I sat in what was left of my hideout, the body of my clone lying on the table. I didn’t know what to do with him. When had they even made clones of me? In the day they’d been hiding out? Dammit. I glanced at him again. I couldn’t just leave him here, but I couldn’t just bury him. Could I? And if I could where? With Mom, Dad and Uncle Ben? How would I explain that to Aunt May or to Grandpa Will? I… I didn’t… I couldn’t… dammit. Goddammit. I looked at the body. Would there even be a funeral if I told them? How could we have a funeral for someone who was technically still alive? I looked away from the body, wincing as I felt at the bruises around my neck.

First, I needed to get him a change of clothes. I couldn’t carry him around dead, still wearing the costume. I stood up, when suddenly something in the room blared to life, scaring me shitless. I spun around and spotted the receiver, still intact as a report came from.

“Calling units to W 46. We’ve got eyes on another one of the green robots. It’s heading east” the officer said. A response came but I couldn’t hear it through the sound of my own heavy breaths. The bears were letting clones loose. Shit. Shit. I hadn’t realised they’d had more, Of course they’d had more. I needed to go and help. I looked back at the body on the table. That’s how he’d gotten here. Had they sent him here on purpose, or had he escaped. Shit. If the clones were just escaping that made things worse. I stood up, and pulled on my mask, my neck and heel throbbing. It didn’t matter. I needed to go help. I pulled a tarp over the body, then refilled my web-fluid cannisters and leapt from the building.

I swung high above the streets of New York, the city as alive as ever. The winter sun shone above me, dipping in and out of clouds. The sounds of the city rang out, reverberating high into the sky to form a symphony. But I was focused on only one thing. The sirens. They were everywhere. The officer had mentioned that they’d spotted another one of the “robots”. How many had the bears released? 5? 10? 20? 40? I didn’t know. An army of killer clones running around in ticking time bombs for suits. And they were spread all about the place. I couldn’t see anyway smoke anywhere, so none of them had blown up yet. They’d only just been freed.

But something else was bugging me about this. Why now? Why not immediately after they’d gotten away? The question all but confirmed my suspicions. The clones had probably escaped. That could be a good thing. If this was planned then the Bears might be hiding in wait, preparing to strike to cause the most anarchy. If it wasn’t it meant they might not have even activated whatever bombs were in the suits. Still, it was better to be prepared for the worst. I’d fight the clones like they were prepared to explode at any moment and as though the Bears were ready to pounce on me at a moment’s notice.

A flash of green caught my attention. A clone. Their suit was missing parts, and they were still drenched in the green liquid, but they climbed the side of a building steadily, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. I shifted myself, carrying my momentum as I turned, before shooting forwards towards them.

I fired a web into their back as I passed overhead, and wrenched them from the wall, throwing them to the sky. The clone howled, crying out curses before I fired bursts of web at them, trapping them in a cocoon, as they soared upwards. My heart thudded wildly in my chest as I watched, waiting. Then they exploded in a flash of orange. I turned away, feeling the heat on my back. Dammit. Dammit. I should’ve tried to at least save him. I was holding out hope that somehow they could be rescued. I cursed, and then leaped from the building, swinging away. I’d have to do this again. I could feel it. If there were too many for me to handle, then I’d have to force them away from people and let them explode. I didn’t really have much of a choice.

Wait, I theses clones of Lorien were like mine, then they had his memories too didn’t they? The realisation hit me like a sack of bricks, and I felt my body sag under its weight. I’d just murdered two people. And I’d have to do it again. They were clones, twisted renditions, false copies of real people. But they were people too. Right before the clone of me had died, he’d made a joke. He’d been scared. The knowledge made my heart ache and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

Shit. Shit.

There had to be a different way. Had to. And if there wasn’t, I had to find a way. I’d have to figure out how to disable the bombs. I could do it. I could do it, and still save everyone. Both were possible. Spider-Man always does both.

I clutched my web tighter with a new determination and swung through the streets, following the sounds of sirens. As I neared central park, I spotted another clone. His suit was missing the tail, but it was covered in blood as he massacred officers, and people ran. Too many people lay dead in the streets, cut down by his claws. I shot downwards, firing a web and pulling him up behind me. He roared and slammed into me as we tumbled through the air.

