The SyntheSpider Saga - Part 3
“ -time freeze- Quick recap, we’re kinda in a hurry: you remember Morbius, right? Ock’s assistant that went batty, literally?” Peter recalled the events in both flashback and fantasy scenario form. ”So, Arnim Zola and him took over Ock’s synthezoid research and also managed to recover his mutagenic DNA research too, making lots of unstable clones and hybrids, as well as a clone of my clone Scarlet Spider. After seemingly foiling their plan, he took this clone home with us, and named him Kaine. He IS a sweet kid, but he transforms into a monster SyntheSpider when he gets overly stressed. I was worried about people getting hurt and jealous of Ben being so firmly in charge of this whole thing… and we hurt each other.”
Spider-Man watched things around the streets from high up in his Spider-Cycle, Kid Arachnid holding firmly to him.
“Well, good news is that apparently Kaine hasn’t shown up so far. Bad news… Kaine hasn’t shown up so far.” Miles said, noticing Spidey’s unusual silence. “Sorry, trying to break the ice.”
“No, Miles, it’s not you. My head’s just so full now: we gotta find the SyntheSpider and get him back to the med bay, and watch out for Morbius and Zola anywhere, and I still have to make up with Ben… for everything.” His musing was cut by Spider Ma’am nearly hitting them with her Spider-Cycle.
“Sorry, Peter! I never drove one of these in my life, especially when your road is a web!”
“ -time freeze- Also, this is kind of Aunt May’s first official mission. I don’t really want her to put herself in danger, but 1: She’s capable of taking care of things, and 2: She once hit Absorbing Man to try helping me. In short, Aunt May rules, and might rule even more as Spider Ma’am. - time unfreeze - ”
Meanwhile in the skies, the Spider-Jet flew over Manhattan, not losing track of the team’s locations.
“Keep it steady, Kirby.” Cho asked, tapping the panel. Scarlet Spider stared at everything from the windows.
“I really hope we can find him. I can’t fail him again.” He muttered, Agent Venom listening.
“You didn’t fail Kaine. Or you’re talking about Spidey?”
“Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t doing a good job being a brother. Kaine’s out there, risking others and himself, and Peter and I-”
“Ben, calm down.” Venom grabbed his shoulders. “No one said having a family was easy; there are always bumps along the way, and you got to be willing to face them.”
“Venom’s right. And about Peter… You already did something you thought to be unforgivable and he forgave you, right?” Amadeus joined in, the statement getting him a glare from Venom. “Okay, that’s not helpful. The point is if he stood by you when you came back, he’d never abandon you. Peter never abandons anyone he cares about, even if he gets hurt along the way.”
“I guess...” Scarlet sighed, and then gently tapped Cho in the shoulder. “Thanks, Cho.” This surprised Amadeus: not always Scarlet said thanks to HIM. However, their moment was cut short by the sudden movement of the Spider-Jet… something had just pounced into the ship’s outside wall and was denting it.
“Uh, Spider-Man...” Amadeus was already calling Spidey on his comm.
“I know, Cho. I’m seeing it… and I can’t believe it!” Spidey, Kid Arachnid. Spider-Woman and Spider Ma’am were looking over to the streets. Melting-looking, deformed, Spider-Slayer-like synthezoids were attacking the street they were running across in their Spider-Cycles.
The SyntheSpider Saga - Part 3
The civilians ran from the melting creatures that attacked them. Spider-Man threw a web in the face of one of the leading ones.
“Hey, slime face! Come and face me!” He called its attention, luring it and a few more away from the people. With a diving maneuver, Spider Ma’am dived with the Spider-Cycle from the web it stood from and accelerated, Kid Arachnid and Spider-Woman pouncing against their enemies.
“Okay, that’s by far the most disgusting things I’ve faced.” MJ commented, noticing the goop from the enemy she was attacking with her spike whip splashing over her uniform and leaving visible footprints on the streets.
