Spider-Man: A New Spiral

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***

Two days after Peter Parker disappeared.

Parker's house, Queens.

Clones.

Delia sat at the kitchen table and watched Ben, they waited together for Cain's return.

Exactly forty-eight hours ago, each of them had felt the horrible flash of pain caused by Spider Sense. And she, like her brothers, had realised - something had happened to Peter.

The closest thing to his house at that moment was Cain, and he immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed to the flat after changing into his costume.

Delia and Ben arrived on the scene at almost the same time, but caught only Cain, confusedly clutching the torn top of his Spider-Man costume.

They didn't know exactly what had happened, but Reilly had slammed the wall with anger, leaving a crack, and Del had fallen to her knees, crying bitterly as she became hysterical. It took the brothers an hour to calm her down, though they themselves were in no better condition. There was one thing they were sure of.

Something bad had happened to the original.

- He's taking a long time," Ben said, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. - Do you think he didn't listen and decided to tell Mary Jane and Felicia what we'd figured out?

- No, definitely not," she shook her head negatively, tapping the tabletop. - Our brother might look like a stubborn idiot at times, but he only looks that way.

- You know, I could take offence, Del," the subject replied, closing the door.

- What's up? - Reilly asked his "little" brother impatiently.

- Same old, same old," Cain sighed tiredly, pushing back his chair and becoming the third member of the negotiating table. - Not a single trace of him in his last known hideout. Again.

- Maybe he's got other transit points we don't know about? - Parker suggested in a desperate attempt.

- That's not likely, sis," Ben broke that fragile hope. - And even if it is, it's still a long shot. I even went to the Baxter Building to check out the lab, and I had to pretend to be him, even though Johnny almost burned me.

- At least in costume," Parker said sullenly, scarred.

- But also the behaviour. He somehow figured out I wasn't him. Or rather, he assumed there was something wrong with Spidey.

- I think it's time we discussed it," said Cain, who had managed to let go of a small beard.

On Peter's advice, they began to disguise themselves more or less. Reilly, for example, dyed his hair and became blond.

- What options are we talking about? - Delia frowned.

- I don't like what's going on just as much as you both do," Cain said tensely. - Right now we know for sure that Peter is missing, but what if the worst-case scenario is confirmed?

- He's not dead! - The blond jumped up from his chair and slammed the table, making it creak. - I'm...sorry," Reilly sat back down. He felt embarrassed by the outburst.

- I never said anything about dying," Parker said quietly, trying to cheer his brother up. - But what if Peter didn't come back from where he was? Just can't?

- What do you suggest? - Delia clenched her fingers together.

- 'This,' Cain pulled a spider mask from his scarlet costume out of his pocket. - 'Spider-Man is gone, but his legacy must live on.

- 'Bad idea,' Ben immediately shook his head negatively, folding his arms across his chest.

- Why? Because we're clones? Unworthy of his legacy, pathetic pale copies of him? - The brown-haired man said hotly. - Peter saved us, and I'd like to believe that in that act he saw an opportunity: a chance to show that the nature of our origins doesn't define us, that we're not just weapons, soldiers created by a madman," Cain shook his hair tiredly. - I want to be worthy of that trust.

- Delia? - The blond turned to his sister.

- I agree. With Cain. But..." the girl stirred and bit her lip, "I'm not sure I'll be useful in all this.

- Why? - wondered the marked twin.

- When Peter disappeared, did you feel anything strange afterwards?

- All the time," Ben answered.

- No, I'm not talking about the emptiness, as if a piece had been torn from my body," she hugged her shoulders. - I'm talking about powers.

- Is there something wrong with your powers? - the brothers asked in two voices.

- You know about my pheromones, don't you?

The boys nodded.

- Well, something else has recently come to light," she sighed. - I think it will be easier to show.

Parker raised her palm towards the wall and threads of spider webs shot out of all five fingers of her palm.

- Wow," Ben exclaimed.

- Organic spider webs? - Cain raised an eyebrow.

- Um, new powers, that's cool, isn't it? - Reilly clarified.

- No, it's not! - Del shrieked furiously. - Warren has been experimenting on us, there's no telling what he's even done and what else might manifest!

There was an awkward silence after the girl's outburst.

