The Webs We Weave: Chapter 2.2 (Patreon)

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The Webs We Weave

Episode 2.2

I shade my eyes with my one hand as I stepped out into the sunlight from the metro.

I’d been up late last night, chasing thoughts about having my arm back in circles until I gave myself a headache. Or maybe it had been minor food poisoning. Most of the food restaurants throw out is still fine, but it was New York.

At least I’d been able to wash my fleece at the women’s shelter when I got breakfast. With that and braided hair, I think I did a decent enough job at making me look ‘not homeless’ that I could walk down the street without people glaring at me. Mostly though, I just chalked that up to New Yorkers not giving two shits about anyone else, in this world or any other.

I came to a stop right in front of the Conners lab near some college campus. Mostly, I was double checking the directions Peter had scrawled down on a piece of paper. Kid really needed to work on his handwriting.

A woman shouldered past me, knocking the scrap from my hand and sending it spiraling away in the turbulent autumn air.

I sighed.

New Yorkers.

Melancholy broken, I looked up at the building itself only to freeze in my tracks.

“You know, I assumed it would be a functional laboratory,” I said.

In front of me was a two story building, it had a nice set of hedgerows and a parking lot, all in all thoroughly upscale for the price of New York real estate. Or at least, it would be if not for the blasted-out glass front and what looked like scorch marks dotting the concrete outside. There was already a clean up crew on the scene, wearing bright orange construction jackets as they gathered the shards of broken glass and twisted prongs of metal.

In the back of my mind, I swore I almost felt my passenger shiver in anticipation.

I shook my head. “Down girl,” I whispered, “fight’s already over.”

“Taylor!” My head snapped up at the sound of Peter’s voice. “Thank god I caught you, was worried you were gonna show up at dawn or something for a second.”

I glanced over to see the kid jogging over from the parking lot, puffy blue coat over his shoulders. He waved at me, and I waved back once as he came to a stop a few steps away.

“So, what happened here?” I raised an eyebrow. “Unless, you’re telling me it’s supposed to look like that?”

He gave an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. “What? No! No of course not.” The words practically tripped over themselves on the way out of his mouth. I had to fight back a smile. “There was a supervillain who showed up and trashed the lab. Electoes or something. I—uh.” He winced. “I mean, I saw Spiderman take care of him after I left work last night.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, making Peter shrink into himself slightly. “Gonna have to work on that,” I said. Then I turned back to the building. “So this is taken care of?”

Peter gave an awkward chuckle. “He had some strong electric powers…well, that’s, uh what it looked like anyway.”

“Forget the building.” I shook my head. “Are you okay?” I closed the difference between us, running my one hand up and down his arms. After the last time he tried to hide a sprain from me, I’d stopped taking his word for it.

“Y-yeah?” He looked away, cheeks red from the cold. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Because obviously you were close enough to see some of what was happening.” I looked him dead in the eye. “Maybe stayed longer than you should have to try to get some pictures like you mentioned?”

“Oh, right!” He shrugged. “No worries, I didn’t get scratched.”

I sighed. “We’ll work on it,” I muttered. “Now, does this mean I’m just out of luck? Or does your doctor friend have a back up lab now that there are so many supervillain attacks?”

“No back up.” He shrugged, taking a step back. I supposed I was fussing a bit much. “But the insurance will cover fixing the front and stuff. It shouldn’t take too long because not much actual equipment was damaged, and after that we’re good to go for your treatment!”

I nodded, glancing back to the building. The damage outside looked pretty severe, but if Peter had been trying to make sure the lab itself didn’t take too much damage… “Thanks,” I said. Now that I’d accepted the possibility of getting my arm back, I didn’t know what I’d do if it all came crashing down on me again.

“Hey, I work there too.” He paused again. “I mean, I’m happy Spidey saved the place I work… too?”

We’ll work on it, I told myself again. We’ll work on it a lot. I pushed the thought away, even Golem and the rest of the Chicago Wards hadn’t been this green.

“So, do I come back another day?” I asked.

