Dawn approached as Peter caught me outside, staring at a strange wheeled object, stroking my chin. I looked at Peter, confused. "What's this thing? Let me guess, is it used for some building tool? To make a perfect circle?"
Peter looked at it and then back to me with a dull stare. "You mean the bike? It's just a bike."
"Bike?" I mutter, curious. "I've never seen anything like it; perhaps it's a weather device to warn of oncoming tornados. It sure spins with a push. Oh, I know, it's a decoration. I would like to bring this back to my dimension and put it in an art gallery."
"Dude, it's just a bike. You sit on the seat and use it as transportation."
Deflated, I spun it around, spotting the seat. "O-oh... That's it? So you have cars, buses, bikes, boats and planes. What is it with you lot and finding any excuse not to walk?"
"I've been meaning to ask, if everyone in your world has the power of Spider-Man, how does your building structure work? I broke my sink to wash my hands when I got my powers. Twice."
"You know, I was beginning to wonder why everything in this dimension is much more... flimsy; I guess we have everything built differently."
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter too much. Come tomorrow, this would have all just been a bad dream. Safe and sound in our own homes."
"Safe and sound," I respond, going through my pocket. "Say, Peni isn't going to be done anytime soon. I still have some loose change; think I'll pick up some breakfast."
"I'm glad one of us is thinking sensibly; we can't go fighting crime on an empty stomach."
"Amen." Walking through the house, I hopped over the sofa, turning on the TV for Noir, who was still figuring out where the on button was. Gwen came down the stairs as I held up a twenty-dollar bill. "Y'll want something? I've been dying for a sausage sandwich."
I took a deep breath, looking around and taking in the view. I soon saw Miles running towards us. Waving, I flashed my pocket money. "I was wondering where you ran off to; it's payday, Miles; how does a hot chocolate sound?"
My Spider-Sense began for better words to tingle. Letting out a sigh, I looked around. "Now what?"
Ripped from my spot, I was launched into the air as the rest of the house was attacked by other villains. Turning to my attacker, I was dazed to find it was the Beetle. Smashing me through several buildings, she threw me to the ground, coughing. "Th- That's not possible. You're dead."
"Never wound what you can't kill. You can never get rid of me; I always come back." She hissed, raising a blaster at me. Quickly webbing it, I slid under the ricochet, uppercutting Beetle back dazed. It didn't hurt that much this time. I still stung like a bee.
Trying to react fast, slashing a quick-made blade, I jumped over her, kicking the villain to the ground. She quickly held on as my foot made contact, pulling me down. Now pinned, I held my arms up as she began ramming down on me with punches. Keeping one hand up, I shot a web at a moving car ripping out from under her. As quickly as I escaped, I let go, facing off against her. "We don't have to fight; I don't know what this world's Spider-Man did, but let me help you. There's a damn black hole in your head; it must be tearing you apart. Please, let me help!"
"What the hell could you do!? I'm a monster who cannot even open her eyes." She snapped back two rocket launchers appearing on her shoulders. "Don't worry; Kingpin will get me all the help I need when I bring you in."
Crouching down, I readied a fight again as the rockets were fired. Jumping over the first, I webbed the second, spinning it around and sending it right back at the Beetle, exploding in her face. Now stunned, this was my moment to finish this; leaping at her with a readied punch, my Spider-Sense went off again as a long plastic tentacle slammed me into the ground. Unable to move, I groaned as Octavius stood over me. "What do we have here?"
Beetle snapped at Octavius, fuming. "What are you doing?! I had him!"
"It would have been a repeat of last time; it always is. Do not worry. Mr. Fisk will be most pleased with this. Do it."
Looking up, the pale man in the suit walked over, stomping on me; everything went black.
I got caught...
****
I don't know about you, but I don't remember Spider-Man being caught in his first outing. I don't think Spider-Man has ever been caught; how absurd. Yet here I am, at the bane of my existence, seen like the idiot I am. It just proves I still have a way to go.
It proves I'm still not Spider-Man yet.
Waking up, I was raised to a machine, arms and legs wide. Struggling to move, my head was still groggy. "Ugh... What, where am I? Cindy."
Octavius leaned right in front of me with a devious smile. "Good, you're finally awake. You don't understand how exciting this is, a Spider-Man from another dimension. Although, can I say, no costume? A little disappointing."
"You're wrong; I'm not Spider-Man."
"Huh?"
Lowering my head in shame, I sighed. "The others, they're all brave, heroic and daring. In simple words, they're amazing. I'm just me, just a nobody. I'll never be like them."
