The Multiverse
Reality tore apart around them. Peter and Gwen tumbled through a web of endless threads — glowing lines stretching across infinity, each one pulsing with life, with possibility. Some threads burned gold, others crackled with violent red energy, while others shimmered faintly like fragile glass.
The sensation was overwhelming: a storm of universes flashing by — worlds where skyscrapers bent sideways, cities floating in oceans and even a glimpse of a Spider-Man swinging through neon Tokyo. Gwen's hand clutched Peter's with iron grip, their fingers the only anchor in the infinity storm.
"Pete…" Her voice cracked against the roar of the multiverse. "Is this… what it really looks like?"
Peter's eyes flicked across the threads, his brain cataloging far more than his heart could take. "Yeah. It's the Web of Life and Destiny. Every thread, a universe. Every spark, a Spider. And we're just two knots trying not to unravel."
Then, as suddenly as it began, the storm snapped shut.
Earth-1610
They landed with a bone-jarring thud on dry asphalt, their suits shimmering with the disturbed glow of the energy shielding. Gwen rolled, groaning, while Peter's flight rig hissed as it stabilized to prevent falling.
They were in New York. At least, it looked like New York, the smell of hot dogs and pretzels, the familiar skyline of Manhattan. But the mood was… wrong.
" Where are we?" Asks Gwen while they moved through the city carefully. On the surface, it was New York. The same skyline, the same neon glare but everything was just slightly… wrong. Pretzels and hot dogs tasted faintly sweet like the recipe had been changed. Taxis honked on off-beats, traffic lights held just a second longer than they should and the rhythm of the streets was out of sync with what they knew.
"Feels like a cover song," Gwen muttered, biting into a pretzel and grimacing. "Same notes but the melody's off."
Peter gave her a sideways glance. "Good ear. I've been running data. Same story. Surface level looks fine but the undercurrent's strange. Like the city's nudged just a fraction off balance."
They rented a small Airbnb on the Lower East Side. Peeling paint, squeaky floorboards, but quiet enough to be a hideout. Inside, Peter bought a set of top-tier gaming PC components under the table, lining them up in a row like soldiers.
"What gamer needs five rigs and where did you get the money?" Gwen asked, dropping onto the couch, legs stretched out.
"This one," Peter said dryly, fingers flying across holographic code. " Need something with cooling power to crunch down down on some numbers to figure out what are the differences and if there is a difference between our physics and their physics. The money is electronically generated by Clanker."
She padded over, leaning against his chair, her chin brushing his shoulder. "Translation: you wanted toys and technically go funded yourself."
"Maybe." He smirked. "But toys that can map the differences between the fundamental laws of two universes with the help of my AI core and as a side job figure out miniscule societal differences."
She kissed his cheek, soft and fleeting. "Nerd."
His grin widened. "Your nerd."
The night stretched on with easy closeness — her sprawled across the couch while he typed, her hand idly stroking his when he paused to think. At one point, he tugged her into his lap and she let herself melt against him, forehead resting on his collarbone, a few soft kisses shared between. Their laughter mingled with the hum of processors, their kisses stolen between lines of code, light and lingering. For a moment, it almost felt like home.
The Pull
But as the city outside dimmed into twilight, Gwen sat up abruptly. A tightness rippled through her chest, not pain but resonance.
Her spider-sense whispered, tugging at invisible strings, pulling her toward something unseen.
"Pete…" She said softly, eyes wide. "Something's calling me. I don't know how else to explain it."
Peter shut down his holo-screens, instantly alert. "Your biology might be syncing with this universe's thread. Could be pulling you toward… someone."
She swallowed. "It's coming from Brooklyn."
He rose, offering his hand. "Then we follow it. But we stay sharp."
She hesitated, then slipped her fingers into his, gripping tightly. "Always."
Another Gwen
When they finally touched down in a quiet Brooklyn alley, Gwendolyn froze.
Because there, walking just a few feet away was her.
Another Gwen, same age or older or younger by maybe a year, wearing street clothes, earbuds in and her hair that same dirty, unkempt blonde bob cut she had a few days ago. She paused to check her phone, completely unaware of the two shadows watching from a few feet away.
Peter's navigation gauntlet pulsed, confirming what his eyes already told him. "No mistake. That's a Gwen Stacy. Just… not a Gwen from this universe. Two different quantum signatures and her cellular decay rate suggests that she has been here for at least five days."
Gwendolyn beside him stiffened, breath caught in her throat. Her counterpart was right there, so close, the resemblance was uncanny yet there was something odd in her posture.
The alternate Gwen glanced up, her eyes narrowing as though her spider-sense had flickered and saw nothing because Peter and Gwen had already turned on their camouflage mode just before the other looked their way.
The two of them pressed against the brick wall, breathing hard in the silence.
"And just like that… we're not alone." Gwendolyn whispered.
( For the duration of this arc protagonist Gwen will be called Gwendolyn.)
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