Somebody Needs a Chill-pill
We were both looking up at the renovating statue. Thankfully my summer camps learning to sail came in handy for us to get out here. In that we found a boat with a motor.
Venomette was wrapped tight by a tentacle ever since we got on the boat. Otto did not do well on the trip, and he’d held onto us the entire time. We tried not to dwell on his fear of water, just adjusted ourselves within his grasp to drive the boat.
“What’s with the shield?” Otto wheezed, still crouched close to the ground. His bottom tentacles were dug deep into the rocks, the one free looking around in a deliberate way like surveillance.
“Captain America,” We growled. “An Avenger, he was one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.The original super soldier. Who died to reset our timeline here.”
“Ah,” He said, like it made no sense. We quirked an eyebrow down at him, smiling with our shark teeth.
“We smell three Spiders,” Venomette said, testing the air again. “One seems similar to you.”
“Peter?” Otto stood suddenly, listing to the side before he caught himself. “We have to help them!”
“Nothing is happening yet,” We reminded him. “They’re just chatting, and we’re waiting until the others show up… including the Green Goblin.”
“Norman isn’t in control,” Otto muttered, making and releasing fists. He seemed to just recognize Venomette was still wrapped in his grasp and he let go suddenly. But we caught the end of the tentacle, looking at it critically.
“What kind of scientist are you again,” We asked, examining the wiring.
“Nuclear physicist,” Otto was transfixed on what we were looking at.
“So, not a robotics guy, and yet you made this,” We mused, letting go. “But, still a math guy.”
“Still a math guy,” Otto chuckled, hugging himself. He seemed to turn inward then, his eyes unfocused from what we could see over the glasses.
We looked up again, seeing a blob of electricity forming. Sand was coming up over the water too. We couldn’t see the Lizard, but assumed he was here already. Just missing the Goblin.
A human hand touched our forearm, all four actuators trained upward. We didn’t look immediately, feeling him tremble there. There was a weight in our chest too.
Helping the Peters was important, but their goal was still the same, we assumed. To send everyone back to their worlds. Cured, but still gone. Out of reach. I didn’t like it.
“It looks like it’s time, dear,” He said softly, like he could read my thoughts.
“We will stay in the shadows, helping where we can, you need to go higher, father,” Venomette said, sounding sad too. Otto stiffened beside us but we saw him nod before being pulled away by the tentacles.
Our method was to climb directly up the statue, tracking around in a spiral to get a lay of the land. There was definitely three Spider-Men, but their coordination was poor. One caused the other to go flying by shooting a poorly timed web. We saw the glint of Otto’s harness too, he was staying on the perimeter, out of sight but pushing closer.
When the Lizard went flying by, we flattened against the arm of the Statue of Liberty. We went up further, to the end of the arm, hovering behind the shield. The harness gave Otto away again, he was across from us down hanging off scaffolding. We didn’t like him there, he seemed too close.
“Father can hold his own,” Venomette said to reassure ourselves. We moved further around, seeing a golden circle opening that put our teeth on edge. Through it was a high school lab, with Ned and MJ taking the cube. Then the Lizard shot in, so we launched ourselves like a rocket into him.
“Oh my god!” Ned was doing something with his arms as we crashed in, pinning the Lizard to the ground. He wrapped his tail around our throat, so we opened our jaws wide, ready to go for the head.
“No!” MJ yelled, throwing a composition book at me. “Don’t kill him!” We didn’t have time to recover from the stuttering movement, and the Lizard threw us into the wall. We bounced back up, webbing him to the floor. As he was thrashing we jumped on again, slamming his back into the ground.
“I will kill you,” He roared, and we smiled, grabbing his throat and pulling him up where his legs and tail couldn’t reach. Ned was still flailing, unsuccessful in whatever he was doing.
“We think our father would end you himself if you did that,” We laughed, throwing him with impressive force through the golden ring, back to the Statue of Liberty. We watched him skid across the wood, unable to stop before flying off the end. MJ stepped in front of us, looking up.
“Um, thank you,” She waved her hands for us to exit and we raised an eyebrow.
“Little mice, be careful,” Venomette said, patting her head before we ran out the circle on all fours. We dove back under the scaffolding, right into one of the taller Peters who stopped dead.
“Peter Two!” He yelled, looking us up and down. “Your black alien showed up! How do we fix them?”
We watched as presumably Peter Two swung by, almost missing his next thwip to land next to the other guy. He was looking us up and down, his body language screaming attack.
“He’s not setting off the tingle,” Peter Two yelled to the other Peter.
“You’re right,” The original Peter who found us said, gesticulating from his head to us. “It’s not there!”
“You two need some help?” Peter from this universe landed between them, before he saw me and stepped forward. He was trembling, which made the older two exchange a look.
