Peter swung through the air at a breakneck pace, his entire body riddled with anxiety. None of this made any sense. First he’d been worried about Liz being kidnapped, and attacked a couple of kids and now he was holding a set of documents that incriminated Otto in a huge crime. And not just any huge crime, one directly related to cloning. He should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy to get rid of the clones forever.

And even worse, somehow Kingpin was involved in all this. The mysterious figure he’d only heard whispers about that had been steadily making things harder and harder for Spider-Man. He was pretty sure it’s why, even if the people still liked him a lot, the media seemed to hold a vendetta against him. It’d been bad up until half a year ago, and after that it had just gotten ludicrous.

He scowled. What he really wanted to know was when this had all started, how and why? This could finally give him the push he needed to make a start on Kingpin. He’d need to give the document another good read over. He’d been too shocked by it the first time to really read it. The pictures had done more than enough to get the general point of things across.

He swung around a building and frowned, glancing behind him. Dammit. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t realised one of the kids was following him. The clone. He fired out a web and pulled himself to the side, landing on a building face. The clone followed suit, stopping a few metres beneath him.

“Why’re you following me?” he asked.

“W-what?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stay on the roof? That I’d talk to you after?”

“I thought-”

“Just go back. I know this is probably a lot for you to handle, but I need to deal with this quickly”

“I-I can help” she said.

“You don’t need to” he said, swinging away.

He felt bad for her, he did, but his mind was wrapped up with too many other thoughts to really focus on it right now. He was more confused about how she was even a clone of him. They probably weren’t exact clones like the first batch. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t insane? It’d be useful to have her around, ask questions to figure stuff out, maybe even help her find a normal life, but he could do that all after.

His mind went straight back to Otto, and he glanced down at the document. It probably wasn’t true. He hadn’t involved himself in something like this. But there was probably a reason his face was under project lead on the first page. Maybe he’d helped in a small way, and they’d threatened to tank his career or image if h. Or maybe they’d just been using his research directly in the project without his knowledge. Maybe that was the reason they’d hired Otto in the first place, just to steal his research out from under his nose, in an attempt to further their illegal underground schemes.

His spider sense blared and he titled his neck, a web pellet flying past him.

“What the hell?” he said, glancing behind him. The clone was still swinging with him a lot closer now. He cursed under his breath, and swung back, grabbing her and yanking them both onto a roof. She was probably just as persistent as the others were.

He set her down and she stumbled for a second before righting herself. He frowned.

“You ok?”

“You’re an asshole”

“What?”

“An idiot too”

“Wait a sec I-”

“Don’t you think I know you don’t want any help!” she shouted at him. He took a step back.

“I just-”

“I don’t care. I haven’t seen Otto ever since he got fired. You might be working with h. Do you even remember what that felt like?!” she said, rubbing at the opening in her balaclava.

Crap. He hadn’t considered that. Dammit. This was weird. It felt like he was being inconsiderate of a younger immature version of himself. Well he sort of was, wasn’t he?

“Look I’m sorry” he said.

“I won’t get in your way dammit. This isn’t some stupid Spider-Man mission. I just want to see him, talk to him or something” she said. Peter stared at her for a few seconds, a swirl of emotions tumbling through him. The emotion in her words struck a chord. It wasn’t hard to tell why, she knew exactly why he’d try to refuse her.

“Sure. I should be able to get you a visitors badge, though we might want to get you less damaged clothes”

She looked up at him and nodded sniffling. He offered his hand. She shook it.

“Peter”

“Jess”

-

Roxxon corporations HQ was huge. A large glass tower in the middle of the financial district of Manhattan. It sat next only a block away from the still renovating Oscorp building on Saints’ row, the financial bemouths with recent ambitions turned to words science. Roxxon wasn’t anywhere as prolific as, but they had a lot of money, money Alchemax hadn’t been willing to give Peter after the restructuring at the new HQ. So he’d moved. He’d made more progress in his pursuit of a fool proof repeatable way to integrate negative energy into people than he had at his entire time with Alchemax. Well up until recently, anyway.

They stepped into the building, the large lobby bustling with noise. One of the security guards, David, gave him a nod, and he gave a nod in return. David looked to Jess and furrowed his brow, but didn’t say anything, and they continued through the lobby.

Peter glanced to Jess. She wore different clothes now and an awkward set of fake glasses they’d found at a random store. She looked around with a masked intrigue, still clearly nervous.

“You’ll be fine” he whispered to her, “No one’s going to recognise you”

“I- I know” she mumbled. He chuckled to himself. It was like staring into a mirror. He really did remind her of his younger self. They stepped into a lift and he pressed for the fifty fourth floor. The lift rose upwards as they sat in silence.

“So… what’d you remember?”

She glanced to him, eyebrow arched.

