"Peter, I'll make you feel the pain of losing someone dear!"
Peter Parker zoned out for a split second, and Harry lobbed a pumpkin bomb.
In Charlie's exasperated gaze, Peter Parker was blown to bits by the explosion.
Boom~
Flames surged, and Harry swooped low on his glider, landing in front of Charlie.
"That guy doesn't seem off. Maybe he's just a bit stronger," Harry said, scratching his head.
Charlie's mouth twitched. "What kind of strongman punches someone to pieces?"
"But Harry, where'd you get that line?" he asked.
Harry shrugged. "Made it up on the spot."
Charlie gave a thumbs-up. "You're a natural."
Mary Jane piped up, "Keep going?"
Charlie thought it over. "That first punch already gave him away, but he's onto us. Dragging him into another dream won't do much."
"So what now?" Harry asked.
Charlie grinned. "He didn't fall for it in the dream, but reality's another story."
He looked at Harry. "Tell Captain Carter to arrange some actors."
"Me?"
Harry pointed at himself. "Go to Carter? You kidding? Her training's brutal. I don't want to deal with her outside work hours."
"Then you do it," Charlie said to Mary Jane. "You're both women. Should be easy to talk."
Mary Jane gave him a side-eye. "You sure? She's already regretting letting me join the Avengers."
"Why?"
"Because she can't remember why she agreed to it."
Charlie: "..."
A world full of dementia patients. Enough already.
"Fine, I'll talk to her myself."
The dream faded, and the red-and-blue figure swung toward the floating island.
The next day, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vampire hunt kicked off.
Between skyscrapers, green contrails sliced through the air, chasing a swarm of black bats.
"Target sighted. Morbius will hit Sector B in ten seconds."
"Got it."
With Harry's heads-up, in Sector B's high-rise, Barton drew his bow, arrows cutting off the bats' escape.
Boom!!
The arrows exploded mid-air, flames spreading wildly. The bats flapped in panic, veering another way.
Barton tapped his earpiece.
"Target's been pushed to Sector C."
"Got it. My turn."
On a Sector C rooftop, Old Man Steve crouched behind a low wall, shield in one hand, hammer in the other, ready to strike.
But oddly, the bats seemed to get a tip-off. Just before reaching Sector C, they dove into a dense residential area, leaving Old Man Steve baffled.
"Damn it, this isn't what we planned!"
He quickly alerted Carter.
In the command room, Carter locked onto the bats' vanishing point, frowning.
"Sudden change in trajectory. He knows what we're up to."
She glanced at Charlie. "Now what?"
Charlie rubbed his chin, then shook his head. "Nothing for it. We wait for next time."
Just then, Nick Fury barged in.
His face stern, he grilled Carter and Charlie. "Who authorized you to use the system without a report?"
"Oh, crap, this guy's fishing for attention again," Carter groaned, covering her face, hating the feeling.
Charlie glanced at Fury, then leaned toward Carter's ear.
"Your promotion machine's starting up."
"What?" Carter raised an eyebrow.
Charlie whispered, "His wife's a Skrull. Take him down!"
"A Skrull?"
Carter's eyes lit up with glee.
"Perfect. Leave it to me."
As the two schemed, Fury strode forward, about to say more, when Carter swiftly subdued him, forcing him to his knees.
"What are you doing?"
Fury shouted, while the surrounding agents gaped in shock.
"Captain Carter, you—"
Carter pinned Fury down, pulling out her phone to call her family.
Moments later, as agents drew weapons on Carter, she smirked coldly and declared, "I have proof Fury's colluding with aliens. You'd better wait for the results before deciding to shoot."
"What?"
Her words stunned everyone. Natasha, frowning, snapped, "Impossible! Fury's not that kind of guy. Let him go!"
Natasha adjusted her electromagnetic weapon for a precise rescue, but a sudden web snatched it from her waist.
"Spider-Man, you and Carter trying to start chaos?"
Coulson burst in, shouting, only to be knocked out by a taser from Agent Hill.
Bang~
Coulson hit the floor, twitching. Hill shrugged. "Sorry, I'm actually Spider-Man's mole."
The room gasped.
"She's really a mole?" Carter looked at Charlie, surprised.
Charlie thought for a moment. "Probably!"
He wasn't entirely sure.
Soon, the standoff ended as the investigative bureau arrived.
They brought a green-skinned alien woman.
The moment Fury saw her, his face went ashen.
Charlie felt a wave of relief.
"Lock them in separate rooms," he ordered.
He had no interest in seeing goons cozying up with green-skins.
…
Three days later, with evidence gathered, Nick Fury was forced out of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Next came Carter's promotion and raise.
As the perfect promotion machine, Charlie took over Carter's old role, becoming S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Spider-Captain.
Sweet!
History's a cycle.
Even demoted from "God of Earth" to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s number two, taking down Fury again made it worth it.
But the bad news? Once Carter took charge, her first move was to use her position to harass her strongest subordinate, Spider-Man.
"Want S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources? You know what to do."
In her office, a smug Carter tossed Charlie a keycard.
"Tonight, my room. We'll have a nice chat."
Charlie: "???"
"Hold up, who taught you that?" His face was pure exasperation.
Carter blinked. "Some woman, I forget who. But I'm sure it works." She said it dead seriously.
Charlie: "..."
Ever since Ophidia scored, her disciples were multiplying.
But the invincible Spider-Man wouldn't cave.
Eyes resolute, he stared Carter down, declaring firmly, "I! Won't!"
With that, he stormed out of the office.
Spider-Man bows to no authority!
But just as he reached the door, Carter's voice softened behind him.
