(Spiderman) The Amazing Story of Altered Fates: Chapter 4 – Altered Fate Part I

Chapter 4 – Altered Fate Part I

Peter looked around the void he was standing in. Everything was so… white. Well, Peter said everything, but really it was more like nothing.

Peter began wondering what was going on when a very familiar voice called, “Hi there.”

Peter… turned around? Can he turn around in a place that was basically a void? To come face to face with… himself?!

Peter took a quick step backward, or at least he tried.

The guy in front of him looked just like him. Same standing, brown hair, brown eyes, sharp chin, and superhero body-build.

But there were differences as well. He looked… happier. The lines under his eyes weren’t half as deep or dark as Peter’s. His eyes were brighter than Peter ever remembered seeing in the mirror. And his smile—it was the goofy smile that Gwen once said was one of the things that caused her to fall in love with him. Peter couldn’t remember the last time he smiled like that. Probably on the bridge when he promised to follow Gwen to England.

That guy kept smiling at him with such an easy look that it annoyed Peter. All he could get out was a frustrated, “What the hell now? Who the damn are you?”

The guy just shrugged, still smiling, before replying, “I’m the you that lived in this timeline for the last 10 years.”

Peter could believe it. Now, with a clear head, it was obvious to Peter that either the spell really changed his world so much, like Conners said, or that damn magic sent him to the wrong world. If this is the case, Peter could do nothing about it.

He looked at the white void again and asked, “Where are we?”

“Inside our mind,” came the simple reply. And that guy said it so easily, as if it should be obvious.

Peter narrowed his eyes at the guy and asked flatly, “Our?”

The guy smiled on as he answered, “Yeah. We have to share it for a bit longer.”

With his mind now free from the pain, he remembered what Conners said before. “Wasn’t the serum they gave me supposed to fix it?”

The other Peter gave him a look that screamed “dumbass” before responding, “You are a man of science; you should know better than to expect an immediate solution without showing your way.”

Peter had to concede that point. But still, it annoyed him how easygoing this guy was. He looked at him as blankly as he could before asking, “How are we doing it?”

The guy looked to the side as if he could see something that Peter couldn’t as he answered, “I will show you some key memories. By the end, it should trigger the complete integration of the two of us.”

Peter frowned, feeling like something was missing. But before he could ask, the guy said, “I have already seen your memories, painful as they are.”

Peter snorted inside his mind. What would the guy with the perfect life know about his pain?

For the first time, the smile on the guy’s face disappeared, replaced by a scowl as he commented dryly, “I got my fair share of pain, don’t worry about it.”

Peter’s eyes flew open. Did he just…

The guy just rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can hear your thoughts. No, you can’t hear mine because we’re already in the portion of our mind that belongs to me.”

Suddenly the pieces fell into place for Peter, and he accused angrily, “All those headaches were because of you!”

The other guy shrugged and nodded without shame.

“Why?” Peter hissed at him.

The guy’s eyes softened as he answered softly, “You had so much pain in you I wanted to ease it slightly with happy memories.” Then he added sadly, “But you fought so hard against the possibility of being happy…”

Peter could finish the guy’s thought himself: he sort of caused that pain to himself.

Well, they were here for a reason, weren’t they? They better get on with it.

Before Peter could voice that thought, the other guy got another faraway look on his face and said, “You think you are ready for all of this. You aren’t. But then again, you never will be, so we should start.”

Peter watched as their white surroundings melted away.

He watched as the white void turned into a wall that was red on top and white on the bottom. Thick golden curtains were shut, hiding the windows around the room. In the center of the room, a big polished wooden table stood.

At the head of the table sat Captain George Stacy. Right next to him, on his left, sat Gwen. Not the Gwen he just saw but the younger one he remembered. Next to her sat Peter himself. Across from him were Gwen’s three brothers: Philip, Howard, and Simon. Across from George, on the other side of the table, sat Helen Stacy and May Parker.

Peter was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, but all eyes were on George as he spoke. “We are here today to discuss the relationship between Peter and Gwen.”

Helen let out an exasperated sigh. “We talked about it, honey, and you agreed to give them a chance.”

George gave a serious nod but then said with a deadpan tone, “That was before last week’s incident with Conners during which I learned something very interesting that I feel is important for everyone here to know. Especially you, Mrs. Parker.”

Aunt May made a comment that everyone should just call her May, but her stare was locked on Peter, trying to figure out what he was hiding.

George turned his stare to Peter and asked him, “What will it be, Peter? You tell them or me?”

Peter gave a desperate look around the room and muttered, “I still think it’s a very bad idea.”

Gwen slapped his arm playfully and said sweetly, “We talked about it, Pete. Don’t go back on your word now.”

Peter let out a defeated sigh before unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt. Then he pulled the two pieces as far apart as they would go without tearing, revealing red spandex with a black spider symbol in the middle of his chest. He heard a few gasps, but he pushed on and with a deep breath declared, “I’m Spider-Man.”

There was silence for a long moment before Philip broke it with his excited voice, “You are Spider-Man?! That’s so cool!”

