Well would you look at that?! A new chapter! This story isn't dead yet everyone!
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Rooster Teeth itself. Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know Warner Bros. shut down the organization. It's sad to see an organization thats been around for more than a third of my life close its doors.
But the show must go on. or in this case, the fan-fictionI know my uploads are a little late, but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things. (pun absolutely intended.)
Hopefully that extra week or two was worth it cause this is officially my longest chapter yet. If you wanna see more, be sure to follow and review. Right now though, I hope you're ready! this is:
Marvelous Remnants- Volume 1: Along Came a Spider
Chapter 2: Picking Up the Pieces.
Stark Industries: Early December.
Tony had just touched down inside Stark Tower, a spring in his step as automated systems disassembled iron armor. After months of planning, hard work, (and maybe a few sleepless nights with Pepper) it was finally done. Stark tower was off the grid, a beacon of clean and sustainable energy nestled deep beneath the building. And now he could relax and enjoy his afternoon with a certain redhead-
"Sir, Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the line."
-Or at least he would try to. "I'm not in." Tony shook his head as the faceplate was removed. "I'm actually out."
A few steps later, Stark was back to his usual black shirt and jeans, the familiar blue of the arc reactor glowing in his chest.
"Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting."
"Grow a spine Jarvis. I have a date." Tony waived off the AI as he turned a corner.
And there stood the very woman he was thinking of, in a casual white blouse and jeans. "Levels are holding steady… I think." Pepper furrowed her brow at the holo display.
"Of course they are. I was directly involved." She playfully rolled her eyes at Tony's usual snark. "Which brings me to my next question, how does it feel to be a genius?"
The redhead sighed in self deprecation. "Well, I wouldn't really know, now would I?"
"Hey come on." In a rare moment of seriousness, Tony's hazel eyes locked with peppers emerald. "All this" he motioned to the room around them. "came from you."
"No, all this… came from that." She tapped his arc reactor, voice low.
"Come on, give yourself some credit. Take-"
"Sir, apologies for intruding, but I've gone over the information provided by agent Coulson." Tony grimaced hearing the AI interrupt, prepared to put his phone, and Jarvis, on mute. Pepper laughed lightly at her boyfriends annoyance. "It seems S.H.I.E.L.D. has detected a possible inter dimensional anomaly."
"Jarvis, for the last time, Pepper and I are trying to-" his eyes snapped open, shaking his head in shock. "Wai- A what?!"
Peppers expression matched his. "Did Jarvis just say what I think he said?!"
"There's more." The AI continued, having gained the couples full attention now. "The point of origin appears to be Einstein State University, in the lab of Dr.'s Curt and Martha Conners."
Stark tensed, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. "The particle accelerator."
Pepper's voice shook him out of his daze, eyes hardened in focus. "Tony, go!"
Without another word, Stark took off back in the direction he came from, while Pepper bolted in the opposite.
"Jarvis, the mark 3!"
"Sir, prepped and ready."
Within seconds, the new armor set popped out of the floor panels, syncing with his movements as he raced down the platform.
Tony leapt off the edge, a familiar feeling of his boots firing to support him taking over. He was fully suited up and soaring through the Manhattan Skyline.
"Give me the S.H.I.E.L.D. intel Jarvis." Tony ordered, dozens of images flashing at the corner of his vision. "And please tell me the Conners are alright."
Meanwhile, Pepper sped through the halls of the building, and stopped before a small private elevator, one that she rode to a deep basement level of Stark International.
When the door opened again, she found herself in a spacious tech lab. Along the right wall was a massive hologram display that gave data from the armor, as well as recent news reports and updated files directly from S.H.I.E.L.D. Itself.
The back had a more cylindrical shape to it, housing 3 large metal casings, one of which had been cracked opened for the armor to deploy.
But she didn't have time to stand around gawking at Tony's work, and quickly made her way over to a circular control chair hanging on the left side of the room, several screens displaying 'Iron-Man computer terminal' before her.
"Mrs. Potts. We've got an anomaly." A new voice chimed, this one female.
"I see it Friday. Tony's in the air. Patch me in." She quickly ordered, sliding a headset on before sitting down.
"Armory uplink established." The two AI declared in unison.
"What do you think?"
"Two things. One: So much for date night. Sorry." Tony noted with genuine remorse.
Pepper sighed, but nodded understandingly, flitting back to the files. "And two?"
Images displayed for the armor and armory, showing aerials of ESU- or at least what was left of it. An entire section of the building had been reduced to a smoking crater. "What the hell happened here?"
Thrusters echoed through campus when Coulson looked up. His trained eyes carefully observed the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. operation for its source, and caught a red and gold suit flying right over the caution tape.
"Finally." Waiving off the other agents in the wreckage, he worked his way out of the crater, just in time to see the armored hero land along its rim. "Someone took their sweet time."
"Yeah, I know. I'm late." Tony dismissed, too busy scanning all of the damage. "Give me the rundown Coulson."
"Incident occurred about 30 minutes ago during a supervillain attack. We've already got agents combing through the debris. So far, all we've found was some very scared students, and a few banged up security cameras."
Phil lead Iron Man past a few tents and up to a table littered with metal scraps and semi-salvageable recording equipment. "These were the ones closest to the epicenter."
"Epicenter of what?" Pepper voiced through the armor, bewildered. "Just what exactly are we dealing with Phil?"
"I was honestly hoping you could tell me. Whatever this was, it set off half the sensors on the helicarrier." He shook his head, looking over the provisional S.H.I.E.L.D. stations set up across the site. "Energy spikes, seismic tremors, even Fitz and Simmons are baffled by the readings.
Gingerly, Tony picked up the first camera before connecting a small wire between it and the wrist of his suit. "Let's see what we can salvage."