“Resistant or not, they’re still not stable like the ones we’ve seen before. I have a feeling this is only the first wave.” Kid Arachnid reflected as he electrocuted the synthezoid he was fighting against, which retreated for a minute before charging against him.
“First wave?” Spidey asked, dodging the attacks of his opponent.
“You know in a tower defense game when there are waves of enemies attacking and they get stronger?”
“It’s a good comparison, but we can’t protect the Triskelion from here.” Agent Venom commented, as he helped Scarlet and Iron Spider to expel their uninvited guests from the Spider-Jet.
“No, wait, it’s the other way around, Venom!” Cho understood the metaphoric idea. “These guys aren’t the enemies attacking, they’re the army guarding the tower!”
“And if we find this ‘tower’, we find the source of these things?!” Scarlet asked, both annoyed by the synthezoids’ persistence and rationalizing the plan.
“And with luck, Kaine as well.” Spider-Man understood. “Sounds like a plan to me, but how will we know where to start digging?” Just as he finished saying it, Aunt May knocked over the synthezoid he was fighting against with her Spider-Cycle, Miles and MJ luring their opponents to the same location. The synthezoids were thrown over by the impact of the vehicle, launching hard on the nearest surface, and leaving behind nothing but their goopy trail, in which the Spider-Cycle started sliding; gladly, with a precise drift, Spider Ma’am made a successful stop.
“How’s that for a good drive?” She commented, winking at her nephew who just replied with a close-eyed wide smile under his mask.
“Attention, two groups in two different directions! And one right here with us!” Amadeus guaranteed, helping Scarlet and Venom as Kirby sat in the control cabin, his eyes started glowing as he made the ship do a flip, the Web Warriors holding to the closest surface and the synthezoids sliding and falling off the Spider-Jet and into the city, turning into huge puddles of dripping goo.
“You taught him to do this, right?” Scarlet asked Iron Spider.
“We’ll split up to cover more ground.” Spider-Woman decided, taking a ride with Spider Ma’am while Kid and Spidey took the other way.
“I’m not even gonna say it...” Miles sighed out loud.
Meanwhile, in the heights of NYC, in a camouflaged ship, Morbius observed afar the next wave of synthezoids ready to attack.
“They may try resisting, but with our new source of power, our victory is guaranteed.” He boasted with an evil smirk.
“Once more, don’t underestimate them, Morbius. The Web Warriors are few, but they’ve proven to be a threat to our plans.” Zola repeated, before turning to their “guest" inside the ship. “Comfortable? I hope not.”
Kaine was strapped to what looked like an operation bed. He looked more like an adult, his hair grown big and a five o’clock shadow on his jaw. His muscles looked as firm as his brother’s, but he couldn’t make himself move out of there. “I must admit we took you and your power for granted, boy. But now you are where you truly belong.”
“Y-you… You did that. You made me do that...” Kaine struggled to say, while he felt the sting of Zola’s shocks.
“And whose fault is it in the end? You should have never left us, SyntheSpider. What made you think those Web Warriors, especially Scarlet Spider, would be able to help you?”
“I-I...”
“You are but a monster. One with a power that is in better hands now. You installed fear on your “family”. And fear ALWAYS wins.” Morbius added on the speakerphone, landing on top of the ship where they were. “They’d never take you back after that… but we are not them. You are being so useful to us now.”
Kaine wished he could speak, but he couldn’t make himself pronounce another word, both by heartbreak and weakness. All that escaped from him was a silent sob.
“I’m seeing our group of gooey adversaries! Should I electrify things for them?” Kid Arachnid suggested, in front of them, a duo of synthezoids frightening some civilians.
“I’ll make the voltage higher, but first...” Spidey decided, switching to his electric webbing while Miles leaped in front of the people the freaks were attacking. “Everyone get back to your homes or to the nearest hideout!” He warned the civilians, while fighting the other synthezoid. As soon as they collapsed into each other, their mass mixing and forming a single hybrid, the electrical attacks charged it to explode.
