Chapter 157: Spider-Verse (7)  

Spider-Man Noir looked at Miles with a raised eyebrow. "No offense to that kid, but who is he again?"

Peter B quickly stepped in, pointing to Miles as he approached him. "This is Miles. And he's gonna save the multiverse."

Miles, trying to sound confident, responded, "Yeah, man."

Peter B continued, trying to bolster Miles' credibility. "This kid can turn himself invisible. Watch this." He gestured toward Miles, encouraging him to demonstrate.

Miles grunted, straining as if trying to turn invisible, but nothing happened. "I can't do it on command," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly.

Peter B reiterated, "He can't do it on command."

The group looked on, skeptical. I was trying my best to hold back my laughter at the awkward situation.

Still determined to prove Miles' worth, Peter B pressed on. "But it is cool. Show 'em the zappy thing, Miles."

Miles grunted again, trying to summon his venom strike, but again, nothing happened. "Can't do it on command," he repeated.

Peter B echoed once more, "He can't do it on command."

The skepticism grew, and everyone exchanged doubtful glances while I tried not to burst out laughing.

Peter B, still hopeful, asked, "But he can do so much more. What else do you do?" He looked expectantly at Miles.

Miles, feeling the pressure, shrugged and said, "Just those two things."

Peter B, nodding along, repeated, "Just those two things."

Porker, shaking his head, sighed, "Oh man."

I couldn't help it anymore. I facepalmed, laughing a bit at the scene. The whole situation was embarrassingly amusing, but deep down, I knew Miles had what it took. He just needed to believe it himself.

Gwen stepped forward, her tone confident. "Look, I've seen him in action. He's got potential." She turned to Miles with a smile. "I think he's gonna get us home."

Miles smiled at Gwen's words of encouragement.

Spider-Man Noir approached Miles, his demeanor serious. "Okay, little fella, Kingpin's gonna send a lot of mugs after ya." He shifted into a fighting stance. "I'm talkin' hard boys, real biscuit boxers. Can you fight them all off at once?"

Miles, trying to mimic Noir's stance, replied, "I haven't actually fought anyone."

Without warning, Spider-Man Noir slid forward, sweeping Miles' legs out from under him. "Surprise attack!" he announced as Miles hit the ground.

Peni Parker, holding out a data pad, added, "Can you rewire a mainframe while being shot at?" She thrust the pad towards him.

Miles, standing up and taking the pad, looked bewildered. "Can I what?"

Peni pressed, "Show me!"

Before Miles could react, Noir struck again, this time with a punch to the face. "Surprise attack!" he declared as Miles stumbled backward.

Gwen chimed in, "Can you swing and flip with the grace of a trained dancer?"

Noir wasn't done. "Can you close off your feelings so you don't get crippled by the moral ambiguity of your violent actions?"

Aunt May added her own challenge, "Can you help your aunt create an online dating profile so she can get out of the dang house once in a while?"

Porker piped up with a whimsical question, "Can you float through the air when you smell a delicious pie?"

Miles, overwhelmed, could only stammer, "What what?"

Gwen continued, "Can you be strong?"

Peni followed with, "Ruthless?"

Gwen pressed on, "Disciplined?"

Miles, feeling the weight of their expectations, said, "I don't know. Maybe."

Peni leaned in, her tone intense, "Psychic?"

Noir demanded, "Show me some moxie, soldier!"

Gwen concluded, "Above all, no matter how many times you get hit," she grabbed Miles' hand, helping him to his feet, "can you get back up?" Without warning, she punched Miles, sending him stumbling again.

As Miles tried to regain his balance, I couldn't help but admire the tough love from his fellow Spider-People. They were preparing him for the challenges ahead, and despite the rough training, I knew it was exactly what he needed to realize his potential.

As they continued to train Miles, Gwen said, "Cause when a Spider-Man is on the floor..."

She paused, then added, "When you think you can't keep goin'..."

