Charlie silently watched the Spider-Men, saying nothing.
He beckoned, and Harry jogged over.
"Ready to go?"
"Let's go."
A golden portal opened, and their figures vanished within.
In that moment, the golden portal framed their silhouettes like a rising sun.
The Spider-Men stared, stunned.
"Why… why didn't Harry ask him about being Spider-Man?"
"Yeah, why? I want to know…"
"Trusting your friend unconditionally—that's a beautiful memory we once had."
"Too bad… we don't have it anymore."
"He'll live happily with Harry, right?"
"No, he should be with Mary Jane. Harry can't mess that up."
"Wrong, it should be Gwen."
"No, no, I think it's Felicia."
"Your girlfriend's so niche."
"Really? That's embarrassing."
"I think you're all wrong. He's definitely with Doctor Octopus."
The Spider-Men gaped at the old Spider-Man in the crowd.
"Are you serious?"
They all looked disgusted.
Old Spider-Man blinked, confused. "In your worlds, isn't Doctor Octopus a cute girl?"
The Spider-Men shook their heads.
"He's a fat slob."
"He's a crusty old man."
"She's a menopausal middle-aged woman."
"Oh, sh*t, I'm the heretic."
Scruffy Peter burst out laughing, hands on hips.
"If you want to know about Charlie Parker's personal life, ask me."
"You?"
The Spider-Men's gossip ignited, crowding around Scruffy Peter.
"Spill it! Who's he with?"
"I'm dying to know."
"A Spider-Man this unique? His girlfriend's gotta be hard to guess."
"Of course."
Scruffy Peter leaned in, whispering, "I heard—just heard, don't take it seriously or spread it."
"Why?" they asked, puzzled.
Scruffy Peter smirked mysteriously. "Because it might be Captain Carter."
"Carter?"
The Spider-Men exploded.
"My God, that jerk stole the Captain's heart? That's insane."
"No!! The Captain? That woman's terrifying."
"Oh, my gosh, that's wild."
"Boo-hoo, I'm so jealous. In my world, Carter's New York's richest."
"I'm so envious!"
"I'm so pissed!!"
The Spider Society sank into deep sorrow.
...
In the central Spider-Man universe, Charlie and Harry stepped out of the portal.
"Where are we?"
Harry eyed the strange building, confused.
Charlie headed toward an elegant attic. "Kamar-Taj."
"Massage?"
"Kamar-Taj."
"Oh, time for a good rubdown."
"This is Kamar-Taj!"
At the entrance, Master Wong blocked Harry, face dark. "The Ancient One doesn't give massages."
Harry blinked. "Can you give me one?"
Wong snorted. "Impossible. I'm a noble sorcerer—"
"I've got money." Harry pulled a card from his pocket.
"Satisfy me, and swipe whatever."
"Whatever?"
Wong's eyes lit up, taking the card with both hands.
"Happy to serve."
He flashed a professional smile.
Yes, he hadn't expected a side hustle here.
Ignoring Harry and Wong's exchange, Charlie found the Ancient One.
"You're here," she said, eyes closed, feigning sleep.
Charlie nodded. "How's Mary Jane?"
The Ancient One opened her eyes slightly, smiling. "I've kept her safe."
"I mean, how do I bring her back?" Charlie asked.
She studied him. "You have a way, don't you?"
Charlie thought. "She loves looking pretty. She'd never agree to be a bionic robot."
The Ancient One smiled. "Her body's decayed, but we could clone another."
Charlie took a deep breath. "Then she'd have two souls."
"You don't like two at once?" she teased.
Charlie's face darkened. "I'll pay. Tell me what to do."
She didn't answer directly.
Unhurried, she said, "If you face an unsolvable problem, it will help."
"It?"
Charlie frowned, guessing who "it" was.
"Too risky. I don't like gambling," he shook his head.
"What about him?" she asked.
Charlie's eyes narrowed. "I'm done dealing with Mephisto for now. It's a bad call—he won't let me win this time."
"Then it's up to it."
She closed her eyes. "Until you succeed, I'll protect her soul."
"Thanks."
Charlie didn't linger, turning to leave the attic.
"Harry, let's go."
He found Harry in Wong's room, shirt off. Charlie paused.
"If this is your choice, I respect it."
He opened a portal.
"Wait, let me explain!!"
As Charlie stepped through, Harry grabbed his clothes and followed.
Wong stared as they vanished, scratching his head.
"Their relationship's complicated. Spider-Man's under too much stress, so he does this.
Yeah, that's it."
He pocketed his tools, chuckling.
"Haha, that guy forgot his card."
"Jackpot!!"
"Ancient One, I'm buying fried chicken tonight!"
...
New York, S.H.I.E.L.D.
"How long was I gone?"
In the office, Charlie grabbed a juice from the mini-fridge.
He sipped, surprised. "Fresh? Guess I wasn't gone long."
Carter, handling paperwork, didn't look up. "I just restocked. It's been three months."
"What?"
Charlie frowned. Continuous multiversal travel caused time dilation in the main world.
"How's that thing going?" he asked.
Carter kept flipping through files. "Per your instructions, all agents are busy. The open and covert conflicts between the Brotherhood of Mutants and the Skrulls are escalating. We haven't had time to investigate how many human leaders were replaced by Skrulls."
She paused, continuing, "The Skrull rebel leader's surfaced. His name's Gravik. Dissatisfied with Nick Fury's unfulfilled promises, he's taking action.