A holographic display projected from his palm. The image, about the size of a basketball, flickered and blurred for a few seconds before some familiar faces could be seen walking into the lab.
"There's the Conners family, but who are the other 4 kids?" Tony wondered aloud.
"Friday, run facial recognition." Pepper ordered.
"I just did boss. They're high school students registered for a college tour. Flash Thompson, Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker, and Gwen Stacy."
"Hell of a time to play tour guide." Coulson pinched his nose.
Meanwhile, the group onscreen was startled when a shadow appeared at the edge of view. Whoever it was had ripped a machine off the ground and thrown it at them, forcing the entire group to scatter.
"What the hell was that?" Stark refocused on the video. "Do we have any footage of the door? What were they running from?"
"We don't know. But we're still finding more cameras in the rubble. Think you can help speed this up?"
"I'm on it." Tony nodded and walked off. "Jarvis, bring up maps and blueprints of the building. Lets see where the security would have been."
"Yessir." The ai went to work. Within seconds, his mask overlayed the rubble with images and details of the buildings wiring, gold paths connecting to where the cameras once stood.
Following the power lines, Tony made his way to the far side of the crater, and closer to the remaining half of the building.
He had to double take seeing the cutoff in between the two. "What have we here?" Stark approached the buildings outer wall, metal gloves trailing over a smooth, circular indent that had been carved inside of it. Roughly then size of a beach ball. "Pepper you getting this?"
"I've seen professional stone masons who can't cut this cleanly" Pepper cupped her chin, looking over the data. "Friday, map out the anomaly's circumference. Use the indent as a marker."
New images displayed for the armor and armory, this one 3d rendered the building in blue. A large red ball began to grow from where Tony stood. "Boss, the accelerator didn't just destroy the lab, it cut out a perfect sphere. No burn marks, no cracks, It's like the room and everyone in it just vanished."
"Which means S.H.I.E.L.D. might be right." Pepper ran a frustrated hand over her eyes. "But how is that even possible?"
Tony crossed the image with the security map. "Either way, that means the only viable cameras would be- here!"
He tossed aside a fallen support beam, and Iron Man plucked a second recorder from out of the rubble. Then made his way back to the table.
"Got another one Phil. Alright little guy, show me your secrets." A new hologram appeared, this time revealing a short and stout figure with a green welders suit and brown trench coat. But what caught their immediate attention was the set of 4 mechanical arms strapped to his back.
"Who's that?"
"Otto Octavius. Former Oscorp scientist. Read a few reports on him after he escaped Rykers." Coulson's eyes narrowed at the villain. "Must've been after the accelerator."
"See, you knowing about it, that doesn't surprise me." Tony raised a brow looking between Phil and Otto. "But how did commander cephalopod find out?"
The camera panned to the side, just in time for the group to run in the office. Or at least most of them. "Wait, go back." Pepper called out. The video froze just in time to catch their faces before the feed cut out. "If everyone else ran in the office, where'd Peter go?"
"Let's find out. There's got to be another camera around here somewhere." With the video cutting to static, Tony resumed his search, following along the projected security map and equipment.
One line in particular stood out to him. Not because of the camera, but because of where it had ended up: in an inky black pool of sludge at the edge of the crater... and for some reason his suit couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Curiously, Tony approached the S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists nearby, one man and one woman. They were tucked right under one of the last standing corners of ESU's former lab. "Excuse me?"
The pair somehow didn't hear him approach, eyes the size of dinner plates on seeing the billionaire. "M-Mr. Stark." He stuttered with a slight Scottish accent.
That was when Tony finally recognized Coulson's top engineer and biologist duo. The former had an average build with well kept, light brown brown hair. His light blue eyes matched the button down shirt he wore, and he had a green S.H.I.E.L.D. badge proudly displayed at his hip.
The latter had wavy dark brown hair reaching just past her shoulders, while her voice had a distinct English undertone. Like her partner, she wore a S.H.I.E.L.D. badge, this one yellow, contrasted to her curiosity filled emerald orbs. It hung firm at the lapel of her grey blazer.
"Fitz and Simmons?"
"Fitz"
"Simmons."
"Well, now that the obvious has been stated." Tonys rhetoric earned an awkward neck scratch from Leo, while Jemma looked back at the pool, mouth drawn into a thin line. "I'm trying to track down the missing security cameras."
"We have one here, but we're still unsure about the muck it's covered in." Simmons knelt down, a test tube and swab in hand.
"What's in that? Oil?" Pepper spoke through the intercom.
"It can't be, the consistency is wrong." Fitz dismissed, returning to his partners side.
"There's no odor, so no tar either." Simmons noted, using a gloved hand to fill her vial with a sample. "We'll get to work analyzing the chemical composition."
But just as she held the sludge up to the light, it began to ripple and boil inside. Tn seconds, the viscous fluid dissolved into nothingness before their eyes.
The reaction surprised all 3 scientists, Fitz looking between the empty container and the few rays of light shining through the splintered ceiling. "Whatever we're dealing with, it doesn't react well to sunlight."
"Either that, or it has an exceptionally low boiling point. We'll need to test for both." Simmons turned the empty tube over in her hand.
"Well, that's not ominous." Tony sighed, gingerly reaching a metallic hand out to the camera and plucking out of the black pool. By the time he had made his way back to to Coulson, the entire recorder was sludge free.
"We now return to our regularly scheduled security footage."
A large hallway near the exit appeared on screen, just in time to catch Peter tuck and roll avoiding a mechanized claw. He bolted through the corridor and locked a door behind him.
"Why ditch his friends if he's just gonna hide in a broom closet?"
"We still don't know what happened between here and there. Maybe they got separated or something." Pepper suggested.
Seconds later, the door clicked again. This time, a new figure emerged from shadow, one dressed entirely in red and blue.
