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Chapter Text

Let's do it a little bit different this time ... again:
My name is Gwen Stacy.
My name is Miles Morales.
I'm the only Spider-Woman in my dimension.
I'm the only Spider-Man in my dimension.
We thought the multiverse was saved.
But we were wrong.
A new opponent has appeared.
And we had to act.
We thought nothing could stop the Spider-Society.
But he did.
And we had to surpass ourselves again.
And put our friendships at risk in the process.
I had to make a decision...
I was condemned to watch...
And I knew it could kill me.
And I knew she could die.

But let's start from the beginning:

Queens, New York - EARTH-65

"Shit, Miles, where are you?"
Gwen felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she pushed the curtain aside a little and saw the crowd.
She knew that a lot of people had signed up for this concert, but the fact that the whole VISIONS high school was full of people surprised her.
Absent-mindedly, she twirled her drumsticks in her hand, still searching for Miles.
It was laughable. She had helped save the multiverse and talked to Miles afterward. Miles Morales, the boy from Earth-1610, and the Spider-Man in his dimension.
And since then... she didn't feel alone anymore.

But right now, her heart was pounding in her throat.
She had reconciled with her band when the pressure had been lifted off her shoulders after Spot and she had won Miles back. Gwen knew being in the spotlight. However, as an unnamed Spider-Woman, or Ghost Spider as she called herself since the incidents in the old Spider Society, in order to distinguish herself from the other women there.
Gwen Stacy, however... well, Gwen Stacy was a blank slate. Without her mask, she couldn't show all the skills that her spider's bite had given her.
She was suddenly just a normal person, a young woman, looking for her place in society when she wasn't hunting criminals as a spider.

Her father had gotten her a job as a crime photographer in the New York Police Department. So he was able to watch over her, even though he no longer worked directly for the police. But she was so close to the crime that she was able to act incognito as a spider thanks to her father. Of course, George Stacy had to resign himself to exposing his daughter to these dangers, but she had insisted on using her skills in this way.

What else could he have done with her? She was almost grown up by now. He could no longer hold her back from the life she had been living for the past five years.
So the best thing he could do was to support her in her endeavors.
Moreover, he knew that Miles cared about her as much as he did. And that gave both him as a father and his daughter the assurance that what she was doing was right.

"Man, what's wrong with you?" whispered Mary Jane, leader of her eponymous band, to Gwen as she stood behind the closed curtain.
They knew Gwen was the best drummer they had. No one else could play her parts. But no one knew that she didn't have to fear competition because of her reflexes. When it mattered, she was unstoppable. And that made her indispensable to the band. Even if the reconciliation and the many questions that followed were rather a necessary and annoying evil. But for Gwen, playing in a band was a welcome distraction from the hunt for criminals.
"I don't think her guy has shown up yet," the guitarist whispered to MJ. Of course, Gwen could hear them, contrary to her band member's assumption.
Gwen closed her eyes, inhaled and exhaled deeply. Miles must be coming soon, she thought to herself.
Finally, the two women turned and went to their instruments to check them one last time.

"Miles..." she growled tensely.
And then it came, the tingling sensation in her stomach, even before her spider sense warned her.
"I'm here!" he exclaimed, out of breath. When she turned, his portal closed behind him. Typical Miles, she thought amused, until she saw the deep cut in his left shoulder.
"Miles!" she shouted, immediately pulling him into a dark corner of the stage so that not everyone could see his suit.
She examined his face and the rest of his body for other wounds, but the cut was the only outward injury.

"You really want Rio to kill me, don't you?" she sighed and threw him a shirt that she always had in her pocket when she left the house. For exactly these cases.
"It was just a petty criminal, not even the criminal of the week," he smiled at her.
Gwen shook her head in annoyance. "Ugh, what the heck. Miles, I need you here with me, and you're going to do a tour like that first."
"What was I supposed to do? He robbed a store!" Miles complained with a bright smile on his lips.
"Probably just tell your dad? The one who works at the police?"
"But he wasn't there," Miles answered, pointing at himself with his hands. "Problem seen, problem solved."

Gwen put her hand in front of her face. "Miles Morales, I promised your mother that I would take care of you when you were with me. And that's not exactly a good negotiating position for me."
She pointed to the cut, which Miles was sealing with webbing fluid before he put on his shirt.
Surely his mother understood, she knew that anyway. It was her boyfriend's recklessness that drove her to despair - at least sometimes.
"Gwen, are you ready now?" MJ called over from the stage before spotting the man at her side. "Oh, hi Miles."
Gwen and Miles looked into each other's eyes for a moment. It's all right, he told her wordlessly.
I know, Gwen replied just as silently.

Still she was sometimes puzzled by the connection which only they had, and which they had discovered only by chance in the greatest need. But it helped when they felt lonely as soon as the other wasn't around.
On the other hand, if they were in different dimensions, it was much more difficult to communicate in this way. Often they only had the strength for the most important sentence fragments, but even these were enough to communicate to each other what was fundamentally important. A day and time, for example, to describe the most frequently used purpose at the moment.

Gwen finally gave up and turned away from the still smiling Miles. "We'll talk about that later," she baited him, and he was only too happy to agree.
He was just falling in love with this woman in front of him, just as she was in love with him. They complemented each other in a way that was rare in the Spider Society. The chemistry between them was just right.
He watched as she walked over her shoulder to the drums with one last uncertain glance before the curtain opened and the first note was played.

LATER IN THE EVENING

"And you don't think anyone noticed?" she said in her room as she threw on the shirt Miles had bought her after the concert.
Miles put a few strokes on the almost-finished image in his sketchbook. "You mean when you suddenly confused everyone with your solo? Where even MJ looked at you stunned?"
Gwen tilted her head and curled her mouth.
"No, I'm sure no one noticed," Miles laughed honestly. He looked up and watched Gwen as she stripped off her sweaty clothes and looked for a pair of comfortable pants.
"You can be such an asshole sometimes," she murmured, and had to laugh afterwards too.

How could all this happen?, Gwen wondered. And why does it just feel so damn right?
She crawled back onto the bed beside him, and looked at the ceiling of her room for a long moment. That was her life, and by now it was perfect. And every day before she fell asleep, with or without Miles, she thanked him for giving her another chance on the roof that day. That he forgave her for what she had done with her actions. No one else would have done the same for her in this situation, but he just did it.

Finally, she turned to him and rested her head on the bed with one hand. She liked to watch him when he was drawing. And each time she saw that he had made the right decision to go to art school and not to Princeton. He no longer had to study quantum physics, he now had everything he needed to make interdimensional keys. Hobie - Hobie, of course - had shown him.
And now he was a respected artist, who had even received a scholarship from the mayor of his New York, which had enabled him to teach excellently.
His graffiti was now everywhere in New York, and that made her proud as a friend.

"What are you drawing?" she asked him, looking over his shoulder.
She could still remember how embarrassed he was when she landed in his room and grabbed his sketchbook before he could hide it.
And Gwen herself was very... surprised to see so many drawings of himself. He'd missed her, just as she had missed him... And all she did was betray him.
Now he voluntarily showed her his designs, and this time she saw herself, at the drums, just as he had seen her at the concert. The image sparkled with energy. It almost came to life, just as Miles drew it.

"Do you like it?" he asked.
"Yes. Miles, that looks amazing," she replied honestly, noticing his spider icon underneath the picture.
"It's something new, but it's just a draft," he explained as he followed her gaze. "My spider, your eyes, and your hood."
She felt how proud he was of her praise.

She leaned her shoulder against his. "I'm glad you exist," she whispered. "Every day again."
He felt comfortable when she said something like that. And it eased the pain of his scar, which he still bore from the betrayal of the Spider-Society.
"So am I, Gwen," Miles replied, kissing her on the cheek.
This feeling was still a completely new one in both of their lives.
But they were emotions that none of them wanted to miss.

"Would you have thought all this just a few years ago? Before the incident with your collider?" asked Miles thoughtfully.
"No," Gwen smirked. "Certainly not."
Miles looked at her dreamily. Something in his stomach was glad to be here today.
And by looking at his watch, which sounded the alarm directly at this thought, he knew why.

Gwen's watch also pinged, and she was the first to accept the contact attempt.
"Gwen!" said Margo.
"Margo?"
"Hi Miles!" Margo shouted for a moment before becoming more serious again. "We have a problem."

Miles and Gwen looked at each other. "What problem?" asked Miles cautiously.
Not another Spot, he fervently hoped.
"There are reports of a new kind of enemy on one of our worlds."
If they were bothering Gwen and Miles with it at this time, they knew there was a real problem.
Gwen watched Miles cautiously.

"We're coming," he sighed. "What is it about?"
Margo faded out and showed a hologram instead.
"We've been seeing this more and more on Earth-120703 lately. And the Spider-Man of this dimension is helpless. People disappear without a trace."
An opponent who could hide from a Spider-Man? That was new.

Gwen and Miles knew that their quiet evening was now over.
"Are there any clues as to who it might be?"
"No," Margo answered. "But... See for yourself."
A video recording was played and showed several men walking through a park. Until they were caught from something outside the frame. All Miles and Gwen saw was a long reddish object, like a rope or something like that. And a symbol that suddenly appeared on the ground:
a white spider on a black background.

Chapter Text

FIRST ACT - LONGING

Miles was still breathing against the oppressive tightness that formed in his chest as soon as he entered this place. Although Nueva York was much more airy on the surface than any New York he knew, he couldn't help but associate this particular place with the betrayal that Gwen and the Spider-Society had committed, albeit for different reasons.

After their reconciliation, dozens of conversations between him and Gwen followed, and much of what was bothering him was resolved. But this place here... here he still felt the rage, even though the Society was now a completely different one.

Gwen immediately sensed that something was wrong with Miles. She gently took him by the hand and led him to the lobby exit.
"Hey," she said, looking at him worriedly. "How bad is it?"
Miles flinched slightly several times. He still hadn't gotten over the trauma here. "It's all right," he replied, panting.
"Miles..."
Gwen put a hand on her boyfriend's back. "We are a team. Just the two of us. Please Miles, talk to me."

Miles took a deep breath. "Everything I wanted was here. Right in front of my eyes. People with my skills. Like you and me. But you... they took everything from me."
Gwen still felt the sting in her chest when Miles inadvertently listed her as an accomplice. He corrected himself quickly, but that didn't change what he really thought.
And how could she blame him?

It was her who had confused him with the prospect of being able to travel between dimensions, even though it was never originally intended to be.
She only wanted to save her relationship with her father, which had broken up before her first inter-dimensional departure, and to please the Society at the same time. And then came Miles. She knew about the fate that every Spider had to suffer. At least that's what they said.

In trying to save Miles, she lost everything for a brief and depressing moment. In those hours between Miles' escape and arriving in her own world, she had never felt so isolated and helpless.
She just had problems. Her father saw her as a criminal, Miguel had disfellowshipped her, and Miles... she still remembered the look on his face as he had cut her net.

"Miles, if there was anything to turn back that time, I would, believe me," Gwen explained in dismay. She turned to him as he reached for her hand.
"No, nothing needs to be changed. That's why we're here now. I have proved to everyone that there is no general canon. And you've learned that your father doesn't have to die, as the canon says. Without you, nothing would have changed here."
Gwen looked down until they were both met by Margo and Peter B.
"Peter!" shouted Gwen happily. They hadn't seen each other since their fight against Spot, as Peter was supposed to take more care of Mayday's upbringing on the advice of his wife, Mary Jane.

Mayday crawled out of her tote bag as soon as she saw Gwen and jumped into the arms of the surprised young woman without warning.
Peter laughed. "Seems to run in the family. Miles is just as incapable of holding children."
Miles and Gwen blushed at the same time. "We ... we're not..."
They both stammered, and with each word they only rode themselves further into the mess.
Peter kept grinning. "Yes, yes, exactly... and I'm the only Spider-Man in the multiverse."
Amused, he turned and swung away.
Margo, on the other hand, stopped. "As much as I didn't want to interrupt you, we have something important."

"Do you know who's behind it?" asked Gwen.
Margo shook her head. "No. But we contacted the local spider. He will meet you."
"Where?" asked Miles.
Margo smiled slightly. "Follow me." And then she, too, swung away and toward the huge skyscraper in front of them.
Gwen and Miles looked at each other and followed Margo into the large building.
They had changed a lot there. It wasn't so gloomy anymore and the "Go Home"-machine wasn't as threatening as it once was.
Nevertheless, for Miles this place still had a lot in common with Miguel. Which led him to the question...
"Where's Miguel?"

"He's gone, Miles," Margo answered. "He... it wasn't a good ending, you know. He hasn't been the same since The Spot."
Miles laughed wryly. "I don't think he ever was until then."
Margo looked at him and Gwen couldn't help to think that it took her a long time. But she still resolved to remain calm.
"So," she blurted in. "Where is the spider of Earth-120703? And what exactly is going on there?"
Gwen and Miles felt the tingling in their bodies at the same time. Their two spider senses made them turn around.
A slightly taller figure than the rest of the 'average' Peter Parkers approached them.
"We don't know yet," it answered, obviously a man, instead of Margo. "But since it's been in our world, it's decimating our police forces."

Gwen looked at the man scrutinizingly. "And you're..."
"Peter," the Spider replied, still a few feet away from them. "Peter Parker."
"Fascinating," Gwen replied sarcastically, spreading her arms. "Ninety percent of the Society is called Peter."
Peter pulled the mask off his face. Gwen immediately noticed that he also looked very different from, for example, her Peter or Peter B.
So what was it like in his world? It had to be completely different there than it was here or in her and Miles' dimensions.
"Okay, okay. I don't know why, but my friends called me Andrew. Don't ask me why."
He tried to laugh, but failed miserably. "Or at least my..."

Gwen walked up to the new Peter as he fell silent. Something drew her to him. As if she knew him, even though she was sure she had never seen him before.
But who could say that with certainty in the current time with all the inter-dimensional travel?
Peter looked at her and froze when he recognized her face in detail for the first time. "You... "
Gwen stopped a few feet in front of Peter. Miles and Margo looked at the two Spiders from a distance of a few meters,
but Miles also had to take a closer look at the new Spider-Man. "Gwen? Do you know this Peter?"
"Gw..." Peter swallowed, startled. "Gwen? Gwen Stacy?"
"Yes?" she answered, confused. "Do we know each other?"

Miles felt Gwen and Peter bond. In a way unknown to him, they exchanged experiences. "Gwen?"
"I-I... I don't know you," Peter explained, addressing Gwen. "But you're another... younger version of my... Gwen."
She saw tears forming in Peter's eyes. He suppressed the compulsion to touch her. To check if she was really real.
"You look exactly like... her. And... I've seen her fall into the depths."
Goosebumps ran over Gwen.
In any other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man.
"What happened to her?" asked Miles.
Gwen stared at Peter in front of her, her eyes wide open.
"She died."
And in every other universe ... it doesn't end well.

Miles watched Peter closely as he flinched at the last word.
Yes, she had died. And the way Peter behaved... It must have been cruel.
He stood next to Gwen and stroked her back, as she still wasn't moving. It was only through this touch that she seemed to come back to reality.
"I... I need a moment," she stuttered, pushing past Peter and Miles.
Miles exchanged confused glances between Peter and Margo. The latter nodded encouragingly at him.
So Miles followed his girlfriend, who ran out of the lab very quickly and tried to shake him off.
"Gwen?" Miles shouted desperately, but she didn't stop.

But Miles wasn't so easily shaken off. He ran after her until she finally leaned against a wall in a dark corner and sank down against it, breathing heavily.
Her eyes were moist. She tried to swallow it all up again, just as she did before she got together with Miles.
Because that was her life. Always on the lookout for hurt and dependency on others. She had always been a lone wolf. Everything she had to suffer and go through, she usually kept to herself.

Miles didn't do anything, and judging by Gwen's attitude, she had no problem with him being with her. He sat down at her side, and shortly afterwards she buried her face in his shoulder with a sigh.
They sat like this for a few minutes, which felt like hours to Miles, but without being exhausting.
He felt it was both beautiful and sorrowful that he could help Gwen in this way.

"I... saw what happened to Gwen Stacy from his world."
"You saw it?" asked Miles, surprised. "How?"
"Okay, I... oh dammit. I didn't see it, but I felt it. Deep down, Peter hides the pain of her loss. Very deep. They must have been very close."
Gwen turned her head to the side. "And that reminded me of us. It triggered something in me that I thought I had overcome."
She thought of the canon they had destroyed together. At least that's what they had been assuming so far.

"Miles, I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you."
He took Gwen in his arms. "You won't. We have proven that we do not have to bow to these turning points. You and I, we always stay together. That's a promise."
He lifted Gwen's face with his hand and looked into her reddened eyes. She didn't cry and held back, but she was close to it.
"You are my home. You were the only person besides Peter who had always believed in me. It was only because of you that I became the Spider-Man my world needed."

That was all Gwen needed to finally let go. The tears flowed from the corners of her eyes and Miles grabbed her tightly.
He smiled to reassure her and placed his lips gently on hers. She tried not to transmit her insights through their mutual connection, but he still felt some of the things she had been through when she met the 'new' Peter.
Time stood still for both of them. Gwen drew it all from Miles' affection. And Miles himself was willing to support Gwen at all times. But he also gave her all the time she needed to collect herself. Because he suspected that what followed would be a difficult task.

"What information do we have about this Earth?" asked Gwen as she looked at several details about the planet itself on the computer. "Possible opponents and so on?"
Peter, or Andrew, as he wished to be called in this world full of Peters, lest his head should burst with confusion, stood beside her.
"Osborn is dead, his son is missing, and we were able to beat Electro too."
"We? Who is 'we'?" asked Gwen.
"It's a long story. My first trip in the multiverse." He saw Gwen's piercing gaze. "Spider-Verse, pardon."
Peter A stroked his face in embarrassment. "To be honest, many of the adversaries from your worlds didn't show up at my place."
Miles looked at Gwen. "Either because they don't exist there, or...?"
"They're still camouflaging," Gwen completed the sentence. "We have to look for them. They're somewhere, and I'll bet my mask that one of them has something to do with people's disappearance."
"So?"
"What are we waiting for?" Gwen said, opening a portal to Peter A's world.

EARTH-120703

"Woah, what the hell..." Miles said in astonishment as the portal closed behind him, as Gwen and Peter had entered this world before him.
He had seen many worlds before, but this one was completely different. Everything seemed so surreal to him, so straight and detailed. He thought he'd seen this world in Ganke's video games before, but he hadn't dreamed that it was actually real.
They were standing on a pier near the Hudson River. Even the rain that fell on them smelled different.
"Okay, so..." Miles sighed, still overwhelmed by the scene. "Where do we have to go first?"
"Oscorp would be at least the first place I'd go to," said Peter A. "There's a lot of shit being done there."
"Is there an Alchemax here?" asked Gwen instead.
"No, at least not known," Peter answered, looking at the river.

Gwen and Miles looked at each other and discussed.
"There's no Alchemax here? What kind of world is this?" wondered Gwen.
If there wasn't an Alchemax lab here... how many more lies had Miguel told her about the commonalities of the worlds? To the entire canon events, about Spot, about Miles and his anomaly... everything was a lie, or at least bent for his 'propaganda'.
Did Margo know about it, or even Jess? She was an intelligent woman, how on earth – or earths – hadn't she managed to see through Miguel?
"Come on, we should go," Gwen pulled Miles away from the pier. "Peter?"
Gwen and Miles turned around. "Peter?"

The spider stood with his back to them, leaning against a tree.
"Peter?" Gwen asked again.
With a sob, he looked back at the two of them and wiped a tear from his eyes.
"Here... Gwen and I, the two of us... it was so close to her..."
"Did it happen here?" Gwen asked, taking a step towards him.
"No," Peter shook his head. "But it was our last beautiful evening before it all went down the drain."

Gwen put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "How exactly did she die?"
"I think I'm not yet ready to share this," Peter replied painfully.
He took a deep breath, looked up, and walked over to one of the abandoned stalls.
There he reached for several coats and two scarves.
"Here," he said, tossing the clothes to them. "You'd better wear these."
Miles and Gwen inspected them closely.
"The people of this world are not really used to you being real. People like you are more familiar here ... out of comics."

Chapter Text

"Why are they all looking at me like that?" asked Miles as they swung past passersby.
Peter A looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you serious? Look at you. You look like you've just jumped out of an animated movie."
Miles looked at Gwen and shrugged. Strangely enough, she had far fewer problems 'merging' with this world than he did. At least as long as she wore the clothes of this world over her suit.
"Beyond that, there's only one Spider-Man here. New York is not used to two more."
That sounded more like an argument that Miles could understand. To him, all people were equal. Even with Hobie, he never wondered why he ... looked like he looked.

"It's up there," Peter A remarked, landing on a high-rise building across the street. In the financial district, most of the houses were so tall that they offered a perfect view of the district. Peter A put both hands on his hips.
"Oscorp. A palace for scientists. But the deeper you go, the bigger the horror becomes."
"Sounds like a place to go," Gwen remarked. "Now we just need to know exactly what we're looking for."

Peter turned to Gwen and Miles and pulled his smartphone out of a hidden pocket in his suit. "I'd like to be able to tell you more, but all I've heard from the police is that they're officers who are always on patrol in the same districts. I have hunted this... being for so long, but every time I lie in wait, it doesn't appear. Instead, reports are coming from other districts."
Gwen was deep in her thoughts. "What's happening in these districts?"
"The usual in New York. Arms deals, robberies, kidnappings, rape of wom...", Peter A listed, but Gwen cut him off and pulled his jacket a little wider.
"I see," she said shortly. "The scum of New York."
"To sum up? Yes," replied Peter A.

"So there's no point in lying in wait there," Gwen noted.
"No. But eyewitnesses reported a long red rope or something like that. And they report that this figure, if it has been seen for a short time, has the same symbol on its chest as the one it leaves behind at the crime scenes," Peter A continued.
"A white spider?" asked Miles, and Peter A nodded.
"Infiltrate Oscorp, find a PC, and search their secret projects. And all this without being seen. Wow," Gwen shook her head. "I don't want to say that this is our hardest task, but if something goes wrong down there..."
"That's why we have to be very careful," replied Peter A. "All of us."

"What's the plan?"
Peter A showed a floor plan of the building. "The elevators in the tower only take us down to the ground floor without a key card. I get into the building pretending to be the photographer for the presentation of their new AI, but I don't get into their system."
If only Ganke was here, Miles thought to himself.
"So how do we get into the system?" asked Gwen.
"The server rooms," Peter A explained and showed them an area of the building that was completely shielded from the outside.
There was only one narrow shaft leading to the top.
"I can see where this is going," Gwen sighed, and Peter A smiled.
"Smart. But yes, when I see us, you're the only one of us who can fit through the shaft."

Gwen groaned. "You know I didn't fall on my head when it came to technology, but this... in a completely different world?"
"The programming language is certainly the same," Peter A shrugged. Gwen just looked at him dumbfounded. "But don't worry, once I'm in the building, I'll guide you."
"How reassuring," Gwen replied sarcastically.
"Okay, glad you two get along so well," Miles finally interrupted. "What is my job in all this?"
Peter A looked at him mischievously. "You're the distraction."
"Distraction?" Miles pointed to the suit underneath his jacket. "Where do you want to see me? In one of their institutions or in prison?"
"Calm down, Miles." Peter put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I just need some time to get into the system once Gwen has it open and create an entry for my visit."

"Wait!" said Gwen, surprised. "I thought you were going to guide me as soon as you were in the building. Do you see the lobby down there? You have to identify yourself directly! How do you think I will hack the system in time?"
"We'll make it work," Peter A said confidently. "Are you ready to go?"
Gwen and Miles exchanged a worried look. They didn't intend to be trapped in an alien dimension. But this Peter seemed to do everything he could to make this their first time.
"I'm going to regret that," Gwen groaned, swinging onto the roof, just above the ventilation grille. "Ugh, that's a real oven here."
"What did you expect, Gwen? That's where all the waste heat from the server wing and the floor flows out," Peter laughed about the comlink.
"Wonderful," the young woman moaned, unscrewing the grate to climb into the shaft. "Goodbye, pleasant rain."

"So, Miles, I need you to play the young applicant. Distract one of the guards at the entrance so I can get to the computer as soon as Gwen is ready," Peter A instructed the younger spider as he pulled a sweater and pants over his suit.
"Guys, this is a veritable maze of shafts here," Gwen said of her connection.
"Take the shaft where it's the hottest," Peter A instructed her. "When all this is over, you owe me something, Parker," Gwen replied and crawled on, cursing.

"So, Miles, like I said, play the applicant, intern or whatever. As far as I'm concerned, tell them you have to pick up your grandmother," Peter A. said. "My abuelita?!" Miles replied startled, fiddling with his quickly grabbed shoes.
"Anything but that..."
Peter A grimaced. "It's just a suggestion... I'm sure you're creative enough."
Miles was sweating on his forehead as he was pulled away by Peter A.
"Gwen, how are you?" he asked quietly.
"So, it's boiling warm, but I'm at the grid. I had to stop the fan briefly to avoid being cut in half. I think a guard got beads of sweat on his hat, but other than that, hey, it's all great," she said through gritted teeth. Oh, you're going to pay for that, Parker.
"Tell us when you're in the server room."

A few moments passed before Gwen spoke up again.
"We've got a little ... problem. The cameras here are pointed at the terminal, and the floor plates are also laser-protected."
"Don't worry about the cameras, we'll overwrite them later," Peter A said. "With the floor, on the other hand... I guess you'll have to do that upside down."
"Damn," Gwen grumbled. "It's getting better and better."
She spun on her own axis and lowered herself upside down to the terminal on a net beam and began typing. It became so unbearably hot under her mask that she had to pull it up - or down, in her current case. "And that's all just to find out if Osborn has anything to do with this thing at all."

"I'm in, what should I do?" she finally asked.
"Miles," said Peter A. "Your performance."
Miles turned to Peter as they stepped through the front door and headed for security.
"My performance? But I'm not yet..."
Peter patted him on the back, inadvertently pushing him forward. As a result, the young spider tripped over his open shoelace and fell into the entrance gate.
"Ow!" Miles shouted, rubbing his booming head as the guard and other people who had witnessed the accident rushed to them.

Peter A took advantage of the general commotion and went unseen to the other side of the gate.
He watched as Miles drew everyone's attention and smiled. The boy was pulled up and placed on a bench in front of the front door. After a brief conversation with another security guard, he was finally left alone.
With his spider sense, Peter then sensed a person line up behind him.

He turned and walked away quickly. In doing so, he skillfully bumped into the person, snatched the employee ID card from his jacket and went on to lock himself in a maintenance room.
"Good job, Miles," he said through their radio connection. "You're going to be a real actor. I was expecting a lot, but the number with the open shoelace wasn't on my radar."
"Yes," Miles groaned with a feigned laugh. "That was all... planned … just like that."

"Miles!" Gwen whispered worriedly.
"Everything's okay," Miles replied quickly.
"Sorry Miles, but I'm afraid we just improvised. I don't know how I'm going to get you in here," Peter A said. Miles stood up and staggered slightly toward the gate.
"I have a solution for that."
"And that would be?" Peter A asked, but he received no answer. "Miles?"
Peter opened the door and peeked out of the narrow gap, only to see Miles appear. "Wohow, you can make yourself invisible?"
Miles shrugged.

"Guys, we don't have time for that," Gwen urged.
"All right, all right. Gwen, here's what you need to do now..."
Peter A gave her several instructions to get into one of the subdirectories of the Oscorp personnel system. From there, she was able to give all access rights to the employee's card, which Peter had taken. Suddenly, no one had more rights than Peter in this company. Except, perhaps, Harry Osborn himself, wherever he happened to be.
Gwen also overwrote the cameras so that they would not take any new pictures after Peter's forced "entry", or rather they would be overlaid with archive material.

"And now for the magic trick," Peter said, getting into the elevator with Miles.
"Which floor do you want to go to?" asked the AI that controlled all of Oscorp's systems.
"Level minus fifteen, Special Operations."
"This floor is not known. Please repeat."
Peter slapped his face. "The ID, of course..."
He held the ID in front of the scanner and this time the female voice confirmed the selection.

As they drove downstairs, Miles turned to Peter. "How do you know all this?"
"What exactly?"
"Well, this? The technology; where you find something and things like that."
Peter looked at him sadly. "Gwen... my Gwen... had worked here for a short time. We... together we figured out a lot of things that were going on here. And when she died, at the hands of Harry Osborn, I had a lot of time. Time that I initially used to sink into self-pity. But through Aunt May I found the strength to watch a recording of Gwen again. And that's the only way I finally pulled my butt out of the swamp and worked on my skills. Gwen... Gwen would have wanted it that way."

"You and your Gwen... you seem to have been a good couple," Miles said cautiously.
"It wasn't always easy. I promised her dying father, George, that I would keep her out of anything that mattered to my identity as Spider-Man."
"Did Gwen know?" Miles asked.
"Yes, of course. At least she quickly figured it out. And believe me, it wasn't always easy between us. It... It's hard to be the hero of the city without putting your loved ones in danger. Because at some point, someone will find out who you are under that mask."
"But you did it," Miles said.
"Yes... until this one evening." Peter turned to Miles and held him by both shoulders.

"Miles, you're Spider-Man, and you and your Gwen... you're a good team."
Miles snorted, smiling. "It's good to have friends like Gwen."
"Boy, come on. The tactic may work for others, but you don't have to fool me. You and Gwen are more than friends. I don't know what happened back then, but I feel a blockage in both of you. Not between you. The two of you may be a couple, but you're not ready to let go yet."
"I... I don't always know if it's right. I've forgiven her, and my feelings for her..."

"When you see her, what do you feel?" Peter asked seriously.
Miles looked down. He didn't have to think twice.
"That everything is possible. I see Gwen and feel so at ease. So complete. I don't want to think about the past anymore. But still..." He bumped his temple several times with his index finger. "Everything that happened is stored in there. And no matter how far I banish it, there are moments when I can't stop it from coming to the front again."

"But that's normal, Miles," Peter advised him. "There will always be moments when you doubt yourself or your motifs and beliefs. But by letting her back into your life, you've already proven to yourself that your love is stronger than anger or disappointment."
"Your problems with your Gwen... how did you two solve it?" Miles quickly deflected.
"Everything that happened between us didn't matter that night. I saw her and she looked me in the eye, there on the pier. That's when I knew she wanted to forgive me for my mistakes. And I was able to give her another chance. I wanted to prove to myself and to her that my conscience was clear. Even though George and my promise were constantly in front of my eyes, in difficult moments."

He gently shook Miles so that he could look him in the eye again.
"It must have been perfect with you," Miles whispered thoughtfully.
"There is no such thing as 'perfect', Miles. I would do anything to see her one last time. To tell her one last time that I'm sorry. Miles, there will always be problems. Even you will have them. And I'm not talking about any villains, I'm talking about the two of you. But you chose her. You chose your Gwen because you want to go through these problems with her. And I'll bet everything I have in the way of skills that she did the same for you. Both of you are strong for yourselves."

Peter clenched both fists.
"But together..."
He intertwined his fingers, clenching an even bigger fist."Together you will be invincible. All you need is time."
"When do I know that the time has come?"
Peter smiled mildly. "Not at all. But you just have to believe in it. Always remember, we all have only one life. And at some point, it's too late."

She didn't know if the line was still open for some reason or accidentally, but Gwen had heard it all. Miles' doubts and Peter's motivation. She soaked it all in.
And what the two men couldn't see several floors below was a tear making its way through all the beads of sweat and dripping onto the floor.

Chapter Text

Gwen stayed in front of the screen for a while, sorting out her thoughts after Miles and Peter A's conversation. He still doubted her, despite everything he had done for her since Spot. The overnight stays in her world, the evenings in his.
But it explained why they had never taken that one further step. They still seemed like a young couple who didn't yet know whether they wanted to spend their life together. Neither of them rushed the other, after all, neither of them knew how love really worked. It was the first time for both of them to experience this feeling.

So why did she think he loved her like she loved him? It was clear to her that she loved him. Or?
But Miles...Miles was different. She couldn't expect him to automatically feel the same way about her. Miles was selfless. He loved his parents, his family. He was always there for his friends. He was what people called a hero. Because he was the one who helped others simply because help was needed and because it was simply the right thing to do... he was, without a doubt, a true superhero.

That still made them different. And until she could become truly selfless like him, she didn't deserve his full love. His affection perhaps, and especially his friendship since she couldn't live without him anymore. But only when she could find the courage like he did to always give everything, no matter what it required of you... only then were they completely made for each other.

Gwen looked mindlessly at the screen on which the surveillance override was being confirmed. It was time to return to the two of them. She slowly climbed back to the vent and took one last look at the terminal. The lasers were still active, so no alarm was triggered.
"Off to Miles," she whispered to herself and disappeared into the shaft.
She looked for the quickest way down.
However, she was never supposed to get there...

"Level Minus Fifteen," the AI said and the elevator door opened.

"So here we are," Peter A said to Miles and cautiously peeked out of the elevator. "Apparently no one expects us."
Peter shrugged. "A lot has apparently changed since Harry's disappearance. Weak security, no guards. All things that would never have happened with Harry."
Peter A walked through the circular hall, which was behind the elevator.
Several cells led off this hall, and each of them was locked. In the middle was a large table with several computers and laboratory equipment.

Peter looked at everything calmly.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," he whispered. "If you were still here, this wouldn't be so easy."
With a quick hop he was at the computer and typed in some data, only to be hit by another firewall.
“Dead end,” growled Miles, who was now standing next to Peter A.
“Wow,” he winced. "You're really quiet. But... no," he replied, taking a USB stick out of his pocket and holding it up. "We have a thingy."
“A goober then,” smiled Miles.
"Thingy, Goober... lots of names for the same thing."
He inserted the stick into the computer and watched as a window opened on the display. Peter and Miles waited until the computer finally unlocked.
“Perfect,” Peter A laughed and typed his way through several menus and file trees.

"So many projects... but dude, Oscorp has gotten really lame."
He navigated agricultural projects, technical patents and weapons research, but none of it looked suspicious.
“New medical developments,” Peter murmured. "Interesting."
He clicked on the most recent file, although like the dozens of others, he didn't expect any results there. Miles had also started playing around with the sleeves of his jacket more than looking for evidence.
Peter watched as several men he didn't know stood around a table analyzing samples.

"We're simply not making any progress here. The latest test results promise a ten percent decrease in the mortality rate, but that's not enough."
The door opens and another person, this time wearing a suit, approaches.
“Sir, you here?” one of the men stammered in shock. "We weren't expecting you at all."
"That's the point of a surprise inspection. What's the status of C402? We've already given you every means possible."
"Sir, it is simply not possible to achieve better results with the current state of medicine. There is no other component that reduces mortality."
The man in the suit paced back and forth. He looked excitedly at the men's faces.

"I'll give you all the money in the world. Nothing is impossible. And everything you give me here is a mediocre product!"
He pulled out a piece of paper from his suit and angrily threw it on the table.
"Then how can Fisk Industries be light years ahead of us?!"
He waited a moment before the scientists read all the data and passed the paper around questioningly.
"That...is impossible," one of the men stuttered.
"And then how do you explain that?!" the other grumbled. "Do you think they're doing research with other elements? No, Fisk is way ahead of us because you have no creativity! He bought everything he wanted! He hired the best lab and every capable man besides all of you here, even them Underground movement follows him!"

Peter looked up. "Fisk is a good man. He does a lot for New York's citizens. However, the Underground people are anarchists. That doesn't add up."
Miles sighed loudly. "In my dimension and everyone else I know, Fisk was a terrorist. He opened up the entire multiverse. He is anything but a benefactor."
The older Spider turned to Miles and smirked. "Even if it doesn't suit this Fisk here, covert research would at least explain the Underground... then let's stop by the Fisk Tower. Gwen knows a lot about hacking now, doesn't she?"
Both expected a response over the comlink, but the line remained silent. "Gwen?"

Miles' breath hitched when he realized how long they had been down here. Gwen should have joined them long ago. "Gwen?" he asked now.
But there was no answer from him either.
"We're probably just too far down," Peter talked uncertainly.
Miles walked to the elevator. "Are we done here?" he grumbled hastily.
Peter nodded and followed the young Spider.

Strangely, Peter wasn't stopped as he left the building. Miles had made himself invisible again, which was a big plus for Peter. Because he was the only one who had to leave the complex. No one had given Miles any more thought when the security guards had put him on the bench at the front.
But Gwen couldn‘t be seen even outside the door or on the surrounding rooftops, which was starting to give Miles a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Gwen?" Miles called again. "GWEN?"

He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed a soft landing next to him. Just like Gwen always landed gracefully when they swung through the air together.
A weight fell from his heart as he turned around and looked into her face.
"Gwen," he sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dude, you gave us a real scare."
Again she didn't answer, and her face was completely expressionless. Miles looked at her questioningly. "What's up?"

She began to smile, but it was clearly not the smile he knew from his Gwen. It was distorted, and only then did Miles notice the differences.
Gwen's hair tips were black instead of pink and the rest of her hair was a white-gray color.
Her laughter reached her ears - literally.

"Miles, be careful!" Peter A shouted, pulling him to safety with a web beam before 'Gwen' turned one of her arms into a black dagger and bit down with a wide mouth bristling with sharp fangs.
"She won't come to your aid anymore, little spiders!" the creature hissed and grew several centimeters. Only the torso and the eyes vaguely reminded Miles of Gwen.
With a growl and a powerful jump, it catapulted itself into the air and let several black tentacles shoot out of its body in order to stick them to the surrounding house walls and create a catapult like a spider's web. The monster shot towards the two men, who were able to get to the side just in time.

"What is that thing?" Miles shouted.
The black monster rushed past them again, destroying everything in its path.
"Another Peter had told me about a similar creature," Peter A called out breathlessly after they had to free themselves from the monster's grasp several times.
Peter A felt one of the tentacles grip his leg. "Miles!"
Miles turned in midair and shot a web beam at the monster. But it just broke away from it. His nets didn't even cling to this thing.

Miles landed on a wall and pushed himself off. "Oh no, you can't get him," he growled, letting electricity flow into his clenched fist. With a powerful blow, he released Peter from the tentacle and landed with him on a higher roof.
"What are you? And where is Gwen?" Miles asked the monster, who was standing among them and looking at them with his long red tongue.
"I guess we've at least found our culprit," Peter A whispered, looking at it.

The creature transformed back into Gwen, but now had a white spider-like mark on her chest - exactly the one that had always been found at crime scenes.
"The future of the multiverse," it hissed again and half of Gwen's face became the monster again. "Your Gwen, on the other hand... what a shame that you won't see her anymore. But she's not like us. Not yet. We... are the evolution. The symbiosis. The healing."
"Venom," Peter A stammered. "It's really him."
"Him?" Miles gasped. "This parasite?"

Miles turned to Venom after he let out an ear-splitting scream. "We are not a parasite!"
With incredible speed, Venom shot towards the two men and knocked them down with his tentacles. Peter flew far through the air and Miles was grabbed by Venom and pushed against a wall with several punches.

"These worlds are infested. People turning into spiders. Pig spiders, horse spiders. We're here to squash them!"
Miles felt Venom tighten his grip more and more. His chest continued to compress until he felt a few of his ribs crack.
Gasping for air, he looked Venom in the eyes. "You... aren't... from here."
"A smart head," Venom agreed. “It will definitely taste good.”
Venom opened his mouth and was only a few centimeters away from Miles.

A web beam shot between Miles and Venom just in time, preventing the latter from biting hard. Before Venom could cut the web, Peter pulled A Miles towards him.
"We have to get out of here!" Peter shouted.
"The Society needs to know about this!" Miles agreed painfully. "But Gwen..."
"We'll find her!" Peter shook the younger Spider-Man, who took one last look at the Oscorp building. In the distance they heard Venom getting closer and closer to them.
"Fast!"
Miles opened a portal to Nueva York, and with a quick jump they were gone

Chapter Text

Miles.
It was dark around her when she awoke from her delirium.
Her head was screaming in pain and her entire body was throbbing.
What happened?
She couldn't remember anything since the shaft. The last thing she saw was a slimy black thing. And then everything went dark.
Miles!
She slowly opened her eyes, and heard several electrical devices in the darkness.

Her spider sense was completely dulled. Her throat was dry and tight, and her back ached from the hard surface on which she lay.
But as her head cleared, she realized she was no longer in a vent.
"Where am I?"
After she regained control of her body, she looked around in the darkness. She could no longer feel her arms on her body. So she was definitely no longer in a shaft.
Miles?
Gwen tried everything to reach her friend, like they usually did. But what on earth in the multiverse was happening here? There was simply nothing where she always felt Miles.
And when she finally tried to force her legs to move, nothing happened either.

She was chained to whatever.
Her breathing quickened because not even her supernatural strength could break the bonds. Her arms were also attached. Even with the net shooters, she couldn't break free. Either the room she was in was huge, or...
Miles, where are you? , she pleaded into the darkness.
The lights came on and Gwen instinctively wanted to cover her eyes with her hands.
She narrowed her eyelids, blinded, as she heard several people enter.

"A new test subject, wonderful," a deep voice purred. "And they're almost identical."
Gwen realized that she was no longer wearing her mask and shook herself and pulled at the restraints.
One of the men slowly approached her. His glasses were highly reflective, preventing Gwen from seeing his eyes.
"Let me go!" Gwen growled.
She heard the rustling of a stack of papers.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Miss Stacy. Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy, right?"
The man moved closer and closer to her until he was just a step away from her. Gwen could feel his breathing.
"And who do I have the pleasure of seeing?" she asked tartly.
The man approached, far too close to Gwen's privacy. The smell of over-perfumed aftershave hung in the air and made her gag. "Thanks, Doctor Old Spice seems enough for me," she then said, coughing, before the man could speak.

"Very Stacy-like as already known. Wonderful, the multiverse really exists."
He turned to one of his colleagues. "Start treatment."
The person addressed returned the look of confusion. "Doctor Octavius? We're not even close to completing the tests yet. We need to know if she's compatible, if her condition allows treatment, and if her immune system is even strong enough."
Miles!
Gwen struggled against her bonds again. "Oh, untie me and I'll prove it to you!"
The other scientist turned to his colleague again and held his hand in Gwen's direction. "See, Strange? This girl has guts, just like the other one. Skip the tests, we need progress. Mister Fisk needs progress."

The scientist named Strange sighed.
The other man happily left the room, leaving the two of them behind. Meanwhile, Strange prepared a syringe.
"What are you doing?!" Gwen asked uneasily. Even in this desperate state, her body couldn't muster enough strength to free herself. It was ironic. She could lift objects weighing a ton with ease. Hell, she even lifted an entire helicopter. But now she couldn't even pull herself away.
The doctor came up to her and carefully examined the needle.
"I'm against the treatment. At least at the moment. But... the boss wants it that way."

He slowly pulled up one sleeve of Gwen's suit. "The idea and concept of a multiverse...it is incomprehensible. Exact copies of humans..."
"Then why are you doing this?!"
Miles, please!
Fear spread through her.
"I look at you and see potential. Just like with our first subject. If we manage to optimize you..."
Optimize?
He slowly injected the liquid into Gwen's upper arm, and after a short time her body burned like a fire.
Starting from her arm, a feeling spread through her that was stronger than any pain she had ever felt before.