Simon went next as he asked innocently but eagerly, “So Spider-Man is our big brother now?”

Both Peter’s and Gwen’s faces went completely red at that, but no one gave the boy an answer. Instead, Howard looked at his father and asked, “Didn’t you say Spider-Man was a criminal who should go to prison?”

Peter flinched. Gwen glared at her brother and screamed at him at the same time their mother admonished him. “Howard!”

George gave a heavy sigh, sent Peter an apologetic look, and then looked back at his oldest son and said, “Peter did start all of that wrong, and I still don’t think vigilantes are the way to get justice. But sometimes there are threats that need someone with something extra like Peter to handle them. Unfortunately, that means those people will also make powerful enemies. And so they need to hide who they are to keep those they care about safe. Peter stepped up during the Lizard fiasco and proved himself to be a real hero. The city saw that too, and the warrant on him was pulled back.”

Howard nodded in understanding and turned to apologize to Peter, but Peter shook his head and said, “That’s okay, kid. I get that.”

“I am not a kid! I’m only four years younger than you and Gwen,” huffed Howard.

Peter gave him his goofy smile and responded with, “Sure, kid. If you say so.”

Howard huffed again, and Gwen gave Peter a smack to the back of his head, but she had a playful smile on her face.

May’s voice broke through everything when she said firmly, “You and I are going to have a serious conversation later, young man.” Peter bowed his head and nodded slowly. Then May added more softly, “Your girlfriend can join us if she wants.”

Peter felt Gwen’s soft hand rubbing his back, and he felt relieved.

The Peter that was watching this scene looked at the guy next to him and asked, outraged, “Aunt May knows?!”

The guy looked away but gave one short nod.

Back in the memory, George spoke again, “So with this information in mind, I believe some extra rules should be introduced.”

The man received a series of nods from everyone except the couple before he kept going. “First, no coming around here as Spider-Man. Second, no crawling on the side of the building to enter through her window. You get in using the main door, or you are not getting in. I expect you boys to let me know if you find him inside without hearing the door open. And you, Howard, keep an eye on your sister and what Peter does with her.”

The three brothers nodded at their father's instructions. Howard looked so gleeful, as if he couldn’t wait to get Gwen and Peter into trouble with his dad.

Gwen looked at her mother and whined, “Mommmm! Dad is exaggerating.”

Helen had a soft smile on her face. But when she spoke, what she said was, “I don’t think he is, sweetie. I agree with your dad, so the rules stand.”

Gwen crossed her arms in a show of displeasure. Peter took one of her hands in his, smiled, and said, “Worth it.”

With that, the scene began to melt.

When the scene changed, it melted into the kitchen in Aunt May’s house. The way it used to look in his memories, not the way he saw just a few minutes ago. Or at least he thinks it was a few minutes ago.

The cabinets were white, while the countertop was made of wood. Like usual, the window was open, and light poured into the room.

The dining table wasn’t nearly as big as the one at the Stacy house, but it was always messy.

At the table on two opposite sides sat Peter and Aunt May.

Aunt May sat there and watched as Peter drank his cup of tea slowly. Once he finished, she gave him a gentle look and asked, “Care to tell me what got you so upset?”

Peter looked out the window. “I don’t know how George and Gwen can trust him after all he did. Just because there is another guy now that has the same crazy story as him and some headaches.”

Aunt May gave him a stern look and asked, “Don’t you trust your girlfriend, Peter?”

Peter blushed and looked away from his aunt but answered honestly, “Ummm, of course I do.”

Aunt May nodded and once again used the stern voice to ask, “Why are you doubting her now? George too was nothing if not nice to you since that day. He clearly wants to keep you safe, so I think you can trust him too.”

Peter nodded in agreement. “I know, and I trust them. It’s Conners that I don’t trust.”

Aunt May tilted her head slightly and asked, “Why is that?”

Peter returned his stare out the window, glaring into empty space before he spoke in an angry tone. “Because I trusted him once. I tried being his friend, tried to help him. And in return, what did I get? I helped him turn himself into a monster that could have destroyed the entire city.”

Aunt May hummed for a moment, drawing Peter’s eyes back to her before she spoke. “And because of that, you have every right to be angry. But I heard somewhere once that just because someone loses their way doesn’t mean they can’t ever find it again.”

Peter stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say. May looked at him softly and said, “Do you understand, Peter? You don’t know what pressure he was under at the time or what brought him to experiment on himself. I remember how you talked about him before—you admired him. There aren’t many people who got that reaction from you. It would be a shame to destroy this opportunity just because of one mistake. A big mistake, yes, but still a mistake.”

It was obvious Peter was considering her words, so she decided to drive the point home. “Also remember, he knows you are Spider-Man, and still he didn’t say a word to anyone but George, and even then, it was to defend you. Either way, he was sentenced to only eight years in prison, so sooner or later you will have to face him again. Remember what your Uncle Ben used to say…”

“With great power comes great responsibility,” Peter finished for her with a wistful smile.

Aunt May chuckled. She stood from her seat, took the cup out of Peter’s hand, leaned in to kiss him on his forehead, and moved back to the kitchen.

