Interlude: The Beginning

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***

The World of Irresponsible.

Peter Benjamin Parker/Red Spider.

Once his younger version teleported into his own time and dimension after the memory wipe, Peter sat down tiredly in his chair.

There was no need to think.

The table thrown into the book rack made a long creaking sound, returning the man some attention to what was going on around him. With a heavy sigh, the brown-eyed brown-haired man stood up.

He had a job to do.

With a slight wave of his index and middle fingers, Spider telekinesis set the whiskey bottle and crystal glass in motion.

'Really I've lost my drinking partner,' he thought mockingly...hero? Villain? Anti-hero? Pink unicorn?

Though the last one was more to Wade's liking.

Peter himself hadn't had a self-identification session in a long time. It's a waste of time. And it could drag him down into the dark depths of severe depression if he came to the wrong conclusions.

Although, what in his life can be called right?

Being reborn into this world is something that should never have happened. It couldn't have been possible.

And yet, here he is.

Even now, after all he's been through, Pete can boldly declare - "It's not that bad." At least it's not eternal oblivion and darkness.

The levitating bottle spewed another stream of alcohol into the glass, which Parker immediately consumed.

Leaving the office, Parker walked down the familiar corridor, coming to the open space of the first floor. Throwing a quick glance at the panoramic windows overlooking the outside garden and the distant city at night, Spider walked on.

Passing the door leading to the laboratory, the man suppressed the impulse to go inside. To see Annie as she was there now. With them. It was beyond him. At times like this, Peter truly despised himself for the weakness he'd nurtured in himself.

His obsession with his daughter.... had spiralled out of control the moment he'd first seized the trusted opportunity to travel the endless dimensions of the Web of Life for the wrong purpose. Maybe if it hadn't been for that version of Annie, a lonely, lost young girl after the death of her parents, at that moment unable to confide in anyone, not even close friends. And him, a carbon copy of her dead father.

Breaking his will, subjugating him, creating another living sex toy, indulging his inner demons, after what seemed like the seventeenth attempt, was much easier, but still just as satisfying. With the others, the excitement played out as if he were seventeen again. They had all inherited the Parker temperament, the resistance, the fight, the strength to never give up was encoded in their blood. And from that, taming the fire of sexy young girls was so satisfying. Until now. It was one thing to organise BDSM rape games and quite another to have the courage to look into the eyes of his victim afterwards. This time he decided to try it, and what he saw froze everything in him.

Descending from the first floor, Red walked to the huge sofa that stood in the centre of the living room, with a wave of his hand he lit a fire in the wall fireplace and fell onto the sofa, leaning back, staring up at the high ceiling.

Then he saw emptiness. The last extinguished sparks of hope. He hadn't just done the most despicable thing a man could do to a woman, he'd done it to an alternate version of his own daughter who had just lost her family. Truly the greatest betrayal of his own humanity. And in that moment, long-silenced paternal feelings, something Peter had thought long since destroyed after so many tremors inside Annie, exploded with renewed vigour.

He couldn't just walk away, even though he knew this girl already hated him. Deservedly so.

Still, he'd taken her. And many others after that.

But bringing them home was a mistake.

Though how could he have predicted his little girl's reaction? It had been a long time since he'd thought about other people's feelings. Nor his own. He accepted them, nothing more.

Wasted.

Annie simply hated each of her doppelgangers.

That was the first time she ever gave him a scandal. And that was the first time he raised his voice to his angel. The fight was over. They made up, but Annie didn't forget. And how can he blame her?

- What am I doing? - Spider wondered aloud, finishing a bottle of strong alcohol enhanced by magic.

- Daddy?

Peter lifted his head tiredly and turned towards his family and favourite voice.

Annie, smiling sweetly, was wiping her hands. From the blood.

"Looks like she's gone further than usual today."

At times Annie's 'sisters' needed to be brought up, though letting his daughter do it was a waste. But how could he deny his little girl anything.

- Are they even alive? - The brown-haired man asked, ignoring the young Parker's worried glances.

The girl tightened her lips at her father's reaction, but continued exaggeratedly cheerful and affectionate.

- What's the matter with them? - The redhead shrugged lightly, glancing at the bottle in the hands of her father and the man, "Are you hungry? I brought pizza, you love it, of course it's already cold, but I'll heat it up in the oven," the girl began to chatter non-stop.

- Annie.

