Liz had called Peter and MJ to the old Oscorp Tower, though she didn't say why.
"Why would Liz call us to come here?" MJ asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, there was something about my company she would've asked me and Harry to pay a visit," Peter frowned.
"Though, given the problems that both Liz and Harry are having at the moment, she would probably only call you," said MJ.
At the entrance, they met Mark, who looked quite well, all things considered. Peter also knew that Liz had informed him of his identity as Spider-Man, with his permission, of course.
"Peter, I'm glad the two of you came," said Mark.
"I don't suppose you can tell us why it was so urgent for us to come here?" Peter asked.
"It would be better if I show you," said Mark, guiding them into the building. "As you are aware, Harry and Liz are seizing Oscorp's assets after Osborn was arrested. We've also found some troubling things."
"Goblin gear?" Peter assumed.
"We did find a lot of that and have given it to the authorities for evidence. However, we found the secret lab, and what we found will no doubt affect the two of you."
Peter didn't like where this was going.
Mark took them to the secret lab, where they met Liz, who was not her usual cheerful self.
"Can we finally find out why your summit is here?" MJ asked, folding her arms.
"Okay, what I'm about to show you is going to shock you," Liz informed them.
She let them deep into the lab and gestured to the tank, and their eyes widened when they saw May floating inside it.
"I'm so sorry," said Liz.
"That impossible," said Peter, shocked.
MJ covered her mouth. "M-May?"
"Now you can see why we call you," said Mark. "We've already done a DNA test, confirming that she is indeed your daughter."
"B-but May is currently with Gwen," said MJ shocked.
Pete immediately realised what this meant. "A clone."
Liz nodded. "It would seem as if Norman cloned your daughter."
"But why?" MJ cried.
"I guess to hurt Peter," said Liz.
"He must've gotten a DNA sample when he kidnapped our daughter," Peter assumed. "The real question is, which one is the clone?"
"That we don't know," said Mark. He then looked at the May in the tank. "And we don't know why he kept this May here."
"We should get her out of there," said MJ.
Some of him agreed with her, but Peter knew all too well the problems clones could cause after dealing with Ben and Kane.
"Not yet, not until we know what's going on," said Peter.
MJ looked at him, shocked. "Peter, you can't seriously suggest keeping her inside that thing?"
"MJ, we don't know what Norman did to her; we don't even know if she's the clone or not. I need to remind you what happened with my parents, do I?"
MJ looked as if she wanted to argue but then nodded.
"I'll call Dr Richards; he'll know what to do," said Peter.
Reed didn't waste any time and took the containment tank to the Baxter Building, where he began running several experiments.
"So either this is a clone, or Osborn dumped your daughter in that tank," said Johnny.
"Yeah, that's about the size of it," Peter nodded.
Ben clenched his fist in frustration. "If I ever get my hands around him, I'll squeeze him until he pops."
"I must say the depravity of the man knows no bounds," said Sue, looking equally frustrated.
Johnny then looked at Peter and MJ. "So, have you told May about this?"
"We've informed Gwen and Ben, but we don't want to tell May until we know more," MJ explained.
"Well, I can certainly confirm what Miss Allen confirmed; this girl is indeed your daughter," said Reed.
"But is she a clone?" Peter asked.
"I used every single test I can think of to determine whether this young girl is a clone, but the tests were indecisive," said Reed. "I also checked May's DNA records, and they determined that she is real."
"So what you're saying is that they had a secret twin," Johnny frowned.
"I think I would remember if I had two daughters," said MJ.
"Normally, that would be the case, but do not forget that young May was abducted shortly after she was born," said Reed as he began going through his test results. "So it is entirely possible that Norman Osborn took a sample for DNA on that day and cloned her."
"That would explain how you can't tell if she is a clone or not," said Peter. "The best way to determine whether one is a clone is to check the genetic markers. That would determine whether the person in question is the proper age."
"Which also means, unlike Ben Reilly, her age was not accelerated," said Reed.
"Is this why Norman kidnapped our daughter just to clone her?" MJ frowned.
"Hang on," said Johnny, confused. "Why would he do that? I mean, I know he hates Peter's guts, but why clone May and let her age normally."
"Maybe he was planning on giving us the clone all along," said Peter. "Put in some preprogramming, have both me and MJ love her, and then have her kill us."
"Would even someone as vile as Norman Osborn do something like that?" Sue asked.
"The guy bonked his son's girlfriend, I think is capable of doing anything," said Ben.
"And I thought Doom was a creep," said Johnny under his breath.
"If there's any preprogramming, I'm afraid that my equipment will be able to detect it regularly with the aid of a telepath," said Reed.
