Chapter 26: Across The Spider-Verse Part-6
<Gwen's POV>
The familiar skyline of city stretched out before me, yet everything felt slightly off. This wasn't my Earth, but Miles' home dimension. I swung between skyscrapers, my spider-sense on high alert as I searched for any sign of the Spot.
I landed on a rooftop, setting up one of my high-tech cameras. "This should give us a good view of the area," I muttered to myself, adjusting the lens. With my surveillance network in place, I began my patrol, hoping to catch a glimpse of our interdimensional troublemaker.
Suddenly, my spider-sense tingled. I whipped around, scanning the streets below. That's when I saw her – or who I thought was her. "Alice!" I called out, relief and concern mixing in my voice as I swung down to street level.
The figure turned, and for a split second, I saw confusion in her eyes before she smiled. "Gwen! What are you doing here?"
"You're in trouble," I said urgently, my words tumbling out. "You need to return to your home dimension. Jessica Drew is after you now."
She paused, considering my words. "Then I'll tag along with you," she said. "You can take me back to my home dimension afterward." I nodded, relieved she was willing to come with me.
As we agreed to work together, my spider-sense flared again. The Spot had appeared. We tailed him to a makeshift particle collider, but before we could stop him, he activated it and disappeared into a swirling portal.
"Let's go!" I shouted, grabbing Candice's hand. We leaped into the vortex, the world warping around us until we landed in a bustling, colorful city – Mumbattan, home dimension of another Spider-Man.
<Candice's POV>
The moment we emerged from the portal, I felt overwhelmed. My newly acquired spider powers surged through me, every sense heightened to an almost painful degree. Mumbattan was a riot of colors, sounds, and smells that threatened to short-circuit my brain.
I struggled to keep up with Gwen as we swung through the city. My movements were clumsy compared to her graceful arcs. Suddenly, my web shooter ran dry mid-swing. Panic seized me as I fumbled to reload, the ground rushing up to meet me.
"Got you!" Gwen's voice cut through my fear as she caught me, bringing us both to a safe landing on a nearby rooftop.
Before I could catch my breath, a dark figure materialized – the Spot. He kicked Gwen hard, sending her flying. My heart raced, but before I could react, another blur of red and blue appeared, catching both of us.
As we regained our footing, I found myself face-to-face with Miles Morales. Gwen's surprise was evident. "Miles? What are you doing here?"
Miles looked as confused as we were. "I was searching for Alice, hoping to ask about the Spot. I followed your trail and... well, here I am."
I couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Oopsies. I didn't see that coming."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than Miles began to glitch, his body flickering like a faulty hologram. The strain of being in another dimension was clearly taking its toll on him. As we all began to fall, Gwen caught me once more, and I instinctively reached out to grab Miles. But before I could make contact, another figure swooped in – yet another Spider-Man, this one in a suit that blended traditional Indian garb with the classic spider motif.
<Pavitr's POV>
Another day, another dimensional crisis. I couldn't help but grin as I swooped in to catch the glitching Spider-Man. "Welcome to Mumbattan!" I announced, enjoying the looks of surprise on their faces.
As we all landed safely, I turned to the blonde Spider-Woman. "So, who are these two?"
She looked slightly exasperated. "Well, they both weren't exactly invited."
I laughed heartily. "Ho ho! You weren't invited either, and yet here you are! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pavitr Prabhakar, and I've been Spider-Man for the last six months. And let me tell you, being Spider-Man is a breeze! I wake up, skip the workout 'cause I'm naturally buff—don't want to get too big, you know?"
I couldn't resist showing off a bit, gesturing grandly at my beloved city. "To top it off, I live in the best possible Spider-Man city, Mumbattan. Let me give you a quick tour. This is where the traffic is, this is where the traffic is, this is also where the traffic is, there's traffic here too. And this?" I pointed to an ornate building in the distance. "This is where the British stole all our stuff!"
The other Spider-Girl – not the blonde one – interrupted my impromptu tour. "Guys, I think we can leave the introductions for later. We need to follow the Spot before we lose him completely."
Right, the mission. I nodded, my jovial demeanor giving way to focused determination. "Lead the way, my interdimensional friends!"
<Gwen's POV>
We raced towards the Alchemax building, our banter forgotten as we focused on catching the Spot. But just as we neared the entrance, he created another portal, sending us stumbling outside as a shimmering force field sprang up around the building.
"We need to get through that barrier," I said, frustration creeping into my voice.
Alice stepped forward. "I can try using my bioelectricity," she offered, though she sounded unsure.
We watched as she placed her hand against the barrier, concentration etched on her face. But nothing happened. Frustration radiated from her in waves.
The she pulled Miles in front of barrier.
"You do it"
"What? I thought you were expert in Venom Blast."
"I don't feel like using it." She urged Miles. Somehow it seems odd but I suppose something is wrong with Alice. I suppose she is worried her suit will get destroyed.
Miles put his finger over the barrier. "Use your whole palm to absorb the barrier," Alice suggested him.
He nodded, pressing his palm flat against the shimmering field. For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Then, with a final push of effort, Miles absorbed the energy, and the barrier fell away.
"Nice work!" Pavitr exclaimed as we rushed into the building.
We found the Spot in the main lab, the particle collider humming ominously behind him. What followed was a chaotic battle unlike anything I'd experienced before. The Spot was everywhere and nowhere, using his portals to evade our attacks and strike from unexpected angles.
My webs passed harmlessly through his holes, while Pavitr's acrobatics couldn't keep up with the Spot's unpredictable movements. Miles and Alice tried to flank him, but he always seemed one step ahead.