Peni stepped in, encouragingly, "Come on, Miles."

Gwen repeated, "Come on. You can do it."

Porker joined in, "You can do this."

Seeing them pressuring Miles, Peter B intervened, "Guys, cool it."

I stopped him with a quick gesture and said, "Let Miles learn something from them," giving him a knowing look.

Peter B sighed, "Fine."

Everyone continued their encouragement, "Come on. You can do it!"

"Get up, Miles."

"Come on, Miles."

"Get up."

Miles, exhausted but determined, tried to get back up, only to be knocked down again. This time, though, he stayed down, panting heavily, unable to muster the strength to continue.

The intense lecture finally ceased, and I looked at Miles with concern. He lay on the ground, exhausted from the tough training.

The group then turned their attention to Peter B and me, approaching us as Miles lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath.

Gwen looked at Peter B and said, "You need to be more honest with yourself about this."

She turned to me, "Michael, you're wrong about Miles sending us... He's not ready. It's obvious."

Peni agreed, "There's no way."

Gwen added, "He's just a kid."

I replied, "You're also a kid too."

Gwen countered, "At least I have experience being Spider-Woman."

She looked at me firmly, "If he can't do this, we have to stay and do it for him."

Spider-Man Noir, looking at Miles, said, "He's looking right at us while we talk about him."

Miles, hearing this and feeling overwhelmed, accidentally turned invisible and ran towards the elevator.

I called after him, "Miles?"

Gwen echoed, "Miles?"

Peter B, watching Miles vanish, said, "You see that? He can, um..."

As Miles disappeared into the elevator, Peter B finished, "He can turn invisible."

We all sighed, realizing the pressure and expectations had driven Miles away.

As Miles disappeared, I turned to everyone, feeling determined. "Look, I know you don't trust Miles because of what he showed you all earlier. Heck, I would probably feel the same way," I sighed, then continued, "But Miles has to do this. He has to. No one could replace the Peter Parker of this universe except for him."

Everyone looked at me with sad expressions.

I pressed on, "And this is the moment that Miles needs to prove himself, to become Spider-Man, to become one of us."

Gwen responded, "I know, but Miles doesn't have the experience. He could die fighting Kingpin."

I looked at Gwen and asked, "When you got bitten by a spider, did you have experience fighting?"

Gwen hesitated, "Umm..."

I continued, "No, right? But you proved yourself and became who you are now."

Gwen looked at me with mixed feelings.

Peter B interjected, "We all have our own stories, but I think Miles' story is still unfolding he is still um.. not ready. It's a leap of faith."

I turned to Peter B and said, "You know, Pete, my story as Spider-Man is full of screw-ups. I got stuck in the ice in 1952 and only got unstuck on April 29, 1990. So, you could say I was frozen for 38 years. When I came back, my father was older, my mother had died, and everything had changed while I stayed the same. It sucked. But I got back up that's what we do."

Everyone looked sad hearing my story.

Porker said, "Sorry."

Peni added, "Gomen nasai."

Spider-Man Noir remarked, "Damn, I feel hurt."

Gwen looked at me with empathy.

Peter B said, "I didn't know that. You've suffered so much, just like me. I mean, my Uncle Ben died, and after I got older, my Aunt May died. I got divorced and was stuck in a hobo mojo. You can probably guess what happened."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know. All of us have our ups and downs. But despite our hardships, we didn't give up.....We didn't give up hoping for the better."

I looked into their eyes, "That's why I think Miles can do better, just like we can do better."

Everyone still seemed skeptical.

I added, "Look, if you still insist that Miles isn't ready, how about we wait and see? Sounds good?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, willing to give Miles a chance.

Peter B nodded, "That sounds good."

Porker agreed, "Sounds good to me."

Peni chimed in, "That's sounds nice."

Spider-Man Noir added, "That's good."

Gwen said, "Okay."

I looked at them and said, "Good then."

