“Emi? I- she has wings. Dragonfly wings. She calls herself Chrysalis or Dragonfly. T-the news called her dragonfly” I said, the words practically spilling out of my mouth.
“Yeah. We know her” Cindy said. The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Amy was alive. She was alive here. I needed to see her. I stood quickly, tearing the web off the wall. Both of them stepped back, but I raised my hands in a show of surrender.
“Can I see her?”
The looked to each other then back at me.
“Well, we should probably check a few things first. We can’t just trust you yet” Cindy said.
“Please” I said, my voice raw.
“If you come with us, and do everything we say, to the tee Then we’ll let you see the others. But you have to show us we can trust you first”
“I’ll do whatever you need me to. I just want to talk to her”
A flicker of confusion passed across their faces and then stepped back, whispering to each other as they eyed me.
“We’ll do it. But we need to take you somewhere first”
“Ok”
-
We swung through the streets of New York, illuminated by the night time lights. My arms and legs were wrapped in web, and my face covered by a mask made of web. Cindy held me under her arm as she and Ghost swung gracefully, soaring high above the sounds below. My heart thudded in my chest, as I kept my eyes clamped shut despite the mask. I’d forgotten how scary this had felt. Scary, but freeing. How had I forgotten that?
The wind whipped in my ears and beyond it I could hear muffled shouts. The two were talking. I couldn’t make out their voices. Suddenly we came to a stop. My legs swayed back and forth as Cindy moved upwards, then dragged against concrete as she crawled forwards.
Then we were falling. I cried out, and we landed, the lack of wind and sudden increase in temperature indicating a change in environment. We were indoors.
“Put him in the chamber” Ghost said. Cindy carried me along, grumbling to herself before she stood me up and pushed me against something hard.
“Hey, what’s happening?”
There was a sudden hiss and I flinched before a low whirring echoed above me. I stood still for a minute or two before I my mind started to wander. What the hell was happening
“The web’s in the way. You didn’t use a new formula did you?” I heard through the glass. Someone sighed then there was another whoosh of air, and I felt a hand grab me, pulling at the web covering my body.
The blindfold was wrenched away, and I shied away from the sudden exposure to light.
“Don’t try to escape” Cindy said.
“I won’t” I mumbled, cautiously opening one eye. As they adjusted I looked around. I stood in a glass semicircle against a slanted board. I looked up and gazed beyond the glass. I was in the corner of a somewhat large space with a wide array of things.
Tables filled with science stuff, a row of doors with different symbols on them, a lounge area with a sofa TV and a bunch of bean bags. There was also a bunch of arcade stuff next to a kitchen area with polaroid photos littering the fridge. Directly next to me were more complex looking machines with a first aid kit and defibrillator on the wall above them. In the far corner there was even a mat surrounded by punching bags. The entire place looked cool.
There was another hiss and another semicircle of glass spun, sealing the opening shut before above me something began to whir. Ghost and Cindy stood over a control panel next to the machine. They both stood still reading info off a screen as they mumbled to each other.
“Uh… what is this?”
“We’re scanning you” Ghost muttered. Ok. That didn’t sound ominous at all.
Suddenly they both paused, and Ghost leaned over, her eyes narrowing as she drew closer to the screen.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s something different about your negative energy. It’s weird. Off”
“Is that bad?”
“Not from what I can tell, but I have no idea how it happened” she said. She squinted harder. “People have been trying to create negative energy at different frequencies for years now with no success but it’s the only type you have”
“Maybe it gave you memory loss. Transformed you somehow?”
“I doubt it. From what you said his memory’s different, not gone” Ghost muttered.
Cindy looked to me, the emotion in her expression difficult to pinpoint.
Suddenly everything shifted, and I cried out as my body glitched. It stopped after only a moment, but the other two had already rushed over to me, the machine flying open. I fell forwards but Cindy caught me.
“Shit. You okay?” she asked.
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“Yeah. I’m fine”
“What the hell was that?” Ghost said.
“It happened back at the apartment. Sorry I should’ve mentioned it”
The machine began beeping, along with watches they both wore. Ghost glanced at her watch then quickly rushed back over to the console, and read over the readings her eyes widening.
“What’s wrong?” Cindy asked.
“It produced the same energy that earthquake did last week”
“What?! How?”
“I don’t know but it’s…” she checked her watch again. “There was a trace picked up just a few hours ago too. Not large enough for it to pinpoint or notify me”
“You really think it's that?”
“Yeah. I’m probably right”
They both turned to me.
“Did anything weird happen to you yesterday?” Cindy asked.
I shook my head.
“Are you completely sure?”
“Yeah” I mumbled. She nodded and they both went back to staring at the machine. Ghost looked up at me.
“Lucas, what do you think caused all this confusion?”
“I think, this is gonna sound insane, but I think I’m in a different universe”
“Why?” Cindy asked.
“Nothing makes sense. I don’t have an apartment; I’ve been going to NYTA for the past four years. Then there’s the Icon poster on the wall. He wears red, white and blue, not red, gold and blue And the stuff with the BRC. I mean, everyone knows about that. You looked at me like I was talking nonsense. And you said something about a baseball team called the Northerns. Never heard of them. Plus you two are Spider people, superheroes, costume and all. I’ve never seen or heard of you before. And…” I trailed off.
“And what?”
“Amy. Or Emi. You said you know her”
“You don’t?”
“Mine’s not… she’s dead”
They both went silent. I looked down at the floor, trying to avoid their gazes.
“That’s why you wanted to meet Emi” Ghost said.