Everything in her wanted to shut down, but she remained convulsively conscious.
"That's very good," the researcher stated when looking at Gwen's values.
"What...are you doing to me? What was...that?" Gwen gasped in pain before another wave of cramps overtook her and caused her to scream.
Strange waited until she calmed down.
"I'm afraid Miss Stacy...that was just the beginning."
She saw Strange pull up an even larger syringe containing a black substance. He went to her again and hooked her up to an IV bag.
He then inserted the syringe into the access and Gwen watched in panic as the black liquid flowed through the tube in her direction.

Eventually the substance disappeared in her body and she waited for whatever came next. Strange had also positioned himself behind a thick pane of glass and remained there with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
Miles!
Seconds passed - or was it minutes? - and nothing happened.
Until Gwen was shaken by pain that eclipsed everything before.
MILES, HELP ME!
She lost all sense of time as her body tried to reject everything. She tensed so badly that her back was arched at an angle that wasn't even remotely healthy.
At some point the first wave of torture ended and Gwen sank to the ground, drenched in sweat.
Miles , she gasped inwardly, completely out of breath. Miles... Fisk... Help.

-

NUEVA YORK - one day later

Miles...Fisk...Help!

Miles jumped.
He heard Gwen's voice clearly and distinctly, but he couldn't recognize her nearby. He discovered that he didn't even begin to know where he was. In Nueva York, of course, but where exactly?
The door opened and Margo entered, along with a worried Peter B.
"Miles, you're awake!" Margo shouted with relief.
"You've kept us pretty busy, kiddo," Peter B added.
Miles tried to sit up, but as soon as he did he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"Quiet, boy," Peter B pushed him back gently. Mayday was about to crawl onto his chest, but Peter held her back.

"Can someone enlighten me?" Miles coughed.
"You and Peter A, you both came back. You were already unconscious and Peter was carrying you. Miles, you have several severe rib fractures. One even pierced your lung. If you didn't have the healing factor of your spider abilities... You wouldn't have survived the night."
Miles exchanged a look with both of them. He was unconscious for a whole night? A whole night Gwen had to spend without him?
He immediately remembered Gwen's shouts. "Gwen!"
He shot up again, and this time no one could stop him. "We have to get to her!"
He untethered himself from the cables and equipment and limped toward the exit.

"Miles!" Peter B called after him. “It won’t work like that!”
"Gwen is there without me. And with this Venom thing. Do you really think I want to waste any more time here?"
Peter rushed over to him and held him by the shoulders as lightly as he could. "No, but Gwen wouldn't want you to go into battle like that. Peter A told me what happened. You barely survived the first fight."
He pointed to Miles, who was hunched over in front of him, holding his chest and his head, which was blue and red from all the swelling.
"I don't care!" grumbled the young Spider.

"Miles, please listen to Peter," Margo said. "One more fight like this and you won't survive."
"And if it's the last thing I'll do. I'll save Gwen!"
Peter B should have been proud. This boy had a determination within him that he had never seen in a Spider before. He even trumped Miguel. But even so, Peter knew that Miles was signing his death warrant if he went into battle in his condition.
He turned to Margo and whispered something to her. Margo stayed with Peter afterwards, but what Miles couldn't see was a second avatar of her typing something into a datapad outside of his field of vision.

"Miles, I understand that you're upset..."
"That's hardly the right word!" Miles growled back. "There's Gwen out there. She's one of us. She could beat any of us. And she's better than most of us. She's MY friend!" Miles didn't shy away from finally saying what he'd been thinking about her for a long time. Even if he was disappointed that she couldn't hear it.
"I'm going to..."
An alarm sounded on the station, causing Miles and Peter to freeze immediately. An intruder from another universe!
"Margo?" Peter B asked. 
The door to the hall where Miles and Peter were was broken open. Black tentacles threw the two halves of the door towards the two spiders, who were only just able to avoid it.

"Venom," Miles whispered in shock as the monster looked around and recognized Miles. With a scream it shot towards Miles.
Peter was frozen and used a web beam to get himself and Mayday to safety.
Miles, on the other hand... Peter watched as Miles did everything he could to defeat Venom. This time he didn't give up.
Maybe he's ready after all , Peter thought to himself with a nod to Margo, who was standing next to him ready to fight.
Venom was pushed back further and further by Miles with several punches.
Nothing could stop Miles, who, with sheer determination and blinding fury, pummeled the monster with electric punches and kicks.

In a final attempt at dominance, Venom hurled Miles into the opposite wall with a well-aimed tentacle.
Miles held his chest, which almost broke again. His vision became blurry, but his determination was still there.
He got to his feet and waited until Venom ran towards him. Miles shot two webs at him, jumped off and pulled Venom towards him. The monster hit the wall with a crashing sound.
Landing behind Venom, Miles attached two webs to the wall next to his opponent and used the momentum to give the black monster a final kick with both feet.

Venom went down and Miles stood over him.
"Gwen is mine," Miles said firmly, raising his fist charged with electricity.
He lashed out and was about to give Venom one final blow when his opponent transformed back into Gwen.
Miles immediately broke off the blow and stumbled back, gasping. "Gwen!"
For a moment he couldn't think. Time passed as if in slow motion.

Peter watched Miles carefully. But the young Spider couldn't move a muscle.
Venom, on the other hand... did exactly that. Faking defeat, he kicked Gwen Miles in the leg and forced him to the ground.
She now stood triumphantly over him.
And disappeared.

Miles didn't know what had happened until Peter and Margo landed next to him without saying a word.
Only then did Miles put two and two together. That wasn't Venom. It was just a simulation. But she felt so real that he fell for the bait.
Peter turned to Miles with a sad face.
"Miles...you're not ready yet. They'll use him to confront you just like that. They know Gwen is your weak spot. You wear your heart on your sleeve, not just for Gwen, but for us too. In this case it's no advantage, boy."

Miles was shaking with tension. "But...it's just a...simulation."
"Yeah, but if you couldn't beat our simulation because it took her form... boy, we knew nothing about this Venom other than Peter A's few details and still let you believe that Gwen was standing in front of you. You didn't even realize it wasn't your Gwen!"
Peter narrowed his eyes and touched his nose thoughtfully. "Miles, if you can't beat this Gwen, it won't work. You have to be prepared and still be able to hit."

Miles' eyes searched for some point to focus. Everything in his vision became dotted with black dots.
His chest compressed, making it impossible for him to breathe. His knees became wobbly.
He turned around. "I... need a moment."
"Miles?" Peter asked worriedly as he saw Miles walking towards the door.
Shortly before, the boy collapsed.
"Miles!"

Chapter Text

Her face burned.
Almost like any other body part. In fact, it felt like her insides were being cooked. But strangely, she was still alive, even though she had already received the third injection.
Doctor Strange was far from convinced, but she was more concerned with not forgetting to breathe than with getting him to stop this treatment. Whatever it ultimately brings.
"Miss Stacy, your values are perfect. Better than expected, in fact."
If Gwen had the strength, she would have spit at Strange's feet. "I feel really wonderful!"
"Excellent! Then we can..."
"That was a joke, Strange!" Gwen grumbled. "What's all this for? How long have I been here?"
Strange seemed offended by her attack because for the first time he looked at her with an angry look. "Young lady... you should feel honored to be alive at all. Furthermore, you will soon have more powers than you could ever imagine. And with these powers, you will establish a new order in this world. Our order."

“Your order?” she snapped. "Where am I here, in some underground organization with too big goals?"
Strange laughed darkly. "No. We are no longer an underground organization. We belong to a network that has set itself the goal of correcting the past and seizing control of this earth once and for all. And after that... still more."
Gwen's eyes widened. "Wow, you certainly don't lack self-confidence."
"Unlike you," Strange replied, striking a nerve with Gwen. "Since you've been here, your fear has been increasing. Your adrenaline and norepinephrine levels are at the lowest levels of normal in these situations. You're not even fighting to get out of here. You've given up."

Gwen was frozen. Given up. You have given up on yourself, a voice from inside her that she had never heard before told her. Loser.
"You don't even think you'll be rescued. Not that that's even possible, Mister Fisk has already made all the arrangements." Gwen shook off her paralysis and looked into his eyes with the determination of a fighter, a Spider-Woman. At least that's what she thought.
Strange looked back, bored and unimpressed. "That's all? Really everything? Then wait and see."

Miles, she shouted desperately in her head again.
He won't come, the voice answered again, to her surprise.
Who are you? Gwen asked.
Your destiny. Your evolution. Your healing. I feel your conflict, I see you and your thoughts.
Gwen was beyond confused. The voice from inside her was hers, but it was distorted, changed. Deeper and... more fearless.
How long has this something been inside me?
- Since our first date yesterday.
What? How can it hear what I'm thinking? Gwen wondered.
The voice laughed. I said it before, we are connected. You feel what I feel. And I feel what you feel. And right now... you want nothing more than the touch of a boy. A certain boy. You always fight for others and protect them without demanding anything. That's your life. But now you need something - or someone, and he's not there.

A heavy silence hung in the air.
Oh yes, I feel it, I see it, I... taste it.
The voice smiled again. You've been a couple for so long and kisses are still the only thing you know?
Gwen felt the voice examining her, testing her. Haha, you've really never had se ...
Shut up!, Gwen growled. Mention Miles one more time...
And then what?, the voice asked. You won't be able to get rid of me anymore. And that scares you. This boy, on the other hand... he doesn't seem really willing to help you.
Who are you?, Gwen wanted to know again.
Gwen hadn't watched Strange in a long time. Only when she felt another needle in her upper arm did she scream again. The pain got worse. But in a different way.
And then it said its name...

NUEVA YORK

"How is Miles?" Peter A asked Peter B worriedly.
"I'm on my way to see him right now," Peter B said.
"We should have a plan to find Gwen soon," Peter A advised him. "Gwen seems very important to Miles."
Peter B sighed. "Of course she is. She was the first to find him. Even before I did. She even knew him when he was just a normal boy."
"Has he always been so... determined?"
"Yes," said Peter B with a smile. "He wanted to know everything, never left me alone. Hell, the kid got me into tricky situations several times. But his determination is his strength. He has a selflessness in him that I've never seen before. In anyone us. When he sets his mind to something, he does it. Like with Spot, or with his doppelganger on Earth-42. I'd be lying if I said all of it was planned, but... Miles always saw things differently than the rule book."

They eventually found Miles on a lonely viewing platform. As on his world, he always retreated to a hill to think. The Williamsburg Bank Building in his dimension, and here the highest visitor platform in the Spider headquarters.
"Miles?" Peter B asked.
The young Spider didn't react and continued to look towards the approaching sunset.
"Miles...I know you want to go to Gwen. Better yesterday than today. But we need a plan."
"I'm going to free Gwen," Miles said simply.

Peter B groaned. "I'm aware of that. Believe me, everyone here knows that. But you know the Fisks. He won't just let you walk into one of his labs. Remember the Alchemax in your dimension. And remember what's going on there at the end."
How could Miles forget that? Spot, the collider, everything that made him Spider-Man. Everything had its origins there.
“And not only that,” Peter B continued. "How do you plan to deal with this Venom? You two barely survived the first fight. You won't succeed with just a little stealth and electricity."

"Peter!" Miles shouted angrily and spun around. "I know that! But what should I do? Do you have another idea? No? I thought so."
Miles paced back and forth.
"You won't do it alone, boy," Peter B admonished him, and Miles looked up at him.
"Who says I'm trying to do it alone?"
Several figures swung onto the viewing platform. There was Noir, who walked decisively towards her. Peni in her new SP//dr bot. Margo...of course Margo, Peter B thought. Hell, even Jess was there. And next to them Hobie, Pavitr and another Spider-Man.

“Peter,” he introduced himself refreshingly light-footed.
“Creative,” Peter B smiled. “Do you have another name?”
"Parker? But I guess everyone here already knows that. I'm the 'Insomniac Spider-Man'."
Peter B shook his head. "Too much caffeine or is there no night on your Earth?"
"Excuse me?" Peter asked confused, but Peter B waved him off.
"Forget it." He turned back to Miles. "Okay, so... what are you guys planning to do?"

Miles considered. "Gwen is being held somewhere by Fisk."
"Kingpin?" Peter B asked in surprise. "Hopefully that Fisk doesn't try something with a collider too."
"He'll have done it by now," Miles remarked.
"What makes you think that?"
Peter A stepped forward. "The Gwen we saw there...that wasn't my Gwen. And it wasn't your Gwen either."
"So a Gwen from another dimension..." concluded Peter B.

Miles nodded. "I don't know yet if this Gwen obeys Kingpin or if they are working together. But we have to assume that both have a common connection."
"Which means that a rescue mission has to be as unseen and as quickly as possible," said Peter B.
"I can make myself invisible, but no matter where Gwen is, she certainly won't be on display. And speaking of which... ."
He turned to Margo. "Gwen...she told me Kingpin had her."
"How could she even tell you that? We haven't heard from her since she disappeared," Margo asked.
"Long story," Miles sighed. "In short... we can communicate with each other. I don't know how it works or why, but we can."
"That's so cool!" Peni squealed happily before Peter B gave her a warning look. 'Not now, Peni!'

"I always said, thes‘ two have something goin’ on!" Hobie said what everyone was already thinking.
"Hobie!"
The punk raised his hands defensively but amused. "Two spiders in love, sitting in a tree, what a scooby love story. An’ no on‘ believed me."
"You told the others?" Miles asked confused.
Peter B interrupted the two of them. "That's enough now. Yes, Hobie knew it, I knew it too after Gwen told me she was sorry. And honestly Miles, I'll tell you again, everyone who knows you knows it."
Miles looked at the other faces, who all nodded.

“Let’s get back to this whole communication thing,” Peter B directed the attention back to the essentials. "So you can sense Gwen."
"Yes, but only when I'm nearby. We can exchange scraps through this connection. But since she doesn't know where she is, that doesn't help us. It's like finding a needle in a haystack."
He sighed and leaned against the wall of the building. It was all like a single nightmare from which there was no awakening.
"Margo, can you somehow locate Gwen, with Lyla or something?"
Margo stroked her chin. "No...Lyla just knows what dimension she is in. Sorry, Miles."
Peni intervened. "But we have access to the software of her watch. We only need her inter-dimensional data."
"To then track a trace of their whereabouts in a respective dimension," Margo continued. "This is genius."

Peni grinned happily. But Margo suddenly looked doubtful.
"We just have one problem: We don't have any data from her."
"What exactly do you mean by data material?" asked Miles.
"DNA. Something where their genetic code is stored."
Peter A cocked his head. "Don't you have a blood sample from her or something?"
"Peter... it's not like we take blood from every Society member here. We're not a hospital."
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Peter A replied defensively. "Just wanted to offer my help."

Miles, on the other hand, had a flash of inspiration. "Wait a second, I have an idea."
He opened a portal into his world and disappeared into it. He reappeared just a few minutes later, an article of clothing in his hand.
“What are you trying?” asked Peter B, amused. "The costume party isn't until next week."
"Very funny, Peter," Miles replied. "Peni, Margo, take this and examine it. I bet you'll find enough material there."
Peni took the article of clothing and lifted it up. It was a VISIONS T-shirt. But it was clearly too small for Miles.
"Is that what I think?" Peni asked with an ambiguous smile while Margo was already running an analysis.

Miles groaned in annoyance. "Yes, Peni, it's Gwen's shirt for sleeping. And yes, it's with me in my dimension. Yes, in my room."
Pav clapped his hands over his mouth enthusiastically. "Ohhhhh, this romance, it's almost unbearable."
"Pav!"
Grinning, the Indian Spider refrained from making any further comments, even after Jess elbowed him in the ribs.
"I've got it," Margo finally shouted, and everyone turned to her avatar. "Peni and I will update your goobers once we and Lyla have upgraded the software."
She nodded to Peni, who set off with her to the headquarters. “Until then, take your time to prepare.”

Peter B nodded. "Miles, you're going to free Gwen, that's clear. But please, make sure no one sees you. I'll stay here and monitor everything from the outside. The other Spiders will be divided into three teams. Jess, Noir, you're making noise outside. Be prepared to have to go in as a backup in case things get dirty in there. Peni and Margo will take care of the security systems and everything that goes with it. Peter A, you, the Insomniac sleepless one..." - "Hey!" - "...and Pav, you're going to cause such a riot in the lab or wherever they're holding Gwen that Fisk and his men won't know what's happening to them. Let's give Miles enough time to find Gwen. Understood?"
Everyone nodded and Peter B was sure that everyone had internalized their tasks.
"Well then, rescue team... step away, or something," Peter B said ironically with a wave of his hand.
Shaking their heads, the Spiders left the platform, leaving only Miles and Peter B on it.

Miles stared at the Nueva York skyline.
"You should rest too, kiddo," Peter said worriedly.
"You know very well that I can't do that."
Peter leaned back against the railing and exhaled heavily. "There's a good chance you'll run into that Venom again."
Miles nodded silently.
"Do you think you're ready for this? Do you think you could tell them apart if they were both standing right in front of you, looking the same? Because that's what's going to happen."

Miles turned to Peter and looked dead serious in his face.
"If it was your MJ, what would you do? Would you still doubt?"
Peter was blown away by this question with the hardness of a train hitting him.
Of course he knew what he would have done, no matter how slim the chances were. He kept forgetting how strong Miles and Gwen's bond had been from the start. She once went to his VISIONS university without even knowing exactly why. Her senses told her to meet Miles there. Wasn't that proof enough?
"No," Peter finally answered with a strange determination.
"Peter, I don't know what I will do when she confronts me. But I know who my Gwen is. And I will defend her against any dangers that come."

Miles turned and left. "I'm ready to face the consequences."
Peter watched silently as Miles disappeared into the tower.
Pride flooded his body. Proud for the boy the child had become. Proud of the skills Miles now had within him.
And proud of himself for being his mentor in times when Miles needed a guiding hand.
"I believe you, Miles. You have my trust."

Chapter Text

"You wanted something from me?"
Peter B walked into the house, barely brighter than a cave. Since he was last here in this place, it seemed even more chaotic and dark than before. What was Peter surprised, because the resident of this house had been through more than was possible in a human life. Which wasn't surprising, because he was special. Someone like Peter B.
"There are rumors that there is chaos?" a voice said that barely resembled the voice that had once belonged to this person.
"You heard?"
Peter sighed and walked further into the middle of the room, which was normally supposed to be a living room.
"Who told you?"
"Do you still think you can keep everything a secret from me? I was the one who planned everything here," the voice croaked, amused.

Jess, Peter thought to himself, disappointed. She was still loyal to that person. Even if she had chosen her side back then. The only correct site.
“Do you have it with you?”
Peter rubbed his face with his hand.
"You know you don't need that stuff."
"Oh yes?" Peter heard the sound of leather as the person rose from a chair.
There were heavy steps walking towards Peter.
And Peter was terrified when the man finally stepped into a partially lit part of the room.
"Look at me! Look me in the eye and tell me again that I don't need this!"
"Miguel..."
The longer Peter looked at the Spider of this dimension, the more painful it became for him.
Miguel had lost a lot of weight. His face was sunken and the muscles in his neck were barely there.
He was only a shadow of his former self. Condemned to inaction.

"What happened to you?" Peter asked quietly.
"What you made me to be! All of you! Starting with that boy and Gwen!"
Even though he wasn't the same Miguel on the outside, he was still intimidating.
"I...we had everything, Peter! We were in control!"
"About something that didn't need control. You saw it! There is no general canon, Miguel!" Peter shouted back. It took a lot to upset him, but Miguel just did it with ease. "Get over it."
Miguel clenched his fists, but Peter was unfazed. He exhaled to relieve his tension and return to the original topic.

"There is chaos, yes. And that's why I'm here. There's a new threat. Well, it won't be entirely new to you," Peter explained, holding up a photo.
"Venom," Miguel said bitterly.
Peter nodded limply. "You beat him back then, here in your dimension. In front of the Society."
Miguel sat on a chair and listened carefully. He knew he needed leverage to convince Peter, and Peter handed it to him on a silver platter.
"We have to stop Venom. He...she...threatens everything we've built here."
"She?" Miguel was clearly more interested when Peter changed that little word.
"Yes," Peter sighed.

"She has the human form of Gwen Stacy."

So there are other Spider variants of Gwen, Miguel thought. I was hoping that Spider-Woman from Earth-65 was the only one of her kind.
"Miguel?"
"Where did she appear?" the Spider asked calmly.
"Earth-120703, and before you ask, it's just been discovered," Peter explained. "The disturbing thing is that the Gwen Stacy of this world has already died."
"As you can see, obviously not," Miguel said, but Peter shook his head.
"No, in this world too, Kingpin seems to be experimenting with a collider. The Spider-Man of this dimension said that he saw Gwen die in front of his eyes. She... was his lover."
Miguel looked up and grinned darkly. "And now you're trying to tell me again that there is no canon. You know what Stacy's fate is."

“And then how do you explain our Gwen?” Peter wanted to know. "Our Gwen has proven that her fate is not fixed by canon."
“Exceptions prove the rule,” Miguel said with a shrug. "Besides, just because she convinced her father to resign doesn't mean he's safe for life. Lyla's simulations only show the most likely cause of death."
He narrowed his eyes at Peter. "... And you know that."
Peter shook his head. Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that Miles and Gwen should at least be at peace for now.

"Miguel, just tell me how we can defeat Venom."
O'Hara looked at him with an indifferent look. "You know what I want."
"And you know I can't give it to you," Peter answered stubbornly. "It will still be your death."
"I'd rather die from this than rot in this hole. And besides, you need information. So: Rapture for knowledge. Do we have a deal?"
Peter tilted his head back and let out a breath from his mouth. Miguel had it in his hand. There was no one in the Society who had ever defeated Venom. Nobody but Miguel.
Was any piece of information worth this exchange?
Then he thought of Gwen, trapped there on Earth-120703, with no help. Miles could save her, he knew that. But they couldn't simply eliminate the threat.
He thought of his friends and sighed in defeat.

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out several small vials of bright green liquid and tossed them to Miguel.
"I don't want to have to regret this," Peter growled, grumbling. "So?"
Miguel pulled out a needle from a nearby cupboard and drew up the liquid. An injection into his shoulder was enough and the pleasant feeling of strength returned to Miguel's body.
"Every Venom has a weak point. The Venom of this world was vulnerable to fire."
“Fire then,” Peter muttered. That's at least a start.
"How to fight him?"
Miguel looked at Peter without moving a muscle.

"Miguel?"
The following words were not intended to reassure Peter. Rather, they also brought out the last doubts in him.
"Not at all. You can't fight Venom and win. No matter how hard you try, Venom will win."
"But you said fire defeated him."
"That's what I said. But no matter what you use, Venom will win," Miguel replied darkly.
"In which way?" Peter didn't know if he wanted to hear more.

He already had a suspicion, and he didn't like it. Not because of Gwenom, but he was already thinking ahead.
"Venom can only survive as long as he has a compatible host under control. He dies as soon as that host dies."
Peter narrowed his eyes. It was even worse than he had feared.
Miguel smiled victoriously. "To kill Venom, you must also kill the host. And since they used Gwenom to capture your Gwen, they realize that they need an identical copy of the first Gwenom's host in order to develop another symbiote. Peter..."
Peter forced himself to look at Miguel. Anger boiled within him at the truth his former friend had said.

"How long has Gwen Stacy been missing?"
"Almost two days," Peter whispered, his voice cracking.
"According to my guess, they won't do any testing since they already know Gwen Stacy, through Gwenom. So they quickly began to start the process. And in two days..." "Miguel! You can't know that
.. ", said Peter.
"Peter, don't be so naive. You know exactly what's going on."

"There has to be a way..." Peter thought desperately.
"There is no other option, Parker. We both know that. You can certainly kill Gwenom when the time comes. Now you know what to do."
"But what about Gwen?!" Peter shouted. "If she really was exposed to Venom, we have to help her!"
"You can help her," Miguel replied. "There is a way to end their suffering."
Miguel looked emotionlessly into Peter's wide eyes.

"Help her by killing her."

"Miles...Fisk...help"

Gwen's voice echoed in Miles' head almost every second.
No matter what he did in the last few hours, it didn't distract him from the mission at hand. It was not just a mission, but the most important one in his life.
As if every single decision had resulted in this one battle.
Even his mother couldn't reach him.
"Miles, mijo, escúchame! What's bothering you?"
Miles didn't know how to respond to that question.
He needed a place to relax when he couldn't find any distractions. So he went back to his parents for his final hours.

"Gwen," he sighed. "We...were on a mission."
He told them everything, from their concert to Earth-120703, and his parents still had trouble understanding this whole journey between dimensions. They accepted this with him and Gwen, after all she was immediately welcomed into the Morales family. But how many dimensions were out there? Their own universe was still unexplored enough, but other universes? That made their heads explode.
Still... Miles was able to travel there, and they listened with excitement as he recounted his experiences. They even planned to take Miles to visit Gwen's father in their dimension when one day it was possible to travel without technology and no longer have to glitch.

"You're scared," his mother said after Miles told him everything that was worrying him. And that statement was a pure understatement compared to the chaos that was raging in Miles' body.
"And there's nothing we can do to take that fear away."
"Rio, mi amor ..." Jeff wanted to interrupt his wife, but she raised her hand.
"Nó! We are afraid every time you go to another dimension. Even if you just go to Gwen. Because there is no way for us to be able to help you if something happens to you. But we trust you both. You are so brave. And being brave doesn't mean being fearless. It means facing your fears. That's what you do. You and Gwen, you care for each other. And just as she helps you, you're helping her now. She has brought you back to us. We are eternally grateful to her for that."

She took Miles' hands in hers and held them tightly. "We would love to be able to help you in whatever way..."
"You're already helping me," Miles smiled tiredly. "You're always there for me. Mami y papi, I couldn't ask for better parents. Knowing you're safe gives me strength. But I don't know if that'll be enough this time..."

"Miles, Junior" said his father gently. "I survived because you and Emo saved me. I saw you fight for what's important to you. I'm proud of you, and I bet Aaron will be watching you from above, too. But now I demand from you for saving Gwen."
Miles opened his mouth to say something when his watch chimed.
"Miles, we have them!" Peni shouted excitedly, and faster than Rio and Jeff knew it, a portal opened in front of them.
Miles stood in front of it and looked back at his parents again.

"Promise us you'll save her," Jeff told his son.
"I can't promise that, you know that," Miles sighed. "But I will give everything to hold her in my arms again."
"I guess that's all I can ask of you."
Miles nodded and pulled the mask down over his face.
"Miles. Eres un niño maravilloso. Get it. Trae de vuelta a nuestra hija, prométemelo !"
" Sí, mamá. I'll get her back," Miles replied, swallowing hard against the lump that had formed in his throat at his mother's words.
With a nod of his head, he checked with his parents again and disappeared into the portal.

My name is Miles Morales. I was alone until she came into my life.

Gwen hung limply in her bonds, but she was breathing. Even after the fifth injection, one worse than the last.
The voice in her head was getting louder, but Gwen still had faith.
Trust in Miles, no matter what the monster in her head told her.
You are alone, forever. Let go and accept your fate. We can do so much good.
"No!" she moaned into the void. "You won't win."
I've already won. We will achieve great things.
"No ..."

She was the one who showed me that there were more of my people. More beings with my abilities.

"Miles, are you ready?" Peni asked.
Miles looked around. Behind him stood the entire group of spiders to whom he trusted his life. And not just his, but Gwen's too.
"Does everyone know what to do?" Margo said seriously, and each of them nodded.
"Oi, that's goin‘ to be a tough job," said Hobie cheerfully. "But you have us by ’ur side, brotha!"
Miles suppressed the laughter that arose within him.

Friends of mine. And from Gwen.

A portal opened and Miles looked into the eyes of his group one last time.
Peni's eyes lit up. "SP//dr and I are ready."
Margo was motivated to the bones. "All avatars are charged!"
Peter B nodded. "I'm here anytime you need me."
Noir tipped his fedora. “Let’s stop them.”
Hobie tuned his guitar. "Blondie is coming back into the band!"

I'm ready. We are all ready. Ready to go into battle for Gwen.

Jess revved up her motorcycle. "Let's bring the little one home."
Peter A nodded. "It'll be a breeze."
Insomniac checked his gear one last time. "I am ready!"
Pavitr … was Pavitr. "Ay, let's get the lovebirds back together!"

Kingpin cannot defeat us. Venom won't win.

Gwen's breathing was shallow, yet her heart was pounding in her throat.
She couldn't defend herself for much longer.
"Miles..." Her voice was little more than a dry croak.
"We need more material," she heard Strange say to another scientist in the distance. "She's definitely compatible, but she still resists the influence."
She was ready to lose her life here.
"Remarkable."
No. Rather, she was looking for a way to end her life now, before she no longer had the chance.

For years the Society was my enemy. And I still only trust very few of them. But these are my friends, her friends... our friends.

Gwen's breathing calmed down.
She had no strength left. Everything was used up by the fight, which she now was about to lose.
She closed her eyes and stretched her arms inside her head. Her final thoughts should go to Miles, her light.
In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man... and in every other universe, it doesn't end well. Why should things have turned out differently for her?
Gwen embraced the approaching light...
When the room around her suddenly went dark and an alarm sounded.
And the familiar, soothing tingling sensation spread across her entire body.

Hang in there, Gwen. We will come save you. Just hold on a little longer!

- END OF THE FIRST ACT -

Chapter Text

SECOND ACT - BELONGING

They all said I was still a kid. I would be too young. I was caught in their web, but now I'm ready. I'm not a child anymore.

A laboratory beneath the Fisk Tower. It was too easy. But often things that someone had placed directly and obviously in front of everyone were seen the least.
But all the leads that Margo and Peni could track ended here, at Fisk Tower. Or rather, several floors below. Miles stood on the roof of a house, his friends behind him.
And since they stood here, he felt her again. But she was weak, very weak. They didn't have much time left.

"Jess, Noir, it's your turn."
"Finally," the black and white spider whispered. "Finally we can throw a little party!"
He swung off the ledge and used his web beam to snatch the radio out of a guard's hand.
Noir used the momentum and landed on the opposite side of the street. "Hey, is that what you're looking for?" he asked enticingly and held up the device.

The guard shouted loudly and ran towards him, only to be knocked out in the street by Jess.
"Not elegant, but it will do," she told herself.
Another guard witnessed the attack and spoke into his own radio. "Disturbance out here...multiple Spider people?"
"I think we have their attention," Noir nodded to Jess and touched the communication device on his ear. "Miles, the stage is yours."

"Understood. Peni, are there blueprints for the laboratory?"
He waited a moment until Peni hacked into New York's network.
"No, Miles. There are no other floors in the archives other than a basement with underground parking."
Miles shook his head annoyed. So they had to go through the front door, not an ideal start. He watched the huge lobby of the Fisk Tower. Despite the late evening hour, there was still a lot of activity there. He didn't have any problems with it, but the other spiders couldn't camouflage themselves. And he doubted that Peter A, Imsoniac, Pav and Hobie could move unnoticed. Their appearances were too special.

Miles sighed and checked his web shooters again. "It'll probably be bumpier than expected."
He was about to jump when Peni stopped him. "Miles, wait! I might have something."
"Please let it be good news, Peni."
"I think so. You know, shouldn't a high-rise like this have a solid foundation right under the underground parking lot? Because... there's nothing there."

Miles turned to Peter A. "I don't think physics works any differently here than in our dimensions?"
"No, definitely not. Peni, is there any access under the tower?"
It became quiet as Peni examined the plans. "There is a subway tunnel not far from the tower. But I can't see if the tunnel and what's under the tower are connected."
Miles snorted. "At least it's better than going through the front entrance."

“I don’t want to bother you,” Jess said, annoyed. "But we have a bunch of people here. It would be great if you could do the whole thing quickly."
“Got it!” Peter A confirmed. “So let’s go!”
The five Spiders swung from the house they were still standing on to the subway line in question. They didn't have to walk long to get to the part of the track that was underground.

At some point, as they went deeper and deeper, Peter A caught up with Miles.
"Is everything okay with you?" the Spider asked worriedly.
Miles shrugged. "I don't know." He sighed for a long time. "No, nothing is okay. Not until I hold Gwen in my arms and get her out of there."
Peter A smiled quietly.
"What was she like? I mean your Gwen?" Miles wanted to know.
"She had it all under her belt. She was cheeky and she didn't let anyone tell her anything. Your Gwen reminds me a lot of her personality. Gwen...she was everything to me."

Miles watched Peter as he spoke. The older man's eyes sparkled when he talked about his Gwen. He still seemed to be in pain from the memories, but he seemed to have come to terms with it.
"Was she into music?" Miles asked.
"Music? Absolutely not. She used to play the piano when she was a child, she said, but never again since then. We were once in a store and she tried out the drums... bad idea."

Miles and Peter A laughed. “How about yours?”
"She...plays drums."
Peter A was amazed, but his grin widened, which Miles noticed immediately. "But she can do it. She plays incredibly well."
"I'll have to listen to it when this is all over. That doesn't sound like my experience at all."
Miles curled his lips. Yes, once this is all over...

“Okay, guys,” Peni piped up. "You're now theoretically next to Fisk Tower. Do you see any entrances?"
The Spiders looked around.
“An old, rusty door,” Pav said, pointing to it. "Not more."
"It's worth a try," said Hobie with a shrug.
"Nah, I don't think so. Shouldn't something like that look much more magnificent if it belongs to Fisk?"
Hobie went to the door and looked at it. Unexpectedly for the other spiders, he opened it with a powerful kick.
“The most brilliant secrets are hidden behind the rustiest doors,” the punk said, while the others just had their mouths open.

"How did you know there wasn't any surveillance?" Miles wanted to know.
“Not at all,” replied Hobie. "It was just a gut feeling."
One by one they entered the room beyond. This one was definitely not as old as the door would have you believe.
"Next time you have a gut feeling like that," Miles finally said. "Then at least let us know beforehand."
Hobie grinned and closed the demolished door behind him. "Surprise is the only constant."

Once inside the room, they recognized several metal detectors and sophisticated machines. It wasn't a high-tech lab, but someone was definitely looking to make money here.
Miles and the other Spiders walked from shelf to shelf in amazement.
"Oy, who still believes in a tool shed her‘? Tha‘ stuff is dope as..."
"Hobie!" Miles hissed, but he couldn't help but look at all the technology the further they went, until the corridor ended and led into a warehouse.
“Oh, holy shit,” Miles blurted out.
Even higher shelves contained every technology imaginable, each more expensive than the last. Magnetic shoes, gravity grenades, stealth suits... Miles could have continued the list forever if he hadn't been here because of Gwen.

"Just a few things of this and my New York would be safe until the end of days..." Insomniac also marveled.
"Peter...Pete, agreed?" Miles asked, and the Spider nodded. "Pete, everything here is a weapon in the wrong hands."
"What you don' say," Hobie teased. "But this is really hot shit here. Look at that gun there."
He pointed to a pistol, or rather a revolver, with a wide, purple-glowing attachment on the barrel. "What does it do?"
“Leave it lying down!” Peter A shouted to the punk. "We have another mission."
Hobie raised his hands unimpressed and strolled on.

Miles stopped in front of another piece of equipment at the end of the room, the design of which looked all too familiar. In the middle of two outlets was a chamber barely larger than one person.
Pav came to stand next to him. "Is that what I think?"
Miles nodded. "A small version of a collider. So it's true, Fisk really uses this technique here too."
"Apparently this time it's not to bring his family back," Peni said over the radio. "By the way, I sense several extremely strong energy fields in front of you.
"Gwen?" Miles asked.
"Possible," Peni replied.

They left the hall behind them and opened the roller gate, which was also the exit, as quietly as possible.
In front of them was a corridor with several doors.
It was a corridor more familiar from horror films. Each door hid a secret that none of the Spiders wanted to reveal unless absolutely necessary.
It was also pitch black. Only the small red lights that glowed above the card readers on the doors lit the room in a dangerous, gloomy hue.

"I know things like this," Pav whispered as they delved deeper into the complex. "Usually the really disgusting ones always come out of..."
Pete bumped into an object that he couldn't see in time due to the extreme darkness. It turned out to be a rolling table, and it rolled along the corridor with slightly squeaking tires before it came to an abrupt stop against the wall at the end of the room with a loud crash.

Every spider froze instantly. "Who was that?"
“Hopefully they didn’t hear us,” Pav said quietly.
But they heard several footsteps and a double door flew open. A dozen armed men rushed in.
“You absolutely had to jinx it,” Peter A growled under his mask.
“What kind of guys are these?!” one of the men shouted.
"We're just looking for something," Pete distracted the questioner while Miles made himself invisible. "You don't happen to have time to show us around?"
Fisk's men raised their weapons and aimed at the visible Spiders.
"Guess there's no tour," Peter A shrugged and used a web beam to pull the gun out of a man's hands.

The other guys started firing. Miles jumped to the ceiling to avoid the first barrage. The remaining Spiders had a lot more work to do to avoid the bullets.
Pete threw a round disc onto the ground between the spiders and their opponents, and a human-like figure formed from it.
"A nanotechnology dummy? Really cool!" Pav shouted happily after he had ensnared a shooter in a net.
Pete's dummy distracted two men, who were eventually killed by him.

Peter A used his nets to send a man flying into a wall with a powerful kick. From the sound of the bones breaking, Peter could already tell that he definitely shouldn't get up again so quickly.
"Go," he growled at Miles on the ceiling. "Find her. This is our stage."
He attached a net to Hobie and threw him at the nearest opponents. "Guess the casting is over for you!"

Miles was still crawling invisibly along the ceiling, but Pav's scream stopped him. He looked around and realized that one of the shots had hit the Indian Spider in the upper arm and the remaining few men had gathered near the exit. He was about to intervene, but Pav gave him a pained nod. "Go! She's more important!"
Miles hesitated, but ended up moving further into the next room.

He heard another scream, but it didn't come from the corridor behind him, but from another area directly in front of him. It was too familiar a voice. "Gwen!" he cursed, and nothing could hold him anymore. He swung down from the ceiling and slammed open the doors in anger, only to stop dead in his tracks. The sight before him made his stomach twist.

Gwen hung limply on a vertical treatment table, only attached to four shackles and a noose around her stomach. He had never seen her in such a vulnerable state. Nothing reminded him of the self-confident girl, at least on the outside, and that caused his anger at her tormentors to boil over.

What was even worse was that there was an energy shield between him and her that seemed to be stronger than the one back in Mumbattan.
Miles could practically smell the charged air around the wall of energy.

"I'm impressed with the determination with which you and your friends broke into our labs," a voice from Gwen's area said. "But this is where your pathetic break-in ends, little spider."
A man wearing octagonal glasses stepped out of the shadows. The energy field distorted his appearance, but Miles saw the man's trademark grin.

"What did you do to Gwen?" Miles asked as calmly as he could, the sounds of fighting from the hallway echoing muffledly in the back of his mind. He had to concentrate on the mission at hand. Gwen was all that mattered. Hang in there, Gwen.
She twitched slightly at the thought of the words. Miles heard her quiet murmur as she slowly came to conscience again.

"She will be optimized. Science is the playing field for diverse discoveries," the man laughed.
"And you'll probably tell me your plan now like any villain..." Miles groaned.
"Why should I? I'm not a monster, and I'm definitely not a villain. I make the world a better place!"
Another man came to his side and looked at Gwen. He checked her vitals, and if Miles didn't know it, he saw a brief moment of concern before he regained control of his features.
"I've stopped Fisk once. I'll do it a second time," Miles said firmly.

"I was afraid you would say that. Strange, you may continue."
He turned and went away as the man named Strange pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. Instantly, tons of energy shot through Miles, emanating from the shield. That's why it was so strong, Miles thought to himself. It was so overloaded that it was barely kept under control. But any spike could already make it unpredictable. Much to Miles' chagrin.

Miles narrowed his eyes and collapsed to the ground. When he looked up again after a few moments, the table was empty.
"Peni?" he groaned.
"She's still here," she simply replied.

Miles heard her before he could see her. Two tentacles slammed him into the wall behind him.
Fuck, he cursed internally.
Miles blinked several times and in front of him she stood...Gwenom.
"You're not real..."
"No?" she replied playfully and threw him violently against the shield. Miles screamed at the energy.
"But it feels so real. Electrifying, doesn't it?"

"Guess who I ran into here," Miles gasped into the comlink in his ear.
"We're trying to get to you!" Peter A shouted.
"Miles, she's vulnerable to fire!" Peter B said in his ear. "Use this to your advantage! Jess, Noir, go in there and support the others."
"Fire," Miles repeated, looking around.

Gwenom slowly approached him as he found the only item he could use. He pulled it towards him with a web beam.
"Creative, a Bunsen burner," Gwenom laughed, getting so close to Miles that the flame touched her black skin. But she neither flinched nor appeared to be in pain.
"It doesn't work," Miles growled.

Gwenom grabbed him and threw him against the energy field again.
"Time to crush a spider."
Gwenom raised one of the tentacles and brought it down towards Miles.
The boy felt the air being knocked out of his lungs and fell to his side.

Gwenom launched another punch, but at that moment Hobie darted through the door and used his electric guitar as a distraction, as he had done in Mumbattan.
Gwenom screamed, clearly confused by the sounds the punk was playing.
Her body became disfigured as Venom howled in pain and moved away from his host body for brief moments.

For the first time, Miles saw the real Gwen. She looked only slightly different than his girlfriend. Her hair was longer and she looked a few years older. She was missing the piercing on her right eyebrow, but otherwise they were almost similar.
"High-frequency sounds," Miles concluded. "Hobie, don't stop!"
“Finally an order that I can get used to,” the punk grinned and continued playing.

Miles, however, focused on the shield. He placed both hands on it, even as he was almost grilled by the sheer strength.
"Peni... Margo... if you can, deactivate it!" he groaned.
"It's still too strong, Miles!"

Miles pushed through his pain, absorbing more energy. "Now!"
"Done!" Peni shouted and Miles stumbled forward as the shield was deactivated. His body full of energy that threatened to erupt at any moment, Miles staggered across the room.
"Can't...hold it...anymore," he groaned strainedly.
"Get out of the room!" Margo shouted.

Hobie and the others made it just in time before Miles nearly exploded, releasing all excess energy into his surroundings.
Gwenom, left behind by the spiders, was just recovering from the sounds and screamed again as her body was engulfed by some of the energy. Shortly afterwards there was no longer any evidence of her presence where she had stood a short time before.

Miles, on the other hand, felt at least a little better and pushed through a door in front of him. Behind it, on the other side of the aisle, stood Strange, turning around in shock. In front of him was Gwen, obviously unconscious, who he held in front of his body for protection.
"What on earth are you?"

Miles was breathing heavily, but his goal was closer than ever. He took several steps towards Gwen and Strange. "I'm really pissed off right now," he growled angrily.
Strange couldn't move a muscle. He also just watched in awe as Miles pulled Gwen towards him with a web beam and was knocked out with a Venom punch by the young Spider.

"Miles?" Margo piped up. "I know you don't want to hear this, but your action just alerted the entire tower. Every guard is on their way to you."
"That's our signal then," Hobie joked. “Is our drummer on board?”
Miles darted back into the lab. "Yes, let's go!"

The group sprinted back into the subway shaft. Pete placed several more electromines at the entrance.
As they waited for the portal, Miles checked Gwen's breathing. Luckily he heard and felt it, and finally she blinked slightly. "'iles? W-where...?"
Miles felt mountains fall from his heart with relief as he looked into her eyes and heard her voice. Those of the real Gwen... his Gwen.