“Hello Peter,” We said and the original one took several steps forward, hugging us suddenly. We felt our body shrinking to a normal person, hugging him back for a second before we both pulled away.
“Okay, so this black alien is a friend?” The tallest one was looking at our Peter.
“No, no,” He said, turning in front of us as we grew to size again. “This is, uh, Venomette? They also go by Galen, who saved me and May earlier, they’re on our side, I think anyway.”
“Oh you think,” Peter Two was watching intently, still uneasy. We did a small wave, which did not earn any points because we tried smiling too.
“You know, this is not the weirdest thing today,” Tall Peter said casually. “But I am now scared I have yet to meet my shark toothed black alien goo monster since you both have one.”
“We wouldn’t worry,” Venomette said, shrugging. “Our kind has not entered your plane.”
“Uh, so that’s ominous, don’t like that,” Tall Peter said, holding his head.
“Can we focus?” Peter Two said quickly. “We still have to finish here.”
“Right,” Both our Peter and Tall Peter said before leaping back into the fray. Peter Two was still staring at me. ET pulled back our face mask, and I smiled tightly.
“You’re not Eddie,” Peter Two said hollowly.
“No, but someone else is around who you do know,” I offered. “He’ll find you sooner or later.”
“The Goblin?” He looked away for a moment, my face covering again.
“Our dad,” We whispered before doing an excessively unnecessary back flip off that area. We swung up and over, seeing a glint of metal and directing towards it. He was lower again, only about halfway up the available scaffolds. We landed gently next to Otto who was incredibly focused on a shape coming toward the island.
“Norman is closing in,” He looked at us as ET completely retreated, saving energy. I shook out my limbs, coughing a moment, squinting at the enlarging dot.
“Good thing you’re here then,” I remarked, bumping a tentacle with my leg.
“He’s not going to listen to reason,” My dad sounded sad. I took a half step closer, the lower tentacle arching around my legs but stopping before touching me. Like a protective dog, eager to be present but waiting for an invitation to come closer.
“Well, I’d still love to break his neck,” I rumbled, earning me a look. “But since he’s a friend of yours, I suppose we just stop him from wreaking havoc. Until Dr. Strange shows up…”
Otto stiffened at that, his human arm pulling me against him. I was smiling like an idiot, ignoring the discomfort of his harness in my side. The two actuators were curled towards me. I patted the lower one absently, as we watched the dot becoming too close to ignore. It was definitely him.
“When Dr. Strange sends us all back.” Otto started, reflexively crushing me closer. “I hope I can still remember you… you’re so much like Rosie.”
“Mom used to get hammered, only one day a year, the same one, and she wouldn’t stop talking about you. Told me all the things she missed, how she wished she’d been at the lab, not running late. She always thought she could have saved you.” I sighed, leaning my head down. “I guess in the scheme of the universe, it’s always you or her.”
Otto didn’t say anything, but I felt how shaky he was breathing. The Goblin was visible to the naked eye now, flying towards the shield. A larger golden circle opened, revealing Dr. Strange who was radiating murderous energy even from here.
“Show time,” ET said to both of us, swallowing me in their inky black. We looked down on Otto now, who had wet streaks down his face. One of our hands went to his shoulder, and he hesitantly put one of his over it. I felt a small part of ET squeeze off, latching to his leather duster. Otto didn’t seem to notice.
With a final parting nod we squatted and jumped straight up to Strange. His cape fluttered wildly at us as he only gave us a sidelong glance. All three Peters were in front of him, already scolding him about being in the Grand Canyon. I have no idea what he was doing there but Venomette found it infinitely amusing.
“Why weren’t you helping him?” Peter Two was all bunched up, furious.
“He needed you!” Tall Peter was livid, hands on his hips.
“Guys, guys,” Our Peter had his hands up. “I put him there, so I had a chance to cure everyone, help them back in their universes.”
That directed the conversation to him, both older Peters now reaming him as Strange looked at us curiously. He turned towards us, opening and closing his mouth a few times before speaking.
“I realize that one of the men pulled here,” Dr. Strange swallowed again, our eyes boring into his. “Is your father, right? A version of him.” We nodded slowly, and Strange smiled tightly, patting our upper arm.
“We know he can not stay,” Venomette sounded stronger than I felt about it, glaring at the cube which was somehow back with Strange. A dark part of me wanted to snap it in two.
“I wish he could,” Strange remarked with unexpected sadness. “We all wish we could hold onto those we lost, but I am glad you got some answers anyway.”
“Many questions as well,” Venomette urged, gesturing to the three Spiders with our shoulder.
“Ah, well… after all this, stop by sometime,” Strange whispered. “Wong and I can try to help.”
“There’s the Goblin,” Peter Two said almost in anguish. We stayed by Dr. Strange, feeling Otto coming up the side. Goblin was flying from a ways out, but then he blinked out of view with clouds.