Chapter 3
Pieces Falling Into Place - Week Three (Time of Temporal Anomalies: 4pm)
Last Time on Infinite Crisis
After a week passed after the tablets broke, each Spidey from the Amazing, Ultimate, 2099, and Noir universes were left more confused when tablet pieces began turning up. In the Amazing Universe, the tablet piece brought with it a starved, half naked, African man and then took Hobgoblin with it. The Noir Universe had a fiery tablet piece bring Kraven back to life and make him disappear with it later. 2099 Universe had Dr. Locke-Connors turn into a giant lizard using the powers of an electrified tablet piece, which later the two disappeared with each other. In the Ultimate Universe, Peter Parker's imperfect clone known as the Scorpion caused a prison break in a S.H.I.E.L.D facility when a tablet piece covered in black ooze popped into his cell, which later made the the tablet piece and him disappear. Still no word from Madame Web.
Amazing Universe: A Shocking Discovery
Exactly seven days ago may have been the Amazing Spider-Man's most confusing day ever in his life. After Hobgoblin disappeared with the tablet piece, leaving behind this starved, half naked man, Amazing had no choice but to try talking to him. The half naked man was extremely difficult for Amazing to speak to for two reasons. He was panicking causing him to speak fast and he spoke in French, a language Amazing didn't know. After eventually getting some help in translating the half naked man, Amazing got very little information out of him. Obviously, the half naked man came from another universe, but which one? Was it even one of the other Spideys he met during the last time this happened? The one big piece of information Amazing got out of him was that the half naked man was scared of someone else who kept him in a cage, and used a wheelchair to get around. The man in the wheelchair also had a rock with writing on it, something that Amazing assumed was perhaps either a tablet piece or that dimension's own Tablet of Order and Chaos, if another exists in other worlds. Its been two weeks since the tablet broke and Amazing still has no idea where to start.
While swinging around the city, in the hopes of clearing the cob webs in his head, Amazing hears a bell ringing signifying a bank robbery. Turning around, now swinging now towards the ringing sound, Amazing exclaims to himelf, "Please at least let this be simple." Landing on the side of a building across from the bank being robbed, Amazing sees a couple police cars parked out front of the doors to the bank. "Looks like the authorities have a handle on this," Amazing says right before a giant shock wave blows out from the doors of the bank sending the police and their cars flying from the scene. "Or maybe not." Walking out of the bank with two large bags of money, its Amazing Shocker. Calling out to Shocker, Amazing yells "Hey padded wonder, what you got there?"
Spotting Amazing up top waiting on the side of a building, Shocker sends out a blast yelling, "Why you can't you just leave me alone Web Head!"
Amazing leaps and dodges the blast, "Who else would I have to play with?" Falling towards the ground, Amazing sends out a series of web bullets and then swings around trying to flank the villain. Shocker sends out a blast stopping the web bullets. Turning around Shocker finds himself getting a swinging dropkick from Amazing. Shocker goes flying and crashes into the side of a nearby car. With Shocker temporarally down and out, Amazing goes to web him up against the car so he can't escape. As the webs fly out to Shocker, a flash of blue light pops up between Shocker and the webs. From what Amazing can see, a flaming piece of the tablet comes flying out into the webs. Setting the webs on fire instantly, the flaming tablet piece immediately disappears into another flash of blue light. Confused by what happened, Amazing just stands there wondering why the tablet piece was on fire and just popped in and out. Before Amazing can bring his mind back to focus on Shocker, the hero receives a blast from his foe. The blast sends Amazing flying against the wall of the bank.
"Lets see you get back up from this," Shocker taunts as he arms for another blast towards the hero. Suddenly another flash of blue light appears sending the flaming rock flying out. Again and just as sudden, the flaming rock disappears. From that point, the flaming tablet piece goes appearing and disappearing over and over again. "What's going on here? Is this your doing Spider!" Amazing just stares in shock and wonder. A blue flash then appears again between Shocker and Amazing sending the fiery tablet piece flying towards Shocker. Shocker yells out, "What? No!" Shocker sends out a blast trying to stop the flaming mini-comet from coming his way. The flaming tablet piece overcomes the shock blast and continues to fly towards Shocker. The tablet piece disappears again into a flash of blue light, leaving Shocker to sigh in relief. Looking back at Amazing, Shocker powers up for a blast, but the tablet piece returns in another flash of blue light sending the flaming rock flying into Shocker's back. With that the tablet piece and Shocker disappear into a flash blue light. Amazing stays still waiting for the tablet piece and Shocker to fly out but nothing happens.
Amazing gets back to his feet and sighs over losing another tablet piece. Suddenly Amazing finds himself swirled up into a purple cloud and finds himself back in Madame Web's apartment.
"Spider-Man, you've really done it this time!" Madame Web says not sounding happy.