“Lorien! Lorien! I can help you! Calm down! I can fix this!” I shouted. He roared back, and clawed at my chest, grazing my left side. I spun, dodging and let him go. He fell through the air before crashing into a wall. With an incredible speed, he slowed himself then turned and leapt back up at me. I tried to pull myself out the way with a web, but he slammed into me and we flew upwards, crashing through glass and landing in a building. People around us screamed as they ran, as Lorien pressed me against the floor.

“Stop!” I shouted, straining as he pushed me downwards. He continued pushing me towards the floor, his claws inching closer and closer to my chest. If I hit him he’d explode. Then people in this building would die. But if I did nothing, people everywhere else would be killed by the clones and he’d kill me. It was a lose-lose. But I still had a decision.

“Lorien! Lorien goddammit! Stop!” I shouted. He ignored me again, and the tip of his claw sunk into my chest. I cried out and kicked him backwards. He flew and crashed through the window, flying out into open air. A wave of heat and glass rolled over me, blowing me backwards as he exploded mid-air.

I scrambled upwards quickly and swung out to look at the damage. The explosion had been high enough that no one had been caught in the direct blast, but buildings, cars and people had been damaged by the shockwave. People everywhere screamed. Shit. I could’ve avoided this. I prepared to swing back into the building to rescue people when an officer below me shouted. I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the noise, but they pointed further into the city. I swung down landing next to the officer.

“Further down that way Spider-Man. There’s more. Too many” the officer coughed. I glanced back my surroundings.

“We’ve got this. Go!” the officer shouted. I took to the sky again, ignoring the cries of fear and anguish behind me as I swung, searching the streets.

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An explosion shook the air and I turned to look at a plume of black smoke rose from somewhere inside Central Park, accompanied by distant screams. Shit. Shit.

I carried on swinging, when I spotted another clone, desperately leaping from building to building in full armour. I swung down towards them, uncertain over what to do. Did I send them to the sky and let them explode, or did I risk everyone’s lives? I knew what the right choice was, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had to try. If only one more time, I had to try.

I swung down and reached to grab the clone, but he swerved out the way and continued leaping away faster. I landed and fired webs at his back. He dodged them effortlessly and continued forward undisturbed. I leapt back into the air and swung after him, watching as the clone moved. He moved differently, his steps more practiced, more fluid. It wasn’t Lorien. It was me. They’d made more than one clone of me.

I fired another web, but he dodged again, and leapt onto a building face, digging his claws into the side as he climbed around. I followed, confused. Why wasn’t he trying to kill me? Why was he just running? Wait, where were we going? I curved round the corner, spotting him as he climbed upwards, looking off to the left. I followed his line of sight and felt my stomach sink. Lucas’ school. He was heading towards Lucas’ school. I swung towards him and he turned to face me, his tail snaking through the air. I dodged as he dived towards me, and I grabbed him, ripping him away from the building. He roared and clawed at me, his strength magnified by the suit. I spun trying to dodge the blow but he caught my shoulder and slammed me into the wall. My body went limp and he tried to leap away, but I grabbed him and held him tightly.

“Let go!” he shouted his voice muffled through the mask. It sounded like the other me. Did I really sound like that?

“Just stop, you fuck!” I said, panting as I wrestled his leg. His telson shot towards me but I dodged it and grabbed it, holding his leg and tail tightly as he gripped on the wall trying to pull away.

“Just let me kill him!!” he roared.

“Kill him? Lucas?!” I said in surprise. Why would I want to kill Lucas? He took advantage of my confusion, leaping forwards and smashing into me. We smashed into the side of the wall and spun through the air, trading blows. I was faster, more agile, but with the suit, he was stronger. With a powerful blow, he punched me through the corner of a building, and I flailed through the air managing to fire a web and slow my fall. But it was too late. I hit the ground, an instant an fiery pain burning through my back. I rolled over clutching it tightly as I gasped. I groaned, my body crying out at me. But I ignored the pain, forcing it out of my mind and standing up.

I looked up, and my spider sense buzzed just in time for me to dive out the way. The clone and a bunch of debris crashed to the ground, with a sinking thud. He hadn’t caught himself in time, and he didn’t have any webs to slow himself. I felt my panic rise, as I landed on the ground. He going to explode. I spun as I landed and fired webs, latching onto what was left of his costume. I threw him upwards and away from the buildings, just as there was a flash of light. This time, I felt no heat. Instead, the light fizzled out quickly, with a small pop. The bomb had been damaged by the fall. Thank god. I breathed heavily as I clutched the ground, steadying myself. My thoughts were ablaze. Why had he wanted to attack Lucas? It didn’t make sense. The first of my clones had attacked me, and the second had been gunning for Lucas.