Hobie watched the two until the portal opened in front of them. When Miles tried to walk through, the punk held him back.
“Not to the Society,” was all he said. "You know who can help her better."
It didn't take Miles a second to understand what Hobie was telling him. The Society was still too dangerous a place, especially now that it was clear that Gwenom came from another dimension. So what stopped Fisk and the scientists from tracking them to Nueva York?
Miles opened another portal and nodded to Hobie.
"Take good care o‘ Gwendy. We'll cover the tracks with a few jumps. And you'll disappear from the radar until we have a solution to this world's problem," he said.

Miles looked at the other Spiders, watching Pav intently. “Everything’s fine, it was worth it,” he said, referring to his wound.
"Thanks, guys," Miles spoke honestly. "I...couldn't have done it without you guys."
“The band always plays together,” Peter A said, winking at Hobie.

With a few final looks, Miles stepped through his portal with Gwen in his arms, and the others made a circuitous return to Nueva York.
“Why isn’t Miles coming with us?” Pav finally asked Hobie.
The Spider looked at him seriously. "Gwen is in the best hands with Miles and his family. Sometimes there are moments when no science in the world is more healing than your own family."

"Doctor Octavius?" Strange ran towards him. "They disappeared! With her!"
"That is … unfortunate."
Octavius turned to Strange, holding one of Gwen Stacy's samples. His mouth twisted into a diabolical smile.
"But our happiness may also lie in our misfortune. It's time for our experiment to finally be tested."

Chapter Text

You don't deserve him.
You destroyed everything.
You killed Peter.
The voice grew louder and louder, and the noise around it became more nagging.
You don't deserve to be Spider-Woman.
You don't deserve it because you're too weak.

Gwen slowly woke up.
She expected to see futuristic, high-tech gadgets from Nueva York, but instead she found herself lying in an ordinary bed in a completely chaotic room. Miles' room.
She immediately jumped up and lifted the blanket. She was no longer wearing her suit, but was wearing remarkably comfortable clothes over her base layers.
She heard a groan from across the room. It was Miles who was just waking up too. He must have been watching her and fell asleep. What happened?

Miles has always been able to sleep better than her. Even if they were in bed together, or on the sofa... as soon as he fell asleep, a bomb could explode right next to him. Even that wouldn't have woken him up.
She, on the other hand, was immediately wide awake at every noise. It clearly was one of the disadvantages that she was usually alone and had no one to help her with her specific problems for most of her life.

Her head exploded. But her whole body found it relaxing to no longer be tied to the table.
And finally she realized she was safe. Miles had saved her, even if she didn't see how. The last thing she was consciously aware of was just a tingling sensation that had spread throughout her entire body, far more intense than her usual spider-sense. Everything after that happened in her blackout.
She looked at the boy's face with a worried smile. He came to her. Too late, the voice in her head whispered.

Miles rushed to her side, having cleared the remaining sleep from his system. "Gwen!"
His girlfriend took this as an opportunity to burst into tears of joy and fear and threw herself around his neck.
"Thank God, we didn't know if you would make it," he said. "Mom took you as soon as we got here. She said she'd never seen a living person in this condition."
"Did she changed..." She pointed to her clothes, not knowing why she was still shy when Miles looked at her. They were a couple, and even though they hadn't gone beyond the first step yet, she felt comfortable with him. In fact, she thought he was the only one she wanted to show herself to.

But there were the days when she couldn't even look at herself in the mirror because of the guilt.
She had betrayed Miles, and every time she saw her reflection and remembered Miles' disappointed look, the thoughts came. She didn't deserve to look good, eat well, or have fun. Not after everything she had done to Miles.

There were even times when she would cover the mirror with a towel in the bathroom so she wouldn't have to see herself. Because she didn't have the proportions of those beautiful women in all the romances or on the billboards. She didn't have wide hips or a stunning bust. No, she didn't think she was attractive, and these days she wondered what made Miles want to date her or even fall in love with her.

She often skipped meals to at least feel some punishment from her stomach growling. Her father didn't like this at all, as he knew that his daughter would have to eat significantly more given her abilities. In retrospect, many of her behaviors explained themselves now that he knew what she was.
In his good times, he liked to tease her about how, when she was fifteen, she ate twice what he ate at a police barbecue. And he was already fed up, which was saying something given his stature. Gwen, on the other hand... he had to literally force her to stop eating.

And now... now sometimes it was enough that she just had to look at food to quickly sprint to the bathroom. The stimulus always came, whether she had a full stomach or not, and the days when she vomited dry were the worst and most painful. But again, she felt strangely satisfied afterwards because she felt she deserved it.

It was the same game when sleeping. Even though her calling tended to disrupt her plans, there were nights when she couldn't sleep. And there were quite a few. Sometimes it took several days until she finally collapsed in her bed or on the way there, completely exhausted.
All things considered, it was a wonder her father even let her be Spider-Woman anymore.

Back in the present, Miles realized Gwen was in her thoughts. She subconsciously saw him watching her, unaware of whether she was okay. She was with Miles, in the place where she had no problems. Here she ate everything Rio cooked with appetite and joy. Here she could usually sleep dreamlessly, and Miles' looks embarrassed her. Was that what defined a relationship in its beginning? That strange feeling of being unwell without being sick?

He wouldn't have had to save you if you hadn't let yourself get caught, the voice suddenly whispered darkly. You are to blame for his danger.
She shook her head vehemently. "Sorry Miles, I... this is all so weird."
"You don't have to apologize, Gwen. And yes," he said with a smile. "My mom dressed you after she fixed you up. I didn't see anything." Gwen made a mental note to thank Rio later and nodded to Miles.

"What did they do to you, Gwen?" Miles finally asked more seriously. He winced at the sudden dullness of her skin. "I-I didn't want to offend you. You've probably been through a lot. Bad things."
Gwen sat up and threw the blanket around her body. She was shaking like a leaf. Miles had seen her anxious before, but not to this extent.

"There was...this creature. I...I wanted to come back to you, but it had me."
"What creature?" asked Miles.
"I don't know. It had no shape to me, no body. It was just... black."
"Venom," Miles concluded seriously.
"What is it?" Gwen said in fear.

Miles sighed. How was he supposed to explain to Gwen what even he didn't fully understand? And most importantly, how could he tell her that it was a multiversal twin of hers? The multiverse had given him many things, not the least of which was this special woman before him. The only one he ever loved with all his heart.
But it was precisely in moments like these that he saw how unknown the construct still was, no matter what Miguel and the Society had built with it.

"It's a parasite, a virus... I don't know exactly what it is, but Peter should know. He seemed tense as we prepared to rescue you. Peter A and I encountered Venom when we left Oscorp. And at first we thought everything was okay because..."
Gwen wiped the tears from her cheeks and tilted her head. "Because what, Miles?"

Miles sighed and exhaled. "Venom had controlled a particular body. One, which is why we believe you were kidnapped by him."
Gwen's eyes widened as she understood. "It was me."
"Not you, but a version of you, from another world," Miles explained. "What we saw on the videos was a Gwen Stacy with Venom. Peter called her 'Gwenom' for convenience. So Kingpin had already succeeded because this Gwen looked a lot like you."

Gwen felt herself choked up as she realized the extent of it.
"They...had injected me with something. Several times. I've never been in this much pain. They wanted to give me more because they knew I was fighting it. But then you came."
"So they didn't make it," Miles stated with relief and hugged Gwen again. "Everything is going to be alright."

Gwen melted in his embrace. She felt the love and affection of the man whom she also adored as Peter once did. If not more, because Miles was real. But was it now time to tell him what she now thought about him? What if he wasn't ready, or she had made things worse? She had lived alone all her life, but now she was sure she couldn't do that anymore. She needed Miles, and no misguided feeling in the world could jeopardize that.

Finally she felt Miles twitch and briefly suppress a groan.
"Miles?" she asked worriedly.
She looked into his brown eyes. Eyes in which she liked to lose herself. Gwen didn't know it was possible to fall in love and fall in love with something as simple as eyes, but life proved her wrong.
"There was a shield between us. Stronger than Mumbattan's. Gwenom kept throwing me against it. But I absorbed a lot of it and it was hell after that. The seconds until Hobie and the others were finally safe were the longest in my life. Only then could I unload."
Miles rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Guess there's still some of it in my body."

Gwen smiled worriedly.
"They really messed us up, didn't they?" she said after a few moments, to which Miles responded with a laugh.
"But we're still standing. You and me."
Gwen leaned against Miles' side, grateful and exhausted.
They let a few seconds pass together without thinking about anything. Nothing was more important right now than their bond of friendship.

"Hungry?" Miles asked shortly afterwards.
Gwen smiled weakly. "Infinite. I could kill for a good...breakfast?" You don't deserve to eat.
Miles looked at his watch. "More like...dinner. But yeah...I see it that way too. Besides, I think Mom will be happy to see you."

"She's still here?"
"Night shift. But I don't think even that would stop her from looking after you. She's obsessed with you."
Blood rushed to Gwen's cheeks. Miles' mother was an extraordinary woman. She never knew what it felt like to have a mother after her own died at an early age. Her father had given her everything he had. But a mother...she was special. No father in the world could have the same connection with his child as the mother who gave birth to it.
No wonder why Miles was so much better to those around him than she was.

Miles finally helped Gwen to her feet and opened the door to his room. It didn't take a second for Gwen to enter the living room and Rio stormed towards her in tears. "Gwen, hija!"
Gwen didn't know how to process this situation, so she just stood there overwhelmed while Rio hugged her. "You kept us all on our toes."
Rio let go of her and wiped the tears from her face.
" Hija, come on, you look terrible."
" Mom!" Miles shouted.
"It's true, isn't it Jeff?"
From across the room they heard a surprised cough as Jefferson Morales choked on his coffee. "Rio!"

Gwen laughed at Miles' mother's humor and honesty and gave Miles' father a small wave. "Captain!"
"Emo!" he answered seriously and stared into her eyes. And even though Gwen had just been freed from her ordeal, she deftly met his gaze.
Until Jeff's expression turned into a laugh and he walked towards her. With a jerk, he hugged her too, much tighter than usual. Any normal person would probably have suffered a broken rib, but Gwen was able to easily cushion this with her skills.
"It's nice to have you back, Gwen," Jeff finally said.
"Thanks," Gwen simply replied.

Miles stood behind her the entire time and, as always, was completely surprised by the two's mock bickering. But it also showed how much she had become accepted by his family, and that Gwen had become almost a second child to Rio and Jeff.
Apart from the completely 'insignificant' fact that Gwen and Miles were dating and were from completely different dimensions.

“What can I get you?” asked Rio. "Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water?"
Gwen's eyes began to shine and so they found themselves at the table.
Miles had gotten a glass of juice while Gwen had gotten a cup of hot chocolate.

Miles looked at Gwen in surprise. "No tea? I always thought you drink tea because you..."
Gwen answered the question with an annoyed look. "Miles...I'm half Irish, not British."
"I thought it was the same..."
"It's NOT the same, Miles."

Rio and Jeff were in danger of bursting out laughing, and Miles swallowed against the lump and feeling of embarrassment.
"Geography has never been his strong suit," Rio said conspiratorially, but Miles protested.
"That's what the person who meant studying at Princeton would be too far from New York says!"

They mock-argued together for a few minutes, which was just fine with Gwen.
Finally, for a while nothing revolved around her condition or the experiences of the past few days.
But as always, their actions caught up with them sooner or later. "What will become of her?"
Three heads suddenly turned to her.
"Her?"
"Gwenom, Miles," she replied.
"Who is Gwenom?" Rio asked.
Gwen looked at Miles. I guess it's time to tell them.
Miles nodded at that, happy that their connection was still working.

Gwen took a deep breath.
Just thinking about what had happened made her stomach twist. But she realized his parents needed to hear the truth.
So she told about the mission in Peter A's world, about Oscorp and about... Gwenom. Talking about her imprisonment was the hardest part, however.
It still seemed like a distant memory, a dream that she had never experienced in reality. But when she ran her hand over her arm, where she received the injections, she was painfully reminded that none of this was just an illusion.

When she finished the story and Miles filled the empty spaces in her memory with his information, the two adults sat next to Gwen, completely overwhelmed.
"G-Gwen... I... we... we didn't know..."
"I'm safe," Gwen smiled exhaustedly. "Thanks to Miles and our friends."
Rio looked at Miles proudly. "You saved her. I'm so happy. You faced an enemy just to save Gwen."
Miles rubbed his head sheepishly. "We were lucky, but it had to be done. I couldn't leave her behind."
"Of course," Jeff said naturally.

As he looked at his father in confusion, an idea occurred to him. So after a few minutes he stood up.
"What are you planning to do?" Rio asked him.
"Nothing, Mom, but I just need to go on a quick patrol. I need to know that everything here is safe for Gwen."
Gwen then stood up too. "I can come with you if you want."
But Miles rushed to her. "No," he said harshly, only to continue speaking immediately afterwards, albeit in a much more relaxed manner. "No, you need to regain your strength. Please stay here."

Gwen cocked her head questioningly, but before she or his parents could say anything, he swung out of his bedroom window.
"What the..."
"I don't know, I didn't understand it either, Jeff," Gwen said with a shrug and sat back down.
She drank her drink greedily and then rubbed the cup absentmindedly.

Rio nodded to Jeff, who stood up and got his police hat. "I should go too. Unfortunately, the district doesn't run itself."
Gwen looked up at him. Hopefully at least Rio stayed with her. She didn't know what else to do with herself, and she didn't want to hear that voice again.
Jeff walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's really nice to have you here."
"Thank you," she replied quietly, and Jeff disappeared with a farewell greeting to his wife.

Rio then watched Gwen for a few moments.
"There's more, am I right? Not just what happened when you were rescued."
Gwen smiled weakly. She couldn't fool Miles' mother. Gwen nodded slowly, but she didn't dare look Rio in the eyes.
"How are you?" Rio asked cautiously.
"Good," Gwen replied monotonously, forcing a smile. But Miles' mother saw right through her.
"Gwen, when someone answers like you, they usually mean the exact opposite."
She saw Gwen's eyelids twitch. She wasn't feeling well. Not at all. Something was eating her up inside, and Rio didn't know if she was ready to open up. But then Gwen took a deep breath.

"I...don't know why I even deserve Miles."
"What do you mean?" Rio said interestedly.
"I see Miles almost every day. And every time I see things that make us different. He is so good and selfless, so loving. To everyone who is his friend or family. But all I was was selfish. When I first met you, I only told him about myself. About my mentor Jess, about the Society, about Miguel. But it never occurred to me that I would ask him about his life. How he was doing. I knew he missed me when I saw his drawings. But all I did was betray him and close myself off."

"He knew so little about me while he wanted to tell me everything about himself. But I barely listened to him. All I thought about was the mission."
"But you visited him," Rio interrupted. "So you did something for him after all. Even if it's little, and less than usual between friends, but at least it was something. However, he was also completely devastated when you left. I know why now, of course, but ..."

"I know, Rio," Gwen said, biting her lip. "I keep reliving this moment in my dreams, and every time I make the same mistake. I just wish it was the one thing I kept from him."
"He's forgiven you for the Society thing, Gwen," Rio wanted to reassure her, but something in the look of the young woman in front of her made her stop. There was something much deeper that hadn't yet come to the surface. And judging by the tears forming in Gwen's eyes, it was something that was bothering her.

She gently stroked Gwen's hand. "You know you can tell me anything. No matter what it is, I'll keep it to myself. It stays between us."
It was Rio's warmth in her touch and her words that broke all of Gwen's dams. Big tears fell onto the table surface as she let go.
"There was this moment in my time at the Society, before my visit to Miles..."

🕷️

Gwen swore. She felt her life losing more and more meaning with each passing day. Everything about the Society now upset her. They didn't get any further. And neither does Gwen herself. The anomalies were now appearing in almost every dimension, and despite the significantly increased number of spiders, they were barely able to get control of the situation.

She had just saved a dimension from an otherworldly rhino and injured her shoulder in the process. This wasn't the first time she'd done this, and more often than before.
She pounded her fists on a sandbag in the headquarters training center on Nueva York, hoping to release at least some of the pressure and anger.

She didn't even notice the spider that landed next to her and watched her.
"Should I tell Miguel that we'll need a new bag later?"
There were times when she liked Hobie's British accent. A lot. But right now she didn't care about anything. All her attention was focused on the training device, which was beating her up like every trick in the book.
"Oh, that's a whim," Hobie finally smiled when Gwen didn't answer.
"Hobie, I'm really not in the mood for this shit right now."

The spider continued to look at her, and at some point placed himself between Gwen and the sandbag. "Talk to me," he demanded.
Gwen tried to push him aside, but Hobie stayed put. If necessary, he would have even attached himself to the sandbag.
"Come with me and Mindy and we'll jam a little," he said.
"No! I don't feel like it right now!" Gwen grumbled angrily. Why couldn't anyone see that she wasn't making progress?
Miguel and Jess still refused to allow her to visit Earth-1610 to visit Miles. What was her problem?
What could be so bad that she couldn't even see if Miles was okay?

"Nobody here knows what I feel. Nobody is going through this. And they all accuse me of not being allowed to do the missions that I want to do."
"Gwendy..." Hobie began.
"Stop calling me that!" Gwen snapped at him with a raised finger. "You don't know what it's like..."
"To have lost someone? To miss someone? To follow blunt orders without questioning them?" Hobie interjected angrily. "Yes, Gwen, I know that. And do you know why? Because I don't belong here either!"

"You're a Spider-Man. You belong here," Gwen corrected him confidently.
"Sure? What if I tell you I'm not the original Spider of my dimension? Mindy was!"
"Your guitar?" she snapped back. "You're such an idiot. I'm kidding myself."

She had never seen Hobie as angry as he was right now. He quickly came to her and stopped just a few centimeters from her face.
"Mindy was...she saved me from my future," he said angrily.
Hearing him like that gave Gwen goosebumps.
"Everyone thinks they're in control of me, telling me what to do. Except Miguel. Every time I see him looking at me, I know he hates me. And why? I was meant to become the Tombstone in my dimension. But Mindy...she saved me from Kingpin."
Gwen guessed who or what Mindy was. "She was your Spider-Woman."
"Yea'," Hobie simply replied.

Gwen took two steps back. "And she saved you? You're...you were the enemy."
"We were a team, Mindy and I. I fed them information when I was in Kingpin's inner circles. Guess how the Society was able to stop him?"
"She conspired with the enemy," Gwen said, shocked. "What was she thinking..."

"Mindy did the right thing!" Hobie shouted angrily. "But it all got too hot. When Kingpin found out, I was given a choice. And you know exactly what that means with Kingpin. Death by a punch or by a bullet. And when Kingpin shot, Mindy came and... ."

"She sacrificed herself," Gwen whispered.
Hobie's nostrils twitched. "So don't say she did anything wrong. She even left me her research on the spider venom! That was the only way I could become the next Spider-Man. She was the reason for all of this. But Miguel already knew it before I came to Nueva York. It was because of Mindy and her legacy that I was accepted right before you got here."

Gwen still felt the anger within her and now Mindy too. "That was so irresponsible of her!"
"No!" Hobie reached out and struck. But Gwen brought herself to safety. "She was everything to me!"
"If it had been her, she would be here now, and you..."
Another blow, and this time he hit her in the stomach. She staggered back.

"And what about you?" Hobie spat angrily. "Each of us tries to suppress something and suffocate it with something else. Anyone who has done something wrong first looks for the fault in others until he can no longer lie to himself. Who's your idiot you need to sort things out with?"

This time it was Gwen who punched Hobie in the chest. He backed away, coughing.
Then another attack from Gwen before Hobie grabbed her leg and brought her down with a kick.

"He's not an idiot!" Gwen growled. "It's all my fault!"
She catapulted into the air and slammed into Hobie again.
"And what's stopping you from correcting it?" Hobie hissed.
"I can't. I CAN'T! They won't let me see him, Hobie!" Gwen screamed, breathing heavily. "How am I supposed to do this right?!"

Hobie straightened up again. "If you could tell me I could see Mindy again... I would do anything."
"But they forbid it!"
"At least you still have someone!" Hobie shouted back angrily. "You can go to him anytime if you finally get up the nerve and pull the stick out of your ass!"

Gwen lashed out again and shot towards Hobie. But before she hit him, she paused before him in a sweeping posture.
"I won't allow him to be put in danger," she said, trembling.
"So you're really the only idiot out of the two of you..."

It was exactly the pain that those words caused her that she had been searching for for days. Finally someone else said it to her.
And what made it so much more intense was that she could feel Hobie still blaming himself for the fact that it wasn't he who took the Kingpin's bullet, but Mindy.
He increased the feeling of her anger.

And after several moments of facing each other like that, they both walked towards each other.
She grabbed Hobie's neck and kissed the British Spider hard, and Hobie kissed her back just as harshly.
Pain... pain and loss... both were the fuel in the fire and passion that currently united them.
Hobie pushed her against the wall of the empty training room and Gwen pushed her middle towards him.

The two kissed fueled by despair.
Gwen let her tears flow. This all felt so wrong and right at the same time that it tore her apart inside.
Gwen stifled a moan, nearly stuffing a fist into her mouth as Hobie breathed into their kiss.

"Miles..." she just sighed until her head snapped back to reality.
She turned away from Hobie, who surprisingly didn't resist.
Rather, she saw a slight smile on his lips.
"I...I can't do this, Hobie," she stuttered. "I...Sorry, I..."
"Gwendy..." he interrupted her gently. "Of all the things you could have done, that was the only right thing. Trust me, I would never have let it get that far. You are my drummer. And finally, for the first time, you see what you need to do. And now continue on this path, to him, to your Peter Pan, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. He's waiting for you."

🎶
Do you ever feel like the tear drops just won't dry?
Smiling in a crowd when all you wanna do is cry
Do you ever feel? Do you ever feel alone?
Do you ever feel like there's just nowhere to go?

When the world turns upside down
And you're falling to the ground
And the ocean's in the sky
Got you feeling low
When the world turns upside down
And you're falling to the ground
And the ocean's in the sky
Don't give up, no, no
🎶

"I failed them all," Gwen cried. "Miles, Hobie, they were all braver than I could ever be."
Rio gently rubbed her back the whole time.
"And me? I have nothing to offer."
Rio smiled slightly.
"Why are you laughing?" Gwen asked confused.

"Sorry, Gwen," Rio said. "I didn't want to hurt you. But I would like to be as young as you again. I'm not talking about what you've been through. You've been through bad things, no doubt about it. And I don't judge at all that you and Hobie helped each other, in a phase in which you both were undoubtedly without a path to the goal. But don't you see that you have already done more for Miles by giving up than if you and Hobie had continued? I don't always agree with the things Hobie does, but in this case he gave you the drive and the reason to make your decision and ultimately visit Miles. You have proven that it is only Miles who owns your heart. So don't let it, that your doubts are eating you up."

"But it's exactly these experiences that scare me. I was ready to cheat on Miles. Even if we weren't a couple back then..." "
And that's exactly why you don't have to blame yourself," Rio talks to her gently. "Everyone is allowed to be weak. Because despite all your superpowers and heroic deeds as Spider-Woman, you are above all one thing: a human being. A young person at that. If you and Hobie had experienced this one moment together, nothing would have happened. But you decided against it because you knew you only wanted to experience it with Miles."
"Why is this all so difficult? Why can't it just be possible to understand it all?" Gwen sighed dejectedly.

Rio smiled. "This is life, Gwen. This is the only process of growing up. There are no shortcuts in it, no matter how hard you try. The only thing you can do is get back up, no matter how much it knocks you down. Just don't give up, never! I can't tell you what's stopping you from taking this step. I can only motivate you to do it. Because you're such a wonderful woman. It's your weaknesses that make you complete. Who make you a protector for Miles. And who allow him to return the favor for your kindness."

"I just don't know what to do, Rio," Gwen complained, burying her head in her hands. "I feel like everything I touch becomes a misfortune. I used my friendship with Hobie to make Miles jealous. I never revealed that there was nothing between us. But he accepted it. Hobie had done his part too, but I could have defused it at any time. Because yes, I slept at Hobie‘s, but only because I didn't have a home and Hobie was the only real friend to me. I couldn't just go to my dimension back where my father wanted to arrest me."

Gwen grabbed her hair so tightly that she almost ripped it out. "You know, Miles called out to me back then that I shouldn't have come back. Back when we all surrounded him in the Society. When I heard him, I could have cried and screamed. They all cornered him. And me? I stood there and allowed it to happen, without resistance. Because I believed Miguel's lies without hesitation. That makes me just as guilty. I knew it in that moment, and that's exactly why I deserved it."
Gwen rubbed her face, and Miles' mother could tell by the shiny film on her skin that she had just been crying.

Rio placed her hand on Gwen's chest, right over her heart. "You said you had nothing to offer. I'm telling you that's not true. When Miles talks about you, his eyes light up like never before. He's always happy after spending time with you the moment when he will see you again. No Gwen, you don't have 'nothing' to offer. You, and only you, are already everything he needs. No superpower will change that. Miles Morales loves and in my opinion even especially Gwen Stacy. Not just Spider-Woman."

Gwen sobbed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Rio noticed that as soon as she wore the suit, she appeared different. Her suit gave her security, strength and fearlessness. But once she took that off, she was just Gwen, a neighborhood girl. A teenager who is plagued by exactly the same problems as those without superpowers. If not even bigger. She couldn't talk to anyone about the difficulties in her life. Til today.

"Has anyone ever told you how good it is to talk to you?" Gwen asked embarrassed, but with a smile.
“It depends on how much you want to talk about something,” Rio replied. "And I feel that you still have some things on your mind. All I can do is listen to you and offer my advice if you ask for it."

This was exactly what Gwen needed. No guidelines, no instructions, and lots of freedom. Everything she didn't have in society and should never have.
"Thank you," Gwen whispered. "I'm willing to go down this path, just with Miles. So much of me wants it and thinks it's right. But then there's always this fear of screwing it up again. Disappointing him again or watching him go for it I have to pay for my mistakes."
Rio laughed. "I'm going to tell you something you won't like to hear: you'll disappoint him again."

Gwen looked at her with frightened eyes. "But Miles will also disappoint you at some point. And in the same way, you will comfort each other. You can't always avoid the fact that you have points of tension. Overcoming them together, that is an important part of relationships. Always be aware of one thing: Gwen Stacy is allowed to be afraid. She is allowed to be afraid. To any extent imaginable. But also allow that Gwen Stacy in you to feel joy, humility, love and..." Rio looked into the hallway, where the apartment door
was opened. "... and family. Because that's what really counts in the end."

Chapter Text

When George Stacy was washing his plate in the evening and there was a knock on his door, he expected it to be a normal visitor: the parcel service, a neighbor, or the elderly but very lovable Eleanor Bronski, who had once again misplaced her keys. He would help and then go back to his evening program. The New York Avengers played the New Jersey Ultrons, and it was a game that should never be missed.

However, when he saw his daughter's boyfriend standing in front of his apartment without his daughter accompanying him, he began to have doubts.
"Miles. This is a surprise visit. Where is Gwen? I wasn't expecting her until tomorrow."

He could see in the boy's posture that something was wrong. Miles stood in front of him, slightly hunched over, and didn't radiate the self-confidence he usually had. The fact that Gwen was still missing and Miles didn't speak up were two alarming signs that something was wrong, too. Very wrong.

"Miles?" he asked now more demandingly. "Where's Gwen?"

🕷️

"Gwen! Thank heavens!"
Miles hadn't even closed the apartment door a centimeter when he saw George Stacy rush over to Gwen and wrap her tightly in his arms.
"Dad!" Gwen shouted, distraught. Rio and Miles just watched the two Stacys without commenting, and finally Rio went to the kitchenette and filled another glass with water, which she then placed on the table.

At some point Gwen's father looked up and realized exactly where he was and, above all, who was in the room next to Gwen. "Rio, I...sorry..."
Rio raised his hand and immediately interrupted him with an engaging smile. "No apologies, George, I would have reacted exactly the same way to Miles."

The man in front of her smiled mildly and then turned his attention back to his daughter. "What happened? Miles explained a few things to me, but... I hope you understand how absurd this all sounds to someone like... me."

Gwen looked tiredly over at Rio, who understood. "I think there's pizza tonight. I'll let Toni know."
She picked up the phone and ordered something to eat for everyone. Gwen had to tell her story again, but this time Miles helped her out much more often.

Rio and George watched as Gwen reached for Miles' hand at each 'climax' of the story, who offered it to her without pausing his monologue. It was just natural for him to give her the safe space she needed, and Rio in particular noticed this trait with a proud smile.

However, George seemed to be just as overwhelmed as Rio before. Dimension jumps, Alchemax, Oscorp, Fisk, Venom. Except for the latter, these were all terms that seemed familiar to him, but not in a threatening way. On Earth-65, these companies stood for a health preservation group. At least that's what George believed until now.

Because just like on his Earth, no one on Earth-120703 suspected that Fisk secretly had dubious things going on. Maybe he should use his still existing police contacts to get to the bottom of the whole thing undercover.
Now, however, everything should only revolve around his daughter.

A few minutes later, each of the four people was sitting in front of their pizza. Once again it was Miles and Gwen who both swallowed their food in record time.
Rio and George sat across from them with open mouths and surprised expressions. Until Gwen's father laughed at some point and Rio turned to him.

He looked over at her. "In our dimension, they have pizzas with pasta. I just thought of that when I saw the tuna on your pizza."
"Pasta on a pizza?" Miles asked with a mix of disgust and surprise. Gwen yanked his hand excitedly.
"Miles, you have to try this! We call it Nuzza. This combo is amazing!"
Gwen beamed at him as she lectured about this culinary specialty.

Miles' gaze snapped to her. "Are you serious?! I don't even know who offers something like that. Separately, yes, but together... it's a horror for the taste senses."
"Miles!" his mother hissed at him, but he also saw a clear distrust of this combination in her eyes.
"That's what the person who puts tuna on their pizza says. Ugh!" Gwen wrinkled her nose. "But there really isn't Nuzza available here?"
Rio and Miles both shook their heads at the same time, to Gwen's disappointment.
“You really need to catch up on that when you’re with us.”

At the same time, George looked at his daughter. There was no question that he had accompanied Miles to this dimension, especially after he mentioned Gwen. And when he saw her for the first time in several days, he wondered for a brief moment whether it was really Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy sitting there, or a ghost of his daughter. Because judging by the bags under her eyes and the ribs clearly visible under her clothes, she had to be in a miserable state.

No, not just miserable, but completely worn out and exhausted. But she was still his daughter, and the way she hugged him in return made him glad he got here as quickly as possible. Even though they now got along brilliantly again, there was still a strange distance between them. He saw how well she got along with Rio. It was almost as if she was her...

George faltered at the thought of his wife's death. Everything he did since that fateful day had the sole purpose of giving Gwen a life that he could give her as best he could. He tried to give her enough love to be enough for two parents. Damn, he loved his daughter fiercely. And yet, as she grew older, every look became more painful. Because his daughter became more and more like his Helen with each passing year.

"Dad?" Gwen finally asked him that evening when they were sitting together in the living room and she couldn't stand the way he looked at her anymore.
She had sat down right next to him and was leaning against him while Miles and his mother laughed at a comedy show on TV. They had stocked up on everything their pantry had to offer: popcorn, nachos, tortillas, guacamole dips (Rio raved about her grandparents' recipes), even cornbread. In addition to many other sweets.

Gwen happily grabbed a bar of chocolate of a type that didn't exist in her universe. The Morales family did everything they could to make Gwen and her father as comfortable as possible after Gwens captivity.
George could definitely see why Gwen loved being around Miles' family. They offered her things that he simply couldn't offer her, especially an intact family.

"Dad?" Gwen asked again, shaking his arm slightly.
George shook his head and smiled. "Sorry, darling."
He seemed to want to hold on to a thought and not lose it, and finally he spoke again.
“Did I ever tell you about your birth?”
“Don’t,” Gwen waved with a half-laugh.

"Wait and see. It should have told me a lot back then," George grinned. "It was a rough day. Storms, rain, all the bad weather you could imagine. We barely made it to the hospital. Helen was already in labor when we got there."
George grinned at her. "One thing was clear: You were definitely in a hurry, because it took less than an hour for you to be born."
"I just liked being low maintenance," Gwen said sarcastically.

But her father didn't laugh again.
"There were, however...complications. Not that the lights were constantly out, because the whole clinic was only running on emergency power. No, you were born and..." George swallowed hard. "You had the umbilical cord wrapped around your neck several times. You didn't scream because you couldn't breathe. Your face was already blue when they brought you into the world. It was so complicated that even the doctors didn't know where to start in such a short time. Panic broke out in your mother and me. But suddenly you moved, and not like a baby would, but differently. As if you were trying to get yourself out of your situation alone. And eventually you got it to the point where the doctors could do the rest."
Gwen was silent. She had never heard this story before. She didn't know what to say to that, so she waited.
"You've always been different. And in that moment I saw it for the first time. You know how to help yourself. Maybe you always knew."

George stroked his chin. "What I'm trying to tell you... We felt so helpless at that moment. We couldn't do anything but watch you. I never wish a moment like this for you when you ever have children. As parents, you want to control your child's every move until they get to the point where they can stand on their own two feet. And let's be honest, every good parent does that even further after that, in the hope not to be annoying."
Gwen smiled briefly.

"I guess that moment came earlier for you than for other children...much earlier. And you'll find it strange, but back then, at the Guggenheim ...I remembered the day you were born. Because suddenly I didn't I had the control any longer. When I caught Spider-Woman, I thought that the nightmare was finally over. That we could finally find peace. But the real nightmare and helplessness only began when you took off the mask. I just stood there and every word you said went into my heart. Nothing in me could form a clear thought anymore. So the police officer in me took over and reflexively did the only thing he knew how to do."

He gently ran his hand through Gwen's hair while his daughter still looked at him, completely spellbound.
"All my life I have done everything to ensure that you are well. That you can grow up safely. And that you are no longer alone. That Helen is no longer there... she would be as proud of you as you are on your path like me. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that you're now spreading your wings. That from now on it's no longer in my full control to keep you safe. To raise a child with your abilities... there is no rule book for this. But you can be sure that I will help you wherever I can. You will remain my little daughter forever. Just please allow your old man these moments of weakness. Everything will be fine, Gwen, trust me. No matter what they all want you to believe, you're the best thing I've ever done in my life."

He finally nodded to Miles, who was still looking at the television.
Gwen was still looking at him, completely petrified, like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car. And all she could do was throw herself into his side and hug him even tighter. What she no longer saw was Miles, who was laughing mildly on the other sofa and, after several minutes of silent listening, turned back to the program on television.

🕷️

Gwen woke up earlier than Miles the next morning. Something inside her felt unsettled and restless since the night, so she scanned the room to find something she could do. But she didn't get far because Miles stirred next to her at that moment.
He slowly looked at her and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face with one hand. "Hey."
"Hey," she whispered in response and laid her head on his chest. His slow, steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat always helped her calm down.

"Short night?" Miles wanted to know, but Gwen just shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. Somehow... I think it's the last few days. With everything that's happened, it's probably normal to not be able to calm down." - "You can say that out loud," Miles replied with a smile.

He sat up and looked at his watch. He then looked at Gwen with a traitorous look. "Little joint patrol? Just swinging around in the fresh air?"
Gwen beamed. "Good idea, Spider-Boy."
Just a few minutes later they were in the air over New York, and unsurprisingly their route took them to the only point that always connected them.

The morning sun was just coming out from behind the clouds and shining towards them. Gwen leaned her back against Miles' side, keeping her eyes closed in silent pleasure.
"Your dimension is just so much better," she whispered quietly.
"I don't know, Gwen. I'm always fascinated by this emotional ring thingy at your earth. How the colors of your world change depending on what you're feeling."

Gwen snorted sadly. "What do you see when you're with me? What colors and patterns?"
Miles thought for a moment. "I see green and white. They are abstract patterns, but they still seem so clear. And when I look at you there, everything around you turns red. It is the goal that I see before my eyes. A goal that I have finally achieved."
He gently stroked Gwen's cheek, which caused a pleasant tremor in her.

"What do you see?"
Gwen wished he hadn't asked. She didn't want to ruin this moment, but now that he had asked her, she couldn't escape that answer. She sucked in air with her lips pressed together.
"Black and...pink. Often mixed. I..." Gwen sighed. "Sometimes I just don't know who I am. I wanted to do good for my city and my father. I wanted to be like him, to use my skills to help people. That's why I joined the Society. Because I wanted to prove him that I could solve problems instead of being the problem. But where did that get me? I allowed myself to be seduced by a person who only listened to those who blindly followed him. But the others... those who were dropped when they stood against him... I couldn't do that because it would have taken away my only chance to see you. But in order to do that I had to sell my soul to someone who only used me ."
Gwen turned to Miles. He saw the tears forming in her eyes. "To see you, I betrayed you. Myself too, but that's not that important, I guess..."

Miles took Gwen's hands. "What happened..." he sighed, thinking about the past. "It happened. And it will certainly take a few more years until all of this is no longer important. We just can't give up until then. Of course you are important."
Gwen sheepishly tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear. "You've always been so positive. I still remember when we were sitting right here and I had to push you away. Even then, you believed that we both had a chance. And since I met your parents, I also know where you got this optimism from. But I can't do that. Everything that 's happened since the incident at the Guggenheim
..."

She tapped her forehead with a finger. "It's here. There's something inside me and I don't know how I can get through it like you always do."
Gwen's face got closer and closer to Miles. "All I know is that I lo..."
Her spider sense alerted her before she heard the voice, and from the look on Miles' face, she knew he felt the same thing.

Several blocks below them, a woman screamed, and with a quick glance, Miles and Gwen saw three men surrounding her.
They pulled down their masks and jumped off, landing on a roof above the scene.
The woman stood with her back to them and a man grabbed her upper arm. As massively built as it was, there was no escaping it. And Gwen recognized the look in his eyes. The fire and desire for the woman in his grasp, combined into a cocktail that should only have a 'good' ending for one of them.

The other two men seemed to be just followers and foot soldiers. Neither of them posed an immediate threat. The pushy man, however... Gwen knew that every second counted now, and Miles sensed her motivation immediately.
Gwen shot a web beam at a nearby tree and pulled hard. Within a short time she swooped down and landed behind the two 'wingmen'.
Miles followed her and stood behind her.
"Wouldn't you rather have someone who can defend themselves more?" Gwen asked loudly, and the men darted around.

"Spider-Man!" one shouted, pointing at Miles. They ignored Gwen for the time being, which she acknowledged with a sigh. "You see, like a ghost," she whispered wryly, attaching a web beam to one of the men. While she still looked at Miles, she pulled her prey towards her and knocked him out with a punch.
Miles then jumped at the second thug and only needed little force to knock him out of the fight.

They turned to the third man, and when they saw the woman in his arms, Gwen's breath hitched. Miles' eyes also widened under his mask.
Standing in front of them was...Gwen Stacy. And she looked almost like Spider-Woman, except she was missing for almost a year. She was about Miles' age.
"Miles," Gwen whispered, unable to convey any emotion to her voice.
"I know," he simply replied. Just don't take off your mask.
"Spider-Man!" Gwen-1610 shouted with relief and Miles shook his head at the sound of her voice.

Gwen had always wondered where her version of this Earth was because she had never seen it before. And now she was standing right in front of them. How must Miles feel about seeing various other versions of her in such a short space of time? With Gwenom and now this Gwen.
Whatever, Gwen thought. Just act like it could be any other woman there.

With a nod to Miles, they both knew what to do. As always, they had a basic understanding of each other and did not need spoken words. Their connection was enough as a means of communication.
Gwen grabbed the arm of the man holding Gwen-1610 with her web shooter and pulled him away from her. She took advantage of the moment of surprise so that Miles could take young Gwen to safety with a quick jump. He swung her onto a rooftop with a fire escape so that Gwen-1610 could leave the place as soon as the coast was clear.

Gwen took advantage of the confusion and kicked the heavyweight in front of her in the stomach. But he dealt with the attack almost unfazed.
"First a Spider-Man, and now this copy?" he asked challengingly.
"I'm not a copy," Gwen teased, shooting a web ball into his face. The man immediately reached into the net to remove it, but it was too sticky. And this time the following attack from Gwen had hit its targed.

With a yelp her enemy fell to the ground.
Miles stood at the edge of the roof, already letting enough electricity flow into his arm as he watched Gwen with a worried look.
Gwen walked confidently towards the kneeling man, both hands on her hips.
Again with the dark voice in her head. Let's play a bit.

She swung her arm and Miles was the only one who saw the knife that the man was reaching for behind his back, unnoticed by Gwen.
Gwen started to attack when the man pulled out the weapon. She was able to change her trajectory just in time and kick the knife aside with a well-aimed kick, but her body was open for other attacks everywhere else.

The man took advantage of this moment and grabbed her tightly, just like he held Gwen-1610 before.
"How surprising," Gwen hissed, trying to free herself from his grasp.
Miles turned to the younger version of his girlfriend. "Stay here!"

"You don't even want to imagine what I'm capable of when I'm done with you," the man grumbled.
He brushed against Gwen's side, causing Miles to jump off the edge of the roof in a rage.
Miles picked up speed with a great momentum and shot a charged fist at the man.

But he didn't count on Gwen, who hugged her captor.
"In my wild imagination I imagine a lot of wild things... and by 'wild' I mean really wild. But in all my dreams, your face didn't appear between the drums, my friends and my fingers..." she purred lascivious. Hearing her clearly ambiguous answer, Miles inadvertently swung past her with a sudden fit of coughing and missed the landing. Perplexed, he looked at Gwen, who just laughed. "And believe me, that's not good for you."

She grabbed both of the man's arms and jumped a few centimeters into the air. There she turned on her own axis and winked at her surprised counterpart. Then, still in the man's grasp, she darted between his legs. Her opponent could no longer keep his balance as every joint in him gave up and fell to the ground with a dull thud. Gwen immediately wove him with several nets, making escape impossible. Miles, still from the role, did the same to the other two men.

He had never seen Gwen like this before. As if their conversation atop the building a few minutes ago had not existed, here she acted with a confidence he had never seen from her before. Especially in this ambiguity, which she otherwise always avoided, even with him. There was something strange about it.
He informed young Gwen that the coast was clear and said goodbye to the strange scene.

He quickly caught up with Gwen again.
She swung through the air with him and landed on a taller building.
"What on earth was that just now?"
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.
"What do I mean?" Miles repeated the question, shaking his head. "Well, all that! Wild things? Dreams? ... Fingers?"
Gwen shrugged. "Just wanted to throw him off."
Miles snorted. "You succeeded. Not just him."
Gwen smiled and winked at Miles. "Breakfast?"

Chapter Text

Gwen and Miles were finishing breakfast when Jeff entered the apartment.
"Mi amor," Rio said, surprised. "You're home early."
"Just passing through," Jeff replied stiffly. He looked at Miles who immediately knew that something was wrong. "Actually, I'm just here to take the two of them with me."
"Are we in trouble?" his son asked in shock, and Gwen prepared for the worst. Had she overdone it in her fight against the guys who had harassed Gwen-1610? Had she done something wrong again and endangered Miles?

Jeff's features finally softened slightly.
"We...a new case came in this morning. A caller found something among the trash cans on his street."
"What?" Miles asked.
Jeff hesitated. He didn't know if it was a good idea to question him and Gwen because...
"It's a body. Not just any body, but that of one Olivia Octavius. And... it was a gruesome murder. "
Miles' eyes almost doubled in size and Gwen also froze into a pillar of ice in no time.
"Jeff!" Rio shouted in disbelief from the background.