Her father's tired voice made her stiffen. Dad usually never showed weakness, he was funny, sarcastic, passionate. So much so that Annie sometimes thought he was even younger than she was.

But now he seemed broken.

So the girl, without thinking more than a second, quickly shortened the distance between them and, sitting on her father's lap, merged with him in a kiss, pulling him to her by the back of the head.

But nothing lasts forever, not even such sweet moments, and, with the oxygen running out, so did the kiss.

- What's wrong with you? - The girl questioned, stroking Peter's cheek, "Is it because of your younger version? Is he in the study? Or..." a sudden hunch made true terror flash in the almond eyes, "is it because of me? Please, Daddy, don't be upset, I'll never visit them again, really!

Annie's sudden jumping up and almost panic-stricken excuses really alarmed Peter.

- Baby.

- Really! I'm ready to put up with them, but don't get angry! - the girl fell on her knees and took her father's palm in her hands, -I beg you, don't be angry with me.

The man was shocked and on reflexes started stroking his daughter's cheek in a soothing gesture as he had been doing since she was born.

- God, what have I done to you?

- Daddy? - The girl frowned perplexedly.

- What have I done! - The man grabbed his head and clutched his hair hard in his palms.

- It's okay," Annie was genuinely frightened. He had never been like this before.

The girl gently lifted her father's face by the chin and kissed him gently.

- 'You didn't do anything, it's okay,' the redhead looked into eyes full of sadness, but could only feel tenderness and love, 'we're together and we love each other,' the younger Parker pressed her father against her shoulder and began stroking his head.

- I love you, Annie," the girl felt moisture protruding on her shoulder.

- I love you too, Daddy. I love you so much.

***

The Timeless Zone

Peter Benjamin Parker/Legendary Spider.

- Where the hell is he?!

Pete's irritation was unparalleled. Not only was Red not showing up after such an important mission, but he was wasting his personal time.

As if he didn't have something to do himself.

A new growl of annoyance escaped his lips after hitting another Silent One. It's a good thing there's a place like this where you can release the tension without too much harm. Though it was worth remembering that clearing this place of Silent Ones was not a whim, but one of the tasks the Boss had given them. No need to get careless. His alternate version is doing a fine job of it for the two of them.

After swinging the Silent Group on the spider thread, Zanuda channeled Uni-power energy and launched the monsters into the sheer cliff, pulverising them.

- That's it, another ten minutes and I'm out of here.

Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the bracelet.

"Did it really decide to explain what happened?"

Slowly, lifting his wrist and looking again at the familiar bracelet, Peter could not stop marvelling at this magnificent device.

And even though mechanisms were not his main passion and here he and his alternative version were at about the same level of knowledge, the Stilyaga was interested in how this silver device worked. What's the joke? An interdimensional teleporter, a time machine, a communicator in a small bracelet charged with the energy of the web of life, and all encased on his wrist.

HOW?! Just how!!!?

But, alas, that was one of the questions he could not find answers to, just as he could not find answers to any other question related to his Overlord.

Memory.

Opening his eyes, he felt a terrible headache. Like a hundred thousand hangovers multiplied by a drug trip.

The man, forty years old by the looks of it, began to carefully rise. Standing on his feet, the hero looked around. Still, due to the specifics of his life, to wake up unknown where it is commonplace. And with his experience, he stopped being surprised by unfamiliar premises long enough ago. In such a situation, the main thing is to calmly investigate the situation and soberly look at the situation.

One. He's wearing a suit, as well as a mask. That's good.

Two. He's not in New York. The surroundings of a medieval castle and a hall that looked like an alien hall were a hint. Pete had a lot to compare it to, he had been to Latveria more than once to visit Viktor, and he had helped the Guardians or Asgard at times.

He had had an adventurous life.

Having decided that staying where he was and waiting for something or someone was not a good idea, Spider moved forward.

Reaching the centre of the strange hall he found himself in, the brown-haired man looked around. A large space, strange crystal-shaped light fixtures on the walls, sparse furniture of the armchair variety, and a huge oak door. Towards an object that was at least somewhat familiar Peter decided to move.

The heavy oak door gave in without a problem.

Stepping inside, the hero in the stylish suit abruptly froze, in a room just like the previous one lay a man. Except the catch was that he was wearing the painfully familiar symbiotic suit.

After checking the settings of his suit and making sure everything was working except the communications, Parker prepared for a possible battle.

