The Amazing Spider-Man 3

Chapter 1

Peter's eyes slowly opened, a now day lit room coming into focus. His ears also picked up a rather annoying sound, and it took him a second before he finally registered that the alarm on his phone was going off. Drowsily, Peter threw his arm over to the nightstand next to his bed, grabbing his phone and switching off the alarm. He then squinted at it to find out what time it was: 8:43 A.M.

The realization hitting him that he was due in at the Bugle in less than 20 minutes, Peter's senses suddenly and sharply kicked into high gear as his brain snapped itself out of the fog it had been in moments before. Throwing off the sheet from his bed, he quickly stood out of bed, running over to find something at least halfway decent to change into. He rummaged through his closet and dresser, settling for a nice-looking long-sleeved shirt and some jeans that were still new. Normally he liked to wear something a little more business casual, since he was the Bugle's staff photographer, but he was willing to cut himself a little slack today, given his recent... adventure.

Of course, he did make sure to grab his other suit as well, just in case. It still reeked since he'd not had much of an opportunity to wash it since his return, but it was going to have to do. If nothing else, he'd just apply some extra deodorant, though hopefully not enough to be obvious that he was covering something up. Even after all these years, he still tended to cross that line sometimes.

Peter quickly combed his hair so that it looked presentable, tidied himself up the best he could otherwise, before finally grabbing his camera. Despite his metabolism reminding him of his hunger, he opted against grabbing something to eat, since there were usually donuts and some fruit in the Bugle's lounge area. He grabbed his keys and quickly was out the door. After locking it, he was about to take off down the hallway, but his spider-sense went off just in time for him to come to a stop right in front of a redheaded woman who was now right in front of him.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," Peter apologized profusely, though he was already making his way around her, his legs itching to take off as the time crunch he was on remained in the back of his head.

"It's okay," the woman replied, smiling at him like she was holding in a laugh. He then waved politely at her, chastising himself inwardly for being so careless as he turned around and jogged over to the elevator, which was barely still open but closing fast. Accelerating to more of a sprint, he barely made it in time to slide in just before the doors closed.

As he began his steady descent, Peter allowed himself to breathe for a moment, trying to settle his mind after the rush to start the morning. Really, he should still be good on time if all went according to plan. Granted, that was a ridiculous statement to try and apply to his crazy existence, but one could only hope after all.

Nothing could be crazier than the insane adventure he had just been through anyway: being transported through space-time, ending up in a parallel universe, meeting two other Peter Parkers (neither of which looked like him), facing off against villains from each of their respective earths, etc. Even now, less than a full 24 hours since his little multiversal excursion, it was still a lot to wrap his head around; really, it all felt like a dream. Peter's mind frequently returned to all the ways that its very existence changed everything he knew about quantum physics, the initial singularity, and so much more that had been established for so long it almost seemed certain.

Plus, again, there was the element of meeting other versions of himself; all three of them were Peter Parkers who were also Spider-Man. Despite them not sharing the same look, Peter had been surprised to learn that similar events had all occurred in their lives: they'd all been bitten by an enhanced or genetically engineered spider, they'd all been irresponsible with their powers in a way that cost them dearly and had lost other people they cared about as well.