160. The Web Tightens. (Patreon)

Peter POV:

The hum of the Dimensional Energy Siphon was the only sound in the command deck aboard the Helicarrier. The air shimmered with holographic overlays of Manhattan of Earth-1610. It was split into sectors, each flickering with energy readings, drone telemetry and hundreds of small red blips. My gauntlet chimed softly.

“Dimensional watch energy signatures detected." Reported Clanker. “Target group: Miguel O’Hara, LYLA proxy unit, Doppelganger, Peter-Parkedcar, Malala Windsor, Spider-Canada, Spider-Monkey, Spider-Wolf and Julia Carpenter.”

My eyes narrowed. “There you are.” I muttered, eyes tracking the cluster of red pings converging near the Lower East Side. “Like moths to a flame.”

I flicked an icon on my wrist and a comm-link opened to the Spider Gang assembled in the forward hangar bay. Miles, Gwendolyn, Gwen-65, Peni, Margo, Pravakar, Hobie, Peter B., Noir, Ham and Frank Castle snapped into focus above the console.

“Listen up,” I began, my voice calm but edged with the authority that made soldiers straighten and Spider-People go quiet. “O’Hara and his squad have been in this dimension for more than 12 hours, searching for the siphon but they've found it some time ago when the Wraiths made a beeline for the Helicarrier. I’m reading eight active signatures heading straight toward Stewart Air National Guard Base, they probably plan on hijacking a C-17 Globemaster III. That means we’re out of prep time.”

“Eight?” Peni asked, glancing at her holographic HUD. “He’s bringing a whole task force?”

“Eight’s not enough.” Frank grunted. “That spider freak’s got the discipline of a private and the ego of a god.”

Gwen frowned. “So what do we do? You want us to intercept?”

My gaze slid to Miles. The young Spider-Man was tense, shoulders drawn tight, his mask hanging loose in one hand. “No. You’re not intercepting, that's why I brought the air cavalry and infantry. Miles, listen carefully.”

Miles blinked, uncertain. “Me?”

“You need to find your family.” Isaid firmly. “Your mom, dad and Ganke Lee. The Spot’s after them. Forget Miguel, forget the Spider Society. Right now, the only mission that matters is keeping your family safe.”

Miles’s hands clenched. “But the city, Spot’s portals, everything’s falling apart! I can’t just run off...”

I cut him off, my tone unyielding but not unkind. “You’re not running. You’re saving. The others will handle crowd control. Contain the damage, evacuate civilians, keep the quantum tunnels from swallowing entire city blocks. I need you where you belong, protecting the people you love.”

Miles hesitated, torn between duty and fear. “And who’s stopping Spot?”

I didn’t answer immediately. My gaze flicked toward the viewing window where the city skyline shimmered beneath the invisible cloak of the Helicarrier. Through the holographic map, a dimensional rupture pulsed like a heartbeat gone wrong.

“We will.” I said finally.

Gwen-65's eyes went wide with horror. “Peter, you can’t face that thing alone! He’s...he’s pure dimensional energy now!”

“I know exactly what he is.” I said and for a heartbeat my tone darkened. “He’s a walking vacuum anomaly held together by hate and he’s mine to deal with.”

A hush fell over the group. Even Gwendolyn’s eyes flickered with concern behind her ethereal white face plate.

Miles swallowed. “Wait, you? As in you’re gonna fight him yourself? As much as the War Pattern Helios is impressive, it isn't capable of fighting him is it?”

I smirked. “Oh, don't worry I brought an upgrade.”

The deck lights dimmed. A section of the hangar wall rotated, revealing a sealed platform surrounded by energy conduits and stasis locks. Inside stood a towering silhouette. Bulky, angular and alive with restrained light. The War Pattern Helios Mk.II.

The armor’s surface shimmered like Obsidian, threaded with blue veins of energy. Each joint pulsed faintly as if it had a heartbeat of its own.

Miles’s eyes widened. “No way. That’s...”

My tone softened, though my eyes were still cold. “You asked who’s fighting Spot? Look outside.”

Miles frowned and turned toward the viewports that lined the hangar. For a moment, he saw nothing only the hazy clouds of New York’s night sky. Then, faintly, he caught movement.

A streak of black and crimson tore across the clouds like lightning. It fell fast, too fast and yet perfectly controlled. The shockwave from the descent rippled across the skyline.

Miles’s breath caught in his throat. “That...That’s me?”

I looked at him and nodded once. “A failsafe holographic duplicate. Built from your own quantum signature and movement data I recorded back at the Collider. He's being piloted by Scarred Peter. He’ll keep Spot focused on the fight while we complete the containment cycle.”

“So… that’s the plan?” Peni asked quietly.

“Yes.” I replied. “Holographic musculature overlay powered by a self sustaining energy matrix that powers itself by absorbing electromagnetism. Real enough to hit and be hit.”

Miles stared, eyes wide. “You made a fake me to fight a walking black hole?”

I grinned, the edge of old mischief breaking through the commander’s calm. “Welcome to my paranoia.”

Frank chuckled. “Hell kid, take it as a compliment. Means the boss thinks you're important enough to invest that much.”

Gwendolyn stepped closer to me, her voice softer. “Peter… don’t die. Promise me you’ll come back.”

I looked at her, really looked and for a moment the battle vanished from my eyes. “I will always come back.” I said.

“Liar.” She said, smiling faintly through her mask.

“Every good husband’s one when it comes to worrying his wife. But this one isn't a lie."

The comms buzzed again. Clanker's voice sharp, urgent. “Warning. Quantum instability rising across five boroughs. Spot’s spatial web expanding.”

I straightened, all warmth gone from my face. “You all know your assignments. Miles, find your family. Frank, deploy the Spartans to sector three and begin evacuation. Gwen, Margo, Peni, Peter B., Pravakar and the rest of you handle dimensional tunnel disruption. No crossfire, no solo heroics. The last thing we need is another dead weight.”

Miles pulled his mask back on, fists trembling with resolve. “You sure you can take him, Peter?”

I gave a half-smile that was both weary and fierce. “Kid, I’ve been fighting monsters both within and outside all my life. This one just happens to wear physics as his skin.”

The hangar deck opened beneath the Helios armor’s platform. Gwendolyn placed a hand against the glass, watching as her husband stepped into the armor. The plates folded over me like closing wings.

“War Pattern Helios Mk. II, online.” Clanker announced.

My voice came through the comms, metallic and steady.

“Let’s bring the dawn, people.”

And with that, the Helios armor’s thrusters ignited a flare of white-gold light and Peter fell into the storm below.

Miles watched the streak vanish into the city and whispered, awed and terrified.

“Guess that’s what happens when a Spider-Woman marries the storm that made her world.” Gwen-65 murmured.