Chapter 4 - Legends Never Die

I search for the spider with the flashlight on my phone; for some reason, the switch wasn't working.

"Where are you? Where... It was around here somewhere... Found it!" I bring the light closer to the spider's body. It seemed quite normal.

"Just a regular sp- AH!"

𝒷̸̧̫̟͍͇́͌͛́̀͠𝓊̷̛̲̳͓͈͊̔͆͐͟͞𝑔̮̬̜̼̇͑̓̿̕͘͟͝

I interrupt my thoughts in shock at seeing her... fail?

"Haa!... Haa!... Haa! What the hell was that!" I exclaim in shock. When I try to touch her again, I hear a loud noise coming from my left.

'...better investigate, maybe I'll find the answer to why this spider is here.' I head towards the noise, my head starting to throb.

'Why is this happening now!?' It seemed to be guiding me, telling me where to go. I see radiation symbols, Alchemax, and there are technological devices that shouldn't be here.

"Ah!" The sensation in my head grew stronger, it seemed to be trying to communicate, the sounds intensified. I put my hands over my ears, trying to muffle the sensory madness I was experiencing.

{Careful... careful, Arthur... careful...}

'Careful?' {Look out}. I throw myself to the ground just in time for the glass behind me to shatter. I seek shelter against the wall, hoping not to be seen.

"Norman, pay attention!"

I lift my head upon hearing the voice. '...Spider-Man!'

"I can't let you guys open a portal to another dimension... the city hall didn't authorize it."

'Portal? Dimension?'... What kind of craziness did I get myself into?

***

Peter knew how dangerous all this madness was. It depended on him to stop it; the city needed him, Spider-Man. The fight wouldn't be easy, with many enemies together: Green Goblin, Prowler, and the mastermind behind it all, Kingpin.

'It'll be a piece of cake; I always find a way.' He motivated himself, dodging Osborn's enormous fist. 'My girl is waiting at home; I better finish this quickly.' He concluded, using the web to propel a kick to the face of the green monster.

"Why don't you give up!" Osborn exclaimed in frustration, trying to hit the small spider.

"It's just that I'm not in the mood to see Brooklyn swallowed by a black hole," Peter replies, dodging the arms and delivering blows to the giant monster's head.

'I need to get out of here.' Arthur thinks, before he could escape, he feels the tingling again. 'Coming from above!' With the agility he acquired, he jumps just in time to avoid the beam that invaded his hiding spot; however, his foot got stuck in it.

'Damn, what kind of luck is this!' The beam begins to slip, taking him along into the middle of the fight. 'Let go! Let go! Let go!' Arthur starts applying force to the metal, managing to crush it and free his foot, initiating a free fall.

Falling miraculously on his feet, Arthur tries to get out of the middle of the deadly battle between hero and villain.

Spider-Man and Green Goblin continue exchanging blows. Now quiet and focused, Peter keeps dodging explosions. Too busy dealing with Goblin's bombs, he doesn't notice the desperate boy hiding under the container.

'Haa... Haa... Haa...' Arthur pants, avoiding the explosions and not being crushed by the giant monster required a lot. Hearing the fight in the background, Arthur looks around, searching for a safe escape route.

'DAMN!!' He has to interrupt his thought as he loses his cover due to the Green Goblin, who picked up the container to throw it at Spider-Man.

Arthur gets up and runs through an opening without thinking twice; hearing the fight behind him only propels him further.

'Faster! Faster! Faste- slow down!!!' He stops his desperate run just in time not to fall into the giant hole in front of him.

Arthur looks at the impressive structure. 'I've never seen anything so big. This must be the... dimensional portal??'

Now fighting in the corridor, Peter takes advantage of the difference in size and agility, landing a sequence of punches on Osborn. Finally managing to knock him out on the collider structure. 

'Now comes the hard part,' Peter thinks to himself as he swings towards the deactivation site. 'It must be here tha—'

"AAAHHHH"

Alerted by his spider-sense, Peter looks down and sees a boy falling. Thinking quickly, he uses his webs like a slingshot, launching himself toward the boy.

"AAAHHHHH!" Screaming desperately with his eyes closed, Arthur curses his luck again after being hit by the Green Goblin's body. 'Am I going to die?' he thinks, frightened, before being pulled by something.

