that theory with any of Peter's friends yet, not wanting to give them false hope. Or make them look down on him as a naïve kid clutching at straws.
Luke, noticing the pause, looked to the young hero softly, "Cap told us… also told us to look out for you… To make sure you didn't let it 'eat you alive'…"
"Heh, of course he did… I- Err… I can't explain it. But yeah. Honestly, I think he is. He must be." Miles responded.
"Are you going to tell May?" Danny asked.
"Wait… You believe me?" Miles' tone was smothered in surprise and apprehension.
"There are many forces that we can never understand. But just because we can't understand something doesn't mean we can't believe in it." Iron Fist spoke, absent mindedly reciting fortune cookie wisdom.
"Really, Danny? You too? You heard what Reed Richards said…" White Tiger added taking a step back as her voice was stunned, coated with apprehensive grief.
"Ehh... Mr. Fantastic's a dumbass…" Luke replied.
"Seriously Luke?! He's the smartest man alive, for Pete's sake!" The irony of Ava using the common expression, given the topic, was not lost on her.
Luke turned to Ava and spoke, indignantly, "Sure, according to him… anyone can call themselves the 'smartest man alive', doesn't make it true… I mean, the collider was meant to travel the multiverse, right? It was kinda' successful the first time-"
"-The first time it brought other people here. Matt told us that's why Fisk built it, so he could bring his wife back, it wasn't meant to send someone out." Ava interrupted harshly.
"It was able to send the other Spider-People home, right kid?"Luke proffered as he turned to Spider-Man.
Miles just nodded in response to Luke's question. Not wanting to involve himself further with Ava and Luke's argument.
"See! If it could send them back, why couldn't it send Peter somewhere else? There was no wreck, nothing. The whole building just vanished. All that was left was a bunch of anti-matter, right?" Luke spoke, his voice pleading with itself as if he were desperately trying to convince himself.
"Yeah, because when the collider was destroyed it collapsed in on itself and tore apart the fabric of reality! Destroying everything and turning it to anti-matter!" Her voice lost its harsh edge as she looked down, her voice softening with mourning, "Peter included… He's gone, Luke." The defeat in her tone as she said the last words cut through the air like an icy dagger.
"Come on Ava, you can't really believe that… Besides, that's just a theory..." Luke offered her, trying to convince her to believe in their friend…
Her head snapped up in a desperate flurry of irritation, clearly agitated at feeling like the only voice of reason. Especially since the 'reason' in question meant condemning her friend to death…
"The theory of, listen to my words: The. Smartest. Man. Alive!" The rising confrontation in White Tiger's voice was reaching new heights, it was clear she was struggling to fight her own grief. The anger a mask for her pain.
"I don't care how smart he is! I have my own theory…" Luke spoke with a rebellious tone, like he was a student arguing back to his teacher.
"Fine. Enlighten us then since you're clearly such an expert on quantum mechanics." Ava's tone was one of disbelief at herself for even entertaining whatever idea Luke could come up with…
"I dabble. Look, we don't know what the sinister six were trying to do down there. But the building goes 'POOF' and vanishes into thin air. All that's left is a whole lotta' anti-matter. And what place do we know is made entirely of anti-matter? The negative zone. I think, they were trying to turn the collider into a portal there so they could do some evil shit or something…
"What evil shit, Luke?" Ava spat out the question.
"I don't know! I hadn't really thought that far ahead…" Luke admitted with a sense of shame.
"You really think Reed Richards, of all people: the guy who literally discovered the negative zone, hasn't already considered that?" Ava was calmer now, but there was still frustration in her voice.
"Maybe he has. But if so, he hasn't done a good job communicating that."
"What, like he's just going to share his notes with you?"
Danny who had been silently observing his friends' argument finally spoke, "Perhaps he is too blinded by his grief to fully explore that possibility. The last time the Fantastic Four went to the negative zone, only three of them returned… Maybe what happened to Peter reminds him too much of the Human Torch…"
"Thank you!" Luke exclaimed pointing to Danny in enthusiastic relief at his support, "Ava, don't tell me you don't have the tiniest sliver of hope Reed might be wrong…"
Ava paused for a moment, she looked to the ground a shuffled slightly before turning between her two teammates, "Look, guys… I really want to believe Peter's alive; I do. I just… Say you're right, he's alive, how do we even begin looking for him? All we're gonna' do is drive ourselves nuts clinging to a hope we'll find him. And then what happens when you prove yourselves wrong. We find out he's dead… All over again. Do you really want to go through that?"