Octavius walked over to her computer, nodding along. "A little bit of self-doubt, I like it. Very well, Mr Nobody, regardless, you're from another universe. I need to run a few tests to understand how other entities work in foreign worlds. The last thing I need is Mr Fisk getting his family back, and they soon turn into purple goo."
Switching on the machine, I felt a jolt of electricity ripple through me, making me jerk back; the glitching soon met this. My manic episode continued. "You can't win."
"Winning? There's no such thing as winning and losing. Just progress; your atoms are breaking apart, a forced dimensional travel side effect. It could rip you apart if left unchecked until nothing is left."
"W-what are you talking about? This is my illness, it's called... Damn it, what's it called. Doctor Connors had a name for it. I've had it my whole life, just never to this scale."
"Lying won't get you anywhere, Mr Nobody. Let's see what world you're from. Hmm, Earth 1998, wait, no... Hang on now. It's coming up with Earth 44. Back to 1998, you're fluctuating between two realities. That cannot be right."
Chuckling, I kept trying to escape, taunting the villain. "Your machine is broken. Who would have guessed."
Rising to my taunt, Octavius kept up the voltage, frying me and walking over, standing high and mighty with glee in her eye. "You don't understand now, do you? I'm always the one to have the last laugh."
"Octavius, Kingpin wants to know the results," Tombstone said, walking in.
"Do the results speak for themselves? We've brought people from other dimensions; we can do it again. I'll be sure to pass your regards to the other Spiders, but I'm sure you won't be missed. After all, you're just a nobody."
Crying out, everything was beginning to go blank; I was losing all control over reality. I had to hold on. I couldn't hold on. Yes, we could! We can. We must! No, it's over. I'm going to die.
We are not going to die.
Octavius' machine began to send out a warning. Approaching, she was left confused. "Earth 44, that presence is growing. Now, this is something I have to see."
Turning up the voltage to the maximum, I jerked around. It's funny, even though it was stronger. I couldn't feel it. My head hung low, a faint grumble emerging before the machine short-circuited. Octavius turned to fix it, only to stop when I let out a soft chuckle.
"Still alive, are you? I'll give you one thing: you are as persistent as our world's former Spider-Man."
"You were disappointed that I didn't have a suit? We'll show you our suit."
The restraints were torn, and the machine crumbled apart as I fell, falling to one knee. I looked at my veins and began to glow, reacting, responding.
I remember this. Something like this happened a long time ago. How did I forget you? My guardian angel.
Tombstone raised his gun to fire; however, my hand extended out, gripping his neck and holding him up. A crimson-red haze spread throughout the area. I began to grow in size as I let him protect me.
My guardian angel in red.
More armed guards came in, all looking horrified over what they saw. Each went to fire as I held nothing back, ripping through them like a knife through butter. Still holding Tombstone, my transformation was fully complete. Managing to get one hand free, Tombstone shot me in the head. My body responded as I looked away, spitting the bullet out.
"That tickled," I whisper, my hand turning into a sharp blade. "My turn." Stabbing right through Tombstone, I watched the light leave his eye, a cackle following, a sense of glee.
Octavius backed away, shocked. "Monster... You're a monster; I've never seen anything like this... What the hell are you?"
Slowly turning my head, I looked at Octavius towering over her. "You've never heard of us? But we've always been with you. We're the voice in the back of your head, the silence that always follows. We're the inner urge everyone hides away now set free. We. Are Carnage."
****
Alarms were bursting, echoing out through the hidden lab as Silk arrived. The sense of urgency was riddled all over her face as she kept to the shadows out of sight lines. Even though she was doing this, she had yet to encounter a single guard. "Oh, I hope you're giving them hell, Y/N. Hold on a little longer."
"Cindy, have you found him?" Gwen asked over the intercom.
"No, but I'm close. I know it; he's here."
"Good, we're sending in Noir and Peni as backup."
"Don't bother. He's my responsibility; I'll get Y/N out of here." She echoes, hanging up. "I knew I should have just taken you home."
Her Spider-Sense went off, followed by gunfire and bones snapping. The gunfire faded into silence. Silk jumped up to the ceiling, slowly approaching the source of madness. As she got closer, Octavius was blown across the room, smashing into a wall. Hunched over, two of her extra arms were torn apart, blood trickling from her forehead. She tried to back away, terrified, as a red monster appeared. It had taken Silk by surprise as she watched it lunge for Octavius.
