Peter B. Parker returned with the kill-switch USB drive, arriving just in time to see Gwen efficiently trussing up the last of the villains, tying them together like a string of oversized, angry crabs.
"The collider linked a total of six universes…" he muttered, looking at his readings. Then his eyes landed on a figure cowering in the shadows. "Hmm? And who's this?" With a flick of his wrist, a web-line shot out and tore away the piece of rubble Miles was hiding behind, exposing the boy to the assembled heroes.
Miles's hands shot up in immediate surrender, a reaction so instantaneous it was almost comical.
"A French Spider-Man," Gwen deadpanned from atop her perch on the subdued Green Goblin.
"What? No!" Miles blurted out, a machine-gun spray of words tumbling from his mouth. "My dad's African American, my mom's Puerto Rican, I'm from Brooklyn, I swear!" His eyes darted nervously towards Gwen, clearly terrified that she might decide he was another villain in need of a beatdown.
"Oh," the older Peter replied politely. "I'm from Queens."
Just then, a strained voice called out from the pile of villains. "Miles? What are you doing here?"
Miles froze. "That voice… Uncle Aaron?" Though the Prowler was still wearing his helmet, Miles recognized his uncle's voice instantly. Forgetting his fear, he stumbled toward the captured villain and, with trembling hands, removed the high-tech mask. The face underneath was indeed his uncle's.
"Uncle Aaron!" Miles gasped, the helmet clattering from his nerveless fingers. He staggered back, the reality of the situation hitting him like a physical blow. The uncle he idolized, the coolest person he knew, was a supervillain. The hero in his mind was a bad guy. The carefully constructed filter through which he saw his world shattered into a million pieces.
Peter B. scratched his head. "Wait, you two know each other?" His eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. "You're not from another universe, are you? I can't believe it… another Spider-Man just popped up on this Earth." He looked at the young, terrified Miles and was reminded of himself, years ago, just after he'd gotten his own powers.
He looked from the disgraced Aaron Davis to his heartbroken nephew. He walked over to Miles and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Kid," he said with the weary earnestness of experience, "I know this is hard to accept right now, but try to look on the bright side. At least your uncle is still alive."
The dark, unspoken history of Spider-Men hung in the air. Miles, who had read the comics, understood the implication and was momentarily speechless. He looked up at Peter, his eyes full of worry. "What… what are you going to do with him?"
Despite his uncle's betrayal, he couldn't just stand by and watch something terrible happen to him.
"Send them to jail," Peter said simply. That was the Spider-Man way. Even after more than a decade of these same villains trying to kill him, all he ever did was turn them over to the authorities.
Ben, who had been observing quietly, said nothing. This universe's Peter was an adult; he knew how to handle his own affairs. In truth, Ben knew that if Miles hadn't stumbled into the situation, this Peter would have handled the entire crisis on his own. With a new Spider-Man about to be trained, the city's underworld was in for a rough time.
Miles knew he had no right to ask for his uncle's release, so he just nodded numbly.
Peter patted him on the shoulder again. "Don't worry. If he truly repents, I'm sure there's a chance for a reduced sentence." He then looked over at Gwen, or more specifically, at the symbiotic suit she wore. "Ben, what about the particle collider? If we just destroy it, the structural damage could cause a massive sinkhole."
A sleek, green-lined head coalesced on Gwen's shoulder. "Did you forget we still need it to get home?" Overkill's deep voice asked.
The sudden appearance of the alien head made Miles yelp and jump several feet in the air, smacking his own head on the low ceiling.
"A monster!" he shrieked.
"'Monster' is rude," Ben's voice retorted from the symbiote. He then addressed Gwen in her mind. "Alright, get your suit back on. I'm detaching."
Gwen quickly reactivated her own nano-suit underneath the Overkill layer. A moment later, the black-and-green symbiote flowed off her like a receding tide, coalescing into the form of Overkill before shimmering again, leaving Ben standing there in his human form.