“Sorry is that weird to ask? I didn’t think it would be, so I thought you wouldn’t think it and n-”

“Wow, I get it now. I really am awkward” Jess said, looking away. Peter froze for a second, before bursting out into a fit laughter. The corners of Jess’ mouth turned up slightly too.

“I remember practically everything. But it’s not the same” Jess said.

“How’d you mean?”

“I remember it like normal, but I know I haven’t experienced it. It feels more like remembering a dream. Well… at the very least it felt better to pretend like it was”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“How long have you been…”

“Alive?”

“Yeah, I guess so?”

“Uh… a week, now? I think? I get a bit fuzzy on it. It feels like longer”

“Right… so what’s the deal with the costume? I haven’t really been watching the news, but I checked it online on my way here. The kid you were with has been wearing it in public apparently”

“I… don’t know to be honest. I thought it was you at first”

“Really?”

“Well I didn’t think anyone was that crazy. I saw he stopped a mugger and the next time I saw him, he was falling from an apartment on fire”

“So... he just found the costume”

“Yeah. I think so. I can't remember. I did only met him yesterday”

Peter’s eyes widened in surprise

“He’s weird, but he’s pretty cool. It was annoying to see him fangirl over you when I was with him like the whole of today though” she said with a chuckle. Peter laughed too, before pausing.

“Not trying to be too critical but why’d you tell him my identity?”

“I… well it felt reasonable at the time. We were trying to find you and he needed to know if something happened to me“

"Something happened to you?"

"I wa- it doesn't matter"

“Why didn’t you just call MJ or something?”

“Would've been a random number. She wouldn’t have picked up”

“Oh right” Peter said. He frowned. Weird. Wait.

“Did you- were you the girl who showed up at May’s a few days ago?”

“Yeah…” Jess said trailing off.

“Why didn’t you stay? Explain the situation?”

“I… I was scared. None of you would've recognised me, because... you know” she said. It quickly dawned on him, how terrifying that would be. Seeing all your loved ones, and none of them knowing who you were, because you were different somehow. In a way you couldn't control. He glanced to Jess, feeling an extra burst of sympathy.

“Where have you been staying?”

“Uh… random rooftops” she said. Oh.

“That’s not right. Ok. Once this is finished I’ll introduce you to everyone. We should be able to find somewhere for you to stay”

“R-really?”

“Well I mean, you’re basically me, aren’t you? It’d be like kicking myself out on the street”

“Thanks”

“No problem.”

The lift came to a stop, and they stepped out, making their way down the corridor to the entrance to Roxxon labs. Peter led them through, the security guards by the doors glancing at Jess but letting her pass. They stopped at the reception desk together.

“Hey Meryl”

“Hey Pete. Who’s this?” Meryl said, pointing to Jess.

“She’s… my niece”

“You have a brother?”

“Yep. A… half-brother. He’s not from around here”

“I learn something new here everyday” Meryl said. “You want a visitor pass?”

“Yeah. Had to pick her up after she got here early. She’ll just sit in my office till I’m finished”

“Sure thing” she said. She tapped away at her keyboard, before handing Jess

“It’s nice to meet you” she said. Jess nodded awkwardly, taking the visitors pass, before they began making their way through the halls of the facility. They walked down the corridor, into the main lounge that spanned three floors.

They turned to the left and made their way through the lounge, before entering a smaller corridor. They walked through before turning another corner and then slowed as he came to a stop outside Otto’s office. Peter glanced back at Jess, before letting out a breath. He was getting nervous too now. It’d be fine. There was nothing wrong about this. We’d just be having a nice chat, and Otto would explain this, or we’d get to the bottom of it together.

He knocked twice.

“I’m busy” Otto’s voice rung out.

“It’s Peter” he said. There was the sound of rushing footsteps and the door opened. Otto stood with a smile, looking between him and Jess.

“Who’s this?” he asked. Peter let out a sigh of relief. He’d known it couldn’t be true. If he didn’t recognise Jess, there was no way he’d taken part in the experiments.

“My… uh… niece” Peter said, continuing the lie.

“Right, right. Come in, come in” Otto said, opening the door. They stepped into the office, as Otto quickly closed the other door that led to his personal lab next door. Before Peter could say anything, Jess stepped forward.

“I’m a big fan of your work. Your earlier stuff is great but your research on how negative energy interacts with animals is astounding”

“You flatter me” Otto said, with an awkward laugh.

“Seriously, you’re amazing. I-it’s nice to finally meet you” Jess said. Otto nodded, before glancing between Peter and Jess again.

“So, what is it, you wanted to see me for?” he asked. Peter nodded.

“I… I’m not sure how to say this, but I think you’ve gotten caught up in some kind of conspiracy” Peter said, pulling the dossier from his pocket. “You’ll want to read this”

“What is it?” Otto said, taking it.

“A bunch of stuff about research going on in Alchemax” Peter said. “It’s… not pretty”

Otto took the dossier and opened it. He froze on the front page, eyes widening before he began flipping through it, visibly confused. He walked around his desk, before falling into his seat.