- Well, since we're having a day of revelations, I guess I'll reveal my cards too," Cain sighs and raises his hands. A second later, bone-like stinging outgrowths burst from his wrists. - Something like that," Parker commented.

- Am I the only one to whom the Jackal has not built in any additional features?! - Parker-style exclaimed Reilly. - Not even fangs with paralysing poison?

- You know, I'd love to trade with you," Cain said, retracting his stingers and pointing at his scarred face.

- 'Got it, sorry about that, brother.

- No hard feelings," Cain waved his palm. - Just appreciate that you're the most like him.

- That's right, by the way! - Delia exclaimed, distracted from the discussion of superpowers.

- What?" the brothers raised an eyebrow at each other again.

- Ben is practically an exact copy of Peter.

- Well, if I wash the dye out of my hair I'll be an indistinguishable twin, but what's your point, sister? - Reilly clarified.

- We all agree on one thing, we need to protect Peter's life," Del turned to Cain, "until he gets back.

- And what do you suggest?

- Mary and Felicia will have to be told, maybe May too, but otherwise you can't, you know. So you'll have to fill in for Pete," the brown-haired girl said, folding her arms under her breasts.

- What?! - Ben jumped up. - How's that?

- You'd have to go to work for him at Bogle's, for instance.

- Bad idea," Cain said, folding his arms in a negative gesture this time.

- Not that I wasn't confident in my acting abilities, but I had to agree with our sullen twin. What kind of Peter Parker am I?

- To save Pete's civilian life, you're going to have to get good," Del sighs. - Just be thankful it's summer and you don't have to go to university.

- Yeah, thank you," Reilly exclaims ironically, returning to his seat.

- Now that we've dealt with the civilian side, what about the Spider side? - Cain repeated the question.

- I think if we keep patrolling and doing good things, it won't get any worse," Ben agreed, coming to a consensus with his conscience.

- I agree," Del held out her hand to the middle of the table. - Team Spider Web Warriors.

- Team Spider Web Warrior," Cain repeated, placing his palm over his sister's palm.

-Till our fearless leader returns,‖ Reilly spoke up, adding his hand.

***

The fifth day after Peter Parker's disappearance.

"Oscorp.

Green Goblin.

Norman Osborn sat in his office and smiled.

The return home had gone as well as could be expected. Triumphantly closing arms deals with the army, producing weakened Globulin in the medical department as a combat stimulant and, of course, creating simplified models of the Flying Machine to Every Home glider. As one young marketer put it - "Peeple will eat it up".

Then a terrific press conference where Norman, by his own reckoning, shone. And the question? What do you plan to do next, Mr Osborne? And a terrific answer. I'd like to go into politics.

The Green Goblin got up from the table and walked over to his mini-bar, poured a whiskey and took a small sip.

Yes. Politics, not a bad option. It's about time I aspired to something bigger. Connections in the Capitol, money, reputation, too. And then to the mayor's chair of New York City, and then you can swing at the presidency.

But there's always a dark spot on a big, bright canvas.

Norman's smile faltered.

The idiot Warren had been out of touch for almost a fortnight. But getting to the arrogant old man was impossible while he was on the other side of the globe. After he got back, there was a lot of work to do. And then there was Police Captain George Stacey, who stuck around like a leaf. First he thought of Otto Octavius. The stupid fat man had been caught and had failed in his revenge plan, and not only had he wasted all the resources that Osborne had allocated to him, but he had also framed Norman himself!

And then this cop announces a fatal accident involving his men. And not just any casualties. The deceased was Benjamin Parker and the victim was his wife May Parker. Not namesakes. They were relatives of Peter Parker. Richard and Mary's son.

It seems Norman is forever linked to this family.

Hopefully, the faithful dog, Romman Borrow, will clean up the mess and he'll never hear of these two idiots again. And really, who cares if the two of them just escaped justice after the dutiful headmaster announced that the police were looking for them and they'd better turn themselves in, and their bodies aren't actually melting in a vat of acid right now?

So when he finally got his immediate problems sorted out and dressed up in his costume, wanting to take all the anger he had accumulated out on the incompetent idiot Warren, he set off for the lab.

As the glider swiftly whisked him through the abandoned tunnels and out to the lab, Norman was ready to tear the place apart in a frenzy if someone hadn't beaten him to it.