Opening his eyes, he sees Spider-Man holding him with one arm and swinging with the other.

Peter didn't know what a child was doing there. Landing on a scaffold, he gently places the boy on the ground.

"Ahhh!... Ahhh!..." Arthur breathes a sigh of relief, staring dumbfounded at the hero in front of him. He had always wanted to meet him, talk, and ask so many questions. But at this moment, the only thing he can do is breathe.

"Phew... Phew..." Peter pants a bit, seeing the frightened boy looking at him. He does what he knows best. 'Time to improvise.'

"Your shoelaces are untied."

"A-ahã."

"And I don't have that kind of problem."

What neither of them expected was the feeling of connection that came over them both at the same time; a bond has been established. They understood each other... they were equals.

"I thought I was the only one... we're the same!" said Peter, ecstatic and excited. 'Together... we can keep the city safer. I'll teach you everything I know... let's carry this responsibility together!'

"It-It seems that way."

"Your mind must be racing right now, huh?"

"Y-Yes."

"It's okay, I'll help you. Just stay with me, and I'll give you the tips." Trying to convey reassurance, Peter speaks as calmly as possible; he still remembered how scary it was when he got his powers.

"Okay."

A loud noise interrupts their conversation; the machine had been activated.

"I just have to... destroy that machine before the continuous space-time collapses. Stay here!" Peter orders as he turns around, preparing to leap.

"Sp-Spider-Man, I can help—"

"No! You don't know how to control your powers yet; it's too risky," Peter says, turning back and narrowing his eyes. "...Your time will come soon, kid; for now, leave it to the professionals." He finishes, softening his gaze.

"I'll be right back!" Saying goodbye, Peter starts to climb to the ceiling. Moving with years of experience, he uses the scaffolding and the rotating machine itself as a booster, reaching the ceiling in seconds.

'I'm going to be like that one day!' Arthur thinks excitedly, watching Spider-Man now crawling on the ceiling, searching for something. 'Looks like he found it.'

Opening the compartment, Peter takes the key to the system. "Alright folks, party's over." When he went to insert the USB drive, his spider-sense kicked in.

"Whoa." Peter looks to his left just in time to see Prowler flying towards him. Unable to dodge in time, he is knocked off the ceiling.

"Prowler! You're getting in my way, man." Exchanging blows in mid-air, Peter finds himself at a disadvantage. 'Why can't it ever be simple?' he ponders before being thrown away with a mini-explosion from the thrusters on Prowler's boots.

"Ouch!... Had enough of this," Peter comments before getting back into the fight.

Prowler lands a series of blows, first to the face, then to the leg. Unable to keep up, Peter becomes increasingly defensive.

"Are you getting a little angry? I sense some frustration!" He jokes, finding it increasingly difficult to dodge the punches and kicks. 'Am I getting beaten up in front of my future student?' Peter considers before being thrown away by a punch to the chest.

"Take it easy, will ya?" He mutters before shooting a web at Prowler's chest, pulling himself back into the fight, but is interrupted by a massive weight on his back.

"ROAR!" Green Goblin roars, now pinning Spider-Man with his enormous paw. 

"I should do something." Arthur reconsiders upon seeing his future teacher being beaten in front of him. Before he could formulate a plan, he starts hearing a voice over the loudspeaker.

"Like my little toy? Cost me a fortune, but I don't cut corners! Since you came all the way here... behold the test. It's going to be a hell of a show, you'll love it," Kingpin says, instructing his employees to activate the machine.

"NO! DON'T! STOP!" Peter shouts in desperation. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS CAN DO! IT'LL KILL US ALL!"

Arthur looks around; the lights covering the entire structure began to turn on. Then, a compartment opened in the ceiling and started descending... something; he was too nervous to try to understand. When that thing reached the middle of the structure, the machine started working.

B̏́̆̾͜͏͖̣̖̹̀͡A̢̧̨͎̰̰̔̈́̽͆̕ͅÃ̢̛̘̯̠̦̀ͧ̑͢͡Ą̛̹̜̱̯͗ͯ̌̀̕͝A̷̘͇͖̅͑́͐͘͜͟ͅM̷̢̫̗̜̭͂ͪ́̓́͜M̷̅̓̐͋͜͟҉̗̪̬̠M̸̶͖̟̺̼̂ͨ͑ͨ͟͞M̨̍̒̒ͤ҉̸̵͈̻̰͓M

The space began to collapse; the machine's structure clearly wasn't prepared for spatial instability. Feeling that shiver again, Arthur jumps backward just as a stone falls where he was standing, breaking the ground. He reacts quickly by grabbing onto the sides of the scaffold.

