Eisen Apartments.
After surviving the "methane" explosion, Charlie settled Aunt May and the others, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
On the balcony, the cool night breeze brushed his face as he gazed over the neon-lit city, his thoughts drifting.
Since returning to this world, something felt off, an indescribable strangeness.
Friends, family… Maybe ten years apart had made things awkward. As for tonight's star, Thanos, Charlie brushed it off as a minor comedy act.
A cosmic tyrant as a punchline—yep, that tracks.
With that, he turned back to the room.
Wait, someone's missing. Eh, whatever, too tired. I'll deal with it tomorrow.
The next morning, the Bleecker Street methane explosion hit the news.
On the TV, a grizzled J. Jonah Jameson held his script, grimacing as he reported the smelly details.
It was a fragrant morning.
J. Jonah Jameson ruined breakfast for countless young people.
No, anyone hearing this news wouldn't want breakfast.
Charlie included.
"Aunt May, I'm off to work."
In the room, skipping breakfast, Charlie donned his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and vanished into a portal.
He wasn't sure why he had to wear a suit to work.
Just knew he couldn't stay home.
No job, and people look down on you.
Even Spider-Man.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., a chipper Charlie stepped into the elevator, smiling at his colleagues.
"Hey, morning."
"Eaten yet?"
"Nope, saw the news this morning."
"Me too."
"By the way, who are you? Haven't seen you before."
"Haven't seen you either. New guy?"
"Guess I'm the senior then. Nice to meet you, I'm Johnny, Coulson's cousin."
"Oh, a nepotism hire? Funny, me too."
After casual chatter with the young agent, Charlie exited the elevator, strode through the corridor, and knocked on Carter's office door.
"Come in."
Click
Opening the door, Charlie spotted Norman Osborn briefing Carter.
"Good lord, you used the door?" Norman gaped at Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not young anymore. Gotta show the boss some respect."
Norman smiled approvingly. "Good job, little Charlie. You're going places."
He nodded to Carter and left the office.
Watching Norman's back, Charlie frowned.
That strange feeling was back.
But his Spider-Sense stayed quiet.
Was it just his imagination? "What's wrong?" Carter's voice snapped him out of it.
Charlie turned. "Nothing. Just wondering about my job duties… actually, about that Earth King gig…"
He rubbed his hands, grinning awkwardly. "Any chance I can get it back?"
Carter rolled her eyes. "Forget that. With tech advancements, the world's rules have changed. Earth doesn't have kings—just fairness and justice."
She stood, pulling two juices from a hidden fridge.
"You've got three options."
Handing him a juice, she continued, "One, do nothing. I'll take care of you forever.
Two, keep being Spider-Man, but don't get your hopes up. There's not much room for you to shine. Robots handle crime now, almost as fast as you. In short, Spider-Man's obsolete. Even Cindy's Spider-Man is just a movie star doing ads.
Three, I'll set you up with a simple job. You won't be bored, and you won't worry about pay."
She raised her juice, clinking it with Charlie's.
"Like I said, I'll take care of you."
Charlie: "…"
"You don't drink juice, do you?" he asked, curious.
Carter shrugged. "Ten years changes people."
Charlie nodded. "Alright, I'll take option three. One condition, though."
"Name it."
"No one can know you're bankrolling me."
Carter: "…"
"Fine, deal."
Speechless, Carter sat, tapping her virtual computer.
"I've lined up your work. You're on airborn highway security. Just save any out-of-control flying cars."
"I'm a traffic hero now?" Charlie blinked, surprised.
Carter smiled. "Flying cars almost never crash. You can swing your webs around the city freely. It's perfect for you." She sent a virtual badge to his wrist computer.
Charlie tapped it, and a hologram projected a badge onto his chest—traffic officer.
"Kinda cool, actually."
It took him a moment to accept it.
"Nice to have connections. Thanks for the trust, boss."
Glancing at the time, he added, "Lunchtime's soon, but… I'm fasting. Off to work!"
He vanished into a portal.
After Charlie left, Carter's smile faded, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
…
For the next month, Charlie seemed to forget his Spider-Man identity, clocking in daily, working diligently.
Truth was, there wasn't much to handle.
Being a nepotism hire was fun, but the boredom felt sinful.
It gave him time to notice the people and things around him.
"Hey, Max, got a girlfriend? Congrats!"
In the senior agents' cafeteria, Charlie spotted Max with his dark-skinned girlfriend.
Max turned, waving. "Hey, idol, wanna join us?"
"Nah, I'm meeting Carter."
Charlie declined, noting Max seemed unfazed.
The old Max would've spiraled over a single comment.
Now, he was way more confident.
But… Charlie had heard Max was abusive to his girlfriend.
He glanced at the bruise by her eye, shaking his head.
People really do change.
Lost in thought, he passed them, noticing the Thunderbolts' area was empty.
That was odd.
Yelena never missed a meal.
But she'd been scarfing down food and diving back into work, all business.
"Hey, friendly neighbor, join us!"
The Fantastic Four approached, and Johnny Storm, sharing a face with an old man, flashed a polite smile. "I've got work questions for the veteran!"
Charlie: "???"
Since when was this guy so courteous?
Then, Ben Grimm side-eyed Johnny. "Fire-butt trash, your work ethic's hopeless no matter who teaches you."
Johnny, unfazed, gave Charlie an awkward smile. "Sorry, he loves cussing, but he's a good guy."