"I don't know about these guys…" Luke gestured between Danny and Miles, "But I'm willing to take that risk. I'd rather have my hope snuffed out by reality, than to never have had it."
Miles had been sat on the ledge of the roof top, watching the older heroes as he pondered every single one of their words, "Ava's right…" His words sliced the tension in the air.
The other three turned to face Spider-Man, they had all but forgotten his presence as the intensity of their bickering rose.
"Really, dude! You've given up, just like that?" The agitation and betrayal on Lukes's face almost hurt to look at.
"I haven't given up. I honestly believe Peter is out there. But she's right about not wanting to go through the pain all over again. We may bewilling to face the consequences of being wrong…" He gestured between himself and Luke, "But May shouldn't have to. So, I'm not gonna' tell her…"
"She deserves to know..." Dany added.
"Yeah, but right now all we have is my feeling and Luke's theory against the word of Reed Richards. The moment we have some kind of proof, then I'll tell her. But she deserves to be able to mourn in peace. Especially today." Miles was resolute in his tone.
"So, what your just gonna' let her grieve someone that you don't even think is dead?" Luke added.
"Think about it, Luke… It's better that she mourns now and then founds out when we have some kind of confirmation. Sure, she'll be pissed, but it's better than the alternative…"
"What's the alternative?" Danny asked, he knew what it was, but he felt he needed to hear it aloud.
"We're wrong. We give her a false sense of hope… And she loses Pete all over again… Even though, I don't think we're wrong… I... I just don't wanna' risk it, man." Miles voice was mature, certain. He sounded like the oldest among them despite being several years younger than them all…
"Miles…" Ava looked directly at the young hero as she spoke, "How confident are you that he's out there?"
"I'd bet my life." He said, no room for argument in the words or their tone.
"And you two?" She turned to her friends.
"What he said…" Luke nodded to Miles.
Danny simply looked to Ava with a gentle and careful smile as he simply nodded in agreement, "You know Peter wouldn't give up looking if it was one of us…" He added, kindly.
"Then… I can't believe I'm saying this… But I'm with you guys… If you truly believe Peter's out there somewhere, then I gotta' believe it too…" Her calm tone was suddenly interrupted by a final frustrated outburst, "Ugh! I swear to God… You guys better not let me down! This is one time that I'd really hate to have been right all along…"
"Thanks, Ava…" Luke said as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
She looked at him in response, even with the mask, the pain on her face was evident, "I really don't want to lose him again, Luke."
"We're won't…" Miles' tone was the most resolute it had been since the incident as he walked over to the other three, looking at each of them in turn, "We'll find him. Wherever he is…"
The moment was held for a beat as the group of them stood on the rooftop. All of them standing tall, united under a common crusade. Ready to face whatever may come as they were determined to break the very laws of physics themselves in search of their friend.
"Well call the play, coach. Where do we start?" Luke added as he looked Spider-Man up and down, the moment between them subsiding at his words.
"I – Err… Heh. I have no idea." Miles replied, absentmindedly mimicking his mentor's mannerism as he rubbed the back of his neck.
A stunned pause fell across the group, Ava and Luke mind boggled by the contrast between Miles' confidence and his non-existent plan, while Danny simply allowed the flow of the revelation to pass through him.
"What? Aside from basic theory… I have no idea how to build a super collider, do you?" Miles asked, insulted by Ava and Luke's looks of bafflement at him.
"Seriously? I've switched teams to this?" Ava said in exasperation.
"I'm just spit balling, but maybe we should start with Reed Richards? Even though he disagrees with us, maybe there's some residual energy on Miles that could help or something? You are the only person who was present both times the collider was destroyed…" Danny calmly offered.
"As he's the only one with any kind of plan, who's in favour of Danny being the new leader?" Luke turned to group.
"Aye!" Ava replied.