The room he had built, the lab, everything was destroyed. All he saw were ruins. The ruins of yet another ambitious project. Then the Goblin let himself go and enjoyed himself to the fullest, smashing the little surviving equipment, finally breaking it. Too bad Miles Warren wasn't around at that moment. Osborn would have loved to kill the spineless scum who had screwed up so badly and brought the Spider here!

There was no doubt in Norman's mind that it was his main enemy who was responsible for the destruction of the laboratory. In all the recent failures of the Goblin, one way or another it was always the creeper's fault. But that was over with now.

Back at Oscorp, Osborn prepared all the necessary equipment, barricaded himself in his personal laboratory, and injected his perfect green cocktail.

A couple of hours of unconsciousness, some delirium, a pinch of agony and he woke up brand new.

Norman looked out the panoramic window of his office and caught the look of his eyes flashing orange sparks in the reflection.

Yes, new.

Time to put his improved self to the test.

***

Eight days after Peter Parker disappeared.

Peter Parker's flat.

Felicia was returning from a terribly exhausting day at work to a place that had become her home.

The girl was indescribably tired, preparing for the integration of Hardy Consolidated into New York. And with Norman Osborne's triumphant return, things were only going to get more complicated. Yeah, I wish Spidey's prediction would come true and that green freak would really get what he deserved.

As soon as Hardy's thoughts brought her back to the image of Peter, she felt unbearably homesick.

Their boyfriend had never disappeared for so long, always warning or calling or texting, but not this time. In the first two days they did not worry, on the third they began to worry, on the fourth there was news, but it would be better and further there was no information.

It would have been less painful.

All of Peter's clones showed up on their doorstep and with sorrowful faces expressed their certainty that Peter was missing. Of course, he and Mary had reacted completely inadequately and kicked them out.

It was quite a row.

Since then they have continued to live somehow and let everyday life keep them from falling into the abyss of despair. Fey is still somehow distracted by her work, but MJ...she's been having a hard time.

Opening the door Felicia stepped inside and saw her girl in the same position she'd left her in this morning before leaving for work: homemade clothes, pyjama trousers, tank top, it would have looked nice if it hadn't been for the circumstances. Mary lay on the couch and clutched Peter's torn suit to her chest, the only thing that hinted at the reason for his disappearance.

The blonde sighed and carefully closed the doors, walking over to the couch and removing her cloak in the process.

- 'Hello, Felicia,' Watson said in a broken voice.

She was crying again.

- Hey, Red, what's up? - Fey tried to act brighter and cheer Fey up with humour, taking a seat next to her. Alas, in their relationship, it was Peter who was best at it.

The green-eyed girl merely rested her head on the blonde's shoulder.

Hardy had no choice but to sigh and start stroking Carrot-top's head.

- 'Baby, he's only been gone a week, I'm sure Spidey will be back just about now.

- He's been gone eight days," MJ corrected her girlfriend in a broken voice.

- Hey," Fey lifted Mary's head by the chin and looked the redhead straight in the eyes, "he'll come back to us, and when he does, we'll give him a good kicking for daring to disappear," the blonde finished her speech with a comforting kiss, "you believe me, don't you?

- Of course I believe you, Kitten," MJ replied after the kiss. - But we'll only hit him after we give him a big hug.

- And only after we let him out of bed, maybe in two days? - Hardy added, and the girls laughed quietly.

Eventually, the blonde and the redhead both settled down on the couch in each other's arms, clutching the torn suit tightly.

***

The outskirts of New York City.

The ninth day after the incident.

A glass factory.

The roof of the mirror factory lit up with a bright golden flash, from which a figure in a Spider Suit appeared.

- Okay, Scotty, where are we? - The boy asked the question into the void.

Though from his voice it sounded like he was still a teenager.

"Confirming we're in 2013, Carrier," came a cheerful female robotic voice through the guy's mask.

- "Jen, I told you not to call me Carrier," the guy grimaced slightly at the address.

"I beg your pardon, Benji.

- It's okay," the teenager in the spider suit walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the city. - So this is what it's like, the Golden Age of Heroes?

The boy took a deep breath.

- Okay, we have work to do. Jenny run a search for information through all possible channels, prime directive is Spider-Man.