Perspective of a Lonely Hero

Across The Spider-Verse Issue 03: Back To Earth 1610

Earth 1610

Brooklyn New York

Five Years Later

"Hello, Nico." the therapist greeted with a warm smile. "How are you today?"

"Ms. Hopkins," Nico greeted with a nod of his head. He uncaps his thermo-flask and drinks his water.

She asked how his week went, as usual and he replied that it had gone positive.

"Though things got a little wild at the Future Foundation," He admitted.

"I see." Hopkins wrote it down on her clipboard. "The usual. . . Ben and Johnny idiocy?"

"Except this time they merged the main lab with Dr. Richard and Storm's room," Nico replied with a chuckle. "Then again, Dr. Storm had said she wanted a bigger room lately."

"Would you like to talk about your parents?" Hopkins asked carefully. "Or your sisters? Either of them?"

The Native American teen stiffened and looked away, out to the window. He saw something move away that didn't look like a bird but he didn't focus on that. He focused on his reflection. Or rather the reflection of his older sister.

". . . Look, that was a long time ago." Nico said after a moment of silence. "It was awful, but I hardly think about those events these days."

"You know, repressed trauma is something you may not realize that you're dealing with," Hopkins pointed out. "That recent tragedy is obviously and reasonably a tender spot. And you clearly repressed the impacts they have on you. This whole life that you've built in the city so far from your homeland. An intern in the Future Foundation and to Doctor Reed Richards. An outstanding artist, an excellent writer and a fantastic actor. It feels so, I don't know, obvious. Almost a cliche. Maybe it's a way to shield yourself from pain. Have you ever considered that you've repressed yourself in other ways?"

Nico crossed his arms and was silent for a long moment. He uncaps his thermo flask again and drinks his water. "Yeah, maybe I am." he admits.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He answers it while holding a hand to his therapist.

"Miles, I thought you said you can handle the day shift?" he asked his caller. "What? That serious? Alright I'll be there in ten minutes tops."

"I'm sorry Ms. Hopkins," the Native American said to the woman. "But I'm afraid I have to cut this short."

Hopkins sighed before nodding. "Very well then," she concurred. "Then perhaps that should be all for today. Take care of yourself, Nico."

Nico sighed at that before nodding his head. "I will do my best. Like always."

______________________________________

"Okay, folks, let's start from the beginning, one last time. My name is Nicodemus Speaking Eagle Tomeo. You can call me Nico."

Nico arrives at his house in Queens, the house that was once owned by the Parkers. He briefly greets his grandfather, Cecil Speaking Eagle Corbett as he makes his way to the entrance to the Bat Cave.

"I was bitten by a radioactive spider." 

(We get a flashback of Nico getting bit by a spider on the wrist.)

"And for the past four years, three months, two weeks, four days and six hours plus five minutes, I've been New York's web slinging bat themed, spider powered vigilante known as Batman."

He enters the Batcave and suits up in his Batman costume.

"I'm pretty sure you know the rest."