Issue 72: A New Age Part 9
After informing his loved ones of his survival, the three sat, ate, drank, and chatted for hours.
"So, how did Aunt May take the news?" Peter asked.
"Pretty well…better than MJ. She looked like she wanted to rip my head off when she saw the Symbiote."
"Why?" MJ asked.
"Because she…we had some bad experiences with them."
"So, is Uncle Ben and our parents really alive in your universe?"
"Yeah, infinite possibilities and all," Peter shrugged his shoulders.
"Right…I wonder if I can build something to help me travel there. I know he wouldn't be my Ben, but…It's just…"
Peter grabbed Richard's shoulder, "I get it man. It was pretty heart breaking to hear how our Uncle died…"
"He made me what I am today, and I just want to see him…one last time."
"I'll tell you what, after this whole debacle, I'll let you guys visit."
"That would mean the world to me, mini-me," Richard snorted.
"We're the same height, and I'll have you know, that I'm still growing. I bet I'll be taller than you in a year or so."
"Hahahaha! It's my second time doing this, but it's still so weird," MJ laughed before the two Peters joined in.
By the time it came to leave, Peter walked out and saw Richard watching over his own funeral.
"This city really loves you," MJ nudged him as she saw tears in his eyes.
Richard covered his face and hid his expression with his hands, "Damn…sniff…I told myself I wasn't going to cry."
They waited until nightfall and saw Miles walking up in a shoddy store bought Spider-Man outfit.
"It's the kid," Richard whispered.
"Wait for it," Peter said as he held his hand out.
They watched as someone in a coat came up to him and touched his shoulder. Miles turned around and shocked him. As they all cringed at the thought of being electrocuted, they saw the web line that caught the kid and yanked him over.
"Oof, that looked like it hurt! What did that kid do?"
"Used Chi to make an energy attack," Peter explained as his fists sparked.
"I need to start over and learn somethings from my friends, Magic and Chi?"
"Impressed?" MJ snickered.
"Very…"
"There on the move, let's keep a watch on them," Peter said as he jumped after.
"Quietly," MJ whispered with her finger against her lips.
"I really need to give MJ my powers. All the time we could have spent together…ugh," Peter Richards Parker webbed off after them.
They stealthily watched from a distance and even laughed a few times as they saw Miles trying to keep Peter. B Parker from running into things.
Eventually, they stopped across from Miles' apartment.
"We need Miles to inspire that Peter down there,"
"What the hell happened to me?" Richard asked.
"Money issues, Aunt May passed away, and marital issues. This Peter is scared to have a kid," Peter answered.
"What? Why? Kids sound great! MJ and I just put that on hold until her acting career stabilizes."
"You're life isn't failing at every step. Honestly, I feel bad for this version of us. However, he just needs a good kick in the butt and I know he'll be back to normal.
They saw Peter walking up and down the side of the building while Miles gave him the Great Responsibility talk.
It was clear that it was going to work when Peter said, "We can wait at Aunt May's house. Bring your MJ over."
"Right," Richard jumped off the building.
"He's awfully compliant," MJ mentioned.
"He understands how powerful the Infinity Stones are, so he knows I got a plan."
They stealthy made their way to Aunt May's house and knocked on the door.
Peter smiled when she opened the door, "Hey, May. How've you been?"
She smiled and hugged him, "Thank you for saving my boy."
MJ removed her mask and waved, "Hi, May!"
"Oh my, MJ? You look…oh…hahahahahah! I'm sure Peter loved seeing you in his colors."
"Technically, it's reversed," MJ showed off her classic suit.
"Come on in, I think you're going want to see this," May smiled cheerfully.
Before they entered the house, MJ suddenly glitched and knelt over in pain.
"Hey, you okay?" Peter asked as he grabbed her.
"MJ, it's okay, It'll pass," May said with a worried expression.
"What the hell was that?" MJ said as she took in deep breaths.
"Since we didn't come here the right way, your body is being torn between our two universes. We need to make a stabilizer to keep you molecules from disassembling."
Peter made some tech with his Reality Topaz and said, "Use your abilities to make something for that exact job."
MJ smiled as she crafted a pair of bracelets with the tech he provided.
"God I love watching you work," Peter smirked.