"I know, I know. What I'm asking you to do is worse than anything. No parent should do this and show these things to their children. I'll suffer enough after this, but... you're all I have left. To be honest, your skills can help us find the monster responsible. But we are powerless. No traces were left behind. At least none that we can recognize."
He looked over at Rio, who was still shaking her head in disbelief. "How can you... dios mío."
"But you have abilities that far exceed ours," Jeff finally said to the children.

"Stop!" Rio shouted and stood between him and Gwen and Miles. "I will not allow them to face death so early, especially with this brutality."
Gwen closed her eyes and felt more protected inside than ever before. All because of Rio and her caring nature. Even if this one came too late.

"Rio," she said calmly. "I understand your concern, I really do, but... it's nothing we can't handle. We've been hunted by the Society, and by Spot. A corpse isn't going to be what's going to get us off track."
She smiled warmly at Miles' mother, who just looked back silently. The young woman saw the pain and fear in her, and after all the encouraging conversations, it was now Gwen's turn to calm her down.

"Rio, we can do this. We have to do this. It's our job as spiders to help people. And if the police don't know what to do and ask us for help, then we can't ignore it."
Gwen and Rio looked into each other's eyes for a while. Without using words, they told each other a whole story. And finally the older woman sighed.

"You're right, Gwen. I won't be able to stop you from doing what you do best. Just..."
She placed a hand on each of her children's shoulders. "Take care of yourselves, each other, and don't get lost. Me entendiste?"
"Sí," Gwen replied.

Rio looked back at Jeff, still disappointed. "We'll talk about that later."
"Sure," he groaned in defeat. "Come, kids. But you will promise me and especially your mother that you will stay with me and not touch anything."
“We promise,” Miles said.
Jeff looked into his eyes for several more seconds, searching in vain for any sign that his doubts were unfounded. But finally he gave up and nodded toward the front door.

🕷️

BROOKLYN POLICE STATION

"Hey, Cap'! What's this? Newbies picked off the street?" one of the police officers asked with a laugh as Captain Jefferson Morales, along with his son and his girlfriend, entered the Brooklyn police station, which had been under his command for almost a year.
“The recruits are getting younger and younger,” another one joked.

Jeff led the two children past his colleagues, occasionally offering a verbal counter to all the jokes.
"They're all on the case. Don't listen to these people," he apologized on behalf of his colleagues. "Motivation has been a bit ... down since we've run out of ideas and the extent of the violence has become obvious."

He walked with them up several floors to his office. Miles has been here a number of times, especially when he was working with his father as Spider-Man. Jeff still had to get used to the fact that it was no longer Peter Parker, but his son who was the Spider-Man of this city. But if he came to terms with it, it also had its own advantages.

It took a few tries until the two of them built up a basic understanding and many unsaid words could be exchanged without Rio finding out anything. Of course, as they both knew only too well, she suspected something. But she was wise enough never to address these suspicions.

Jeff took off his hat and, with a long sigh, threw it onto his desk, which was full of files and documents. He had hoped that this paper madness would stop once he was made captain, but he was wrong. It got worse. Maybe it was the naivety that made things easier with subordinates. But despite having his own secretariat and press manager, he had the feeling that he had never had more work than at that moment.

"So," he said and booted up his PC. "Just to be clear: What I'm about to show you is, firstly, strictly confidential, and secondly, a sight not intended for children."
He looked seriously into the faces of the two spiders. He forgot how mature the two of them seemed now, and he realized that the two of them weren't actually children, not even teenagers anymore. Nevertheless, he saw it as his duty to protect her from such crimes. However, there was simply no choice for him here.
Miles nodded, and Gwen also watched the scene intently.

Jeff was still wrestling with himself all the way from home to the station about whether he was doing the right thing, but finally he opened the case file and turned the monitor to the two spiders.
"I wouldn't have asked you if you both hadn't shared a past with Octavius."
"That's putting it very mildly," Gwen murmured. "I still have a scar from that one attack with one of her mechanical arms."
"You have a scar?" Miles asked surprised, earning an annoyed look from Gwen.
"Miles!" she hissed. He swallowed quickly and looked back at his father.

“Last chance to get out,” Jeff warned the two again.
"You know we can't do that," Gwen said thoughtfully.
"Okay..." Jeff replied, opening the first photo from the crime scene.
All the while, Miles thought that it couldn't be as bad as his father had described it. That it was, and even more cruel, left him speechless. Any motivation to say something quick disappeared when he saw the photo.

The doctor's entire body was intact. There were no signs of injuries such as fractures, hematomas and other obvious things. The 'only' thing missing was... her head. A puddle of dark red blood glistened where it should be. From the neck up everything was gone.
Gwen sucked in a breath as she saw what had happened.

Jeff noticed the couple's looks and shook his head sadly. "Now you know why I only see you as a last resort."
Gwen looked under the table for Miles' hand and finally found it. He noticed her fear, so he pulled her hand into his lap.
"We found her this morning, like I said," Jeff explained.

“Is there any camera footage?” Gwen asked. She already knew such things from her father, and it was difficult, but not impossible, to quickly fall back into the old pattern in this case.
"No," Jeff shook his head. "No surveillance cameras. It all apparently happened here, as there were no signs of a fight or transport. Also, Octavius is registered here. She was probably at home when it happened. There are no tire tracks, no footprints, there is nothing. As if she simply dropped dead."

Miles and Gwen looked at each other and they both knew what they could do.
Gwen raised her arm. "Lyla?" she spoke into the clock, and in a split second the avatar appeared above it.
"Gwen!" she cried happily. "We were worried so much! Peter wanted to..."

"Lyla, we don't have time for that right now," Gwen cut off the AI. "I need you to analyze a video, please."
"A video analysis? Don't you think I'm a little overqualified for that?"
"It's about Doc Ock from 1610. She was found dead this morning," Gwen added, and Lyla froze.
"Oh my goodness!" Lyla replied, shocked.

Gwen looked at Jeff, who hadn't had the 'pleasure' of watching the revved up AI since the fight against Spot.
"Can Lyla copy the case file?" she asked the captain. "I promise she will keep this confidential."
Lyla turned to Jeff and nodded. "Hello Captain Morales."
Jeff shrugged. "If it helps you."

A few seconds later, the room transformed into a virtual room as Lyla activated her analysis mode and dozens of photos, videos and documents floated in it. She switched between them as if she could sift through and read everything in a very short time.

Jeff was amazed. “When exactly will we develop this technology?” he asked jokingly.
Lyla answered, still floating around the room. "It's already starting. A few more years, but hey, it'll be decades before you get to the state of 928. But we're almost 75 years ahead of you. Oh, I see you missed a camera."

"What?" Jeff asked in surprise. They had checked everything, there were no cameras. Not even in houses that had a view of the crime scene.
"Here, the ATM at the other end of the street," she said, showing it on a holographic map.
“That’s way too far away,” Jeff waved. "I don't know how good yours are," he said with a laugh. "But in this dimension, these things have a camera with a really modest resolution..."

"What's the problem?" Lyla asked completely casually. Miles and Gwen chuckled at the AI's audacity. "You know I have the technology to make everything look good? While we're at it, your photo on your ID could use a little update too."
"Lyla!" Gwen said seriously.
"All right, all right... but the offer stands!"

She searched the city's networks for the surveillance camera and found it. And again she analyzed the data in record time.
"Here!"
Everyone gathered around a window that was opened into the space between them. It showed Octavius leaving their house with several bags of trash.

Lyla cocked her head. "I thought someone like her would live in a better area."
When she reached the alley through the front yard, she threw the bags on the ground and turned around. Only to fall to the ground without further warning - without her head.

"Wow," Lyla said in amazement. "That was...unexpected."
To Jeff, the video seemed edited. As if someone had simply erased the moment when the murder occurred. But it wasn't fitting that Octavius' headless body wasn't lying directly on the street, but was still falling to the ground.
"What on earth..."
"Lyla, repeat the video again," Miles asked the AI.
Again they saw the murder of the doctor, and again they watched the same process. Again, and again, and again.

Finally, it was Gwen who noticed something.
"Play the moment of the murder as slowly as possible," she instructed Lyla, who complied.
But again Jeff saw nothing that brought him any closer to the solution.
"I think..." Gwen said, narrowing her eyes. "Lyla, even slower."
"It's not that easy. I would have to send it to the 928 servers, and given the level of technology here, that takes time."
"Whatever," said Gwen. "We just need these two seconds."
"If that's the case..." Lyla replied. "It's quicker."

A long minute of silence later, the video was edited. Miles and Gwen exchanged worried glances while Lyla played with her phone. Whatever the reason she had such a device, she was an AI after all, in a digital environment. But Miguel had apparently made sure that other users of Lyla didn't feel uncomfortable. Like Jeff, for example, who was still watching what was happening in total bewilderment.

"Done!" Lyla said and played the new video. But here too, Jeff couldn't see anything. Octavius turned around, fell to the ground and was dead, headless.
However, he gulped at the sight of Gwen and Miles.
They looked into each other's eyes with fear. And Lyla curled her mouth too.
"What did you see?" Jeff asked.

"It's just a split second," Lyla said finally. "No wonder why no one could see it."
She took a still photo of the exact moment and showed it alongside the video. A black figure, graceful and dangerous at the same time, at the moment Octavius was murdered.
It must have moved so quickly that even the still image only showed the creature in a blur.

But what Gwen, Miles and Lyla saw left little room for speculation.
"How did she get here?" Gwen asked trembling.
"They had a collider," Miles replied. "That's how it must have been."
"But why here? There are thousands of dimensions," Gwen interjected. “Why this one?”

Miles and Lyla shrugged.
"I've hit her with my Venom power. Maybe that's how they got a marker."
"Like a fingerprint," Lyla concluded. "When you touched her."
Miles nodded slowly. That couldn't be right. Gwenom couldn't be here, she simply couldn't be. If she was here and had already killed Octavius, how long did it take for her to ambush them? Or worse, his parents?
"We have to tell the Society!" Miles growled and ran across the room. "Everyone here needs protection."

“Wait a minute!” Jeff shouted, still completely confused. "I don't understand anything here anymore!"
Miles went to him. "This is Gwenom! She's back. And now here with us, in our New York, in our dimension!"
Jeff's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something when his phone rang.
Without a word he took it to his ear.

"Boss, Commissioner Stacy is on his way to see you. I thought you should know since you have your kids with you," his secretary said.
"Stacy? When is he here?" he asked hastily and looked at Miles and Gwen, who had already jumped to the ceiling and were fiddling with the air conditioning in order to disappear into the ventilation.
"Half a minute. He's already in the building."
"F....damn!" Jeff shouted and turned to the spiders. "What are you doing? Get down there, I have a better idea."

He stormed to the door, the two children in tow. But instead of taking the path to the stairs, he led her down the hallway to another door. Several elevators and floors later, he stood with them in front of a double door.
"The cells? Really now?" Gwen asked, not knowing that Miles already knew this procedure.
"It's the only way to get out of the building without being seen. Sanchez!" he called to the guard, who saw him and the two children and nodded. He got up from his chair and walked out of the room. "I didn't see anything and was standing at the coffee machine that was broken again."
When he was gone, Jeff opened the door. "A good man," he smiled to the spiders.

They hurriedly walked past the cells when Gwen noticed a person. It was the great mountain of man they had captured the day before. So Gwen had done her version of Earth-1610 a favor. Gwen felt a tingling sensation in her stomach, like a remote control, and she willingly let it guide her to the cell with a serious expression on her face.

"Gwen!" Miles hissed, but she didn't react.
A point of the finger was enough and the man came towards her. She could practically feel the anger in his body, the anger that he was sitting in this cell. He hated the person who had put him in this situation. The fact that it was himself was too easy an argument for Gwen, so she got so close to him that only the bars separated them.

"What do you want, little brat?" he asked growling as Gwen looked him straight in the eyes.
The young woman tilted her head. "You're insulting me. You don't even recognize me?"
She played the game of looking like Gwen-1610. But the fact that he didn't recognize her only fueled her anger even further. How many times had he done this to girls that he couldn't even remember his victims?
"How are your balls?" she asked dryly, so dryly that Miles blushed but also wondered who was standing in front of him instead of Gwen.
The man looked at her confused. "You?"

It finally dawned on him and he knew from the voice who was standing in front of him unmasked.
"Are you kidding me? You didn't…"
"I'm not talking about the past," Gwen hissed, lunged forward and punched him in the abdomen with her narrow fists through the bars. "I'm talking about now."

She stood back up, towering over the man. "If I see you touching a girl again, those two very little things will be the first you'll miss. I'll know when you go near them. Even if you just look at them in a way that I don't I like..."
Miles walked towards Gwen and even with his father, he had a hard time getting her away from the bars.

Her words and actions had the desired effect, as the man still writhed and whimpered. Eventually Gwen cooperated and had Miles and Jeff take her away. They were lucky that no one was watching Gwen, so Miles pulled her to the corner of the room. "What...Gwen, what was that about?"

"He deserved it," she said, and Miles didn't like the look on her face. She was out for revenge, and that was something he had never seen from her before, at least not to this extent. "You know full well he deserved it."
Miles swallowed. "Y-yes, but that's not the way we handle these things. We're better than them!"

Gwen didn't react, she just walked past Miles and Jeff. Then she turned back to Miles.
"He deserves it. He deserves worse than this. Whether man or woman, someone with these thoughts needs to be treated like this."
She approached Miles again. He saw the dark circles under her eyes. Nothing reminded her of his Gwen. "And if you interrupt me again at a moment like this..."
She didn't finish the sentence and left the police station under the completely overwhelmed looks of Miles and Jefferson Morales.

Chapter Text

The next two days passed without any sign of Lyla and Margo, who analyzed the material, being able to present a solution or at least a clue.
In the meantime, two other murders on 1610 have also become known: Lonnie Lincoln, alias Tombstone, was found lifeless in the back yard of a bar the night after Octavius' murder. It was the same pattern as Doc Ock: no clues, no leads, no cameras. Here, too, the man's head was missing, so everyone assumed it was Gwenom.

The second body, however...
His father vehemently refused to tell Miles the victim's name. He only gave him the name by which the villain was known: the Tinkerer.
Miles had encountered this person a few times only, and when they did, they were only brief encounters. There were only loose rumors that the Tinkerer was leading an underground army in the same style as in Peter A's Dimension, and was about to launch an attack on the local Roxxon headquarters with the help of Vulture.
If he had only known who was behind that name, he would have done much more.

Jeff made the mistake of not closing the file in time for Miles to enter his office. For a split second, Miles could see the victim's name and photo, and all of his reasons for wanting to talk to his father suddenly disappeared. In her place, he felt a nausea wash over him like a monsoon. The name burned into his mind and it would be a long time before it disappeared again. Miles turned on the spot and ran out of the building.

Before he knew it, he found himself on the Williamsburg Bank Building, crouching against one of the walls of the tower with both hands bent.
The name stood before him like a big neon sign every time he looked at the horizon. The name of Phin Mason.

"Hey, kiddo. I just wanted to see how my favorite student is doing," a voice behind him suddenly said, and Miles was startled. However, it was only Peter B who stopped by every now and then. Peter paused when he saw the look on Miles' face. "I'm inconvenient?"
Miles didn't answer, instead he turned back and stared into the sunset.

"It's only going to get worse," he whispered, barely audible even to someone like Peter.
Concerned, the older Spider sat down next to Miles. He recognized the expression immediately. Someone was gone, forever. Because the sadness in his eyes reminded him of the moment he found out about the death of Harry Osborn, his best friend.

"Who was it?" Peter finally asked.
Miles swallowed. "An old friend. My first best friend, specifically before we parted ways because I had to go to VISIONS. Phin Mason. She was often at our house when we were still in middle school. We couldn't be heard more apart once we started having ideas."
"Sounds like a nice friendship," Peter said thoughtfully. "Who was it?"
Miles looked back at Peter, and he didn't even know that so much anger and hate could be contained in a single word. "Gwenom."

Peter shook his head. "Margo and Lyla are still analyzing the patterns."
"It's taking too long," Miles growled. "Actually, I should thank Gwenom. First Doc Ock, then Tombstone, now the Tinkerer. They were all villains. But then I think of Phin and wonder when we'll run out of villains? What then, who will Gwenom target if we do? Can't we stop them in time?"

Peter curled his mouth, avoiding the question. "How are our Gwen's thoughts?"
"She doesn't know about Phin yet," Miles sighed. "I think she has suspicions, as my dad informed me earlier, but she definitely only knows about Octavius and Tombstone. And she's not feeling well."

Miles leaned back. "She's seemed so strange these last few days."
Peter's senses were alerted at Miles' words. "Strange, you say?"
"Yeah. She's tired even though she's sleeping. She's acting strange. She's the nicest person until she suddenly freaks out."
He told Peter about what had happened at police headquarters two days ago, about Gwen's strange outbursts and her nightly dreams.
Peter listened attentively until Miles finally finished reporting everything.

Many things reminded him of dark times, and the words that Miguel had thrown at him during their last meetings came back to the forefront like never before.
"Miles, Gwen has been through something that hardly anyone can imagine," he tried to steer the situation into perspective. "We don't know what they did to her, but it wasn't like they invited Gwen to afternoon tea."

Miles groaned. "Peter, I know that. I was there, I saw it! But I was hoping that she would feel better being with me and my parents. She's still the same Gwen, but different somehow. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand that completely," Peter replied briefly. The suspicion in his head became more and more hardened.

He stood back up and opened a portal back to his dimension.
But first he turned to Miles again.
"I ask you that you pay attention to her. Keep watching her and tell me anything you notice. And please be there for her."
Peter smiled softly at him. "She's had to go through a lot recently. She needs someone who loves her now. And who she can love."

"I don't know if I'm that someone for her," Miles sighed sadly.
"You are. There's no one who understands Gwen more than you. And no one she trusts more than you. You two are meant for each other. And only you can save her from what's to come," Peter said, shaking his head about his own thoughts before leaving Miles and traveling back to his dimension.

🕷️

Gwen was just giving herself a little rest by looking at the drawings Miles had made. Drawings of her, of buildings and other people. Miles always had his sketchbook with him when they weren't traveling as Spider. And even then, he remembered some motifs so well that he was able to reconstruct them without any problems as soon as he picked up his pen again.

I was hoping you would strike again, a dark voice startled her. Her own. But it seems like you're still not ready.
Gwen looked around, eyes wide.
Loser, the voice laughed. You have already been able to benefit from your new skills. Why aren't you ready to move on to the next level?
"Get out of my head," Gwen muttered strainedly.
Get out of your head? We've only just begun! You and me, we're going to have so much fun together. You just have to want it.
"What I want is this all to stop!" she pleaded.

"Is everything okay?" Rio asked, knocking on the door to Miles' room.
"Y-yes, um, yes, it's all good," Gwen replied quickly, clearing her throat to cover the sobs. In vain.
Rio opened the door slightly and saw Gwen sitting desperately on the edge of the bed, her face hidden in her hands.
"That doesn't look like it to me," said Rio and slowly entered the room. "What's really going on?"
As desperate as Gwen finally looked at her, they had to be bad thoughts.
"I see..." Rio spoke, taking Gwen's hands. "Time for a chat over dinner."

"I'm not really hungry," Gwen said.
"That was more of a euphemism for a conversation between women," Rio smiled and pulled Gwen into the open kitchen.
There she sat the young woman on a chair and put something to drink on the table for her.
Rio wanted to make Gwen as comfortable as possible, so she didn't do much other things on the side.

"So what's really bothering you? There's something different than what we discovered in our last conversation."
Gwen closed her eyes and sighed. But she was able to tell Miles' mother her thoughts. Not from that voice inside of her, that was something she still had to figure out herself, but at least what she felt when she was alone.

"There's been this anger in me recently. And I can't hold back this anger. Do you know the feeling when the slightest thing upsets you and makes you jump out of your skin? This phase where everything feels like it's provoking you? I have this feeling, since I was rescued! I'm mad at myself for letting myself be captured. I'm somewhat disappointed in Miles for taking so long to save me. And I know I'm overreacting because of it. I know he did everything he could, but something inside me keeps fanning that fire. I want to hold back when I hit, but there's something that tells me I can't do that. That I have to hit even harder. And I hate myself for it because I can't stop it! I want to break out of this phase, but I can't."

 "I'm getting more and more into a dark place in my head that I didn't know before. Where blackness surrounds me. All I want is to be safe, and to know that I'm really safe. Instead, it makes me angry that Miles belittles me and doesn't want to see my new abilities. I just want to be like him!"

"I think I'm starting to understand," Rio said thoughtfully, resting her chin in her hand. "I see a young woman who has been alone for too long. And has had to keep a secret for far too long. You told me about Peter when he died. He was more than a friend to you, but even in his final moments you didn't dare to share your secret with him. You knew he was dying and yet you refused to fulfill his wish to see you one last time. Your true face, not the mask of Spider-Woman."

Gwen narrowed her eyes and bit her lip as she heard Rio's blunt words. Because they were true. She grabbed her glass and squeezed it until it broke in her hand. "Fuck!" she cried painfully, and at that moment she burst into tears.
"Shit, I can't do this anymore! It's just overwhelming me! I want to scream, but I can't. I want to let go, Peter and my old life, but it won't leave me alone! What else can I do? To finally find peace? What does Miles see in me that I don't see? How can he be so goddamn loving towards me even though he knows what I've done?"

Rio quickly grabbed her hand and treated it.
"Gwen," she said calmly. "I can understand how you feel. But you have to know that he doesn't love you by accident. You are unique in your own way. You may not always bring him happiness, but you also bring laughter, love and understanding in his life. Everyone has their rough edges, but that's what makes us human."

The young woman groaned. "I wish I could feel the same way. Sometimes it just feels like he's way too good for me. And I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't lied to him. If I would have had the courage to leave the society with him."
"You must remember that love is not a judgment of 'good' or 'bad,'" Rio spoke. "He sees something in you that you may not yet recognize yourself. You must learn to value yourself as much as he does. You are valuable and deserving of this love, even without these new skills you are forcing yourself to have. You yourself are enough for him, and that doesn't make you a weaker Spider-Woman."

Gwen sobbed. "I just don't know how to overcome my own doubts. How can I see what he sees?"
"Self-doubt is completely normal in itself because it makes you reflect," replied Rio. "But you can't let your fears hold you back. You can grow and evolve, just like he does. You just can't lose sight of yourself and give up on what makes you who you are. Trust that he's believes in you, and work on believing in yourself too."

Gwen leaned on Rio's shoulder. She was exhausted from tears and her thoughts. "Rio..."
Miles' mother stroked her head. "It's all good. Tears fall for a reason. And in your case, they are your strength, not your weakness. Even if you don't believe in yourself, you will get through it. Not because life is easy. But because you're loved. I am always by your side. You are an important part of his life, and therefore also an important part of my family. Let's work together to overcome your self-doubt."

Rio led the completely distraught Gwen to the large sofa in her living room and sat down with the young woman.
"I want to know how you see yourself."
“How I see myself?” Gwen asked in amazement.
"Okay, I'll ask it another way: When you see yourself in the mirror, do you like the reflection of yourself? Are you happy with yourself? Do you love yourself?"

Gwen opened her mouth several times to answer. But not a word or a thought wanted to leave her head. How should she answer this question? She once did everything to be seen and valued. Like Miles, she fought for the good in her world. But the long time as an identityless superhero took its toll. She was completely on her own. She couldn't just go to someone and talk about her experiences. Talking about whether what she did was a mistake, like the media and police said.

Her life since the spider's bite has been one of performing heroic deeds, knowing that she will not receive applause, but hatred for her vigilantism. And that burned deep into her being, which was especially painful when she saw how Miles was worshiped as Spider-Man in this dimension and beyond.

"I... don't know what to say. I don't recognize myself sometimes," she finally answered, stammering.
Rio sighed, but she also smiled slightly. "Loving yourself means understanding that you deserve to have someone care about you and that you will have vulnerabilities in your life, but that doesn't mean you are weak. It means that you are human. Loving yourself means being comfortable with who you are. But that doesn't mean you should stop trying to improve yourself because you're satisfied with where you are. It means that you accept and like who you are, and that you understand that there are things you need to improve on, and that you're working towards those things, but also knowing that you're not worthless if you don't do those things right away. Defining self-love is difficult, but at its core it simply means being positive towards yourself and giving yourself the same level of love as you do for everyone else you care about in your life. Just like you do for Miles. And only when you love and respect yourself you can truly love Miles... and appreciate his love."

"And if I can't do that?" Gwen asked. "I see Miles, the way he treats all the people. The way he loves you, the way he loves his friends. I just don't think I'll ever be able to do that. I'm just a burden, as Miguel has already discovered."
"You can do it. Anyone can do it, they just have to learn it," Rio replied.
"Only that he can do it better than me. Just thinking about the way Margo looks at him is enough."
"So that's it," Rio concluded. "Is it fear or jealousy that you feel when they talk to each other?"

Gwen thought about all the times she had seen the two of them together. Just the thought of their first meeting was enough. Miles was an instant charmer, whether he wanted to be or not. He simply had that kind of special rizz.
"Is this what Miles felt when I told him about Hobie?"

Rio stroked Gwen's cheek. "If it helps, I can count the times Miles talked about Margo on one hand. For the times Miles talked about Gwen Stacy... the list is already way too long. Back before he followed you, I told him that I was afraid that no one but us would protect him like that, love him like that. But I didn't know you then. With you, I now know that you will love him just as much as we do as parents."

Rio smiled. "As humans, we waste far too much time seeing things in and between others that are not there, instead of seeing things that are within us. Every person has a point in their life where they can only go back or forward. You have just reached this point. Don't wait for life to be easy. Either you let go of the past and move forward, or you lose yourself in the anger, fear and distrust because your past and your doubts are eating you up. Then you give up. But what you need to know before you give up is that after that you will never be able to look forward again. Don't allow it to let that happen. Because you are so much more than a mistake or a burden."

Chapter Text

EARTH-928 - NUEVA YORK

"You here again? How desperate must you be that I'm the target of your thoughts for the second time in such a short time?" Miguel said sarcastically.
He already looked much stronger than a few days ago, when Peter visited him for the first time in a long time.
"I'm not..."
"Spare yourself the excuses," Miguel interrupted, looking at the spider opposite him. "You look exhausted. And you are here with me, which means that you finally believe my words. How bad is it?"
"She didn't turn into ..."
"Peter!"
Peter clenched his jaws so tightly that his whole face ached. He didn't want to continue this idea. He didn't want Miguel to triumph.
But with each passing day and every new indication, he knew that the worst-case scenario was possible.

Beaten, he groaned. "Miles reported that Gwen has changed. She becomes more impulsive and aggressive in some situations."
"With stress and anger, I suppose?" Miguel asked rhetorically, crossing his arms over his chest. With a knowing look, he stared at Peter, who became defensive.
"Miguel, it's not like it was back then."
"How do you know? I've read her files. True, she has been exposed to him for a much shorter period of time. Nevertheless, even one injection is enough to cause a lot of damage, depending on the victim."

Miguel stood in front of Peter. "One injection is just the beginning. Two are needed to prepare the host for the next level of exposure. Three treatments are enough to turn any normal person into an incapacitated recipient of orders. Five injections, however, would probably have a fatal effect even on the strongest spider."
Peter winced as he thought about Miguel's list.

"Peter, the fact that she's still herself at all is nothing short of miraculous."
"What should we do?" asked Peter.
"What I advised you to do last time. There is only one way. And the longer you wait, the more likely it is that your help will no longer be enough."
Peter startled. "I can't do that! She's a good friend, and she's building a relationship with Miles!"
"That's why you'll never be a leader," Miguel said gloomily.

"You'll never be willing to make an unpopular decision."

🕷️

EARTH-120703 - FISK TOWER

"She's taken a beating," Strange said as he looked at his patient's vitals. "But we're sure she'll make it. In fact, I'm convinced that it will spur her on even more."
Doctor Octavius circled the treatment table on which the woman was lying, still sedated. Without her transformed form, she looked so innocent that no one could even guess that she was actually a killing machine. A monster that could tear a grown man to pieces without batting an eyelid. He smiled at the thought of what would have become of his second subject if they had been able to make more injections. But as it was, he had to live with the fact that the transformation was postponed. Nevertheless... he was sure that there were already enough side effects of the treatment.

"Do we know where her 'sister' is?" Octavius asked the other doctor.
"Not yet, Professor Octavius," Strange replied resignedly. "We now know the designation of her homeland dimension. But our research and scans indicate that she doesn't appear to be there."
"That's what I expected," said the older researcher. "It would have been too easy to bring her back to her dimension. I am, however, surprised by all the subjects who stormed our institution. Did you notice anything?"

Strange shook his head slightly. "No. After all, I was busy trying not to get killed by them. Their leader had powers we hadn't imagined."
"Bio-electric forces," Octavius said appreciatively. "So far, we've only encountered the usual spider creatures. Snippy, with enormous reflexes, loner. But never before has a pack come like this. There must be thousands of dimensions!"

He turned to the table. "And in many of them, there will also be a subject like this. We're going to take advantage of that. But first of all, we have to check the status of our project."
"What, Professor?" asked Strange. "We don't know where she is. Searching for her is like a needle in a haystack. It can take months, even years."

Octavius looked over at Strange. His glasses reflected Strange's perplexed face. A smile played around Octavius' mouth. "We don't need months. There is a much easier way. He will bring the subject to us and also prove his abilities at the same time."
"What are you talking about?" Strange asked, and Octavius showed him the number of a new dimension.
"It's time to review stage 4 of our project."

🕷️

EARTH 1610 - BROOKLYN, the next morning

A scream - Gwen's scream - sent Miles leaping to his feet.
Gwen sat on the edge of the bed, and Miles wondered how quickly she must have gotten there.
She was shaking all over.
He immediately pulled her into a tight, protective embrace. Even after a few moments, she was still whimpering, and Miles stroked her head.
It was the first time she had reacted and been upset in this way after her rescue. Luckily, she didn't have to go through it all alone anymore.
She was sure, there was no doubt in Miles' mind.

It was only after several moments that he noticed that his fingers were wet with blood. Her blood, as he realized when he looked more alertly at Gwen's face.
Her entire mouth was covered in blood. Whatever she had processed in her dream, it must have been cruel and painful. So unimaginably horrible that she must have bitten her cheeks and lips open.

"It's all good," Miles whispered to her, but inside it was the opposite. Something happened to her, and he just couldn't figure out how much of it was caused by her abduction.
Peter's words came back into his head. "Keep watching her... be there for her ... Only you can save her from what is yet to come"
What did that mean? What did Peter know that he didn't know about?
He pulled one of the towels out of his closet and slowly dabbed the blood on her face.

Gwen kept narrowing her eyes, but that look of fear wasn't even what moved Miles the most. As soon as they looked into each other's eyes, Miles noticed something different than usual.
He could still lose himself in her ocean-blue eyes, and the way she looked at him at that moment, grateful for his care, only added to that effect in him. But the deeper he looked into her pupils, it was as if something was lurking at the bottom. Something that was just waiting to erupt.

Maybe Peter was right. There was a good chance that it could all be trauma. But what if there was something else?
Miles hugged the trembling Gwen even tighter. She slipped away from him in a way he couldn't understand. It wasn't because of the togetherness, and it wasn't because of their personality. But somehow... Somehow, he was about to lose her, even though nothing had changed. And that made him despair.
Was he the reason? Wasn't he taking good enough care of her? In those first days after this experience, would she have needed someone different to her than he was?
"Gwen," Miles whispered, and he couldn't stop himself from crying too. "What's wrong with you?"
Out of him spoke sheer helplessness.

"I... I just don't know," Gwen replied quietly in a hoarse voice. "I don't recognize myself anymore."
She sobbed so hard that she choked on her words. "I just want it to stop. Let it stop talking."
Miles looked at her. "Let it stop talking? What do you mean?"
Gwen inhaled only intermittently. "Since Earth-120703, I'm hearing a voice inside of me. The voice was quiet at first, but now... I can't ignore it anymore."
"What kind of voice?" asked Miles, but Gwen avoided looking him in the eye.
He shook her shoulders. "What kind of voice, Gwen?" he repeated his question demandingly.

🕷️

EARTH-928 - SPIDER SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS

Noir stormed into one of the large rooms of the headquarters, where Pavitr, Jess, Hobie, Peter A, Peni, and Margo were staying.
"There's another murder!" he shouted excitedly.
With his watch, he flashed a picture of an all-too-familiar villain. Peni opened her eyes wide. "Kingpin?"
Noir nodded. "It's the same pattern: at night, no clues, no traces. So Gwenom even is able to infiltrate a maximum-security prison unseen."
Pavitr looked around. "She eliminates all antagonists instead of allying with them against Spider-Man. It doesn't make sense."
"She seems to want him all for herself," Margo said thoughtfully.

"A real Black Widow," Hobie added in his British accent.

The door opened again. Peter B entered, this time without Mayday or her chest strap. He wasn't wearing just the comfortable bathrobe as usual, but his full gear. Only the mask hung limply in his hand.
"Gwenom doesn't want him for herself," he said, and no one could help but hear the desperate tone in his voice.

"She's wiping out all the villains, Peter," Peni interjected, and the rest of the band nodded in agreement.
Peter sighed. He couldn't look them in the eye, not with the knowledge he had.
So he looked down again, skilfully avoiding every look from his friends.
"Lyla..."

The AI appeared next to him, and instead of the puns and sarcasm, she too just nodded, turning the room into a large holographic area.
"When we first saw Gwenom, we knew she could cross dimensions. Whether she does this consciously or whether the dimensional leap as on 1610 came about through an attempt by Alchemax - or in this case Fisk - was unknown to us. But now everything indicated that she had found a way to make targeted jumps. Because it's no coincidence that it ended up in 1610."

He displayed the route Gwenom had taken, from Earth-120703 to Earth-1610. The line connected the two universes directly and without detours.
"You're smart," Peni said, rubbing her chin with a strained look.

"That's what I thought at first," Peter B continued. "Every jump leaves a signature. A unique signature. I don't know where Gwenom comes from, so I expected to see a dimension in the analysis that none of us know yet. Instead..."
He nodded to Lyla, who was now fading in an earth. "Instead, it was the signature that led me here."

"Earth-65?" asked Pavitr. "But that's Gwen's dimension."
"Exactly," Peter answered.
"How can that be? After all, Gwen is already there. How can there be a second Gwen Stacy?" wondered Margo.
Until an unthinkable suspicion crossed her mind and she looked at Peter with wide eyes.
He nodded sadly at her.

"When I was with Miles recently, I did a scan of his suit without his knowledge — or rather, it was Lyla. I examined him for traces of Gwenom after they fought with each other in the lab. I found what I was looking for. There was small residue of an unknown dimension on the suit. Gwenom's dimension. It hasn't been mapped yet, so I haven't been able to do research there yet. Doc Ock will know more about that, I think.
"Instead of the route between 1610 and 120703, the latter dimension was now displayed. "Lyla's analysis show that Gwenom..."

"Peter?", Margo asked, getting nervous.
"They show that Gwenom never left 120703 after she was defeated by Miles."

A photo of the Gwen they knew was shown, so colorful and full of happiness that no one could believe what Peter was trying to imply.
"The traces on the victims that have just been analyzed show signatures of Gwen ... from dimension 65."
"Peter!" Peni cried, and the young woman clasped her hands over her mouth.
Hobie changed his color from a pale pink to a bright red. "That's not possible, man, not Gwendy!"

Peter B raised his hands. "I didn't believe it myself. And believe me, I had been repeating the analyses for hours, hoping to find a better solution at some point. But nothing helped. Every time, that number popped up!"

He circled the table in the middle. "Everything about it... everything is so impossible, and yet it is reality. It must have happened when she was caught. In our Gwen is a part of the Venom parasite, which makes Gwen a new host. Not to the same extent as Gwenom, obviously, but the signs are still there. Miles himself has seen it. And that she committed these murders undetected by everyone..."

"I don't believe that!" Peni cried. She was so angry with Peter that Noir had to hold her back. "How can you say such a thing? You know our Gwen! She could never do such a heinous thing!"
Jess was standing next to her, her arms crossed over her chest. Doubtfully, she looked alternately at Peter and at her watch.
"What you need to know is that not every host knows what they're doing. He's an host. Sometimes like in a deep sleep, sometimes wide awake. By Gwen's condition, we ... I believe that her triggers are only activated when she is actually asleep, or when she is particularly stressed."

"That's all...", Peni protested again.
"Miles told me how she's changed. She's tired, she freaks out at the slightest opportunity, and she has enormous strength. If Venom were to grow stronger in her, she could ..."
For the first time, Peter looked another spider in the eye. He chose Peni as she was the loudest. The other band members were silent in silent horror.

"She could become an enormous danger. Not just for herself."
"How do you know all this?"
"I fought him. I fought against Venom," Peter said. "Miguel and I were only able to beat a Venom variant with a lot of losses. Actually, it was just Miguel."

"Even if it's all true," Pavitr said. "There must be a way to rid her of the parasite, right?"
"There's a possibility," Peter said, swallowing against the feeling of nausea. It came over him like an ice-cold shiver.
"Come on, what do we need?" asked the Indian Spider.
Peter took a deep breath. "Pav ... there is a possibility, yes. But Gwen... Gwen won't..."

There was a sudden clap, and there was a deep silence in the air. Peni had broken away from Noir and jumped to Peter in one go. A whistle later, she was standing panting in front of the older Spider. "You can't be serious!"
Beaten, Peter looked down at the ground. He deserved this slap in the face, and the pain it brought. He deserved it and so much more. He hated himself for the thought he carried. Gwen was a friend, one of the few he'd found in the Society. Damn, he'd even named her Mayday's godmother!

He couldn't do it. But he knew that none of them would have done it.
"None of you shall bear this burden. Only I will do it and face up to the responsibility.
Peter sighed and finally lost the battle against his own tears. "I don't want her to have it any harder than it already is."
Peni lashed out again, but this time Peter used a net beam to secure her hand to the edge of the table.
"You're not going to stop us from protecting her," she shouted angrily.

"I can't. But Lyla can do it."
Lyla appeared. "Guys... I disconnected your watches from the network at this moment. No one will be able to open a portal in this room. And no one is going to leave this room except Peter."
"What?" everyone shouted in unison, but it was too late to protest. "You can't do that, Peter!"

The older Spider winced at the thought of the future, and how he had just gambled away all his credit with his friends.
One last time he looked through the thick window at the New York of this dimension. He knew that he would not be able to enter this building after his mission.
But there was no turning back.
Because Peter had already opened a portal and disappeared through it with one last sad look.

Chapter Text

EARTH-616 - HOUSE OF THE PARKERS

"You're back already?" MJ asked surprised as Peter walked through the portal into their bedroom.

But she could tell from his posture that he wasn't in the mood to joke this time. And it was even worse than it had been over a year ago. Back when he passively witnessed Miguel's hunt for Miles.

MJ approached her husband carefully. "Peter?"

He collapsed onto the bed with a loud sigh and remained silent, much to MJ's alarm.

"Peter, you're scaring me," she said seriously. "What's up?"

He internally castigated himself for not speaking. The fact was that as much as he wanted to talk to his MJ, he didn't know what to say.

He looked into her eyes and all he saw was Gwen's face. How could he do something like that to a young couple?

How could he still look into his own eyes after that? And if he couldn't accept and suffer himself, how did MJ and everyone he loved see him?

Peter buried his face in his hands.

"How can you tell someone you have to punish him when he hasn't done anything wrong?" he asked hoarsely. "Even though he's innocent?"

MJ was silent. His question was too specific for her to answer. So she waited for another explanation.

"I have to do something I don't want to do. I'm against it. I can't do it..."

"Then why are you doing it?" MJ asked, still confused.

"Because in the end, if I do it, only I have to live with it. Because no one else could."

“What exactly are we talking about here?” she wanted to know demandingly.

"Venom is back," he finally said what had been on his mind the whole time.

MJ stopped abruptly in an attempt to get closer to Peter and widened her eyes. Feeling her legs no longer able to handle the weight of the rest of her petite body, she held on to the table nearby. A panic attack was creeping to the surface.

Her face turned white.

"No ..."

Memories of times long gone came back. She had hoped to have finished this chapter. But now they were back.

"Peter... tell me that's not true."

But to her shock, he shook his head slowly. "It's true."

Even this part of the whole truth shocked her so much that he didn't know how to tell her that it was Gwen, one of his and her closest friends.

"Miguel?" she asked briefly between two breaths.

Peter narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Then who? Jess?"

Peter's breathing quickened. He couldn't stand having the name on his tongue anymore, unable to say it.

"It's Gwen!"

Tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes and he saw MJ fall to her knees, her face stone-faced.

Time seemed to stand still and all the sounds of the city disappeared from both their reality.

The corners of MJ's mouth trembled. She couldn't say anything even if she wanted to.

She knew what that meant. Even then she had almost lost her Peter to Venom. Only Miguel could save him.

But this time... this time there was no Miguel, and even if he had been here, he certainly wasn't in any condition to save someone he considered a burden.

The realization slowly dawned on her as to what Peter was about to do.

"No..." she whispered to him. "No, you can't do that!"

Peter swallowed. He had never felt so old and helpless.

"How could you even think of doing that?!"

Peter shot up. "WHAT ALTERNATIVE DO YOU SEE?!" he shouted desperately. "TELL ME, THEN I'LL DO IT IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT ANY QUESTION!"

He ran aimlessly around the room, his hands in his hair and an almost crazy expression on his face.

"I tried not to believe it! I tried everything to avoid having to do it! But what can I do? She's infected. Fisk turned her, and according to Miguel, it's a miracle that she's still herself with this dose in her body!"

He walked over to MJ and shook her shoulders violently. For the first time since then, she was afraid of the man standing in front of her.

"Tell me another solution that doesn't involve someone dying, and I'll happily execute it!"

He shook his head violently. "Because I don't think we'll be as lucky as I was again. There won't be an Eddie Brock to sacrifice himself this time!"

"You can't kill Gwen! I won't let that happen!"

She desperately held Peter in place, but of course she knew he was stronger. Deep down she also knew there was no other option, but she couldn't admit that.

"I won't let that happen..."

Her voice trailed off as she thought of Mayday's godmother. Gwen...she was still so young. Why did it always have to hit the wrong people?

"Have you told Miles yet?" she asked hoarsely.

Peter shook his head. "No. And I don't know how to do it."

He sank to the ground. "I can't do it. But no one else will be able to do it. Except Miguel. And that's no one who even remotely has feelings for her."

Peter looked at MJ. "None of them could do it if they stood in front of her. Not Pav, not Hobie, not Noir, and certainly not Peter A, Peni and Margo."

MJ looked to the side and bit her lip.

Peter stood up and tapped his watch. A portal opened.

"I know what it means when this is over. And I'm willing to accept the consequences and live with them. But I can't risk something like that happening again. And I know that you're the only one who can understand me. Even if it breaks us."

He didn't dare look at his wife. MJ had fallen silent, no word could leave her mouth.

"I'll do it quickly. Humanely, without pain. There are still a few doses of Anti-Venom in the labs. She... will fall asleep and feel nothing."

When MJ still didn't say anything, he sighed and walked through the portal.

Just to avoid seeing MJ fall to the ground crying shortly afterwards.

🕷️

EARTH-1610

According to Miles' report to Peter, sleep was no longer an option. He was still puzzling over the things Gwen had told him.

He had been watching his girlfriend as inconspicuously as possible for almost a day now. And as paranoid as the tip-off made him, he saw lots of little things.