He's gathered Skrulls, aiming to overthrow this world and make Earth their territory.
G'iah's fought him a few times but can't beat him, so the Skrulls' internal issues are serious."
Charlie mused. "This Secret Invasion's about to end."
Carter finally looked up. "You've decided. If you show yourself and side with humans, Apocalypse and Gravik will target you.
If you die, it's fine, but while you were gone, we might not hold out."
Charlie shrugged. "Then you need to pick a side."
Carter nodded. "Got it. What's your plan?"
"Obviously, to be the man who saves the world again, Spider-Man—ugh, why am I sounding like that guy?"
Charlie cursed under his breath, vanishing into a portal.
That night, the invincible Spider-Man infiltrated the White House, publicly exposing Skrulls posing as human leaders.
Only in death do Skrulls revert to their true forms.
Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson received a list of suspected Skrulls.
It could bring him great danger—or unimaginable fame.
It'd make him the world's most talked-about figure.
Seeing the spider emblem on the list's bottom right, Jameson, cigar in mouth, laughed.
"Hahaha, I knew it! Spider-Man loves me the most. Fantastic!!"
Seeing Jameson get cocky, Betty sighed helplessly.
"If this gets out before we expose them, we'll die in a fire or car crash."
Jameson waved it off. "Spider-Man won't let us get hurt."
"He can't protect us 24/7."
"He totally can. Spider-Man's unstoppable."
To prove it, Jameson walked to the balcony and jumped off the building.
"Brother-in-law!"
"Sh*t, don't let anyone know we're related!"
Jameson screamed in free fall, then landed in warm arms.
"Hey, that was really stupid."
Charlie set Jameson on a nearby rooftop, exasperated. "I'm really busy."
Jameson laughed. "Got it. Thanks for saving me again. I'll work hard."
He pulled out his phone.
"Hey, it's me, the great J. Jonah Jameson. Clear the printing factory workers. Tonight, I'm crafting a super explosive scoop."
Charlie gave a thumbs-up.
"For absolute secrecy, you're killing it."
"It's what I do."
Jameson sneaked a few photos of Charlie, pocketing his phone, satisfied.
"Alright, take me down."
The next day, a story broke New York's sky.
"My God, Senator Smith is a Skrull?"
"So is Senator Andrew."
"Three-quarters of the senators are Skrulls? What a terrifying alien race."
"We have to expose them!"
"Those trying to control humanity will pay."
"It's scary—how many more are Skrulls hiding among us?"
The Skrull news sparked panic, and General Ross, reading the list in the paper, was ecstatic.
"Hahaha, our chance is here!"
He rallied his troops, heading for larger military bases.
His rival had been replaced by a Skrull—nothing could be more thrilling.
"General, what if it's fake?" his aide asked, skeptical.
Ross sneered. "True or not, it doesn't matter. If they can't prove they're human, they're Skrulls.
And this is Spider-Man-verified. That bug's annoying, but he wouldn't lie about this."
At Spider-Man's mention, the aide shut up, pocketing his Spider-Man figurine.
Ross wasn't alone—military bases and congressional systems quaked.
Without the mutant threat, such news would've been buried. Interest groups don't collapse easily.
But with the Skrull list out, mutants acted swiftly.
Led by Erik, the Brotherhood of Mutants attacked congressional buildings. Skrull corpses appeared in public, making the list's authenticity undeniable.
Without public support, Skrulls posing as leaders had to reveal their powers to fight mutants.
In a dim, crumbling basement, dust and debris fell from the ceiling.
The chaos above was unstoppable, and the Skrulls gathered there whispered anxiously.
"The Skrulls are done. Gravik's led us to ruin."
"Damn Gravik. He's gone too far."
"Too crazy. Without Spider-Man, he might've succeeded."
They looked at Talos and G'iah, faces full of worry for the future.
"Leader, Gravik's exposed us. We're humanity's enemies now. They won't let us go."
"They won't believe we're innocent."
"I suggest contacting Gravik to fight humans and mutants together."
"No."
Talos refused firmly, face stern. "That's a point of no return."
"But we're already out of options."
Under the Skrulls' gazes, Talos hesitated.
Fully exposed, Skrulls faced hostility from mutants and humans alike. No one would believe they were the good guys.
Being a Skrull was guilt enough.
They had no other choice.
Nick Fury pushed through the crowd.
"Talos, we still have a chance. Don't decide rashly."
Fury's appearance stirred the Skrulls.
"It's your fault! Your incompetence put us in this danger!"
"Damn human, we never should've trusted you!"
"Get out! We don't want to see you."
"If he snitches to humans, we're done."
"Kill him now!"
"Kill him!"
The furious Skrulls surged toward Fury. Talos couldn't stop his terrified kin.
"G'iah, stop them!"
G'iah watched coldly.
She didn't support joining Gravik, but she also didn't want to protect this cotton-fluffing man.
Death was best.
But a dazzling light swept the room, its terrifying aura making G'iah tremble.
Her wish was thwarted.
No one could kill Nick Fury now.
Because of a woman.
A powerful woman.
His friend, the god who once saved the Skrulls!
She was back!!
Clad in a radiant suit, the "god" landed, exuding holy light.
Under the cosmic energy's pressure, the Skrulls instantly calmed.
Her piercing gaze swept them, none daring to meet her eyes.
In her arms, she held a lazy orange cat.
She was Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers!