1 Chapter 001 [Spectacular...]
Chapter 001 [Spectacular…]
Wed, Sept 3 2008
The view atop the Empire State Building's balcony overlooking the city, was just phenomenal. I blinked as memories rushed in. I was...I was Spider-man. After that revelation I managed to keep from panicking and falling off the building.
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Now that would have been embarrassing. I couldn't tell you how I ended up hundreds of meters off the ground perched on a ledge near Gargoyle Senior but I was here.
I had a massive rush of memories, that or Peter had been replaced by my persona. Honestly it was hard to tell the difference. There wasn't much to process, I was him, and he was me. Everything settled in comfortably, it was as if Peter had just gotten memories from an alternate future self… that was almost nothing like him and from a different dimension or the opposite happened and I replaced him subsuming his memories. I decided it didn't matter, we were one and the same. Reviewing my old/new memories I was-
Spider Sense blared. A bank alarm rang in the distance.
My body had already leapt off the building. I guess that was my cue.
I could tell you how dangerous it felt, the nerves, the terror and the escalating heartbeat but after the first thwip, it was heaven.
"Whoooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo!" Forget the existential crisis of becoming a comic book character this was way better than having someone invading my head.
I saw two very criminals hopping roof tops carrying comically large bank bags. I shook my head as I let go of the web, landing on the ledge of the ten meter tall water tower to the right of them. Turning on the spider themed headlights I realized this world's self, Peter, was more comical, the nerd, seriously Batman's headlights on his utility belt.
"Marko, Marko where's Polo? Ah wait there he is!"
"Ah damn it."
"Damn straight." I was going to enjoy this.
It wasn't a fight, but a circus show. Only the strongman could juggle.
"Hrk, please put us down…"
"I think I'm going to hurl…"
The two whined and complained as I quite literally juggled them alongside the money bags, "Come one come all to feast your eyes on the aaaamaaazzing Spider-Man!" I felt they had enough fun and threw them at the water tower pinning them with webs before taking a bow in the Big Man's direction, where he had installed his camera's. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here till the last breath."
Then swung away.
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As I sat there late at night thinking about what I had just done, besides possibly pissing off the Big Man of crime, New York's "Kingpin" who wasn't Wilson Fisk (As far as I knew) there was going to be more attention, which I didn't mind. If he was spending time in ol' spidey. He was wasting money and that meant less people routinely getting hurt.
I had a vague idea of where I was the two Marko and O'hearn helped solidify my theory better.
Sitting there tinkering gave me a new perspective of what it meant to be smart. I had all the IQ of a genius and a little bit more, seriously I could probably make an Arc Reactor if had the right material. But that wasn't the focus right now, what I needed to know was exactly who did I share the spider-man universe with. It would be prudent to assess all the threats before worrying about the more luxurious things such as if I was a comic book side character. I stopped tinkering. No way, what was I thinking. It was spider-man, he was the antithesis of sidekick. Unless you looked towards the MCU…
I booted up his old computer, yeah this was going to need an upgrade, once on- internet explorer!? Alright no. First things first, this fossil was getting a major overhaul.
So about an hour later, I had something resembling a poor's man's Bat Computer. It could function at a few times the speed and was off the grid, and had better programs a few years ahead of its time. Most of the upgrades I had thought were just too complicated and never bothered to attempt much less finish. With the merge, however my perspective and knowledge on life had changed. Drastically.
I yawned and checked the time, noting it was 1AM. School was going to suck in the morning- oh shit school. Yeah that's something I was going to figure out how opt out of, and soon. Somehow...
Back to researching this universe, I found the Avenger's Mansion.
With that I was definitely sure it wasn't the MCU that's for sure, thank God. It was a nice universe, but it shit on or wasted potential of everything with the exception of the main core Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Loki. Those guys were improved on drastically. I still loved the movies but yeah, loads of wasted potential. I wasn't sure why that was the case when they had so much to draw on.
Sitting on my back reading the article of the Gravity Guy nearly destroying all of New York. That threw my initial guess of where I was out the window. While it sounded familiar it wasn't quite ringing any bells, it's not like I had memorized exactly what happened in each Avenger's timeline and universe. Having read only a few well known comics rather than anything obscure.
I left it alone. Focusing on the others. The Fantastic Four was a thing, some sightings that might've been Daredevil, Iron Fist and some of the other 'Street Venders' like himself. There was also Xavier he had been around a while.
Running my fingers through my hair, I realized I was going to have to wing it the best I could, I wasn't completely without any plans however.
Without this being a comic book a lot of stupid rules were out of the way such as Spidey never getting help with his rogues gallery from the Avengers or the X-Men receiving support.
Speaking of which it'd be a good idea to visit Xavier. Maybe I'd go visit during the weekend.
Feeling my eyes droop, it was better for now that I slept and worry about all that later. Ah, and refill the webbing…
And the money for web cartridges belt...
Darkness enclosed and was fast asleep.
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Maybe a few seconds had passed and with blurry eyes I looked at the clock.
Ah it was 7:54 AM I had time…
Then I bolted up slamming my head off the edge of the bookshelf above.
Dammit, I had six minutes!
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Wouldn't you know it? Three crimes all simultaneously happening at the same time. New York was just the best, because of that I was late by a mile. Especially since I had forgotten to stock up on webbing as well. Having to beat them and stuff them in nearby trash cans before calling for the police at least the people in trouble were at least mildly grateful.
"PARKER!"
I refuse this oncoming trend.
"PRINCIPAL! Good day to you too! Thanks for stopping by, did I say how much I appreciate what it is you do?"
He pointed to his office.