But then there were also moments like the one with her father George, who had to say goodbye to his dimension. Like a little child, Gwen threw herself at him to keep him from leaving. Because she knew that once Miles went on patrol for two hours, she would be alone without him.

He had taken her with him this time, but if it was true that she was changing, Miles didn't know if that was a good idea until they got to the bottom of the change.

"Miles! Gwen!" Rio called from the living room, in a tone that didn't mean anything good.

The two teenagers rushed over to her and Jeff. Miles' parents stared at the television screen where JJ Jameson was reading a special report.

" ... Wilson Fisk, who is serving his sentence in the RAFT, was found dead in his cell. As with the last mysterious deaths, Fisk was also found here... Steph, are you serious, I can't read that again! Children are present!"

Jameson looked over the sheets of paper in front of him and sighed. "Fisk's head was also severed here. Strangely enough, there are no further casualties and, as before, no video recordings of the perpetrator. We'll spare you the recordings from the cell camera at this point. Who is this mysterious murderer and why is our... valuable Spider-Man doing nothing against this menace? How can he allow these murders to happen without... "

Rio turned off the television.

Gwen rushed back into Miles' room, and with a quick glance at his parents, he followed her.

He found her sitting on the bed with her hands over her face.

"It's my fault," she sobbed.

Miles tilted his head and sat next to her. "It's your fault? You were here. As if you..."

"If you didn't have to take care of me, you could watch over the city as Spider-Man more often," she sobbed. "I'm just a burden."

That's not who you are, Miles thought hurtfully, trying to send hope across their shared connection.

But where he usually saw her bright, blazing light, there was a strange darkness. Why don't you just go and find another girl? One that didn't hurt or betray you.

He looked into her eyes and felt all the pain of the decisions in her life so far.

Because you are everything for me. And I can't imagine ever feeling the same way about someone else, he replied without having to think.

The darkness cleared for a moment as Gwen looked up and met his surprised face.

He pulled the young woman towards him, aware of what he had just said, and placed his lips over her mouth.

It took a moment, but finally she gave in to the kiss.

They parted and Miles smiled at the way the sunset light hit her eyes. Her usually blue eyes shone even brighter.

"Whatever it is. We'll get through it together," he told her quietly when a beep on his watch interrupted him.

Miles, please come to Williamsburg. And please bring Gwen with you. Peter.

"Okay, that's weird. Otherwise his messages don't look so desperate", Miles remarked, standing up. "We should get going."

🕷️

Peter looked into the sun of this dimension. He missed the moments when he could just sit on a high roof and watch people and nature go by. Add a cup of coffee to it and the day was saved. He didn't like that it was a sunset because that meant the darkness and not the day followed.

Sunrises, on the other hand... they meant he could save his New York from injustice and evil one more night.

Peter sighed as he felt two people land behind him.

"Hey, Pete," Miles called out friendly, Gwen behind him. "What's so important? Finally new clues about Gwenom?"

Peter lowered his head, his back still facing Miles and Gwen.

If only they knew what was in store for them.

"Pete?" Miles asked again.

The older Spider stood up and turned to the couple.

"Miles, yes, we have new leads," he finally spoke, forcing a fake friendliness. Inside he just wanted to scream and tear his suit of his skin.

"Looking good, boy," he added, giving Miles a light fist bump. He tried not to look into Gwen's eyes, afraid of getting lost in her gaze.

"So?" Miles put his arms on his hips.

Peter sat back down on the ledge and gestured for Miles and Gwen to do the same.

He watched as Miles sat down behind Gwen and hugged her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder and the young woman leaned against Miles.

In any other situation, Peter would have melted, but this time he had to grit his teeth. Now don't make it so hard for me, damn it.

"We... analyzed everything. And..." he began, but stopped to swallow against the lump in his throat.

"Now say it," Miles motivated him.

Peter looked at the sky. "God, forgive me," he whispered quietly.

"It's not Gwenom. She's not in this dimension," he said hastily.

Miles cocked his head. "But we saw them on the videos."

Peter nodded. "You did."

He didn't say anything more. He couldn't speak the ultimate and only truth without throwing himself off the ledge, without a net.

"Come on, dude, you really speak in riddles," smiled Miles.

Gwen, on the other hand, was still quiet, which clearly confused Peter.

"Gwen," he finally addressed her. "If you listen to yourself... do you only see yourself?"

She lifted her head just slightly, but Peter knew she understood. He knew what he had triggered with that one question.

All happiness disappeared from Miles' face too. "What do you mean by that?"

Peter took another deep breath. "Gwenom was...never on this Earth. She's still on 120703."

"Impossible!" shouted Miles.

"Lyla painstakingly examined the marks on the victims. Given the nature of the murders, you probably understand that there was hardly any residue, which is why Lyla took so long. But..." Peter took another deep breath. "There is only one definitive mark on all victims. It only fits a certain dimension."

"Mine," Gwen quietly finished the train of thought.

Peter nodded and suddenly all the pieces fell together into one big picture.

Gwen blinked several times as the memories flooded her mind.

The voice in her head.

The tiredness even though she was sleeping.

The certain hunger, even though she was eating.

...

The blood she had on her the previous morning.

"But," Miles stuttered, realizing what Peter was getting at. "I-I would have noticed if..."

Gwen looked at him, a deep sadness in her eyes. "You always didn't notice anything when you slept."

Miles alternately looked between Gwen and Peter. "No ..."

He pulled Gwen closer to him. “What’s going to happen here now?”

Peter curled his mouth. "We have to stop all of this. It's...it's a wonder the Venom inside her hasn't completely taken over her body yet."

"Does that mean you're investigating her at Society HQ? To find a solution?" Miles pleaded.

Peter shook his head after a long silent moment. "No. It's too dangerous."

"Gwen can handle this, Peter! Better this than…" Miles replied.

"I wasn't talking about Gwen, Miles. I'm talking about the HQ."

Miles stood up and stood in front of Peter. "So what now? Do you take her back to her dimension and hope she never escapes again?"

He grabbed the older Spider, who didn't fight back. He deserved it.

"Not that either, Miles. I have to make sure Gwen is no longer a danger."

He took one of the vaccine doses out of his pocket. "She'll barely feel it and then it'll be over."

Miles let go of Peter, disbelief written all over his face. He couldn't be serious.

"Peter, you … you want to... kill Gwen?"

Peter nodded. "There was an incident before. And I lost almost everything to Venom. The concentration in the victim's blood was significantly lower than that in Gwen, but it was enough to throw almost an entire dimension into chaos!"

"She's my friend! And yours!" Miles shouted at him. "How could you even think of something like that?!"

"It has to be, Miles! I'm the only one who can understand this, believe me!"

"You don't understand shit!" Miles replied angrily.

"Miles, don't make me hurt you," Peter begged him. "Gwen will..."

"Lay one finger on Gwen and it will be your last breath."

Peter jumped at Miles' words. He'd never threatened to do that before because no Spider-Man even remotely saw murder as a solution, but Miles was different. And he could understand him. But he couldn't let that stop him from having to 'save' Gwen.

"Now let me finish my job, Miles!"

"Your job?" Miles shouted. "To destroy my family and my life?"

Miles looked at Gwen, tears forming in her eyes. "Destroying us? You're talking about murder, Peter! You even sound like Miguel!"

"And that's exactly why I have to do it! Not you, or anyone else!" Peter protested.

He moved several steps toward Miles when a portal opened behind them.

Miles and Gwen's senses immediately alerted them, and they jumped to the nearest ledge to safety.

Because just a few moments later, Miguel stormed out of the newly opened portal.

"I knew you wouldn't make it," the Spider grumbled with a withering look at Peter.

Jess emerged from the same portal. Peter looked at her confused and she quickly turned her head to the side.

"Jess..." Peter said disappointedly. "Why?"

"You know that yourself, Peter. Don't tell me you have the situation under control."

"I had it under control until you showed up!" Peter replied growling.

"You had nothing, Peter!" Miles shouted from the distance.

Miguel looked at Peter with a smug look. "I told you, you wouldn't take it when it came to it."

"And you? You can just do that without any scruples?"

Miguel nodded. "There are things that need to be done. Sacrificing Gwen will save billions of innocent lives."

Peter couldn't answer anything. He just stood in front of the two spiders, taken by surprise and with his mouth open.

"Morales!" O'Hara turned to Miles. "There are two options. We resolve this non-violently and you hand this Gwenom variant over to me. Or I have to come get her."

Miles ignored the muscular Spider and looked at Peter.

“What does the voice tell you, Gwen?” Peter called past Miles to the young woman. "You hear it, don't you? It speaks to you, getting louder the more time passes."

"What's this going to happen, Peter?!" Miles asked urgently.

"That voice that Gwen hears... it comes from him, a parasite, a symbiote. He feeds on Gwen, especially her emotions. She still controls her own body most of the time, but not for long, and Venom takes over all functions. The longer she is exposed to Venom, the more she will lose to him," explained Peter. "It's almost a euphoric feeling at first, as it feeds on negative feelings such as fear, anxiety and pain. On the other hand, there is the advantage of increasing your powers and pushing your own consciousness, which makes you believe that you have everything under control "But that's not true," Spider-Man continued and sighed.

"How do you know all this, Peter?" Miles asked cautiously.

"Because I was a victim, too!" Peter shouted back. "I almost lost everything because I was inspired by being so powerful. I loved the feeling of being capable of anything. As much as I hated that thing, it saved my life at first, but eventually it takes hold and start demanding more and more, getting hungrier, to the point where you have no control at all. At that point, you're just sitting in the passenger seat, doomed to watch yourself as the symbiote does everything to your body what we fear."

Peter covered his face with his hand. "I lost MJ because of that too. I had changed."

"You managed to get rid of Venom. So Gwen can too," Miles growled confidently, reaching a hand back to hold Gwen protectively behind him.

"She won't succeed! She's been exposed to the symbiote for too long!"

Miguel looked at Peter, an eyebrow raised. So far he was just waiting for the two to finish with their revelations, but his patience was slowly running out.

"Parker, enough is enough. I'm not going to waste any more time so you can have your little therapy session."

"He should know what it's doing! He has a right to know why there's no way out," Peter replied.

Miles spat on the ground contemptuously.

"You know, Peter. I was just about to give the Society another chance. Build trust," Miles said firmly. "But I guess that was a false hope. The thing that hurts most about betrayal is the fact that it only comes from friends. You're leaving Gwen to die, and I won't let that happen!"

Miguel had enough.

"You know, Parker, I'm surprised you didn't bring your daughter here. You could have prepared her so well for real life here!"

His accusation had the desired effect, and for a moment Peter stared at him in shock.

This made him no longer concentrate on the vials in his hand, which Miguel used to punch him in the stomach.

Peter stumbled back and Miguel reached for the medicine.

Gwen, on the other hand, followed everything that was happening with a strange calmness, as she was fighting a much more important battle within herself. Everything around her was in slow motion.

"It's the only way," she told herself.

The only way, the voice repeated, Venom, she now knew, in her with contempt. That one..., Venom made her look at Miles, who was fighting. He's fighting for his life, and that impresses me. However, you are weak.

"I'm not weak, I'm just holding you back so you can't do more damage with Gwenom!"

Gwenom , the symbiote laughed. You little people with your nicknames, like little dogs. Gwenom is a mistake, a mishap of nature! What you call the multiverse has been known to us for thousands of years. The symbiote in this 'Gwenom' is just a ridiculous copy of our species, an anomaly of our research!

Anomaly... Gwen shuddered at the term.

"What the hell do you want? Why are you here?" Gwen asked.

To rule. To destroy.

"I won't allow that!" Gwen said vehemently after a short pause.

Those researchers from the other dimension... those idiots think they can control us. They are wrong. They control nothing more than the computers on their desks. We have the power. And we decide what we do. This freak called 'Gwenom' must be eradicated.

"Does that mean you're not working with her?"

I work alone. Only I will give myself orders. No scientists, no other symbiotes, and you... you have so much potential. But you don't use it.

"How can I trust you? How do I know you won't take advantage of me?"

They want to kill you. All of them... except maybe that boy. It's not like you have much choice right now.

Gwen heard the symbiote's ominous laugh. But as much as she wanted to deny it, he was right.

"If I trust you..."

You need to!, Venom grinned. You have no other choice.

“Not a good starting point for a partnership,” she said sarcastically. "That doesn't necessarily help to build trust."

You finally have to ask yourself a question: you or your opponents? You or that worn-out spider guy? You or that pompous blue panther with his full body condom suit?

Gwen smiled without meaning to. But what options did she have? Die or fight? It was clear what Gwen would decide to do.

"If I help you, you have to swear to me that Miles will be spared. He...he's my best friend."

Venom laughed again. I see your feelings. I know that hasn't been the case for a long time. Well... I'll spare him as long as he doesn't get in my way.

Gwen jumped, only to come back to the present.

"All right," she said.

Miguel jumped onto the ledge where Miles and Gwen were standing. From there, the two of them could now inevitably see that Miguel was dead serious. His entire demeanor was surrounded by an inner determination.

"I'm ending it while we still have the chance," he growled, coming towards Gwen. Miles positioned himself between the two, but Miguel punched him so directly and hard in the stomach that Miles collapsed in surprise. Coughing, he watched as Miguel now stood like a beacon in front of the much smaller Gwen, his muscles tense to the point of bursting.

Miguel's figure used to intimidate Gwen, but not anymore. Not with her unwanted support.

"Then unfortunately you're late," Gwen replied, her voice dropping several octaves as she spoke.

"All the time you talk about me like I'm a thing. Something to throw away."

Even Miles turned to her with a look of fear, while Peter and Miguel's eyes were wide.

Jess, on the other hand, saw the confrontation coming and jumped back into the portal.

"NO ONE SEES EVEN BEGINNING OF WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF."

"Gwen?" Miles asked carefully as he watched as black threads wrapped themselves like tendrils around Gwen's forearms and hands, becoming denser and thicker.

"WE WILL SHOW YOU WHAT YOUR DOWNLOOM WILL BE."

It was quiet. Miles could have sworn that even the wind had stopped blowing. For a moment that seemed to last a minute, time stood still.

Until Gwen threw the Spider from the futuristic dimension with such a powerful combination into the wall of the tower behind it, giving her the opportunity to escape.

She looked at Miles. "I'm so sorry..." she said in her normal voice and jumped.

"Gwen!" the young Spider-Man called after him.

But this had disappeared. Miles angrily turned to Peter and sprinted towards him. "You lousy..."

Peter raised his arms, still panting. The shock was written all over his face.

"You'll help me get her to safety. You'll help me, and her! No one will get killed!" Miles begged him.

"Miles..." Peter sighed. "You know that's not..."

"YOU'VE SEEN GWEN! AND YOU HEARD GWEN!" Miles shouted. "She's still there. We have to help her! You know that as a Spider we have to save everyone! Just this once, I'm asking you to take this leap of faith!"

Peter sighed as he looked at Miguel, who was still leaning against the wall in a daze.

Then he looked at his own, now empty, hands and felt disgusted with himself. What on earth had he planned to do?

"I ..."

"Please, Peter!" Miles pleaded again.

He saw the affection in the boy. The risk he was willing to take.

What would MJ have done in his place? Would she have given up on him too?

No, Peter said to himself. She did everything to save him. And now he had to do the same for Gwen.

The older Spider let out a rush of air from his nose. "Are you sure?"

"No," Miles replied. "But there is no alternative, Peter."

A few meters away, Miguel groaned as he stood back on his feet. He still had the vial in his hand and was shaking himself.

Without paying any attention to the two of them, he staggered to the edge of the ledge and shot after Gwen, looking for a trail.

"We have to find them before he does," Peter ordered. "Do you know where she might be?"

"No," Miles shook his head. "She'll hide until Miguel gives up. I don't know where..."

A tingling sensation gripped Miles. He suddenly saw a large square in front of his eyes. Roofs...tables...a water tower.

"I know where she is!"

Without waiting for Peter, he dived down into the city below him. His hands and the web beams guided him specifically to the place where he knew Gwen was.

He ignored how it swung almost recklessly just a few inches from the ground, forcing several cars to stop. Everything he saw before his eyes was his goal.

He blocked out the honking of the vehicles, the excited shouts of passers-by or the roar of the police sirens.

All he did was just pull harder and harder on the web beams to go even faster.

Not even Peter managed to catch up with Miles.

At some point he too had to back down and let the boy go.

He could only hope that his experienced sense and gut instinct led him to the young Spider.

🕷️

Gwen gasped as she stood under the water tower and had no idea how to handle the situation.

She didn't want any of this, but she couldn't stand the voice anymore either. And somehow... the power that Venom gave her... that power was empowering. Gwen felt like nothing could stop her. That she was suddenly capable of anything.

Her spider-sense was even sharper, her strength even stronger... but she also never felt so alone.

Miles... again she had to push him away, again she had to disappoint him.

Inflicting pain on people she loved was apparently her cursed circle of life.

Now she had no one left. And she was the one who committed the murders. It was her!

Even if she didn't knowingly kill all the people, the blood was ultimately on her hands.

And that thought was worse than the knowledge several years ago that her father wanted to arrest her, or that she hadn't told Miles about the Society and its plans.

Spider-Woman didn't murder anyone!

Until Gwen Stacy broke that unwritten law.

"Gwen!"

Even before the spoken word, her senses alerted her that she was no longer alone. "Miles..."

Miles stood a few meters behind her, at the other end of the platform below the water tower.

Gwen looked into his face and saw the vulnerability, but also the insecurity and what she identified as love.

"I don't deserve his love," she told herself. "Not after everything I've done."

And what else we have to do if we don't go.

"What did you say?" Miles asked, coming closer.

Gwen immediately pressed herself against the railing behind her. "Stand there! You can't get too close to me!"

I'll kill him if he wants to stop us, Venom whispered in her head. Without batting an eyelash.

"I'm not afraid," Miles said with his hands raised.

“You should,” Venom spoke directly to Miles through Gwen.

Miles paused. "Whatever you are. Let Gwen go."

"That won't be possible anymore. We're already too connected," Venom replied smugly. "You won't be able to stop us anymore. "

Venom tried to rush forward, but Gwen held herself back. "No!"

"Miles, you have to go," she called to him through Venom.

"I won't! We'll get through this together, remember?"

"This is so much bigger than what I imagined. Trust me for once, just this time!" Gwen pleaded. She hoped that he would get the hint and finally leave before she could hurt him.

But Miles didn't move an inch. "I trust you, but not him."

He even tried to move closer to Gwen.

He should go away, Venom growled. Gwen felt another wave of anger boiling up inside her.

"Miles! Don't take another step!" she shouted in panic.

Her arms rose and, like Miguel before, small black threads wrapped around her hands.

Instead of backing away, Miles noticed the impending danger and fired two web bombs to fix Gwen's hands on the railing.

Venom's rage exploded in the young woman, but Miles countered with more net shots. Not even Venom could get out of this situation.

"Miles!" Gwen shouted again as the young Spider came within a few centimeters of her.

"You can't do this alone. Please let me help you."

"I have to do this alone. I finally have to prove that I can do good things on my own," replied Gwen, distraught.

"You have to prove it? What on earth do you still have to prove?" asked Miles, perplexed. "You helped distract the whole Society from me and Spot back then. You even made Miguel believe that I was with you! You fought the criminals in your dimension alone for years. You stood up to Miguel more bravely than anyone else "That was enough. What else do you have to prove?!"

Gwen winced at Miles' monologue. Yes, she had done all that, but he also forgot what she had done wrong. "And what about my Peter? What about the fact that I lied to you? That I had to run away from my father because he thought I was a murderer?"

She snorted at the thought of her father. "Everything I did back then, I did because I wanted to prove my innocence. Because I wasn't a murderer. And now look at me. I killed so many people."

"You didn't! Peter explained it. It wasn't you!"

"But my face is what you'll see first," Gwen replied. "And you heard what Miguel said. I'm lost."

"I don't believe that. As long as you're breathing, as long as we're together, I believe there's always a possibility. You don't need Venom, you're so much stronger than you think."

Gwen sighed. How could he be so sure? What did he see in her that she didn't see herself?

"The guy is getting on my nerves," Venom said.

"Why are you so sure, Miles? Why aren't you afraid of me... of Venom inside me?" Gwen asked.

Miles shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not sure, but it's kind of like a gut feeling, a leap of faith. Because I believe you're strong and I know you're not a murderer. But we have other problems to solve first. But then, I promise you, we will work together to clear your name."

Nothing was louder than the silence that followed between Miles and Gwen. As much as Miles tried to get through to his girlfriend, he also knew that all it took was one wrong word to bring out the Venom in her. He couldn't let Venom defeat his Gwen. So he did the only thing he could think of.

Miles kissed her. So passionate that no symbiote in the world could feast on Gwen's negative feelings. Because he felt Gwen let herself fall into her boyfriend's touch.

"Bad things happen, Gwen," Miles said, remembering a lesson from Peter. "They make us who we are. We are Spiders. We have the curse that bad things happen to us. But so many good things happen. The way we happened. Isn't that something worth fighting for? no matter how bad the odds are?"

"But...in my past..." Gwen began.

"The past is called that because it's past. You can't see forward if you're constantly looking in the rearview mirror, Gwen. There's a reason the rearview mirror is so small. So you can see what you've overcome, and prevent your past from catching up with you. Your future is in front of you, not behind you. Not in your rearview mirror. So don't let your past take control of you."

"It's not my past, it's Venom," Gwen whispered, distressed at being so powerless.

"Venom feeds on your bad emotions. Anger, hate, fear, sadness. And what many of these feelings have in common is that they arise from what you have experienced in your past. You don't need Venom to tell you what to do. You have your own inner voice, always have."

Gwen took a breath. She felt like she needed Miles and for the first time in a long time she only thought about the positive things. Suddenly Venom's presence became quieter, no matter how hard he fought to be pushed back into the farthest corner of her mind. The light that Miles emitted drove him away without him being able to win.

“What is your inner voice telling you?” she asked calmly.

Miles looked down thoughtfully.

"It tells me what's right in my eyes and what's not. When to go and when to stay. It tells me honestly who my friends are and who aren't. When to say 'Yes' and when 'No'."

He looked back at Gwen, determination coursing through him. "Sometimes it's just a feeling, quiet and uncertain. And that's part of it too. But it can also be loud, crystal clear. It tells me whether the person next to me is the one I want to spend my life with...or not."

He carefully removed Gwen's hands from the railing and took them in his. "And right now it is telling me loud and clear that I will not lose you. That I will do everything to save you. Because there is always a solution and because I believe that you did not commit these murders willingly."

This time it was Gwen who pulled Miles to her. As their lips touched, a new wave hit them. Not filled with hate and anger, but with trust and love.

They separated again after a moment that felt like an eternity, and Miles held Gwen tightly in his arms.

"Don't run the risk of losing your real inner voice. It's been there since you took in your first breath. It's been inside you since your mother gave birth to you. It was the only one who was by your side every second of your life. It was there when you are happy. When you cry. When you go to bed feeling helpless. When you fall asleep and when you wake up. That voice is always there. And it is your job to take care of that voice within you. Not because you're that special, but simply because it's your job. I can only help you, but you're the one who needs to hear her voice."

Gwen felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed how she had started to cry. She guessed she just needed this conversation.

"You're definitely Rio's son," she said, sobbing, rubbing her cheeks with the sleeve of her suit, smiling.

"I hope so," Miles whispered, amused. "Together?"

"Together," Gwen replied, reaching for Miles' hand.

"Venom!" Miguel suddenly shouted and landed on the roof below them. The look of rage in his weight made Miles' blood run cold.

Miguel was completely out of control, even worse than back in Nueva York.

Miles knew there was no way out now. Miguel was fixated on Gwen and him. Nothing could stop him anymore.

Miles positioned himself ready to fight. No matter what it took, even if it meant his death, he would protect Gwen.

“Last chance to move aside, Morales,” Miguel grumbled.

"Last chance for you to finally come to your senses," Miles replied sarcastically.

Miguel extended his claws and roared as he jumped.

But before he could hit Miles, he was knocked down by another Spider.

"Peter!" shouted Miles.

"Miguel, that's enough!" Peter said, ignoring Miles behind him. He couldn't allow himself any distractions.

"So you chose the side of the weak. I'm not surprised, but I thought that one particular time you'd think more about it," Miguel scoffed.

"I did. And I can't let you destroy their lives!" Peter replied. "And besides, I like the underdogs."

"A big mistake ..."

"Miguel," Lyla suddenly spoke up before the Spider could attack Peter. "There...there's a new canon event."

"Earth-1610?" the Spider asked without looking at Lyla. He was still staring at the three people in front of him.

"No. Miguel...it's an interrupted event. It's about the George Stacy...on Earth-65, it takes effect in half an hour."

Gwen opened her eyes, and Miles and Peter followed suit.

Every time she thought she had regained control, something would come along that would harshly show her that she wasn't.

"You won't go!" Miguel warned them. "Your clocks are disconnected from the network."

Lyla nodded, but she didn't seem happy with the situation either.

"We're going to solve this once and for all," Miguel said, jumping again.

But Peter intervened again and tapped his watch. "For all your intelligence, you forgot one thing, Miguel: My watch is still working."

He opened a portal behind Gwen and Miles.

"Come on!" Peter shouted to the two of them.

And under the furious eyes of Miguel O'Hara, Gwen and Miles disappeared into the portal.

Chapter Text

Silence ...

You could have heard a grain of sand hitting the ground even without superhuman strength.

Even though it was raining cats and dogs.

The only thing she heard was the labored breathing of those around her.

She fell to her knees, exhausted, beaten, defeated.

Her hand wandered aimlessly.

Until she finally found Miles' motionless legs.

🕷️

EARTH-65 - Chelsea, Manhattan, New York

30 minutes earlier

Miles was out of breath - and that took a lot.

He had fought Spot.

He had held his own against an armada of spiders.

He had defeated Miguel.

He had saved his father.

He had freed Gwen.

But none of it was nearly as draining as pursuing Gwen.

She had crossed half of New York in just five minutes to get to her father and her apartment.

Only to find an empty living space.

She didn't care if she smashed the window as, with one last strong pull on the web beam, she flew towards the front of the house, Miles a few meters behind her.

Glass could be replaced, but not her father's safety.

"Dad?" she shouted in the same breath as she shot through the window. "Dad, where are you?"

Completely exhausted, Miles came into the living room behind her to prop himself up on his legs. How could she keep up this pace and be so attentive afterwards?

She was indeed graceful, and years of training as a ballerina gave her a level of fitness that made her significantly more athletic than most of her fellow human beings even before the spider bite, but only a superhuman being would have been able to cope with this sprint without leaving a trace.

So was it really Venom within her that gave her all these abilities?

"Miles, are you just going to stand there and stare into space?" she asked him angrily, arms outstretched, noticing that Miles wasn't looking for George and was still out of breath.

"Dude, do you know how fast you were just now?" he snapped back, surprised at her sudden aggressiveness. "Even a Vulture from the distant future wouldn't have caught up with you."

"But that's not the point!" she replied just as tensely, and opened the door to her father's bedroom. "Dad!"

But no matter where she looked, she couldn't find George. He should have been at home because today was his day off.

He simply disappeared without a trace. Panic began to rise in Gwen as she stormed back into the living room, pacing back and forth. "Where can he be? Where is he?" she whispered repeatedly. Miles was speechless at how distraught and completely alien Gwen was. He had never seen her like this before. He knew exactly how she behaved when someone she loved was in danger. But this woman in front of him... she looked like Gwen, she smelled like Gwen (Miles slapped himself for that in his mind), but she wasn't Gwen... at least not in the way he was used to seeing her.

"Think, Gwen, think!" she growled strained, eyes closed. Where can he be? He must be here!

A wave of darkness washed over her and when she opened her eyes, she saw nothing... only Venom's distorted face in front of her.

"You gotta give her one thing...she's got style, and she knows how to get your attention."

"Gwenom?" Gwen asked.

Venom nodded. "Everything here stinks like her. I can smell it. You know the smell when someone shits themselves, leaving a trail wherever they go?"

Gwen wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Very charming... and not helpful!"

"Let me take the lead and I'll take you to her. And to your father."

"No!" Gwen defended herself. "I won't let you hurt him! Put him in danger..."

"What is more important to you? Gwenom or your father?" He looked at her intently. "And I demand that you decide soon. Otherwise, there will be no 'Dad' left for you to save!" Venom turned his long head to the side. "Not that I care. But I always hate all that drama and crying at the end."

Gwen seethed. "I'll find her. Only me!"

"Do what you can't help doing," Venom groaned, annoyed.

Gwen snapped back to reality where she was being held by Miles. She hadn't even noticed how she had drifted off.

"Wow, you're scaring me more and more," Miles said softly.

"Scaring?" Gwen asked surprised.

"You suddenly stopped and for a moment it seemed like you were seeing someone right in front of you," Miles explained. "And then I caught you. You rolled your eyes back! Do you know how scary that was?!"

"I-I... um... I was with... um," she stuttered, watching Miles' vision cloud over.

"Venom," he said simply.

"I need him!" Gwen pleaded loudly.

"No! You don't need him," Miles replied, shaking her shoulders. "He needs you! And he controls you. No matter what he makes you believe. Come back to us, please. I'm begging you."

Gwen recoiled when she saw Miles' face. How he asked for her to fight Venom and his influence. But he didn't know how empowering it was to know that someone could boost your skills in an instant. Why didn't he want to understand that? It occurred to her that it could only be envy that was speaking from him. Out of all of them. They had all heard it: Gwen was still herself, despite the high exposure. So she was better than Peter B, right? She knew when she needed Venom and when she didn't. She could control it. Correct? No need to worry. Right?

Still, Miles' words touched something deep inside her. There was this young girl, even before she met Miles. That juvenile voice that told her that even without Venom, she had everything she needed. But... these powers. They were contagious.

Her eyes wandered around, still desperately searching for a clue to her father.

She stopped her stroll at photos from her childhood and youth, which were neatly lined up on a chest of drawers, selected by her father.

Young Gwen dancing ballet at an important competition.

Gwen's first day of school. God, how scared she was back then. Other children were excited to make friends and learn things they hadn't yet grasped. She, on the other hand, has always been very socially isolated. Friendships were alien to her, with a few exceptions. She had never felt comfortable in large crowds.

Being Spider-Woman didn't make things any better, huh?, she thought to herself, snorting.

And then...her prom.

How long did she take to find the perfect outfit. She wanted to finally tell Peter that evening that he was more to her than a friend. In her youthful recklessness, she didn't know how to describe whether it was this 'love' that everyone was always talking about. But he was important to her. A lot. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Not even after his death.

Then came Miles. Again she was as afraid of losing him as Peter had once been.

She looked at one of the pictures, so deeply immersed in her memories that she was shocked when not only her face could be seen in the reflection of the glass, but her head surrounded by a black mass. Like... a mask, with long white eyes.

"They're afraid of you!" Venom whispered to her. "They're afraid of you because you're now stronger than any of them. And they want to take that away from you!"

"That's not true!" she snapped back, holding her head.

"Look around. Who else is with you? Miles... yes, a naive boy, driven by his complex of wanting to help everyone. He wants to be the ultimate Spider-Man? Good joke! He's just that kind of idiot like you were!"

"No!" Gwen shouted, slamming the picture frame onto the dresser, shattering the glass and tearing her hand open. "Fuck!"

"Gwen! This has to stop!" Miles shouted desperately before rushing off to find a bandage. "That is not you!"

Do you see? He's afraid of you too, of your potential, Venom told her.

"I...I can't, Miles. Not now," Gwen spoke. Never.

Miles sighed in defeat.

He bandaged her injury, knowing that it would probably heal within the next few minutes anyway due to her accelerated healing.

With a deep breath he then turned around again. "We should find your father," Miles said, with an unprecedented neutrality in his voice that even Gwen broke.

"Miles..." she whispered, but she was interrupted by the sound of her radio.

Before she could hear what he said, her spider sense warned her of a loud bang just a few kilometers away.

"To all units: Possible supervillain incident on Times Square! Repeat: Possible supervillain on Times Square!"

"Got it! Is there any clue to the identity?"

"Negative! No visual contact! But we are suffering massive losses!"

Gwen and Miles looked at each other. They knew exactly what that meant.

"Dad!" she called and sprinted to the broken window. "Miles, I know what you're thinking, but please, I just need your trust this once!"

🕷️

They had expected many injuries. But not with so many.

This strengthened their proof that Gwenom had to be responsible. The villains in her dimension were ruthless, but still human. They avoided sacrifice wherever possible. This villain, however, was different.

That shouldn't stop Gwen and Miles from doing their work.

As previously heard over the radio, there was no sign of Gwenom.

But her path of destruction became even more apparent. Advertising boards flickered, some of them only hanging in the security anchorages. There were rubble and people everywhere. Some with serious injuries.

The emergency services on site were overwhelmed, which led Miles to apply his mother's knowledge. He administered first aid while Gwen could only cover her mouth with her hands and stand rooted to the spot in the midst of the destruction. She had saved Mumbattan, also London in Hobie's world, also a dimension full of anarchy and violence.

But so much suffering in their own universe? That was something else again.

But these images also fueled the fire in her. The anger at Gwenom.

"Come out, you coward!" she shouted, to Miles' surprise. The police, paramedics and passers-by also looked at her in confusion.

“I was wondering where you were,” a voice purred across the square. It sounded so omnipresent that no one knew where the voice came from.

However, it gave everyone a shiver because it didn't sound much different than their Spider-Woman's.

"Blacky, I really don't have time for this shit," Gwen replied annoyed. "Why don't you come down and we can do this our way?"

"Your wish is my command," Gwenom growled. She shot two black web beams next to Gwen and catapulted herself towards her. It knocked Gwen to the ground as Gwenom hit her with her feet.

"Ouch," Gwenom laughed condescendingly. "Next time you should think carefully about what you want."

Gwen rubbed her chest as she looked at Miles. "Get the injured out of here. This could get ugly."

"But ..."

"Just do it!" Gwen warned him, dodging a new attack just in time.

She fired a web beam into Gwenom's face and pulled on the web, sending her victim crashing to the ground.

Gwenom stood back up and grinned darkly. "I almost felt that."

"Oh, then you'll love the next one," Gwen growled, sliding between Gwenom's legs and kicking her in the back, sending her into a pillar.

Gwenom sat back up and looked around. "So many people. So much chaos!"

“What are you doing here anyway?” Gwen asked. "Don't you have some lab you need to disassemble?"

Gwenom threw a piece of a destroyed viewing platform at Gwen, but she rolled to the side and threw the piece back at Gwenom. Gwenom covered herself in a black 'armor' made of fibers, meaning she suffered no damage when the piece hit her with full force.

A chill ran down Gwen's spine when she saw Gwenom in her transformed form for the first time. Her hood was black and misshapen, with several razor-sharp points at the ends. A fleshy, long tongue curled down her body from inside the hood, above a mouth running perpendicular to the suit, also full of sharp teeth.

It was no wonder how this monster could kill so many people.

She didn't even need nets to be dangerous.

Gwenom readied herself again and jumped towards Gwen. In the air, however, she shot two black webs to fix Gwen's feet on the ground, hitting them hard again.

"You're like me, but you don't use him."

She's not wrong, Venom whispered to her.

"And they say that you're a 'better' version of me. That I don't laugh!"

Also true.

“Just shut up!” Gwen hissed to herself and pulled herself away from the ground again, only to have to dodge another larger chunk.

The fight will definitely take longer, thought Gwen.

🕷️

Miles was supporting a passerby when a piece of debris from Gwen and Gwenom's fight missed him by a hair.

“Woah,” he shouted, pulling the man towards him so he wouldn’t get hit too.

"What is that thing?" the man asked after Miles let him go.

"You don't want to know," Miles sighed and looked back at Gwen.

She had her hands full with Gwenom, and the way she carried herself made him wonder how much longer she could hold on without help.

Gwenom shouldn't even be their only problem:

He was unloading the man into one of the ambulances when his spider-sense alerted him.

From the other side of the block, Miguel O'Hara swung towards Gwen and Gwenom, landing on them with a loud thud.

"Oh, a Spider-Adonis," Gwenom said, baring her lips. "Finally a challenge."

"Gwen!" Miguel called instead. "There is no escape. Surrender."

Gwen shook her head. "What?! You do realize that I don't really have time for your anomaly topic right now?"

Now Miguel also seemed to fully notice Gwenom. He extended his claws and looked at the symbiote.

"I've beaten anomalies like you before," he said as he got into an attack stance.

"So much muscle, and so little brain," Gwenom said sarcastically. Gwen had to suppress the urge to laugh and agree.

"Miguel, in case you haven't noticed," Gwen called out. "We're a little busy here right now. Can't you go back and spread your canon madness somewhere else?"

"Only when you and your mistakes have been corrected."

"So many words..." Gwenom said, walking elegantly and suggestively toward Miguel. Even Gwen was drawn to the woman.

“Damn, I can do something like that?”

You can do so much more, said Venom. If only you would let it happen.

"Quiet!"

Gwenom was almost to Miguel. "Too many words."

A whip made of black material grew from Gwenom's right forearm. She hit it in Miguel's direction, but he was able to fend off the attack with his hands.

He grabbed Gwenom in his claws and threw her against a mast, which she hit with a thud.

Miguel took advantage of the brief moment to attack Gwen. "You are a mistake!"

"Miguel!" Gwen shouted and rolled to the side as the spider flew towards her with all fours outstretched.

"Miguel, that's crazy!"

The Spider was completely out of control. Gwen had never seen him like this before. If Miguel had a goal, he wanted to achieve it, but never with this blunt aimless force.

Gwen couldn't fend off the next attack. He flipped her over and began tearing her suit at her neck with his claws. Gwen could feel him gripping so hard that the pointed fingers dug into her flesh.

Gwen screamed in pain.

That's enough for me now, Venom growled inside her. A black mass formed in front of Gwen at the level of her stomach and pushed Miguel away with as much force as possible.

Gwen's senses alerted her again and she ducked as Miles flew over her and sent Miguel flying in mid-air, sending him crashing into another advertising board.

In anger, Gwen straightened up and pulled herself towards the dazed Spider.

She forgot everything as she gave in to anger and worked Miguel with inhuman strength.

He no longer knew how to defend himself, so he put both arms in front of his face.

It didn't take long until he felt her breaking his forearms.

"Gwen!" Miles shouted, who had seen everything.

"Come back, Gwen!" he pleaded. "That is not you!"

Gwen turned to Miles. For the first time he noticed that except for her face, her entire body was covered in a black mass. She even seemed taller and more muscular.

"Everyone tells me what I should and shouldn't do. We are our own rulers!"

"No! Spider-Woman doesn't kill! Spider-Woman has never killed. Spider-Woman is so much better than what you're doing right now!"

Gwen held back before attacking Miguel further. "But...Peter...he died because of me!"

"But not through you! You're not responsible for what happened to him!"

Gwen's eyes cleared again. The hard, unblinking look disappeared as she clung to Miles' words like a net across the mile-deep abyss.

Miguel also slowly came to. His arms hurt, but he couldn't pay attention to that now. He had to keep fighting. For the only correct truth. A truth Gwen had to accept.

Because it's right.

At a moment when Gwen wasn't paying attention, he grabbed her neck and squeezed. She wheezed as Miguel increasingly denied her the opportunity to take a breath.

As Gwen realized what was happening, the anger towards Miguel and the entire Society returned to her system.

Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed Miguel's arms.

"You made me betray my best friend!"

She yanked on Miguel's already broken arms, causing him to scream loudly.

"You have shattered everything good in me with your lies!"

She kicked Miguel in the abdomen with Venom's help. He immediately collapsed to his knees.

"You brainwashed me into believing my father was sentenced to death!"

With desperate anger she grabbed Miguel's collar, who for the first time looked helplessly into her eyes. For a moment he no longer had a plan that could save him from Gwen's anger and Venom.

"It's time to finally turn off your tap!"

Gwen lashed out and aimed at Miguel's head, ready for the killing blow, when two webs stopped her fist.

Wild as a fury, she looked around and saw Peter B, who was pulling with all his might on the other end of the net beam.

"Gwen! Come to your senses!"

"You betrayed me too!" she snapped back and saw Peni, Jess, Margo, Noir, Peter A, Hobie and Pav line up behind Peter B. "You all!"

"I didn't betray you!" Peter shouted.

Gwen's eyes dripped with blind hatred. Every fiber of her being was primed to commit the ultimate crime. She was at a stage where she didn't care who her anger hit. Not even Peter was safe from this.

Looking into her eyes, even from several meters away, he realized that he was walking on a threshold that he shouldn't cross.

"Peter... after everything that's happened, do you still trust him? The asshole who turned you around too? With everything he says in his madness about the anomalies, you still seek his advice? You hold Mayday in your hands, and yet you let him charm you. Have you ever thought, in all your gluttony, that your daughter is an anomaly? Because you got her because of Miles? Has that never crossed your mind?"

It was these questions that made something inside Peter break. Because he had never dared to take this path himself. To go so far as to question Mayday.

Peter stumbled back and Gwen took the opportunity to break out of his web, full of anger ready to burst out and attack him.

She didn't even pay much attention to Miguel, who was just about to stand up again. Another blow to the side of his neck was enough to silence him again.

No, Gwen Stacy from Earth-65 was no longer afraid of Miguel O'Hara. She no longer backed away from him.

"And Jess..." Gwen walked slowly and confidently towards the Spider gang. "I was just your star student as long as I believed everything Miguel told me, right?"

She turned to Peter A. "And you? Too weak to save a simple girl like your Gwen. How pathetic."

Everyone backed away from Gwen and her aimless anger.

Gwen spotted Hobie in the crowd. "And you...Spider-Punk...you could have had me."

She brought her free hand to her side and let it run lasciviously down her body to her hip. Anyone who could see Gwen's face could see how amused the young woman was by the looks.

"Instead, you are fighting a hopeless battle against the authorities of your multiverse. Without making any progress. Isn't it a bit pathetic to keep trying?"

Only then did Gwen's interest fall on Peni. "Little Peni. Sweet little Peni. You're clinging so tightly to your father's legacy that you're doomed to failure. You're trying to fill footprints instead of replacing them. And your father... he was such a great hero. You, however..."

Peni continued to slump, her eyes full of tears as she was brutally reminded of her past. Not even Peter B, who protectively stroked her shoulder and partially pushed her behind him, could change anything.

"You're a disappointment. You're not even the original Spider of your dimension! And Miguel took you in despite his hatred of all anomalies? What have you done to rise in his favor? Wait, I can imagine it: you, a young girl, attractive, smart... and Miguel, who still hasn't gotten over the loss of his fake daughter."

Peni's lower lip trembled.

"Let me guess: He fuc..."

"IT'S ENOUGH, GWEN!" Miles shouted behind her, and the woman in question turned around abruptly.

He didn't look her in the eyes, but rather looked intently at the floor. "It is enough ..."

A wave of light flooded Gwen's consciousness. Miles used their connection to help the real Gwen. Not this monster who only took advantage of Gwen and her fears. And with Miles' help, Gwen slowly managed to fight against the overwhelming power of darkness to regain control of her body and her emotions.

But no one but Miles (and she doubted that even Miles was completely convinced by Gwen) saw what was happening inside her. How Venom was pushed further and further into the darkest corner of her mind, only by Miles' help.

"Why, Gwen?"

Gwen's legs gave way and she fell to her knees. The black sticky mass over her actual suit was suddenly gone.