"Norman, the house is falling down around you," Peter distracts the Goblin, sensing a panel falling towards them. The panel hits Norman squarely on the head, leaving him disoriented.

Peter manages to escape from Norman's grasp and, in haste, swings towards the 'switch' of the collider. He just didn't anticipate that Norman would recover quickly and push him into the path of the singularity.

"Goblin, NO!" Kingpin shouts, but the speakers were no longer working.

"...What... am I seeing..." Peter sees everything, yet at the same time, nothing—endless lines of universes? 'Is this... the web that...c̸̨̙̞͇̙͌͌̓̾͞͞ọ̵̴̸͖̬̜ͮ́̒̑͘ș̷̵̷̡̳̙̻ͮͮ͒̚c̶̨̞͍̮̱̈̏̓ͭ͘͡ẽ̊̔̃̀͘҉̱̭͎͍͢i̧͍͍̤͓ͫ̏̏͗̀͘͜c̵̋ͨ̽̚͢͡͏͙̮̼̺

BOOOOMMM!!!!

***

'Only got out unscathed thanks to these shivers,' Arthur thinks as he walks, trying to orient himself. He comes across the body of the Green Goblin, possibly dead. Glancing a bit to the right, he sees Spider-Man lying on the ground.

Running up to him, Arthur assesses his situation, which doesn't seem good. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm fine, just taking a little rest." He wasn't; his vision was blurry, he couldn't feel his legs, and he struggled to breathe.

"Can you get up?"

"Yeah... I always get up... cough, cough! ...this cough isn't good." Peter could taste blood in his mouth. 'I think this time I won't make it.'

"Find him, now!" They hear in the background.

"Listen, we have to act together, and we don't have time," Peter whispers to Arthur. "This system key will stop the collider... go up there, use the key, and blow it all up."

Arthur looks at the USB drive; it's broken. At this moment, he understands that Spider-Man's situation is much worse than he imagined. Forcing himself to pay attention to Spider's words, tears begin to stream down his eyes.

"Put a mask on your face and don't tell anyone who you are... he controls everyone."

"O-Okay."

"If he turns the machine on again, everything will disappear, your family, everyone, everyone!" With blurred vision, Peter makes one last effort, trying to see the boy's eyes; his strength is fading away.

"Promise me you'll do this."

"I promise!" Arthur responds with the utmost conviction he could gather, trying to alleviate the burden on his hero's mind.

"Go! Destroy the collider; I'll find you." No, he wouldn't. 'I'm sorry, kid... this wasn't your responsibility.' "Haaa..." Peter exhales. 'Looks like I won't be able to teach you... I'm sure we would have made an incredible team.'

Arthur runs out, climbs on some debris, and looks at the machine's ceiling; it was very high. 'I'll have to train my powers first.' He looks at the destroyed key in his hand. 'Then rebuild this key.'

"No more tests! Get this thing working again, NOW!" A big man in a suit demands.

'Is this the big boss behind all this?' Arthur thinks, listening to the conversation hidden in the shadows.

"I'd say it's good to see you, Spider-Man, but it's not." Kingpin speaks, approaching his worst enemy in years.

"Kingpin and the Business?" Spider-Man asks with difficulty.

"Booming, hahaha." Kingpin responds, opening his arms.

"Nice," Peter comments before they remove his mask. "Ahh... don't do this... the collider can open a black hole over Brooklyn. The risk isn't worth it." He speaks with great difficulty, his blurred vision starting to turn black; still, he tries to reason with the man in front of him.

"Not everything is about money, Spider-Man," Kingpin responds, irritated.

"I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work... they're not there..." Peter's vision returns a bit, seeing Fisk's arms descending to kill him. His spider-sense warns of danger, the need to do something, but Peter's last thoughts are focused on one person.

'Mary Jane... looks like I'll be late for dinner.'

BAM!