"Looks like we're going to make a call to the X-Men next," Peter sighed.
A few hours later, Emma Frost arrived at the Baxter Building and sifted through the girl's mind.
"I have scanned her mind, and it is as you assumed that she was preprogrammed to kill both you and your wife," said Emma. "I've now wiped out that programming, but I should also warn you that she believes that she is the real May Parker."
"If she had mental programming, does that mean that she is the clone?" MJ asked.
"Not if it was a mental suggestion caused by hypnotism or something like that," said Reed.
"And why have wiped out the programming that was in her mind? I can't say for certain what a personality will be," Emma warned.
"Peter, we can't keep putting this forever. We have to wake her up," said MJ.
Peter was reluctant to do so, but deep down, he knew that she was right, so he nodded at Reed.
They soon emptied the tank and now had to wait for her to wake up, which didn't take very long.
"Where am I?" she said.
Reed then approached her. "You and the Baxter Building, do you know who I am?"
She looked at him and nodded. "Your Reed Richards."
"Do you know who you are?" Reed asked.
"I know that my name is May, but that's all I remember," she said.
Reed then placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her sympathetically. "May, you're going to have to be very brave."
Reed soon began to explain everything to her, including that Peter and MJ were parents, at least biologically, and that they had another daughter named May.
"So I'm a clone," said the little girl, shocked.
"We can't say for certain," said Reed regretfully.
She then looked at Peter and MJ. "And you're my parents?"
MJ was the first to approach and placed a hand over hers. "We are, and we don't care if you're a clone or not; you're still our daughter."
"But I'm fake. I'm not real," she said as tears appeared in her eyes.
Peter then approached. "You're not the only clone in this family. Someone cloned me, and for a time, I thought I was a clone." He then placed a hand on her head and smiled. "Now, we're not going to force you to do anything. You can come with us, or we can find you somewhere else to live."
"You're more than happy to stay with sweetheart," said Sue.
The little girl looked at Peter and MJ. "I want to go with my parents."
Peter and MJ then hugged her, and she had to get them back.
"But we're going to have to give you a different name," Peter informed her. "I'm afraid that May, living with us, already has a birth certificate and everything that proves who she is."
"But I like my," said the little girl.
"And it's a lovely name, but I'm afraid it's first come, first serve," said MJ softly. "How about we call you April instead because April comes before May?"
The little girl smiled. "I like that."
"Then welcome to the family, April?" said MJ, hugging her.
May was playing around the apartment building with Auntie Gwen while Mommy and Daddy were out.
"I'm going to get you," said Auntie Gwen.
"No, you're not!" said May and then began climbing up the walls.
"Oh, yes, I am."
She then jumped onto the ceiling and placed her finger right down on top of her forehead.
"Tag," she said.
"No fair," May moaned.
"Oh, it's fair, considering that you weren't supposed to use your powers," Auntie Gwen reminded her.
"I thought them and no powers for you," May smiled innocently.
"You're so much like your mother," said Gwen, shaking her head.
The two of them then jumped down back onto the floor just as they heard the door open.
"We're back," said Peter.
"Mommy! Daddy! I missed you!" May cried while running up to them but stopped when she saw they were carrying a girl who looked like her. "Who is she?"
"May, we've got a lot to talk about," said Daddy.
They all sat down, and Mommy and Daddy began to explain everything. The girl beside her was April, and she could very well be a clone or vice versa.
"So, either she's a clone, or I'm a clone like Uncle Ben," said May slowly.
"That's right, but we love you no matter what," said Daddy, placing his hand over hers.
"We love both of you," said Mommy, looking at April.
"So, that makes April my sister," said May slowly.
"That's not going to be a problem, as it?" Daddy asked with some slight concern.
"No, I love having a sister!" May beamed.
Both Mommy and Daddy looked relieved upon hearing this.
"I guess having a sister will be so bad," said April.
"We can have so much fun together beating up bad guys!" May cried excitedly.
"Just like papa," said April.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet," said Daddy. "I agreed to train you, May, but I agree with your mother that you are still too young to take on bad guys, and the same goes for you, April."
"Awww," said the girl sadly.
"So you've named April? What about her middle name?" Auntie Gwen asked.
"Oh, Peter and I fought long and hard about this," said Mommy.
Daddy nodded. "Say hello to April Gwendolyn Parker."
Auntie Gwen stared at the two of them, looked stunned, and smiled at April. "It's nice to meet you, April."
"It's nice meeting you too, Auntie Gwen," said April.
A few days later, Peter was lying peacefully in bed when the doorbell rang. Peter groaned and looked at the alarm clock, saying that it was 6 a.m.