Tony and Pepper were left gaping at the spider symbol emblazoned on his chest. Coulson let out a surprised hum. "Or maybe Mr. Parker leads quite the double life."
"This kid is the… spider-ling? Crime fighting spider?"
"Spider-man." Pepper corrected.
"Coulson! Mr. Stark! You'll wanna see this." Another agent called out from one of the stations, now joined by the two scientists. This one tall and muscular with a shaved head, hazel eyes, and a peculiar weapon strapped to his back… Was that a shotgun axe?
"Mac, Fitz, Simmons, What do you have for me?"
"Nothing good." Fitz motioned to a monitor next to him. "We've analyzed some of the samples from the crater. The majority are nominal, but there's several components that are a bit… disturbing."
"Disturbing how?"
"Disturbing as in: biological components." Simmons pointed out a thermal reading on screen.
Tony had to double take. "Wait, that stuff was alive?!"
"At least at one point, yes." She scrolled through the data. "Its mere existence shouldn't be possible on this planet."
"Not when it burns up in direct sunlight." Mack sighed. "Coulson, wherever they are, it's not earth."
"If that's the case, who knows where they ended up. We might not even be in the same universe… or the same dimension."
"Let me through!" A voice called out from behind the caution tape, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Sir, you need to stay back." One of the agents warned a blonde man in a blue blazer.
Upon closer inspection, Coulson caught a police badge hanging on his neck. "What's going on over here?"
"Where is she?!"
A quick facial scan from Jarvis told Tony everything he needed to know. "Phil, let him in." All agents present turned to Iron man. "It's Gwen's father."
Coulson's face was drawn into a grim frown, but he did as asked, and lifted the tape for George to duck under. "Sorry about that Captain Stacy. We have a few questions, and we're hoping you can help answer some."
"Only if you answer mine first." The captain had caught Phil's expression as he entered, and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
"Where. Is. My. Daughter?"
Vale General hospital: Early December
"So let me get this straight." Qrow furrowed his brow at the travelers in front of him. After coming to a startling realization, the group only had to wait a few minutes before being airlifted out of the forest. When that ride came in the form of a…. Bullhead did he call it?… taking them all to a city they'd never even heard of, their suspicions were all but confirmed.
One hour, and a call to Qrow's boss later, they were all gathered together in a small hospital room, alongside a skeptical Branwen.
"You're all from a world with no Grimm, aura, or dust." He waved his hand over at Peter, now resting in a hospital bed. Gauze and bandages had been wrapped around both his forehead and left arm. "And he's a superhero in that world, but you didn't know that till 2 minutes before I arrived?"
For her part, Gwen hadn't left his side for even a moment, watching the strange magic energy flowing over closed eyes. She turned back to Branwen. "I know how crazy this sounds, but it's true."
"Guys! Here!" MJ spoke up, phone in hand. "I have proof!"
The redhead promptly handed her phone to the huntsman before them. The technology alone was enough for Qrow to raise a brow. What did they call this thing? An iPhone?
Nevertheless, it was still somewhat similar to a standard scroll, so that didn't prove anything... The thing that did it was MJ's picture of her and Anna Watson in the park, as well as the lunar object floating in the background.
Qrow's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Ok, yeah! That's definitely not Remnant's moon."
"I concur." A new voice made themselves known behind the huntsman. Qrow turned to find his grey haired boss looking over his shoulder, along with a familiar blond with a riding crop.
The former was wearing a black 3 piece suit with gold buttons and green hemming, which matched the turtleneck sweater he wore underneath. A pair of circular, tinted, glasses rested at the bridge of his nose. Outwardly, he seemed to be around the same age as Qrow, maybe even younger, but…
Something about him- about the way he carried himself- felt… older. Like investigative hazel eyes held an old man's wisdom.
The woman next to him was much easier to get a read on. Tall, well rounded figure, with an air of professionalism to her. Blonde hair was mostly tied back in a neat bun, while her bangs framed a triangular face and piercing verdant eyes. She wore a traditional white blouse, black skirt, and leggings underneath a black corset with bronze buttons.
The only 2 oddities everyone picked up on were the riding crop she carried in her knee high black boots, and a black cape with a purple interior. Its swirling, wavy edge reached down to her thigh.
Are capes just a fashion statement here? MJ wondered to herself, glancing back at Qrow's shorter, more battle worn one.
All eyes turned to the new bespectacled faces, but neither one seemed perturbed, the former tapping his cane on the floor. "Good evening. My name is Alfodr Ozpin. I am headmaster of Beacon Academy, and a member of the Vale council. This is deputy headmistress Glynda Goodwitch."
"Thank you for contacting us when you did Qrow." Mrs. Goodwitch adjusted her glasses. "We're lucky you were in the vicinity."
"Though, that does beg the question: how did you all end up here in the first place?"
"We've been trying to figure that out." Martha caught the pair . "The particle accelerator is the only explanation, but how?"
"Particle accelerator?" Qrow spoke up.
"It's a- it was a machine designed for experimenting with subatomic particles, and potentially dark matter." Curt corrected himself. "We were hoping the device could assist research into negative energy and help a friend of ours but-"
"Did you say negative energy?" Goodwitch raised a brow.
"That explains the energy dome I saw." Qrows eyes lit up in recognition, running a hand through his hair. "It's just like Raven's powers."
Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. Though it seems theirs was much further reaching."
The scientist couple shared a confused look. "I don't understand. What does negative energy do?"
The headmaster adjusted his glasses. "Well, as the name implies, it's an area in space with less than zero energy, essentially removing all subatomic particles from itself. This creates a massive energy vacuum, and when particles rush in to fill it-"
"It must have caused a rift in space time." Martha's eyes widened, looking between the professors and her equally stunned husband.
"A collapsing Einstein-Rosen bridge." Curt breathed in disbelief. "We literally traveled through a wormhole!"
