The sound of firetrucks and ambulances was heard, as well as the police. Spider-Woman was slowly waking up from the fall, she could feel a pair of arms wrapped around her, as she looks down seeing Scarlet looking away but his lenses almost closed... he was out cold. She looks to see they were in a sewer but not in the filthy waters, just to look up and see the crater they did. She looks at him breaking the grip of his arms and was now on top of him trying to wake him up.
Spider-Woman: Jay... wake up.
He didn't even groan... he was completely out cold. She slowly gets up from him and looks at both sides of the sewer, just grab his arm and lift him, putting him on her shoulders. She looks at his face still passed out, just to leap out of the sewer, landing by the hole they made, which was luckily in another alley... good thing this city has tons of those.
Spider-Woman: Let's get you to safety.
She makes a huge jump and swing to a higher building, wrapping her arm around Scarlet's body. She swings quickly, landing on a roof, putting Scarlet on the ground and she was knelt taking a deep breath.
(Starts music)
???: We interrupt this broadcast for a special report.
Spider-Woman heard that and walked to the edge of a roof... seeing a lot of screens, but they all had the same thing.
Reporter: Sad news tonight. The hero known as Spider-Man has died after injuries related to another powerful earthquake in Brooklyn.
Spider-Woman's eyes widened seeing the news, as she slowly takes her mask off seeing the screen. Scarlet slowly woke up, as he groans... but sees Gwen standing on the ledge, showing her back maskless. He looked confused seeing her shoulders shiver... her hands down, as he walks to her... but also sees the screen.
Reporter: Multiple sources are confirming that Peter Parker, a 26-year-old grad student and part-time photographer operated as Spider-Man for at least a decade.
Scarlet slowly takes his mask off seeing the screen... which showed a blond and older Peter Parker... one that grew... who managed to marry MJ... who had a life after school.
Jensen blinked a few times looking saddened, as a few tears dropped down, but he looked at Gwen the moment he heard a sniff... he slowly puts his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back... he saw her eyes slowly turning red and mire tears dropping down than him. She went and hugged Jensen in a tight one, she puts her jaw in his neck, but then buries it in his shoulder... as he heard her cry loudly. He kept himself strong... he is trying right now to stay strong... he is trying... he wasn't his Peter Parker... he wasn't the Peter Parker that he knew in his school...
Nevertheless, he was a Peter Parker, a possibility... this is a world where Peter became Spider-Man... where he graduated. For Jensen... this was him failing Peter again. He puts a hand on the back of Gwen's head and hugs her tight, slowly shedding more tears.
Reporter: He is survived by his wife, Mary Jane, and his aunt, May Parker. Our hero, Spider-Man, is gone.
Hours later, the two stayed in the roof, as Gwen was actually sleeping in a stolen mattress, with a pillow and blanket also stolen. Jensen was seated in a ledge, as he grabs something from his utility belt, grabbing a photo he had kept, he saw himself definitely before the fall to the darkness, with a scientist coat and the glasses and his Peter by his side, both with thumbs up showing the medal for winning the science fair. A tear drops in the photo with Jensen closing his eyes, still holding the photo.
???: My husband, Peter Parker, was an ordinary person.
It was next day, now in a church... Jensen and Gwen were moving by the crowd.
Jensen: Excuse me, sorry-
Gwen walks behind him, just for both to stop... ir well... Jensen stops. He sees the person talking... red hair beautiful woman with blue eyes... his eyes widened and slowly tearing up.
Jensen: Mary Jane?
MJ: He always said it could've been anyone behind the mask. He was just the kid who happened to get bit.
Gwen looks at Jensen, even through the glasses, he was a bit shocked but also saddened. She grabs his hand and he leans to his arm, trying to reassure him and not shed tears with him.
MJ: He didn't ask for his powers, but he chose to be Spider-Man. My favorite thing about Peter is that he made us each feel powerful. We all have powers of one kind or another.
Jensen slightly looks down and breaks the grip from Gwen's hand, walking away as Gwen sees in shock.
Gwen: (whispering) Jay!
She follows him quickly, she could tell he could not bare to see a grown up MJ.
MJ: But in our own way. We are all Spider-Man. And we're all counting on you.
(Ends music)
Gwen manages to walk out of the area... but looks around trying to find Jensen. Luckily she sees him in a bench looking down, holding his head, not violently but more than enough to make Gwen worry a bit.
Gwen: Hey.
She quickly walks to him, kneeling by his side looking at Jensen who didn't show his face.
Jensen: I can't see her.
Gwen: Who? Mary Jane? Why?
Jensen shook his head, finally looking up, showing shivering lips.
