C674 Spider-Man (Patreon)
Content
The calm of the Parker residence was abruptly shattered, just as MJ, followed by America, Lily, and Leo, stepped through the door, each one bustling with the energy of a day spent out and about in the city they loved.
The light-hearted bickering over what MJ would conjure up for dinner tonight—tacos or pizza, the eternal debate—was a familiar tune in their household. Yet, in an instant, that comforting normalcy was torn away.
As MJ placed her keys on the kitchen counter, the air outside crackled with an ominous energy, a precursor to the chaos that was about to unfold.
Suddenly, the house’s arcane protections, set up by both Peter and the Ancient One herself sprang to life. A shimmering barrier enveloped their home, deflecting a barrage of energy bolts that rained down from the sky.
The sounds of the outside world were muffled, but the flashes of light and the vibrations of impact were impossible to ignore.
“What’s happening?” Lily asked, her eyes wide as Leo clung to her, trembling in fright.
America moved first, guiding her siblings to the window, where they peered out at a city under siege, MJ following closely behind them.
The sky was a tapestry of chaos, split open by thousands of portals, each ejecting figures as ominous as they were majestic. Kang variants, their appearances diverse, yet all sharing the same malevolent intent as they unleashed destruction upon New York.
MJ’s hand flew to her mouth, her heart racing. “Stay here,” she instructed, her tone brooking no argument as she dashed for her phone to call Peter. But before she could dial, the attack halted as abruptly as it had begun, drawing their attention back to the sky.
A silence, eerie and thick with anticipation, fell over the city as a massive portal opened, revealing a floating, regal platform from which two figures sat—Immortus and Rama-Tut, leaders of the council of Kangs. Their presence commanded attention, and as they spoke, their voices boomed across New York, impossible to ignore.
“People of New York, bear witness to your reckoning,” Immortus’s voice thundered, a sinister calm in his tone. “The chaos that rains down upon you, the fear that grips your heart—blame it not on fate, nor the stars, but on your beloved hero, Spider-Man.”
Rama-Tut continued, his voice equally chilling. “He has defied the inevitable order, the destined rule of the Kangs. In his arrogance, he has drawn our wrath upon you all. Consider this the price of his defiance, the cost of your misplaced faith in a mere mortal draped in the guise of a savior.”
As their speech echoed through the stunned silence, the implication was clear—this was not just an attack, it was a declaration of war, a direct challenge to Peter, and through him, to every soul brave enough to stand against the tyranny of the Kangs.
Back in the Parker residence, the weight of the Kangs’ words hung heavy. MJ, phone forgotten in her hand for a split second, turned to her children, ready to shoo them into their rooms. But suddenly, her eyes widening as the front door swung open and all of three of them ran outside, their hero suits, which Peter had made for them, appearing in an instant.
“Get back here now!” MJ exclaimed as she chased them, though they didn’t seem to be listening…
————
Meanwhile, the air in Peter’s lab was thick with concentration. Tools and gadgets were scattered across the tables, all used to test his newly acquired powers: the formidable abilities of Knull.
He was deeply engrossed in his work, his fingers dancing and tapping across his desk as he went over the data from his last tests.
But before he could finish his work, suddenly, Peter’s relaxed mood was shattered by a jolt of alarm that surged through him—a sensation far different from the familiar tingle of danger. It was the arcane protections of his home being activated.
His heart skipped a beat, his thoughts immediately flying to MJ and the kids. “They better stay inside,” he muttered, determination replacing the fear that tried to creep in.
In seconds, Peter was in his all-black Spider suit, enhancing his already formidable presence. He didn’t bother with the door; instead, he opened a portal right there in the lab, not willing to waste a single second.
As he stepped through the portal, the scene that greeted him was straight out of a nightmare. He found himself in the midst of a battlefield that had once been his quiet neighborhood. His home stood, surrounded by a shimmering barrier, a beacon of safety amidst the destruction.
The sky was ablaze with conflict, countless Kang’s fired energy bolts, which rained down as if the heavens themselves were at war. But Peter had no eye for the chaos above; his focus was first and foremost on the safety of his family.
To his astonishment and dismay, he discovered the front door of his house wide open. And to make matters worse, above him, in the sky, he found his family, clad in their superhero attire, locked in a fierce battle with the Kangs, leaving him utterly transfixed in shock and disbelief.
“What are you doing?! Get inside—now!” Peter’s voice, usually warm and humorous, was sharpened by fear and command. But his words were lost in the racket of battle.
Leo, with strength and speed that rivaled Superman’s, sent a Kang flying with a powerful punch, only for another to take its place.
Lily, agile and quick, her body moving with the grace of a spider and the finesse of a mystic arts practitioner, weaved between their enemies, landing blows that were both precise and powerful.
America’s star-shaped portals sliced through the air, displacing Kangs with strategic precision, her mastery of the mystic arts evident in her focused gaze.