"I know, Tiger," MJ said as she put her stabilizer on and took a deep breath, "Phew…that feels a lot better."
She passed one to him and asked, "How come you didn't glitch."
"I probably have some resistances built up due to Magneto's abilities."
"I get it. It's the compacted magnetic field around your body holding you together. But why didn't we glitch the last time we did this whole Multiverse Tango?" MJ questioned.
"It's because we were brought there through the use of magic. Using tech is like breaking the rules, thus consequences," Peter explained.
"Can you make a couple more of those?" May asked as she led them to the Spider-Cave.
"Sure, but whoa, he made a Bat Cave?" MJ shouted in surprise.
"Yeah, even I got to give that guy props," Peter chuckled.
"You made a lab on Venus," Mary Jane rolled her eyes.
"You did what?" May went bug-eyed.
"I built a lab the size of a few city blocks 2000 miles under the surface of Venus. Oh, and yeah, I am by far the most broken Spider-Man here."
Peter smirked as he felt his senses alerting him of the other Spider-Totems in the room.
"May, we're home!" Peter R. shouted from upstairs.
At the same time, Peter B, Parker was webbing his way to Aunt May's house alongside Spider-Gwen and Miles.
"So where are we going?" Peter B. shouted.
"Somewhere familiar," Gwen
"Why can no one ever give me a straight answer," Peter B. sighed.
"Woohooo!" Miles cheered as he leapt from building to building to keep up.
"At least someone is having fun," Peter B. sighed.
A few minutes later, the trio of spiders landed near May's house when they saw her open the door with a bat in hand.
"Heya May, it's good to see you," Peter B. said with a depressed stare.
When she saw them, May shook her head and smiled, "We've been expecting you."
She walked up to her nephew from another universe and placed her hand on his cheek, "You look so tired."
"It's because I am," Peter looked ashamed.
"And overweight," May chuckled as she poked him in the stomach.
"Yeah…things have been…"
Giving him a hug, Peter showed a surprised expression before he sighed and hugged her back.
"Come on in, I think there someone you guys should meet."
"She led them down into the Spider-Cave when the heroes felt their senses tingling.
"Heya!" A talking Pig hopped down while holding out a sweaty palm, "I'm Peter Porker! Nice to meet ya!"
"There's a talking pig…" Miles snorted.
"I can see that,"
"Don't forget about us!" A girl's voice shouted as she jumped down, "Hi everyone! I'm Penni, Penni Parker!"
"I'm Spider-Noir!" A man in black and white said as he landed next to Penni and struck a pose.
"I'm Peter Parker," Peter jumped down.
"I'm Peter Parker too, but you can call me Richard to make things less confusing," Peter R. dropped from the ceiling.
"And we're the Mary Janes!" MJ and this world's counterpart wearing the artificial Symbiote landed next to them.
"And together, we're the Amazing Spider-Heroes!"
"Ha…hahahahaahaha! Oh, wow. I can't believe his is happening," Peter B slapped his hand on his forehead.
"Wow, I really let myself go," Peter walked around is older self.
"That's not nice, I'm Peter Parker too, you're insulting yourself," Peter B. said as he frowned.
"Neither is neglecting your work out. What would Master Shang Chi think of us if he saw your condition?" Peter R. replied.
"I'm a call you Benji," MJ said as she walked up to them, "Your middle initial is B for Benjamin, like my Peter, right?"
"Fine with me," Benji sighed as he looked at the Mary Jane's with a sorrowful expression.
"So what do we call me?" The MJ in this world asked.
"Mary? Why is she wearing a Symbiote?" Benji nearly shouted.
"Relax, it's a man-made Symbiote. I'm letting it make changes to her gene-structure to give her my spider-powers. We could have done it quickly, but I figured slower was safer," Richard spoke up.
"I got it! MJ is the visitor and the home girl is Mary," Penni said as she clapped her hands together.
"Home girl?" Miles' eyes widened, "Are you this world's Mary Jane Parker?"
"That I am!" Mary walked over and looked at the older worn down Peter, "What happened to you?"
"A lot,"
"I can see that," Richard pulled his mask to reveal his golden hair and pretty blue eyes.
"How?! I saw you die!" Miles shouted.
