Across The Spider-Verse Part-7

The aftermath of our chaotic battle with the Spot left us reeling, but we had no time to catch our breath. A black hole-like anomaly had formed in Pavitr Prabhakar's world, slowly erasing things by glitching them out of existence. It was a terrifying sight, reality itself seeming to unravel before our eyes.

Before we could fully process what was happening, Gwen, Miles, and I were whisked back to the Spider Society. Thanks to my rapid recovery ability - a perk of being a clone, I suppose - I was already back on my feet. The others looked worse for wear, but there was no time to rest. We had to meet with Miguel O'Hara, the leader of the Spider Society, and figure out our next move.

As we made our way through the Society's headquarters, I couldn't help but marvel at the sights around us. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before - a hub of interdimensional activity that put even the most advanced tech I knew to shame. We passed by containment units holding various dimensional villains, each more bizarre than the last. Technological displays flickered and hummed, showing data streams I could barely comprehend.

Our path took us past Hobie, a familiar face in this sea of wonders. It was Miles' first time seeing him, and I could practically feel the excitement radiating off him. His eyes were wide, taking in every detail of the Spider Society. But beneath that excitement, I caught a flash of something else - a hint of sadness. It struck me then that we hadn't told him about any of this before. How must it feel, I wondered, to suddenly discover this whole world had been hidden from you?

As we walked, I overheard snippets of Miles and Gwen's conversation. Miles was practically bubbling over with questions, his words tumbling out in an excited rush.

"This is amazing! How long has this been here? Why didn't you tell me about it before? Are there more of us? What do you guys do here?"

Gwen, for her part, seemed torn between amusement at Miles' enthusiasm and guilt over keeping him in the dark. "It's... complicated, Miles. We'll explain everything soon, I promise."

Finally, we reached the heart of the Spider Society. It was a vast, circular room, filled with holographic displays and bustling with activity. At the center was a raised platform, and from it, a figure was slowly descending.

Miguel O'Hara, the leader of the Spider Society, cut an impressive figure. His futuristic suit gleamed under the lights, and his masked face betrayed no emotion as he approached us. Miles, being Miles, couldn't help but comment on Miguel's dramatic entrance.

"Dude, is he always this--" he began, but Gwen cut him off with a sharp look.

"It's his thing," she whispered, a hint of amusement in her voice.

As Miguel reached our level, Gwen took the lead in introductions. "Miguel O'Hara, meet Alice... uh..." She faltered, realizing she didn't know my full name.

"It's Alice Lewis," I supplied, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. It felt wrong to keep up the charade, but I wasn't ready to reveal the truth just yet.

"Yeah, I didn't know that you got a title," Gwen continued, recovering quickly. "Meet Alice Lewis. And this is Miles Morales."

Miles stepped forward, his earlier excitement somewhat tempered by Miguel's imposing presence. "Nice to meet ya," he said, clearly trying to keep his voice steady.

But his natural exuberance couldn't be contained for long. "Hey, what's up? You fine guy. I was too excited to meet you. You know, I was too worried about that Spot," Miles continued, words spilling out in a rush.

Miguel's response was curt, his voice laced with irritation. "You worried about the Spot? I'll worry about the Spot." His gaze shifted to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "And you, Spider-Girl, blew another hole in the multiverse."

Gwen stepped in defensively, her posture tensing. "Well, it's not their fault. They didn't know."

"But you knew it," Miguel snapped back. "Why didn't you stop them?"

The tension in the room was palpable, and I found myself wishing I could disappear. But before things could escalate further, a new voice cut through the air.

"Chill, Miguel. Go easy on them; they're just kids."

I turned to see a familiar face entering the room. Peter Parker - or Belly-Bloated Spiderman - was walking towards us, a small child perched on his hip. He had a warmth about him, a kind of fatherly presence that immediately put me at ease.

"They got a terrible teacher," he added with a smirk, approaching us.

Peter's arrival seemed to defuse some of the tension. He introduced us to his daughter, Mayday Parker, his face beaming with pride as he showed off what seemed like hundreds of pictures. It was a touching moment, a reminder of the normal lives we all hoped to have someday.

As Peter chatted with Gwen and Miles, little Mayday suddenly took an interest in me. Before I could react, she had climbed over me and, with the innocent curiosity only a child could have, pulled off my mask.

The room fell silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, particularly focused on my scarlet red eyes - a dead giveaway that I wasn't who I claimed to be.

"Alice, did you have red eyes?" Peter asked, his tone a mixture of confusion and concern.