“Right, I’m actually supposed to bring you to talk to Dr. Connors and the rest of the team. Figured there was no reason we couldn’t get the paperwork out of the way.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Also I don’t really have a way to contact you so…”

“No, that’s a good idea.” I waved my hand. “Lead the way. I can still sign left handed.”

He chuckled. “Great. Follow me.” He started back down the street, around the north side of the lab. I fell in step beside him, and in a moment we were just two more pedestrians on the streets of New York. Peter led me across the street, into a small door set beneath some construction scaffolding. “They’ve been working on the façade of this building forever, so most people miss this place, but it’s one of my favorite coffee shops.”

“Why’s a kid like you drinking coffee?”

He blinked. “Who doesn’t drink coffee?” He pulled the door open for me, revealing a warm and cozy interior at odds with the boarded-up front. “Ladies first.”

I rolled my eyes, but stepped through the door all the same.

I took a deep breath, letting the warmth seep into me as Peter followed me into the shop. “What do you want to drink, my treat.”

“Some tea.” I looked around the store, noting the back exit tucked behind a drinks refrigerator. “That our table?”

“Got it.” He made finger guns at me. “Here just let me order then I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“Sure.”

I nodded at the blond man with close cut hair who I assumed was Dr. Connors. There were two other people in the booth with him, both blonde, but we all gamely pretended not to notice each other as Peter ordered an espresso and my tea, before paying and bringing me to the table.

“Hey, guys, told you she’d show up.” Peter smiled. “Everyone, this is Taylor Hebert. Taylor this is Dr. Connors, and my other interns, Gwen Stacy and Eddie Brock!”

“Nice to meet you.” I nodded.

Gwen and Eddie were both blonde, just like the good doctor, with matching blue eyes. For a moment, I wondered if they were related, but they didn’t share any features other than that. Gwen was dainty, almost classically beautiful in a way that reminded me of Lisa, but she seemed almost like she was hiding behind a loose zip up hoody and a pair of oversized glasses. Eddie on the other hand was nearly as big as Brian had been, with a big nose and squared jaw that matched his no nonsense attire.

Dr. Connors, lab or no lab, was wearing a white lab coat over business attire less the tie. He stood up as we walked up to the booth. “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Hebert.” I noticed the way his arms quickly tracked to the empty fabric of my sleeve, before he smiled. “Believe me when I say, I understand a bit of what you’ve been through.”

He held out his left hand to shake, flesh and blood. I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed his other arm was a grey metal prosthetic. “The pleasure is mine, Doctor.”

“Please, call me Curt, I’m not working today, after all.” He chuckled. “Or Dr. Connors if you must.”

He seemed in remarkably high spirits for someone whose lab just got bombed out, but I wasn’t so antisocial that I would draw attention to the fact. “Thank you for seeing me, Dr. Connors.” I nodded once towards Gwen and Eddie, “Nice to meet the two of you as well.”

Eddie grinned. “Nice to meet you too, c’mon take a seat!” I glanced at Peter, before sliding into the long booth across from Gwen and Dr. Connors. Peter sat down across from me as well, and Connors took a moment to retrieve a briefcase, and pull some documents from it.

“Now,” he said. “I think it should be pretty clear what we’re aiming to accomplish with this experiment, but I believe it pays to be clear about these things. I am pioneering a genetically engineered solution to lost limbs, by working with the same sequences that allow other animals—namely lizards—to regenerate lost limbs. I understand Peter said you would be interested in volunteering, but I had hoped to talk to you more before we reached the point of signing documents.”

I nodded. “I’d like my arm back, for obvious reasons.” I gestured to my empty sleeve. “But truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have showed up if Peter hadn’t asked me personally. No offense, Dr. Connors, but just growing my arm back seems like…something out of a comic book.”

This world didn’t have a Panacea, though that came with the benefit of not having a Bonesaw either.

“Believe me, I feel the same way.” Connors nodded. “But if the fight that broke out in my lab is any indication, truth is often stranger than fiction these days.”

“Cape fights can get pretty wild,” I said.

“Cape?” Eddie asked me, then he snapped his fingers. “Cause most characters in the comics wear capes, got it.”