"An unstable wormhole from the sound of it" Goodwitch nodded in agreement.
"Wait, that's what the flashing lights were?!" Flash exclaimed, looking back and forth between the teachers and scientists.
"Speaking of flashing lights."
A gasp escaped Gwen. All eyes snapped towards the bedridden, red clad figure. "Anyone get the number on that bus?" He groaned.
Before anyone could get another word in, Gwen had him wrapped up in a tight embrace, face buried in his chest. "You're ok!"
"O-ow!"
"S-sorry! Sorry!" She pulled back, face flushed. Stacy only turned redder when MJ gave her a knowing look.
"I-it's alright Gwen." He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, searching for an excuse. "I uh… think I'm a little sore after-"
His entire body froze, feeling the spandex gloves against his face. Peter sat bolt upright, eyes wide. "M-my mask! What-"
"Easy Parker. You're alright." A gentle yet firm hand pushed him back down onto the mattress.
"Flash?"
"Just don't want you cracking your skull open again."
Peters fingers absentmindedly brushed against his bandages. Memories of what happened replayed behind his eyes, rubbing them tiredly. "You guys know. Great."
Qrow felt a wave of sympathy break over him. He recognized that exhausted sigh, collapsed on the bed. The kind that said 'so, this is how bad my luck can get.' Meeting the kids gaze, he motioned to the table next to him, and Spider-Man saw the red cloth lying there. "We found it in the rubble. Not much left though."
The entire right side had been burned to a crisp, while its left lens was cracked and falling to pieces. Damage to both halves had spider webbed all across his mask.
A little crestfallen at the sight, Peter turned back to the group, only to find everyone's eyes on him. All he could do was awkwardly fidget under the attention. "I, uh… Guess this explains why I've been so flakey the past few months?" He looked up hopefully.
Gwen huffed out a laugh, and for a moment, in her minds eye, she saw herself being saved by Peter and going to school with Spider-Man, both figures becoming a perfect blend of the two.
But the moment couldn't last. Not after the forever fall. "There's a lot we need to catch you up on Peter." She admitted.
"I know." Spider-Man interrupted, flashing back to his time on the bullhead, going in and out of consciousness. "I heard the situation… bits and pieces of it at least… were we chased by a bunch of shadow monsters?"
His friends grimaced a the memories. Flying over the forest had given everyone a firsthand look at the beasts said to infest this world. With a single cursory glance, the image of black werewolves covered with bony plates had ingrained itself in all of their nightmares. They were lucky the bullhead came when it did. Another few minutes, and the entire area would have been overrun.
Wanting to clear the depressed air that had taken over, Qrow cleared his throat. "So, your friends said you were part spider. Mind if I ask what your Faunus trait is?"
Peter looked up at the huntsman raising a brow. "My what?"
"Your Faunus trait." Seeing that didn't clear anything up, Qrow motioned to the emblem on his shirt. "You know, the unique animal-like trait you were born with? Could be a pair of ears or a tail-"
"That's not what I am." Peter shook his head.
Now the teachers were the bewildered ones. "It's not?"
"No, I wasn't born part spider." He emphasized, looking between the 3 professors like someone had a second head. "Is that something that happens in this dimension?"
"Hold on, I'm confused. What is a Faunus?" MJ questioned, the other earthlings sharing Peters bafflement.
Qrow, Goodwitch, and Ozpin exchanged a stunned expression. The former two had honestly never heard that question before. Doing her best to take it in stride, Glynda spoke up. "They're a sentient race that live alongside humans on this planet. Truth be told, the two species are almost exactly the same. The only difference being some kind of animal like feature- a Faunus trait."
That got Flash to double take. "Wait, you mean there are people here who are actually born with stuff like cat ears or monkey tails?"
Glynda pursed her lips, tilting her head side to side. "Well… among many other things… yes."
"You guys don't have them in your world either?" Qrow scratched his head.
"Well, the idea of human animal hybrids has existed for millennia, but it was mostly just made up stories and fairy tales. No one's actually seen one before Peter here." MJ piped up.
She stopped short having caught Thompson's eyes glazing over. Knowing the lewd thought most likely going through his mind, she smacked Flash in the back of the head, much to his annoyance.
"If you're not a Faunus, then how do you have… 'spider powers'?" Qrow looked Peter dead in the eye, unsure what to call him or his abilities.
Peter glanced warily between everyone in the room, more than a little hesitant to start handing out the details of his origin. But seeing everyone's eyes on him, the arachnid knew there wasn't any way he could get out of this now. Not when he was surrounded and confined to a hospital bed.
"It was a few months ago, maybe May or June. Our school had taken a field trip to Einstein State University, more specifically to your genetics lab." He explained, motioning to the Conners.
"You two are geneticists?" Ozpin asked/confirmed, his interest piqued. Goodwitch and Qrow weren't far behind. It wasn't every day you learned of the scientific exploits happening in another dimension.
Martha spoke up, a hand on her husbands shoulder. "That's right. Our research usually focused on identifying and cataloging beneficial genetic traits across several species, ranging from lizards, to electric eels, even a few spiders."
"Ok, this is great and all tiger, but what did a field trip have to do with you becoming a superhero?" MJ raised an eyebrow.
"I'm getting to that." Peter nodded before turning back to the scientists. "I still remember your explanation of the latest project: combining the most prominent genetic traits from multiple species of arachnids. The results were the 15 super spiders I saw."
Gwen's face scrunched in concentration as she recalled that day. "14."
The rest of the room turned to look at her in confusion. "What?" Flash questioned.
"There were only 14 remember? One of the cages was-" Gwen's eyes widened in realization as her arms fell, and one by one, Peter could see the same thought pass through the group. "Empty."
With a sigh, the arachnid hero removed his right glove. Everyone seemed interested in his web shooter, but that's not what he was going for.