Jensen: Didn't you see her? Mary Jane grew up, got married... something that my MJ would've been had I saved her. Now look at her... widowed, without a Peter Parker.
Gwen slowly closed her eyes, grabbing his hand, which he tightens.
Jensen: I can't see her without thinking of what my MJ would've reached if I hadn't hold back, to see Peter become an adult, marry MJ. Outside of May... nobody understood Peter better than MJ did.
Gwen looked away slightly... in her eyes... she was seeing a Peter who DID managed to get spider powers, who managed to become like Spider-Woman. Gwen looked again at Jensen who looked at the church... which was in the distance.
Jensen: I still remember... what she said to Peter, when she asked him for Winter Formal. Peter couldn't even stutter when she asked him... she knew he was trying to say 'yes', so she gave him a peck on the cheek and walked away saying "Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot." That was the happiest I've seen Peter in a long while.
Gwen smiled a little at his comment, as he smiled also a little but takes a deep breath.
Jensen: Is so hard to see another Peter die... and even I didn't go to my Peter's funeral... I couldn't bare.
Gwen slowly puts a hand on his face, slowly making him look at her.
Gwen: Then we can go now, pay our respects.
Jensen kept his gaze on her eyes, sadness still run on her face... but she is now staying strong. Gwen slowly takes off his glasses, making sure his eyes were set on her and also so nobody sees them. Gwen blinked a few times and slowly pulls Jensen to a hug, as which he just closed his eyes and hugged back.
Minutes Later
There were still people in front of Peter Parker's tombstone, Gwen had her arm wrapped around Jensen with the two walking slowly to the tombstone... of the deceased Peter Parker.
Peter
Parker
1991-2018
Jensen saw how many people have left spider gifts to his grave. Gwen also saw them and hugged his arm a bit more. She then grabbed his hand in reassurance just to look at him.
Gwen: I-I know he isn't our Peter... but-
Jensen: He was still the same dork from school.
Gwen: And the science whiz too.
Jensen: Probably in almost every universe he is a whiz.
Gwen: Agreed.
The two stayed for a while there... few minutes, before walking away not realizing they still had their arms wrapped like some married couple.
Gwen: So what now?
Jensen: We still go to Alchemax, if Olivia Octavius is there, she is probably the only person who might give us something that will prolong our time here. We can also go there to steal the documents used for the Super Collider.
Gwen: And make our gateway home, also for others who are stranded here.
Jensen: Exactly. We go to Hudson Valley, we make a disguise for you-
Gwen: Wait... why me?
Jensen gave her a face, just to use his free hand and raising a finger with each statement.
Jensen: You don't look like a drug addict, your more beautiful, I'm stealthier, I'm more powerful, you don't have red eyes, I know Olivia Octavius from my dimension which means I might know how she is here and why do we have our arms wrapped?
Gwen and Jensen looked at their arms... still wrapped.
Gwen: Your not taking me to prom, right?
Jensen: (unamused) Gwen.
Gwen: Okay, okay. I'll handle the documents and data and you will handle our glitching problem. Now... how do we get there? We're not swinging to Hudson Valley.
Jensen: No we're not... but I know where to go...
Gwen looked at him confused after that.
Minutes Later
The two were in a bus now which said outside "Hudson Valley Explorer." There were nit many people luckily, with Gwen looking out the window and Jensen by her side with arms crossed.
Jensen: We're not going to Hudson Valley.
Gwen: Huh?
Jensen: This road... it takes us to Palenville, Hudson Valley is in the west.
Gwen: Remember... this is not our dimension, maybe the locations are a bit different.
Jensen: Must be. So do we do this now or we do it tomorrow morning?
Gwen goes to say but a slight growl was heard, as Jensen looked at her blush, just to smile at him... that sort of gives him an answer.
Jensen: (sighs) We're going tomorrow.
Gwen took a huge bite out of a hamburger, as she was actually enjoying it... Jensen in the other hand not much. He looks at his burger with a disgusted face deciding to just drink his soda.
Gwen: This burger is so good, one of the best I've tasted in my universe.
Jensen kept a unamused stare at Gwen who kept eating her burger with all the happiness.
Jensen: Your favorite food... comes from... McDonald's?
Gwen: Very famous restaurant.
Jensen: Res... taurant?
Gwen: Mhm, started as a fast food and now is a restaurant, is worldwide.
Jensen: McDonald's... tastes like cardboard, Gwen. In my universe... Ronald McDonald was a criminal.
Gwen: Your Ronald McDonald was literally called... that? It wasn't just a character?
Jensen: It was an identity. There was this clown killer, Joker ripoff. He stood in front of schools, playgrounds... many kids went missing, there were writings in the school yards, by the time it reached Midtown High... there was the message... and I decided to put an end to it.