I struggled to stand, glancing up at the building above. There was only minor damage to the side. I could come back and fix it. I limped and then jumped up, taking to the sky again. I looked around, then swung higher scanning the city again. I spotted another clone, in partial armour, moving with the same grace as the one before. Another me. I chased it, trying to think of how I could use the knowledge the bombs could be damaged to my advantage. I couldn’t I didn’t know the inner workings of it, where the charge was. I just knew that If I hit the suit hard enough somewhere it could stop the explosion. But doing that now would be too risky. I’d just get myself blown up. The clone continued leaping from building to building, heading back the way I’d just come. Was it going to my hideout as well? No, it was taking a different path. Wait, I’d swung this way before. Work. It was to get to work.

Suddenly it all clicked together, and I paused, feeling a terror grip my heart. The commands. You could give the clones commands and they followed through. They were telling my clones to attack people close to me and me.

Liz, Harry, Aunt May, Grandpa Will, Grady, Sajani, Bella. They were all in danger.

I hurtled through the air towards the clone, swinging around in front of him, cutting off his path.

“You’re going to work aren’t you? To get Grady, Bella and Sajani?”

“I need to!” he said, even with the mask, his hatred apparent.

“You don’t. Whatever it is they told you, you don’t have to listen to them”

“You fuck! Why can’t you just let me do this?!” he said angrily.

“It’s wrong! They’re our friends!” I shouted.

“They’re holding us back!” he shouted, trying to dive past me. I grabbed his heel but he slashed at me. I dodged the blow, leaping on top of him. He tried to claw at me but I dodged and stuck to his back. He cried out, slashing at me, but I crawled around him like a spider, avoiding his blows masterfully. I searched the suits for weak points as I did, desperately hoping to find something, anything that could help me strip it down. I felt the claws graze me repeatedly, but in the suit he was bigger, and slower. He roared in frustration and tried to leap away, but I gripped him tightly and webbed us back to the roof. He slammed to the ground, cracking the stone as he breathed heavily.

“Fine! I’ll kill you first, you fuck!” he shouted. My spider sense buzzed, and I leapt off him as his tail twisted through the air, narrowly missing me. It shot forwards and struck his back with enough force to pass straight through the armour out the other side. He let out a cry of anguish and I caught him as he fell.

I stared as he blinked at me in surprise, blood seeping from the telson that stuck of his chest. My heart twisted with agony as he gripped at the tail, shuddering as he struggled for life. As my spider sense blared, I threw him upwards with all my might. I waited for the wave of heat to wash over me, but nothing. I turned, looking up at the plume of smoke in the air. The explosion had been small. Whatever damaged the charge was somewhere around the mid-section. I stared at it for a few more seconds. The clone versions of me weren’t used to using the suits, especially the tails. They were clumsy with them, unprepared for combat. I shook my head, unable to the images of what had just happened out of my mind. I just needed to keep moving.

I pulled my burner phone out of my waist pouch and fumbled with it. It was broken the screen dead. Dammit. Goddammit. How did I stop this? I mean who knew how many clones they had of me? Everyone could already be in danger, or worse. A mixture of dread and anger burned through my chest. The Bears wanted this. They’d come up with a way to take me out of the picture. They wanted me running around, fighting myself to the death whilst they pulled off whatever conniving plan they had. And right now, I couldn’t stop them. I had to save my family.

I leapt off the building and swung high, scanning the city. I could search around here, get my bots to keep an eye on Queens and Brooklyn. I’d call Liz and Aunt May first; tell them they aren’t safe and they have to go somewhere I wouldn’t know about. Then I’d call Harry have him pick up everyone, Grandpa Will first and then-

My train of thought was cut short by a low, circumambient rumble of thunder. I spun around in disbelief, looking up as the sky darkened. The rumble of thunder grew louder, undercut by the beautiful hum. Lances of lightning shot through the air, each carrying the hum with them, the sounds echoing beautifully through the city. I watched as the storm of electricity circled through the clouds, sending flashes of light across the city, as rain began to wash over the streets. The hum grew, and not too far in the distance a field of crackling electricity descended from the sky above Oscorp Tower, circling around a single man, wreathed in electric blue.

No. Not now. Not now, dammit!