pre-intro for spider feelings.

[redesigned]

[Am I dreaming? Is this a dream? What does it say about me that I would dream this? Trapped in a giant unpoppable bubble in the middle of a swamp full of zombies and freakishly friendly fauna, I--I do not want to know what that could say about me. The next time mom warns me not to snack late at night I'll listen, I swear.

Oh, man, I hope this is a dream because I really doubt any teacher is going to accept 'a zombie ate my homework'. Though considering the subject on today's menu maybe I'll get lucky and they'll have a sense of humor about the whole thing. I mean--brains! At least that's worth a chance for extra credit, right? I'd think it was funny. Uh, if it wasn't happening to me.]

--frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal!

[that sure was a kid in spider-spandex backflipping over a zombie and tapping it on the head. . . and after a beat there's AN ELECTRIC SHOCK. the zombie groooaaaans, spits out a few scraps of paper, and twitches off. Miles picks up his backpack and stuffs the scraps inside, sighs]

I would really like to wake up now.

Comments

[undesigned]

[Stuck in a zombie summer camp and everyone knows who you are because in other worlds, you're fictional. But so far, no one's surprised to see you alive. Yeah, guess they couldn't kill a hero in crappy movies.

Wouldn't you be upset if Batman died? Though, uh, maybe I shouldn't use that example in front of Batgirl. Or Supergirl.

Which, by the way: still weird.

You might be wondering why I'm thinking to myself so loudly like this after meeting a martian who can do it. Who probably just heard that. Sorry, M'gann. It's because this whole situation is a little weird. I still haven't worked out the "why I'm alive" bit, and it's not a question I just want to ask. "Hey, you're hot, Jennifer, so any chance someone you know come back from the dead here?" And given the business I'm a part of, some people might say they just found a way to keep me alive.

Except Valhalla. By the way? The beer is great there.

Which isn't here. Valhalla's everything the legends are cut up to be, and this is a stinking summer camp full of strange things like a kid in a red and black Spider-Man costume that looks a lot better than yours ever did and also moves kind of similarly—]

What?

[Okay, not subtle, and you killed the surprise. Just jump down and say hi. That'll do the trick. You've inspired lots of people.

so down he goes from the tree he had recently swung from to literally land in front of Miles]

Nice redesign, but even if pretty much everyone here has said this one looks stupid, I've grown fond of it. You can tell whoever gave you that that I'm gonna stick with this one, and I don't care if it came from Versaci.

[redesigned]

[FALLS BACKWARDS and freezes]

No--no way, you--I didn't, I don't--

Nick Fury.

[Thisisadream thisisadream thisisadream]

[undesigned]

This is gonna come as a surprise, but you're not the only guy around here who knows Nick Fury.

[redesigned]

[standing. standing is good.]

Where, uh. Where is 'here'?

[undesigned]

Okay, so I know you probably weren't expecting me, but I'm pretty sure you're the one who owes me an explanation.

... And I need to know where you got the costume, because it turns out I might need backups.

[redesigned]

I--I said. I got this costume from Nick Fury. He gave it to me. It's mine.

Why are you dressed like that? What are you doing here? You can't--you can't be him, he's--

[undesigned]

[What is he? Another clone? Did Fury do something behind my back? Or did SHIELD?]

Say it.

[redesigned]

. . . He died.

And I know you think you're honoring him by putting on the costume and--and fighting in his name but a lot of people aren't gonna like that, like, it's kind of in bad taste to use the same costume as he did even if you didn't mean anything bad by it so you should maybe. . . [breathes, holds himself tighter] Not.

[undesigned]

[takes a couple steps back]

You're the only person here who knows that. Everyone else is like, "Look, it's Spider-Man!" And apparently they saw the movie with Tobey Maguire. Did you see that thing? It was terrible, and I never got any money for it! Any!

[hesitates and then drops an arm to prep it to web Miles]

I need you to take off your mask. And tell me where I died. And who you think Spider-Man is. Because this is fifty kinds of messed up, beginning with the part where Fury never offered me a costume! I had my underwear hanging out on TV once and he never tried.

[Stick with the small things. Being jealous that Fury has a new favorite isn't gonna help anything.

Not that I'm jealous. I'm not. But I had to tape my butt.

Really focusing on the important things. Not the rest. No.]

[redesigned]

There's video of, of you fighting--

[sees that and goes to remove the mask, but stops. looks off to the side]

Peter Parker. He--he--you--[hands on his head, agh] Queens. It was in Queens. Forest Hills. There was a big, a huge big explosion and I didn't see what caused it because I got there too late, I couldn't do anything, you were already. . . I-it's really you? It can't be you. How can you be here? I saw you.

