“That’s right,” Peter explained, sharing his gathered intel with the older web-slinger.
“Thomas is a massive entrepreneur in this parallel universe.
He founded a tech company called Alchemax and even recruited Doctor Octopus to work for him.” He paused, letting the next detail sink in.
“And by the way, in this universe, Doc Ock’s name is Olivia.
Yeah, you guessed it, she is a woman.”
The middle-aged Peter Parker listened intently.
“According to the information online, Alchemax’s latest research focus is a particle collider,” Peter continued.
“When it runs, it generates a massive energy shockwave, which perfectly explains the huge earthquake that hit Brooklyn last night.
And this universe’s Spider-Man was found dead right near Thomas’s headquarters, Fisk Tower in Brooklyn.
When that many coincidences line up, it is no longer just a coincidence.”
Despite his washed-up, decadent exterior, Peter knew the older man was a master-level veteran with decades of superhero experience.
He had personally taken down hundreds of supervillains.
As long as he could get him to focus, he would be an incredibly reliable partner.
Fortunately, the older Peter didn’t disappoint.
His brow furrowed deeply as he processed the weight of the situation.
Finally, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Alright, fine,” the older Peter relented.
“Looks like we have to deal with the mess in this parallel universe first.
I have a lot of work waiting for me back in my own dimension, so we need to make this quick.
I just didn’t expect that I would be dealing with Thomas all over again.
He was my very first opponent back in the day, and let me tell you, that was a brutal fight.”
He cracked his knuckles.
“I have a lot of experience dealing with that giant who likes to hide his muscle under a layer of fat.
Let me handle…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his body suddenly underwent a terrifying, bizarre transformation.
Countless brightly colored, jagged cubic glitches erupted across his body, making him look like a severely distorted television broadcast.
A wave of intense, agonizing nausea washed over him, causing his body to seize and violently twitch.
It looked as though his very soul was being forcefully ripped from his flesh.
Reacting instantly, Peter grabbed the older Spider-Man and helped him sit down, shielding the bizarre spectacle from any potential onlookers on the street.
After a few agonizing seconds, the intense glitching finally faded.
“Looks like the atoms in my body aren’t too thrilled about being in the wrong dimension,” the older Peter gasped, forcing a bitter, exhausted smile.
“It must be some kind of atomic interference caused by dimensional rejection.”
Peter frowned.
Even though he had anticipated this, witnessing it firsthand was far worse than he had expected.
If this level of dimensional glitching happened during a fight, it would be absolutely fatal.
“You’re right.
We don’t have time to sit around chatting.
We need to move now,” Peter said grimly.
“So,” the older Peter muttered, catching his breath.
“Where exactly do we start?”
The two Spider-Men locked eyes, and in perfect sync, they both said a single name.
“Aunt May.”
Forest Hills Gardens, 20 Ingram Street.
It was already late into the night.
Piled high in front of the detached house with a small garden was an absolute mountain of flowers, gifts, and handwritten letters.
As soon as the breaking news of Spider-Man’s death had aired, countless New York citizens had instinctively flocked here to mourn.
It wasn’t until the deep hours of the night that the grieving crowds had finally dispersed.
In the quiet darkness of Ingram Street, two figures walked shoulder-to-shoulder.
It was Peter and the middle-aged Peter Parker, both now dressed in civilian clothes.
The older Peter was wearing a long, grey trench coat, which did an excellent job of concealing his round beer belly.
Peter wore a loose black hoodie, though his classic red and blue Spider-Man suit was still hidden underneath.
“You wanna do this, or should I?” the older Peter asked, his eyes shifting nervously.
“I will do it,” Peter offered.
“I am closer in age to this universe’s Peter Parker.
It is probably better if I do this.”
With the decision made, Peter stepped up to the front door and reached out to ring the bell.
“Ah, you know what?
I suddenly feel like I should leave,” the older Peter blurted out, taking a step back.
He was actually chickening out.
He was absolutely terrified of seeing Aunt May.
In his universe, Aunt May had passed away a long time ago.
It wasn’t until her funeral that he had agonizingly realized just how deeply he had immersed himself in his superhero work, to the point of completely neglecting her.
He couldn’t even remember the last time they had shared a simple meal together.
By the time he finally woke up to his mistakes, it was far too late.
The greatest tragedy in life was wanting to care for your loved ones, only to find they were already gone.
Ding.
“You are all very sweet, but I am so sorry, I just can’t receive any more fans today,” a voice called out as the front door slowly creaked open just a crack.
Behind the door was a gentle, yet terribly haggard and sorrowful face.
“Good evening, Aunt May,” Peter said softly.
At the same time, he discreetly fired a strand of webbing, yanking the fleeing middle-aged Peter Parker right back to his side.
“You…
you’re…” Aunt May gasped, her eyes widening in absolute shock.
The baseball bat she had been holding for self-defense slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor as she covered her mouth with trembling hands.
“Peter?”
“Yes,” Peter explained gently.
“We are both Peter Parker.
We are from different parallel universes.
I imagine this universe’s Peter probably mentioned the concept of the multiverse to you?”
Peter subtly shoved his shoulder into the older Peter.
Letting out a heavy, defeated sigh, the middle-aged Peter Parker finally conquered his inner demons and stepped forward to look at Aunt May.
“Hi, Aunt May,” he whispered.
“Long time no see.”
The distinct, heavy tremor at the end of his sentence made it painfully obvious that the hardened, middle-aged man was fighting with everything he had just to hold back his tears.
Standing in the doorway, Aunt May couldn’t contain her overwhelming emotions any longer.
Trembling, she stepped forward and placed her hands gently on both of their faces.
It was as if the face in her memories was perfectly overlapping with the two standing right in front of her.
It was true.
They were both Peter Parker.
Intense, agonizing longing manifested into clear tears that spilled from the corners of the elderly woman’s eyes.
But she quickly wiped them away, forcing herself to be strong.
“Yes,” Aunt May said, her voice steadying.
“Peter did tell me about his theories on the multiverse.
If he could see you two right now, he would be so happy.”
She reached out, gently grabbing both of their hands.
“Come in, quickly.
There is something I need to show you both.”
But just as she tried to pull them inside, that familiar, electric buzz suddenly surged through Peter’s skull.
His Spider-Sense!
It was triggering again!
Peter froze dead in his tracks on the porch.
He slowly turned his head, his eyes piercing through the darkness toward the very end of the silent street.