MJ groaned as she sat up. "Who's ringing the doorbell at this time of day?"
Peter yawned. "I'll go and find out."
Peter grabbed his dressing gown, went to the door, and heard someone banging against it.
"All right, all right, I'm coming!" Pete yelled.
However, when he opened the door, suddenly collapsing, right in front of him was Kaine covered in blood.
"Kaine?!" Peter gasped.
"They're hunting us! They're hunting spiders!" he said breathlessly.
He then collapsed.
Peter immediately dragged him into the apartment, and MJ quickly grabbed the first-aid kit. Unsurprisingly, they had a first-aid kit on hand due to Peter's nightlife.
"What happened to him?" MJ asked.
"I don't know," said Peter. "But he said that spiders are being hunted. Can you get a message to Ben and Gwen? I need to get out there."
"Of course, just promise you'll be careful," MJ pleaded.
"Hey, it's not like I get myself killed on purpose," Peter smiled.
MJ looked at him unamused.
"Sorry."
No sooner had he changed into costume and gone outside than there was a huge explosion. That's when he encountered Julie Carpenter, who happened to be the second person to hold the name of Spider-Woman but now called herself Arachne. She had the same powers as Peter but with one major difference: she was able to create this sort of psi-web.
It was then that he discovered that the hunters were, in fact, the Kravinoffs, more precisely, Anna and Alyosha Kravinoff, the children of the original Karven. Sadly, both children proved to be just as fanatical and skilled as their father. So far, the fight seemed evenly matched, but then Pete began losing consciousness when he heard the sound of a drum.
MJ was busy tending to Kaine's wounds, but by this time, May and April were wide awake.
"Mommy, who is the man leading all over our couch?" May asked.
"This is Kaine, and I guess you could say that he is your uncle," said MJ.
"But why is he covered in blood, mama?" April asked.
"I don't know, sweetie, but your father is trying to find that out," said MJ. "Girls, I know you have a lot of questions to ask, and I know you just got up, but I'm asking the two of you to stay in your room for the time being."
Both girls moaned but did what they were asked.
"Those you kids?" Kaine asked.
MJ looked down at him. "How long have you been awake?"
"Only a few minutes ago," he winced. "I thought you only had one daughter?"
"Yes, but Norman Osborn decided to clone our daughter," MJ explained.
Kaine groaned. "What is it with Peter and clones?"
"Maybe you can tell me what's happening and what happened to you?" MJ asked.
"That's gonna take some explaining," Kaine sighed.
"Then start explaining."
Peter begins to regain consciousness, and Gwen and Ben apparently arrive in time to save him and Julie. Then they took him to the apartment of Mattie Franklin, the third person to call herself Spider-Woman.
"Now, can you tell me what's going on and what happened to Mattie?" Julie asked.
"Hey, we're just as much in the dark as you," said Ben.
"Yeah, all I know is that the Kravinoff are hunting spiders," said Peter. "It looks like they only got Mattie."
The apartment was completely ransacked, and was traces of blood all over the place.
"We need to figure out what's going on and fast," said Gwen.
"I'm afraid, my dear, that's easier said than done," said a voice.
They quickly turned and saw Ezekiel stepping into the room.
"Ezekiel?" Peter stared. "But you're supposed to be dead."
Shortly before the Civil War, Ezekiel attempted to perform some sort of spider ritual with Peter. However, in the end, he decided to sacrifice himself for Peter, knowing that, unlike him, he had never really used his powers for good.
"And yet here I am," said Ezekiel. "If we had time, I would gladly tell you how I came back from the dead, but right now, we have a bunch of hunters hunting spiders."
"I might need a quick explanation," said Julie.
"Oh, he believes spiders like you and me have been chosen by some sort of spider goddess," Peter explained.
"Are you serious?" Julie stared.
"Julie, stranger things have happened," Gwen pointed out. "Scarlet Spider is a clone, and I came back from the dead. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith."
Ezekiel quickly gave a small back story on Kraven. He then explained that Sasha Kravinoff planned to sacrifice every spider to bring Kraven back from the dead. He then explained that they had already killed Mattie and captured Madame Web.
He then informed them that Aña Corazón, another spider acquaintance who went by the name of Araña, was the next target. Apparently, she had been part of a cult that gave her spider powers for magic.
They arrived just in time to save her from the Kravinoffs, and Kaine joined in to help. Still, unfortunately, they were overpowered, and both Aña and Julie were captured, mostly because Vladimir had been brought back to life but now resembled a human lying. Ben and Gwen were captured during the scuffle, and Kaine broke off to do our very strong work with Peter, who was weakened during the battle.