Gwen: That was before or after...
Jensen: After, I didn't go to school that much. I barely passed the next few grades but... back to topic. The clown was... a Jack the Ripper character.
Gwen: Jack the Ripper? Who's that?
Jensen: You don't have him?
Gwen: There's Johnny the Killer...
Jensen: (puts a confused face) Who's Johnny the Killer? Sounds... unoriginal, stupid.
Gwen: I bet Jack was a dumb killer.
Jensen: Jack killed women... in the 19th Century... Great Britain and nobody managed to catch him or even learn his real name.
Gwen stayed quiet for a few seconds with eyes widened.
Gwen: Oh...
Jensen: Yeah, the clown had a similar pattern... instead of killing women, he killed kids... mutilated them.
Gwen: (disgusted) Oh god... your talking about that as I eat my dinner. Is he like... Art from Terrifier?
Jensen: You got that too?
Gwen: Yep. Okay... back to story. How did you catch this Ronald McDonald killer?
Jensen: I traced him, and managed to catch him before they killed... your younger brother.
Gwen: I don't have a brother.
Jensen: But she did- does... even if he was related to... her... he was also related to George. So I saved him before he got mutilated... and I killed him... but not like how you think.
Gwen: What did you do?
Jensen puts his hand on the wall they were eating... as Gwen slowly hears the sound of a hot thing touching wood.
Jensen: I made sure the rest of New York serial killers know what happens when they mess with Scarlet Spider.
Gwen looks at his hand, as he takes his hand off... seeing his hand mark, which made Gwen slightly look in shock.
Jensen: Let them know the Spider have marked him.
Gwen: The Mark of the Spider.
Jensen: Mhm.
Gwen looked at him with Jensen had his hands together, though she leaned back.
Gwen: I'm gonna say it as of now, your dimension... is so dark, but so dark, gritty, a-and messed up. You could be like the R-Rated Spider-Man.
Jensen: (sighs) Please don't call me Spider-Man.
Gwen: All right. Gonna also say this, I'm really not enjoying your violent brutality against them.
Jensen: Trust me, I don't either, but it's the only way to teach them an example. Until... Li came.
Gwen was about to take one of her last bites... but stops.
Gwen: Do you think... Li killed Peter?
Jensen looks at her sighing at her question... he really isn't surprised.
Jensen: Not sure. Li even with the negative energy he emits, he is still human... he doesn't kill randomly, his plans and murders are coordinated... he doesn't kill good or innocent people. I'm not surprised if he killed Peter cause he was in Osborn's side in this universe... but I would be less surprised if he aided Peter... and he couldn't save him. Li is lost but there's still good in him... he created F.E.A.S.T. so poor and abandoned people can live and have a family, the family he accidentally killed when Osborn gave him his powers.
Gwen: So he is some kind of Anti-Villain? Or Anti-Hero?
Jensen: I'm not sure anymore.
Gwen takes her last bite and starts to drink her soda... bit loudly, as Jensen looks annoyed.
Jensen: Really? Drinking loud?
Gwen: Lightening up the mood. The only thing your being good is at showing how dark your world is. I mean, I know I've had my own share of scary villains but your pulling something from a DC Comics horror comic or a Batman comic... again... you sure your not Batman? Or... oh, oh, I know... The Red Hood.
Jensen raises his eyebrow as Gwen looks at him... did he not know who Red Hood is?
Gwen: You know. Red Hood... Jason Todd? The Robin who died?
Jensen: So in your universe Jason Todd died?
Gwen: He lived in yours?
Jensen: Fans wanted him more alive than dead, so when his fate was chosen... he lived.
Gwen: That's a huge change. But again... your world is like so dark-
Jensen: I know, I get it, it is dark. Your done?
Gwen: (smiling at him) Yeah, I'm done.
Jensen: So immature.
Gwen looks at his burger which... was untouched... he ate his fries and soda but not his burger.
Gwen: (points to it) Mind if I...
Jensen looks at the burger, giving it to her quickly.
Gwen: Thanks.
She takes a bite of his burger with Jensen looking outside with arms crossed and relaxing a little... as the chapter ends with this.
"I hate McDonald's."
9th chapter is now here folks. Next chapter is now directly to the Alchemax part of Into the Spider-Verse.
Telling you guys as of now, when I finish this arc, book enter into a hiatus, as the crossover I told you guys about is being written and all by ShadowMaver. During that I'll aid him and his brother with the crossover as well as publish more chapters of my Percy Jackson book, doesn't mean I won't publish a chapter or two just because I'm focusing on this book.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, vote for it, leave a comment if you want and good bye.