"You saw what I wanted you to see," Peter snickered as he poked the boys head and used the Symbiote to unseal his memories.
"Oh…that's messed up man," Miles frowned at Peter.
"If it makes you feel better, I don't use the psychic powers like that, my suit does. I can respect your privacy Miles,"
"Kind of make a little bit better, but why fake his death?"
"So you two could meet," Peter poked the tubby belly, "So you could give him the kick in the butt he needs to get out of his slump?"
"How did you even know?" Benji asked.
"Know what Infinity Stones are?"
"You have an Infinity Stone?" Benji and Porker shouted.
"Something like it, but the point is, I've seen certain things about this universe and its history upon arriving here with my Time Opal. We," Peter pointed around the room, "Don't belong here."
As if to demonstrate, Benji's body suddenly glitched, and he cried out in pain.
MJ slapped a bracelet around his wrist and smiled when he breathed a sigh of relief, "Feeling better?"
"Much…" Benji stood back up, "Oh…I see what you did, placing a magnetic field around me to keep my molecules from being ripped apart. Smart."
"Hey, can I get one of those?" Gwen spoke up.
MJ smiled and put the band on before hugging Gwen, "It's good to see you again, Blondie," MJ chuckled.
"You too, Red," Gwen nearly cried.
Universe-65 MJ and Gwen had issues, mainly with her constantly bailing on band practice. Her Hero career put so much strain on their relationship that it ended with them fighting and her being kicked from the band. However, before that, they were best friends.
MJ and Gwen from the 881211 Universe were getting along fine. They were good friends, and Gwen considered Spider-Woman as a role model of sorts.
Peter smirked as he whispered, "Your MJ doesn't know about your secret identity…does she? You should tell her."
Gwen's eyes widened.
"MJ can keep a secret, and she's pretty damn understanding since she ends up with this dork in multiple universes," Peter pointed his thumb at the Parkers.
"HEY!" They all shouted at the same time.
"You just called yourself a dork, babe," MJ laughed.
"I'm not going to lie to myself. I'm probably the nerdiest Peter in the room, and I know you like that," Peter wagged his brows while the MJ's looked away and blushed, "So, Peter, Peter, Peter, Peter, it's a regular sausage fest isn't it. Especially with the pig."
"Really? Dick jokes? I thought we were above that. But what should I expect from a monkey version of myself," Porker rolled his eyes.
"Shut it, Loonytoons, or I'm letting Porky use my lawyer,"
The other Peter's started laughing.
"Oh man, I've been holding that back. You look like you stole Porky's style but at least ours had the forethought to wear pants, so thanks for that!" Benji clenched his stomach.
"Seriously, I was having flashbacks to my childhood…t.t.t…that's all folks," Richard slapped his leg.
"Har-Har…" Poker crossed his arms, "I don't think you get to make fun of me being a pig, you look like you not too far off becoming one yourself. Wouldn't you say so? Eh? Benji?"
"Ooof," Miles covered his mouth and tried to stop from laughing.
"Really, kid?"
"Well, I mean…you look thinner then you did yesterday," Miles shrugged his shoulders.
"It's our metabolism. We can't stay out of shape for long. To get a guy like him..." Peter poked his belly, "...like this, he must have been binging ice-cream and junk food while not working to burn off the calories. Seriously, what happened to you man?"
"I…everything, the hero gig, Aunt May died, constantly going broke, losing my friends, my marriage with MJ falling apart because I was scared to have kids, all of it! I'm…I'm…just tired."
Peter put his hands on Benji's shoulder, "Dude, you know just as well as I do, that you have no one to blame but yourself. You…We, are some of the smartest guys in the Multiverse. You should not be broke. You should be making tech or advancing biological research and earning millions. You need a break, you should be improving Peter Parker, not Spider-Man."
"A little harsh, don't' you think?" Gwen lifted a brow.
"No! How can he have kids if he can't provide for his family? Benji here is making bad life choices. A family? That's what you're worried about? Kids are great! I'll prove it. You guys want to see yours from another reality?"
Peter pulled up a video log and played it on his holographic display.
It showed another Peter who looked a bit older than the oldest in the room.
"So…what am I supposed to say?" Spider-Dad tilted his head.