***

'I... I... I saw everything and didn't do anything.' I think, staring in shock as Kingpin crushes Spider-Man's chest; tears stream down my eyes.

'Focus... I need to focus.' My mind is in ruins, but I force myself to concentrate on the present. 'Focus... feel... expand.' I look at my body and see that I managed to become invisible.

I look around, searching for a way out of this place. 'Found it!' I start running out as fast as possible, noticing that my speed is much greater than before.

'My body must be getting used to my powers.' It's dark, but the sensation in my head guides me through the corridors, like a sixth sense.

I pass by my paintings, jump over the safety rail, and keep running. 'I need to get back home, a safe place when the adrenaline wears off.'

***

After catching the train, I finally arrive home. I look at the building in front of me, knowing that the moment I step in, my parents will start asking questions. 'My awful face won't help.'

I'm in front of my window; climbing wasn't easy. "Looks like the adrenaline is wearing off." I murmur quietly as I open the window. I try to enter silently, but my knee betrays me, and I end up hitting my bookshelf, knocking over the record player.

'So much for being silent.' I think, feeling dejected.

"Police, hands up!" George bursts into the room, seeing me as I stand up. "Arthur?... Aren't you at school?" I don't pay attention to what he's saying; I just run into his arms, hold on tight, feeling all the chaos accumulated throughout the day pouring through my body.

"It's okay... It's okay, calm down," he said, squeezing me with his arms.

"Arthur, what happened?" My mom asks, concerned, entering the room. "Was it the earthquake?" She adds, taking me out of George's arms and hugging me.

I nod, 'She can't find out...'

"Ca-Can I stay here tonight?" I ask, holding back tears.

They look at each other for a moment. "Of course you can," George says, patting my shoulder and leaving the room.

My mom helps me lie down. "You know you can talk to us about anything, right?" She says, gently stroking my head.

"I know, Mom."

"That's good, anything you need, just call me, okay?... Goodnight, son." She says goodbye, kissing my forehead and closing the door.

"What's gotten into him?" I hear my dad in the background.

"It's been tough for him, George."

"I know... I know, I'll talk to Gwen. Maybe she knows something."

I look at the broken USB drive; it had the spider symbol and the word Alchemax. I start to feel the tears falling again. 'I let him die... I let him die...'

"Ungh! Ungh! Ungh!" I can't stop crying, yet in the midst of soft sobs, I hear the news on the living room TV.

[A sad news, the superhero known as Spider-Man... died after being injured in another seismic event in Brooklyn. It has been confirmed that Peter Parker, college student and photographer-...]

***

I ran away from home; I couldn't stand lying down knowing what I needed to do. Looking at the street, I see everyone on their phones or staring at big screens; the news of Spider-Man's death has impacted everyone, even those who didn't like him.

'His funeral will be tomorrow.' I think as I walk towards the abandoned warehouse of my biological father's family. Well, it wasn't abandoned until my uncle left; I haven't heard from him in years.

'Peter Parker.' I always wondered why a random man helped my mom so many years ago. 'Did he blame himself for not saving him?' I stop my contemplation; every minute is crucial.

'I don't have time.' I think as I reach my destination. 'The city depends on me now.' It's just a matter of time; the villains will start going mad without Spider-Man protecting the city.

'First, I must learn to control my powers, then shut down the collider.' I outline my main goals at the moment.

I look around. It's been a long time since I've been here; my mom forbade me from coming here. 'How is he doing?' I murmur as I enter, thinking about the last living person in my father's family. I grab my notebook and start making notes.

Test 1: Climbing walls.

'I'm getting the hang of it.' I think as I look down, seeing the ground about 3 meters below. 'Do only my hands and feet stick?' I try sitting on the wall. '3... 2... 1! ... okay... okay... it worked.'

Conclusion of test 1: I can adhere to surfaces with possibly any part of my body. Further tests are needed to understand how this is possible.

Test 2: Super strength

I remember being able to crush the beam when my foot got stuck in the midst of Spider-Man and Goblin's fight. 'I must have some kind of enhanced strength.' I go to a container in the corner of the warehouse, look at my hand, and then return my gaze.

I assume a boxing position. '3... 2... 1!' Still nervous about the possibility of breaking my hand, I throw a punch with... 50% of my strength?

BAM!

