Somewhere in between 3

8.

(Andrew is a character invented by me. He is not an original part of the Spider-Man franchise)

There is a lot of noise in the HQ.
People are chatting, training, improving suits, etc.
It's a normal working day like any other.
At least for most of the members.
Miguel sits uneasily on the chair in his office and ponders the solution to the "Jasmin problem", as he now calls it.
Unfortunately, she and her friends always gave him the slip, no matter how many troops he sent after her.
In the meantime, he had even given up sending new people, especially to her planet.
It seems she never stays there for more than a few days.
Frustrated, he threw the pen he had been holding in his hand the whole time onto the desk.
"Bloody hell," he cursed, hitting the desk.
"Surely it can't be that hard to catch them and then remove them from the community once and for all."

(Start the song „Spider-Man 2099" by Daniel Pamberton. Replay it when it's done but you haven't finished the chapter yet)

He was rubbing his head thoughtfully when Andrew suddenly burst into his office.
Miguel winced and gave him an annoyed look.
"You do know that you knock before you open the door, right?"
"Yes..." he said, hesitating before closing the door behind him and sitting down in the chair on the other side of Miguel's desk.
"What is it?" he asked, puzzled. "Have you seen the news?" Andrew asked, looking at his boss urgently.
Andrew was Miguel's right-hand man.
Anything Miguel couldn't do, he did for him.
He organizes most of the events, delivers the news to all the members and is the boss's constant advisor.
He really knows everything about HQ.
Thanks to Miguel.
Every change, every problem, even the "Jasmin problem", was discussed with Andrew.
If you can't find Miguel, you can always turn to him.

"No, why?"
"Because it will be important."
Andrew turned the computer towards him, took the keyboard and tapped away.
Shortly afterwards, a window appeared with the latest news.
He turned the screen back to Miguel and let him read through the article.
His eyes widened with every line he read.
"An earthquake," Andrew spoke, watching O'Hara's reaction.
"On the planet of Jasmin."
Slowly, Miguel leaned back from the screen and looked at his partner.
"It's starting. These are the first signs that Jasmin's world is about to collapse after she interrupted the canon event."
"She had saved her uncle from a collapsing house, hadn't she?"
"Indeed." Miguel paused for a moment.
"We have to act."
"What, now?" Andrew asked, looking at O'Hara in astonishment.
"Yes, now. This is our chance Andrew!" he said hopefully and leaned forward.
"There's a very good chance that Jasmin has heard the news. And the first thing she'll do is go to her family. She will certainly be back on her planet in a few days and then we can finally arrest her! I was about to withdraw the troops from there, but I don't think that's necessary any longer," he proudly presented his idea.
Miguel was overcome with a feeling of joy and exuberance.
He wanted to seize this opportunity.
It was THE chance.
He could end the whole mess with this and it would be easier than he thought.
"You're not seriously going to arrest her right when she's with her family, are you?" Andrew looked at him with concern.
He knew Miguel had a bit of a ruthless side, but this ruthless?
Miguel rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly.
"I don't care where she is, Andrew! But not this time! She's made a grave mistake and thrown the entire multiverse into chaos. Apart from that, she broke into HQ with her oh-so-great friends. She must atone for her mistake! And she can forget about her planet anyway. It's her fault that her home has to be destroyed. As Spider-Man, she should have known better!"

A mix of triumph and revenge reflected in Miguel's facial expression. This idea gives him as much strength as it has not been in a long time. He feels strong and confident of victory and he knows very well that this is his chance

"But don't you think there's something fishy about this?" Andrew asked again.
Something inside him told him that it wasn't quite right.
But he didn't know exactly why.
"Lazy? What's lazy about it?" Miguel laughed and stood up from his chair full of energy.
„It's quite clear. Jasmin's world is on the verge of collapse because she interrupted the canon event. It's our job to eliminate this world as soon as possible before more damage is done and to maintain the balance of the multiverse."
"An earthquake, Miguel. Why only an earthquake? And why only now? After weeks."
"I don't know why the earthquake is only now appearing or why it's only an earthquake, Andrew. But I don't care," he shrugged his shoulders.
"It's just the laws of nature, or rather, the multiverse. The universe is just as complex as every single planet is individual. Some things just work differently than we're used to, but that's how we learn. It's clear, Andrew. THIS is Jasmine's fault!" Miguel said the last sentence with so much emphasis that Andrew gave up arguing.
"Maybe you're right..." he replied to keep Miguel's happiness, but he was still brooding inside.
"And you really think your troops will be able to catch her after she's given them the slip countless times?"
Miguel's smug expression disappeared at a stroke.
Unfortunately, Andrew was right.
His troops had yet to accomplish anything except constantly giving him disappointing information.
He couldn't afford for them to fail this time either.
Miguel thought and a brief moment later his eyes were filled with a bright and frightening glow.
A grim smile also made itself known on his face.
"I think I know just the person for this job..."