{The Next Night}
You are in your office sitting at your desk. You continue tinkering with your Spider-Man gadgets as your favorite television program plays from your desktop.
You dust it off and place the gadget down, then get up from the seat and walk over to a shelf containing more parts. As you grab the trinket, you see a picture frame on the shelf. Picking it up, you see that it's of you and AJ. The photo was taken after his graduation from Alexandria Visions Academy, the both of you doing funny faces as he holds his diploma.
You smile, but then a feeling of sadness engulfs you.
You let him down. You let his family down. You let a lot of people down with your failure.
He is gone. Your aunt is gone. Many of your friends are gone. You try to move on, spending the last few years continuing your work as Spider-Man to make up for the failure.
You continue looking at the photo, and to try and regain some solace, you think back at the times from before...
• •
{Thirteen Years Ago | 2010}
Gazing upon the skyline of Manhattan, you have your arms crossed as you take in the sight. You wear your original spider-suit and are standing on the edge of the Empire State Building.
You hear footsteps behind you. Your new protege stands beside you, wearing a store-bought Spider-Man mask with his Alexandria Visions gym shirt.
AJ: Geez...this is pretty high up.
You snicker under your mask as he looks over the edge.
You: What? You afraid of heights now?
AJ: I've always been afraid of heights.
You: Well...you'll get used to it.
You bend over and take something out of the satchel you brought. You hand AJ a set of web-shooters, and he's in awe as he looks at him.
AJ: Whoa! Are these for real?
You: They sure are. I made them just for you. They're very essential, especially in your case.
AJ: What do you mean?
You: I've noticed you don't have organic webbing. When I first started, that was all that I had. It was only a few years later that I developed them so I can do more things.
AJ starts putting on the web-shooters.
AJ: So web literally comes out of your body...that's interesting.
You: Be grateful. So, do they fit?
AJ: Feels fine. So what now?
You: We swing.
AJ: Swing? Already?
You: Gotta do it sooner or later. Might as well be soon.
AJ takes a breath as he looks over the edge again.
AJ: When you first started, weren't you scared? Being so high up?
You think back at when your first web-slinged, which was when you went after the burglar who killed your uncle.
You: I just didn't think about it. I just jumped to it. In this business, that's basically all it is...a leap of faith.
AJ takes in the words as he exhales. You turn to him again.
You: You remember that lesson I assigned you?
AJ: About the pendulum?
You: You understood it?
AJ: Yeah, I got the gist of it.
You: Good, because you're gonna need to.
You let your body fall over the ledge and drop down into the city, initiating your swing moments later. AJ is in shock at the sudden start of the training.
AJ: Oh, shit! Okay...okay...
AJ takes another breather and leaps off the building. He has his eyes closed for a moment, but opens them and looks over at the edge of another building. He extends his left arm and shoots.
THWIP!
Like a pendulum, he begins to swing forward and lets go of the line when reaching its peak. He shoots another web, and continues swinging.
AJ: Holy shit!
He continues swinging, adrenaline coursing through his body. He leaps onto a rooftop and lands awkwardly, getting on all fours beside you.
You: See? Was that so bad?
He stands up straight.
AJ: Man! That was awesome!
You pat his shoulder.
AJ: What's next? Taking down bank robbers? Stopping a car chase? Let's go!
You: Love the enthusiasm...but that's all for now.
AJ: Really? Come on. I can do more things.
You: I know you feel that adrenaline. That power. But with that power...comes responsibility. I don't want you to jump into things right away.
AJ nods as he understands.
You: What we can do though, is race. There's a pizza place down in Murray Hill I like. Loser buys.
AJ: Uh...I don't have my wallet.
You: Then you better hope you win.
You leap off the building and initiate your swing. AJ shakes his head and laughs.
AJ: Great.
He jumps off too and swings away.
• •
{Present Day}
In your second office by the library, you pace around the table that projects a hologram of a schematic.
After some of thinking, you've decided to give it a try. Maybe Omid's point about quantum physics and time travel meant something.
After some simulations, you start talking to FRIDAY after taking in a sip of coffee. You've integrated the AI into your home, with Pepper's permission of course.
You: I'd like to see if it checks out. So, I'd like to run one last sim before packing it in for the night.
Friday: What would you like to do?
You: Uh...this time in the shape of a Möbius strip. Inverted, please.
Friday: Processing.
She displayed the shape, and you ran your fingers along it to modify.
You: Right, give me the eigenvalue of that particle factoring in spectral decomp. That'll take a second.
Friday: You have the finesse of Mr. Stark, sir.
You: In my own way. Working with him for years seemed to rub off on me.
Friday: Just a moment while I process this.
You: Don't worry if it doesn't pan out. I'm just kinda...
Friday: Model rendered.
After a few moments, Friday displays the model and determines that it is successful. You are in awe, and sit back in your chair.
Time travel is possible.
You: Holy shit!
Walking by the hallway, Ben hears your exclamation. He peeks in as he holds his bag of chips.
Ben: I thought you said no cussing in the house, dad.
You look at your son, still smiling at the sight of the rendered model. The kid walks in and sees the projection.
Ben: What's this? A new gadget?
You exhale.
You: This...could change things. For everybody.
Ben raises a brow. You look back at him.
You: Where's your mom?
• •
In the living room, Clementine is on her laptop. You walk up to her with your arms crossed and stand beside the sofa.
You: Watcha doing?
Clementine: Updating my website.
You look towards the office where you still have the projection of the model up.
You: That's cool...what's new on the blog?
Clementine: I might have to go back to Queens and do a story on—
You look back at her and interrupt.
You: I figured it out. By the way.
Clementine: And you know...if we're talking about the same thing...
You: Time travel.
She raised a brow.
Clementine: What?
You don't reply as she takes in the information.
Clementine: Wow...that's...amazing. And terrifying.
You: That's right.
You sigh and sit beside her. She caresses your shoulder.
Clementine: We got really lucky.
You: Yeah. I know.
Clementine: A lot of people didn't.
You: Nope. And I can't help everybody.
Clementine: It sort of seems like you can.
You: Not if I stop. I could put a pin in it right now and stop.
Clementine: Y/N, trying to get you to stop hasn't worked for the last twenty years. Trust me, I know.
You chuckle.
You: Something tells me I should put that in a lockbox and drop it in the lake. Go to bed. Move on.
Clementine: But would you be able to rest?
You take in her words. She had a point. Within, you knew this would eat you alive if you didn't act. Discovering time travel took a leap of faith...and you succeeded. Now, it was time to try.
For your aunt.
For AJ.
For Judith.
For Tony.
For everyone.