"M-Miles, I-I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what..."

"Good job, Morales!" Miguel grumbled from the side and pounced on Gwen again.

Gwen exchanged a confused look between Miles and Miguel, and she felt something break in her heart as Venom took control again. Do you see? He is teaming with Miguel! He is your enemy!

"No, this is not possible!"

She fought in vain against Miguel's first blows until she saw a gap in his attack pattern. A black tendril grew from her forearm and wrapped around Miguel's chest. Full of blind anger and rage, she beat the Spider again.

"GWEN!" she suddenly heard another, far too familiar voice. Her spider sense alerted her more than ever before. The only comparable situation was when Miles ran towards the child who was about to be killed by a skyscraper collapsing due to Spot. Someone's life was in danger, and this time it wasn't Miles.

Gwen instinctively looked in the direction of the voice. There, hanging on the Disney Store billboard, secured only by a black net with three strands of netting, was her father.

Above him, on the frame of the advertising hoarding, strutted Gwenom. "It was almost nice to watch your little quarrel. But now it's time to play again," she purred. "It's rude to ignore the party host."

"Don't you dare harm him!" Gwen shouted menacingly.

"An insect has no demands to make," Gwenom replied, just as belligerently. "Let's see if there's more to the mouth than expected."

Gwen took to the skies with a web shot and attacked Gwenom mercilessly.

Meanwhile, more and more onlookers had gathered on Times Square, much to the dismay of the Spiders, who all did everything they could to shift the focus from Gwen, Miles, Gwenom and Miguel to the victims of the original attack. The media in particular, still not warming up to Gwen's alter ego, happily pounced on any missteps made by their friendly neighborhood spider. Above all, J. Jonah Jameson. And that was a risk they couldn't take, especially now with Gwen's unstable condition.

The police had now also set up a considerable presence at the crime scene. Even a helicopter now beamed down on the fight between Gwenom and Gwen. Miles wanted to follow the two women when his spider sense warned him of Miguel's next attack.

"Morales! You're the reason for all this!"

But before the futuristic Spider could hit him, Peter B came to his aid and held him down. Wild and untamed, Miguel only hit at the older man, who took advantage of his lack of concentration and ripped the watch from Miguel's arm with one move. Peter B opened a portal and rammed the other Spider into it.

Panting, he looked back at Miles. "Come on now! This won't stop him for long, we have to finish this!"

Miles understood and nodded. He immediately continued his jump and raced towards Gwenom and Gwen, who fought each other to the death. Not even Gwenom, who was exposed to her symbiote for significantly longer, has so far gained the upper hand between the two fighters. Gwenom was just pulling Gwen towards her when Miles landed on the narrow frame next to Gwen and cut through the black web beam.

"Miles?" Gwen asked, shocked. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed to be here!"

"Killing two spiders with one stone..." Gwenom said delightedly from the background.

"What happened to 'We fight together', Gwen?" Miles hissed.

I won't let you down, he told her about their connection.

Gwen nodded, suddenly reminded of old times. As Miles and she fought together dizzying their opponents.

"Gwen!", but her father brought her back to the cruel reality. One of the threads was cut by Gwenom, leaving George hanging by only two threads.

“Tick tock tick tock,” Gwenom crooned. "Time is running out."

She launched an attack with her arms, from which two tentacles shot out, between Miles and Gwen. Both were hit hard in the stomach. Gwen was thrown against the glass facade of the building and Miles fell from the frame but swung back onto it. Only to dodge just in time when a portal opened behind him and Miguel shot through it again.

“Stop immediately or we will open fire!” Someone shouted from the loudspeaker of the police helicopter above them.

"Mierda!" Miles growled exhausted.

Miguel jumped on Miles from behind, knocking him off balance. Although he managed to throw Miguel off his shoulders, he used his laser web beams and arm blades to catch himself. Another net thread tore from George's net, which only made his situation worse.

"Don't you see the danger?!" Miles shouted at Miguel, hoping that he would, at least for this moment, put his ego aside and join the fight against Gwenom.

"I see the dangers right in front of me!" Miguel snapped back and attacked Miles again.

A few meters away, Gwen and Gwenom continued their deadly dance. Gwen frantically noticed what was happening behind her and that George was running out of time.

"How pathetic you are!" Gwenom shouted, punching Gwen's face when she wasn't paying attention. Meanwhile, half of her mask was torn, revealing the left half of her face. She was thrown to the ground by Gwenom and was now hanging with her head over the edge. Gwenom loomed over her threateningly.

"You could be so much more if you let yourself be!" Gwenom continued. "You could have everything, like me. You could rule!"

"I don't want to have everything!" Gwen replied, breathing heavily. The taste of her blood blossomed in her mouth. This fight took more than just her mental strength, but certainly some bruises and fractures, judging by the feeling in her body.

"I just want this city's recognition and respect!"

"Respect," Gwenom scoffed. "You choose a little recognition over the feeling of taking them all down with a snap of your hand? There are so much stronger forces in this multiverse, but you close your eyes to them."

"For some," Gwen began, coughing. "For some, respect is more important than power."

George had heard what his daughter said. And it filled him with a strange mix of pride and fear, caused by his precarious situation.

He felt himself approaching the ground and a glance up confirmed his fears. The last thread was gradually weakening, and with the nets around him he had no chance of doing anything to change this situation.

But there were too many Spiders here, and one of them could surely save him, right?

-

The helicopter again flew closer to the combatants and observed the situation.

Miles dodged a jump from Miguel, but was caught and wrapped in a laser web beam.

"You still think you can escape me?" Miguel snapped at him.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Miles snapped back, placing a hand on Miguel's net.

Miles felt the tingling sensation of electricity in his body and smiled at the Spider.

"Rule number one: Don't watch the face."

Miles let his Venom power (a name he desperately needed to reconsider given the current threat) leak out and flow into Miguel's web. Before Miguel could change his mind, he was hit with a painful amount of electricity.

"Watch the hands!"

Another power surge later and Miguel flew away hundreds of meters.

-

“Respect,” Gwenom repeated over and over again. "I'll show you what respect is worth today."

Laughing, she cut the last thread holding Gwen's father to the advertising board.

Gwen's senses went crazy. In half a second, millions of thoughts ran through her mind.

In a burst of desperation within her, she flung Gwenom away and then jumped after her father.

The symbiote within her held her to the edge of the billboard, and tendrils flowed from her hands, barely stopping George's fall.

Tightly embraced by the black mass, he looked up and into his daughter's half unmasked face.

“Stop all fighting immediately!” the police officer in the helicopter shouted again with his weapon drawn.

But Gwen ignored what the man above her said. With a gentle smile on her face, she looked at her father, who was almost bursting with pride at the sight of his daughter.

"You're the best thing I've done in my life, little one."

"Dad..." she whispered, a tear making its way down her face.

She just had to find a way to get him safely to the ground.

-

“Clear to fire!” the police officer shouted in the helicopter, and another man fired his taser.

Gwen was hit in her back by a strong impulse that caused her to experience pain of unprecedented magnitude.

She felt and heard Venom roaring inside her and every fiber of her body was under pressure.

A wave of darkness raged within her.

NO ELECTRICITY! Venom screamed, cringing.

But that meant Gwen could no longer hold her father as the tendrils were gone.

With her eyes wide open, condemned to inaction, she watched her father fall.

"DAD!"

Miles immediately jumped when he heard Gwen's desperate call.

"Must... save him. Spider-Man... can save them all!"

He accelerated so hard that the air was forced into his lungs.

"You are an anomaly! The only, original anomaly!"

Miles headed purposefully toward George. There weren't many meters left.

"You shouldn't even be here!"

Miles extended his arm and shot a web beam. George also tried to grab his rescue rope.

"YOU are a MISTAKE!"

The net beam hit George a few meters from the ground.

As soon as Miles felt the resistance, he pulled himself toward Gwen's father with whatever strength he had left.

He approached George even faster than before, ready to catch him.

He spread his arms and...

BANG!

-

"DAD!"

Gwen saw Miles and George lying motionless on the ground before she pushed herself off the ledge with a strong push and landed next to the two men.

"DAD! No! No no no no no!" she shouted, checking his vital signs. But wherever she looked for them, Gwen found none.

Miles had caught him after all, so he had to live. He simply had to have survived!

She tore what was left of her mask from her face. She no longer cared whether the world knew her identity or not.

Everything that mattered was now in front of her.

"Dad..."

She beat her father's chest, she broke all his ribs, but it didn't matter. He had to breathe. But he did not do it.

Neither Miles nor her father moved. Gwen couldn't lose both of them! They had to survive!

The members of the Spider Gang now approached without a word. No one could say anything at the sight that unfolded before them.

Gwen, battered, cut and bruised, in the middle of her life. Gwen's past and Gwen's future.

And both were in ruins.

Motionless. Lifeless.

With a loud roar, Miguel jumped towards them, but he was stopped again by Peter B.

"Gwen must be destroyed!" Miguel snapped at the Spider.

"Miguel! Don't you get it? Don't you even see it? What on earth is wrong with you?" Peter shouted desperately.

Spider-Man 2099 looked at Gwen, emotionless and no emotion on his face. But he understood. Even if it was against the safety of the entire multiverse.

He raised his index finger in Peter's direction in warning.

"One night. If she doesn't surrender voluntarily by noon tomorrow, I will pursue her with all means possible."

He had Lyla open a portal and disappeared.

Gwen was left surrounded by spiders, all unable to say a word.

Gwen sank to her knees and grabbed Miles' leg and her father's.

It had become quiet, despite the rain and the onlookers who had gathered in Times Square.

New York, the city that never slept, sank into a cloak of silence.

No matter how hard she fought it, she had lost them both. As if it wasn't enough that she had lost Peter. Her Peter.

Gwen had learned nothing from his loss. She deserved to lose everything again.

"NO!" she screamed as loudly as she could into the night.

And none of them, not even Peter B, knew what to do.

The only thing they heard was the patter of the rain and the constant beeping of their clocks, which showed the unfathomable truth:

Gwen Stacy, Earth-65: Canon event completed

- END OF THE SECOND ACT -

Chapter Text

THIRD ACT - BECOMING

Pain. Deafness. Grief.

That was all Gwen was capable of feeling at that moment.

While the Spider Gang around her tried to keep all passers-by and police away from Gwen, Miles and George, the young woman just sat there, no longer knowing what to think. Everything that was important to her in her life lay motionless in front of her. Gwen basically didn't care what happened next. She had lost everything anyway.

“Get the little one and the others out of here!” Peter B ordered harshly as he had to stop another Daily Bugle press employee from running to Gwen. “Hey!” a police officer called, who, together with another man, had come threateningly close to Gwen. Peter B and several Spiders immediately jumped between the two, obscuring the view of Gwen. “Officer, Spider-Woman unfortunately has no available interview slots today,” the elder Spider said. "If you want to interrogate her, you'll probably have to come back another time." The two policemen raised their arms. “We are not here to arrest her. But this is a crime and you all are witnesses.”

Peter groaned. Leaving Gwen here was like placing a time bomb in a crowd with the detonator activated. "Gentlemen. Officer…” Peter B began. “Lee, and next to me is Officer Ditko.” Peter looked at the two of them. “So, Officer Lee, Officer Ditko, Spider-Woman is…um…infected. She’s not really doing well.” Ditko immediately reached for his radio. “Does she need a doctor?” - "No! No, no," Peter immediately answered frantically. “At least not a normal doctor. We will help her.”

"Help her? You can’t just decide what happens to the witnesses here!" Ditko complained. “Look at what happened here.” - “I was here, remember?” Peter sighed sarcastically. “I saw everything. And that’s why I know everyone is in danger if you capture Spider-Woman.” Ditko pointed in Gwen's direction. “People died! Former Captain Stacy is among the victims! I don't even want to think about what we're going to say to his daughter. The girl only had him.” Peter winced at the memory of the inevitable conversation he would soon have to have with Gwen. If she managed to recover.

“I don't know what universe you come from, but here in New York it's no trivial offense. Especially with all these spider people and this black monster that could be anywhere else now,” Ditko said. But his colleague stopped him before he could go to Spider-Woman. Something about Officer Lee calmed Peter down. Lee had an aura that befitted his age. He seemed experienced enough to be able to understand all of this more calmly and rationally. “I know Spider-Woman,” Lee finally said. “She couldn’t do that. And something tells me the girl is in the best hands right now.”

Peter nodded gratefully and signaled to the other Spiders to leave with Gwen. Hobie took the defenseless Gwen into his arms. Pav and Peter A took Miles. They had to leave George Stacy behind as the press and paramedics closed in. “Thanks, Officer Lee,” Peter B finally said, and ran ahead into one of the side alleys. There he quickly tapped his watch and opened a portal to 1610. With one last sad and exhausted look back, Peter was the last to enter the gate to Miles' dimension.

🕷️

SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN IN THE SPIDER-VERSE

Miles took a deep breath, as if after a dive that was far too long. He looked up and saw a huge starry sky above him. Not a single cloud obscured the view. He heard the gentle sound of the sea beneath him, and yet he wasn't wet. As he slowly sat up, he realized that he was above a vast ocean, on a nearly invisible platform of thick, solid cobwebs. “Strange,” Miles muttered. "Where am I? This doesn’t look like New York-65.” He looked around extensively. “This doesn’t even look like another New York…”

He stood up and inspected the platform he was standing on. He was completely alone here in this... dimension? Sphere? Miles couldn't grasp where he was. All he saw was darkness, in the form of the water and sky, mixed with the soft lights of the stars. “Hello?” Miles called into the void. He walked in several directions for a few minutes, only to find that this place had no beginning or end. He saw the same thing everywhere. Even after what felt like a mile away, he was still standing in the same spot.

“Hello?” Miles asked again, this time louder. And finally something happened. Two portals opened to his left and right. One showed another dimension in complete darkness, the other bathed everything around it in blinding brightness. Miles didn't think twice. Why should he go from one darkness to the next only to not know what was waiting for him? He preferred to seek his happiness in the light. He had to get back to Gwen, and all he saw was the white of her suit.

He was almost at the portal when a voice stopped him. “Are you really sure, boy?” Miles was startled and turned around. Between the two portals stood...George Stacy. “Mister Stacy?” he asked surprised. George nodded with a gentle smile. “What…what is this?” Miles wanted to know. “What do you think it could be?” George replied, equally perplexed. Miles looked around again and shrugged. “I don’t know… is it something like a in-between world? Am I dead?" This time George shrugged. “Do you want to be dead, Miles?”

Miles immediately remembered everything that happened before he woke up here. Miguel, Gwenom, Gwen's fight with Venom. George's deep fall, and his own. “I have lost so much. Gwen has lost everything. She lost her father, because I couldn't save you. I'm... dead, I think, otherwise neither of us would be here. Gwenom won. She's getting stronger and stronger, and Gwen...I don't know if she'll be able to handle it all." Miles sighed. He wanted to smash something, but he found nothing in that level of his consciousness. He wasn't even allowed to let out his anger here.

“Gwen will get through this. But she needs help. She can’t do all this alone.” Miles grimaced at George's words. He had abandoned his girlfriend. The person she needed most was now missing. “That’s exactly why I have to go back!” Miles turned back and was about to step through the portal. “I’ll give you some advice, boy,” George said. “You will certainly have observed that both portals are different. If you go through this gate right in front of you, you will return but live in your past for eternity. Your uncle will live, George Stacy will live. But you won't get to know Gwen, nor your other friends. The spider that bit you won't bite you. It will bite Miles-42, as it was meant to. Gwen will still lose Peter, and she will lose her father too, without knowing you. She becomes Spider-Woman, she becomes a member of the Society, which will be very different than it is now. She will not know that things in her life will not be predetermined.”

“But then why did you die anyway?” cried Miles, perplexed. He liked the thought of Gwen being safe there, but at the same time it pained him that they wouldn't know each other. “Because things like this happen. That monster wasn't Gwen. Whatever the canon is, it didn't foresee this death. Even if the Society will declare it as such. And that won’t change as long as Miguel O’Hara is pulling the strings.” George pointed to the dark gate. This time Miles saw a figure standing, or rather kneeling, in it. “But if you go through this portal, you return to your real world. You get the chance to help Gwen. Your friends will need you, and every one of them will have your back. Together you will fight against Gwenom.”

“I don’t know if I can be who Gwen needs right now,” Miles said, defeated. “What makes you doubt that?” George asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know…how can I help someone without knowing what it feels like to go through that loss?” - "You can not know that. But sometimes it’s just being there and feeling like you want to help and be there for what she needs.” Miles rubbed his head. “I can’t believe it’s just that.” - “Sometimes it is, even if it doesn't seem like it. Sometimes the simplest task is the right one, at least it was for many before us.” - “Huh,” Miles replied thoughtfully. “Maybe it really is that simple.” He tilted his head back and laughed.

“Are we going to beat Gwenom?” he whispered worriedly. “It depends on your determination. And whether you can help my daughter in time,” George replied. “Just don’t put pressure on,” Miles sighed with an ironic smile. “Your life will never be without danger, without pressure again,” George said. “But this will make you stronger. Be greater, Miles. Be greater together.” Miles looked back into the dark portal. Now he realized that the figure was Gwen. And he couldn't help but look at her stone face. That's when he realized he couldn't leave her behind. He couldn't go back to the past, he had to go back to it. He immediately turned around and ran towards the gate, only to skid to a stop in front of it.

“Gwen’s father… you … you are definitely dead?” Miles asked. George nodded. "Yes. No matter what you do, you can’t save me.” Miles hung his head. “Did all of this really just happen here? Or was that just my imagination?” George came up to Miles and held his shoulder. “Why does it have to be one or the other?” He smiled fatherly at Miles. “Take good care of my daughter. You are everything to her.” - "I will. I will protect her with my life,” Miles nodded. “I expected nothing less from you, boy.” And with those words, George pushed the young Spider through the dark portal without resistance - to Gwen.

🕷️

EARTH-1610 - Morales family home

Miles opened his eyes and jumped up in shock. He realized that he was home, and lying in his bed at that. But was he really home? Not again in some alien reality, like back on Earth-42? He let his thoughts wander and found certainty in the knowledge of his still existing connection to Gwen. She was there, as always, but she was disturbed. A sensory bridge that still had the familiar foundation, but nothing more. 

His room was darkened, and the night made the lights of New York shine even more prominently. He slowly sat on the edge of his bed and looked at the door. He heard several voices behind it, especially those of Peter B and his parents. They were the ones Miles first recognized when he opened his bedroom door and stepped into the living room. Suddenly it became dead quiet. Peter B, Rio and Jeff sat at the kitchen table while Gwen remained motionless on one of the sofas with Hobie next to her. 

Rio and Jeff immediately rushed over to their son and hugged him. “Dios, finally!” his mother whispered into his neck. "When they brought you here... we thought the worst, but you were still alive." Miles looked around and his eyes settled on Gwen. "What exactly happened?" Peter now stood up and walked towards Miles. “When...well...after it happened, we had to get you guys out of there. Two police officers helped, but we had to leave George behind. It all happened far too quickly and we were clearly outnumbered. Your mother treated you immediately. And Gwen? She... she had completely shut down. Rio had given her something to knock her out for a while. But I'm afraid that won't last long, given her abilities."

Miles nodded absently. “Where is Miguel?” - "We do not know that. I guess he's back in Nueva York. He will turn all the Spiders in the Society against you. He gave Gwen one night only, and tomorrow he will pursue you again. That's why Margo and Noir didn't return there. They look elsewhere for clues about Gwenom so Miguel can't catch her. Peni...she needed some space so we let her go. Peter A is here and will take over the patrol while you are recovering here.”

Peter B followed the look and shook his head with a slight smile. “You should take her to your room. She'll need someone when she wakes up. And none of us can give her what you offer her.” Miles' face suddenly turned red at the thought, but he understood what Peter was trying to tell him. But one question was still scalding on his tongue. “Mom, Dad, do you know what happened to Gwen?” Rio and Jeff nodded immediately, even though Jeff seemed to be having a much harder time building trust and accepting someone like Gwen living in his house. “Peter told us everything. I hope she knows how to control it.” - “We’re working on it,” Miles sighed. “But I believe she will make it. She simply has to.”

Shortly afterwards, Hobie and Peter also returned to their universes, and Miles took Gwen with him to his room. She still appeared to be asleep, but their shared connection told Miles that she had still heard everything. She also immediately clung to him as they both lay in the bed, trying to make it through the night. It took him a while to calm down enough for him to fall into a dreamless sleep.

🕷️

A rustling and the faint sound of a window opening woke him up again. He recognized Gwen trying to sneak quietly out of his room. “Hey!” Miles said and immediately jumped up. "What you up to?" Gwen, already with her mask on, looked at Miles. "You know it exactly. I have to find her. I will find her. And then I will…” She couldn’t finish the sentence because she had already burst into tears. Miles immediately rushed to her side and held her as she screamed into his shoulder. “I KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE! AND SHE KILLED MY FATHER!” Gwen hit Miles' shoulder with all her might, gripping him with a pressure that hurt even Miles, but he didn't complain.

Gwen finally pulled away and sniffled. “I will kill her. Whatever it may cost.” Miles shook her shoulder. “Stop it, Gwen! It’s not you!” he said desperately. “You can’t let yourself become her!” Gwen wrinkled her nose and snorted disdainfully. “You’re right, I’m not. But sometimes you have to become something you don't want to be. Even if you hate it. As a child, I used to love the heroes of comics and films. But now I understand all the villains, you know? I can understand why some people just are the way they are.”

Miles just looked at her in shock. Gwen had every right to be angry and want revenge, but he had never seen her so cold. She had tasted blood and now wanted to complete her mission. Also for her father. Still, he couldn't allow that. “What happened to our promise? Us against everyone? Just the two of us, as a team? Why do you want to go alone now?” He saw Gwen's eyes start to water. She didn't want to leave him behind, but she also wanted to protect him. “Because I want to save you from so much suffering. Because you deserve it the least out of all of us. “Miguel will come after me and if you’re with me I can’t protect you,” she confirmed his suspicions. Nevertheless, this hit him like a punch in the stomach.

And it made him flip a switch in his head that he should have flipped long ago. Gwen turned around and was about to jump out the window when Miles grabbed her hand. "I will not let you go." She tried to free herself, but Miles wouldn't let her. “But I’m a monster, Miles! I did all those things, killed all those people! And I didn't even notice! I have so much anger inside me!” - “Then let it out here, here with me!” Miles knew he was playing with fire. He knew how strong Gwen could become when the symbiote took over her actions. But he had to take this risk.

“Gwen, Venom feeds on your anger, your sadness and your hatred. If you can't control all of this, you will become a monster. Only if you control yourself you can use it without it being able to influence you.” Gwen shook her head. “You know what that would mean, Miles! I won’t let you get into danger!”

Gwen tried to pull away from Miles, but he was stronger. He pulled her towards him and looked at her determinedly. “I’m willing to take that risk. I’ve waited too long to finally be ready.” Gwen's tears rolled down her face again. “My father said that too!” she cried, hurt. “And look what happened!” Miles looked shocked at Gwen's words. However, seeing the sadness and desperation in her blue eyes, something inside him went on autopilot. Because despite all the alarms that were ringing in his head, he grabbed her and pressed his lips onto hers. But as soon as they met, fireworks exploded inside Gwen. More tears streamed from her eyes as she gave herself to Miles. He had never kissed her so gently and passionately, and she had never had this desire within her. She let out everything she had bottled up inside her for the last few hours, just as Miles demanded. And it felt good.

He would never have let her go. He was willing to die for her...even if it was at her own hand. “Miles…” she whispered, out of breath. But neither she nor he wanted to stop now. Nothing could hold her back now. She saw that in his eyes too. Miles' free hand traveled down her back, stopping at her hip. He gave her goosebumps all the way there.

Miles picked her up and carried her back to the bed with a determined ease. His mouth traveled down her neck, and each subsequent kiss released a new wave of liberating tears. Neither of them knew what they were doing, as inexperienced as they were. But none of them cared.

When he got to her collarbone, he looked into her eyes again. Her hands roamed through his hair, wanting him to continue. “Who are you right now?” Miles wanted to know in a hoarse voice. She heard the sadness in his voice, which he tried to cover up. “Gwen…just Gwen,” she replied quietly before a sob escaped her throat. “And what are you thinking?” Miles asked cautiously. “That you shouldn’t stop whatever you’re doing,” Gwen replied. Miles gave a brief snort of amusement. "Sun?" - "Shining sun." Miles kissed her again passionately, and finally found the hidden clasp of her suit and opened it.

Her instinct to flee came to the forefront of her mind, but she ignored it. Everything that was happening felt truly right for the first time. She didn't care what he saw when he pulled the suit, her only protective cover from this world, from her shoulders. The injuries, the scars that only he could see, he should finally see them. From then on she had no more secrets from him.

His mouth slowly moved down from her face. Her neck, her chest, her stomach...he left tingling sensations everywhere.

She no longer noticed anything about her surroundings. Even her sadness faded away for a moment of peace. She lost herself too much in his touch. Until she lay before him completely without that last protection. Vulnerable, but knowing that you are safe and secure with him. Always. Her doubts came back when he stopped and looked at her. He couldn't like what he saw before him. 

She squeezed her eyes shut to forcefully hold back tears. To hide in the darkness like she always did. She was a ghost. “Stop it, Miles,” she sobbed. He leaned over her until he was at her ear. “Whatever you see when you see yourself...you are so much more than that. You are complete. Even without Venom.” Gwen's hackles stood up as Miles spoke into her ear. “Why are you doing this?” she asked uncertainly. “Because I wonder why we’re only taking this step now,” Miles said with a smile.

Gwen's eyes widened as Miles kissed her again. And they spent the rest of the night in such a way that no one could guess where one of them ended and the other began.

“Don’t leave me here, alone, Miles.” - "Never."

Chapter Text

When Gwen woke up the following morning, the fog of the night still hung over her memories. The last few hours seemed so unreal that she couldn't quite figure out what was real and what was just her imagination. Did she and Miles really…? Gwen slowly lifted the blanket they were lying under together and then let it fall, her eyes widening. The blood rushed to her face and made her cheeks glow so red that any tomato would have been jealous. They were stark naked. 

So it was really real. The tingling sensation of what had happened left Gwen, for a pleasant moment, unable to think about what had led to this event in the first place. And the harder Gwen tried to banish this thought from her mind, the more vividly it manifested itself in her mind's eye.

She had wanted this moment to be different. Like … so different. Gwen had thought that she could go to her father and tell him that she and Miles were... well, actually together. A real couple. Of course she would have withheld details from him, but George would probably have been pleased, as he thought highly of Miles. But now... now there was no one from her family left. No one who could share her joy. No one to compliment her. 

Looking at the clock, she saw that it was still early in the morning. She had only slept a few hours. The culprit, of course, was the shared… 'cardio training', as Gwen dubbed it in the heat of the moment, but she wasn't thinking about sleep anyway. So she decided to slowly escape the Laocoon-like position with Miles and throw on a long dressing gown. She didn't think she'd see anyone at Miles' door, but it was Rio (of course it was Rio), who had already quietly prepared breakfast.

Miles' mother smiled when she spotted Gwen. But this gesture also unsuccessfully masked the sympathy for the young woman behind it. Gwen saw that Rio was being cautious enough, now knowing what else 'dwelled' in the girl's body. Still, she tried to greet Gwen with open arms. “Mija, you’re up early,” Rio said warmly. Gwen looked around, looking for Jeff. “He’s just getting something for breakfast from the store down the block. We have enough time,” Rio said with a smile.

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed now was a lecture from a very conservative father with an extreme protective instinct for his son. “I know I'm asking the obvious, but how are you?” Rio asked. Gwen looked around aimlessly. “I-I don’t know, honestly. But I want to thank you for your help last night.” Rio waved his hand. “It is my duty to take care of my family. I was finally able to return the favor for all the times you saved Miles.”

Gwen snorted. How could everyone still see the good in her? Especially now that she had also lost her father and there was really nothing left in her that exuded optimism. But still, there was that little spark, thinking about Miles and last night, that made her smile. “Gwen? Is there something you want to tell me?” asked Rio. Gwen opened her eyes and raised both hands. "No! No, Rio, everything is fine.” She turned red like a fire siren.

Rio looked at the young woman in front of her and grinned after a while. Gwen swallowed hard. “Congratulations,” Rio said simply, putting her hands on her hips. “Rio... I-I can explain,” Gwen stuttered, just beginning her impromptu plea when Rio interrupted her with a wave of her hand. “You don’t need to explain anything.” - “I don’t need to?” Gwen asked in surprise. Rio shook his head. “Gwen, it’s your life. Whatever you do remains your business. As long as you two pay attention, I won’t interfere.” With a wink, Rio added, "And I'll tell Jeff to leave you guys alone."

“Thank you, Rio. That…would help me.” Gwen looked down sadly and lost in thought, which Rio noticed immediately. “You know, Gwen, Jeff didn't want to admit it at the time, but when his brother Aaron died…” Gwen looked away in pain. She could remember the day. How Kingpin shot him in the back. If she had been faster in her fight against Scorpion... “It helped him to talk about it. I won’t pressure you, but I want you to know that I’m always here for you.”

Gwen looked at Rio. For what seemed like hours, so many thoughts ran through her mind. Rio wanted to say something, but Gwen ended up beating her to it. “The last thing he said to me was that I was the best thing he had ever done. And all I became was a disappointment. I have something profoundly evil within me, and I'm using it. How can I be the best of my father?” Rio took Gwen's hand. “By doing everything you can to become the person your father saw in you. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go your own way. But you have a duty to honor his memory. By not becoming what that thing inside you is. Or that other Gwen.”

Gwen shook her head in defeat and exhaled. “I'm scared of it, Rio. I'm afraid of the consequences. Part of me wants to face Miguel so that Miles and everyone else can be safe from me. So that they can live. And because I’m afraid that this canon is real after all.” - “How come you think that?” Rio wanted to know. “Because it is my fate to lose everyone I care about. First Peter, now my father, who I thought I had saved from the canon…” Gwen let the tears flow as she thought of her father. She never believed in an afterlife, but now she hoped that this life existed. That he could watch her. That his daughter could make him proud.

She sighed, rubbed her cheeks dry for a moment and looked up. “In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man... and in every other universe it doesn't end well. I don’t want to lose you and Miles too.” Rio stood up and walked around the table to scoop Gwen into her arms. The young woman was shaking like a leaf. Rio could hardly imagine the pressure Gwen must be under. And what thoughts plagued the girl.

“Something inside me…” Gwen sobbed. “Something inside me wants to let go. Just let it all out. Target those who are responsible for it. Even though I've lost control, I've always had the influence to hold back when I'm fighting. But I don't want that anymore. No more with Gwenom, and no more with Miguel.” Her bottom lip quivered as she looked directly at Rio. “They should suffer.”

Rio tilted her head and looked worried. “Gwen, we don’t do it like that in our family. I respect your wish, but remember that Gwenom was once like you too. Remember that she may just be acting against her will. And Miguel…he lost a lot. His family, his position. He is desperate. And the desperate people are the most dangerous. Because they have nothing left to lose. They are like ghosts that haunt you. Don’t you become a ghost too.”

Gwen smiled. “I have been for a long time. In my world, no one knows my identity. Not here either, but seeing how people here adore Miles made me notice the difference between the two of us. I am a ghost. Isolated and aloof. They call me Ghost Spider because no one sees me. I’m just Spider-Woman, like Miles is Spider-Man.” Rio curled her mouth in pleasure. “Ghost Spider? If you ask me, that sounds a lot better than 'Spider-Woman'. Anyone can be Spider-Woman. You don’t need a mask for that.” 

Rio eyed Gwen and tugged at her coat. Gwen's heartbeat quickened as she remembered that she wasn't wearing anything under this, which Rio probably didn't consider. “But Ghost Spider…that’s unique. Miles has always been un chico último, but you... you should use what your talents have given you. And if it means you have to be a ghost, then you should take advantage of that.” Gwen smiled sheepishly. “Ghost Spider and the Ultimate Spider-Man… that sounds awkward, don’t you think?”

Rio looked around and saw a picture of Miles on the wall. She slowly walked over to them and took them with a motherly giggle. “He’s far too manly to admit that. But he used to enjoy drawing nature. His first coloring books were full of a particular plant.” She showed Gwen the picture. It showed a meadow full of sunflowers. Not a single cloud graced the sky, only a barn interrupted the field. “He always wanted to live in the country, among the sunflowers.” Rio looked at Gwen. “Miles lights up whenever he sees you, even just mentioning you. You are his sun.”

“Ghostflower,” Gwen murmured thoughtfully as the name came to her mind.

Rio nodded. "Do you see? Sounds much better. You are a team. One unity. Promise me you'll remember this even when you're at your lowest point. And that you will always have someone here who can listen to you.” Rio couldn't prepare herself so quickly and put the framed picture aside as Gwen threw herself into her arms. She had said it before, but to Gwen, Rio was like a mother. A parent she missed so dearly. “The time will come when you will be hit even harder by the thought that your father is no more. It will definitely come. And then you can mourn. But now you have to give it your all to make the right decisions, to make the right plans. And not to blindly seek revenge.”

“Thank you, Rio,” Gwen said through tears, but this time out of joy and gratitude. “I lost my family yesterday. But Dad already knew that my family…our family had already expanded. Gracias por todo, Mama.” Rio took Gwen's face in her hands. “Que Dios te bendiga, Gwen.” Rio pushed her away slightly. “Now, go get Miles. Jeff will be back soon and you should at least be able to put some clothes on.” Gwen swallowed, embarrassed, but nodded and quietly went back to Miles' room.

She crawled back into his bed and laid her head on his chest. She heard him slowly wake up and stretch. “Hey,” she said in a whisper. “Hey,” Miles replied. “How… how are you?” he asked cautiously. Gwen smiled slightly. "Better." Miles looked at her in surprise and noticed that she was wearing a coat. “Were you…” - “I spoke to your mother, yes,” Gwen said immediately. “And she knows about us.” Miles looked at her confused. “About…us?”

Gwen rolled her eyes, then lifted first the blanket and finally her coat. She laughed at the look Miles gave her. "You're such an idiot." - “But I’m your idiot.” Gwen sat up and collapsed onto Miles' stomach. She leaned forward and touched his forehead with hers. “And that will never change.”

After what felt like an eternity they separated. “But before we think about what to do next, I really need a shower,” Gwen finally said, rummaging through her drawer that Miles had emptied for her some time ago. She walked to the door with a set of new clothes and looked expectantly at Miles. “Aren’t you coming with me, sleepyhead?” Miles shook his head in surprise. Did she just invited him...

“Um…yeah, sure, give me a moment.” Miles also picked out several clothes and threw on a pair of loose pants. They left the room together and quickly went to the bathroom, oblivious to the amused looks from Miles' mother.

A moment of peace in the midst of darkness.

Chapter Text

The warm water slowly ran down her back, washing away the dirt of the past few hours. For a few moments she even forgot the fact that her father was no longer alive. All that mattered at that moment was her bond with Miles, who stood behind her and hugged her. It really happened. Of course, they were already a couple before, but what was missing was that last, that final conviction that she only felt now - also from Miles.

“Was I the first?” Miles whispered uncertainly, which made Gwen smile. “What’s so funny?” Miles wanted to know. Gwen playfully slapped his upper arm. “You’re such a dork, Molasses. Take it easy, Miles. But what difference does it make?” Miles looked at him startled. “I-I, um… I just wanted to know….” - “Hey,” Gwen smiled. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I just wanted to tease you. And yet… you didn’t notice that at night?” Gwen laughed at the memories of last night. She still nodded at his actual question, which he understood without a word and made him smile.

She leaned against Miles again. She liked making fun of Miles, just as much as she liked being teased by him. However, there was this one question that made her uneasy and didn't want to go away. But she didn't know if she wanted to ask that question either. After all, they had their moment just for themselves right now, and she didn't want to risk it. Knowing Miles was behind her, now literally, was a feeling she didn't want to miss. 

Ever since she was bitten by that damn radioactive spider, she's always been a lone wolf. She had to be in order to use her skills to protect the city. And to keep her family out of the worst of it. That was the sacrifice Gwen had to make, like every Spider. Gwen fought for her city, not for fame, but because it was the only right thing to do. Otherwise someone else would have taken over. Someone who shouldn't be doing this.

“What's on your mind?” Miles asked caringly behind her, and the slight breeze on her neck made her shiver pleasantly.

Gwen slowly turned around and looked dreamily into Miles' eyes. “All my life I had no one to help me with my problems. I was afraid to open up and confide in anyone. And...when I met Miguel, he had shown me the records of the Gwens who didn't make it. Those who had fallen in love and died.” 

Gwen took a deep breath. “Do you know how fucked up it is to see that? Knowing that if you allow yourself to fall in love, you might die like your variants? When I saw the Gwen who lives here, in this dimension... I was scared. Something went crazy inside me. Not because I was afraid that you would fall in love with her. But that she suffers the same fate as all the other Gwens. When I was standing up here on the water tower before you caught up with me... I looked at what HQ knew about Peter As' Gwen. I saw how the Goblin fought our Peter so hard that he had to drop Gwen. I saw Gwen as she fell... her panic in her eyes. And I was suddenly so afraid that this would happen to her and me too.”

She pressed herself against Miles' chest. “Then you showed me that we are our own rulers over our future. And suddenly I had something like courage again. Until my dad died. Since then, this idea of the canon has continued to come to the fore.” She looked into Miles' worried eyes. “What if it’s true? What if I have to die because I fell in love with you?” Miles grabbed her upper arms. “I won’t let that happen.” - “You can’t guarantee that,” Gwen waved off. “But still, thank you for trying. But why has this all only happened now? Why have we only found each other now?”

Miles breathed in slowly. The smell of her shampoo was in his nose. Like Gwen herself, it was delicate, yet all over the place. He even doubted that a smell like this couldn't exist in his dimension, otherwise he would have fallen in love with it much sooner. Gwen gave him a wry look. “Miles?” 

Miles snorted slightly. “I always wait for the right moment. At least I try. I don’t know if tonight was the right moment either.” Gwen's eyes twitched in shock. I'm sorry, what?, she asked herself. After that night he doubts if it was the right moment? She started to turn away to collect her thoughts when Miles grabbed her. “Gwen, I waited for the right moment between us because I knew then there would be no turning back for me. Because this moment would change my life. My mom always raved about you. And I knew exactly that I wanted you. Only you, and no one else. I will never date anyone else, never love anyone else like you. I will stay by your side for the rest of my life. I waited because this moment would be the most important decision of my life... and I didn't want to mess it up."

Gwen looked at him, petrified. One goosebump after another covered her. Where did Miles get those words from? There were moments when he still seemed like an inexperienced boy. But then he said something like he had just said, and radiated an attraction that she had never experienced in anyone before. She grinned widely at Miles and jumped into his arms, catching him so off guard that they both almost lost their balance on the slippery floor.

“Miles, there are still things we both need to talk about alone. Things left unsaid that I didn't want you to know. Until now. Hobie and I…” Miles put a finger over her mouth. There was no longer envy and jealousy in his eyes, but rather relaxation. “Not now, Gwen. If it's important to you, we'll talk about it when we get through this.” Gwen immediately missed the feeling of Miles' finger on her lips as soon as he lowered his hand. And to compensate, she leaned against his chest again.

🕷️

When Gwen and Miles left the bathroom with bright red faces, they didn't expect that the entire gang was already sitting in the living room, along with Rio and Jeff, watching them. Peter B, Hobie and Pav finally grimaced as they were the first to understand what was going on. Hobie held out a hand toward Pav, who sighed and dropped a dollar bill onto it.

“You, um…” Miles stammered, rubbing the back of his head. “How long have you been here?” Hobie looked at him with a gooey grin. "Long enough." Rio slapped his fingers. “Hobie! Deje que se diviertan!” The British Spider raised his hands in surrender. “It’s okay, but Peter Pan finally came clean to Gwendy, eh?” - “HOBIE!” Gwen and Miles hissed in unison, their heads turning even redder. Gwen's freckles almost caught fire, and Miles put his hands over his cheeks to protect himself.

But they couldn't help but accept various congratulations. Even from the 'stranger' spiders like Peter A and Insomniac, who was finally named Peter Y after some heated discussions. In the end, it was Gwen who interrupted the illustrious chatter. "Guys, I know, big deal and all, but we have several problems breathing down our necks: Gwenom is still on the loose somewhere, Miguel is hunting us... and Dad..." 

Gwen stopped her sentence and looked down as the fact hit her again. “We…we have to stop them.” Miles was immediately at her side and calmed her down. Peter A shook his head perplexed. “How are we supposed to do this? We need information on where to find Gwenom. She could be anywhere.” Pav chimed in. “To do that we need a plan to beat them. And also how we destroy the collider…” Miles spoke up. “I’ll do that. You know, colliders are my specialty.” 

“And we have to stop Fisk from building a collider with Octavius again.” Hobie looked at Pav. “I’ll take care of that with Margo. We'll expose their entire network. The press won't know anything other than Fisk's machinations for weeks. And he will experience everything from his cell.”

“Fisk is a benefactor. At least in the eyes of New Yorkers,” Peter A pointed out. “It will take quite a bit of evidence to convince them otherwise.” Hobie looked at the Spider determinedly. “And so will we.” - “Guys,” Miles began afterwards. “The only question now is how we keep Miguel at a distance. He will guess where we will be.” Gwen nodded to Peter Y and Noir. “That will be your job. Hold off on Miguel as long as possible. Tell him lies about us. That we are in my…” Gwen swallowed. “That we are in my dimension. We just need enough time to learn how to defeat Gwenom. And I already have an idea.”

The gang was already starting to walk through their respective portals when Gwen looked at Miles again. She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. “Guys,” she said to her friends. “There is something else I need to tell you. And it can’t wait.” Gwen gestured to the table so everyone gathered around it once more. Gwen stood on one of the shorter sides so she could look at the gang. She slowly placed her hands on the table, with a thousand thoughts in her head about how she should start the conversation.

“I...I need to talk to you about what happened yesterday.” She was breathing heavily, unable to look anyone in the eyes. “Gwen,” Peter B began instead. “What you experienced excuses everything that happened…” - “No, Peter. That doesn’t excuse anything,” Gwen interrupted the experienced Spider. “It doesn’t excuse the way I put you down.” She turned to Peter A, who looked at her cautiously and expectantly. “Or you.” Then she looked at the others' faces. "You all."

A long silence fell over the scene until Gwen finally looked up again. “I cannot excuse what I said under the influence of Venom. I also can't guarantee you that it will never happen again. But... I'll fight it. And if it means I have to spend my life doing it, then so be it. But I know that I always have you by my side. And that I would trust each of you with my life.” She slowly reached for Miles' hand. 

“Yes, we are together. And through Miles, I found ways to suppress this being within me. I'm happy to have found a family in Miles, Rio and Jeff who wants to take me in. Despite my mistakes. And I will repay their trust by answering for my crimes when this is all over. But first we have to stop them.” Gwen gripped Miles' hand even tighter. “You all know what happens to the Gwens when they fall in love with Spider-Man. I resisted it. But…” She turned to Miles and looked deep into his eyes. Pav almost squealed at the sight. “But it made me realize that I only feel more for him... for my Spider-Man. If it means giving my life for him, then I'll do it. But before that, I'll enjoy every moment with him. And don’t run away from it.”