At that time, the stranger lying in the red symbiotic suit began to move.

Pete tensed up.

- Aaaaah, well fucked! - the guy shrieked sharply, "I can't believe I'm this drunk! Annie, are you here?! Annie!

Spider could only pick one thing out of the speaker's voice. A voice. It was his voice.

Then, after roughly estimating who he might be dealing with, Parker activated several drones, with action plans loaded for such an eventuality. Activating the suit's tactical mode, Peter stepped out of the shadows.

- Who are you and where did you get the symbiotic suit?

- What?" the stranger turned around and asked.

- Who are you? A clone? Is the Jackal behind this or Dr Octopus? Don't tell me it's the Green Goblin.

Even though it was not visible, Peter was ready to swear that his interlocutor was flapping his eyes in bewilderment.

The silence was broken by the sound of loud laughter.

- Okay, okay, that's funny, that's funny," said the Spider in the red symbiotic suit, standing up and stretching. - I don't know who you are, but I hope you're just a cosplayer. Because of the costume I could assume you're an illusion of Mysterio or a robot created by Chameleon, but the only problem is that they're both dead, so," the unknown man seemed to be looking more sensible, "who are you again?

The inevitable fight was prevented from starting by the sound of the door opening. The same one Pete came in through.

- What's that? - asked the ridiculous question of his possible adversary.

- I woke up in the same room, walked through the same door and found you.

- So there might be answers behind it? - Red looked towards the door again, -well let's go then,‖ and as if nothing had happened, the guy started walking towards the door.

- Really? What if it's a trap?

- Whatever, I'm sure if you're behind it, I'll have no problem unwinding you.

- For a clone, you're pretty confident," the cloaked man sneered.

- Okay, first of all, I'm not a clone, and secondly, I'm surprised you keep clinging to that theory, self-identity issues?

- What?

- It's more logical to assume that I'm a Spider from another reality, - Red spread his hands apart, - although maybe you just had a bad history with clones? Then it's all right, I just killed my own," he said confidentially.

- I'm a little tense about how easily you talk about taking lives.

- Oh, so you're one of them! I get it, Nerd.

- What?! I'm a nerd because I don't kill? - Spider was outraged.

- Exactly, - answered Red.

Continuing to talk, the Spiders reached the door and walked on.

For some time they walked in total darkness. Because of that the conversation stopped, because everyone was trying to see something, even with his improved eyesight.

Suddenly a bright light came on.

The heroes found themselves in a spacious room. The floor was paved with dark grey stone, but it did not feel cold. At the far ends of the room, which could be called walls if there were walls, two edgeless dark purple, almost black funnels swirled, with occasional flashes of orange-yellow light. One might have assumed that the light was coming from them, but in fact, beneath the "ceiling" was a starry sky encrusted with a hundred thousand bright lights.

And in the distance rose the enormity of a throne. This awe-inspiring chair could be no other.

- Your chair? - Red asked.

- He wanted to ask the same question.

Only now did Peter notice that he and his unexpected ally could only see the back of the chair, which meant .

Further thought needed no confirmation as the chair made a one hundred and eighty degree turn. Or rather the person sitting in it did.

He was dressed in gilded half-armour, his face concealed by a purple hood that resembled a mantle. Despite his garish appearance, he looked like a warrior. And he looked quite organically on the throne.

- I'm glad to welcome you to my throne room, Peter Parker," he said, nodding towards him, "and Peter Parker," nodding to Red.

- Okay, well, I don't know what kind of clown you are, but you know my identity, and I don't usually let them go, sorry," Red created symbiotic claws and launched himself at his opponent, growling menacingly.

The man (presumably) only raised his hand in response, and the other Peter Parker was instantly swallowed by a vortex similar to the ones circling the room.

Before Spidey could react, his alternate version reappeared in the room. Only this time he was trapped in a transparent glass dome. As Pete realised, after Red's attempt to break his glass prison, it was unusually strong, and in addition soundproof.

- You seem to be the saner of the two of you," his voice was muffled, as if he were wearing a helmet and using voice-processing software at the same time, "shall we talk?

- Who are you?

In response to the banal question, the stranger laughed muffledly.

- My peers called me Unimaginable, though I have had many similar names and nicknames besides that, but after all my wanderings, I think I'd like to be called that," the man sitting on the throne said as if he wasn't addressing his interlocutor at all.