"Good guy? Who's that?" Reed, always dazed, looked up. Susan promptly smacked his head.
"Shut up and eat."
"Oh."
Watching this bizarre scene, Charlie was too drained to quip.
He made an excuse, grabbed lunch with Harry, and finished.
After lunch, Harry got a new message.
"Found those guys."
Harry sneered at the coordinates on his virtual computer, standing. "I've got business. Catch you later."
"Mission?"
Bored out of his mind, Charlie probed.
Harry waved it off. "Just some pathetic Chitauri. Since Thanos got crushed, these aliens hide in the world's corners, popping up to cause panic. Taking them out's my job."
"I'll come."
"Cool."
"No way."
Agent Hill appeared behind them, dead serious. "You can't break protocol."
Harry nodded, sheepish. "Right, forgot. We follow the rules."
Charlie gave him a weird look. "I'm just tagging along. No big deal, right?"
Hill shook her head. "No. If everyone ignored protocol, the world would fall apart like before."
Charlie felt like she'd slapped a giant hat on his head.
"Uh, fine!"
To Harry, he said, "Be careful. Call me if you need me."
"No worries, I got this."
Harry grinned confidently, hopping on his hoverboard and vanishing into the sky.
After seeing Harry off, Hill hesitated.
"What's up?" Charlie noticed her unease.
Hill paused, then held back.
"Nothing. Just… get used to this world. To us."
She turned and left.
She wasn't the Hill of ten years ago.
Charlie got it.
But what did she mean by "us"? His eyes narrowed, that strange feeling growing stronger.
With that, he stepped into a portal, locking onto Harry's mission.
Soon, at an abandoned suburban building.
Boom
Explosions rocked the structure, green exhaust trails weaving through floors, leaving screaming Chitauri soldiers in their wake.
Mangled bodies plummeted from the building. Below, Charlie faintly heard Harry's maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha, you pathetic worms, die!"
Boom
Amid roaring flames, the Green Goblin cackled while Chitauri wept.
Charlie's mouth twitched.
Total villain vibes.
If he didn't know Harry, he'd have taken him down on the spot.
Married guys must be repressed.
Hill was right—he needed to adjust to his friends from ten years ago.
Harry's mission ended, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s grunts arrived to clean up.
Charlie left the scene.
In the neon night, Charlie zoomed through the city in Carter's flying car, reveling in the thrill.
Scenery blurred past as the car sped up.
Staring at the towering tech spires outside, Charlie felt lost.
This world didn't need Spider-Man.
Since dropping the Spider-Man mantle, no friends or family had faced trouble. The Spider-Man curse seemed to vanish with his identity.
That was good.
But something still felt off.
Not just Harry and the others' changes.
It was— Bang!
A sudden noise jolted him. The空中 highway ahead flickered with dense drone lights, lasers spraying colorful debris across the road.
Boom
The highway clogged as flying cars lost control under a violent energy surge.
As they veered toward nearby skyscrapers, Charlie dove into a portal without hesitation.
Buzz
Magic sparks flared beside the highway. Clones shot out from portals, firing webs to catch falling cars, gently setting them on the ground.
Amid the laser barrage, a familiar figure sprinted frantically, dodging with agile leaps and climbing into a nearby mall.
"Hm?"
Charlie frowned, spotting the wild figure.
Kraven the Hunter! What's he doing here? Glancing at the drones encircling the mall, Charlie slipped into the building.
"Get out of the way!"
The bustling mall was chaos, citizens fleeing as Sergei darted through shops like a cheetah, never pausing.
Crash!
A glass display shattered. The invincible Spider-Man landed, firing webs to bind Sergei's legs.
"No!"
Caught off guard, Sergei crashed into a jewelry store, gems scattering. Charlie landed before him, wrapping him up like a dumpling with more webs.
"Hey, buddy, how'd you escape?" he asked.
Recognizing Spider-Man, Sergei's weathered face froze, his pupils shaking.
But he quickly shouted, "Spider-Man, get me out of here, now!"
"Hm?"
Charlie scratched his head. "You think I'd help you?"
"Hurry, there's no time!"
Sergei glanced at the drones flooding the mall, his face growing frantic.
"Spider-Man, listen! I need to tell you the truth about this world—"
Before he could finish, a familiar shield whizzed past Charlie, too fast even for the invincible Spider-Man to process.
Splatter!
Warm blood splashed Charlie's face. Sergei's head rolled to his feet.
Even in death, Sergei's mouth moved, desperate to reveal the truth.
But he never got the chance.
Thud!
Carter kicked Sergei's head away. Charlie snapped out of it.
He turned to Carter, feeling like he was staring at a stranger.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded.
Carter picked up the bloodied shield, her voice cold. "Just taking out a criminal."
Charlie locked eyes with her, taking a deep breath. "You stopped him from telling me something I don't know."
Carter shook her head. "No. I just did what you used to do."
She met his gaze. "Killing bad guys. What's wrong with that?"
Charlie had no answer.
Under the drone encirclement, their eyes clashed, sparks flying.
For the first time, everything around Charlie felt utterly alien.
Carter offered no explanation. She called agents to handle the aftermath, pausing to say, "Don't overthink it. Go home, sleep it off."
She signaled Mary Jane, who hesitated before unleashing her Nightmare Force, pulling Charlie into a dream.
"Run! Get out of here!"
"You can't win—not a chance!"
In the dream, amid ruins, Charlie heard Gwen's cries.