"Come on, man…" Miles' astonishment at his immediate dethroning was evident in his tone, as he stared at Luke dumbfounded.
"Sorry kid, you snooze you lose." Luke shrugged as he spoke.
"¡Dios mío!" Miles shook his head as he mumbled to himself.
As he mourned the loss of his role as leader mere moments after gaining it, his thoughts went to Peter. Determination filled his spirit as he swore to himself that he would find Peter and bring him back home.
Sending his thoughts to the aether, he spoke to his mentor wholly aware of the futility of the action as the words remained within his own mind, 'We're coming Pete, I promise.'
DC Universe
Prime Earth
New York - Manhattan
21st of December
"—Uck?" Teresa's eyes widened with disbelief.
"Language…" Spoke the feminine voice of the heroine.
"I—You—You're… You're Power Girl!" Teresa managed to fling the words out of her rapidly moving mouth as her excitement began to overtake her.
"I am? My goodness… You're right. I am!" Power Girl responded with a smirk as she chirped back a sarcastic response.
"I—Err… Hi… I'm a big fan…" Teresa felt herself grow flushed below her mask as she stood up to be at a closer level to the still floating Power Girl.
"Thanks. Appreciate that. So, you're the new guy's sister, huh? Going by Spider-Girl, or something?" Power Girl asked as softly descended onto the ledge of the roof and stood opposite Teresa.
Teresa felt her head naturally fall back a bit as her eyes were magnetically drawn towards Power Girl's own, inclining her head to meet Power Girl's gaze as she was still a couple of feet taller than her while standing.
"Eheh… Yeah. With a hyphen, apparently that's important…" She said with a tone which audibly indicated her rolling eyes as she remembered Peter's insistence regarding that fact.
"Right… Well, I saw you two having lunch earlier and was about to introduce myself before this whole robbery sitch busted up my plans… Looks like he had the same idea though." Power Girl said as she used her x-ray vision to watch over the new hero as he began subduing the would-be bank robbers.
"Yeah, he has this whole thing about responsibility… It's annoying as shit. He keeps leaving me behind because of it…" Teresa muttered under her breath.
"If people are in danger, he has to step in… Trust me I know the type. He doesn't want to bring you into that danger." Power Girl responded as she thought of her cousin, both from her own world and her current home.
"Pfftt… I guess you're right. But I wouldn't mind getting to see at least."
"Well… I mean the fact he's taking you out with him at all is probably very stressful for him. You don't have any powers, right?" She said as looked back to Teresa and fixed her curiosity.
"I mean, no… But it doesn't mean I'm made of glass!" Teresa began to complain aloud to the new arrival, vocalising her frustration.
Power Girl smiled slightly at Teresa's words, "He's being just being careful Tere—Spider-Girl…" She looked to Teresa and blushed slightly at the slip of her tongue, she'd been told Peter's situation by Superman earlier and agreed to keep an eye out for the younger hero whenever he was in New York.
"Wait… You know who I am? Oh my god, you know who I am! Power Girl knows who I am! That is so cool…" Teresa's slight anxiety at the revelation was completely demolished by her excitement and starstruck state.
Power Girl replied through a chuckle, "I do. And I'm sure it is… Listen Spider-Girl, Spider-Man's just trying to be protective…"
"Overprotective more like." Teresa was pouting under her mask as she crossed her arms.
"Maybe he is overcorrecting a bit… Say, you wanna' check it out?" Power Girl turned once more to the bank and nodded towards it as she used her vision to look into it again, Spider-Man was doing well, "I'm sure if you have me to watch your back, we can stretch the rules some."
"Really? Hell yeah!"
Spider-Man didn't notice Power Girl flying outside the bank window with his sister in her arms as they peered in a watched him fight, he was too engrossed in his own display of heroism. He had disarmed all of the robbers and had subdued all but three of them.
Spider-Man backflipped over a charging masked man who had picked up a broken chair leg from the floor and was rushing the hero. He landed in a crouch and twisted on the floor, jutting out his leg and sweeping the man's legs from under him causing him to fall on to his back.
The bank robber felt his prone body being covered in several shots of webbing, he struggled to pull himself off the ground to no avail, "Whatever happened to the days when robbers used to wear black and white striped sweaters and carry big bags saying 'swag' on them?" He heard the muffled sounds of the hero quipping through the layer of breathable webbing over his head.