"The mark has almost faded, but." With one last tug on his sleeve and gear, a pair of bright pink spots came into view on his wrist, just a few inches behind his thumb. The scar earned a gasp, but he had no idea whose it was. Peter couldn't blame them.
"You didn't see the last one was because it got out and bit me." Spider-man looked back up at his friends, his thumb lazily tracing circles around the mark that started it all. "I woke up the next day not needing my glasses and able to walk on walls."
The two doctors gently took his hand, examining it in fascination. "Of course. The spiders venom must have caused a rapid genetic mutation! Just like with my lizard formula!"
"Only this one is fully stable! He's had these powers for months and kept any side effects hidden from everyone! Curt, this is huge!"
"I wonder if the mutation has anything to do with the scars longevity."
Qrow and the beacon professors could only stare at the boy incredulously. "You're seriously telling me a spider bite turned this kid into a Faunus?"
Curt brought a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Well… a genetically altered, alpha and beta ray neutral spider."
"What does that even mean?" Flash furrowed his eyebrows.
But to their shock, Gwen and Peter understood immediately "It means it was giving off gamma radiation!"
Peter jerked his hand back and clutched it to his chest. "Wait! That was a radioactive spider?!"
"Minor gamma radiation!" Martha reassured, giving a stern glare to her husband. Curt had the decency to look sheepish. Satisfied, she turned back to Peter with sympathy in her eyes. "Nothing that would cause harm from just standing near it." She reassured. "We'll have to run some tests, but if there were any other side effects, I'm sure you would have seen them by now."
Peter let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, hand falling unceremoniously to his lap. With that resolved, Curt turned back to the professors, a contemplative look in his eyes as he cupped his chin. "That being said, from what Qrow described about Faunus, it's plausible you're the first one to ever exist in our world."
"Exist-ED." The entire room brought their attention to the youngest member of the group, whom had been staring out at the unfamiliar city expanding outward from the window. "Past tense…. Unless you guys have any ideas on how to get back home."
Forlorn eyes found his parents, and the rooms collective hearts were shattered like glass. "Oh, Billy." Martha got up and hugged her son from behind, Curt placing a protective hand on his shoulder.
Along with him, a somber air filled the room. Gwen, her father. MJ, her aunt Anna. Flash, his mother. All of them desperately clinging to the mental image of their faces.
All except Peter. "I have one idea."
Four simple words, and they seemed to cut through the depressed air like butter. "You do?!"
Peter smirked at his old bosses. "I haven't worked with them myself, but there are other heroes in New York you know."
MJ blinked in surprise, before an optimistic smile grew. "He's right! Didn't you say the accelerator was on loan from Stark Industries?" She turned to Gwen.
"Ah, of course! Iron Man probably already knows we're gone!" Stacy facepalmed having not realized that in all the confusion.
The three Remnatians remained skeptical. "And you're certain this 'Iron Man' will be able to find you?"
Peter's focus shifted to Mrs. Goodwitch. "Well, let's put it this way. Our world has a saying: There are the talented, there are the prodigies, and then there's Anthony Edward Stark."
"He prefers Tony." Curt chimed in.
Ignoring Dr. Conners, Flash rolled his eyes at Parker. "You would believe that, wouldn't you Mr. fanboy?"
The hero in question looked a little miffed at the comment, but Stacy couldn't help but snicker at his hypocrisy. "This coming from the guy who's been fawning over his own classmate in a mask?"
"W-well- I Um…." Flash sputtered, rubbing the back of his head. The teasing smirks the girls started giving certainly weren't helping. Even Peter perked up in surprised realization at Gwen's accusation. "Can we move on?" Flash begged.
"No, no- please, far be it from me to deny my biggest fan the spotlight." Spider-man waved his hand. A Cheshire grin lit up his face tasting sweet revenge. "Tell everyone how you feel about my arachnid persona."
The quarterback flushed in embarrassment, deadpanning at the hero. "Ok, you're enjoying this way too much."
"Eh. Define 'too much'." He shrugged.
That earned a couple of laughs, the oppressive air dissipating by the second. After everything they just went through, it was nice for the 4 to just joke around like normal kids.
Even if the jokes were anything but normal.
Not for the first time that day, Qrow's mind flashed towards Ruby, smiling at the mental image. Maybe it was his sarcastic and quippy nature. Or maybe it was the way his very presence seemed to lift everyones mood.
Either way it was a nice shift considering the state he'd been in that afternoon.
As the laughter died down, Flash took on a more contemplating demeanor. "There's one other hero that might be able to help too. The weird guy over on Bleecker street?"
"Weird guy?" Qrow cocked a brow.
Billy's face lit up in understanding, remembering a recent YouTube video. "Oh! You're talking about Dr. Strange right?"
"That's him. If this is inter dimensional stuff, he'll probably be the one to get involved."
"Ok, but how does this Dr. Strange help you get back home?"
Flash sucked a breath in through his teeth, suddenly very unsure how to explain, not that anyone there was any better. "Well, that gets into a bit of an awkward question" Watson grimaced.
"That being?"
"Do you believe in magic?"
Glynda had to double take at Flash's serious expression, her coworkers not far behind. "E-excuse me?!"
MJ sighed, gazed at the ceiling while a hand ran through her hair. "Yep, that's about the reaction I expected."
While she worked to pick her jaw off the ground, Qrow felt like he'd been sucker punched. "You're telling me people actually have magic in your world?"
"Well…. Sort of. The way it was explained it to me, anyone can 'have' magic" He said with air quotes. "But magic is a skill, not a superpower, and while there are people with more proficiency, anyone can be trained in the mystic arts."
"Yeah, Flash is right. I saw some of the doctors fights and magic posted online." MJ tilted her head, trying to find the words. "It was actually kinda pretty. Like looking through a… reality bending kaleidoscope."