Peter B looked at me, puzzled, and asked, "Wait, so how old are you if you were stuck in 1952 and then unstuck in 1990? Wait a minute, what year is it now in your current universe?"

I replied, "Well, in my universe, it's 1995."

Peter B asked, "How old were you when you became Spider-Man?"

I answered, "I was 15 years old when I became Spider-Man in 1947."

Everyone looked shocked.

Peter B did the math, "That means your age is…"

I looked at him and interjected said, "63."

Peter B exclaimed, "You are older than all of us here then."

Gwen echoed, "Yeah, older."

Porker quipped, "Old man."

Peni said, "Jiisan."

Spider-Man Noir remarked, "Damn, old guy."

I grinned at them, "Hey, I was stuck in the ice until 1990, so my face is still in its 20s."

.......

Meanwhile Miles side

Hide Song by Juice WRLD

Lyrics:

♪ When it gets dark

Outside ♪

♪ In you I confide ♪

♪ You help me face my demons

I won't hide... ♪

As Miles walked around, he quickly reached for his phone and found a missed call from his dad. He listened to the voicemail, hearing his father's concerned voice, "Miles, what's going on with you? Nobody's heard from you. We don't know what's going on."

The message continued, urging him to come clean if he was hiding something, "If you're hidin' something from us, you need to come clean." The repetition emphasized the urgency and seriousness of his dad's concern.

.......

Meanwhile

Jefferson Morales, formerly Jefferson Davis, and his wife Rio sat in their car, the weight of their concern evident in their expressions.

[Jefferson had made the decision to change his last name to Morales, taking his wife's name, as a means to start anew. This change came as a response to the stain on the Davis name due to Jefferson's brother, Aaron, being involved in criminal activities.]

Jefferson and Rio Morales sat in the car, their worry palpable as they tried to reach Miles. Rio expressed her concern, saying, "He's not answering me either."

Jefferson, feeling the weight of the situation, decided to call his brother Aaron. However, he was met with Aaron's voicemail message indicating he was out of town. Jeff left a voicemail for Aaron, his tone reflective of the urgency, "Aaron, it's Jeff. Look, I need you to call me if you've heard from Miles. He has a..."

He paused, gathering his thoughts, "He has a soft spot for you, and we haven't heard from him. And you know I wouldn't reach out if this wasn't important. Hope you're good."

........

Miles sat in his uncle Aaron's house, grappling with his emotions as he penned a letter addressed to Aaron. "Dear Uncle Aaron... I gotta do something, and I don't know if I can do it," he wrote, pouring out his fears and uncertainties. "I'm scared, man, I'm just tired of letting everybody down. You're the only one I can talk to. I just wish you were here."

But Miles's quiet moment was shattered by the sound of someone trying to gain entry into the house. He quickly hid, his heart pounding as he realized it was the Prowler, who was sneaking in through the window. Holding his breath, Miles watched as the Prowler moved stealthily through the room, unaware of his presence.

As the Prowler investigated the noise, Miles, in a stroke of luck, inadvertently activated his invisibility, concealing himself from prowler's view.

With bated breath, Miles watched as the Prowler's phone buzzed, prompting him to answer. It was Kingpin on the line.

"Hello, Mr. Fisk," he greeted, his voice laced with assurance. "I've got the security tapes from the tunnel right here. If the kid's out there, I'll find him."

With a quick motion, Prowler removed his mask, revealing his identity to Miles who were still in his camouflage mode.

Prowler spoke again, this time to Kingpin, affirming his steadfast dedication to the task. "You know me, sir," he declared. "I don't ever quit."

Miles watched from his spot, his invisibility letting him see everything clearly. Breathing hard and feeling his heart pound, Miles was overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts and emotions. Seeing his uncle, someone he trusted, revealed as the Prowler shook him to his core. It was like a heavy weight crashing down on him, making him question everything. It was a lot to take in, and he struggled to make sense of it all.

"Wait.. what Uncle's the Prowler?" he whispered, his breaths fast and shaky.

To be continued