I bit my cheek for a second, doing my best to ignore the strange look Peter sent me across the table. “Yeah, I used to read a lot when I was a kid. Not so much now, obviously.” I forced a smile. “It can be a bit hard to turn the pages.”

“I understand the feeling,” Connors said. “If I may, it doesn’t sound like you’re from New York?”

I nodded. “I grew up in New Hampshire.” There was no Brockton Bay on this Earth, to my relief and chagrin, but at the very least the accents were the same. “I had an…accident while I was still in high school, and moved here for various reasons.”

Namely, whatever reasons Contessa had for dumping me here.

“Now, regardless of whether or not the treatment is successful, it will be necessary to keep you under observation for a long period of time.” Connors gave me an apologetic smile, “that’s part of the reason we don’t have anyone signed up for this treatment. But Peter said you would still be interested if I could parley some grant money into say, a janitorial position at the lab?”

I most pointedly didn’t glance at Peter, but I was starting to get the feeling that he hadn’t told Connors and the others I was homeless.

“I’m pretty flexible right now,” I said. “Obviously there are some tasks I’d have difficulty with, but I don’t have any problem signing up for a longer term if that’s what your research needs.”

Connors hummed, flicking through his stack of papers briefly, before setting them aside. “Well, I’m hardly a psychologist, but you seem like a good fit, unless anyone else has an objection?” He glanced around the table, but the other three shook their heads.

“It’ll be nice to have another girl around.” Gwen smiled.

I chuckled. “Maybe we’ll go clothes shopping.”

“Right, well, I have some paperwork to get out of the way, but this is a very ad hoc arrangement.” Connors gave a helpless shrug. “Cards on the table, I am a geneticist, not a Medical Doctor, so while I will do everything in my power to ensure your health, this is not the same kind of arrangement as a clinical trial at, say Oz-Hopkins general.”

I shrugged. “No risk no reward.”

Eddie Brock chuckled. “I like the way you think, Taylor.”

“Thanks.” I took the papers and pen from Connors, putting in the information he needed. There was one snag however. “Is it alright if I put down Peter’s address for the time being? I was planning on moving soon, and well, my mail situation isn’t exactly sorted.” Connors nodded. On one hand, that was good for me, otherwise I’d have to remember the address of my favorite shelter, but it did make me the slightest bit suspicious.

Still paperwork filed, and a few other pleasantries exchanged. I quickly made some noises about needing to ‘recharge my social batteries’ and they let me go with a promise to show up next week Monday.

“I’ll walk you to the Metro,” Peter said.

I held back a sigh, I did need to talk to him about some other things. “That would be appreciated.”

“Bye Eddie, Dr. Connors.” Peter waved, quickly shrugging on his coat. “I’ll see you at school, Gwen?”

“Yes of course.” She nodded biting her lip. “See you tomorrow.”

I raised an eyebrow as I quickly finished my tea and left. Once we were outside and started walking, I said, “She wanted to talk to you.”

“Who, Gwen?” Peter looked at me. “We’ll have time to talk tomorrow. You, I have a much harder time keeping track of.”

He smiled in a way he probably thought was suave. I rolled my eyes, pushing him into a puddle. “You’re not going to impress a girl by blowing off the other women in your life,” I said. “And if you do, that’s not the kind of woman you want in your life anyway.”

He hopped back onto the sidewalk, shaking out his shoe. “I’ll, uh, remember that, thanks.”

I waited for a second. “You didn’t tell them I was homeless.”

Peter winced. “Yeah, uh, I… didn’t think it’d go over well.” We walked down the stairs into the subway, and he bought me a ticket from the kiosk. “Good save with the using my address thing. I…”

“Haven’t filled out a job application before?” I raised an eyebrow. In the middle of the day, the subway platform was hardly barren, but there it wasn’t packed. “Why am I not surprised.”

We found a little spot near the edge of the platform, steering clear of the suspicious stain right next to the tracks.

“I totally applied to work at the lab!” he said. “But, well, Aunt May did help me with most of it.”

I shook my head. “How old are you, anyway?” I asked.

“I just started Junior year.” He shrugged. “It’s how I got the internship. You think they’d let a bunch of freshmen or sophomores handle heavy duty equipment like Dr. Connors has?”