For the first time in many years, Ozpin truly felt caught off guard. Their description of magic- as a skill and an art form- it was almost exactly the same as how the people of his time viewed magic!
Against all odds, a faint glimmer of hope rose in his chest. Could what they're saying actually be true? Is there really a far flung universe that still has magic?
"Ah come on, you can't seriously believe all that, right?" Peter brought their attention back to the conversation at hand. "It's just a bunch of special effects and online editing."
"This coming from the guy able to walk on walls?" MJ raised a brow.
"Touché."
Ozpin hummed in contemplation, bringing a hand to his chin. "There is much we need to consider. For the time being, it may be best for you all to remain here and regain your strength. I will make arrangements with the hospital. Qrow, Glynda, with me please."
And with that, the headmaster turned on his heel and walked out, two teachers got on his trail.
"Well… this may be a quarter in the cliche response jar, but it looks like we're gonna be here a while." Flash collapsed back into one of the chairs, gazing at the ceiling.
Peter turned downtrodden, gripping the sheets as he recalled the incident. "I'm sorry."
When Gwen heard his whispers she stared like he had grown a second head. "Sorr- Peter, what are you talking about?"
"If I'd been able to handle Doc Ock on my own, none of you would have been in the lab. It's my fault you got caught in all this."
MJ couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh no! You are not pinning this shitshow on yourself!"
"OK, accurate, but Language!" Martha motioned to Billy.
Her son on the other hand just rolled his eyes. "Mom, we live in New York. I've heard worse on the walk to school."
"Point being" Flash interrupted, shaking his head. "this entire mess is Ock's fault. Not yours."
"It doesn't matter!" Peter shot back, more serious than almost any of them had ever seen. "I'm the one with the mask and the powers. It was my responsibility to protect you guys and take down Calamari."
"Peter! You DID protect us! But who's protecting you?" Gwens voice rose along with the anger in her chest. when their eyes finally met, Gwen couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes, the loose slump of his shoulders like he could collapse back into bed at any moment.
How many times had he saved her?…. how had she not noticed that? "Does anyone know about this?"
The question hung in the air, but she already knew the answer. "No… no one."
"Not even May?"
"What, are you kidding MJ? She can't know about this, not now, not ever."
"Parker come on." Flash chided.
But Peter was having none of it. "The one time she got involved in any of this, she had a heart attack!" The rest of the group could help but stare in shock. "I'm not even kidding! She collapsed within minutes of the sinister six fiasco."
And that was the worst part wasn't it? They were stranded- disappeared from their world. Iron man and Strange- they might be able to find everyone… but-
The hero fell back against the headboard, his mind reeling, desperately clinging to the image of Aunt May in his mind.
"So what do we think?"
A golden question that plagued three professors. After they left, Ozpin decided to get the hospital arrangements out of the way first thing, requesting a full medical screening, even for themselves. Goodwitch had recommended quarantine as well. The only problem was finding a way to explain why without sounding like a madman.
By the time night had fallen, plans for examinations were set in motion for tomorrow, and the trio was allowed a small meeting room to collect their thoughts.
Which left just one topic on everyone's mind: the fantastical tale of two worlds.
"It sounds like something straight out of a child's comic book, but then, so do most of our magic related incidents."
"True as that may be, this is a situation I have never encountered in my many years."
"Heh, something even the great Oz has never seen before?"
Glynda pinched her nose, leaning on the table. "I don't know what to think. An entire world truly free of the Grimm. A world filled with magic? It's everything we've ever hoped for… That alone has me wary."
She paused, straightening in her chair. "And yet, the concern and fear they all showed for Mr. Parker seemed truly genuine. So to did their confusion of basic concepts we take for granted."
Qrow took on a more serious tone. "Their story is consistent, and I don't mean the negative energy." The huntsman traced lines along the table as he spoke. "7 different people all telling the same tale with their own details and viewpoints thrown in, and yet not of them contradicting one another save for a few minor corrections. That's a level of consistency even master con-artists struggle to achieve."
"So then you believe them?" Glynda asked pointedly.
"They believe themselves." Qrow looked back at the door they came from, a suspicious glint in his eye. "A crazed lunatic can believe there's a god in their brain. That doesn't make them right."
Ozpin couldn't help but side eye Branwen at the verbal jab. He ignored it, a serious glint in his eye. "But that does mean there's some level of truth here."
The headmaster turned his focus towards his cane. One of the only items in their world left that retained the old magic… his magic.
Magic is a skill, not a superpower. Flash's words had struck a chord with the old man. A teaching he hadn't recalled since his earliest years as a knight.
And for a moment, Ozpin allowed himself a small smile, reminiscing at his first life. If they were right about that, then maybe… just maybe…
He had made a decision, facing his coworkers. "True or not, their story alone merits further observation. Qrow, as much as I know you wish to return to the field-"
"I get it." Qrow sighed degectedly, eyes back on the room they came from. "Trail is starting to get cold anyway."
A reassuring hand gripped his shoulder, Ozpin looking the huntsman in the eye. "We'll find them. But right now, you're needed here. I want you to keep an eye on our new friends. See how much of their story is true."
"That brings up another question." Glynda pointed out, crossing her arms with a contemplative look. "What are we to do with them? We can't just leave them to their own fate in a completely foreign world."
"Especially not after what happened." The skeptic turned to see questioning eyes on him, raising hands in surrender. "Look, if their story is true, all 7 are gonna be messed up. Mentally, emotionally, they're walking away traumatized."
"Which is why it's even more important to establish a connection. You saved Peter. They may be more open to trusting you than us."
Glynda caught movement outside their room, and turned to the door. "Both of you."
And what do you know, there was Peter walking down a dead end hallway. "Where's he going this late at night?"
