Chapter 6- Entering Alchemax!

My name is Peter B. Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for those 22 years I thought I was the only Spider-Man.

The rest you already know; I saved the city, fell in love, got married, saved the city many more times, my marriage hit a rough patch, lost money investing in the spider-themed restaurant.

Then, 15 years passed, blah... blah... blah... I fractured my back, a drone hit me in the face, ...my Aunt May died, my wife and I... separated, but I faced it all like a hero.

(He remembers the time he cried in the bathtub still wearing the Spider-Man suit and holding a pizza). I faced almost everything like a hero.

I had the opportunity to reflect on life. Did you know seahorses stay together forever? One seahorse meets another seahorse, and then everything works out.

Haa... It's just that she wanted kids, and... that scared me, I know I disappointed her. I was also disappointed in myself, I... I... was disappointed in what I had become, both as a man... and as Spider-Man.

Recapping, I was in my apartment, enjoying a really good pizza when something strange happened. Strange things are what happen to me the most, but... this was really strange.

I was pulled through a... portal? I was in New York, but things were different; I was also dead and... blonde. I was kind of perfect, like looking at myself in the mirror. I got the impression that whatever brought me here killed him.

What I didn't expect was to find a boy and a girl just like me. She was from another dimension, and he was from this one. The boy named Arthur asked me to train him, but how could I do that? I'm not a role model for any Spider-Man. He would be better off with just the girl named Gwen. I just want to go back to my dimension, my apartment... my mattress.

But the kid had in him what it took to become the city's protector. When he tried to prevent my direct journey to the collider, I saw in his eyes that courage, the indomitable sense of justice and responsibility.

I saw myself in him, in my early days when I was happy to put on the suit, confident in myself. Feeling my heart beat with enthusiasm, I decided to train him even before the girl finished explaining their plan.

I just... needed to grab a bite first.

***

"HMMM! This is delicious," Peter B. comments, devouring the third burger. "In my universe, this diner closed six years ago."

Arthur and Gwen were sitting across from him, watching the ogre enjoy his meal. "Was this guy the one who called us rude?" Gwen asks with disgust.

"I think so... getting back to the point, we need to break into the Alchemax lab in Hudson Valley," declared Arthur.

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Peter B. said uninterested. "Let's focus on my teachings, I've got plenty of spider tips for you: disinfect the mask, always sprinkle a bit of talcum powder on the suit, and be generous on the joints to avoid chafing."

"...anything else?"

"No, just those tips."

Arthur looks at Gwen, then turns his gaze back. "If it depended on you... I was screwed."

"Agreed," commented Gwen.

"You teenagers are very critical."

***

"Not swinging to Hudson Valley, Arthur, especially not after eating that burger and fries. Save your energy; you'll thank me," said Peter B.

The three of them were on a bus heading towards the laboratory. Arthur had suggested swinging to the lab, but Peter B. had rejected the idea.

"As bad as it sounds... I agree with him," added Gwen.

"Alright, I got it. No webs after eating," Arthur replied sulking.

"Arthur," Gwen calls him softly.

"Yes?"

"Before fighting Peter, you propelled yourself by shooting rays from your hands."

"R-Rays? Seriously?" He hadn't felt anything at the time. Opening and closing his hand, he tries and fails to feel anything. "Why didn't you say earlier, Gwen?"

"...I forgot."

Gwen: (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵)

Arthur: (ー_ー)

'I have electrical powers...' Arthur muses as he focuses on his body, but can't feel anything again. 'I don't know if I can't control it or if I don't have stored energy... haa... just one more thing I'll have to train.'

***

"Alright... how are we getting in?" Arthur asks the two spiders by his side, surveying Alchemax from a small hill among the trees. They had donned their uniforms, and Arthur wore his mask.

"Good question," said Peter B. "What would I do if I were me?" he added, crouching down and placing his hand on his chin. Arthur mimics his pose.

'Men...' Gwen thinks, watching them and analyzing the area, contemplating an escape plan in case everything goes wrong.

"I got it! First: we infiltrate the lab. Second: we locate the head scientist's computer."

"The woman with the bike is the head scientist, I saw it in a documentary," Arthur adds, recalling the woman who entered while they were studying the place.