Spider-Man was facing one of the last remaining robbers and leapt toward him before pushing his foot into his chest, pushing him down and knocking all the oxygen from his body, "I mean, balaclavas and duffel bags? Come on guys, where's your sense of whimsy?"
He webbed up the criminal he just kicked, and like his ally, he was fastened to the ground. Spider-Man turned as he felt a tingle of his spider-sense, the last remaining criminal had picked up a sawed off double-barrel shotgun from the ground and was aiming at his head.
A young boy in his arms, while the hero was distracted with the last of his comrades, he had moved quickly and grabbed the young boy, wearing a batman t-shirt, who was cowering near him, ignoring the pleas of the boy's mother and shoving her to the ground as he did so.
Spider-Man quickly shot a web and covered the gun, a powerful knockback shuddering through the goon's hand as his weapon was encased in webbing. It remained in his hands however as the webbing also reached his arms.
Spider-Man hoped the covered weapon would be knocked from his hands, and cringed slightly as he saw it stay there. His tone shifted into one of soft severity, this could be a tricky situation "Okay… Now, let's not get hasty… my webbing is very tough. You fire that gun and it'll explode… and you'll have to say goodbye to your hand…"
The robber panicked for a moment before he had a darkly pleasant realisation, this Spider-Man was a hero, he wouldn't allow a criminal like him to harm anyone, himself included, "Then let me go or I blow my own arm off! And this kid's head comes with it… I'm not fucking around!"
Peter's spider-sense rumbled; the man wasn't lying. "Okay. I believe you." Spider-Man's voice was steady, but it was still slightly harsh with judgement, he had hoped the robber was a young man out of his depth, not a man willing to do whatever it took to escape. Including self-harm and killing children.
From behind the glass of the entrance, Power Girl was listening carefully as she looked on at the situation with an intense glare, conceding to act if the need arose, focusing on the man's arm, waiting for the smallest indication he might pull the trigger, "Sh-shouldn't you… S-Step in." Teresa whispered as she sat in Power Girl's arms.
Teresa felt her hairs stand on end as the anxiety crept through her body, goosebumps beginning to softly edge themselves over her skin on every one of her limbs. She started to understand why Peter left her behind, even the simplest of crimes could turn ugly in a moment. She was terrified of what she might see if her brother couldn't talk the man down, or Power Girl couldn't find an opening to help him.
"I will. If I need to… Stay quiet for now… Both he and I need to be focused." Power Girl spoke with controlled determination; she did need to focus. Moving too soon, or not fast enough when she did move could be catastrophic, she needed to see how Spider-Man reacted to this and whether he would compromise the delicacy of the scenario and cause it to break.
Back inside the bank, Spider-Man quickly darted his eyes as he finally spotted the hero floating outside the window, his sister in her arms. He recognised her from his research into the Justice League at the Watchtower. His sister would be safe with her, even if he was annoyed at how close she was to the scene.
Power Girl saw Peter look at her with her x-ray vision, she softly nodded, indicating he had assistance if he needed it. Spider-Man looked back to the man who was staring at him, his evil eyes being his face's only visible feature, a piercing gaze remained on Spider-Man's masked face as he slowly backed away as the web-covered barrel of his gun was pointed to the young boy's head.
There was soft pleading from the child's mother who was being held back by one of the female bank tellers, the young woman holding her in a tense hug-like grip preventing the terror-struck mother from exacerbating the situation.
Spider-Man thought for a second about how to defuse the moment before slowly raising his hand palm up to communicate for everyone, the perp included, to remain calm. While doing this he slowly raised the other hand to his head, "Fair warning… you've made me angry now. You won't like me when I'm angry…"
"You taking off your mask? Good. Yeah, do it. Or I make a mess." The robber spoke with a sick tone of smugness laced with adrenaline.
"No… When you anger me, you anger all of us… The spiders…" Peter's voice was deep, dark, and intense as he spoke every word painfully slowly.
The robber's voice quivered slightly as he replied, "You're lying…"
"Think about it… I'm Spider-Man. You've made me mad. I'm summoning them… hundreds of them. Thousands. They have already covered the trigger of your gun. Can't you feel them?"