Noir Universe: The Chameleon's New Colours
"What power those tablet pieces have," Spider-Man Noir says to himself as he sits on the side of a building. Noir never would have imagined the tablet pieces have the power to restore life. Kraven was not an easy fight and even with Noir's upgrade to his powers, the once hitman to the Goblin will not be any easier with that tablet piece with him. Suddenly images of Kraven's decomposing body reanimating itself in front of his eyes come to his mind. Shaking the thoughts out, Noir then hears a series of gun shots.
Using his new web slinging abilities, he swings to where he heard the gun shots. Spotting five gangsters holding up a family with the father on the ground assumingly dead, Noir quietly gets into position to take the gangsters out. Two of the gangsters have a handgun each, two more with a bat, and the final gangster with a chain. Deciding to take out the gangster with the chain behind the other four, Noir sends out a web. Wrapping the web around his mouth, Noir pulls the gangster to the wall and knocks him out, then webs him up. No one even noticed. Noticing the men armed with guns getting more aggressive, Noir decides he needs to act faster. Jumping onto a light post, Noir sends a web out to the feet of the gangsters with bats. Jumping backwards from the light post, the gangsters with the bats go flying into the air hanging upside down from the light post. The gangsters with the guns turn around towards Noir. Webbing and pulling one gun out of one gangster's hand, Noir leaps and grabs hold of the other gangster's hand holding the gun. Throwing a quick elbow to the face, Noir gets the gangster to let loose on the gun. Noir follows up with a series of punches knocking the gangster out. The remaining gangster runs for the gun Noir pulled from his hand earlier. Sending out a web to the gangster's back, Noir pulls and throws him against the wall, followed up by knocking him out and webbing the gangster up. Noir turns and sees the family running to safety, then goes to look down at the dead father but finds the body missing. Turning all the way around, Noir finds the dead father swinging a bat at him. Noir is knocked down feeling like his ribs were broken. Noir looks up and there stands another he thought was dead: Chameleon Noir.
Removing his disguise, Chameleon looks down on Noir. Chameleon smirks and swings the bat down on Noir breaking more ribs. Holding the bat up once more, Chameleon goes to swing down on Noir again, but this time a ray of blue light starts shooting out from Chameleon's jacket. Pulling out the tablet piece, the very thing that gave Chameleon his life again, the black ooze that was on the tablet starts to stretch out onto him. Chameleon tries to fight the ooze as the tablet shines a bright blue light. As the light becomes stronger, Chameleon starts to be stretched and turned into a grotesque form by the black ooze. As much as Chameleon tries to fight it, he is eventually taken over by the black ooze and fades away into the blue light.
"The tablets...are they becoming unstable?" Noir says to himself as a purple smoke forms around him. Feeling his ribs being put back into place and healed, Noir turns around and finds himself in a strange looking apartment. He looks over and sees a familiar looking old woman.
"Spider-Man, you've really done it this time!" Madame Web says not sounding happy.
2099 Universe: Cry of the Future
Even with a crisis that threatens to tear apart this and all of reality, you can't forget about the little problems in life. Vulture 2099 may not be exactly a little problem, but its one that Spider-Man 2099 can't simply ignore.
"Can't you find someone else to pester for once!" Vulture cries out flying as fast as possible throughout the city.
As 2099 swings following Vulture he yells out, "I'll make you a deal Vulture. You stop committing crimes and I'll stop chasing you."
Vulture stops and makes a u-turn straight at 2099. Tackling 2099 in the air, Vulture flies them both towards the side of a building. 2099 sends a web line out to a building across from them. This changes the direction Vulture was pushing them, forcing them to swing into a different building, with Vulture taking the impact. 2099 leaps off of the side of the building and webs Vulture against the wall. Sending out a web to pull him back to the wall where Vulture is webbed up, 2099 takes a seat beside him.
"We really got to stop meeting like this you know?" 2099 mocks with a bad joke.
Vulture screeches and winches being trapped in the web, "This isn't over yet."
"Yeah, I've heard that before, from you too I think."
Suddenly a blue light appears before 2099 and Vulture in the middle of the air. Out popping out of the blue light is a starved, half naked, Asian man holding onto a piece of the tablet, who immediately begins to fall to his death. Jumping for the save, 2099 falls as fast as he can and catches the man and tablet, followed by web swinging for the save. Just as 2099 is about to bring them to the top of a building to finish the rescue, suddenly the Asian man along with the tablet fade away into a blue light. Soon another blue light appears in the middle of the air, and the same Asian man with the tablet comes falling out from it again to his death. Quickly, 2099 goes and makes the save again, but before he can reach the Asian man he fades away into the same blue light. Swinging and landing on the side of a building, 2099 notices the Asian man screaming and panicking as he keeps popping into existence, falling to his death, and popping back out before he dies.
"This would be funny if it wasn't so sad," Vulture points out.
"For once I think I agree with you," 2099 states.
