NOVEL WEB Arc Eighteen. Chapter Five Hundred Thirty-One. You Gotta Fight
Peter never wished he could cut off a sense more than that moment. She was so much like his Gwen that hearing her scream and beg for it to stop tore him apart inside.
It seemed like forever, before Jessica slipped through the curtain. "Her vitals have stabilised, and we stopped the binder. You can see her now."
Gwen lay unconscious. It was only the slow movement of her chest that Peter knew she was still alive. "Uh, this will be strange." Gwen was still lying in a sweat-soaked gown. Jessica didn't want to move her in case she was suffering from internal trauma. Her readings showed Gwen was alive, but her body was in flux, and Stitch was throwing the scans off. Peter sliced open the gown at her midsection and rested a hand over her stomach. "Do you have any Formula? The strongest one you have."
"But she is already powered."
Peter shook his head as he let out a flood of healing symbcells. Even if Gwen couldn't absorb them Stitch could and was happily soaking the liquid up through her skin. "It's used up during the Binding. I've been Enhanced twice since I was changed."
Dammit, he swore to himself.
"Uh, this will look even stranger." Peter saw the bag of Formula and the IV. "I need a bag like that for a transfusion."
Jessica raised an eyebrow, "I'm Enhanced with two Formulas, but the second one I can't make. It needs to be blood."
"I thought your blood dissolved?" Jessica asked as Peter shed his symbskin clothing and slid a cannula into his arm.
Peter grinned, "It does, but this is different." Peter flooded the bag with blood mixed in with Symbcells. He sat at the side of Gwen's bed, waiting until one of them spoke. Once she was awake enough to talk, he would know she was fine.
It took another hour before Gwen groaned and turned over. "What hit me, feels like a bus," she stretched, moaning at her sore muscles. "And why is my stomach cold?" She looked down, "I have a hole in my gown." she frowned, "and a needle in my arm."
Peter was back outside the curtain, the IV had a long enough tube he didn't need to stay next to her bed.
"Those are my fault. The hole is so I could heal you, and the needle, well I guess that's the same."
"Stitch says she prefers your hand, it was...warm, oh you so did not," Gwen pulled out the cannula, "You rubbed my stomach?"
Jessica snorted, and Gwen glared at her. "He was within eyesight at all times. He was healing you, and yes, he placed his hand on your stomach. Anywhere else would either be ineffectual or inappropriate. I mean, your heart might have been a better choice."
Gwen lifted a hand and went red as she stuck it over where her heart was, under her left breast.
"Stitch is laughing at me, so I guess she's fine." Gwen stood, "Oh, cramps, haven't had those in a while. Food, yes yes, food. I know." she argued with Stitch, "well, get on with it then." Behind the curtain Stitch flowed out over Gwen, eating the robe before settling on a hoodie and jeans. "Right, Peter Pervert, want to join me for lunch, or do you have more little girls to corrupt?"
Peter sighed and motioned to Jessica. "I think the serum melted her brain. Can you keep her here, sedated, until you fix it?"
"Ha Ha. Come on, I bet Miles and PB will be happy to see me." Gwen looked over at Jessica, "I am cleared to leave right?"
"You are fine. I already took blood and am manufacturing the antiserum right now. As far as I am concerned, you are cleared to go, but uh yeah. Any issues and you get back here, no saying you're fine, and no doing it. You're still not well, and need time..." But Gwen rolled her eyes and stormed from the room.
"Uh yeah, she knows. I'll keep an eye on her." Peter smiled. He couldn't fault Jessica, overprotective was better than being ignored.
⁂
Gwen was used to being stared at. The whispers and the accusations. She had killed a Peter and was a pariah because of it.
This time, she was being stared at as she ate. She had a burger, fries, chicken sandwich, hotdogs, and six sodas and this was her second helping. Peter didn't say anything as he ate his own food. He had learned a long time ago never to get between a hungry Symbiote and her food.
Gwen was happy. Actually happy. Everything tasted great and Stitch was humming along with her as she ate. Peter had just one burger and portion of fries and the realisation of what she was doing hit her. "Is this normal?" she asked between mouthfuls.
"Oh yeah. Our biggest bill is food. Protein shakes and bars will be your friend. Oh and uh, try to avoid deserts."
Gwen frowned at that, "why, do the Symbiotes not like sugar?"
Peter laughed, "Oh no, in fact, the opposite. I've watched Cindy, who has my Gwens Symbiote, eat twelve doughnuts one after the other and still be hungry. They love sugar. Like really love it."
Gwen slurped down some soda and felt Stitch shudder, "Do uh, you think I could visit? I mean, once we find out where you live."
Peter nodded as he ate, once he had finished his bite, "I just didn't think you'd want to, I mean."
Peter froze as around them several orange doors opened and out walked the TVA troops. Each one was wearing heavy armour as usual but this time they had pistols. "We are here to apprehend a fugitive." Each soldier stepped behind a Spider and pointed the gun at the back of their head. "We will not harm anyone if Peter Parker surrenders."
Twelve different Spiders put their hands up.
⁂
Miguel watched as a trojan horse disabled the dimensional shielding around the Citadel. He swore and began to try to counter the damage but it was too late. The TVA had infiltrated his systems and begun to invade.
All he could do was hit the alarm and activate the Spider-droids.