The robber pointed his shotgun back towards Spider-Man as he called, "I—I don't feel shit! You're lying!"
"That's because I told them to hide. One word from me and they bite, do you know how many types of venomous spiders there are under my command? All of them. One bite and you will be paralysed for hours before you die a slow, painful, death."
"You—You're bluffing. I heard about you! You don't kill…"
"Don't I? Or do I just make sure to drink all my victims dry until there's no evidence…?"
"I—Shut up! You're in the Justice League! You wouldn't!" The goon had loosened his grip on the child as his gun equipped arm began shaking with terror.
"Hmmm… You're right I am in the Justice League… And so is she." Spider-Man nodded, and the goon turned to see nothing.
He felt a rush of wind cause him to stagger as he looked down and saw that the boy was gone from his arms and was now several feet away in the arms of New York's own Kryptonian, Power Girl.
He barely had time to register the development as he felt a line of webbing attach to his face and he was pulled forward as Spider-Man leapt at him and delivered a swift punch, breaking his nose and destroying his front teeth as he was knocked unconscious before he even had time to think about pulling the trigger.
"You were right by the way… I was lying." He turned towards one of the other robbers who was trying to reach the assault rifle near him, "Or was I?"
"Hey man! I give up alright! Don't drink me please!" The other robber said as he shot his arms back away from the rifle and raised them above his head.
"You're lucky I just had lunch." Spider-Man said as he patted his stomach.
Power Girl and Spider-Man rounded up the would-be bank robbers and Spider-Man offered a myriad of reassurances to the frightened hostages that he was indeed lying, he doesn't eat people, he kept vague about the summoning spiders thing however, that could come in handy again someday. Eventually, the NYPD arrived.
As the cops cleaned up and began processing the criminals and taking statements from the hostages, Power Girl, Spider-Man, and Spider-Girl, stood on the roof of the bank, the same place Power Girl initially dropped Teresa off before she stepped into assist Peter.
"So, nice to finally meet you, Power Girl. Thanks for the assist, wasn't sure if that would work so nice to know there was someone ready to have my back…
"But I'm going to be real with you here, while I appreciate the help, I don't appreciateyou bringing my sister into a potentially dangerous situation…" Spider-Man said as he regarded Power Girl.
She was dressed in a form-fitting, full body white suit with blue boots and gloves. A red and gold belt around her waist and a red outlined, diamond shaped, crest with a yellow background and a familiar 'S' on her upper sternum, the red carrying around to a red cape on her back.
She looked mostly identical to Supergirl, someone who Peter only met in passing when she visited Barbara at the Clocktower while he was finishing up some more tech at his little workshop before going on patrol in Gotham.
However, Power Girl appeared older, taller, had a more muscular build and wore her hair in a shorter wavy bob. Not to mention, his more confrontational approach towards Power Girl had elicited a more fixed and determined expression from her in comparison to her adopted sister's mostly polite and friendly face when she introduced herself to Peter.
"You had it handled. And if you didn't, I was there." Power girl stated bluntly, but not without a hint of empathy, she understood his complaints were coming from a place of love.
"Yeah, but still. What if it went wrong? I don't want her to see something traumatic…" Peter spoke, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his mind that he was being overprotective.
"Oh, but it's fine if you do?" Power Girl responded.
"Trust me, I've seen plenty! There're some horrible people out there. She" He pointed towards Teresa, "doesn't need to see that. That's why I make sure to leave her somewhere safe."
"She's not a child, Spider-Man…" Power Girl crossed her arms.
"She's seventeen, legally, she is!"
"And you're only nineteen! I heard about you from my cousin, you started doing this when you were way younger than her…"
"Actually, I'm twenty. And yeah, that was stupid. I was a stupid kid. But I had a responsibility, because I was powerful enough to handle it. She doesn't need to see this world! I shouldn't have brought her out in the first place, but she kept insisting."
"You may legally be twenty Spider-Man, but I read your file. You were born in April."