It was Peter B who put an arm on her shoulder. Especially him, whom she had attacked like that. “Gwen, we will definitely talk about this again in peace. But I think I speak for everyone present that we accept your apology.” Gwen looked up at him cautiously but relieved. A smile played around her mouth. “And now we should start saving the multiverse - again.”

🕷️

EARTH-120703

A black shadow scurried through the exhaust duct, followed by another, unseen person. Among them, Pav, Peter A, Hobie and Margo gained access to the next area of the complex, where another of Fisk's followers awaited them. But this time they were unstoppable. One alarm drowned out the other, and even the guards outside the server room could no longer hold them back.

Margo rushed to the terminal while Hobie took out the attackers who were still approaching in droves. Pav and Peter A, on the other hand, continued into one of the laboratories. “What are we looking for?” asked the Indian Spider. Peter A was pounding furiously on a computer keyboard. “Anything that could help us fight Gwenom. But there's nothing here to help us. No records on Gwenom, not even journals on Gwen. Here are just test reports, studies and other documents about all sorts of projects… and none of it looks illegal.”

“Are we at the right address?” Pav asked, surprised. “I mean, all the tests were done here, weren’t they?” Peter A nodded and continued searching. “You won’t find anything here either,” a frightened male voice from a dark side of the laboratory said. Immediately, the two spiders darted around and fired two webs at the source of the voice. “Woah,” it cried.

Peter and Pav slowly moved towards the man. “I didn't believe the rumors, but you guys are really real!” Peter A noticed that the man posed no danger, while shots could still be heard several rooms away. “I had myself moved here after the incident a few days ago.” Pav cleared his throat. “Which still doesn’t explain why you’re willing to tell us that.”

However, one look into the man's eyes spoke volumes. “B-but I saw them... t-the recordings, the experiments... everything. And I-I don't want anything to do with it. I-I'm scared! They moved everyone aside after the incident. I don't want to be next. I have a family!" - "Wait a minute, boy. Moved them aside? Like…relocated?” Pav asked. The man shook his head. "No. 'Permanently relocated'. So that no one can question them anymore.” Something clicked for Pav. “Oh…”

"Wait a moment. I thought there were no recordings?” Peter A wanted to know. “Y-yes,” the man replied. “But they were transferred.” Peter A tilted his head. “Transferred? Like transferred to another location? Why do they do that?” The man laughed. "Why? Are you still wondering that? Your little break-in has caused quite a stir! Doc Octavius himself ordered that all files be transferred to 'Project V'." Peter A raised his hand. "Excuse me please. B-but who were you again?”

🕷️

“Guys, you won't believe this!” Pav shouted through the comm towards Miles and Gwen. The pair were fighting their way through a level above the other Spiders to distract the rear guard and give the others enough time to research. As soon as they dropped out of the ventilation pipes and Gwen showed herself, they were guaranteed full attention anyway.

"You have to come here immediately!" - "We're a little busy here right now," Miles groaned as he simultaneously catapulted Gwen towards the mercenaries and guards with a net. She spiraled gracefully through the air and shot two nets at the men next to them, sending them crashing into each other with one powerful pull.

“This is going to blow your mind!” Pav shouted. “Miles, you're here!” Miles stopped his attack and touched his ear. "What?!" The man next to him grabbed him by the neck anyway, but Miles incapacitated him with a Venom Blow. “Gwen!” he called to his girlfriend. “We have to get out of here and meet up with the others!” - “I heard it!” she shouted to Miles. “Lock the door to the corridor!”

Miles sprinted and swung over his opponents and reached the lock. But Gwen was still standing surrounded in the middle of the room. “Gwen!” He looked over at her in a panic. “Go!” she asked him. A shot hit her in the shoulder, causing her to howl and immediately kick the shooter into unconsciousness.

Miles couldn't leave his girlfriend alone. But just as he was about to move towards Gwen again, she reared up. Can we finally end this now? Venom asked, pushing himself back into the foreground, annoyed with her. “I won’t let that happen to me again!” Gwen snapped. Venom wanted to control her again, but this time Gwen was thinking about Miles, and her father, and Rio. Everyone she had made a promise to. This time she should dominate Venom, not the other way around.

“You want to come out?” she smirked. “Then just follow my rules.” With a surge of anger, but also security, she sat up and rose into the air. To release her pent-up emotions in a flood of black and white tendrils. She threw all opponents away from her, who immediately got stuck where they landed without resistance. It was suddenly dead quiet, except for a few muffled shouts.

Miles marveled. “H-how did you do that?” Gwen rushed to Miles, still surprised herself. "No idea. But it felt good. And no one died.” She no longer heard Venom’s voice in her head either. He was still there, she felt, but he had fallen silent. “We should go!” she called to Miles and disappeared with him behind the lock, which they both glued together with web fluid.

🕷️

Miles was shocked when he saw his counterpart, who was around ten years older. This must have been how Gwen felt. And Miles had already seen a 'twin' from another dimension. But this one was significantly different. “So slowly again: You say that the data was transferred, on Doc Ock's instructions, to an external terminal.” - “Not exactly external, it belongs to Doctor Octavius' private laboratory, but yes, they are no longer in this building.” Miles-120703 looked around in fear.

"Alright then, we just need to find this lab," Miles shrugged. “I know where it is. But you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” the older Miles tried to warn him. “Octavius did a lot of things leading up to these experiments here. "If you go there, you'll be confronted with the worst things you've ever seen!" Miles took a step back and looked at Gwen, who looked just as uncertain. Peter A therefore stepped forward. “If we don't destroy these records and the devices, Octavius will cause even more damage with Fisk. Not just for this universe. We have to stop him. Nothing should stop us.”

“You seem really determined,” Miles-120703 sighed. “Be warned. You will face some problems there.” He nodded to Gwen. “Especially her.” - “Me?” Gwen asked in surprise as Peter A and Pav were already calling for Hobie and Margo. Miles-120703 just nodded meaningfully. “Gwen, we have to do this. And we need each one to be fully conscious. Do you think you can do it?” Peter A wanted to know.

Whatever they found there, Gwen was ready. She had to be the one to finally end this nightmare. Only that extra journey meant more time lost before Miguel found them. She nodded hastily. "I will. Noir, we have a variant of Miles here. He ... has to be kept safe from Fisk and Octavius." - "Got it, we'll get him right away." Gwen and Miles looked at the scientist with relief.

“Where is the lab?”

Chapter Text

EARTH-120703 - QUEENS, New York

"When I got up this morning, I didn't expect our mission to take us to Queens," Gwen murmured, looking around as she swung with her nets. “This New York is really completely different from the others.” It had stopped raining, but she was still sweating from the way here. “How big is this New York?” she asked Peter A curiously. "We come from the same eras, but in my or Miles' universe, Queens can be reached much faster."

“Eight million people live in New York. They need space,” the older Spider laughed. “Eigh' million?” Hobie asked a in astonishment. “That's more than my New York. Even London doesn't have that many inhabitants." Just when the discussion was in full swing and Pav could only laugh mildly at the eight million inhabitants (that was just the inhabitants per district in his Mumbattan), they approached the address Miles-120703 had given them. It looked like any other normal apartment building in this neighborhood. The only difference was that it was three to four times larger. But that didn't seem surprising either, as New York's more financially well-off society liked to allow itself greater luxury.

What was much more surprising was that there were no security systems apart from the usual security cameras. Peter A was able to disable the cameras with nets without hindrance, while Gwen and Miles dismantled the air conditioning in front of the ventilation system. Hobie and Margo took over guard at the front while Pav unsuccessfully searched for more traps. "Guys, are you sure we're in the right place?" he asked the other Spiders, who were starting to ask themselves the same question.

This dwelling was really too ordinary for a villain. But even his doorbell had the name Octavius on it. “Something's not right here,” Miles muttered, but Gwen pushed him into the shaft. “I don't trust the roast either, but now we've started it. Now we have to finish it too. In, collect data, and out again.” Gwen fiddled with a ventilation grille, which she finally attached to the metal with a web beam. It fell quietly and landed on the ground.

“It shouldn’t be so hard…” Gwen didn't know how to finish the sentence when she saw the house. “Gwen?” Miles asked, now standing behind her. “Oh…” Everything was a mess. Scattered everywhere were science magazines, leaflets, brochures, prototypes and notepads. There was hardly a place that didn't descend into chaos.

“Wow,” Hobie said, who had gone into the house with Pav, Peter A and Margo. “Oi know scientists an' researchers get a little confused sometimes, but dude, this tops e'rything. How ar' we supposed to fin' data here? Oi don't even see a computer." Gwen looked over at Hobie. “Then we should find him. But touch as little as possible.” Her eyes flicked to Pav. “That especially applies to you!” The Indian Spider raised both hands in defeat.

They slowly crept through the house. They were still suspicious that they had gotten this far so easily. Something wasn't right here, but Gwen couldn't yet grasp what was making her feel this way. Maybe it was just because of the not exactly unimportant and surreal situation. Scattered everywhere they found small hints of research on extradimensional topics. At first Doc Ock seemed to have only dealt with objects, but the deeper they dug, the more insane his attempts became. Until …

“There ar' a lo'of tape recorders here for a modern person,” Hobie remarked at one point as he searched a desk in a room that resembled a living room. They lay neatly numbered in the drawer. “The guy knows that he can swap cassettes and not have to buy a whole new device?” Gwen smiled. “It was probably on sale at Amazon,” she said. “Amazon?” Hobie asked confused, but Gwen was already playing the first recorder.

“… Time for Osborn to understand what he’s missing. I have always been more successful in my quest to find something beyond the fishbowl, beyond our usual reach. And I was right.” There was a decidedly long silence in Ock’s monologue. “Our universe is so incredibly large, almost infinite, and it moves in a singularity behind space and time, ever growing. But like any balloon that continues to be inflated, the universe will eventually reach a limit to another object. And we have now touched this object. We noticed an immense burst of energy a few months ago, right here in New York, with signatures that don't fit into our universe." 

Gwen looked at Peter A, who was looking her way with a meaningful, dubious look. "That must have been when I first came across the multiverse." Gwen felt her suspicions confirmed and listened to the tape again. "It will take some time, but we are all working day and night to achieve the breakthrough." Then Octavius' voice died and only static could be heard. “We have to keep looking. But it shows that they've been looking for a way to reach other universes for far too long." - "It's a good thing they haven't gotten a watch yet," Miles interjected, earning a bitter look from Gwen, who was holding the second tape recorder handle.

"It is done! See, Osborn? If you pursue a goal and are willing to sacrifice everything for it, nothing is impossible!“, a visibly excited Octavius shouted. Hobie grimaced. “For being so grounded, he talks a lot about Osborn. There seems to be a pretty stark backstory there.” Everyone continued to listen. “Fisk still believes he will find his lost family this way, but the fool only thinks of the earthly things. We are already so many steps further. The first contact was just the beginning and started a chain of events that happened so quickly that it overshadowed everything that had come before. We found her. The ultimate weapon.“ Screaming could be heard in the background. Inhuman noises that made everyone's blood run cold. They knew that voice. Gwenom.

“The losses of Dillon and Connors were an unfortunate tragedy. But the rest of the Six will soon have control of New York, and eventually this universe." - "Dammit. The guy really has plans," Miles groaned. Gwen looked at the others. "Who does he mean by the 'Six'?" Miles had his suspicions. “When I was trapped on Earth-42, my 'brother' fought a group of supervillains. Not frontally, but hidden. He supported the helpless and those who rebelled against the villains. They were called the Sinister Six." - "But then who are the other five villains? Ock seems to have brought the group under his control.”

Peter A stepped forward. “Dillon and Connors…they were villains. Dillon was Electro. Connors the Lizard.” The thought of the latter gave Gwen goosebumps. “We have to keep looking. That doesn't help us in our fight so far." She rummaged on the table between sketches and blueprints for the collider of this dimension. Desperation began to set in within her as none of these documents brought her to a point that would help her to understand Gwenom. They listened to every single tape, but nothing got them anywhere. They only helped them understand how cunning and sadistic Octavius and Strange were. The experiments they performed on Gwenom to understand her and the symbiote, and to separate the latter from Gwenom. Everything was just horrible.

Gwen lost herself in her thoughts. They had to find Octavius. She didn't even notice the others playing the last tape. “ … found. This raw rage, this symbiote. It is perfect.“ Ock’s voice sounded even darker than usual on this recording. “Our test subject is finally ready. After weeks of continuous research, sweat and setbacks, we have managed to harness this creature for our purposes. It wants to kill and subjugate. And it is our responsibility to control this being. The power of the universe…that power in our hands. In my hands. The symbiote has brought us someone whose base is even more perfect. Young, resilient, seductive. We thought our first subject was already at the top, but with our new resources and knowledge... Of course, adjustments were necessary, but Strange did a more than satisfactory job. It won't be long before the connection is complete and then she will seek revenge. But I'm prepared.“

Gwen looked at Miles in shock. She thought she had it under control, but it was all planned by Octavius. Her gut feeling hadn't betrayed her. Everything here was foreseen. “We should come here. We should find everything. He wanted everything exactly the way it happened.” Anger bubbled up inside her until a small computer turned on in front of her. “It took you longer than I thought,” Octavius said smugly. "How are you doing? Have the side effects already started, can you hear the voice yet?" - "Keep talking. With every passing minute you'll learn how far I've come," Gwen growled angrily. Octavius laughed. “I'm excited to find out. So I've prepared something.” The ground beneath Gwen and the other Spiders shifted and slowly descended into an area that lay beneath the house proper. 

Bare concrete walls and a rather spartan facility with a few research facilities greeted them. "It's an art to stay one step ahead of your opponents and still let them believe that they have control over their actions." Angrily, Gwen turned on her axis, but Octavius was not there. As she expected, he hid in the darkness. Instead, she, Miles and the other Spiders discovered a gate that slowly opened. “Are you finally coming out so I can kick your ass?” she asked into the fog that was behind the gate and was now spilling into the room.

She resolutely stepped forward and now stood in the middle of the room. She waited to see Octavius emerge from the fog, and the longer she waited, the more her heart pumped adrenaline through her body. The voice inside her, Venom, whispered at first and grew louder, more seductive. Let me out, it grumbled. And this time Gwen had trouble defending herself against the voice. "Miss Stacy," Octavius said snidely. “When will you finally understand that you don’t have the upper hand?” Dull footsteps made the ground shake. Gwen took a close look at the room for the first time. But it was more of a hall than just a room. 

“Little spider,” a male voice with an Eastern European dialect growled, and shortly afterwards a man in an oversized, massive battle suit entered the hall. “She’s just a lowly insect,” another corrected him, this one with a Mexican accent. It belonged to a slim man who also wore a suit, but with a tail with a razor-sharp spike at the end. "Miss Stacy, I would like to introduce to you: MacDonald Gargan aka 'Scorpion', Adrian Toomes, the 'Vulture', and Aleksei Sytsevich, who..." - "Rhino!" Peter A shouted happily and waving. “Long time no see, buddy!”

“Peter,” Miles admonished him. “That’s not helpful!” - “Don’t worry, he won’t hurt us. I've beaten him alone," Peter A wanted to calm the young Spider, when Rhino rushed towards him with a loud roar and closed the distance with his jet shoes in a matter of seconds, to Peter's chagrin. He was thrown against the wall and collapsed to the floor with an "Oof!" Everyone ran to him except Gwen. She watched the Rhino's sinister grin as he rejoined Scorpion and Vulture.

Miles leaned over Peter A. “Are you okay, buddy?” Hobie asked at the same time. “Just one rib…” Peter groaned. "But that was new... he didn't have this gear before." With Miles and Hobie's help, he slowly stood up again, supported by Pav's back. Margo just stood there with her mouth open, watching the four men.

“So you hide behind your subordinates? You're a wonderful leader," Gwen snarled, and Rhino huffed. "He's not our leader!" Gwen put her hands on her hips. "Of course. That's why it's just you three nosies here, and he's in some safe zone." Rhino looked confused at Vulture and Scorpion, struck by such an obvious fact. “Miss Stacy, I beg of you. A little more respect for those who are clearly above you,” said Octavius. Gwen smiled. “Clearly above me?” she sneered. “All I see is a breaker, an old man, and a man who is nothing without his suit.”

Octavius clicked his tongue. Gwen heard a tap on the keyboard and shortly afterwards she and the three villains were surrounded by an energy shield. Miles jumped up and tried to absorb the shield separating him and the gang from Gwen, but to no avail. Gwen faced Vulture, Scorpion and Rhino alone. "Miss Stacy, it was a mistake to come here today." The three villains lined up, but Gwen also got slowly into position. She began to smile. “With all due respect, Doctor Octavius. Yes, it was a mistake to come here. But not for me."

Miles immediately felt the atmosphere around Gwen change as she took her stance. “Crush them,” Octavius grumbled, annoyed. Rhino was the first to charge forward again. He didn't seem to have any tricks up his sleeve other than this, allowing Gwen to leap over him in one go. Vulture, however, took advantage of her brief moment of inactivity to use his wings to catapult himself into the air and give Gwen a broadside with one of his wings. 

Gwen hit the ground uncontrollably and doubled over. “Ouch, I'm gonna feel that in the morning,” she whispered to herself through clenched teeth. She tried to get up, but collapsed briefly. "And also right now." But she couldn't think about resting because Scorpion was running towards her with several evasive maneuvers. Gwen shot a web beam toward one wall of the shield, but instead of sticking there, the web immediately burned through. Now she couldn't get to safety as planned, but was knocked to the ground by Scorpion.

He tried to impale her with his sharp stinger, but Gwen rolled to the side in time and shot a web into his face. She yanked on the thread and sent the man falling head first to the ground. There was a crack and her victim's helmet split in half. 

“What’s your goal anyway?” Gwen hissed. “We will control New York,” Rhino replied, charging off again. Gwen rolled over to her side. "And what do you get out of following him?" She avoided Vulture this time and stood up. “Healing,” Toomes replied, and Gwen couldn’t help but hear something pleading and desperate in his voice. “Healing?” Toomes paused in midair. “I've been waiting for this for so long. And he will bring it to us. When Oscorp is destroyed.”

“Okay, healing for you. And you, big guy?” She turned to the side and grabbed Rhino by his head and threw him around her own axis. "Enough power to crush little insects like you!" he groaned and ran towards Gwen again. Gwen slid to the side and attached a net to one of the man's iron boots. "I hate to disappoint you, but spiders are not insects." Annoyed by the young woman's snippy manner, Rhino attacked again. Gwen dodged again. This procedure was repeated several times until Gwen sensed her chance. 

She pulled her web beam so hard that Rhino's feet collided. Defenseless, he fell forward at Gwen's feet. "Probably never seen 'Star Wars', right?" Gwen turned around, searching. "And the third one of the pa..." Gwen felt a sharp pain in her side. Why didn't she see the attack coming? Was she so distracted by her anger at Toomes and Sytsevich that she forgot and didn't feel Scorpion?

Gwen's vision blurred and, glancing at the source of her pain, she saw the poisonous thorn in her body. Scorpion grinned. "Chaos." Gwen clutched her head and collapsed to her knees. There it was again, the voice. Louder than ever. "Your fault." - "Weak." - "Why didn't you die in his place?" Now she not only heard Venom, but also the distorted voices of Miles and her father. She thought she heard Rio too, as well as every friend she still had.

"An anomaly!" Miguel's voice roared behind her, and Gwen instinctively darted around to avoid Spider-Man 2099's web. "Impossible," Gwen whispered distraught, but his fist in the pit of her stomach felt too real. “An anomaly. She must be eliminated!” Where were Peter Y and Noir? Had Miguel taken them out? "Gwen!" Miles shouted, and Gwen looked him in the eyes. The hall was suddenly dark and the shield seemed to have disappeared. Was this Miguel's doing? 

Gwen didn't think about it and didn't let herself be invited twice. She stormed towards Miles, happy to be reunited with him. "Gwen, don't!" Miles shouted. But it was too late. A tremendous amount of tension gripped Gwen so close to her destination that she could see the fear in Miles' eyes.

Gwen collapsed to the ground. Right at Miles' feet. “We have to do something,” Miles shouted in panic. “Do your thing,” Hobie called out to him, and Miles understood. He placed his hands on the shield that was still there and tried to absorb it. But the almost impossible amount of energy was so high that after a short time Miles was almost torn apart inside. He fell to the ground between Hobie and Margo. “We have to do something!” Peter A cried. “No. I don’t have access from here,” Margo said frantically. “We have to hope Gwen finds a solution too.”

Meanwhile, Gwen endured one ordeal after another. Not only was her body groaning after a quiet moment, her head also seemed unable to stand still. "Give up," she heard Scorpion's seductive voice as Rhino beat her. She was defenseless, trapped in her own madness-soaked thoughts. She saw her father fall, again and again, in a seemingly impenetrable endless loop. The memory of how Venom took over her and how she committed all the murders. 

How could she escape this ordeal? Wasn't it easier to give up? To let Venom do his thing, and if it was already too late to die for it to be over? So that she could no longer be a danger? A scream from Miles ripped through her as she fell into the depths for what felt like hours. It wasn't a scream artificially amplified by her thoughts and Scorpions venom, Gwen knew that immediately. And she didn't realize how she still managed to stay on this level, but she managed to find the bridge to Miles. 

But what she felt there, at the other end, was real. She felt that. Miles lay on the ground with figures shrouded in smoke around him. He screamed in pain, which also hit her. No. She couldn't leave Miles alone. She had promised Rio. Gwen wanted to be with Miles, grow old, and not leave him here, in a completely alien dimension, to fend for himself and an insane doctor. No. Not like that.

“Give up,” Scorpion advised her again. Let me do it, Venom also growled, feeling that Gwen was on the verge of defeat. But Gwen opened her eyes and saw Rhino still beating her down. Even a spider would not have been able to withstand this torture. Scorpion remained above her, still grinning diabolically. They should experience what it's like to be in pain, Gwen thought. Real pain. For Miles.   

Good thing, Venom said inside of her. Let yourself go, give in to your hate and to me. But Gwen shook her head internally in the dialogue with the symbiote. No. My body, my rules. I was just a passenger for too long.  

And with a wave of targeted anger, she pushed herself off the ground with white-black tendrils and, with a decisive scream, let an innumerable amount of tendrils shoot out of her body in mid-air, which threw the three opponents all against the shield. They were nearly fried alive as their battlesuits absorbed parts of the shield and allowed it to flow through their bodies.

“Miles, now!” Hobie shouted, and with a groan the young Spider threw himself against the shield again and pressed his hands against it. The shield was still strong, but not as overwhelming as before. He felt the energy flowing through his body. It gave him strength far beyond his maximum. And under Octavius' impressed look, the shield finally went out. Vulture, Scorpion and Rhino fell to the ground, smoking and breathing heavily, as Miles released the vast amounts of energy into the surrounding area in a burst. The walls and ceiling could not withstand this energy and slowly collapsed.

Miles and the others rushed to Gwen, who lay stunned on the floor. They caught the young woman and the three villains and got to safety just in time before the entire house collapsed. “The data!” Pav shouted as they arrived in the forecourt. Meanwhile, Miles secured the three enemies to the well, which was conveniently located there, and clapped his hands. With a nod to Peter A, he understood when they heard the first sirens. “Pav, we have achieved something much better. The police will arrive here shortly. And believe me, they will find everything. Doc Ock and Fisk and all their henchmen are history.”

“Not quite,” Gwen said. “Octavius is still somewhere. We still have to stop him, and Gwenom. "We've won a small victory, but the battle is still ahead." Hobie grinned. “That’s my drummer. So where do we find him?" Gwen shrugged and looked up at the sky. "No idea. But we're going to raze the lab. But first I have to do something.” - “Gwen?” Miles asked worriedly. “Whatever you plan, I’m with you.”

Gwen looked back over her shoulder and smiled. Of course he was. “Of course. The others swarm out. We'll meet at Fisk Tower." Margo, Hobie, Pav and Peter A nodded. “Take care of yourself,” Margo said. "I will," Gwen replied, and after the others had disappeared, she opened a portal and pulled Miles with her. “Come on, Miles, we have to be quick.”

Chapter Text

EARTH-65 - New York

It was quiet as Gwen swung through her nighttime New York with Miles. Gwen avoided revisiting the scenes of her fight with Gwenom and Miguel. Not only because her heart was still bleeding, but also because her path took her to a different place. Meanwhile, she was glad Miles didn't ask where they were going. His surprise at the end of their journey was big enough for that.

In front of them was the Latour Morgue, and as soon as Miles saw the name in large letters on the facade, he knew what Gwen was doing here. He immediately took her hand and squeezed tightly. "Gwen, do you really…" Gwen looked over her shoulder. "I have to. After what happened yesterday… I just need to see him again.” Miles nodded. “I’m right behind you. Take all the time you need.” A small but grateful smile crossed the young woman’s face. "Thanks, Miles."

Gwen looked for an entrance and found it on the roof in an open skylight. Due to the late hour, only a few rooms were lit and even fewer people were present. It didn't take long before they found the place where the civil servants who no longer had families were brought. "I thought he wasn't a cop anymore?" Miles asked. "That is also true. But he was still highly respected even after that. And since they couldn’t find me and my mother…”

Gwen was shaking. But she walked forward and was about to push the door open when a wave of grief hit her. She was an orphan now. No mother, no father, no siblings. It was a little over thirteen years ago when she first stood in a room like this and her mother lay there. “Be strong,” her mother said in her final moments. "You are special. And no one can convince you otherwise.”

Back in the hospital it was a horrible sight for her to see her mother on all the machines and tubes. She hadn't dared look at a photo of her since then. She believed too much that all these memories should be overshadowed by the last impression. Gwen also still had the gift her mother gave her just before she had to be admitted. Not even her father wanted to open it.

Gwen slowly pulled her mask up as she saw her father. The undertakers had done a great job. It wasn't even a day ago, but he was already laid out and there were already some flowers and arrangements in front of his coffin. Many of them signed by former colleagues from his former office. She still recognized a few of the signatures, not only from her visits, but also from her encounters with these police officers and officials when she was out and about as Spider-Woman.

How far this had now moved into the background. Her job as a police photographer wasn't even on her mind. Now she stood in front of the coffin and again she didn't know what she wanted to do or say. She was also startled when Miles hugged her, as she had completely forgotten him in her mind. It was not for nothing that she had originally planned to come here alone. She had to deal with problems alone her whole life. 

“I almost saved him,” Miles whispered quietly, his voice breaking too. "We looked at each other when I caught him...if only I had managed to turn in time..." Gwen wanted to say something, to take the blame off his shoulders. But her throat felt tight. She knew Miles was expecting an answer, and it tore her heart out that she wasn't able to say anything back. But the sight of her father's lifeless body was overwhelming.

She expected, she hoped, that he would sit up and shake. Would ask what had happened. Then go home with her. But he did not do it. His hands were cold in hers, as was the entire room. And no matter how long she waited, he didn't move. "Dad," she finally managed to say something. Even though the sobs drowned her voice. “I shouldn’t have let you fall.”

She laid her head on her father's chest and buried her face in his suit. "Why? Why you? Why not me? I've done so many terrible things." This time it was Miles who couldn't say anything and could only watch helplessly. How much he wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone.

Miles took a deep breath and spoke to Gwen. "Last night, there... I know it sounds strange and crazy... but I talked to him." Gwen quickly turned to Miles with wide eyes. “You talked to him?!” - “Yes,” Miles nodded slowly.

“I don’t know if I can be who Gwen needs right now,” Miles said, defeated. “What makes you doubt that?” George asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know…how can I help someone without knowing what it feels like to go through that loss?” - "You can not know that. But sometimes it’s just being there and feeling like you want to help and be there for what she needs.” Miles rubbed his head. “I can’t believe it’s just that.” - “Sometimes it is, even if it doesn't seem like it. Sometimes the simplest task is the right one, at least it was for many before us.” - “Huh,” Miles replied thoughtfully. “Maybe it really is that simple.”

“Was it really him?” Gwen asked after Miles talked about his experiences. “I don’t see how it could be him. But he spoke like your father.” Miles looked thoughtfully at George. “I think there are things in our lives that we cannot explore but can only experience for ourselves. That was such a moment. It was the moment when I no longer doubted that anything is possible. That we are both possible. And that you can live a normal life.”

Gwen's eyes sparkled. “Miles…” She got closer and closer to him until their faces were only a few centimeters apart. And just as Gwen was about to kiss Miles, the lights turned on. Gwen immediately turned to the side and pulled her mask over her face, only to hear an amused laugh. “You can stop it, kid.”

Gwen looked at the person, as did Miles. The face and the voice seemed familiar to her, but she didn't know where from. "Stop? With what?” - “When I saw you yesterday, kneeling on the wet ground, I knew who I was looking at. You held on to your boyfriend and your father with both hands so tightly that no one could take them with you. Your friends told me that Spider-Woman didn't do anything. And yet she exuded complicity in what happened.”

Gwen cocked her head. “Who are you?” she asked slowly and carefully. “Officer Lee. I come from the district next to your father's. And I'm honored to meet George Stacy's daughter.” Gwen instinctively backed away. "I think you must be confusing me with someone." Lee smiled. Miles also knew the face, but he didn't know where from.

“I never confuse the faces and voices of those I know. I know your father more than you can imagine. And I know about his daughter as well. My child, you can change your voice and imitate for the environment a person you are not, but not for me. It's my job to know everyone." Gwen didn't know what she was doing as she grabbed the mask and took it off. She just did it, and because the man in front of her radiated strange wisdom.

And when Lee looked at Gwen's face, he smiled again. “Young Gwen Stacy. George never tired of gushing about his daughter. Once he started, he couldn't be stopped.” Gwen felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She looked away, ashamed. “I’m sure he wouldn’t say any of this anymore if he knew what I did.”

Lee calmly walked past Gwen to George's coffin. He held a small box in his hands and stared alternately at it and at George. “George told me not long ago that he had made a mistake. A big one. This one had to do with you. That was after the incident at the Guggenheim Museum. "You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know what was going on." He looked back at Gwen. “His daughter is the vigilante, a big shock. And he was devastated by what he had done. Because he understood what you had been sacrificing every day for years. He wanted to give you something when this was all over, and he asked me to do it in his place if anything happened to him.”

He handed Gwen the box and waited. Gwen hesitantly opened it and tearfully saw that there were two tickets for the Ramones, one of her favorite bands. “Your father knew you never got to have your prom. That you had lost a friend and also your youth that day. And to this day you haven't had the chance to really just be Gwen Stacy." Gwen was still looking at the cards and swallowed against her sadness. It was her fault. He died because of her.

“I want to know something: I saw you fight yesterday in Times Square. And with everything I know about you, I couldn't help but notice that you've changed. You seem angrier, more bitter.” Gwen narrowed her eyes at Lee. “Officer, I’m not here to hear about what I did wrong. I’m here to say goodbye to my father.” Lee raised his hands defensively. Miles was also unclear about what this sudden outburst meant.

“And yet you never miss an opportunity to blame yourself,” Lee continued. “You act as if this is all the result of your failure. You wear the mask, but you are no longer convinced of it. Why? That black monster you fought…” - “Gwenom,” Gwen hissed without thinking. “So it’s true,” Lee said. “You are her. Hence this unbridled hatred and risk. You’re afraid of becoming like her,” he concluded. “And by allowing that fear to guide you, you put everything at risk.”

“What am I risking here?” Gwen asked, and Miles couldn't help but notice her deeper voice. The voice of the symbiote inside her that Gwen was fighting. “I live with something inside me that can destroy me at any time. I wait anxiously for the moment when it will take over me again, control my thoughts, undermine my morals and loyalty. Since the lab, I've had this feeling inside of me that I'm destroying everything. This world could be so much better if we worked together instead. And not just this world. The entire multiverse. So why shouldn't we try to use this knowledge? 

Why shouldn't we turn our opponent's weapon against him? Because it is a monster in the eyes of the victims? A disease? A plague? No, this creature is special. It destroys the root of good and evil and combines both into a state within me that can always exist. Without morals, without decency, without anger.

I'm fighting for a future in this world that I won't experience if I lose my inner battle... if I lose myself. And no one will know that we were the ones who won this battle. Because we are the ghosts who must protect this city and this universe. We have no spectators, we have no fans. We're fucking damned ghosts! All I can think about is saving Miles. Because he is everything I am not. Brave, loving and powerful. I want him to be able to live in peace. So why shouldn't my new powers be used for this?

Why shouldn't I use this monster inside me to do this, even if it will most likely kill me? I thought I could control it. But with every waking moment I realize how far I'm rising, higher and higher, to the point where my nets will no longer be enough. At which my fall will be fatal. And I've long since passed that point. I no longer see the ground under my feet, no individual buildings. Just a big city full of hate, fighting and hopelessness. And I notice how the higher I climb, the more I run out of breath. Until the only thing that can save me is the thought that I have to become this being that calls out to me within me.

So what am I risking for this, you ask me? 

SIMPLY EVERYTHING!"

For a moment it seemed as if all the oxygen in the air had been used up. Nobody dared to breathe. Until Lee gave her a determined, disarming look. “So you don’t want to ask for absolution for your actions. You seek consolation for your loss by selling yourself and your identity to this 'being' within you. Let me tell you this: There is no comfprt. We just choose our burdens. What is your burden? Loss or death?”

Gwen's lower lip trembled, but she still stood stiff in front of him. "It makes me a better Spider-Woman." Lee laughed. “Yes, but a worse person for it. Is that really what you want? Is this the impression your father should have of you if he could see you now? No.” Gwen was breathing heavily. “My father is dead because I couldn't save him. Because I’m not taking advantage of the skills I’ve been given.”

“If you think that, you’ve already lost. Your father died because Spider-Woman was seduced. You need help because you’ve been alone for far too long,” Lee replied. Gwen turned to the side angrily. “I can save this world. I can protect this dimension. Spider-Woman doesn't need any help.” It was her own aggressiveness that made Gwen despair. Lee told so many truths, but something inside her wanted to fight back against all of them. She was already too much under the influence of Venom.

"No. Spider-Woman doesn't need any help. Gwen Stacy needs help. She just has to allow it. This city is only safe if our Spider-Woman is in harmony with herself. Anyone can wear your mask. I'm just afraid that right now Spider-Woman is wearing Gwen Stacy's mask, not the other way around. You are obsessed with your role as a protector that you don't see yourself destroying your character. Let your friends help you and don't fight alone. When you help someone…” - “You help everyone,” Gwen completed the sentence in a whisper. “Aunt May always told me that.”

All the dams broke within Gwen. May Parker...she had so much faith in Gwen. And Gwen knew deep down that May knew her secret. What would she say if she saw her now? She would certainly be anything but proud of the hero she had become. “Even if you help yourself,” Lee said. “You as Gwen Stacy must be more important to you than all the masquerades in the world. Because what is a hero without morals and decency?”

Gwen would have almost fallen to her knees if Miles, who had been quietly watching everything, hadn't caught her. “We will beat Gwenom. We will find Octavius. And after that, we'll all help you find yourself again." Gwen grabbed Miles and pulled him into a tight hug. Lee smiled. “Miss Stacy, I wish I can help you in your fight. But only you can do that." Gwen wiped the tears from her cheeks, still in Miles' arms. She never wanted to let him go again. Miles was everything she needed right now.

“Thank you, Officer Lee. From the heart,” she whispered, and Lee’s smile turned into a hearty laugh. “I’m just keeping an eye out for our Spider-Woman. And please, we have known each other too long and well for formalities. Call me Stan.” With these words he turned around and walked away, but not without waving a hand.

Chapter Text

EARTH-120703 - Statue of Liberty, New York

There was a palpable tension in the air. Even the city seemed to have prepared for the inevitable confrontation. In the distance the sky was still occasionally lit by lightning, but these did not represent any danger. The clouds had already passed over New York and were now on their way to their next destination. What remained was a city soaked in humidity and cold.

No, the lightning and thunder weren't the danger. It was the woman leaning against the flame of the statue and looking expectantly towards the financial district. It should happen here, today, not a day later. She was already being hunted, and her hunters were hot on her heels. Hurry was required so that their plan could still work.

"Gwen?" Peter B cleared his throat behind her, looking at her expectantly. Rarely had a group of Spiders stood so united behind such a young woman. They didn't want to repeat the mistake they made with Miles. So Peter and the others did what they didn't do back then: they helped without expecting anything in return. The gang went from a group of friends to a family.

"It's almost time," Peter B continued. "Miguel has already gathered his people and is on his way. Noir and Peter Y can't stop him anymore." Gwen looked back, over her shoulder, and nodded wordlessly. She looked again at the peninsula in front of her, where so many people lived and worked. The city that never slept ... rarely has a slogan from an advertising brochure made as much sense as it does here.

Gwen slowly climbed down and landed on the head of the statue, where the other members were also standing. Everyone knew what was at stake, which made it all the more eerily quiet between them. Miles stood next to Gwen, and he couldn't help but notice that visiting her father and talking to Officer Lee had given her a special strength. She suddenly seemed focused on her goal, and every fiber of her body was yearning to achieve it. Gwen had changed because of Venom and the loss she had to endure. Gwen was no longer a woman at that moment. She was a warrior, a weapon made human.

"So, Gwen," Peter B began. "What's the plan?" Gwen looked into the faces of each of the Spiders present. And every time she thought of Peni, who was missing from the group, her heart ached. Because she was the one who finished off the young woman. Peter B had tried to persuade her. But the conversation ended after less than a minute. "Octavius now knows who he has in front of him. He won't make the mistake of underestimating us again. The Sinister Six are history, and he no longer has an ace up his sleeve. So he'll use the strongest trump card he has left."

"Gwenom ...," Margo whispered, and Gwen nodded. "Gwenom is all he has left. And to be honest, it's a pretty damn strong hand." Peter B snorted. "You're slowly starting to compete with me with your puns." Gwen just gave him a bored look. "The plan is as follows," she returned to her execution. "You will take care of Octavius. "I don't know what he's capable of, but he'll have a hard time facing a whole group of spiders."

She turned to Miles. "You have the most important job." Miles nodded with a smile and was about to stand next to her when she stopped him with one hand. "No, Miles. You are the only one who can destroy the collider without getting killed. It's important that you do this and don't get distracted by it." She pressed her hand to his chest and raised the index finger of her other hand. "Destroy the collider. No matter what happens around you, you must not fail."

She looked at Miles' face that he was intimidated. The other spiders in the group also looked at the couple, spellbound. "But Gwen, I ..." Gwen smiled mildly. "This is the best way to help me. I will face Gwenom. And only when I know you're safe from Gwenom, then I'm truly free, you know?" It took some time before Miles finally agreed, only with strong objections.

"You go to the collider, and to Octavius. He probably won't miss the opportunity to personally ensure the safety of his machine. "I'm going to lure Gwenom as far away as I can," Gwen continued. Suddenly her spider sense kicked in. She looked hastily in the direction of New York. But no matter how much she followed her instincts, she couldn't fully understand what was going on. “Do you feel that too?” she asked the others.

"No," everyone said. Hobie slowly walked towards her. "Is everything okay with you?" But Gwen didn't react. She looked at the city as if petrified. "Gwen?" Suddenly the young woman darted around. "We have to hurry. Now it's up to us. On every single one. Each of you must show your best abilities so that Gwenom and Octavius can be defeated. This is your last chance to get out, folks. And I wouldn't be angry with anyone. "This is going to be intense."

Hobie shrugged. "Guess we don't have a choice." Gwen looked Hobie in the eyes. "Whatever happens to us in life and whatever battles we fight ... with whom and against whom ... we always have a choice. That's what Miles taught me." She was looking for Miles' look, and almost got lost in his eyes before she thought of what was in front of them. "It's all about doing the right thing ... are you ready?" She didn't hear any arguments, so she pulled down her mask and wasted no time. She jumped and swung past several boats, ships and helicopters into the city.

Miles' Eyes followed Gwen, confused that she hadn't sought conversation with him before she left. Peter B stood next to him and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I've rarely seen her so focused. Whatever happens today, we will support them." Miles sighed. "I should be with her. Gwenom ..." - "... Is a league too high for you. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about, I had Venom inside me. And I had significantly more experience than you." Peter B looked at Miles sadly as he sank into his memories.

"I had almost lost everything. Venom was the reason MJ didn't trust me anymore. I was a completely different person. You know it yourself, you've seen Gwen. That Gwen is still herself ..." Miles snorted. "This is a miracle." Peter B smiled as he looked at his charge. "No. It is your miracle. Gwen now knows what's at stake. What she could lose if Venom takes her over. She has realized this and is taking you out of her equation. For your protection. But now you have to support her too.”

"What do you mean?" Miles asked, and Peter noticed how tall Miles had become. He used to look down on the boy, but now it reached up to his forehead. "When you love someone - really love someone - then you do everything for that person. Even if that means letting her go." He patted Miles encouragingly on the shoulder as he slumped. "Even if it makes you feel like half of your soul is being ripped out?" the young Spider-Man wanted to know. "Especially then," Peter replied. "But Miles, I think, no ... I know, that Gwen would do all of this for you too. She will survive. Because unlike Gwenom, she has a reason worth fighting for."

Miles looked at Peter expectantly. He was tormented by a question, and Peter was relieved when Miles asked it after a while. "How did MJ forgive you?" Peter B looked down thoughtfully and exhaled. "I guess she never forgave me. But we got through it together. We get up every day and try again. And we're thankful we have each other ... and Mayday. Sometimes there is no easy solution to a problem. Sometimes ... you just have to trust that time will heal your wounds. Even if scars remain. All you need at this stage is a person who tells you that you will make it, that they believe in you. And more importantly, telling you that if everything goes wrong, she will be there for you and pull you out of the mess."

Miles looked out at New York at night. "That's exactly the person you have to be for Gwen now," Peter said finally. And Miles knew what he had to do.

🕷️

Gwen couldn't bear the look from Miles any longer. There were so many things she still wanted to tell him, still wanted to show him. But his eyes bore so deeply into her core that she was afraid he could sense her fear. The panic of the fight that now lay before her.

What if she couldn't beat Gwenom? What if Venom took control inside her and there was no way back this time? What if everything she tried just made it worse?

Because yes, it was true, she didn't have much left to lose. Yet that little was her whole world. She couldn't lose Miles. Because then there was really no turning back for her. She couldn't see another love fail.

Turning her back on Miles, not knowing whether she should survive the conflict that followed, was the most difficult decision in her life. As meaningless as those seconds sounded, for Gwen there was nothing worse than avoiding Miles and leaving him behind.

Concentrate, Gwen, she said to herself as she was just outside the lab. She will be waiting for you. What she didn't expect, however, were the sirens and the smell of firefighting foam. The Fisk Tower was on fire.

Gwen ended up in a side alley, unseen by rescue workers and onlookers. She believed in many things in her life. But not by chance. Everything here smelled like a staged scene, another of Octavius's games. But there was one thing that didn't occur to her: Why was he risking his project? She didn't know if only the above-ground part of the building was affected, but in her eyes a fire was too dangerous and unpredictable.

She decided to get into Fisk Tower unseen to get to the bottom of the matter. "Just you and me, Octavius."

🕷️

A FEW MINUTES BEFORE

It was hopeless. Nothing and no one escaped the young woman's blind rage. She was surrounded by black tentacles, which grew out of her delicate body and flapped wildly. Inhuman screams echoed throughout the underground complex. Octavius knew what he was doing, so he apparently let the woman come to him, only for her to see a video feed, a live stream from one of the professor's safe houses.

"Human beings strive for perfection," he said coolly and calculatingly. He knew exactly what he was doing with his monologue, and based on the reactions of the people he was talking to, his plan was working. "You were the first breakthrough in our research, and we are grateful to you. But now it's time to go and leave behind what is rightfully mine. The symbiote will remain here to be optimized. Following her example."