Qrow, Goodwitch, and Ozpin switched into mission mode. While the former two went to follow and check on the others respectively, the latter had already pulled out his scroll and was setting up communications.
"Kid just leapt out the window."
"The others are still asleep."
"Follow him."
Qrow disappeared out the window, replaced by a jet black bird flying into the night.
Spotting Peter was the easy part. His colorful costume made certain of that, standing proud against the grey and black asphalt. How'd he get to street level so fast?
Keeping up with him, a bit harder, but manageable. The empty roads crisscrossing the city left Peter a spider in a maze. He was quick, but careful. Always turning back to familiarize himself with the route he had taken.
The real challenge was staying unnoticed. For a high schooler, Parker was remarkably aware, constantly looking around like he felt a pair of eyes on him. If it weren't for his avian form as a disguise, Qrow was certain he would've been spotted.
By the time Peter finally stopped walking, he had made his way to a small open park. Qrow roosted in one of the nearby trees while the kid found his place on a bench, phone in hand.
"Did you find him?" A voice called as the huntsman changed forms again, growing slowly as to not lose his balance.
"Yeah. He's by the park. Switching to video." he spoke into his scroll.
And for a while, that's all they did. 3 teachers observed an earthling as his eyes bore holes into the phone. Into the picture of her. How long he sat there, Peter didn't know. All the arachnid could do was burn this last image of Aunt May into his mind until he couldn't bare to look anymore. The phone slipped from his grasp when Peter buried his face in his arms.
A pang of guilt spread through Glynda's heart, hearing his sobs through the phone. Even if it was for good intentions, she felt like an intruder seeing Peter in such a vulnerable state. Hero or not, he was just a kid.
Qrow wasn't doing much better himself. There were always days where Branwen felt like the universe was just out for him… but looking at the kid and his friends… Guess the universe can be more cruel than I thought.
Ozpin let out a sigh, having seen things like this all too often in his lifetime. Whether it be death or separation, Mr. Parker was living a tale as old as time. "Give him time to calm down Qrow. We can bring him back after."
But before the huntsman could reply, the arachnid in question stiffened. Peter perked up, tears still drying and suddenly on high alert.
The sudden change in demeanor left all three teachers completely wrong footed. Goodwitch and Ozpin could only watch as his eyes passed over the nearby streets. "Is everything alright? What's he searching for?"
"I'm not sure." Qrow looked around, scratching his head. From where he stood, it looked like Peters aura was pouring off him in waves.
…. No, not waves… webs!
"HELP!"
Parker was off like a shot.
"What the-" Qrow did a double take and scrambled after him. "how'd he know?!"
By the time Branwen got moving, Peter had already bolted around the corner, tearing the broken lenses from his mask.
"You want your son back, send them the money!"
That was the last word anyone on the block could hear before a car peeled out and sped down the street. Two thugs in fedoras and red ties sat in the front while their hostage was tied up in the backseat.
"Let me go!"
"Yeah yeah, keep quiet back there!" The passenger threatened with a wave of his sword. With the boy effectively silenced, he turned to his partner with a smirk. "That tip from Junior was worth every lien."
"Easiest 10 grand we ever made." They laughed.
*thwip!*
*shatter!"
Before the pair could even blink, something sprayed on the windshield and ripped it clean off!
"Holy shit!" The driver exclaimed before slamming on the breaks.
Squealing tires blocked out the thud from a figure landing on their hood. The next thing Tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber knew, the shadowed man grabbed both by the collar and pulled them straight out the window.
"Woah!"
"Ah!"
Qrow got there just in time for all 3 professors to see them literally stick the landing, suspended in the air on a massive spiderweb. He was only shaken from his shock when Ozpin spoke over the phone.
"Qrow, are you alright? What happened?"
"Trust me Oz, this is something you need to see." Branwen raised his phone.
"My word." Goodwitch gasped, seeing the massive web and the thugs trapped in it.
Ozpin wasn't far behind her, barely noticing the red ties and fedoras they wore. "Aren't those men from Juniors bar?"
Another voice filled the conversation as Qrow turned the camera. "It's alright. You're gonna be ok." Peter had donned the torn scraps of his mask. His brown eyes shown in sympathy and concern as he freed the scared kid from his bindings. "What's your name?"
Even free from his attackers, the boy was shaking. "D-Da-Danny."
With a deep breath Peter stepped back and offered him the warmest look he could through the mask. "Let's get you home Danny. Do you live around here?"
Having heard the commotion, another man came running around the corner, just in time to see the kid slowly climb out of the car. "Danny!"
"Dad!" The boy charged forward and leapt into his fathers arms.
By this point, a small crowd had left their homes, searching for the source of commotion, dozens of eyes drawn to the criminal pair, while he slipped away almost completely unnoticed climbing one of the far buildings. Unnoticed, save for the Beacon trio. "He really is a superhero."
Peter watched the scene unfold from above, finally taking in the new world around him. It wasn't New York. It never could be at its core… But Vale did have its charm. It had people who protected and took them in without a second thought. Shouldn't he be just as willing?
The hero startled nervously when he reached for his missing phone, only for his fingers to graze a slip of cardboard. Familiar red writing stared back at him.
Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
The 6 words rang in his head over and over again, alongside the past few months of crime fighting. Vulture, Electro, Shocker, even Tombstone. He'd stared them all down trying to protect the city. Why was this any different?
The paper floated gently down to the street. So what if I got isekaied.
A red and blue flash caught everyones attention with a police car rounding the corner, an officer quickly making her way to the father and son. "This is Captain Yuri Watanabe, responding to a 207 in progress! I-" But she stopped short seeing the two goons struggling in the web across the street. "What in the world?"
Parker couldn't help but snicker. It had been a while since his heroics got that kind of baffled face. Either way, with the police on their way, it would probably be best if he didn't stick around.
