Peter Parker swung along the streets of New York, the glowing windows of the skyscrapers a blur in his peripheral vision. He released his web strand for just a moment, letting his momentum carry him into a double flip before he fired another strand. It hit the next building and the line went taut as he whizzed down the street. The web-slinger let the web carry him high into the air before he released the line again and he launched himself high enough to clear the next rooftop and land lightly on the edge.
The superhero settled on the lip of the roof and looked out over the bustling streets. “Street crime is down, all the major players are laying low or in jail, no new psychos have shown up in almost a month…” He relaxed and let his legs hang over the edge. “Looks like a quiet night. Which means I’m probably due for a major catastrophe any day now.” He sighed and absently rolled his shoulders as a soft, almost sickeningly sweet scent drifted through the air. Suddenly, he felt the hair on the back of his neck sticking up and a very familiar tingling at the back of his head. “I had to say it.” I jumped to his feet as the scent thickened and a cloud of pinkish fog seemed to seep out of the stones at his feet. Then something clicked and he recognized the familiar swirl of mist.
“Good evening Spider-man.” The fog parted in front of him and a large web-like throne appeared, with an elderly woman sitting regally on it.
“Madame Web. It’s been a while since you paid me a visit. Here to deliver some cryptic wisdom?”
The elderly psychic actually smiled. “In a sense. I come to give you a warning of a sort.”
Peter’s shoulders slumped. He really didn’t need this right now. “Business as usual then.”
Web nodded and raised one of her hands. The fog spiraled above her, before parting to reveal a massive web, glowing with golden light. “I hardly need to explain the concept of the multiverse to you, do I Mr. Parker?”
“I get the general idea,” Peter deadpanned. He’d been to more than enough alternate universes, timelines, and pocket dimensions to know the concept.
Web nodded again and waved a hand again. “This is the Web of Fate, a sort of representation of the bindings that hold all realities together. Every strand representing a bond between worlds, and every intersection another reality. In fact, ours is right here.” She pointed right to the middle of the web. “Now, tell me what you see.”
Peter hopped up to the top of the throne, looking over the glowing strands. “So we’re the center of the universe and…” He trailed off as he examined the threads around central axis. They seemed to be growing shorter, each of the small intersections being pulled in closer to the center. “Oh. That’s bad.”
“Bad or good, I really can’t say.” Spider-man spun around to see the psychic now hovering a few feet behind him rather than sitting below him. “This is not the first time that I’ve seen worlds come together. Worlds merging and separating is simply one of many phenomena that I have observed watching the ebbs and tides of many worlds. But I have never seen our world drawn so close to so many others.”
Peter turned and squatted down on top of the throne. “So what? We’re about to get some uninvited guests from another world?”
“If only it were that simple. At the rate these worlds are drawing closer, they will begin to mingle with our own. Eventually, they will become part of it. Indistinguishable from what always was to all but a select few.”
YOU ARE READING
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Stud
FanfictionPeter knew his luck was terrible, but a dimensional collapse was bad even for him. But maybe an entirely new world with a new start could be just what he needs to get lucky for once in his life. Or get lucky a lot in general.