[undesigned]

—what—you were there?

[pulls off the mask slowly, and he holds it in both of his hands]

I don't know what's going on, either. But I'm him, right? Me, I mean, uh—you know. I really need you to take off your mask, though, 'cause if you're another clone, then there might be bigger problems to deal with than just ... me magically being back in a strange scientifically evil summer camp.

[redesigned]

[Oh, man, oh, god, it's him! Spider-Man--Peter Parker is standing right in front of me and he's alive. What do I do? What does it mean that he's here? What does it mean that I'm here? How am I here if he's here? What do I say? 'Yeah I was there, sorry I let you die, I was scared'? I can't. I can't do this.]

You're him.

[redesigned]

[drags the mask over his eyes firmly as he pulls it off, holds it to the side]

Uh, I think it's pretty obvious I'm not a clone? But I--I'll tell you anything you want to know, I promise.

[undesigned]

[Okay.

Wow, he's—

Okay, so unless they got super creative like they did with Jessica, definitely not a clone. Definitely not.

Not that they didn't do some things with my clones that were pretty outstanding, but this is a little ... far-fetched. I mean, uh.

It is a good thing I do the inner monologue things for timed reactions.]

[undesigned]

What do you mean ... you were there? Why'd Fury let someone else become Spider-Man? I mean, was there even a grace period or did he snap someone else up? Why'd he pick another kid after the crap they put me through? Are you being trained?

Is that too many questions? because, actually, I have a lot of questions.

[Don't take it out on him. He's scared.

I guess I'm a little scared, too.]

[redesigned]

At school they told us about a big superhero fight going on by Queensborough Bridge so I thought--they said you'd been shot. I had to go.

[a moment where he looks like he might say more, but--]

Fury didn't--it wasn't like that, it was an accident. I was bitten by a spider that didn't have anything to do with him, he didn't even know until after--after what happened to you. He didn't pick me. He only found out about me because Spider-Woman brought me in, and after we talked and, uh, I took out this bad guy, some guy made of electricity? he gave me a chance, and the suit. I chose this.

Uh, there's no training. Did you get training? Questions are okay. I don't know much but anything you want, if I can I'll tell you.

[I owe you that much.]

[undesigned]

You—you chose this even though you knew I died? Even though you saw me die? What's—why?

[he balls up his mask and paces off to the side and back, clearly uneasy]

And I didn't get training. Tony Stark let me see inside of his lab and Captain America gave me this speech about how I'd—how I'd just die the way things were going, and I died trying to save him after he told me to sit on the bench. Maybe I needed more training. I don't think it would've saved me.

That doesn't mean I'd change my mind or anything, but you—aren't you even younger than me? You, uh, you look younger, and you're—

[he shakes his head]

I still wanna know why. Why'd you decide to become Spider-Man?

[redesigned]

[head down, taking all of that in]

. . . I had to. Because with--with great--

[his voice creaks and he stops, swallowing back the words and just. staring at the ground]

[undesigned]

Who—who told you that?

[redesigned]

A girl at your--at the funeral. I asked why you did it, why you became Spider-Man, and that's what she said. She told me about your uncle.

[undesigned]

You don't have a dead uncle, too, do you?

[redesigned]

No.

[undesigned]

Right—at least you got the important part. With great power comes great responsibility.

[he hesitates, swallowing hard]

Who—I mean, who told you? Was she blonde or red-headed?

[redesigned]

Uh, blonde. She had blonde hair.

[looks like he maybe wants to say more, but stays quiet]

[undesigned]

Her name's Gwen. Someone dressed up as Spider-Man and killed her dad, so she—she hated him, hated me, and she didn't realize it. When she found out, she pointed a gun at me. But she accepted it. Soon after—she, uh, she died. Sort of. It's complicated.

It's just ... it's almost funny, that she's the one to pass it on. After everything. The one to teach you when I wasn't even responsible enough for her.

[he crosses his arms, looking at Miles seriously]

Because it's not just about protecting people or saving lives. It's about making sure no one gets hurt because of us, either. That's why I had to die the way I did. And looking at you, I'm not sure I like the idea that I just need to turn my back and hope you can do it. That somehow, because you saw what I did with these abilities, that you've gotta ... take this responsibility.

I'm not saying don't do it, either. But I want to be sure you understand. Completely.