"Peter, you're in any condition to go after them," said Kaine. "They know you go after them, and that's what they're hoping for."
"But we can't let them die," Peter argued.
"Look, I don't like you one bit, but you and your wife saved my life, so let me offer this piece of advice as currency. Don't let your guilt overwhelm you at your Achilles heel. You have a family back home, and those girls need their father."
"And how can I look at them in the face of I abandoned my friends?" Peter glared back. "Do what you want, but I'm going to save."
Sadly, things did not go swimmingly. First, it was revealed that it wasn't the real Ezekiel who had assisted them but, in fact, the Chameleon in disguise. It was easy to forget that the Chameleon was, in fact, Karven's half-brother.
He was able to lead Peter into an ambush, and overwhelmed by the combined force of the Kravinoffs, he was killed and. Using his blood in some twisted ritual, they were able to bring the real Kraven the Hunter from the dead.
However, when they got back to the mansion, Kraven soon realised something was wrong and that the Spider-Man they had killed was, in fact, Kaine, which corrupted the ritual.
During the ambush, when Peter was pushed into an open grave, Kaine used this opportunity to switch places with him. When Peter finally managed to dig himself out of the grave, he quickly went to a crypt where he found Kaine's body in a coffin, a black Spider-Man suit and a note that said 'Hunt Me'.
Gwen and the others were unaware of what was going on until Sasha and then slipped Madam Web's throat, much to their horror. She then more or less dragged them into the living room, and it was then that they realised just how angry Peter was as he took her by surprise and overpowered her instantly.
"Peter, thank God you're alive," said Gwen as he untied them.
"How-how did you do that?" Julie asked.
"You'll be amazed just what anger can do for the body," he said.
"Cassandra needs help," said Aña.
"Take care of her," said Peter.
"What about you?" Ben asked.
"I'm going to kill Sasha Kravinoff," said Pete and ran off before anyone could say anything.
"We have to follow him," said Ben and Gwen nodded.
"You're afraid that he might get killed?" Aña asked.
"No, we're afraid he's going to kill someone," said Gwen.
Then she and Ben ran off after Peter, and Aña followed close behind, leaving Julie to cradle Cassandra in her arms.
"Don't worry, everything is going to be all right," said Julia assuringly.
Cassandra looked up at her and smiled as she removed her blindfold. "You're such a beautiful girl," she said.
Julie frowned. "I thought you were blind."
"I wish there were more time to explain, and I am sorry for what I'm about to do next."
"Cassandra, what—?"
Cassandra began to glow, and then there was a blinding flash of light.
Gwen and the others desperately followed, and it looked like their concerns were warranted. They had just witnessed Peter using his wall-sticking powers to rip off a portion of Sasha's face, but he showed no signs of stopping.
Eventually, the battle took place outside, and Peter began battling Kraven. Ultimately, he overpowered him and then raised Kraven's spear, preparing to kill him with it.
"This is where it ends!" Peter yelled.
"Thank you," said Kraven with a joyous smile on his face.
"No!" Gwen cried.
"Don't do it!" Ben pleaded.
"Please don't," Aña begged.
Peter was just about to impale Kraven when Julie appeared out of nowhere and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Spider-Man, do not do this," she said.
Peter then suddenly had images flowing through his mind; he saw Kraven dead on the ground. However, he saw MJ leaving him with the girls, Aunt May disowning him and heroes turning their backs on him. He then saw himself on a vengeful street, killing villains without remorse.
"If you kill him right here right now, you'll turn your back on those you love," said Julie as she removed her hand. "But if you spare, you can save so many lives. You are the best of us, and for our sake, you must remain the best."
"No, you must kill me here and now," Kraven begged. "If you do not kill me, I cannot die. We are bonded together."
Peter then dropped the spear, much to everyone's relief. "I'm done here. There's been enough bloodshed for one day, and right now, I want to go back to my family."
The next day, they all gathered to pay their respects to Mattie, Cassandra and Kaine. Apparently, before she died, Cassandra had passed her powers onto Julie, which had the sad result of rending her blind.
Julie was now wearing a pair of red sunglasses and a trenchcoat, and Aña was now wearing her costume.
"I still don't understand why he sacrificed himself for me," said Peter.
"Because as much as he hated to admit it, he was more like you than you believed," said Gwen as they looked at Kaine's grave. "I guess once he just wants to be a hero."
"He certainly was a troublesome older brother," Ben smiled.
"At least he can now finally rest in peace," said Peter. He then placed a hand on the tombstone and smiled. "Goodbye, brother."