"Yeah, and the 20th of April was yesterday. To everyone back home, they just mourned my death on my birthday because they all think I'm dead when I'm not! All because of this life we live! That's something that shouldn't happen to anyone! I thought you of all people would understand how awful that feels since you lost—"
"Be very careful with your next words, Peter…" Power Girl said with a dark tone.
The wind whistled around them as they held their stares on each other, a tense silence on the roof between them.
The silence was cracked, "It was your birthday yesterday…? Why didn't you say anything?" Teresa finally spoke, mildly hurt that Peter didn't trust her enough to mention it.
"I—I didn't want to make it any harder… It was you're day… His day… I didn't want to hurt you. It was the same reason I didn't want to take you out on patrol…" Teresa walked over to Peter and begun thumping him across his shoulder and chest, "Hey! Stop that!"
Teresa was beginning to cry behind her mask as she continued hitting him, "You're an idiot! You were just going to lie to me and Ben! I though you said no secrets?"
"Teresa… This is why I didn't want to tell you…" Peter said as he grabbed her arms.
Power Girl watched the display and started to realise there was much more to Peter's hesitation than a classic overprotective sense of chauvinism. He felt guilt. She heard the worry in his voice, he was afraid of losing his new family, that's why he was being protective, that's why he lied.
"No! I'm hurt you couldn't trust me enough to tell me! Or Ben!" Teresa was basically screaming and tried to wrench her hands from his grip, he let go, not wanting her to hurt herself.
A tone of worry was in his voice as he looked around the empty rooftop, "Hey, stop shouting… Remember rule number one; no yelling names—" he was cut off.
"Shut up! I don't care! Stop treating me like I'm this fragile little baby who can't handle anything! I got enough of that from my real brother—" she shot her hand to her masked mouth to cut off the sentence before it finished. It was too late the damage was done.
"I—Peter, I'm sorry… I didn't mean that…" she sounded small as she spoke, heavy regret weighing down every word.
"No. You're right… I'm not you're real brother… I was an idiot to think I could fill that role… I swore to myself I wouldn't forget that barrier. That doing that would be an insult to the families we lost… But I forgot that." Peter felt a harsh sting as he spoke, but nothing compared to sting of regret as he said his next sentence, "This isn't a real family. My real family thinks I'm dead… Just like yours is."
His eyes snapped shut as he cringed at his words, he didn't want to say them at all, he didn't think them. He didn't mean them. He just said it on impulse. In a moment of unthinking pain, he said what came to his mouth without considering the words. Deep down he wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt him.
"I—I didn't…" He stuttered out an incomplete attempt at damage control.
Teresa stepped back from Peter; she felt her heartbreak all over again. It was like she lost Peter for a second time. For a moment she felt the most horrible feeling she could possibly imagine, no longer did she have a brother, just some imposter who wore his face, spoke with his voice, and used that voice to say something that killed her a little inside.
Kara Zor-L watched with second hand embarrassment and pain at the display, "Right. Both of you, stop. Now. Before you say something you really regret. For the record, I'm sorry. I didn't know I would cause—"
"You didn't do anything wrong… this was all us." Teresa spoke as she looked at Peter behind her masked eyes, she stiffened her body language and crossed her arms.
Peter couldn't see her face, just her white lenses staring at him. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle whatever expression was behind her mask, he didn't want to see the evidence of the pain he inevitably caused her. He felt a bristle from his spider-sense, not of threat but of… déjà vu? Like this sensation had been felt before, just not by him.
He disregarded the stray thought as he spoke, "She's right. This… rift… This was all our fault. All my fault. I— I think I need some space… We both do." He looked to Power Girl, "Are you okay to look over her for a bit?"
Power Girl nodded to him, and he responded with a nod of his own before turning back to Teresa, "Text me to let me know you're safe… I'll see you at your house later… We can talk properly then…"
"Peter…" She watched with a sense of helplessness as he leapt of the roof and began swinging away, "I—It's your house too…" She took a few steps back and slumped her shoulders in defeat as she leant on the ledge of the roof.
"I—I ruined it… I had my brother back and I ruined it." She lifted up her mask as she began to cry.
"Hey, hey… Trust me… You are not the only guilty party here… He takes his fair share of the blame for that. Whatever that was… If anything, he's the older one, he should know better."