I winced, this might have to do with the prank Harry and Peter pulled last year involving copious amounts of pink paint, calls from the education board about a review of the school, tiling everything in his office a centimeter to the left, and posting the answers to the tests online. Harry was an evil mastermind in the making.
He had a grudge match against Harry and I since.
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The clock ticked on, a small toy thing that filled up with water and then dipped again on his desk. Many accolades and other awards decorated his wall. Most notably the football ones. I noticed all of this as he gave his fake lecture on being late to class and how it could affect my future and so on and so forth. Sitting in front of the Principle I was bored out of my mind until I heard the words "expelled."
"You want to expel me for missing a single class?"
"No, that would be ridiculous. I want to suspend you for all the trouble you cause this school."
"You're kidding."
"Serious. The incidents with Flash Eugene Thompson-"
"You recognize he's quite literally bullying myself and others, right?"
"-The pranks."
"-Which you have no proof of."
"-And the constant lateness."
"Alright you got me there." That had to do more with the distance of Midtown, traffic and money shortages at times.
"If you keep this up-"
"How about we skip to the part where I scratch your back and you mine, what do you need doc?"
He stopped talking mid-sentence, trying to process with his old cpu brain. His eye ticking, before he sighed, "There's a group of new transfer students coming by, show them around I have another meeting to get to and the other teachers aren't available."
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, "What are their names?"
"I'm not done, you don't get to opt out in this, small tour and you will join the tutoring club, there is scarcely any members there, you are to tutor any and or all failing students for the next three months."
Ah. That might be a problem, "If I don't?"
"If you don't? Well then I would suggest schooling elsewhere, such as Backupsmore High."
That drug den? No thanks. "I'm good." Until I found a place to let me homeschool myself long enough before I could take a GED. I wasn't a lawyer so I didn't know about any of the specifics for any of what he talked about so I decided to just smile and wave. Then leave when I found out this was all as shady as it sounded.
"Glad that's settled, your tour will begin at 3pm they start tomorrow."
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Well this was just swell.
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"Wow Pete. You have it bad."
"T'yeah no kiddin?"
Harry sat beside me as I told him what had happened. He was one of my two best friends and had been since a few years back. He had short red hair in an odd pattern and skinnier arms than myself, if that were possible.
"When The Flash shoots he scores, but even he needs to get into position. What are you doing man?"
"There were many misdemeanors caused on my persons officer, I was framed."
"Yeah, lucky you're not an employee of my dad or you would've been fired ages ago."
"I'll have you know if I worked him, I would've fired myself."
"Right my dad, Norman Osborn the Supervillain. He plots tech improvements on military hardware Pete...while not really clean. He's not a Supervillain, what's he gonna do force everyone on planet earth to suffer board meetings for six hours straight?"
"Hmmmm. Maybe."
A female voice came from behind, "What's this about Harry's dad being a Supervillain?".
Gwen placed her tray down beside us. I had mixed feelings about this one, on a few levels. It turns out originally I did have a crush on her, something I was still having trouble processing with how many ways she turned out in various timelines. Not all of them good and most of which with a snapped neck or just a random death. I kept all of that to myself of course.
Still she was beautiful. Whether that was bias or otherwise I didn't care.
"Ah, our royal highness deigns to grace us with her presence."
She blushed a little, "Your royal highness wonders as to where your whereabouts were this morning."
"Napping."
"And the supervillain?"
"Harry's dad is creating super soldiers for the highest bidder."
"...What?"
Harry let out a long suffering sigh, "He's got it in his head that my dad is the master of evil in the city."
"He probably steals all the free pockets of ketchup in fast food joints just for his twisted empire."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Right speaking of villainy, don't you guys watch the news? We have real life superheroes!"
"The Avengers is such a weird name I kept mixing it up with Advent." Said Gwen.
"Whatever their names were they beat the Gravity man, now that's seriously classy!"
"Think 'seriously classy' could install a new system for education?" I asked
"Come Pete it's not that bad just some tutoring."
"Yeah, tutoring all over my free time."
"You don't do anything."
"I...well…have stuff."
He looked at me, "Ah," then grinned with a mock understanding look on his, "don't worry your secret's safe with me pal."
"You and I had two very different understandings there."
"Say no more, as one mano to another el mano I-" before he could finish a football smashed off my lunch tray splattering food all over my shirt. It would've gotten Gwen and Harry had I not flipped their trays sliding off the food easy and covered them, I was not so safe getting drenched in the process.
The laughter of a large part of the lunchroom was rather irritating.
Flash Thompson, judging by the memories I had received, Peter Parker's near eternal annoyance. A blonde jock whose athletic ability didn't translate to his wit, academia or general human decency.
"Whoops my hands slipped." Then guffawed like he had heard the world's best joke.
I tried to be mad, I really did. Normally, I would've been, but all I felt was pity. Seriously, these memories just twisted my worldview so hard. Why I ever thought high school was all there was to life I'll never understand myself.
Gwen tugged on my sleeve, "Come on."
Harry was almost raring to go, and we both knew how that'd turn out.
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I waited for my entourage so I could play tour guide after school. Gwen helped clean my clothes off even giving what was known between the three of us as "the Look" but I managed to survive and wave them off not wanting them to waste time needlessly. Bored out of my skull, I wondered why the new studente were arriving now instead of in the morning when they had actual class. Then realized I couldn't show them their classes and make it to my own if I did.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder just before I drifted off into Morpheus' land of the damned.
I blinked to see a brown haired girl with four others. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue and Nightcrawler. I was surprised at how easily I could recognize them on sight even if they looked very different from how I imagined them. I suspected it was due mostly to Cyclops and his red shades. Kurt also didn't help having strange facial features.
The one with white stripes in her long messy brown hair said, "Hi," a little unhappily, "Are you our guide?"