"Awesome! Third: I stop being prejudiced. Four: Hack into the computer. Five: Download the important stuff. Six: Snatch a donut from the suckers." Peter B. finishes, starting to stretch.

Arthur looks at Gwen, gauging her opinion on the plan.

"It's a good plan... except for the donut part," Gwen declares, shrugging.

"Of course it's a good plan. I really thought about it," Peter B. says in the background.

"Is it okay... the three of us?"

"You... keep watch," Peter B. said after thinking for a moment.

"Why?"

"Well...Gwen and I will go faster without you...basically."

"I... agree with him, sorry, Arthur," Gwen adds as she considers the pros and cons.

"...you guys are right, I don't even have web shooters," Arthur said, understanding the reasoning.

"Don't feel down, kid, the lookout job is crucial," Peter B. comments, giving Arthur a pat on the shoulder as he swings off toward the lab.

"See you in a bit, Arthur," Gwen said before heading off too.

"Better this way, I don't have the practice yet, I'd just slow them down," Arthur mumbles before starting to keep watch.

***

"It's been 20 minutes already... they're taking too long." Arthur was starting to get worried.

He sees a black car arriving, and Kingpin and his henchmen step out. 'Why is he here? Have we been discovered?'

"Damn! Damn! We need to get out of here." Arthur starts running towards Alchemax in a hurry. Focusing, he manages to become invisible.

Passing by the guards, Arthur starts climbing the building. Upon reaching the top, he begins searching for the ventilation duct to enter.

'Where... where... found it!' Arthur quickly enters the duct, relying on the spider-sense to guide him.

After 2 minutes, he finally locates them. Peter was tied to a chair, and Gwen to two... mechanical arms from the woman in front of them.

"You must suffer from instability," the woman says.

"Instability?" Peter B. asks.

B̸̶̡̠̖̮͙͒͛̒̌̀u̷̧͇̹̘͎̽͗ͩ̏͟͠g̵̸͙̯̟̟̓͋̓̆̕͢

B̸̶̡̠̖̮͙͒͛̒̌̀u̷̧͇̹̘͎̽͗ͩ̏͟͠g̵̸͙̯̟̟̓͋̓̆̕͢

Peter and Gwen fail at the same time. Arthur looks at his friends in shock; they were clearly suffering from being in another dimension.

"If the two remain in this dimension for too long, their bodies will disintegrate. It's going to hurt… and I'm looking forward to seeing it", the woman explains the situation.

"Gosh... I thought you were so sweet at first," Gwen mocks with difficulty, being squeezed by the mechanical arms.

'I need to do something.' Arthur surveys the room from above, formulating a plan and planning each step and word of what he was going to say.

Silently and invisibly falling from the duct, Arthur takes advantage of the woman being busy collecting samples from Peter's mouth. He goes to Gwen, grabs one of her web shooters without touching the mechanical arms.

Gwen widens her eyes, feeling something take one of her web shooters. '...Arthur.'

Putting the web shooter on his wrist, he walks up to the woman who was analyzing the collected samples.

"Hands up! All of them!" Arthur shouts at the mad scientist.

"W-what?" She turns in shock, not seeing anything there, the split second of an open mouth was all Arthur needed. Aiming and shooting a web directly into the woman's mouth.

"GULP! GULP!" Choking, the woman loses concentration on her tentacles. Now free, Gwen quickly destroys the chair Peter B. was tied to.

"Well done, kid!" Peter exclaims, dodging the now uncontrollable tentacles.

"We need to get out of here fast; Kingpin is here," Arthur replies, trying to keep up with the berserk mechanical arms.

"I got the computer; let's go!" Gwen shouts to them, breaking the glass of the room and sprinting out. Peter and Arthur follow closely behind.

"What went wrong with the plan?" Arthur asks, fleeing alongside them.

"When we tried to enter the room, I failed and fell face first onto the table. The noise alerted Octopus," said Peter, a little breathless. 'This belly isn't helping.'

As they run, two guards appear in front of them. "Three spiders?" one of them asks the other.

"Congratulations, you can count," Arthur says before he and Peter knock them down with a kick and punch, respectively. "And they say the education system is bad," Arthur concludes, returning to the run.