“Where did you… how did you…” he trailed off, before setting the folder on his desk in front of him. With shaky hands he began rifling through his desk before pulling out a bunch of items, and then taking his glasses from the pile.

“I can help you Otto. I know it’s a lot to take in, but there has to be a way to fix this right? To clear your name?”

“Right, right…” Otto said, reading over the document again. His eyes flit up as he glanced between Jess and Peter.

“I… how…. what does your niece know?” he asked. Peter glanced to Jess, who looked to him uncertain.

“She’s uh…”

“Never mind I-” Otto stood, resting his hands against the table as he read over the document. He shook his head, muttering to himself.

“Otto?”

“You’re truly astounding, even in your work as a hero” Otto said.

Huh?

Peter’s spider sense buzzed and his eyes widened. Otto raised his hand off the desk, pulling a tube before. Peter froze, staring at Otto’s determined face. What? Wait, what was happening? His spider sense flared and this time he listened. Despite his hesitation he still managed to leap backward, grabbing Jess as he dived to the side.

But it was too late. Peter’s trust in Otto had led to a split second of hesitation and the office space was far too enclosed. Otto fired, and something hit Peter in the arm. Instantly he felt pain wrack his body as his muscles seized up and his sense blinked in and out of existence. He heard Jess yelp and spotted her contorting on the floor next to him in the split-second flashes of vision he could receive.

As his senses returned, he realised he couldn’t move. He was paralysed. He tried to force himself to, to push past whatever was stopping him, but he couldn’t barely manage small movements. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Otto stepped into view, staring down at him with pity as he held the dossier in hand.

No. This wasn’t- this couldn’t be.

A swirl of emotion, anger, betrayal and self-loathing swirled through him as he stared up at Otto. He tried to force himself up, to grab the man, but he couldn’t. With his incredible rage he could barely muster the ability to choke out a word.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry Peter. This is all for the greater good”

Idiot. He was a fucking idiot. It had been right in front of him clear as day and he’d ignored it. Peter shook with anger, cursing himself, and the trust he’d had in the man in front of him.

“You won’t die. The nanites I injected into your blood stream are only affecting your negative energy. You should be paralysed for the next hour. We’ll discuss that after I’d ensured this is returned back to the right location, without incident. Then we can come to an agreement. I promise I won’t call Kingpin’s men unless I have to. And if it does come to that I won’t let that harm you”

Then he walked out into the hallway, dossier in hand. As the door closed behind him, metal shutters slammed down over it cutting the office of from the hall. Peter writhed on the floor, trying to force himself to stand. Suddenly Jess gasped next to him and rolled over, clutching at her chest as she breathed heavily. She groaned as she tried to stand. Blood seeped from her nose, and she fell back to the floor, eyes closed. Then with what felt like a rush of energy, Peter gasped his body returning to life. He quickly rushed over to Jess, turning her over.

“Jess?”

She didn’t respond, struggling to breath as sweat pooled down her face. The nanites had failed, but something else was wrong. A head injury? Or something even worse?

He picked her up and tried to rush out of Otto’s door. Shut tight. He set Jess down and pushed against it hard. Nothing. He pulled back his fist and punched it, but it merely creaked. What the hell? With Jess in tow he turned and burst out of Otto’s office into the personal lab. He rushed forward with her his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the situation, of the complete and utter betrayal. He tried to open the lab doors, but they were held shut too. Was he weaker? His powers had been fluctuating recently, but never like this. It’s like he had no strength at all. He looked around. Dammit, what the hell was happening?

Suddenly white noise cut through the room from a set of speakers.

“Incredible. To think the effects of the nanites only lasted mere minutes” Otto’s voice said.

“Otto! What the hell have you done!!?” he roared.

“I’m sorry Peter. I’ll explain everything once this has boiled over. I know it’ll be difficult to understand, but this is all truly for the benefit of man” Otto’s voice said over the speakers.

“Otto! Dammit! Otto?!” Peter roared, his voice trembling with emotion.

“I understand you’re angry-”

“Let us out of here dammit!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t allow you or the clone to leave till this is over”

“What the hell did you do to us?!”

“Ah, the nanites have temporarily affected the output of your negative energy. I apologise, I haven’t used it on a real person before. The clone is probably facing much more serious effects as due to the method of her creation. I apologise if the clone dies as a result of the nanites, it wasn’t my intention. It wasn’t frequent during testing but it’s not uncommon either. I hope in the future, you don’t hold it against me. Goodbye Peter, we’ll talk later”

“Dammit! You- FUCK!!” he roared.

He tried the doors again, but nothing. He fell to his knees. Dammit. He looked around his eyes fixing on Jess. He slapped the sides of his face. Ok, alright. Whatever the nanites had done that was affecting his powers was affecting her to, and far worse. He looked around at the lab equipment. If he could save her, he could fix himself. Then he could break out of here and find Otto.