"He—He was looking out for me, and I shouldn't have said what I said. But why didn't he tell me about his birthday? I thought he trusted me… and why did he say that…? I was just angry… But he… he didn't mean that, did he?"
"No." Power Girl said resolute as she leant down slightly and placed her hand gently on Teresa's shoulder, "He'll be back trust me. Siblings fight. This was just a more complex fight than most."
"I don't even know if we are siblings anymore…" Teresa croaked about between choke tears.
"No. Don't say that. I could hear his heartbeat, Teresa. That boy loves you, that is real. Don't ever think otherwise… He's just hurting… Doesn't mean he's any less of an idiot… But he needs to cool off. You both do..." She softened her face into a smile, "So whadya' say, wanna' watch me punch some bad guys?"
Teresa rubbed the tears from her eyes as she stared back to Power Girl, her misty red eyes were a painful display, but she managed a pitiful attempt at a half-smile as she replied, "Y-yeah… I would really like that."
Peter kept swinging, moving on autopilot as he berated himself, 'Typical Pete… Running away from your problems yet again… Idiot! Why did you say that? Why can't you just be happy with your life? Why do you always have to ruin every good thing that comes along?'
He saw some men attacking another man in an alley and snapped his head to the assault, he'd found a vessel for him to channel his frustration as he pulled himself down into the alley, "Hey fellas! Just so you know, New York isn't too fond of daylight assaults on its citizens!"he called as he landed.
"Or more specifically, I'm not. So, let's all just leave this guy alone and go back to whatever pathetic holes we crawled out of…" He spoke, his voice was harsher than normal as he felt his adrenaline kick in and a bristle from the Other rumbling in his subconscious.
The bigger man wo was holding the victim by his collar dropped him as he turned to Spider-Man, "Shove off freak! We ain't afraid of you…"
"Well then, allow me to change your mind." Spider-Man was quick and within moments he had laid out all but two of the men who were perpetrating the assault.
He found too much enjoyment in venting his frustrations on the sorry criminals and was internally screaming to himself to calm down. He saw in his peripheral as the two remaining attackers began fleeing, he stretched out his arm and, as if on impulse, he felt as two long black tendrils extended themselves out of his arm, grabbed the men and pulled them up into the air before slamming them back to the ground with a brutal impact.
Cries of agony came from the two men as they rolled around in pain, he watched with a sick feeling of satisfaction as he noticed one of them had broken his arm and cracked a few ribs and the other had his leg bending in an unnatural shape.
All of a sudden, he snapped out of the sensation and felt the tendrils retract as his eyes widened in horror and the brutality of his actions, terror struck that he had used the Other as means to externalise his frustration.
He felt a bristle of pride from the Slimbiote inside him before he spoke aloud, "No! We shouldn't have done that… That was… Oh my god, I'm sorry are you okay?" He began moving to the groaning man on the floor who was clutching at his arm as his elbow was poking itself out of his body.
"Stay away! I—I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" The terrified attacker was shuffling away on the ground as he cried out.
Peter turned back to the victim of the attackers; he was standing petrified with fear as he stared at Spider-Man with horror. Peter looked around at the scene around him, it wasn't just the last two he was harsh on, all of them had fractured or broken bones and where either out cold or trashing and moaning in pain. He'd acted with an uncharacteristic level of violence. He shuddered at the implications of what could happen if he let his emotions control him.
He thought about going home, meditating like he had initially planned, talking to Ben to clear his mind. He brushed away that consideration, if he told Ben how he spoke to Teresa he'd get a lecture. Deservedly so, but Peter already felt guilty enough, he didn't need anyone else to lecture him anymore than he already was within his own mind.
He apologised profusely and did his best to fasten make-shift casts with his webbing as he bundled the goons together, resting them carefully on the wall before he leapt up the building and swung away. He sat himself on the ledge of a skyrise a few blocks away as he pulled out his phone.
He looked blankly at the device, the dark of its locked screen reflecting his mask and lenses in which held a blank expression behind. He unlocked it and felt a twinge of pain grab his heart as he saw his screensaver, an old high school selfie MJ took in the halls with Peter's phone.