I felt a wave of panic wash over me. This was it - the moment my deception would be revealed. Part of me wanted to run, to find some way to escape this situation. But I knew that wasn't an option. I had to face the consequences of my actions.

"Haha, guys," I began, trying to keep my voice light despite the nerves twisting in my stomach. "I suppose it is a side effect of using my mutant abilities."

It was a weak excuse, and I knew it. Miguel, it seemed, wasn't buying it for a second.

"She is not Alice," he declared, his voice cutting through the tense silence like a knife.

All eyes turned to me, a mix of confusion, suspicion, and hurt on their faces. The weight of their gazes was almost physical, and I felt myself shrinking under their scrutiny.

In that moment, I realized there was no point in hiding anymore. The truth would come out eventually, and perhaps it was better to reveal it on my own terms.

"Well, guys," I began, my voice shaky but growing stronger as I continued, "I didn't want to hide it, but I am Alice's clone."

The revelation hit the room like a shockwave. Gwen stepped forward, her face a mask of concern and betrayal. "How long have you been pretending to be Alice?"

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for their reactions. "Since the day you came to search for the Spot. Alice went missing that same day, following the Spot, and she asked me to replace her for some period of time."

The shock on everyone's faces was palpable. Everyone, that is, except Miguel, who looked more annoyed than surprised.

Gwen's eyes widened as the implications of my words sank in. "Don't tell me Alice is lost in the multiverse without a dimension stabilizer."

"Actually, I don't know," I admitted, the weight of my ignorance crushing me. "I can only sense Alice if we are in the same dimension. The last time I felt a connection with Alice was during the recent incident with the Spot."

Miguel interjected, his tone stern and accusing. "And then this clone disrupted a canon event."

His words stung, and I felt a flare of indignation. "Well, it's rude to call me 'the clone.' I am Candice Lewis. Aunt May named me."

"Whatever," Miguel dismissed, his frustration evident. "You disrupted a canon event."

"What?" I shot back, my own frustration rising to match his. "I just went and used my mutant ability to remove a big chunk of a building falling over thousands of lives. I saved everyone."

"And that's the problem," Miguel retorted. He turned to address someone I couldn't see. "Lyla, do the thing."

A holographic figure shimmered into existence, adjusting her glasses with a slightly confused expression. "Huh? What thing?"

Miguel's exasperation was evident in his voice. "What do you mean 'what thing'? The information explaining thing."

"Oh, right, here you go," Lyla said, her tone nonchalant as she waved her hand.

The lights in the room dimmed, and a holographic image materialized in the center. It started as a single water droplet, then branched out into an intricate, tree-like structure. The sight was breathtaking - a visual representation of the entire multiverse of Spider-People.

"This," Miguel began, his voice taking on a lecturing tone, "is what we call the Web of Destiny, or the Spider-Verse. Each branch represents a different dimension, a different reality where a Spider-Person exists."

As he spoke, the hologram zoomed in on specific points, highlighting individual Spider-People across the multiverse.

"Each Spider-Person across the multiverse has a series of key events that shape their destiny," Miguel continued. "These are called canon events. One of the most crucial canon events is the loss of someone close to Spider-Man—often a captain or a mentor figure. It's these tragedies that help shape who we are and maintain the balance of the multiverse."

The weight of his words settled over the room. I felt a chill run down my spine as I began to understand the magnitude of what I'd done.

"By saving those people," Miguel explained, his voice grave, "you've disrupted a canon event. The repercussions of this could be far-reaching and potentially catastrophic. Captain Singh, who was supposed to die in that situation, never ever occurred anymore, causing disruption."

I felt my heart sink. All I had wanted to do was help, to save lives. How could that be wrong?

"But... but they were innocent people," I protested, my voice small in the face of Miguel's explanation. "How could letting them die be the right thing to do?"

Miguel's expression softened slightly, a hint of sympathy breaking through his stern demeanor. "It's not about right or wrong, Candice. It's about maintaining the balance of the multiverse. Sometimes, tragic events are necessary for the greater good."

The room fell silent as we all grappled with the implications of this revelation. I felt a deep sense of guilt settling in my stomach. Had my actions, well-intentioned as they were, put the entire multiverse at risk?

Miguel turned back to the holographic display. "The disruption you caused has created a fracture in the multiverse. If left unchecked, it could lead to the collapse of that dimensions."

The hologram shifted, showing a dark, pulsing mass that seemed to be consuming nearby realities.

"This is what's happening in Pavitr's dimension right now," Miguel explained. "The anomaly you saw is a symptom of the fracture. We cannot fix it. At most we can only delay it."