Quickly springing into action, Silk dived down, firing a web and pulling at the third party, keeping it from tearing the villain apart. Turning its gaze on her, it flew across the room, pinning her to the wall and crushing her arm. Silk tried to break free, petrified. It went to attack but continued to look closely, holding back. A sense of humanity returned briefly as it let go, hunched over, roaring. The symbiote began to fade back away as Y/N fell to the ground, the red parasite escaping back into his body.
Silk held her neck, gasping for air, speechless. She knew it couldn't be true but saw it as clear as day. That monster was Y/N.
****
My body couldn't stop shaking; I was covered in blood, not my blood. My breathing was random, and I panicked as I looked around at the chaos I caused. "Y/N?"
My eyes darted like an animal to Cindy, my heart dropping. Crawling back, I shook my head, whispering like a madman. "That wasn't me, Cindy. Please, you have to believe me..."
Cindy slowly approached, holding her hands up. I curled up, holding my head. She kneeled to my level, hugging me. "I got you; I got you. It's going to be alright." Cindy looked to Octavius, furious. "What did you do to him!?"
"That thing was inside of him all this time."
"Y/N, look at me." Forcing myself to, I was met with a smile; this would fade as Cindy's watch began to send out a small warning. Cannon Event occurrence, a sense of dread overcame her, which she struggled to hide, focusing back on me. "You're safe now; everything is just fine. Believe me. 괜찮으세요... Let's get you home, yeah?"
Cindy looked past to find Octavius gone and fled like the coward she was. Speaking into her earpiece, she tried helping me up. "Gwen, I've got him; he's in bad shape. We'll move around and meet you at the collider. Alright, Y/N, you need to work with me, up we g-."
My Spider-Sense went off; I could tell Cindy's did, too, as Octavius' voice screamed out. "Kill them all!"
My eyes turned as armed soldiers ran in, aiming. I was too dizzy and defeated to move. Cindy knew this, too.
"아니요!"
As they fired, Cindy responded, spinning me around and pushing me to the ground as we swapped places.
Silence echoed on as Penny and Noir quickly took down the soldiers. Everything went by in a blur as my hand was drenched in blood. Cindy tried to move but fell over. I finally snapped to holding her in my arms. "C-Cindy, no. No! Hold on, please just hold on!"
"Y/N... Are you ok?"
"I am! I am, thanks to you. You saved me; you shouldn't have done that. I- I. Oh fuck!"
"No, I don't regret anything; you're safe. That's all that matters. This happened because of me; I dragged you into this mess. I'm sorry." She whispered.
Gripping her hand, I shook my head. "Don't speak; we'll get you out of here. Peni! Noir, help me!"
I looked up as they fought off more guards; I was more alone than ever. Cindy held my chin, smiling. "Hey, it's ok. It's alright; we're Spider-Man; we always get back up."
"No, Cindy. I'm no Spider-Man; I co- I'm not cut out for this. I'm a failure."
"No, you're not. Take it from the queen of failures. I ran my whole life from my responsibilities; they would come back and haunt me sooner or later. I refuse to run anymore." She says, losing her breath and squeezing her face in pain. She took off her watch, and it began to spark, hit by a stray bullet. "Take it."
"I can't, I can-."
"Take it." Cindy orders, forcing it in my hand. "I saw it the moment I laid eyes on you, Y/N. I just knew."
"Knew what..."
"You're amazing. You're almost there; keep going... I just ask one thing of you. Please save them. Save my parents. I beg of you."
"Save your parents!? I can't do that, no, you're going to do that. As you said, I don't even know where to start. I'm useless. I don't have any chance. I'm weak. I'm pathetic. I'm I'm..."
"Spider-Man, I'm not asking you to save the world... Please, just two people. Can I entrust that responsibility? Say yes, please."
"I promise, no matter what, I'll save them."
Cindy smiled, hearing my final promise as her hand grip numbed. Sliping from my face, I caught her hand shaking her. "Cindy... Cindy, talk to me. Silk... Please. No."
I looked up to find Peni and Noir looking devastated, unable to say a word. Biting my lip, I held Cindy tightly, furious. "No. No. No!"
"Y-Y/N. I'm sorry." Peni whispered. "We sh-."
"No. No!" I shout, picking Cindy up and running away.
"Y/N, wait!" Peni shouted.
Noir stopped her, shaking his head. "Let him go."
"But the collider."
"He knows. He knows." Noir whispered, turning around to leave. "Come on; we should tell the others."
"I saw it the moment I laid eyes on you, Y/N. I just knew."
"You're amazing. You're almost there; keep going... I just ask one thing of you. Please save them. Save my parents. I beg of you. I'm not asking you to save the world... Please, just two people. Can I entrust that responsibility? Say yes, please."
"I promise, no matter what, I'll save them."