Taking a risk, 2099 sends out a web catching the Asian man pulling him away from the tablet. Just for now, 2099 webs the Asian man against the building. Looking out for the tablet piece, 2099 tries to catch the fading in and out rock with a web, but it keeps disappearing before it lands.
"I'm free!" Vulture cries out as he escapes the web.
"Look out Vulture!" 2099 calls out.
Vulutre unknowingly flies into the tablet piece that popped back into reality. When the piece disappears so does Vulture with it. From there the tablet piece stopped appearing and disappearing sporadically. Pulling the web off of the Asian man, 2099 picks him up. Web slinging to the roof of a building, 2099 leaves the Asian man there as he starts to see purple clouds form around him. 2099 turns around finding himself in a strange looking apartment with an old woman sitting before him.
"Spider-Man, you've really done it this time!" Madame Web says not sounding happy.
Ultimate Universe: Man vs. Machine
It was a week ago that Ultimate Spider-Man informed S.H.I.E.L.D about the Tablet of Order and Chaos, and his clone called Scorpion escaped to another dimension with one of those very tablet fragments. With S.H.I.E.L.D now putting all their resources to work on this threat to all of reality, Ultimate had to make a deal with Nick Fury. Not only does Ultimate have to ditch the black suit after this is all done, with Ultimate very much in agreement, and he had to pick up on the superhero work so more agents can be freed up to work on the tablet problem. With this said, that is why Ultimate is about to pick a fight with a gigantic machine in the shape of a rhino, known simply as Ultimate R.H.I.N.O. Deep inside that machine is a small, weak scientist that built that monstrous contraption. Right now R.H.I.N.O is charging through the streets making a break for it from his most recent crime scene. If Ultimate understands correctly, R.H.I.N.O stole a power source to help charge the rhino suit.
Ultimate swings and lands in front of R.H.I.N.O and shouts, "Freeze right there Horn Head!"
The large machine stops in its place and stares down at the much smaller hero. R.H.I.N.O then responds with trying to step on him. Thankfully, with the help of the black suit, Ultimate is able to hold his ground against the giant foot. Ultimate is even able to push forward, sending the giant machine flying backwards. Ultimate leaps onto the chest plate of R.H.I.N.O and lets loose on the head piece with a series of punches enhanced by the black suit. With the black suit's power, unlike normally, Ultimate is able to put some big dents into the armour. This doesn't last long as R.H.I.N.O uses his right hand to slap Ultimate away. Flying towards a building, Ultimate actually goes flying through the building's wall...and the next three walls after that.
"Okay, that was a good one, I'll give you that," Ultimate points out exhausted while holding his head coming back out from the building.
R.H.I.N.O points his head down and charges. Ultimate jumps into the air, just dodging the rampaging R.H.I.N.O. As the giant machine crashes into the building Ultimate just went through, the building as a whole begins to collapse on top of the machine. Ultimate sighs thinking the fight is over, but finds a surprise in R.H.I.N.O charging out from the debris right at him. Luckily, Ultimate's spider sense went off and he was able to jump high into the air. As R.H.I.N.O runs under him, Ultimate sends out a web line and pulls himself onto the machine's back. Sending out webs to blind R.H.I.N.O and around the head, Ultimate is able to steer the giant mechanism into yet another building. Jumping off in time, Ultimate watches another building crash around R.H.I.N.O.
"Thankfully, no one works around here on the weekend," Ultimate says to himself.
Again R.H.I.N.O comes running from the debris, but this time brings both fists crashing down onto the hero. Ultimate cartwheels out of the way of the fists, as R.H.I.N.O proceeds to start to play whack-a-spider with Ultimate on the ground dodging. Finding an opening, Ultimate sends out a web to the face plate of R.H.I.N.O. With the giant machine running blind again, Ultimate arms his right arm with a black spiked club using his black suit and charges for R.H.I.N.O. Before the punch can land a blue light flashes between the two. With a tablet piece covered in electrical energy emerging, an electrical blast sends Ultimate flying almost a mile away landing hard on the roof of a building. R.H.I.N.O remains in the epicentre of the blast unable to move with the machine's electronics running haywire. After a few moments Ultimate is able to get back to his feet, thankfully saved from the previous impact by the black suit. Running and web slinging, Ultimate heads towards the tablet piece, which is not hard to find. Where he was shot from, Ultimate heads to where there is a large yellow ball of electricity forming.
Before Ultimate can get there, the ball of yellow electricity begins to shrink surrounding R.H.I.N.O. Just as Ultimate arrives he finds the tablet piece and R.H.I.N.O surrounded in an armour of electricity that stops anything inside from moving. Suddenly a blue light flashes taking the giant machine and the tablet piece away. With nothing left in a heavily damaged part of the city, Ultimate turns around but finds purple smoke coming out from everywhere. Soon Ultimate is taken over by the purple smoke. Turning around, Ultimate spots the old woman he's been waiting for some time now.
"Spider-Man, you've really done it this time!" Madame Web says not sounding happy.