Aunt May and MJ drove in high speed not too far from there, seeing a three-headed-synthezoid, either a mixed hybrid or a very messy single one emerging from the sewers.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Spider Ma’am decided, picking up the manhole cover and launching it like a huge frisbee towards one of the heads of the things. Spider-Woman then used her spike arms to whip out and slash the creature’s goop off.
“Nice throw.”
“Yeah, though it definitely was heavier than a frisbee.” Spider Ma’am admitted, then seeing a gooey hand emerge from the open sewer, reaching for Spider-Woman’s leg. As she stepped away, it then reached for the puddle that the torn-apart creature was leaving as it melted. “Shouldn’t we feel these creatures coming?”
“Yeah, Spider-Sense proof bad guys are the worst.” Spider-Woman sighed, then looking up to the growing creature in front of them: the synthezoids were merging and growing into one.
Back to the Spider-Jet, Scarlet was outside the Spider-Jet fighting off the incoming invaders.
“Okay, really, how these things can fly up here?!” Venom asked out loud rushing to help Scarlet.
“Leaping ability, web shooting, possible regeneration, too many theories for which we have no time!” Iron Spider insisted, and nodded to Kirby; a signal for the robot coyote to activate the weapon. Immediately, the jet’s front spider legs stretched and displayed the sound weapons, the frequency aimed at the incoming synthezoids.
“It’s working, kid… but maybe too much.” Scarlet informed. Venom was covering his head with his arms, being equally affected by the frequency. As the Venom symbiote started to hiss and roar, one of the synthezoids tackled him off the jet’s surface. “Eugene, no!” Scarlet didn’t thought twice and leaped towards the falling hero with the irritated symbiote, to Iron Spider’s shock.
“Scarlet!”
Soon enough, Scarlet reached the fight in the sky and stabbed the deformed synthezoid, being helped by Venom’s tentacles shoving it away. Quickly, he made a parachute with his webbing, using his bolo-web technique, holding firmly to Venom as he calmed down.
“I’m fine… I’m okay.” Agent Venom panted, as Scarlet looked at him with relief and a bit endearment… until Flash realized what had happened. “Did you leaped from a jet for me?”
“Don’t make me drop you.” He said with a firm glare.
“Heh, fair enough.” Venom said, looking down for a moment afterwards and seeing the girls and the giant synthezoid in front of them. “Although...”
“Look up there!” Spider-Woman noticed something coming on their direction, as her and Spider Ma’am were grabbed by the giant. Agent Venom had just sent a missile in the synthezoid’s direction, exploding it.
“Wow, nice landing.” Spider-Woman complimented Spider Ma’am.
“Yoga classes, dear.” She explained as the other two Web Warriors landed safely.
“The underground route...” Scarlet understood, as he guided the team through the tunnels. “It’d explain them popping up in such random locations. And there might be more down here.”
“What about Amadeus?”
“If he gets that distraction of his working properly, he’ll blast his next guests and the freaks in the streets away.” Venom bitterly recalled the effect the sound frequency had on its symbiote. Spider-Man and Scarlet were just looking around, apparently avoiding eye contact, but without anger on their faces.
“So, we stopped the first wave, and by now the police and Code Blue is arriving to help secure the remaining civilians. Good.” Kid Arachnid broke the silence. “But where exactly is the tower?”
“Don’t worry, Miles, I’m studying the city’s streets map and triangulating the synthezoids’ former positions right now.” Amadeus informed him and the others, sending his analysis to Spider-Man’s watch. “The highest concentration, including the two groups you defeated, all point to Flushing hosting the ‘tower’.”
“So if you’re right, since we didn’t find anything here yet, there might be a wave of synthezoids waiting for us once we arrive at-” Spider-Woman theorized before Scarlet’s arm stood in front of her. “Oh.” She was right: many deformed synthezoids were marching through the tunnels, finding the way to the subways. “Is it scarier or more impressive the quantity of their army?”