- The Unimaginable, then?

- I'm sorry, my friend, but you," he shook his helmet at Red, "are no match for me.

Peter might have been angry at such disregard, had it not been for what he had witnessed a few minutes ago. And his gut was buzzing like never before.

- So how do I address you?

- Master, Overlord, Boss, take your pick," Unimaginable lightly swept his hand through the air, "there's a job for you two.

End of Recollection.

Legendary Spider shook his head, expelling the sudden obsession. In the Timeless Zone, such things sometimes happened. And finally opened the message.

"Red has accomplished his mission. Currently dealing with its aftermath. Will send our friend to you as soon as he is ready. Go home and get some rest" - Boss.

The message gave the answers he needed, albeit not as complete as Pete would have liked. Clicking on the bracelet, he teleported away.

***

The world of the legendary Spider-Man.

New York City.

10:57 a.m.

The familiar feeling of travelling through space, a few seconds of uncomfortable weakness that had almost disappeared after the frequency of using teleportation technology, and he was back in his lab.

- Hello, Mr Parker," came an electronic voice.

- Hi, Pam," Pete greeted his assistant's AI cheerfully enough.

- I'm glad you're back, - the hologram of the blue-eyed brunette continued warmly and vividly enough, - although because of your addiction to teleportation I'm never ready for such appearances, - the AI pouted.

- What's on the agenda? - smiling at the behaviour of his holographic assistant, Zanuda got down to business.

- Messages from the Parker Industries office in Japan, as you expected, integration into the eastern market is ahead of schedule. Personal messages have also been received.

- From whom? - Peter clarified, changing into his lab suit.

- Mr Steve Rogers reports on the Avengers meeting, and despite the fact that you've announced your resignation from the team and are content to be an unofficial member, Captain America is requesting that you attend the White Tigress induction ceremony.

- Ava was accepted into the Avengers? - Spider asked the question with a warm smile.

- This Saturday," Pam nodded.

- That's great.

Wow, he didn't know. It had been a while since Pete had been in touch with his friends from the team.

- There's also a message from Dr Richards. He says he's ready to continue the experiment you started on nano-unstable molecule tissue, version two.

- Great, ask him if he's free on Sunday," Peter nodded, activating his equipment.

- Are you sure?

- If you're asking that question then I must have forgotten something," Peter sighed, "what have I forgotten?

- 'This Sunday is your wedding anniversary,' Pam informed him caustically, in a 'feminine' way.

- Which one? - Peter smiled strained. Inside, though, he was panicking.

- 'Renewing your vows with Mrs Parker and Mrs Parker.

"Phew."

- Pam, don't scare me like that! - It really did take the edge off his heart.

If he'd forgotten, he'd have been killed by one of his wives, but by both of them. Though they would have been united, even if he had forgotten the day of his wedding to each separately.

Still, from a bureaucratic point of view, his relationship is very complicated, but family harmony shows no such problems.

- So we'll reschedule for next Tuesday. Does my schedule allow for that?

- Of course.

- Next.

- Mr Stark has sent a copy of the proposal to merge Parker Industries and Stark Industries into a large Euro-Asian conglomerate and the amount you'll receive as a co-partner.

- Mr Stark or Friday? - Peter asked his assistant snidely.

- Maker! Don't be sarcastic! - Pem's holographic face flashed what could be identified as a blush, - of course Mr Stark doesn't send mail himself.

- Okay, okay," Peter knew about the "relationship" between his AI and Tony's AI, but he couldn't stop teasing Pam. - Send Tony a bottle of good whiskey and a polite refusal from me. Still, this Stark Industries merger needs more than I do, make him interested in something.

- A piece of armour?

- Why do I need another one? Tony's the one who likes to create dozens of practically indistinguishable armours," Peter opened the files with his latest designs, "what else?

- Johnny Storm invites you to a formula one race. Dr Von Doom insists you attend Doom's day in Latveria. Mr Thor Odinson informs you that this month is the Feast of the Great Hunt and he would love for you to join in the 'great feast in the halls of Asgard'. More...

- Wait, Pam," Peter rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly, "duplicate those messages in half an hour, okay? I've got work to do.

- Of course, Dr Parker, I won't interrupt.

Finally, I can work in silence.

- Oh, I almost forgot, your wives and daughters are coming up to the lab.

"Not a moment's peace."