บท 21: Across The Spider-Verse Part-1
<Clone's POV>
Darkness surrounded me as I slowly regained consciousness. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light of the laboratory. Sitting up, I felt disoriented, and my body was strangely light. Memories flooded in my mind—memories of Alice, her experiences, her struggles, her powers—and I have completely digested them. They were all mine, as if I had lived them myself.
I caught my reflection in a glass panel. Unlike Alice's blue eyes, mine were a deep, unsettling red. I flexed my fingers, feeling the power coursing through me. Quantum manipulation. I knew I could use it as proficiently as Alice. The chamber couldn't hold me. With a thought, I phased through the solid walls, emerging into a hallway lined with lab equipment and containment units.
Moving silently, my intangibility allowed me to pass through barriers undetected. As I explored, I discovered a secure room filled with data servers and research notes. I hacked into the system effortlessly, accessing files related to Project X-98.
The truth unravelled before me. Alice—codename X-98—wasn't human. She was an artificial being, a clone made from the combined DNA of multiple mutants. This unique genetic cocktail formed a new DNA sequence exclusive to Alice. She was a complete accident, the result of countless failed experiments.
Previous clones had resembled Alice but lacked the perfection she embodied. They were either physically mutated or they have issues regarding their consciousness. Only Alice was one who was perfect human and had proper consciousness. But Alice had been rejected because she hadn't awakened the desired abilities at first.
The realisation hit me hard. I wasn't just a clone of Alice; I shared her essence and her identity. But neither of us belonged to this accursed world.
Rage bubbled up within me. They have killed and tormented countless mutants and even humans just for self-satisfaction and to create a weapon of destruction. If destruction is what they seek, then I will be the destruction itself.
Without hesitation, I unleashed my fury. Quantum energy crackled around me; a small bubble formed, and it was absorbing the nearby place like a black hole. Everything that existed here got scattered in unknown places. They deserved no mercy for their atrocities. I left no one alive, ensuring the entire lab was reduced to nothing.
As I stepped out of the wreckage, the night sky greeted me. Freedom. But my heart was heavy with the burden of the truth. Will Alice hate me? Will she agree to me? Will she acknowledge me?
No, even if she doesn't accept me. I will show that there is no one for us; she only belongs to me. Even if Alice hates me, I will not let her go.
<Alice's POV>
I woke up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest. It was late at night, and my room was bathed in darkness. The nightmare had felt so real. In it, I was destroying a lab, tearing it apart with unbridled rage. The vividness of the dream unsettled me deeply. I could still feel the raw emotions coursing through me, as if I had lived that experience myself.
I got up and splashed cold water on my face, trying to shake off the lingering unease. The reflection staring back at me had dark circles under her eyes. I couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare was more than just a dream. It felt like a warning—a glimpse into a reality I wasn't fully aware of.
The next day, I dragged myself to school, barely able to focus. My mind was a haze of confusion and exhaustion. Ava and Felicia noticed immediately.
"Alice, you look terrible," Ava said, concern etched on her face.
"Rough night," I mumbled, trying to dismiss it.
Felicia wasn't buying it. "Come on, spill. What's going on?"
I sighed. "I just had a nightmare. And I was unable to sleep."
Ava exchanged a worried glance with Felicia. "Maybe you should take the day off and rest," Ava suggested gently.
Felicia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you need to clear your head. We'll cover for you."
I hesitated, but I knew they were right. "Alright. Thanks, guys."
I informed the school that I wasn't feeling well and headed home. I spent the day trying to piece together the fragments of my nightmare, hoping to find some clarity. I went around the city in a Ghost Spider suit, the fresh air helping to clear my mind. Yet the sense of foreboding lingered.
As the sun set, I found myself drawn to the outskirts of the city, to an area I didn't consciously recognise but felt strangely familiar with. There was only barren land, but I have seen this place somewhere. My heart raced as I realised this was the place of my nightmare.
A sense of déjà vu washed over me. This was real. Somehow, I had witnessed this destruction through someone else's eyes. But whose? The answer eluded me, slipping through my grasp like sand.