“…yeah”
“I- I’ll call her” Ghost said stepping away. I stared at my feet for a few seconds, before Cindy stepped closer, looking up at me.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah” I said. She nodded, stepping back quickly. I got out of the machine and we both went silent as Cindy awkwardly looked to, meshing her hands together. She seemed nervous.
“Are you okay?”
“I… If this is real I’m just wondering where our Lucas is”
I stayed silent, not sure how to respond.
“He’s probably fine. Gwen says this kind of stuff is his bread and butter” she said with an . I frowned. I hadn’t realty thought about it, but I was probably a Spider person here, wasn’t I? nodded, still unsure how to respond. I mean what could I say?
Ghost stepped back over, looking to me.
“She’s on her way”
“Thanks. Seriously”
“It’s fine” she said, her voice strangely sad.
We all stood in an awkward silence before Cindy spoke up.
“Ghost”
“We’ll look at the data and keep a watch out for him. He’s probably ok. You know how he gets sometimes. All lone wolf”
“But what if he’s not ok?” Cindy said, her voice filled with worry.
“We’ll be looking at the data. If we see anything suspicious we’ll go help him immediately” Ghost said. Cindy nodded, relaxing slightly, then Ghost turned to me.
“Uh, Lucas, feel free to make yourself at home till Emi gets here. There’s food and stuff in the fridge” she said.
“Oh. Thanks” I said. I looked over to the kitchen area then back to Cindy and Ghost as they made their way over to a different set of machines, one of the screens lighting up.
I scratched the back of my head. What did I do now? Their Amy was really coming here. I hadn’t even really thought about what that meant. What would I say when I saw her? If this was a different world, would she even be the same? Did it really matter? Wasn’t this my chance to apologise? Even if it wasn’t really her, it was the closest thing I’d ever get.
I made my way over to the kitchen, and stopped in front of the fridge, looking over the polaroids. Pictures upon pictures of people I didn’t recognise, in costumes I’d never seen before, smiling and laughing as one happy family. I recognised my costume and Amy’s.
The girl wearing it was blonde. The slightly brownish kind, like Amy’s sister, Heather. But she looked like Amy. Had her face shape, and signature grin, down to the dimple. I searched the fridge looking for even more photos of her. There were so many photos. Layers of photos covering the entire fridge. And in practically all of the ones she was in, she had that stupidly endearing grin.
I moved the pictures carefully, revealing even more underneath. My eyes looked over the vast array, marvelling at them. So many photos. Not just of the team, of the Spider family they seemed to have but of other things as well. Pictures from all over New York. From above, below, and in the streets. Photos of everything and anything. Buildings and crowds, from up close and afar. She seemed to have an affinity for taking photos at golden hour. I laughed, sniffling. They were beautiful.
I stopped on a familiar picture, close to the centre of the fridge behind most of the photos. It was the same one Amy had given to me before she’d died. I felt my eyes grow wet. I stepped back looking at all the pictures again, really taking them in. There were so many. How many photos had my Amy missed out on?
I heard her before I saw her. The faint yet familiar sound of her wings fluttering.
“Guys?” she said. I spun around and came face to face with a blonde in her late teens. She wore the familiar purple and white, slightly armoured costume with black trim.
I stared at her silent. She was taller. Older. Why hadn’t I thought about that? Of course she’d grown older. She would’ve been what? Nineteen? The Amy in my head was still fifteen.
Before I could say anything, she pulled off her mask, yawned and then grinned.
“Hey Lucas”
She was completely different, and yet, just by looking at her, taking in her demeanour, hearing her voice, I could tell she was also the same. She turned to Cindy and Ghost as she made her way closer.
“Hey guys. What’s up?” she said.
“Hey” Ghost said, looking still looking
“Hey Emi” Cindy said, making her way over to us. “Uh… well, we’ve got a bit of a situation”
“Is it bad?” Amy said frowning.
“We’re not completely sure yet, still just checking some stuff. Uh… this is Lucas” she said pointing to me.
“Uh… I know that”
“Sorry. He’s not our Lucas. He’s from a different universe”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah”
“Woah. How?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out” Cindy said, glancing back at me. “Uh right… Emi, Lucas. Lucas, Emi”
Emi stepped forward and offered her hand. I took her hand and shook it, my entire body feeling numb.
“Hi again”
“H-hi” I mumbled.
“This is kind of weird, huh? Really cool but weird” she said, with a small laugh. I nodded, still staring at her blankly. She even laughed the same. She pulled her hand away and turned to Cindy.
“But why’d you call just me out here? ”
“He asked for you specifically”
“Really? Why?” she said turning back to me. I stared at her frozen in place, a million thoughts and feelings rushed through me as I struggled to speak. The silence was awkward, but eventually the words came.
“I’m sorry”
“Huh?”
Tears streamed down my face as my hands began to tremble.
“I- I’m so sorry” I said, taking her hand.
“H-hey. It’s ok, I- Lucas?”
I fell to my knees, sobbing violently.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t- I couldn’t do anything. I should’ve done more. I just left you and I- Please forgive me. Please” I begged, my entire body trembling.
“Hey, hey, it’s ok. Lucas? Lucas?!” Cindy said.
“I’m sorry Amy. I’m so sorry” I sobbed.
She didn’t respond, so I looked up staring into her eyes. All that stared back at me was concern and confusion. I don’t know what I’d been expecting but it wasn’t that.
Of course she’d react that way. Of course, she wouldn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t Amy. The realisation was crushing. My tears grew in number and I let go of her hand, hanging my head. Everything was collapsing and I felt frighteningly dizzy. I fell to the floor, my body going limp. Cindy and Emi called out to me, but I was already fading. Darkness quickly consumed me as my body shut down.