Gwen Stacy destroyed the screen in front of her and spun around. Several security guards were able to avoid her, but some were not so quick. None of them should get up again. With fury she swept a man off his feet, brought him to her, and struck. It was like cutting through butter with a hot knife. Only when her hand was warm from the man's blood and a black symbiote blade had pierced him and was sticking out of his back did she let it fall without batting an eyelid.

Octavius watched his test subject through another camera with a cold, amused grin. If he could now tame this brute force, he would have a weapon that could open all doors for him. "You were never meant to be more than a test subject," he said, continuing to poke at the wound. "You son of a ..." Gwen Stacy began grumbling, but Octavius interrupted her. "You brought her to us. The version of you with your full potential. If anyone caused your downfall, it was you yourself."

The young woman's figure was covered in a black, sticky mass. She grew by almost a meter. Venom came out and didn't hold back. He destroyed everything he could get his hands on. Sparks sprayed and ignited sensitive substances, causing an immediate fire that could not even be stopped by the sprinkler system. For Octavius, the fact that the camera surveillance was still working was nothing short of a miracle. However, he was able to observe the fruits of his research live.

Gwenom was just a young creature with a remarkably unbridled rage. The new object, on the other hand, had deep bonds and emotions. And that was exactly the point that this Gwenom surpassed by far. Because this version of Gwen was malleable and more rational due to her dependencies. He had seen her use her powers with remarkable desperation, but never without completely losing her head. Somehow she managed to hold Venom back. Octavius could not yet say whether this was to his advantage or not.

Only after a few minutes did the blind destructive rage of his first test subject slowly subside. And even if the camera was only hanging in its holder in pieces and only recorded a distorted image, Octavius considered his work complete. The fire did not penetrate the collider complex. All protective mechanisms had worked. And a crowd of civilians and police and rescue workers had long since arrived in front of the building.

Octavius feared that the press would eviscerate recent events with the aim of destroying him. But he had taken precautions and disappeared from the scene. Now the only person caught in the crossfire was Fisk himself. And based on the findings of his research, the loss of his largest financial backer was certainly bearable.

"If you're done with it now," he said, pretending to be bored, and was glad that the speaker system seemed to still be working, as Gwenom was looking at him angrily. She trudged through the fire, which now even spread to her body, but without hurting her. "Wow," said another voice. "I didn't know you were so hot."

Gwenom darted around, only to see her copy in the corner of the destroyed room. Gwen hung from a web beam, watching Gwenom carefully. "Miss Stacy," Octavius said, and Gwen heard a hint of surprise in his words. "Octavius," the young woman replied unimpressed. "Are you hiding in your hole like a rat? Or do you simply not have the courage to answer for your actions?"

"When I'm done, there won't be anyone left to justify myself to," the man growled confidently. "Your resilience surprises me, I have to admit. Apparently my project isn't fully developed yet." Gwen felt anger building up inside her. "We are not things, not test subjects. You've lost. Surrender and don't make it worse." Octavius only had a tired smile. "Whatever. You will be found here. But not me. Who really lost now?"

"You lousy ..." Gwen began, but her spider sense made her jump to the side. Gwenom attacked her unplanned. "You took everything from me!" she shouted angrily, and Gwen was able to escape the attack just in time with a swing to the floor above them. "I could have been anything!" Gwenom continued. "We could have ruled this universe!" Gwen heard the dark voice of the symbiote coming from her 'sister' speak. But compared to her, the woman didn't fight back against the influence of her Venom.

"I guess I missed something?" she provoked the woman. Gwenom shot after her, and the fight spanned several floors. Venom screamed inside her to be released. This bad copy of us should experience what suffering is. She shall bleed, she shall be shattered, Venom shouted. But not on your terms, Gwen objected. Meanwhile, she gave Gwenom an uppercut, which caused her to stagger back. Her opponent wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, which Venom's tongue licked off with relish.

"You have taken our place. You!” Gwenom snapped, lashing out at her with a black tendril. Gwen dodged it, but its reach was simply too great. As she jumped, she was knocked off her feet and hit her chest on the ledge below her. Gwenom immediately seized the moment and caught up with her. "We were beautiful, we were deadly. We did everything he wanted us to do. We brought you to him!" Gwen sighed painfully and held her chest. "Apparently ... not a good idea of yours." She carefully got up again and coughed, only to get a kick in her stomach.

Gwen didn't have time to relax. Everything happened in what felt like an instant. Gwenom pulled her toward him by the throat and into the air. Struggling for oxygen, Gwen reached for Gwenom's arms in vain. "You took everything from us! We should be at his side!" Gwen felt Venom raging inside her. And before she could defend herself, a tendril grew from her back and formed a head with white, elongated eyes at the end. "You obey a lower being? You are not one of us! You are a freak!"

Gwenom struck as a head grew from her back as well. Her Venom bit, but Gwen's symbiote gracefully dodged. At the same time, Gwen was increasingly squirming under the impression of the lack of air to breathe. In a final moment, she shot a web beam and her opponent's face and attached the other end of the web to a hanging scaffold. This collapsed under the load and dragged Gwenom several floors below. Gwen sank to her knees and took a strained breath. She just hoped Miles had more success and was able to find Octavius and to shut down the collider.

Before she knew it, however, Gwenom rose up with a screech and sent Gwen crashing through several floors and room walls with an enormous throw. Any normal human and probably most spiders wouldn't have survived this - including her - but Venom wrapped her back in a black cocoon that barely protected her. Hardly more than a piece of paper when jumping from a five-meter board. But she survived, against all odds, and heard a loud hum in the distance.

Confused, she looked around and saw several computers and whiteboards in the room. “Sequence initiated,” a female voice also blared from the station’s speakers. Gwen quickly realized where she was. "Oh no ..." she whispered. "The generator room?" She was clearly too close to the collider. But she didn't have much time because Gwenom rushed after her and landed in front of her. "No one will come to help you," Gwenom grumbled, laughing. "I don't need help kicking your ass either." Gwenom leaned against a table. "It looked completely different last time." Gwen attacked and for a few moments both Gwen Stacys were caught in a heated exchange, which Gwen continued to lose. The fight had been going on for several minutes now, but she rarely managed to break through Gwenom's guard. Rather, it was her opponent who was able to break through her defenses with targeted but furious blows.

Her own suit was already completely torn when Gwenom had finished with her for a moment. "Maybe you should go back and surrender to the muscle man. He seems to like young vegetables." With little effort, Gwenom dodged a half-hearted punch from Gwen, grabbing her by the collar to do so. The symbiote's tongue licked every wound it came across. "Trust me: He's definitely not into anomalies," Gwen gasped weakly. However, when she tried to attack, Gwenom threw her to the ground and kicked her chest with one muscular leg.

"Anomalies," Gwenom scoffed. "That's apparently all this single-celled organism can think of. And he's not even right." Gwen opened her swollen eyes a little wider. "What do you mean?" Gwenom smiled darkly at her and said nothing. Instead, she slammed Gwen further into the ground.

🕷️

Miguel attacked with everything he could muster. The gang was in the middle of finding Octavius' location when a large portal opened and Miguel and his entourage jumped through it. To Peter B's disappointment, Jess was also among these spiders. It was hardly possible to fight all the Spiders at the same time without ending up in a confused melee, which is why after a few minutes Peter B gave the order to separate and split up.

Hobie swung himself to Central Park, along with Pavitr, Metro Spider-Man and Spider-Rex, Pter Ptarker, in tow. "A dinosaur?!" Pav shouted in shock when he noticed who was following them. Hobie shrugged. "Already had a universe with spaghetti creatures. Believe me: If you think this dinosaur is weird, you definitely don't want to meet the spider there." Pav gulped and shot a stream of web across from Hobie so they could stretch the web between them like a line. They changed direction at two trees and jumped back towards their pursuers.

Metro and Rex failed to get out of the way in time and were thrown to the ground by the leash. They hit the ground with a dull thud. "And how do we hold a dinosaur?!" Pav wanted to know. Hobie grinned and shot several nets at surrounding trees and rocks. "If there's one thing dinosaurs don't like, it's things that are falling on their heads." With a jerk, he buried both under a layer of logs and rubble weighing tons. He dusted his hands with satisfaction. "See? Dead silence."

🕷️

"Ooof," Miles groaned as Miguel grabbed him and threw him with full force against a facade. "I'll feel it tomorrow," he hissed and stood up again while Miguel turned his attention to Peter B and Peter A. Cursing, he winced at the pain in his ribs. "Or even today." Miguel was completely beside himself. Even the day before, his actions were much more humane than just now. He only had one target in mind, and that was Gwen. It didn't matter to him who and how many people he had to eliminate on the way there.

Why can't they just see it?, he kept asking himself. Why do they have to fight it? Not like the others. He turned left and right to see that both Peters had him surrounded. Behind him was just another wall of the house. Eventually Peter Y ended up with them too, leaving Miguel unable to find a way out. "Miguel, it's enough!" cried Peter B. "Can't you see that it's too much?" Miguel's eyes shot to him. "Like me, you saw what was going on. You're a fool if you think it won't happen to us!" Peter Y cleared his throat. "Sorry, but what's going to happen to us?"

Miguel groaned. "There are powers in this multiverse. Strong powers unwillingly released because the laws of the multiverse were broken by two stupid individuals!" - "Miguel...", Peter B began, but was harshly interrupted by Spider-Man 2099. "You saw it, Peter! Don't deny it!" Peter B stood his ground, but something still seemed to be bothering him inside. "You know it's been fixed!" he shouted halfheartedly. Miguel slumped his shoulders in annoyance. "Peter, don't be so naive! You can't fix something without tearing something up somewhere else." He walked closer to the Spider-Man from Dimension 616. "You know why I do what I do. Because you and no one else were willing to suffer the consequences! I do this because I have to do it! We could be ready now! Instead, we fight each other and protect those who endanger the structure through their very existence!"

Peter B backed away in shock when he saw how unreal Miguel looked on his face. Although he had to admit that Miguel never really seemed friendly, not since he had lost 'his' daughter Gabriella. But now he seemed like a bitter caricature of his past self. "You're talking about murder. About destroying lives. We're Spider-Men!" Peter shouted. "And Spider-Women," he added sheepishly. "Don't you forget the pig," Peter Y interjected, but immediately fell silent at Peter B's annoyed look. "We don't take lives!" Peter B continued. "And thereby endanger everyone's existence! If they come, we will be lost."

Peter A cleared his throat. "They? Who do you mean?" Miguel looked at him darkly. "They. Him. Many. One." Peter A rolled his eyes. "For being so doggedly obsessed with protecting your society, you're really tight-lipped when it comes to the facts." Miguel growled. "Because you wouldn't understand." Peter A pulled his mask back over his face and stood ready to fight. "Just try to. I'm smarter than I look." Miguel grinned knowingly. "I doubt that." He suddenly shot a laser web at the Spider-Man of this dimension and a second at the unprepared Peter B. In the middle, he connected these two webs with a small device.

He looked up to where Jess was now and nodded. She pulled him toward her with a web beam from her gloves. With a tap on his watch, the device attracted both nets, causing Peter B and Peter A to crash into each other with full force. Only Peter Y and Miles jumped after them and landed a few meters away from Jess and Miguel. “To the side,” Miguel just grumbled. But Miles stood in his way. "I can't allow that." - "Your mistake." Miguel slammed Miles to the ground with his entire body. "You could have done so much good if you hadn't gone into the tunnel back then," Miguel hissed in Miles' ear. He pressed Miles' head on the floor. "She wouldn't have met you and you would still be the stupid kid from your New York."

Miles growled and grabbed Miguel. Just like back on the train, he began to absorb the electricity from Spider-Man 2099's suit. "Stupid children always surprise you the best," Miles growled, but this time he didn't see the shock on his counterpart's face. "I knew you didn't have anything more to offer. Do you really think the trick would work a second time?" Suddenly the flow of energy between Miguel and Miles stopped, only to explode shortly afterwards in an overload and throw Miles several meters away. Jess finally held him down.

Peter Y looked between Miles and Miguel in shock and finally attacked with his little gadgets. Jess was also shocked by their leader's brutality. However, they couldn't focus on Miguel for long, because in the distance an explosion and a wave of energy rocked the Fisk Tower. Miles opened his eyes and turned to Jess's. Reach in the direction of the origin of the detonation. "Gwen!" He tried to break free from Spider-Woman's grasp, but she held him firmly to the ground. "You will stay here!"

Miles looked at her angrily. "And you still believe all of this? After all this?" He felt Jess becoming uncertain. "He is ready to murder. To eliminate those who need his ... our help. Is that supposed to be the way?" Jess was shaking. "He does what is necessary." Miles laughed loudly. If that's what she believed, he was amazed that Gwen looked up to her so much. "She praised you. She was so excited about you and your skills. And now you're ready to sacrifice her again." Jess' eyes shone. Miles hit a spot with her, and he took advantage of it. "You have a child. How can you look him in the eye knowing you're following someone who doesn't care about life?"

Jess winced but still didn't let up. But Miles didn't give up either. "How would you react if he told you that your son is an anomaly? A mistake that could destroy the multiverse in his eyes? It's easy to follow a madman as long as you're not affected, isn't it?" Jess finally finally let up. "H-he's not himself anymore." - "What you don't say," Miles interjected, rolling his eyes. "I have to go to her. I have to go to Gwen," he begged Jess. They both looked into each other's eyes for a while while Jess weighed her options. Finally she breathed out. "If I do this now ... if I let you go now ... you have to promise me that we will win. That we will prevail against what is to come."

Now it was Jess who begged the young Spider-Man. But that was a promise he couldn't make. "I can't do that. But I promise that we will give it our all. That we will mobilize and prepare everything and everyone." Jess still remained in her position, holding Miles close to her. But after a few moments, he felt her grip loosen. "I guess I can't ask for more." Miles stood up and stretched briefly. "Miguel is not allowed to follow me." Jess nodded. "I'll make sure of it. Now go!" Miles looked intently into her eyes again and briefly watched the fight between Peter Y and Miguel.

Then he turned and swung into the night toward the Fisk Tower.

🕷️

The fight left clear marks on both Gwen variants. Gwen took it much harder than Gwenom, but she also had to admit that her counterpart was more steadfast and strong-willed than expected. Why didn't she give up? She had nothing left. Her childhood friend - died fighting with her. Her father - killed in battle with her. She no longer had parents, no solid point to which she could cling. So why was she still carrying on?

Desperate and annoyed, Gwenom attacked Gwen, who was stumbling more and more dangerously. The fact that she didn't want to use her symbiote was her only advantage. All she had to do now was manage to break it. "Do us both a favor and give up," she grumbled to Gwen as she gave her another blow. Meanwhile, both were fighting without their masks. Neither of them cared who saw them now. They didn't belong here anyway. Gwen saw Gwenom panting. Even if she tried to hide her condition in favor of her superiority.

"So you can keep murdering?" Gwen hissed, wiping the blood from the gash on her forehead. "You can save yourself that." Gwenom laughed bitterly. "So tough. So dismissive. I was once like you. I was alone, hunted by everyone. Until I found him and he found me." Now it was Gwen who laughed, but started coughing. "You're still alone. He just makes you think you're in control." Gwenom kicked her down. "As if you know what it's like and what it feels like!" She strutted around Gwen. "Look at you. You are a young woman and you have only had this being within you for such a short time. And you want to tell me now how it feels? You don't know anything!"

"I know that you are evil against your will. If you're the Gwen that we all are, you don't want to be like that," Gwen said weakly. Gwenom clapped her hands disdainfully. But Gwen could tell by the way she carried herself that her words were having an impact. "Hoop! She tells me how evil I am. Girl, how are you going to fight evil when you yourself have long since become evil?" Gwen swallowed. Gwenom was like an almost impregnable fortress. To save this Gwen, she had to be willing to risk everything. Gwen slowly rubbed her arms and felt the puncture marks of the needles.

"They tortured you. How did they find you? On a patrol? When you wanted to protect your universe from evil? Because you didn't make it with your Peter?" - "Don't you dare talk about Peter!" Gwenom snapped at her. Very good, Gwen thought. That's her sore point. Now she had to keep digging. "How did he die? Through you? You probably still blame yourself every day. And that's the moment he's taking advantage of in you." Gwenom lashed out, but her fist trembled in front of Gwen's face.

"I-I didn't want any of this," Gwenom said in a shaky voice, for the first time without the symbiote. "Of course not," Gwen reassured her. "It's hard, but you keep living. You have to keep living." Gwenom looked at her as tears formed in her eyes. "But it is not the right way for this sadness to turn into anger and sadness. He can't win." For a moment Gwen saw doubt in her 'sister's' eyes. "You think the whole world is against you. Not because that is your belief, but because it manipulates you. You're right, I don't know what it's like. But I know that together we can beat these symbiotes."

She held out one hand to Gwenom and held the other where she was defenseless to show Gwenom that she was up to nothing. And despite the increasingly loud alarm, which now affected several areas and spread further towards the collider, Gwen remained in this position. She knew that the power supply to the huge device would soon collapse in a bang, but the biggest danger right now was Gwenom.

Gwenom finally slowly moved her hand towards Gwen's. Inch by inch she approached the young woman. She could almost reach for Gwenom's hand as Gwen felt the familiar feeling of security. Only this time it was bad timing. Miles jumped between the two, calling loudly for Gwen. Gwenom immediately pulled away, her frightened look turning into a scowl. The symbiote within her has regained control over her. Miles, she hissed in her mind, across the mental bridge to him. Couldn't you have waited a little longer?

Miles turned to her. Why? he asked. Gwen rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, two black tendrils caught her and Miles. Miles flew back and crashed into a pillar, but Gwen was grabbed and lifted into the air. "I'm amazed," Gwenom grumbled, now a few octaves lower. "You almost made it. But once again you have failed. As always." Gwen squirmed in Gwenom's grip, but she gripped so tightly that she could barely move a millimeter.

"You are alone. Alone with him." Gwenom punched her hard in the stomach, making her cough violently. She tasted the bitter taste of the iron in her blood. "Excluded from your little society." Another kick. "You lost everyone you cared about." Gwenom grabbed her by both arms and legs, spread them out and kicked her in the back. There was a loud crack as Gwen screamed in pain. "You're alone and you don't even see it. Gwen Stacy always loses. How pathetic of you to think that things would happen differently to you."

With a powerful throw she smashed Gwen to the ground. Gwen's head was ringing louder than ever. She couldn't move a single muscle without needles shooting through her. Satisfied, Gwenom looked down and caught Miles, towards whom she was now slowly moving.

You are a mistake. An anomaly!

Gwen breathed shallowly as waves of pain coursed through her. But she felt like she deserved it.

Gwen Stacy always loses. Things never end well for Gwen Stacy.

Miles was better off without her. There was no doubt about that. She now realized that.

It is an art to stay one step ahead of your opponents and still let them believe that they are in control of their actions.

Octavius was right. How could she be so naive to think she had control over her own body. What else could she...

The desperate people are the most dangerous. Because they have nothing left to lose.

She had nothing left to lose. But if she gave up now, everything was lost.

Miles lights up whenever he sees you, even just mentioning you.

What would Miles do without her? No, she couldn't just leave. She had to get up and keep fighting.

You are his sun.

You are the best thing I have ever done.

It was the moment when Gwen felt Miles' warmth and banished everything that was corrupt in her. Strengths she thought had been lost returned to Gwen, and with each additional breath she managed to stand up again.

Gwenom was almost at Miles. "Looking at you ... oh, she has something to lose. Maybe I'll let her watch it. Maybe I'll show her how I break everything for you. Every. Single. Bone. Your head will be so ..."

Gwenom slowly turned around when she heard a rustling sound behind her amidst the alarm.

"In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man ...," a figure in a nearly all-black suit said. Only a pink hood indicated its wearer. A spider-like symbol spread across her chest in light blue. But compared to Gwenom, this sign was much gentler.

"And they told me in every other universe it doesn't end well." The woman slowly walked towards Gwenom, who stared at her with wide, questioning eyes. Until she stood in front of her. "Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah .. I'ma doing it my own way!" Two bright white tendrils wrapped around Gwenom's body, causing him to shoot backwards. It was thrown with full force against everything that was within reach.

Miles didn't believe his eyes. Gwen radiated a calm that he had never seen before. Everything in her was focused on Gwenom, but nothing pointed to her conflict with her symbiote. She was just there, like a solid rock, standing up to Gwenom. All anger and hatred were gone. "I have something to lose. I will lose everything too. But you're wrong. I won't lose against you." Gwen threw Gwenom across the room without her even having a chance to defend herself.

Miles watched her fighting in amazement. He was supposed to help her, but his body was frozen. Gwen, on the other hand, focused all her power on Gwenom. Even she was puzzled by what was happening, but she couldn't allow herself to think about it too much. All she knew was that she felt strangely warm and safe. She knew these powers when Venom took over her actions. But this time she felt the security that she otherwise sorely missed. It was the light that shone from the direction from which she otherwise felt the connection to Miles.

With a white tendril she brought Gwenom to her, who writhed in her grasp, unable to act. "Hey Venom," she said, addressing the symbiote opposite her. "I heard you don't like spiders. But let me show you a few moves that will definitely make it into the web." Gwen threw Gwenom back into the room only to use a tendril to bring her back again and then kick her into a generator. Her opponent screamed in pain. Small tendrils shot out from her entire body, whirling uncontrollably in the air as long as the electricity flowed through the woman's body.

Gwen took advantage of the moment to focus on Miles. "Miles!" she hissed at him, nodding towards the large generator beneath the huge collider, which was next to her room and took up almost twenty floors. The energy core itself glowed brighter and brighter as the fire had now also engulfed it and spat another wave of charged particles into the surrounding area, now so strong that it knocked both Gwen and Miles over.

"Get the others to safety!" Gwen shouted. "I'll take care of all of this." Miles looked at her confused. "Not even remotely! That would kill you!" Gwen took a deep breath and exhaled in a relaxed manner. She slowly walked towards Miles. "Miles, please. I have to fix this." But Miles didn't let up. "No! I won't allow that! You said it yourself: Only I can do this." Gwen shook her head. "The collider was still intact when I said that! I won't lose you, Miles. That is not an option. That's my decision." Miles looked at his girlfriend with his mouth open in disbelief. He couldn't let that happen. He shot a web beam at her to immobilize her, but she easily dodged the attack. She also fended off Miles' further attempts before harnessing him in return.

They both looked sadly into each other's eyes. "Miles ... let me help you now." He could no longer think clearly. "Gwen ..." But when she wanted to jump through the broken window, she was held back by Gwenom, who caught her with a powerful jump. "Do you really think you can get rid of me so easily?" the symbiote growled. A next wave, which came from the energy core, caused the entire building to shake. The entire Fisk Tower groaned under the enormous load and the fire that raged in the foundation. The room where Miles, Gwen and Gwenom were found warped. Meter-sized fragments of metal and rock fell and buried her.

Miles coughed. A large chunk lay on top of him, and with a blurry vision he saw that Gwen and Gwenom had not been spared either. Gwen held her head and moaned. She rolled slowly across the floor while she was in excruciating pain. Gwenom also growled, which Miles took advantage of to quickly break out of his prison. He realized he could move again as Gwen's nets were destroyed by the rubble, and threw a piece of the foundation at Gwenom.

Before Gwen could react, Miles pulled himself through the gap to the energy core. "Miles!" she screamed, but he was gone. Gwen couldn't change his mind. It was about pure energy. Who else but him was predestined to shut down and destroy the core? He fought his way through increasingly rapid impulses, which almost knocked him over every time. The noise in his head grew louder and louder, including Gwen, who pleaded through their shared connection not to continue. But at the same time she had to fight Gwenom, who had recovered and was now attacking again with rage.

Eventually, Miles managed to get through to the damaged and overloaded core. "Guess it's up to me now." He looked for a suitable spot and placed his hands on the open core. An almost endless amount of energy flowed through him. Every cell in his body felt like it was about to burst. He's never had to control this amount of energy before. Not even at Spot. An impulse erupted from his intervention, throwing him back a meter.

But Miles didn't give up. "For you, Gwen," he shouted strainedly through the energy storm, and grabbed again. This time he was full of determination. He had to prevent Octavius from endangering the multiverse with his collider. So he focused on not giving up, which was almost impossible under the circumstances. Even his suit couldn't withstand the force as he watched the material on his extremities unravel. But he thought of Gwen and his family above all else, and that gave him the strength not to collapse. He pushed himself through the pain, drawing on every bit of energy he could. On and on, on and on.

In the background of his consciousness he felt Gwen's efforts against Gwenom, but he had to deal with the core, which finally, in a final gasp, emitted a gigantic pulse and blasted away all the levels above them in an explosion of pure energy. Miles tore it off his feet, the accumulated energy within him threatening to erupt uncontrollably. Gwen, he stuttered weakly over their connection. G-go, t-take the others far away. He felt Gwen look at him. Miles! But he just shook his head vigorously. Gwen knew there wasn't enough time to get the others out of the blast radius in time.

At least not in the normal way. We will remain a team, always, she whispered to him. No!, Miles defended himself painfully. It would kill you... - I know, he just heard her, as two arms embraced him and lifted him up. His entire chest burned. He couldn't fight the energy anymore. He turned his head to the side and saw the pink ends of her hair and this realization brought tears to his eyes. "Gwen..." he whimpered. But she didn't let that stop her and shot up determinedly. Dozens of tendrils clung to anything they could grab, accelerating them so hard that Gwen and Miles shot towards the roof of the battered Fisk Tower.

Miles understood what Gwen's goal was, and he hoped that once she let go of him, she would be able to save herself in time. With one last powerful pull, she pushed herself off the top floor and flew higher and higher towards the lowest cloud cover. She nodded to Miles and was about to make a final throw as two massive black tendrils bound her. Gwenom had followed them and was holding them. Miles' eyes widened in panic. "No one will escape!" Gwenom shouted in anger. Gwen tried to pull away, but she couldn't while Miles was in her arms. With this realization she looked at him one last time.

Suddenly everything was quiet. Not even Gwenom's angry shouts reached them. They spent this moment together only in their thoughts. "Gwen ..." Miles whispered. "It's okay, Miles," she replied gently. "Let go. Just let go." Miles still struggled, but his resistance was broken. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm sorry." Gwen smiled. "I know. I will be there watching over you. Always." Images of their first meeting flashed through their minds. Their friendship, which grew stronger and stronger until it finally became love. All the bad and good that connected them and brought them to this point.

In that moment, Gwen held everything she needed in her arms. I won't cry that it has to end like this. I'm smiling because it was so beautiful. Venom inside her was also remarkably calm. She felt no resistance from him. She felt how he could see Miles through her eyes and how he recognized her feelings. You're stranger than I thought, he told her.

Finally, emanating from Miles, an orange ball full of deadly energy lit up the night of New York-120703.

Chapter Text

EARTH-1610 - Brooklyn, New York

Silence. Loneliness. Grief.

When Miles woke up and suddenly gasped for air, there was no other emotion he felt. In a panic, he pulled at his breathing mask and looked around. He was in a hospital bed, and judging by the facility, he was in the hospital where his mother worked. Various people rushed to his bed. His mother, his father ... both hugged him tightly. Peter B, Hobie, Pav and Peter A kept a reasonable distance back, but they were still relieved that Miles had survived. "Miles! Mi amor!" his mother shouted overjoyed. Her whole face was wet from the tears she had cried. "How long ..." Miles asked, but Jeff interrupted him. "One day. The doctors were surprised at how well you healed, but Rio and your friends came up with a good story. Nobody knows you're Spider-Man." Miles nodded tiredly. Gwen ...

"What happened to ..." Rio burst into tears again as she sensed his question. "Where's Gwen?" And again it became quiet. Dead quiet. Rio looked at Jeff and stormed out of the room after a wordless conversation. “They really pumped you up,” Hobie approached Miles. But the young Spider didn't want to know anything about it. He was too attached to Gwen in his thoughts, looking for a sign in the connection to her. But she was ... gone. Just disappeared.

"Miles, it's going to be ..." his father began, but Miles just glared at him with a mixture of anger and sadness. "It's not going to be okay, Dad! I was up there when it happened! Gwen was trying to get to safety, I saw it!" His lower lip trembled and his hands sought an outlet. They found it in the blanket that lay over Miles' legs. He angrily hit the piece of textile again and again, like a boxer hitting a punching bag. "But then Gwenom came. She ... she held Gwen!"

His eyes searched for a way out, but they found none. There was no other reality than this. Miles looked at Hobie and Pavitr. "We were at her dad's house. She met someone there, an Officer named Lee." Peter B looked at him with interest, but Miles didn't notice his gaze. "He made Gwen accept herself. Fight for what she stands for. All of that, only for it to be over barely half a day later?" Miles no longer had the strength to hold back the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes. His father immediately hugged him, and Hobie also came closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The doctors really gave ya a stron' shot," he said with a gentle smile. "Miles, things will get betta, listen to your father, bro." Miles looked up and huffed. "Tell me how to make it better, because I don't see a way right now." Hobie slammed his fist lightly into Miles' shoulder. "It's gettin' betta, believ' me. Ya journey isn't over yet. Ya both journey isn't over yet. 'cause Oi've heard a different ending to this story." Miles rubbed his eyes. "Our way ..."

Everything happened too quickly. In a moment he felt his senses going haywire. And not even a moment later he found himself lying in a squealing, sobbing ball after someone had jumped him from behind. Sandwiched between the mattress, a pillow and the person, he looked to the side with a crumpled face.

His vision was obscured by hair. Pink hair.

Miles allowed the feeling forming in his stomach and a wave of happiness washed over him. And they weren't his own. "Miles!" an all too familiar voice whined into his neck, making him jump around. "Gwen?!" He felt caught off guard, as if his senses were playing tricks on him. But from the way his body was aching from the unexpected attack, and the way the people around him were laughing, he realized that she was real. "Gwen!"

No more words were needed and everything that happened now made even the strongest romantic (like Pav) cry. For what seemed like an eternity, Miles and Gwen held each other tightly, as if they were afraid of waking up from their dreams. Jeff went to stand next to Rio, who was still standing in the doorway, also distraught, after she had fetched Gwen from one of the adjoining rooms.

"But ... I saw you ... you were ... I'm ... what happened?" Miles finally asked. Now both Peters stepped forward again. Peter B pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket. "You gave us a real scare, kiddo. Both of you ..." He found a video from his archives and held the phone in front of Miles and Gwen and pressed play.

🕷️

ONE DAY BEFORE

The glowing orange ball illuminated the entirety of New York for a brief moment before the energy found its way into the surrounding buildings and into the sky. Peter B was holding Miguel in a chokehold when it happened and they were both knocked over by a blast. "Miles," Peter finally whispered when he couldn't find the boy on the ground. Panic spread through him because even he knew that this amount of energy was deadly.

He frantically searched the sky, and when the first passers-by reported a falling body, it was he who swung quickly like the wind towards the boy. "Miles!" he shouted, but the boy didn't react. He raced towards the ground from several hundred meters without braking, his arms and legs stretched out uncontrollably. Only with effort and sheer determination did Peter manage to catch Miles just before he hit the ground, causing him to crash hard onto the asphalt.

The young spider lay motionless in his arms. Peter B apparently broke more than one of his bones when he landed, but that wasn't important at the moment. He drummed on the chest of the boy in front of him. "Don't do this to me, boy!" he shouted desperately. He didn't even notice how people around him were pointing at the sky again.

There, just as quickly, a second body, surrounded by a slowly dissolving black layer of fibers, approached the ground without slowing down. Finally, the destroyed protective layer revealed a white torso ... and a white and pink hood.

Miguel growled and prepared to lunge at Gwen, claws out. He saw Hobie start to make a long swing towards Gwen and interrupted the rescue attempt with a loud scream. He pinned Hobie to the ground and was about to charge at Gwen. He took a running start, crouched down... and was wrestled down. "It's over, Miguel!" Jess shouted determinedly, now lying on top of him with full body effort. Beaten, Miguel roared loudly.

Hobie tried to break away from Miguel's net, but he couldn't. He was running out of time. Until he looked at Peter A, who turned around during his fight with Ben Reilly and finally became aware of the situation. Everything went silent as Gwen's motionless body rushed past Peter A, fifty meters above the ground. He leaned over the edge of the roof, took a quick breath, and jumped off as hard as he could. He held out both arms as a dozen thoughts ran through his mind, each more panicked than the last.

But he still wasn't fast enough. He shot a beam of web past Gwen onto the ground and pulled. Now quick enough, he flew towards Gwen, wrapped his arms around her and stopped their fall with a web bomb.

He didn't take a single breath before checking Gwen's vital signs. Tear-soaked and breathing heavily, he finally found a shallow but present pulse. Laughing loudly and with relief, he held a thumb in the air, signaling to the other spiders that Gwen was alive.

🕷️

Miles looked up from the phone to see Peter A's uncertain look. "You ... you saved Gwen." Peter moved his head to the side nervously. "I-I guess I did ..." Miles nodded at him, an unexpected amount of gratitude washing over him. "I ... I just couldn't let it happen again," Peter A said. "I thought I had gotten over it when I saw Pete 3's MJ ..." His voice broke and he bit his bottom lip. "But now, with Gwen ... seeing her, hearing her name ... that hits so different."

Gwen opened her mouth, about to say something, when a doctor yelled at her. "Miss Stacy! What did I tell you about jerky movements?" He didn't care what was happening, he just saw the patient, which made Pav and all the onlookers smile after a moment of shock. Gwen reluctantly stood up and allowed herself to be checked over while Miles turned back to Peter B. "How did Gwen survive that?" Peter B looked at him. "Do you want an honest opinion? I don't know. I think it has to do with her symbiote. It protected her." - "Why?" Miles wanted to know, but Peter shrugged his shoulders. "Is it still inside her?" Miles continued to ask. Peter B rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "If it's him, it's not like Gwen knows about it. She feels like she used to before."

Miles looked over at Gwen. "So ... she made it through?" The older spider shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess only time will tell." Miles turned to Peter A. "What happened to Octavius?" The spider in question smiled. "In his entire plan, he brought everything to perfection. Until the small moment when Margo demonstrated her technical skills. In his arrogance, she let Octavius talk until she could triangulate his location." Miles grinned. "After that it was really easy." - "Apparently the professor was a bit careless towards us." Peter A nodded. "You said it."

"And what about Miguel?" Peter B's face fell. "Peter?" With a sigh, Peter B collapsed onto the bed. "When New York exploded ... only as a metaphor, of course ... he seized the moment and fled. No idea where, not even Lyla can locate him. He probably programmed her so that she couldn't betray him." - "I'm not surprised," Miles muttered. "We should be careful. I don't know what he might be up to, but if he has another ace up his sleeve, we should be ready."

🕷️

A FEW DAYS LATER

Snow fell from the New York sky. Here, on Earth-65, the onset of winter had come quickly, and the cold made the city seem almost empty. Nobody wanted to spend more time outside than necessary. All activities were moved indoors, where it was warm. Nevertheless, two people stood outside, in the cemetery, in front of a gravestone. They had been there for an hour in complete silence.

"Do you think he's watching us?" Gwen finally asked, leaning on Miles as they both looked at the decorated gravestone. Miles didn't answer immediately. But he looked down, at the ground. "If there's anyone who deserves it, it's him. Without him there would be no Ghost Spider, no Gwen Stacy. He made the city a safe place." Gwen smiled mildly at him. "You always know how to find the right words, don't you?" Miles looked at her and the relaxed laughter moved mountains inside her. Being able to spend time with him was the most precious thing she could ask for. Him and becoming part of his family.

The authorities in Miles' dimension were surprised to find another Gwen Stacy with almost the same appearance. But in this New York, anything was possible. It took a few calls from Jeff and several wild stories about their past, but ultimately the outcome was important. And that saw Gwen Stacy-65 becoming a full member of the Morales family.

Together with the gang, they still took turns guarding their home dimension, but her home was now on Earth-1610, with Miles and his parents. Gwen Morales was a name that would sound strange for sure, and she still preferred to use her actual last name out of nostalgia. But as the days went by, she became more comfortable with the idea.

"Gwen, you're staring," Miles reminded her with a smile. Gwen blinked several times and punched him playfully on the shoulder. Finally she became thoughtful again. "Can you ever imagine not being Spider-Man?" she asked absently. Miles looked at her puzzled. “What makes you ask that question?” Gwen didn't look directly into his eyes, but up into the sky, searching for something - or someone.

"The night after my dad died ... I had so many thoughts. Why me, why us? And I knew that I couldn't escape him anymore, that he had too much control over me. I asked myself, what sense does it all make? I'm giving a monster control of my body. With my powers. I didn't know if I wanted to give up my 'shell' for another murder."

She walked up and down aimlessly and was not surprised by the silent passers-by watching her. "One of those thoughts was what our lives would be like if we hadn't been bitten by the spider. What our lives would have been like. Would Peter still be alive? Would I be with him ...? The thought just gave way to the other thought because it told me that I had to make Miguel and Gwenom pay for their actions. They both did so much to you and me. And when I was done with it ... who knows."

Miles stopped her and held her. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, and a dam broke inside her that she didn't even know existed. "Gwen, the important thing is that you didn't do it. Despite this temptation, you didn't let yourself be dissuaded from your path. You are not a murderer. We are Spider people, we must not give up being there for the people who unable to defend themselves."

Gwen looked up at him. "How ... how do you manage this, with your uncle? How do you manage to keep going?" Miles curled his mouth. "I guess one day at a time. One step at a time. He wouldn't have wanted me to give up. He wouldn't have wanted me to reject you either. There are some people out there ... And there are only a few of them. They're rare. But they refuse to let you hate them ..." Miles rubbed the back of Gwen's hand with his thumb as she stared at him, mentally begging to keep talking.

"In fact, they care about you, regardless, at any cost. No matter what it costs them. And the truly special ones, they just don't stop. It doesn't matter what you do to them. They swallow the pain you've thrown at them and still care about you anyway. They won't leave you no matter how many reasons you give them. No matter how much you practically begging them to leave. And do you want to know why? Because they feel something for me that I can't ... they love me."

"Miles," Gwen whispered hoarsely. "Oh Miles ... everyone loves you. I didn't know ... I ..." Everything about his words sounded terribly familiar to her. Everything he told her about his own perception. The parallels were shocking. She was able to adopt his monologue almost unchanged. And he was so well protected. He was loved by his parents, she loved him. The people of New York loved him. But they only loved the hero he embodied. They didn't know him as a person. Just ... as hero. A hero who could be anyone through his mask.

"It's over, Gwen," he finally said with a warming but small smile. "I know who I am now. I know who I mean the world to." He pulled Gwen closer to him again. "And who is my whole world." Gwen didn't think as she responded. She just jumped into his arms. And she wished that this moment, this warmth that they just shared, should not pass away. Miles looked at her slowly, lost in thought. "Now you're staring," Gwen whispered, amused. Miles raised an eyebrow in his signature charming manner. “I also have the best view.” Gwen and Miles laughed louder and louder, so long that they almost couldn't breathe.

Nevertheless, Miles' cell phone finally rang. With a quick glance at the display, he grinned. "We have to go. Your dad gave you the tickets. And it wouldn't be a good memory of him if we didn't make it to the concert." Gwen couldn't help but beam from ear to ear. And as soon as she did, so did Miles. Because he loved her smile and the small gap in her teeth that went on display only then. "Miles Morales ... you truly are amazing." Miles raised both eyebrows and looked at her sideways. "An emotionally intelligent man. Way beyond my years."

🕷️

Gwen sat trembling in front of the box. The previous evening at the concert had gone so well. It was liberating to finally just be Gwen Stacy again. But every time she was home, her mother's last gift caught her eye. Neither she nor her father had ever dared to open it. Her loss initially hung too heavily over the household, and at some point this gift became a memorial that no one wanted to touch.

But now ... now she believed she had the strength, even if she now regretted this decision again. But she had to do it. Miles was swinging around Brooklyn when a strange feeling led her to the gift. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, with the box in front of her, on Miles' pillow. Everything happened in slow motion: her decision, the slow reaching for the box and lifting the lid.

When Gwen saw the inside, she cocked her head. It was a small cassette, nothing more. It said “For Gwen” in large letters. She took the cassette and turned it over in her hand. For a brief moment she wanted to immediately put the item back in the box and close it again. But then she took the cassette and looked for a recorder. Rio helped her with this because Jeff still had ancient videotapes of 80s films and didn't want to throw them away despite modern streaming and discs. Her husband's nostalgia was finally worth it.

Gwen dragged the dusty device into Miles' room. Why did Jeff still have videotapes if they weren't used anyway? She had her cell phone and every single film in the world in her hands. But for Jeff, a cell phone was still a big ass mystery.

With a small smile, she plugged in the recorder and took a breath. Then she inserted the cassette into the adapter and pressed 'Play'. It took less than two seconds for tears to well up in her eyes. Her mother sat in front of her in a state before she got to the hospital. Her face wasn't so sunken yet and her hair still fell in full splendor over her shoulders. But there was something in her gaze that Gwen now knew was the thought of an irreversible end.

"My little Gwen," her mother began in a calm voice. "I know you're scared. And I would like to help you lose your fear. But I have to tell you something: Sometimes life doesn't play out the way you want it to. When I held you for the first time I felt immortal. I knew that a new era was beginning. But the past few years have shown me that life is not forever. It is finite. And that is what makes it so valuable."

"I know that you are special. From your first breath, I knew that. You are a fighter, and every second with you is more valuable than the prospect of an endless life. Because only through you did I understand that every moment is so is much more precious knowing that we can't have an infinite number of them. Life is a miracle. It's easy to feel elevated on good days like these, little Gwen. But there will also be days when you don't feel well. Dark days when you'll feel alone."

"And that's where hope is the only thing you'll need. No matter how lost you'll feel. You have to promise me that you'll keep going, that you won't give up. Even though I'll be leaving soon, I'm begging you, to keep fighting. Because you are so much bigger than what you will suffer. My only wish for you is hope. Become the hope that those around you need. Give your life a purpose. Fight for what feels right to you. Because even if you stumble, you know you're going the right way."

"The moment will come when we have to say goodbye to each other. But by carrying a part of me with you in everything you do, you will remember who you are and where you come from. What you are destined to be. And I will always be with you in everything, even if you think you are completely alone."

The video ended with one last smile from her mother and there was silence. It was short, but all the more valuable for that. Gwen sat in front of the screen, staring at it with no control over her facial features.

It didn't take long before she burst into tears.

"Gwen, mija!" Rio burst into the room and immediately hugged the young woman. She gave her all the time in the world to recover. Only when her sobs quieted down did Rio speak again. "Is everything ok?" Gwen's lower lip trembled. She sniffed, but after several short breaths, she smiled with wet cheeks. "Yes ... yes. Everything is finally okay."

🕷️

EARTH-928 - Nueva York

It was little more than a dark chamber somewhere beneath the city that never slept. Only the few screens that were switched on emitted a weak light, which bathed at least a small part of the room in light. A muscular figure stood in front of one of the screens, which was fixed to a table. All sorts of laboratory equipment was scattered around the room. But the person only held a container in front of him. Red pupils stared at what this container contained.

"I'm not like the others. I don't always like what I have to do. But I know that I'm the only one who can do it."

A black, viscous substance danced in the container, barely larger than the cork of a wine bottle.

"Because I've already given up too much to stop now."

- THE END -