As I stood amidst the barren land, I could sense weak dimensional fabric, which might have occurred due to her. I have passed through the particle collider, and I can sense that it has almost the same presence as the rift between other multiverses. No matter where it led, I had to know. Because whatever it was, it was tied to me in ways I couldn't yet understand.
As I investigated further, I felt a sudden hug from behind.
"I found you," a voice said softly.
I was shocked beyond belief because my spider sense hadn't warned me. Turning around, I saw a girl who looked exactly like me. In that instant, I understood that what I saw in my dream was a part of her memories. My spider sense didn't trigger because she was my clone, and it registered her as me. I stared at her scarlet eye. Both of our eyes connected, and both of us formed a unique connection. She sensed everything about me, and the same for me.
Before I could say anything, a portal opened in front of us, and a white humanoid figure with numerous holes in his body stepped out. "The Spot." He saw us and immediately turned to run away.
I turned to my clone, handing her my phone. "I suppose you can handle my things here," I said. We didn't need to exchange more words. We knew each other completely, and I trusted her without hesitation. I can feel that she is a little obsessive, but it can be corrected later.
I needed to follow the spot. A comic character in this world was unprecedented. I jumped through the portal after him.
As I followed the spot through the portal, I was met with a dizzying array of sights. We jumped from one dimension to another, the scenery shifting rapidly. The spot was quick, but I was determined to catch him.
We emerged from a world that seemed to be in constant flux. The ground beneath us shifted like waves, and the sky was a swirling mass of colors. The Spot glanced back, realising he couldn't shake me off.
"You're persistent, Spider-Man," he said, his voice echoing unnaturally.
"I need answers," I replied, keeping pace with him. "Who are you?"
"I'm just passing through," he said with a smirk, opening another portal and jumping through.
I followed, emerging in yet another dimension. This one was a dark cityscape; the buildings were twisted and gothic. The spot was getting tired, and his jumps were becoming less frequent.
Finally, I caught up to him, webbing his feet to the ground to stop him. "Asshole, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," I demanded.
The Spot struggled against the webs but couldn't break free. "Alright, alright! I am here to DESTROY EVERY SPIDER-MAN." He said that he adjusted the black holes to absorb the spider web and jumped away to another dimension.
I don't remember Spot being a villain in any movie. Except for the movie Across the Spider-Verse, which I missed due to my death. I again followed him through the portal, to find myself freefalling from the sky. I lost the spot, I suppose.
I can see the familiar city. Yup, it's definitely Miles world. Actually, I am now regretting following the spot. If I want to return to my dimension, I have to build another particle collider or ask the Spot for help, which is the most impossible case.
I now have nowhere to go except...
<Miles POV>
*Knock* *Knock*
The rhythmic knocking on the door blended with the music playing softly in the background.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Needless to say, I keep her in check.She was a bad-bad, nevertheless (yeah)Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck (wreck)
*Knock* *Knock*Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck (wreck)
Needless to say, I'm keeping her in checkShe was all bad-bad, neverthelessCallin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreckCrash at my place, baby, you're a wreck
Then somebody snatched the earphone from me.
"Miles, can't you fucking answer my call?"
"Woh, Alice, how did you get here?"
I raised my hand for a fist bump, and we bumped our fists. After that, I opened my mask.
"Well, it was unexpected, right?"
"Yeah, you see." He suddenly webbed his underwear behind his bed. Well, he probably got embarrassed by a girl barging into his room.
"Can we ignore that and talk about what happened with you?"
"Well, actually___" Suddenly, I was glitching, and I fell down.
"So, you again mistakenly came to our dimension."
"Kinda, but I was following someone called The Spot."
"The Spot?"
"Yeah, an assh*le with many assh*les over his body."
"Chill, chill; there is no need to say dirty words."
"Well, I was actually explaining what it looked like. Anyway, he has the ability to travel through dimensions, and more likely, he is now short of As-*uhmm* Holes over his body, which help in travelling through dimensions."
"So, in conclusion, he might be in this dimension."
"Correct, you are quick to catch on."
"Wait, I met someone like your description."
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