“Maybe they recycle their goop for more?” Miles suggested.
“Ew. Nevermind.”
“They’re too many, and look a lot more resistant than the ones from the island… We can’t beat them all right here.” Agent Venom commented.
“We don’t have to yet.” Spider-Man decided, climbing up the walls. “Any chance you can make us invisible to their eyes, Miles?”
“Cho told me this extension was a beta, but it’s worth a shot.” Kid Arachnid nodded, taking Spider-Man’s hand. As the Web Warriors crawled over the walls, not letting go of each other’s arms or hands, protected by Miles’s camouflage, they went the opposite direction of the synthezoid horde, crawling up to the surface through the nearest manhole cover.
“Okay, the surface is clear for now.” Spidey determined as he helped the others up, once more avoiding stares with Scarlet.
“Oh, my- Look at this place!” Spider Ma’am watched the destruction across Flushing. “I hope at least the people are safe somewhere.”
“Or they’re all taking ringside seats...” Scarlet glanced over to the nearest location they should head to so they could look for the people… Citi Field.
“Although it’s technically baseball season.” Agent Venom remarked, getting stares from all the team, some glares and others confused. As they made their way there, the sound of a ship landing was picked up by them.
“Come in, come in, Spiders… come and watch the rebirth of the SyntheSpider Army!” Arnim Zola’s face immediately appeared on the Citi Field screen, clearly aware that the Web Warriors were just outside the stadium. Crowds of people were held hostage by the synthezoid army, unable to get out. In the center of the stadium, the ship stood, with Kaine tied down, his energy being used to charge up the synthezoid assemble machine.
“This is horrible...” Spider Ma’am commented as they finally arrived into the stadium. “Torturing a poor child like this... and forcing the people to watch it!”
“They don’t care if he’s a child or not, inside or outside. All Kaine is for them is a device to make their army!” Scarlet was infuriated, glaring at the prideful Morbius, standing at the center of the stadium like some kind of main attraction.
“Behold, citizens of New York! Watch in awe as the SyntheSpider glory spreads across your beloved city! Even those the intruders tried to spare will soon succumb to our army!” The batty doctor announced with a wide smile.
“He might not be a Dracula, but he sure knows how to show off.” Miles commented.
“I guess it’s far more… his posture and megalomania have grown since Ock turned him into a mutant.” Spider-Woman analyzed. “I think he’s losing his mind with it.”
“And he’s gonna lose his teeth soon.” Agent Venom was determined to get Morbius with his own hands.
“Everybody calm down. We need to get the people away from here and destroy that ship.” Spider-Man decided. “Where is Cho with that distraction?!”
“I’m afraid we provided a bigger delay to him, Spider-Man. For him and any possible backup you might expect.” Morbius looked over to the still camouflaged Web Warriors. “You can fool the Spider-Sense of the army, but you cannot fool my echolocation...”
“I had just announced their presence, Morbius. We both knew they’d come.” Zola barged in. Kaine lifted his head weakly, his vision blurry from exhaustion.
“Even so, I stand proudly where Octavius failed! Now with the SyntheSpider on our side, we’ll eliminate these pests once and for all!” Morbius decided, covering himself with his wings and morphing to his bat form, screeching loud for the army to attack.
Almost immediately, the army leaped away from the civilians and charged against the Web Warriors, now uncamouflaged and ready to battle. Spider-Man and Scarlet charged after Kaine, Spider-Woman whipping the incoming threats with her spike arms, Agent Venom charged against Morbius without any second thoughts and Spider Ma’am and Kid Arachnid climbed up to the seats to free the people from witnessing that “spectacle”.
“Hope you all have somewhere safe enough to be for now.” Miles commented as the crowd was making their way out once their hands and feet were unglued by the synthezoid goop mixed with webbing. “Things will get ugly.”