One day after the crisis was resolved, a strange assembly gathered in Aunt May's underground lab. Several Spider-People were getting acquainted. Spider Noir, a black-and-white hero from an earlier era, looked around the colorful world with wide, curious eyes.
"So many hairless apes," Spider-Ham, a cartoon pig, grumbled, poking at a piece of equipment.
Peni Parker looked at him in amazement. "I never thought even a pig could be a Spider-Man."
"First of all, I'm a spider," Peter Porker retorted indignantly. "Secondly, you pilot a spider-robot. You don't get to call anyone weird!"
As they bickered, Gwen sat on a computer desk, watching them with a small smile. Aunt May was also observing the chaos, but her gaze was fixed on the man wearing a classic, if ill-fitting, Spider-Man suit. He had brown hair and a face nearly identical to the blond Peter she knew, but he was haggard, his face covered in stubble. He seemed to be trying to suck in his stomach, but his beer belly, which looked like he was nine months pregnant, was impossible to hide.
She almost thought it was her nephew after a bad dye job. And in a way, it was. This was Peter B. Parker, a man who shared a similar past to her Peter but whose life had ended in a much different place. Where her Peter had found success and happiness, this one had found only failure and regret.
As if sensing her gaze, Brown-haired Peter awkwardly pulled his sweatpants up over his costume and forced a weak smile. The sight broke Aunt May's heart.
"You look like you've suffered a great deal, Peter," she said, walking over to him. She gently took his face in her hands, holding him as if he were a child who had yet to grow up. "Life hasn't been easy, has it?"
The simple, motherly touch was too much for him. In middle age, with nothing to his name, having lost his Mary Jane and with his own Aunt May long gone, Peter B. Parker had made a mess of his life. In front of this woman who was and wasn't his mother, all his tired defenses crumbled.
"Compared to him," Gwen said softly to Ben, "I feel like I'm doing pretty well." Brown-haired Peter was truly a tragic figure.
"Didn't I tell you?" Ben replied, taking her hand. "Meeting me brings good luck. Want to go for a walk?"
A few minutes later, they were back on top of the Williamsburg Bank Building.
"I don't know what to do," Gwen sighed, looking out at the inverted city. Thinking of her relationship with her father, her heart felt heavy again. But it was better now than it had been. At least now, she had found something else to cherish. She looked at Ben, her eyes shimmering like pools of water in the moonlight.
"I think you should tell your father what happened," Ben said. "He might be confused at first, just like Miles was when he found out about his uncle. But I believe he'll accept it in the end."
Gwen wasn't so sure. "He's a very strict cop. Impartial. I'm afraid he'd try to arrest me. Maybe even shoot me."
Ben nodded. "Secrets have a price. If he discovered the truth without any warning, that might be possible. But if you take the initiative, if you tell him the truth yourself and give him time, he'll believe you. He might not believe in Ghost-Spider, but he'll always believe in his daughter, Gwen Stacy."
"Okay," Gwen said, though her voice was hesitant. "I'll try." She nudged him playfully. "But if my dad still refuses to believe me and I end up homeless, you have to take responsibility!"
Ben, however, turned serious. He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "I will always find you."
At that moment, a soft, warm light began to bloom between their clasped hands. Gwen gasped, looking down in surprise. A point of pure, white-and-pink light was slowly floating up from where their palms met, like a glowing dandelion seed.
"My mana," Ben breathed, equally surprised. After all this time, this moment of pure, selfless connection had been the final catalyst. "It's awakened."
He looked at Gwen, his eyes bright. "This is a seed of that energy. It's pure life-force. It can be used for magic, or as a direct source of power."
"Life energy?" Gwen said in amazement. "Does that mean anyone can awaken it? Can I?"
"It wasn't possible before," Ben said, a new idea forming in his mind. "But it's different now." Now that his own power was unlocked, he could share it. He could plant the seed in others. And since Gwen had been there to witness its birth, it felt only right that she be the first.
"Gwen," he asked, his voice low and serious. "Do you want to receive my seed?"
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