"The jokes are good, just remember to always try to be funny when you're about to die; villains love that," Peter advises beside him.

"Can you two focus!" Gwen speaks exasperatedly to the two idiots.

The three stop after opening a door, seeing several scientists sitting at various tables.

"This would be a good time for you to mention that you can make us invisible too," Peter B. said to Arthur.

"Not happening."

"Okay, since that's not happening, a donut..." Peter B. grabs a donut from the counter next to them. "Act natural."

The three walk 'casually' through the middle of the cafeteria toward the exit. "Spider-Man?" One of the scientists asks.

"Funny, a lot of people get confused," Peter B. tries to play it off.

"What's up?" "The day is beautiful, huh?" Gwen and Arthur say, respectively.

"Spider-Man!" All the scientists stand up, grabbing weapons.

"All right, time to run!" Peter says, handing the donut to Arthur and starting to run.

"I think it was the tone of voice that gave us away," Gwen mocks the situation, still carrying the computer. "Peter, give one of your web shooters to Arthur; he doesn't know how to swing with just one."

"Sure, that was exactly my plan, here you go, kid," Peter B. responds as they exit the building.

Arthur grabs the launcher and looks at the donut. Turning around, he hurls it at the face of a random pursuer. Putting the launcher on his wrist, he looks ahead, seeing Peter and Gwen already swinging through the trees.

'Ok... trust the spider-sense... trust the spider-sense...' Arthur jumps onto a railing and propels himself into the air. The wind caresses his body, and the sensation of falling wraps around him. Arthur calms his heart, relying on his powers to do the rest.

Then, he feels it – the instinct whispering what to do. Raising his arm, he shoots the web. As he senses it attaching to the tree, he grabs it and swings. Adrenaline courses through his veins, and the confidence in his spider instincts envelops him like a second skin.

"WHOAAA!!" Arthur shouts with joy, swinging through the trees with inexperience but managing to do it.

"That's the way, Arthur," Peter B. looks at his apprentice with pride. 'It's like watching a baby take its first steps. I must be a great teacher.'

"Well done, Arthur. It took me two days to get the hang of it," Gwen also looks happily at her... friend.

"Hahaha! I'm swinging, guys!"

"That's the spirit, kid, hahaha!"

'We did it,' Gwen thinks, relieved.

!!!

!!!

!!

The three swing a bit more before sensing danger approaching. Looking back, they see a caped and masked man flying with jet boots.

"It's Prowl—" Before Arthur can warn them about who it is, his spider-sense alerts him to a projectile coming his way. Due to his inexperience with the webs, he fails to dodge in time.

The projectile opened in front of him, releasing an electric net. "ARGH!" Arthur screams, getting electrocuted and falling to the ground.

"Arthur!" Gwen shouts in concern, securing the computer to a tree with a web before leaping towards him.

"Things can never be simple." Peter B. intercepts Prowler, exchanging blows among the trees.

ZAP!ZAP!ZAP!

Arthur was writhing on the floor; the shock seemed to be stored in his body.

Gwen quickly approached him. "Calm down, Arthur, it'll pass." She was so desperate that she didn't think twice before grabbing the net, getting shocked too.

'Hang in there... come on... you can do it.' Gwen started pulling hard, trying to tear the net. The shock was intense, but she remained resilient.

"AARRGH." Gwen managed to tear the net, interrupting the electrical circuit.

"Haa... Arthur, hey, are you okay?" Gwen asks, crouching down beside him. She noticed that he was unwell for some reason. "Arthur, what are you feeling?" Gwen places her hand on his shoulder, trying to understand what was happening.

BAM!

"I need a little help here," Peter B. gets up after being thrown to the ground. "This guy knows how to fight." He adds, shooting a web at Prowler's visor, which he cuts with his sharp gauntlets.

"There's something wrong with Arth-" Gwen interrupts herself as she senses something coming her way. She knew that if she dodged, it could hit her friend. So, she turns and grabs the mechanical arm with both hands.

"Your little friend is going to pay for what he did!" Doctor Octopus enters the fight.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Bonus Chapter!!!!

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.