I take a few steps back, looking in awe at the now crumpled container. I feel my heart beating fast, the sensation that has haunted me for the past few years returning once again.

'This is it... I can be more now...' I think in shock, all this time, these years, culminating in this moment.

'Is this my destiny, or did something manipulate everything?' Since the impulses began, I wondered if some god was manipulating me or if I was simply going insane.

Feeling that sensation telling me that I'm now in the right place, that it's right to have these powers, I'm more inclined towards the first alternative, as crazy as it may sound. '...did some entity bring me to that spider?'

'I'll have time to think about it calmly later.' I take a deep breath, returning to the current situation, realizing that my entire body has adapted to withstand this strength. I lift my shirt, seeing my abdomen completely defined, something that should be impossible... or almost impossible for a human.

'My legs must have been enhanced too.' I prepare to test my jump. I just didn't expect to jump so high that I hit my head on the roof.

( _　_||| )

Conclusion of test 2: I have strength many times greater than a normal human; my entire body evolved after the bite. Further tests will be necessary to determine how strong I have become.

'I'll need to control my strength when fighting.' I remind myself.

Teste 3: Invisibilidade

I've turned invisible twice, and both times I was scared or in danger. I try to find that sensation again, but I'm not successful.

'...what is needed to activate this ability?' I continue to reflect, spending 20 minutes going over those moments again and again. 'It's definitely related to emotions... but fear, sadness, and terror didn't work.' This isn't leading to anything; what did I forget... in those situations, I was unsure... anxious, I just wanted to di-DISAPPEAR, that's IT!

In those situations, I was so stressed that my desire was to disappear. "Now it's going to work!" I exclaim excitedly, just feel... blend in with the surroundings... just... dissipate.

I look happily at my invisible body. "FINALLY DID IT!" I shout in joy, losing focus and becoming visible again. 'I need to train my concentration.'

Conclusion of test 3: My desire to disappear is directly linked; it's crucial to keep emotions in check.

Teste 4: Sixth sense

This is the one I understand the least. '...Does it only appear in moments of danger?' I don't know how it predicts threats. I need to study spiders; maybe there's some answer.

Conclusion of test 4: More data needed.

I place the notebook on the table in the middle of the warehouse, grab my phone to check the time. 'Still have plenty of time... better train a bit,' I conclude, ignoring the various calls from Gwen and my parents. 'I'm sorry.' 

*** 

'It's only available in small size.' I think despondently, looking at the Spider-Man costumes in the old man's store. Taking one, I go to the cashier.

"He… will be missed," says the old man as I approach the counter.

"Yes."

"We were friends, you know?" He says, going to calculate the price of the clothes. Stopping his action, he looks at me.

"This one's on the house," the old man says, handing me the costume.

"Ah! I can't accept that, sir."

"Oh? You're a humble kid like him. Take it, I know you'll need it," he says, pushing the costume toward me. "Remember, kid, these are tough times, stay strong and just. Always have hope, and under no circumstances let this world bring you down. That's what it means to be Spider-Man." 

"Y-Yes, sir!" I respond, a bit shocked. 'Is it just me, or does this guy know something?'

"Ah! Yes... there's a very fitting phrase for this situation," he says, looking at me with a smile on his face. . "With great power comes great responsibility."

'This phrase...' I feel every hair on my body standing on end, my heart pounding, and that sensation again. Those words... echoed several times in my head.

"... What is your name?"

"I've been called many things; you can call me Stan," he says, raising his hand.

"Arthur Maxwell," I say, shaking his hand.

***

"He didn't ask for powers... but he chose to be Spider-Man. What I liked most about Peter is that he made everyone feel powerful. We all have some kind of power. In our own way... we are all Spider-Man. And we're counting on you," concluded Mary Jane Parker, Peter's wife, in her speech.

I'm among thousands of people, most of them wearing Spider-Man costumes. I only kept the mask, but I stored the rest of the clothes; after all, it was a gift from Stan. The funeral brought together thousands of people.

Looking at the woman and lady in front of the church, I see the suffering and sadness in their eyes.

'I'll take care of them, Peter, I promise!' I think with conviction, feeling the weight of the system key in my pocket. I start to move out of the crowd. 'It's time...'