The smiling faces of himself, MJ, Harry, Gwen, and even Rand who was just walking by and decided to join in. Even Flash Thompson in his letterman jacket a part of the memory as he was flipping off the camera in the background. A bittersweet smile crept its way onto Peter's face before he fixed his expression and opened up his contacts.
Names from his old world were joined by names from the new. He was given a new SIM obviously, one that had to be specially made as his Stark Industries phone, which he insisted on keeping, didn't exist in this reality. He thought about who to call, as he aimlessly scrolled through his contacts. He wished he could call MJ, she was his go to at times like this, but she wasn't his go to anymore…
He thought about calling Bruce. He shook his head at the absurdity of that idea. Then Dick came to mind. He decided against it, for no real reason other than it didn't feel like the right choice, he couldn't explain why. He scrolled back up, Barbara… Without even thinking he pressed the name and began to listen as the dial tone rang into his mask via Bluetooth.
No answer, he heard the chipper voice of Babs as the prerecorded voicemail message began playing. He hung up. He then thought some more, it was probably good she wasn't available anyway, Barbara could help with his issues of frustration with Teresa, sure. But this was more than that, this wasn't just his problem, this was a problem of the Slimbiote as well.
He tried another number and heard the dial tone for a few beats before the connection was made, "Peter? Hi, how are you?" The female voice on the other end spoke.
"Hey… I'm good… Actually, no. I'm not. Err we're not." He sounded defeated; he felt a guilty tickle of shame come from the Other.
There was slight grim chuckle on the other end, "Oh? Who's we…? Oooh. I see. Wanna' talk about it?"
"Yeah… If you're free that is?"
"I wouldn't've offered if I wasn't, gimme' a minute. I'll send over the teleporter coordinates. You good to come over here? Kinda' having a lazy day…"
"Oh err… Yeah. You sure you're good? I can leave it if—"
"Peter. What did I say? Anytime, remember?"
"Right. Yeah… I'll um… See you soon."
"I'll get the coffee ready."
"Heh… Thanks."
He hung up, pulled himself to his feet and began swinging towards the teleporter in Manhattan.
Gotham City
Clocktower
Barbara looked at her phone as it vibrated on the counter behind her, she felt a slight sense of guilt at ignoring the call but knew she didn't have time right now, she promised to herself that she'd make it up to him before turning back to her task. She finished pouring out the frothed milk into the two cups of coffee in front of her.
"You need to get that?" Dinah called over from the couch as she looked over to Barbara in the kitchen area.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll call him back later." Barbara responded as she walked over to Black Canary, who was wearing casual clothing, and set down the hot drink.
Barbara sat on the chair opposite Dinah as she thanked her for the drink before speaking, "So, you ready to talk about what happened in the warehouse?"
Barbara chuckled slightly before responding, "Not really… but I think it's time I finally did."
Dinah smiled back at her friend, "Don't try to force it, Barbara. We can talk about anything you want…"
"I'm not…" Barbara said as she smiled darkly, holding on to her mug and staring into the frothy liquid inside, "I do want to talk about it. I just also… don't."
"I understand… Take it at your own pace. How about we start with something simpler and build our way up."
"Like what?"
"How about we start by talking about Spider-Man?"
Author Note:
Hey whadya know, guess I was being over dramatic… Truth be told I had the Miles section written months ago so this chapter was a lot easier… I kinda did take a break though for the other half and just left it for a bit and it did help…
I gotta say, one of the reasons I decided to keep going was some of the really nice comments left recently. Thank you so much, you know who are. Well, I hope you do anyway, what a dark twist that'd be if you didn't…
Initially there was no argument between Peter and Terri planned, it just kinda wrote itself though… I don't know anymore… This thing is my first attempt at writing for realsies so maybe I'd adjust it if I really thought about it… But I've decided to stop doubting my own work for now and just let the flow happen…
Also, ngl, this will probs be a long story. Lots of the chapters keep getting split up in my as I write them, and things keep adding themselves like I'm writing on auto pilot.
Read back through some old chapters and spotted so many grammar mistakes but haven't fixed them. There's probably a bunch in this one as well, sorry about that…
Thanks everyone. You're all beautiful :)
Especially the recent commenters/reviewers, you really brought me out of my rutt and made me realise I was being stupid.
Until next time,
Fumble