"You're the second Sphere to shelter him, and while I don't like repeating myself. I only want Parker. Everyone else is free to go." Cable stepped through an orange door, "Oh, I guess Deadpool as well, but honestly, you can keep him."
"So, you want to destroy any evidence of how badly you screwed up." Miguel stood and lifted the hood of his costume and slipped it on but left his mouth uncovered. He was still Spider-Man. He still had an oath to protect anyone who could not protect themselves. He would fight until these invaders were gone. If AEGIS or the Illuminati wanted to come for Peter, they would have to get past him first.
"We don't screw up. We fix the screw-up." Cable lifted his gun, "and you can't beat me. Spider-Man is a second-rate hero at best. I eat guys like you for breakfast."
Miguel began to laugh. "Yeah, I know. Peter Parker usually gets the bad end of the deal." He started to walk towards Cable, who lifted his gun but didn't fire. "He deals with bad luck day in and day out." He stopped a few feet away, "And does what he can with what he's got. But," Miguel crossed his arms," you forgot one thing."
Cable raised the rifle, pointing it at Miguel's head, "Yeah, what's that."
Miguel lowered the hood of his mask and his costume changed. The blue darkened and the red seemed to light up. "I'm not Peter Parker."
⁂
"Hey, douchebag, get the fuck up,"
Wade felt someone kick him, and he groaned. It only hurt when he healed, and..."Hey what the fuck!" He shot up and saw the very pale face of Petra staring at him. "Did you drug me?"
She half-heartedly shrugged, "I drained you of blood, it was easier. You think I'm wasting good drugs on you?" She snorted, "You are my ticket home. Now, get dressed."
"I am dressed." He had on pants and a shirt, much to his disappointment. It meant the sucking was all done fully clothed and was rated PG-13 and Not R-18 as he had hoped.
"No, get dressed." Petra shoved a box into his hands, "Madame Web left you a message," she cleared her throat, "Ahem. The TVA has taken over the Citadel. Fight them off, rescue Peter and I'll let you meet some hot blind chicks who aren't stingy with their snow." She looked at him, "what the hell does that mean?"
Wade looked into the box and saw not just his red and black suit, but his swords and his guns. "It means babycakes, that daddy's gonna party like it's 2099."
⁂
Cable knew he had variants. He knew that on some level even he was a variant. There were Nathan Summers who fought gods, who could destroy planets.
But that wasn't him.
He was a soldier, like most of them, he was telepathic, and telekinetic, like most of them. He even had the technorganic virus. But unlike most of them, his wasn't the virulent strain. He inherited it from his mother, as she was a Jean Gray, just like Parkers. A host with Extremis. Nobody knew what caused it to mutate, whether it was her X-Gene or just pure luck. But when Nathan was born he was a mutant, but he was a little bit more. He could control his virus and through it a whole lot of cool shit.
His shield flared into life as Spider-Man punched him across the room.
He wasn't the only variant. Spider-Man, Dimension 2099. A tough son of a bitch who used genetics to alter himself, and didn't stop there. Cable could feel the suit power up with each punch, and as it connected, it threw him across the room. Spider-Man darted across the room, almost too fast to see, with speed not possible. Cable knew he was cybernetically enhanced as well. Every idiot with a high level of tech tried it eventually. One Stark even hollowed out his bones to fill them with nanotech. Dumbass.
It didn't matter though. Cable was good at one thing, and one thing only. Killing enhanced assholes like Spider-Man 2099. His eye locked onto the energy signature, bypassing Cable's own vision. His brain would now track and automatically react to whatever was thrown at him. Tech meant power source, and they were easy to disable or disrupt.
His rifle flared, and blasts of blue energy shot out in a seemingly random pattern. Spider-Man was doing but every move was tracked and plotted. No matter where he moved, each blast impacted against his suit.
Bastard has a shield, Cable thought as he crouched under a high kick. He drove the butt of his rifle into Spider-Man's knee but didn't like the way it just bounced off. Spider-Man rewarded him by bringing it up and driving it into his face.
His own shield flared and took the blow, but Cable was still driven back. He stood and held up a hand, "How about this? I don't want to hurt anyone but Parker. So, you and me. I call off my guys, I lose the gun and we do things the old-fashioned way. With our fists."
Spider-Man stepped back, "You tell your men to stand down, you lose the rifle and any other tech you use, and I do the same. Until one of us can't fight. If you win, I ask Parker to go with you to a safe dimension, what you do there is up to him. If I win, you leave, and you tell AEGIS or whatever idiots running your op I know about the inversions. If they start moving against me or another of my Spiders they will not like what I do to them."
Cable had no idea what Spider-Man was talking about, he got his orders and he followed them. "Deal." He pressed the earbud, "Men, Code 66. Hold position until you hear from me. You are not to engage unless engaged first." He pulled out the earbud and placed it and his rifle on one of the desks. He undid a couple of thigh holsters and slid knives out of them. "I have powers, but that's it."
Spider-Man nodded and slid off his mask, "The suit only powers up if the mask is on." He reached over and tapped a panel and a shield shimmered over the rifle. "You might want those knives." Miguel held up a hand and inch-long nails grew from his fingers. He hissed through a mouth full of razor-sharp fangs, "You aren't the only ones with powers."