Walking out of the crowd, I see a familiar girl with a white hood. Despite the awkwardness from our last encounter, I approach her and touch her shoulder. "Hey, Wan—"

!

That sensation again, my sixth sense kicks in once more, creating a connection between us... but this time, much stronger.

***

My name is Gwen Stacy. I was a normal girl until I was bitten by a radioactive spider. For the past two years, I've been the one and only Spider-Woman.

These years haven't been easy. Even with powers, I didn't realize how deep the sorrow of my best friend, Peter Parker.

He died because of me... I failed to save him. Since then, I save everyone, keeping myself isolated from all. I keep saying it's to avoid distractions, but the truth is, I'm afraid to make friends and then lose them again.

One day, something strange happened... very strange! I got sucked into last week, ended up in New York, but... it wasn't my New York.

Here, there was another Spider-Man and... another Gwen. My spider-sense led me to Vision Academy. There, I found her, Gwen Stacy, but this one was surrounded by friends; there was no loneliness and sorrow reflected in her eyes.

At first, I thought the Peter Parker of this reality hadn't died, but he didn't exist in this school. Then, I thought Helen Stacy was still alive, but when I went to the cemetery, I found her gravestone... so why are you so different from me? What gave you hope in this world? Was it the lack of powers?

Investigating, I find the point of divergence in our stories: Arthur Maxwell. He changed the life of this Gwen, to the point where even her father had a relationship again.

'Arthur Maxwell.' As I think of his name, my spider-sense tingles. I thought I had been brought to this school by the Gwen Stacy of this world, but no... it was because of you... it has always been you.

***

I infiltrate a class he was supposed to attend; I needed to get to know him somehow. I look around and see that he's not there. Feeling dejected, I stay in the class to keep up appearances... and then you walked in, as awkward as Peter used to be.

'Arthur... you look like him... but at the same time, you're not the same.' I think as I watch Arthur being caught by the teacher. Peter would have frozen in fear, but you didn't.

Cracking a ridiculously silly joke to diffuse the situation, I laugh like I haven't in years. As you sit next to me, I try to strike up a conversation to learn more about you. My spider-sense tingles around you, as if gravitating towards your presence.

Unfortunately, the teacher interrupted our conversation. Since then, I decide to keep an eye on you, to see if there's something more. I'm surprised that the very next day, I see you so disoriented, looking in all directions, clearly frightened.

Seeing that you weren't paying attention to where you were going, I stood in your way, determined to find out what was going on. But I didn't expect that – after a clumsy mistake in the names, our hands ended up stuck together.

I try to calm you down, but you were too nervous to pay attention to my words. 'Does he also have spider powers?' I reflect as we spin in the middle of the hallway, his hand now stuck in my hair and in a book.

Arthur had the brilliant idea of ​​trying to free himself by pulling hard on my hair; Doesn't he know how important hair is to a woman?

***

After our regrettable second encounter, now with a handprint on my right side, I decide to stop pursuing him. The glitches were increasing, and the idea of getting attached to someone again frightened me.

'I need to find a way back,' I think, knowing it wouldn't be easy, it never was... but first, I must go to the hairdresser.

News then arrived of Spider-Man's death from that reality, and most shockingly, his identity was Peter Parker. Looking at the TV in the beauty salon, tears start to fall from my eyes.

'Peter...you were Spider-Man here...you saved so many people...but you died...is that your destiny in all realities?' I reflect upon leaving the establishment. I knew it wasn't the same Peter, but it still hurt to see the familiar face in the news again.

***

Listening to the end of Peter's wife's speech the next day, I prepare to leave the funeral, my mind focused on my objectives. 'I need to break into Alchemax; they must have the answers on how to go back-' I interrupt the planning as I feel my spider-sense tingling again.

'No... not now-' I feel a touch on my shoulder, and I quickly turn around to see Arthur.

!!!

"Hey, Wan-" He starts to say that ridiculous name I came up with, but he stops, shock coating his features. I am equally shocked, feeling our spider-senses forming a connection; they seemed to be dancing around each other.

'They connected perfectly... like two halves... he feels it too...' The feeling was unlike anything I had experienced since the day I gained my powers; It felt... right.

As the sensory stimulation fades, we look at each other in complete silence, emotional and shaken.

"You are-"

"-Just like me."

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fictional.