"How did-"
"I just- I have no idea." The man stammered. Catching Parker leaving, the boy leapt out of his fathers arms and crossed the street. "Danny!"
"Hey!" He called out to the figure, both adults having finally spotted him on the wall. "Who are you?" The boy asked.
Peter glanced over his shoulder. Through his mask, Qrow swore he could make out the faintest smile playing on his lips. "Just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
A moment later, he took off running down the wall, finally starting to find his rhythm when he leapt off a fire escape, and everyone there got to see something incredible!
*thwip!"
With the skill and grace of an acrobat, Spider-Man was defying gravity, swinging all the way down the road. Yuri and the father were left gaping, while Danny had stars in his eyes seeing their hero in action. "Woah!"
And he wasn't the only one in awe, the three professors drank in the display as Qrow rushed to keep up. One word came to mind. "Masterful."
But Peter didn't focus on any of that. He just took in the familiar rise and fall of his swings. And with each one, he felt even more sure about his decision.
"New world, same old me!"
Alright, let's change things up a bit this time!
My name is Peter Parker. I was bit by a radioactive spider, and recently got sent to a different dimension!
All down the street, people started clambering to their windows at all the noise, gaping at a strange man swinging across town.
Saved a kid, stopped some thugs, introduced myself to local law enforcement.
Just as Peter was about to hit his next web line, a wave of dizziness crashed over him and he miss timed his next shot.
"Gah! Augh! Ugh! Ow!" Peter's body flared red in pain as he tumbled over the rooftop.
Decided to save patrol for when I'm not recovering from a near fatal concussion.
With a groan of pain, the arachnid hero picked himself off the ground, rubbing what was sure to be a large bump on his head.
But there was nothing there.
Thank Oum for aura.
Parker shrugged and moved on.
Things may suck right now… but this is who I am. I'm not gonna be afraid to start all over again.
Having regained his bearings, Peter found himself close to the hospital again, and started climbing back to their room.
Especially not when I have them this time.
The window silently slid open, just enough for him to literally crawl back in. His eyes lingered ever so slightly on his three friends sound asleep before him.
I may not be the first faunus in this world, but I will be-
Having ducked back into his hospital room, Qrow flew back to meet up with the other professors in the hallway. One look and they knew each was on the same page.
Remnants first Spider-Man.
Forest Hills NY: early December
*knock, knock, knock*
A door swung open, revealing an older woman with greying hair and glasses. "May Parker?"
"Yes, can I help you?" When the first figure stepped aside, two more made themselves known behind him. One of which she was familiar with. "George? What's this about?" She questioned, starting to feel a little worried.
The first man held up a badge, lips drawn into a grim frown. "Mam, my name is Phil Coulson. I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. May we come in?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Mrs. Parker stepped aside, the 3 men joining her in the entryway as a dim realization formed in her eyes. "It's Peter isn't it."
"You know then?" Tony spoke up, feeling his heart sink. "About what he gets up to?"
Wordlessly, May walked back over to the living room and opened up a small desk drawer. Inside were several news clippings and pictures detailing Spider-Man. "Try as he might, my nephew has never been the best at keeping secrets." She admitted, a single tear beginning to roll down her cheek. "What's happened to him?"
"We have some video footage with us." Phil pulled out one of the cameras from the site. "You might wanna sit down for this."
A half hour later, Tony and Phil were leaving to continue their search while Captain Stacy walked them to the door, wanting to stay behind and comfort May. "Never gets any easier, telling the family." The latter admitted.
"We'll do whatever we can to find them again." Tony reassured, but George was having none of it.
"You'd better- hero." His words laced with venom.
The oncoming argument was interrupted when Stark's phone rang. It was Pepper. "Go ahead."
"Tony, Jarvis and Friday just finished with the data from the particle accelerator."
"What did you find?" George jumped in.
"Nothing."
Phil shook his head. "Pepper, come on."
"No, you don't understand. The accelerator was off when the fight started. Curt and Martha were still syncing it to their desktop."
The three gentlemen couldn't help but stare at the time stamp in shock. She was right. The accelerator didn't become active till the battle was almost over.
And that meant-
"Whoever sent them through the portal- it wasn't us."
Dun Dun Dun!
And on that last cliffhanger, we finally bring to an end the third chapter of Marvelous Remnants!
Sorry this one took so long to finish, but after a while of writing, the entire story seemed to take on a life of its own. But hey! Now that I've gotten it done, I think I can start finding a rhythm for these releases. One chapter every two months or so seems somewhat manageable between a full time job and hobbies.
And what a chapter it was! First we got an earthly point of view in the form of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Iron man. Trust me, they're not done exploring the Einstein crater just yet. Lots to do and many things to both find and not find in that hole. It's gonna take a lot of work for them to find their way to Remnant.
Speaking of which, while its appearance was brief, some of you may recognize the Stark lab and its layout. Its interior is similiar to the one Tony uses in Armored adventures. I would have stuck with the EMH one, but we never really get a clear look at the entire lab to the best of my knowledge. By the time it becomes important, most of tony's armor has been moved to avengers mansion.
Meanwhile, our slapdash group of heroes is still recovering in the hospital, some more than others. between finding out Peter is Spiderman, getting sent to an entirely different dimension, and almost watching one of them get killed along the way, there's gonna be a lot of trauma to unpack there, for all parties.
Some of which we start to see with Peter's first Valean rescue. With Danny back with his father, Spider-man decides to keep up the hero gig on Remnant. Every world needs its heroes. Why not him?
But that leaves one last question. If the accelerator was off when the fight started, who activated it and created that wormhole? it couldn't have been Ock or our heroes.
That's gonna be all for now. With my new work schedule in mind, expect the next chapter to be out sometime in late May or early June.
With that said, thanks for swinging by everyone. Stay safe out there! *thwip!*