Chronicles of the Spider

Reunion

15 Years Ago

Earth Prime

About five months had passed since the particle accelerator explosion. The city was slowly waking up the fact that there were many meta-humans living there now, due to the accident. Many of these people turned to crime, leaving the city in dire straits. Luckily, they had their very own hero to help them. 

The Spider's reputation was getting better and better. It was not a stretch to say that he was one of the most famous superheroes on the planet. New York City had quickly become a haven for super powered criminals, and the New York Herald reported each and every encounter in their bright, eye catching paper, loudly proclaiming that The Spider was the greatest hero in the world. They had even put up a giant spotlight with a spider symbol on top of the NYPD headquarters, something they took from Gotham. Many had already started comparing The Spider with Superman, holding polls around the country, and even the rest of the planet, to ask for people's votes. 

Peter never thought that his reputation was soar that much. He was used to being maligned and disregarded, never being taken seriously, but it seemed that here, people actually liked him. After a long conversation, Alex and Allison had gradually accepted what he did in his spare time. They insisted they help him in someway, but Peter firmly refused, knowing what happened to people who got involved in his superhero life.

Then, Alex decided to hack into his suit (something he could do now due to his new powers), and started guiding him through missions. His help was invaluable when Peter fought Edward Morgan, a genius billionaire who'd decided to build an metal suit of armour and test the city's new protector.

Allison had made some money by writing independent articles that she proceeded to sell to various online news websites. She used her newfound power of telepathy and stated reading people's minds, despite Peter strictly telling her not to use her powers in such a way. Peter was watching her, to make sure that she didn't cross that line.

Dawn Technologies, the official name for Peter's company, had been experiencing a meteoric rise in the city. His intellect had been put to full use, and he had used all his influence (and some of Alfred's) to get the contracts to clean up the city following any super villain rampages through the city. He had essentially taken over what the Department of Damage Control used to do in his world, but he made sure to always hire locals who needed help. Dawn had gone from a small, ten person company, to having over three hundred people employed, and that number was rising rapidly.

He had used the opportunity to increase his product coverage by reconstructing areas with advanced technologies made in his labs. This brought attention to the latest developments from the organisation, and many actively followed the latest technology coming from Dawn. Alex also started helping Peter with Dawn when he got inspired to create something new, which Peter couldn't be happier about.

One day, Peter, Allison, and Alex were simply relaxing on Peter's couch, taking a break from their stressful lives. Alice was in the other room, dusting the floor. Peter was playing video games with Alex (after a strict promise from the latter not to use his powers), and Allison was calling out bad advice to both players. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Assuring the others that he would get it, he opened to door, only to stop and stare wide eyed.

There stood his father, clad in his customary black suit, smiling at him lightly. His stern expression had eased up for a moment, letting him revel in the sight of his son looking happier than ever. Alfred stood behind him, looking genuinely happy to see the young man. 

"Hello, Peter," Bruce said softly.

"Dad, I, uh, what?" Peter stammered confusedly.

"I came to New York for a couple of days, and thought I might surprise you," Bruce answered the unasked question. "May we come in?"