“Everyone, to the Rotunda!” Spider Ma’am decided, helping a little girl who tripped to get up and carrying her to her mother in the nearest crowd. Miles followed her without questioning.
“Kaine...” Scarlet looked at the tired aspect of his brother. “No, no... what have they done to you?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here as fast as we can!” Spider-Man assured him.
“N-no… I can’t go… I’m… I'm a monster. I made you hate each other.” Kaine lamented, his voice cracking.
“Is that what you think?!” Spidey’s eyes widened.
“That’s not true! Right?” Scarlet looked back at him.
“No! I never hated you, Ben!” It was Ben’s time to get wide-eyed. As Kaine hissed, more synthezoid clones were created by the fabrication machine, and Scarlet and Peter were back to back ready to fight them.
“Kaine, you have to understand: sometimes, families fight! And fight bad!” Spidey explained during the battle. “But if we really hated each other, or hated you, why would we be here to save you?!”
“He’s right! I should’ve explained this instead of pretending everything was under control and there weren’t any problems! Being a big brother is harder than I assumed, but I am not quitting on that!” Scarlet said, destroying his side of synthezoids. “And I am not quitting on you!” As they both finished destroying the synthezoids away, Venom was thrown at their direction by Morbius and luckily they dodged while sheltering their freed brother.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but maybe solve this later?” He stated, as he morphed to Feral mode, both Spiders nodding.
“None of us are quitting on you, Kaine. Not Scarlet, not me, not anyone. You deserve to be happy and have a family, including this reckless dummy here.” Spidey assured him, looking over to Ben who nodded. Kaine then gripped his chest and knelt: he still looked adult, but had more grayish hair and small wrinkles.
“You think freeing him makes a difference? We caught enough of his energy and genetic templates to keep producing synthezoids!” Zola announced from the stadium screen, before it was destroyed by Venom clashing against it, with Morbius in his firm grip.
Spider-Woman had just gone feral as well, dismantling all the synthezoids that charged against her. Soon, Kid Arachnid and Spider Ma’am returned to help, shooting electrical webs at incoming opponents the machine produced.
“I-it hurts...” Kaine laid on Scarlet’s shoulder. “B-Ben, it hurts...”
“It won’t take long, Kaine! I’ve pretty much lost my patience with Zola!” Spider-Man decided, ripping the machine to shreds with his own hands, and not minding the goop falling in his uniform. As Venom and Morbius’s battle reached the floor, the bat mutant glanced at Spidey, and screeched loudly at Agent Venom, disturbing the symbiote enough time to morph back into humanoid form and charge at him… and fail, thanks to the Spider-Sense.
“You made your synthezoids Spider-Sense proof, but forgot about mine?!” Spidey both teased and observed. “Guess your memory’s gone batty too.” Morbius hissed at him with his eyes wide as never and his hair messy.
“Your blood is mine!” He growled animalistically, shocking Spider-Man as he charged again… until Scarlet leaped on his back, getting his arm bitten in his place and being thrown away into the field. Kaine, who was laying into the ship’s structure, even with his blurry vision, recognized his brother was injured… and he would not take it anymore.
"Stop... all of you, STOP!" Gripping his fists, he threw his hands to the air with a loud growl, not fighting back as he transformed again into the SyntheSpider, to everyone’s surprise. Across the city, the synthezoids that were destroying everything on the surface and the ones in the underground, even melting on their way, started marching to the stadium. The Spider-Jet, who was just flying over Citi Field, still covered with the persisting synthezoids, soon had them all leaving, Cho looking over and sighing in relief.
“What the...” Venom, who had returned to normal and was about to help Scarlet up, saw the armies returning. “The synthezoids… they’re coming here now?!”
“Kaine...” Scarlet thought for a moment. “If he was cloned from me, he must have a control or a connection with these clones like I had with the Slayers…”
“But how did he-” Spider-Man was both stunned and amazed, before noticing Morbius trying to get away, but stopping him with a web and being aided by Spider-Woman’s spike arm.