And lastly, MJ, with the agility and speed inherent to those with spider powers, fought with a ferocity that matched her fierce protective instinct, constantly yelling at the children to retreat, but none of them listened.
After all, the city was in danger and their father wasn’t here, at least as far as they knew, so they needed to step up and fight in his place!
Yet, despite their strength and effort, the tide of battle seemed against them. The Kangs, relentless in their assault, pressed forward with a manic determination, their numbers overwhelming the Parker family.
Amid the chaos, a Kang wielding a giant bastard sword, his eyes alight with malice, lunged at America, his blade gleaming with deadly intent.
“!?” Lily’s eyes widened in horror as she realized the danger her sister was in. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dove in front of America, her arms spread wide, prepared to shield her sister with her own body.
“No!” MJ’s scream tore through the air, a heart-wrenching sound that echoed Peter’s own fear. In that instant, time seemed to slow as Peter’s world narrowed to the image of Lily, her body in the path of the sword.
Rage, pure and incandescent, surged through Peter. With speed that broke the laws of physics, he appeared in front of Lily, his fingers closing around the sword’s blade an inch from her.
The look in his eyes was one of unbridled fury as he snapped the sword in half with a mere flick of his wrists. The Kang, momentarily stunned, could only watch as Peter, with a movement too quick to follow, hurled the fragment of his broken blade back at him.
It found its mark with lethal precision, embedding itself in the Kang’s head before continuing its deadly trajectory, piercing through five more Kangs with unstoppable force, killing all six of them.
Silence fell, a heavy, breathless silence, as those who remained standing processed the swift turn of events. The Kangs, momentarily halted by the display of power, eyed Peter with newfound wariness.
Watching with keen eyes, Immortus and Rama-Tut, high above on their floating platform, were about to speak, but suddenly, Peter turned his back on them, a clear dismissal of their presence.
“Inside. Now.” Peter pointed at the house, his voice firm, brooking no argument. Leo opened his mouth to protest, his youthful face set in a stubborn line, but a single, stern glance from Peter was enough to silence him. The young boy closed his mouth, his expression sheepish as he realized how serious his father was.
In almost any other circumstance, Peter would have loved the idea of fighting side by side with his family. But this was not just any enemy; this was the Kangs, beings of cunning and merciless intent. The risk was too great, and he would not—could not—let them face such peril.
Immortus and Rama-Tut, their irritation boiling into outright fury at being so blatantly ignored, decided to provoke Peter. “Do you not appreciate our handiwork, Spider-Man? Look around you. Witness the chaos we’ve wrought upon your precious city,” Rama-Tut taunted, his voice laced with malice.
Peter, his patience wearing thin, finally turned to face them. The city that lay beyond his neighborhood was filled with destruction. Buildings were ablaze, streets torn asunder, and the air was filled with the cries of the frightened and the wounded. His jaw clenched at the sight, a burning resolve igniting within him.
But before he could take a step toward the villains, a sudden movement caught his eye. The Kangs, sensing an opportunity, moved as one, a strategic blockade aimed at preventing his family’s retreat to the safety of their home.
MJ, her instincts as a mother overriding all else, stood in front of the kids, her eyes darting around for an escape route. But there was none to be found; they were effectively trapped.
As the Kangs closed in, forming an unbreakable circle around Peter and his family, the air crackled with tense anticipation. High above, on their floating platform, Immortus and Rama-Tut peered down, their eyes gleaming with cold amusement. “Is that your family?” Immortus asked, his voice dripping with menace, a smile playing threateningly on his lips.
Peter sighed heavily. Without a word, he waved his hand, conjuring a large, swirling portal directly beneath his family’s feet. With a mix of surprise and relief, MJ and the kids fell through it, landing safely inside the house.
With a snap of his fingers, Peter sealed the house once more, the front door slamming shut, the arcane protections glowing brighter, warding off any attacks from the Kangs with ease.
The Kangs, their confidence faltering, launched a barrage of energy bolts at the house, only to watch in frustration as the magical shields absorbed the impact without a hint of strain.
Peter, now with a smirk on his face, turned towards the Kangs, his posture relaxed. “Thanks for dropping by. You’ve saved me a trip,” he smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t show it, but the state of his city was really starting to grate on his nerves.
The Kangs, ready to unleash another attack, paused as Peter held up his hand, signaling them to wait. They watched, confused and wary, as Peter tapped a few buttons on his wristwatch. “Sorry to make you way, I’m just inviting some friends over to play with us,” he explained, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Before the Kangs could react, the air around them began to shimmer and twist. Portals of various sizes popped open on the street, in the sky, and on the rooftops surrounding them. And out stepped figures in various iterations of the Spider suit, each carrying a palpable aura of determination and vengeance.
These were the former members of the Spider-Society, each wronged by the Kangs, now united under a common cause. They stood ready, their eyes fixed on the Kangs, burning with the need for revenge!
A/N: 1987 words :)