All the while, the collider's hum grew louder, the machine pulsing with increasing energy. We were running out of time.
"We need to shut it down!" Alice shouted, ducking under one of the Spot's attacks.
I made a break for the collider's control panel, but the Spot was there in an instant, knocking me back. Miles caught me before I could hit the wall.
In a desperate move, we all fired our web-shooters simultaneously, hoping to snare the Spot and pull him away from the machine. For a brief moment, it seemed to work – our webs found purchase, and we began to haul him back.
But the Spot just laughed, that chilling sound echoing through the lab. With a casual gesture, he opened a portal directly in front of him. Our webs were severed instantly, and before we could react, he dove backwards into the activated particle collider.
The collider sequence completed with a resounding hum, and the Spot, seizing his moment, opened a massive portal. With a triumphant laugh, he severed our web lines and leaped into the heart of the collider.
A blinding flash of light erupted from the machine, the explosion of dimensional energy sending us all sprawling. As the light faded, I saw Alice – staring into space, a look of horror on her face.
"What you saw is the future," the Spot's voice echoed through the chamber. "That's your fear, Spider-Girl. And fear... fear is my playground."
His laughter reverberated off the walls as he disappeared, leaving us in the rapidly collapsing lab. I grabbed the shocked Alice's arm. "We need to run, now!"
<Candice's POV>
The citizens of Mumbattan were safe, the immediate danger averted. But as I was about to suggest our next move, the air around us began to crackle with energy.
"What's happening?" I barely had time to shout before a massive surge of dimensional energy exploded outward, enveloping us all.
The world around me dissolved into a kaleidoscope of fractured realities. My mind reeled as visions bombarded me, each more vivid than the last. I saw the Spot, but not as we knew him. Instead, I witnessed a normal man - Dr. Johnathon Ohnn - caught in the blast of a particle collider. The accident that would transform him into the villain we were chasing.
But the visions didn't stop there. They shifted, becoming more personal, more terrifying. I saw myself, but different - my eyes glowing an intense red. In my arms lay a figure with striking blue eyes, a face I recognized instantly: Alice. She was pale, barely breathing, on the verge of death.
The shock of this vision sent me reeling. Was this a glimpse of the future? Was I destined to fail, to lose Alice despite everything?
As quickly as they had come, the visions faded. I found myself back in Mumbattan, gasping for air, my friends looking at me with concern. But before I could speak, a chilling voice cut through the air.
"What you saw is the future," the Spot's voice echoed through the chamber. "That's your fear, Spider-Girl. And fear... fear is my playground."
I felt my blood run cold as his words sank in. The others looked confused, not having experienced the visions themselves.
The Spot's laughter, cruel and mocking, reverberated through the area as he made his escape. "Sweet dreams, Spider-Girl. I'll be seeing you again... sooner than you think."
His laughter reverberated off the walls as he disappeared, leaving us in the rapidly collapsing lab. Gwen grabbed the my arm. "We need to run, now!"
The world seemed to move in slow motion as we escaped the collapsing Alchemax building. My mind was reeling from the visions I'd seen – the Spot's origin, and a terrifying glimpse of a future where I held a dying Alice in my arms.
As we emerged onto the street, chaos greeted us. Massive chunks of the building were falling, threatening to crush the panicked civilians below. Without thinking, I shouted to Gwen, "I'm going to rescue the people!" and swung into action, Pavitr close behind.
As we focused on evacuating civilians, I saw Gwen and Miles struggling to hold up an enormous section of wall. Even with their combined strength, it was clear they couldn't keep it up for long.
My heart raced as I realized that even our combined efforts might not be enough to save everyone. What would Alice do in my situation? It was then that I heard it – a voice that seemed to come from within my own mind. "Why limit yourself to Alice? Think about what you specialize in."
The words struck me like a bolt of lightning. In my efforts to be like Alice, I had forgotten my mastery of my innate abilities. Quantum Manipulation – the very power that had brought me into existence as a clone.
With newfound resolve, I changed course mid-swing, heading towards the heart of the destruction. As I neared the collapsing building, I felt a familiar energy building within me. My eyes began to glow with an intense scarlet light as I tapped into my mutant ability, creating a field of quantum energy that enveloped the falling debris.
The effect was immediate and awe-inspiring. The chunks of concrete and steel began to break down at the subatomic level, disintegrating into the quantum bubble I had formed. Piece by piece, the deadly rain of debris was absorbed into the field, harmlessly dissipating into nothingness.
The strain was immense, unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every fiber of my being screamed in protest as I pushed my powers to their absolute limit. But with each passing second, more lives were saved, more destruction averted.
As the last of the debris vanished, the quantum field collapsed, and with it, my strength. Exhaustion overtook me, and I felt myself falling, too weak even to shoot a web line. But just as I had resigned myself to the fall, strong arms caught me. It was Pavitr, swooping in at the last moment to bring me safely back to the others.
<Miles' POV>
I watched in awe as Alice unleashed a power unlike anything I'd ever seen. The quantum field she created saved countless lives, turning a potential disaster into a miracle.
As Pavitr brought her back to us, I could see the toll it had taken on her. She looked completely drained, barely able to stand.
"That was incredible," Gwen said, her voice filled with admiration. Pavitr and I nodded in agreement, still processing what we had just witnessed.
But our moment of triumph was short-lived. A sharp beeping sound cut through the air, coming from Gwen's wrist. We all looked down to see a holographic display spring to life, displaying an ominous message: "Canon Event Disrupted." What the f*ck is Cannon Event?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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