“Let me go now! This fool might as well doomed his so-called brother!” He then looked up to the army landing and regrouping, but not stopping in front of Kaine. Rather, they were clashing against him one by one, being absorbed back; the synthezoid looked like he was returning to his adult human form.
The armies attacking the city were returning at large groups and high speed, practically climbing their way to meet their “leader”, one by one clashing against Kaine, becoming too much to absorb. His synthezoid mass started to grow, arms and legs’ muscles engorging and his face disappearing among the gigantic mess.
Taking the cue, Morbius slashed the web and MJ’s symbiote arm away and took to the skies, ignoring the noise the mass was making: Kaine’s distorted voice was groaning and whining. Ben was stunned, watching it happen with his eyes wide in shock.
“I’m here, I’m here! What did I-” Amadeus and Kirby were entering Citi Field together, and the boy was caught off guard by the horrific sentient mass. Spider Ma’am helped the others up and they hurried up to where Cho was standing. Peter also was stepping back to meet them.
“Oh, man, this is just like that japanese movie I watched!” Miles commented.
“Dude, no spoilers!” Cho looked over to him.
“Ben! Scarlet! Get out of there!” Peter called over to Ben, but the synthezoid remained in place, too shocked to move, and a tear streaming from his eyes. “Ben!” He repeated, and was about to go after him, when Flash pushed him aside and ran to Scarlet, sheltering him with his symbiote as the mass came in their direction. “NOOO!”
Inside the mass, inside a cocoon-like shelter, Flash held to Ben, the synthezoid finally reacting with shivering breath.
“Ben. Benny, I’m here...” Flash gently pulled out Ben’s mask.
“...I failed. I failed, Eugene... I couldn’t save him.”
“It’s not your fault! Morbius and Zola did that to him, you were trying to save him! We all were...” Flash looked straight into his eyes, but he had to accept what looked like the truth. “But we couldn’t. So… I guess I failed too.” He gave him a short smile, but looked about to cry too. As they embraced, accepting their fate, the symbiote started to open the cocoon…
Ben and Flash were then ejected out of the mass, landing nearby the wall of the team’s entrance hideout.
“Ben! Flash!” Peter hurried to them. “What happened there?!”
“The symbiote… it-” Even still in tears, Ben processed what just happened.
“V-Venom?! VENOM!” Flash looked back to the mass; it then started to back down, retracting to the stadium center, but not diminishing its stature. The symbiote then extended itself, covering the synthezoid mass and trapping it into a gigantic dome. The noises it emitted diminished, and the reactions on the dome were disappearing, until it expanded, the dome falling into gooey pieces all over the stadium.
The mass was dispersed by the Venom symbiote, pieces of synthezoid goop all over along with the black goo. It was Flash’s turn to fall to his knees in shock.
“Oh, my gosh...” Mary Jane finally said, the others joining Peter, Ben and Flash.
“The symbiote… It saved us. It saved the city.” Spider-Man stood up, concluding what just happened. Flash picked up a piece of the black goo, and held it in his hands, tearing up in silence for a moment. However, as it started moving, he followed it down to the field, where a few more pieces were reassembling, the Venom symbiote restructuring itself, growling with apparent dizziness. The blonde rushed to embrace him, not minding it slipping around his arms.
“Please don’t do this again.” He begged as it bonded to him again, merging into the warm hug. “I can’t lose you anymore...” Ben was happy Venom was okay… but still felt sad over losing-
The sound of a crying child then was heard by everyone. Spider Ma’am’s hand touched Scarlet’s shoulder and pointed out to the center of the field, to where they headed to, the others looking over in curiosity.
There lied a child in fetal position. A three-year-old child with short hair, which was brown with some blonde details; apparently he was naked, all covered in goop. Aunt May unsuited and took off her overcoat, handing it to Ben so he could pick up the child in his arms.