"Fine, my castle then. That work?"
"Castle?"
Charlie paused, raising an eyebrow. "For real?"
"Of course."
"Alright, then I—"
"Commander, we've got trouble," Coulson burst in, breathless. "The Skrulls broke out Fury and that woman."
"Hm?"
Carter frowned. "Looks like tonight's off."
She stood, telling Charlie, "You're on leave for a few days. I'll call you when I'm done."
"When you're done?"
Charlie was disappointed. "Fine, but let me know quick. I'm out."
Leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Charlie returned to Bleecker Street.
"I'm back."
Stepping inside, he saw a cozy family scene.
Richard, Mary, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and Peter Parker holding Baby Kingpin…
Charlie felt like an outsider.
"Damn it!"
He slammed the door and stormed out, leaving his stunned family behind.
"What's wrong with him?" Peter asked, confused.
Uncle Ben thought for a moment. "Probably off to see Mary Jane next door."
Peter shook his head. "I'll check on him."
Setting down Baby Kingpin, he stepped outside, scanning the street but finding no sign of Charlie.
He walked to a nearby storage room.
Creak~
The old door opened slowly, faint light spilling through.
Under the sunlight, dust floated in the air. A shadow stirred in the corner.
"I smell Spider-Man," Morbius said.
Peter nodded. "Yeah, he was here."
He closed the door and handed Morbius a vial of chicken blood.
"Stay here for now. Once the heat's off, I'll get you out."
"I'm not leaving."
Morbius gritted his teeth. "I need to fix my mutation. The Richards are my only shot."
"Don't go after them."
Peter's eyes turned cold. "I promised you I'd handle it."
Sensing the killing intent in Peter's gaze, Morbius sneered. "You really think you're their kid? I saw through you, you fake. You're—"
"Shut up!"
Peter snapped, metallic spider-legs glinting in the dark, piercing Morbius's abdomen.
Pfft!
As blood flowed, Morbius looked horrified.
He hadn't even seen the attack coming.
Clutching the wound, his immortality kept him alive, though the pain was real.
He glared at Peter. "You're scarier than I thought. Why help me?"
Peter retracted the spider-legs, taking a deep breath to quell his rage.
"I swore to myself I'd be a just person."
"That's your vow?"
Morbius scoffed. "Once you're on the wrong path, there's no turning back. Too late to be a hero."
"Not too late. I've been reborn. I have time to make it right."
"Heh, naive. We're the same—doomed to skulk in the shadows. Living in the light? That's a dream."
Morbius's words silenced Peter.
A dream?
In the dream from a few nights ago, he'd sensed someone doubting him.
He hadn't been fully exposed, but cracks were showing. Trouble was coming.
So when S.H.I.E.L.D. chased Morbius, he'd sabotaged their plan.
They'd clearly wanted Morbius to flee to Bleecker Street in Queens to flush him out.
Peter was clever.
He'd noticed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s commander had changed, which tipped him off.
Hiding wouldn't work anymore. It'd only make things worse.
Time to talk.
After a moment's thought, Peter looked up at the ceiling.
"Come out. I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Morbius flinched as blue triangular eyes appeared on the ceiling.
"Hey, I saw your metal spider-legs. You're a Spider-Man too, right?"
Charlie flipped down, landing. Morbius tensed.
"Relax, I'm not here to nab you."
Charlie glanced at him. "But you'd better control your instincts. Stop eyeing my neck's veins, or I'll yank out your teeth and send you to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lab."
He turned to Peter. "So, who are you really?"
"I'm Peter Parker."
Peter met his gaze. "I'm really your brother. If you don't believe me, we can get a DNA test."
Charlie slapped his forehead. "I'm done with hospital tests. You know—never mind, you don't."
Arms crossed, he sized Peter up. "Why help Morbius?"
"Because I pity him. He needs help. Helping the weak is Spider-Man's duty."
"What?"
Charlie clutched his chest, staggering. "Such a kind guy. You make me feel cold, cruel, and unreasonable."
He asked, "Why hide yourself in the dream world?"
Peter's face was earnest. "I was afraid you wouldn't accept me. I'm a good person, but that takes time to prove."
"What?"
Charlie stumbled back again. "Such a thoughtful brother. I'm ashamed."
He clutched his heart, then added, "Can you not act so sweet and sensible in front of Aunt May? It makes me look petty."
Peter went quiet, then spoke.
"They're my family. They love me, and I love them. I'll treat them with sincerity and kindness. It's what we owe them as the younger generation."
Pfft!!
It was like one of Barton's arrows hit Charlie's chest.
He staggered to the corner, clutching his head in a frenzy.
"No!! I'm awful! I'm not human! I doubted such a good Peter Parker. I deserve to die!!"
He bolted out of the storage room, sprinting into the sunset.
This was his lost youth.
Bang!
On the street, Mary Jane, back from grocery shopping, was knocked over by a sudden idiot, and she snapped.
"Jerk! Yelling in your suit in broad daylight? You nuts?!"
Grumbling, she crouched to pick up her scattered items. Peter, chasing after, hurried to help.
"Sorry, he's my brother. He's been emotionally unstable lately. I apologize for him."
"Unstable?"
Mary Jane scoffed. "He's really sick."
"Yeah, I'll make sure he sees a doctor."
"No need, I'll take him—"
Before they could finish, Charlie appeared beside them.
Pointing at Peter, he laughed triumphantly. "Haha, caught you! You sneaky jerk hitting on my girlfriend! I won't let you off!"
Peter: "..."
He silently pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Hello, I need to book a psych appointment. Yes, the best doctor. My brother's really sick. How bad? Uh, he's practically dead."