"I don't know, something inspiring? If a world of infinite possibilities exist, then we might find a version of ourself down on his luck. Heck I know one of them almost wiped out all of existence."
"Really?"
"He came close, but a group of Spider-Men across the multiverse stopped it. In fact, one of the best Spider-Men I know of actually managed to get through to the guy by using his words."
"What?!" Every Peter in the room shouted.
"You're going to tell me more about that one, and more importantly, how do you know about such an event back then?" MJ questioned.
"Oh…uh…it's hard to explain. Anyways, let's get on with it,"
"So…Man this weird. Look, I know things may look bad, terrible things might happen to you, stuff that makes you feel like you want to give it all up and throw the suit away, but you can't give in. Spider-Men get knocked down from time to time, but we always, and I mean always get back up. Let's see…if money is your problem, keep in mind that our inventions we make to take down our villains can actually be repurposed to make a decent earning. I have this one here to thank for that. God I feel like an idiot."
"You're welcome," On camera Peter replied.
"If it's your identity…don't be afraid to share with those closest to you. Honestly, it causes more issues than it solves," Spider-Dad said with a frustrated expression.
"Was that one for me?" On-Camera Peter asked.
"Could be," Spider-Dad chuckled, "Oh, and if you're dating MJ, never let her go. That woman is amazing."
"You know it!" Spider-Mom came into the video and kissed her husband on the cheek.
"If we lost someone…I'm sorry. But you can't put that on yourself. I know I did…and all I got out of it was regret and remorse. You have to stop putting the world on your shoulders. You got friends who can help you lift it too. So know that you can't save everyone, but you can keep pushing ahead to save more."
"Dad! Is it my turn!" Mayday shouted as she hopped into the footage.
The Adult Peters in the room all looked on in shock. Richard and his wife had smiles of joy on them while tears threaten to pour down Benji's eyes.
"She's, she's beautiful," Mary said as she covered her mouth.
"That's my grandbaby!" May said with tears in her eyes.
"As I was saying, uh…look times get tough, but we keep going. If you had a Ben in your world, then I'm sure you know why," Spider-Dad continued.
"With great power comes great responsibility!" Mayday cheered.
"Kind of our family motto. Keep at it, I promise you, this ending, this family, it's worth it," Spider-Dad hugged his wife and child.
"And don't destroy any universes, we might live in it," Spider-Dad joked.
"Hey! I'm Mayday! To all the dads out there watching it, I'm the best thing in your life! So don't ground me, let me stay up late, and let me eat all the ice cream I want!!!"
The room burst into laughter.
"She's so damn cute," Gwen and the Mary Janes said at the same time.
"Daddy's girl," Spider-Mom hugged her family close.
"So for us, for the good of your own soul, get up Spider-Man."
"This is the Amazing Spider-Fam! Keep up the good work, heroes!" Mayday shouted as they waved bye on the screen.
The video stopped while Benji felt like crying.
"Ahh…Madam Jane…I really should pay her a visit more often," Noir said while shaking his head.
"I wanna go home," Porky said with waterfall tears coming from his face.
"Damn, you look good in the future. It's official, I have the hottest wife in the multiverse," Richard bragged.
"Looking at other women?" Mary lifted a brow.
"Uh, babe, I saw your thoughts when you looked at not 1, not two, but having 4 Peters in the room."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, four Peter's and a Porky," Richard corrected himself.
The Mary Janes blushed while the other Peter's laughed.
"Come on, we should get going," MJ said as she nudged her fiancée.
"Go where? We have to use this flash drive to stop Kingpin," Miles shouted.
"No, what you need is time. Come on, we're going to Kamar-Taj. They have a room in there that allows us to get in a couple weeks of training for a few hours."
"Ooh, I've never been to Kamar-Taj before, though Strange is always trying to get me to go," Benji said.
"Me too. Starting to realize I should have taken him up on the offer. With a room like that I could have gotten a lot done," Richard sighed.
"In a lot of worlds, Strange asks Spider-Man to become a mage, but in ours, we gladly accepted," MJ explained.
"It's certainly made life easier," Peter opened a portal to the Time Room.
"Right…magic,"
"You know magic?" Gwen was shocked, "Wait, magic is a thing?"
"Yeah, now let's go, every second wasted is minutes lost inside the room."
"Won't we get in trouble?" May asked.
"Nah, I'm Sorcerer Supreme in another reality, they'll let slide." Peter explained.
"That doesn't sound reassuring," Miles commented.
"Plus, Strange owes me a few favors," Benji and Richard said at the same time.
"Come on, Miles. We got work to do," Benji chuckled as they walked through.
Everyone else did at the same time and walked into a large facility.
"Nice digs. What is this, a castle? Not what I pictured it to be like," Miles said.
"What did you expect, a white room with magnified gravity?" Peter laughed.
"You're a fan?"
"Damn right," Peter replied as he led them to the training room.
It was a desolate space since not many came in here due to them losing their life span. However, every few weeks some would come in here to read books. It was even rarer for them to use the training space.
Peter and MJ got to work setting up the machines for spider-heroes and each decided to take turns training Miles an hour at a time.
It only took Benji two days to get back into shape. He even started gaining muscle thanks to all the good meals Peter conjured up.
"So, you can turn invisible?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, can't you?" Miles questioned.
"Well, yeah. But I either use the copy I made of Sue Richard's ability or my suit for that. Yours is a natural ability that differs from our methods. Different Spider, different ability."
"Sweet," Miles grinned.
"Indeed," Peter nodded his head, "As for your Venom Blast, it's a form of Chi- manipulation. I'll teach you bit by bit how to use that energy. It's not just destructive, but it can heal too. May?"
May walked over, "I'm going to heal you, okay?"
"But I'm not hurt," May showed a confused expression before Peter covered her with his Symbiote and injected years of his Chi into her.
When it was removed, May threw her hands up and said, "Whoot! I feel 15 years younger."
"I gave you enough Chi and lent you my regenerative abilities to knock off a few years while cleansing your body of any toxins or cancerous cells. You don't just feel 15 years younger, you are about 17 years younger now."
"Holy shit!" The Peters shouted at the same time.
"Peter! Language! There's a child here!" May shouted.
"Chi is life force, Miles, pure unadulterated life force. You just instinctually channel it into those blasts."
"So cooool!" Miles had stars in his eyes.
"I can do something similar and make heat with my hands. It's an extension of our wall crawling abilities…my clone, my brother Kaine taught me how it was done," Benji said as he used it to burn off all his beard hair.
"That's what you use it for too?" Richard laughed.
"Too cruel to use on a person," Benji shrugged his shoulders.
"Just another application of Chi," Peter said as he made a ball of fire.
"When'd you learn to do that with Chi?" MJ asked.
"Around the time I discovered I could amplify Johnny's Pyrokinesis," Peter replied.
"God Symbiotes are cheap, I want one," Miles said.
"NO!" Mary, Richard, and Benji shouted.
"Why?"
"You should say you want to make one instead," Peter nudged his shoulder.
"That's fine…" Benji sighed.
"Venom…he's a Symbiote and the worst kind," Richard spoke up.
"I don't know about that," Peter spoke up, "It was an alien, it has no clue how humans operate and why we do what we do. With the right teachings, I think Venom could have become a great hero."
They got back to training, and on the fifth day, Mary had officially joined the Spider-Heroes without the Symbiote.
"Going to miss that thing," Mary said as she checked out her new muscles.
"Can you make another?" Richard asked.
"What am I, you're daddy? Make it yourself," Peter threw out his portable lab that made the other scientist in the room gasp in astonishment.
"Ooh, now I'm definitely learning magic," Benji walked over, "I'm in love."
"Nerd," Mary chuckled.
They got back to training and spent the whole two weeks getting Miles ready and Benji back into shape. When everything was said in done, Benji and Richard managed to make suits for all of them, excluding May.
She shook her head and chuckled before saying, "Heroing is for the young. Getting a few years back is more than enough for me."
"Alright, let's go home, guys," Peter said as he put on his classic suit.
"Oh, Kingpin is going to shi…er…poop his pants," Richard saw May eyeballing him.
"Dude, just say shit," Peter said before May slapped him in the back of the head.
"I won't have any nephew of mine cussing on my watch."
"Alright, sheesh, it's just a word," Peter rolled his eyes and made a portal to a very high skyscraper.