“Sshh… It’s over.” He soothed the child, who opened its eyes, now with cyan irises, and stopped crying. “Nobody will ever hurt you again. We’ll all take care of you, and you’ll live a good life... Kaine.” He finished that promise with a warm hug, tearing up again, this time with a relieved smile. The tiny, rejuvenated Kaine then relaxed in his arms with a smile of his own.
“All is good and all, but I have to ask… WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!” Amadeus asked out loud, not understanding what he just missed.
Back to the med bay, Connors executed a checkup on Kaine, who was now wearing a hospital robe. The others observed everything and waited for the new diagnosis.
“Well, I’m glad to say that Kaine will be okay.” He showed them the analysis. “There is a small piece of the symbiote in his body, and it managed to fix his metabolism, separating his immunity and aging from the cellular defect and providing more human DNA for his structure. It is now in a hibernation state, which might need some close studying… but only when Kaine starts getting older. And be sure that he’ll grow up and age as normal as any human.”
“Thank goodness.” Ben sighed softly, his arm bandaged. Luckily, he had no signs of vampirism in his own diagnosis.
“Flash’s DNA, obviously. It would explain his new look.” MJ looked over to the child, as it tried reaching for Dr. Connors’s folded coat arm. As it unfolded, he moved his arms away quickly, and Curt turned to him with a confused look, followed by a friendly smile.
“I swear, someday the world’s gonna run out of logic-defying stuff that surprises me.” Amadeus commented with Miles.
“I think it was way more than “surprise”.” Kid Arachnid teased, repeating the tone and gestures of Amadeus’ shock reaction to Kaine.
“Knock it off!” As the two started poking and laughing at each other, Peter carefully approached Ben. It was time.
“Ben-”
“I was terrified, Peter.” The synthezoid cut him before he could start. “I was so afraid I’d never see you again… So sure I’ve failed him, and failed you.”
“Fail me?! Never!” Peter grasped his shoulders.
“But I… I hurt you!”
“Because I hurt you! I know now more than anything you wouldn’t do that unless you were pushed to… And I pushed you, I’m sorry. All I wanted back there was to take care, protect you, and then I felt jealous and useless because you were taking care of everything on your own…”
“You’re not useless! I should’ve heard you so many times, o-or at least accept your help, but I was too busy trying to be better: a better teacher, a better teammate-”
“You ARE better, Ben. You don’t have to prove me or anyone anything! You don’t have to be me! I want you to be you. And when you were, things did work.” He pointed at Kaine. “Not all the time, but in the end, it paid off.”
“Peter…”
“You are good enough the way you are, Ben Reilly. And this here? I’ll live with it, if it means you understand.” He pointed to his own scar. “At least it’s one thing that makes us more alike.” Ben then pulled him close, hugging him tight.
“I’m so glad I’m your clone… and your brother.”
Flash gave the widest smile and MJ nodded as the Parker Bros finally reconciled; to that, Aunt May let out a silent sigh of relief. Ben then turned to his boyfriend and gave him a smile so warm that made his smile wider and his face red. No words were needed to get how grateful Ben was. Then both took notice of Kaine holding his hands up towards them.
“Okay, little bro. You are getting a hug too!” Peter assured, rushing towards the toddler with excitement, and lifting him in his arms. “We’re all gonna take care of you, Kaine, and it’s gonna be-” His happy speech was cut once that his hands touched his face; Peter shouted in shock and sudden pain, feeling something in his face burning. As Ben rushed to pick Kaine up, Peter covered his face for a moment. “Does it look bad?”
“Uh, tiger...” Mary Jane touched his shoulder and pointed to the nearest reflective surface; Peter gasped as he saw that his face was clean: the scar was gone and there were no burns despite what he felt. As he took the moment to process, he fell down on the floor, to everyone’s shock.
“That’s it. I’m done! No more synthezoid problems for today!” Peter complained out loud. “ -time freeze- Fade out, please!”