But before she was out of earshot, she called over her shoulder, “He would have been proud of you, you know.”

Peter had a small tear running down his cheek as he looked at her back and asked softly, “You think so?”

Aunt May turned to him with a big smile and said confidently, “I know it. Because I am so proud of you too, Peter.”

And with that, the scene began to melt again.

Peter turned to his happier twin and asked, “I guess from there the friendship with Conners grew.”

The guy nodded with a soft smile and replied, “The friendship with Curt proved to be very useful soon.”

But before Peter could ask for an explanation, a new scene began to solidify.

Peter was swinging between the skyscrapers of New York.

“Gwen just finished her college interview and asked me to meet her on top of the building to talk,” commented the other Peter.

Peter looked at him and noticed the pained expression on his twin’s face, one he saw many times before in the mirror. “What, didn’t she get into college here?” Peter asked, half teasingly, half seriously.

The guy’s expression soured even further, and all he said was, “Watch. But I warn you, it won’t be pleasant.”

Peter saw a blonde standing on top of a building, wrapped in a jean jacket to ward off the strong winds she had to face at this height.

Peter felt a spike of glee as he did some fancy maneuvering and got ready to land behind the girl without her noticing.

The sound of the wind covered his soft landing. Peter slowly walked to her and touched her shoulder.

Gwen jumped in her place and swung a fist around at Peter. Spider-Man barely managed to escape her hit.

Once she saw who it was, she glared at him. But Peter just took off his mask, revealing his goofy smile before he stepped forward and drew her into a deep kiss.

When they broke apart, the glare was replaced by her usual soft smile.

Peter smiled back and asked, “Do I need to ask how it went?”

Gwen smiled at his confidence in her and replied, “I got in…” The smile slowly faded from her face as she finished, “…to Oxford.”

Peter’s smile disappeared as well, and he asked, “Oxford… as in England’s Oxford?”

Gwen’s smile returned, albeit a very small one, as she responded, “The same. They have the best Biotech program on the planet.”

Peter’s wide grin was obviously forced as he said, “And obviously you agreed. Of course you did. I mean, it’s your dream…”

Gwen stopped his rambling with an answer, “I did.”

Peter had a hard time keeping his smile in place, and a frown began to show on his forehead. “When are you leaving?”

Gwen looked up towards the sky as she answered, “Two weeks.”

“Okay, okay. We can do it. We can totally do it.” Peter tried to be cheerful, succeeding only partly.

Gwen looked back at his face with a raised eyebrow and asked warily, “Can do what?”

Peter began playing with her hair between his gloved fingers as he spoke, “I mean, we will see each other during your vacations. I can drop by there once or twice a year. We will talk every day on Skype and texts. Yeah, we can make it work.” By the time Peter finished, he was genuinely optimistic about that.

Gwen, on the other hand, looked sad. She turned her stare to the horizon and said, “Pete, it’s a seven-year plan. Can we do it for seven years? Each year will be harder for me and consume more time. I might not come back for Christmas vacation, and then what? No, Pete, that won’t work.”

Peter frowned at her and asked warily, “So what are you suggesting?”

Gwen swept some of her blonde locks behind her ear and said hopefully, “Maybe you will come with me?”

Peter gaped at her before responding in a disbelieving tone, “Gwen, this is my home. I can’t leave New York. And what about Aunt May? I can’t leave her alone.”

Gwen gave him a steely look. “Aunt May will have my parents. And life always keeps going, Pete, even outside New York. I ask you to come with me so we won’t have to give up on what matters to us most in this city.”

Peter shook his head and said, “I can’t do it to Aunt May after she lost Uncle Ben. And this city needs me. It needs Spider-Man. Gwen, please, I love you.”

Now Gwen was the one shaking her head and trying to fight off the tears. “I love you too, Bug-boy. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s my future! I can’t give it up, not even for you. And I don’t want to give you hope that a long-distance relationship will work when I know it won’t. It’s not fair to either of us.”

Peter looked at her, shocked, and he asked so quietly he was afraid she wouldn’t hear him over the wind, “Are you saying to me that if I don’t move with you, you… you are breaking up with me?”

Gwen was letting the tears fall freely now, but she was determined when she spoke, “Life moves on, Peter. I am ready to move with mine. And if you don’t…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Peter was crying openly now too. He didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think that’s really how it was ending. But nonetheless, he knew he could only say one thing, or rather choke out, “I’m sorry, Gwen. I can’t. I just can’t leave.”

Gwen nodded in acceptance. She stepped forward and hugged Peter tightly.

After a moment, Peter hugged her back, tears coming down his cheeks and landing on her hair. He heard her whisper to him, “I’m sorry too, Peter.”

Once she stepped back, Peter turned around toward the ledge of the roof, mask in hand. He looked over his shoulder and said for what he thought would be the final time, “I love you, Gwen.”

Peter put the mask on, so he could barely hear when she responded back with, “Goodbye, Bug-boy.”

Peter raised his arm, and a moment later, he was swinging into the night sky.

The scene began to melt.