They all jumped off the ledge and started webbing towards the location of the Super Collider.
The only ones standing on the ledge were Benji and Miles, "Come on, kid. The time to leap, is now. Just trust your instincts."
"Right…" Miles took a deep breath and jumped.
He screamed for a bit, but once he realized how long it would take to hit the ground, time slowed.
With pure instinct, he shot out his hand and made a web line that landed on distant building.
Miles felt the shift in gravity, and instead of freaking out, he started to laugh. Hitting the peak of his swing, he stretched his arms and soared ahead.
With a flip before slinging out again, he rode the web and saw Benji beside him.
"What'd I say? You're a natural! Now see if you can keep up!"
The two started laughing as they moved even faster, hopping off buildings and zipping across the street.
Needless to say, when they got there, Kingpin and his group were completely outmatched.
The lady octopus went down with a single Venom shock. Three different Peters knocked out Tombstone, while Mary, MJ, and Gwen kicked Kingpin in the gut so hard he was lodged into a wall.
Everyone then webbed the criminals into the hole in the wall while Richard went up to the control room.
"Think it'll send us all back," MJ asked.
"Oh, my husband knows what he's doing," Mary replied.
"Wow, that was easy, I didn't have to do much…" Miles suddenly ducked at the Prowler tried to swipe his head off.
"Wow! Easy there fella. Why you so angry? It's not the suit, I told them that it wasn't good for bulls." Miles effortlessly dodged the Prowlers attacks.
He then uppercut him hard enough to shatter the mask, "Uncle Aaron?"
"Who you calling uncle…Miles?"
"You're a villain! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Miles webbed him up and pulled him close.
"You told dad and mom you were done with this shit!"
"Language," Noir called out.
"Listen kid…"
The machine turned on before Richard shouted out, "It's time!"
"Right, everyone ready?" Peter asked.
"Yep!" The Spider-Heroes spoke in tandem.
"Let's go home," MJ said as she webbed up the ceiling.
"Here ya go, Miles!" Penni said as she tossed over the flash drive, "You know what to do."
"Right…You and me are going to have a long talk with dad," Miles growled at his uncle.
"Oh…so that's how it's going to be,"
"Yeah! That's how it's going to be," Miles webbed him to the wall and walked over to say his goodbyes.
"Remember Spiders, use your senses to take you to the right portal. Take care, bud!" Peter webbed off with his fiancée.
"We'll find a way to visit!" MJ shouted as she held Peter's hand and jumped through a portal.
"Well…I guess this is all folks. It's been a porking good time, but I got a barn to protect," Peter Porker jumped into his portal.
"Hey, buck up, I'm sure this won't be the last time we meet," Gwen put her hand on Miles' shoulder.
"I know, though, I'm gonna miss you guys, a lot," Miles grabbed his arm.
Gwen gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "I promise, this won't be the last time we see each other."
"Ah…"
"Way to go, kiddo, next time kiss her back," Noir nodded his head while tipping his hat.
They both jumped off into their portals with Penni shouting her goodbyes and tearful sobs.
"Well, that was a thing," Richard grinned, "Come on, let's get Uncle Aaron home, I'm curious as to how your father is going to react, him being a police officer in all."
"Aren't you going back too?" Aaron looked at Richard.
"For what? This is my world,"
"Impossible, I saw you die," Aaron frowned.
"Actually, that was magic from that Sorcerer version that Kingpin brought here,"
"Oh crap, what am I going to tell my parents?!" Miles shouted.
"That you helped save the city, and that you're Spider-Man's protégé. I'll train you up good, kid."
"Really?!!" Miles and Aaron shouted.
"Play your cards right, Prowler, and I'll help you with your prison sentence."
"Does he have to…I mean, can't I just deal with my Uncle? I don't want to see him go to jail."
"It's fine, kid. I said I'd help. I know a few people that can keep him out, but on certain conditions."
"Such as?" Aaron lifted a brow.
"You give up the costume and get a job or you start putting those skills to good use."
"I'll go with miles. You take care of the boneheads," Mary kissed him on the cheek and walked away with Miles who was dragging his Uncle behind him.
"Now, for you morons," Peter R looked at the webbed-up hole in the wall.