Led by Aunt May, the group stopped in front of a small storage shed tucked into a corner of the backyard.
Aunt May took out a key and unlocked the rusty-looking iron padlock on the door.
What happened next was a stunning sight.
Spider-shaped patterns of light silently appeared across the door.
It then split and folded along those glowing lines, revealing a mysterious space filled with dazzling light.
A proud smile played on Aunt May’s lips as she turned and motioned for everyone to follow.
“Whoa!
Is this Spider-Man’s secret base?
This is so awesome!”
Spider-Ham was the first to follow Aunt May inside.
“It feels a lot like my dad’s lab.”
Peni Parker had her smart spider robot fold itself up, her eyes also brimming with curiosity.
“This place is way too over-the-top.
I still prefer my little gear shed.”
Middle-aged Peter Parker pretended not to care, but he had already decided to give his own gear shed a major upgrade once he returned home.
“Old Peter, I have a feeling you won’t be saying that once you get inside.”
Peter laughed as he entered alongside Middle-aged Peter Parker, finally scoring a point in their verbal sparring.
Once Spider-Man Noir, the last of them, stepped into the mysterious space, the shed door silently returned to its original state, erasing every trace of the Spider-Men.
…
“Everyone, welcome to Peter’s secret base.”
As Aunt May spoke, they felt a slight tremor beneath their feet.
The steel platform they were standing on began to descend.
The ground beneath the backyard had been completely hollowed out.
Crisscrossing steel pillars supported the walls, forming a vast underground space.
As they descended, one piece of futuristic Spider-Man equipment after another came into view, displayed like exhibits in a museum.
A Spider-SUV, a Spider-motorcycle, a Spider-jet, and rows of display cases filled with Spider-Suits…
While everyone else was captivated by the off-road vehicle and the jet, Peter’s gaze settled on the Spider-Suit display cases.
“If I remember correctly, the Peter in this universe is a photographer, not a fashion designer, right?”
Peter had expected something like this, but seeing so many different models of Spider-Suits still took him by surprise.
It was difficult to imagine that so many wildly different designs had all been created by the same person.
“Actually, I helped Peter design all of these suits.
I also manage his daily training and diet to make sure he stays in peak condition at all times.”
A trace of pride colored Aunt May’s calm voice.
She was also pleased that equipment which would otherwise have gathered dust had finally found suitable owners again.
The Spider-Men immediately looked at Aunt May with admiration.
With her intelligence and courage, if Aunt May were thirty years younger, she really could have taken over as Spider-Man, upgrading from “Heroic Housekeeper” to “Spider-Woman.”
In fact, somewhere in a Parallel Universe, there really was an Aunt May version of Spider-Woman.
“Wow, Aunt May in this universe is so cool.
I want an assistant like her too.”
Spider-Ham slumped his shoulders and tilted his snout toward the ceiling, speaking with an exaggerated expression and tone.
“That way, after I take down those rotten criminals, I won’t have to worry about which fast food to fill my stomach with.”
Aunt May bent down and gave Spider-Ham a thoughtful pat on the shoulder, indicating that she could serve as his temporary assistant for now.
“Speaking of filling your stomachs, I’d be happy to make something if anyone is hungry.
I just went to the supermarket yesterday, so the fridge is fully stocked.”
The three Spider-Men who had joined the group later were both thirsty and hungry, so they did not stand on ceremony.
Each of them told Aunt May what they wanted.
Even the seemingly aloof Spider-Man Noir could not resist joining in and ordered a glass of his favorite egg-honey milk.
Aunt May smiled as she noted down each request, then took the elevator back to the surface to prepare their food.
“Carry on with your discussion.
This place has state-of-the-art anti-surveillance equipment, so no one will disturb you.”
As soon as Aunt May left, the group resumed discussing the matter at hand.
From their earlier conversation, everyone had gained a basic understanding of the situation in this universe.
They also soon noticed the large number of files on this universe’s Peter’s workbench concerning Kingpin and his organization.
After reading and analyzing the files, they finally understood the full story behind Spider-Man’s death.
Kingpin had built a Particle Collider beneath New York City that could breach the barriers between Parallel Universes.
After discovering this terrifying plot, Spider-Man had gone alone to stop him.
Unfortunately, he failed and lost his life in the process.
All they needed to do was obtain the special USB drive capable of destroying the Particle Collider.
Once they connected the USB drive to the Particle Collider, all their problems could be resolved.
“There’s just one thing I still need to confirm…”
Peter gently set down the files and rested his chin on his clasped hands.
“Are the five of us really the only Spider-Men who came to this universe?”
The room fell silent.
“You mean there could be other Spider-Men who haven’t joined us yet?”
Spider-Man Noir immediately understood what Peter meant.
“Exactly.
We can’t rule out the possibility that some Spider-Men didn’t come looking for Aunt May right away.
In fact, I think that’s quite likely.”
Peter’s unexpected arrival had caused the plot to veer off course, so if they wanted to assemble the full team, he would have to guide events himself.
Otherwise, Ghost-Spider Gwen, who played an important role in the original storyline, and Miles, the Black Spider-Man, would be separated from the team, creating even greater complications.
“So what do we do?
We can’t exactly go on New York’s morning news and announce that all Spider-Men should gather at the Empire State Building, can we?”
Middle-aged Peter Parker joked.
“That might actually be a good idea.”
Spider-Ham looked as though he were seriously considering it.
“I could hack into the TV station’s servers and make it happen.
Wouldn’t the evening news get more attention, though?”
Peni Parker joined the discussion.
“The evening news won’t work.
We don’t have enough time.”
Spider-Man Noir reminded them.
“I was joking…”
Cold sweat broke out on Middle-aged Peter Parker’s forehead.
He had not expected anyone to take his offhand joke seriously.
Fortunately, Peter had already come up with a plan and stopped them from continuing their brainstorming.
“Actually, this problem isn’t difficult to solve.
Tomorrow, a memorial service for Spider-Man will be held in Times Square.”
“I’m sure any other Spider-Men who came to this universe will be there.
When the time comes, our Spider-Sense will naturally point us toward one another.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
Then an indescribable feeling welled up inside them, and their expressions dimmed.
A memorial service for Spider-Man…
They truly wished something like this had never happened…