I didn’t say anything about how foolhardy it seemed to let a high school junior handle the same equipment. “Is that where…” I nodded my head towards his wrist, where two inconspicuous puncture marks sat like pale disks on his skin.

He tugged his sleeve over the bite. “Yeah. Start of the year field trip, and, well, the rest is history.”

“I guess so.” We said nothing as the train rolled into the station, brakes screeching as they yanked the train to a stop. “You still haven’t told anyone.”

The noise covered my voice, but Peter’s enhanced hearing picked up on it well enough. He shot me a look. “I thought you said ixnay on the…” He glanced around furtively.

I sighed, stepping onto the train. “You have a great support network, Peter.” I slumped into the nearest seat, patting the one to my left with my hand. “Take it from someone who doesn’t.”

He gave a little jolt at that. “I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

I sighed. “Believe me, I understand how you feel.”

“You do?” He tried a cocky grin. “That’s news to me.”

“Well, you’re working at the Bugle,” I replied. “That rag never prints any news.”

“Hey!” He pointed at me. “Jameson will can me if he hears people talking about his paper like that.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and he blushed.

“I assume J. Jonah Jameson isn’t one of the people you count as part of your support network.” I leaned back in my seat. “What about the other two? Eddie and…Gabby?”

“Gwen.”

“Right.” I nodded. “They seem like good friends.”

“What?” He tilted his head at me. “Oh, yeah, they’re great. Eddie looked out for me before he graduated, and Gwen and I have been friends practically since diapers.”

I looked at him.

“What?” Peter asked again. Still, he was a smart kid, he picked up on what I meant after a few seconds. “You—that.” He shook his head. “I told you. I don’t want to put anyone else at risk.” He glanced around the mostly empty car, before lowering his head and his voice. “The mask is to protect them.”

“I’m sure it is.” I let my eyes drift shut as we jerked through another station. “But it’s also easier to be someone other than Peter Parker for a while, isn’t it.” Even with my normal human hearing, I heard his sharp intake of breath. “It won’t protect them, if you don’t make it home.”

He looked around the car again, still shaken by discussing his alter ego in public, but my own ability let me know that no one was close enough to hear our voices over the rumbling of the train car. Was it the smartest move? No. Had Peter been dodging this discussion for weeks? Oh yes.

And on the hand I no longer had, he sprang the whole ‘meet my mother figure’ on me, so I felt perfectly justified on extracting a little bit of revenge.

“C’mon. I’ve—Wait, this is our stop.” He hopped to his feet, and I followed a step behind. “I’ve been fine this far, haven’t I?”

I said nothing as we mixed with the rest of the people exiting the subway at this stop. Soon enough, we were back on the street, and I sucked in a breath of that fresh Queens Air. It was nice to see that the world was doing okay, a year or two in the future from Earth Bet. You know, if they didn’t have to deal with passengers.

The cost of living was starting to look a little absurd in a world where Behemoth never leveled the city though.

To Peter’s question, I said, “That laboratory didn’t look fine.”

“It worked out, didn’t it?”

“Yes, this time it worked out.” I looked him dead in the eye. “And maybe next time it will work out, and the time after that too. But if you keep pushing your luck on your own, you’re going to wind up in over your head.”

I’d found myself in over my head on my very first night, but then Peter was a lot smarter and more well-adjusted than me. An amusing thought, given similar pasts and insect themed super powers.

“Well, I mean…” He paused, meeting my gaze. “No, you know what? You’ve given me a lot of good advice, but if you want to dig into my… you know my life, I feel like I should get to know where all of these little nuggets of wisdom are coming from.”

Outwardly, I raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“There aren’t a whole lot of superheroes in the states, you know.” He started walking. “I did some research, too. Nobody who’s gotten injured or disappeared recently.”

“There are other capes?” I blinked. It was hard to keep track of the news while homeless.

“Like that!” Peter pointed. “I’ve never heard anyone say ‘capes’ before. Heck, most heroes don’t even wear them, it’s not like a DC comic.”

I forced a smirk. “I agree that not all heroes wear capes.”

He opened his mouth, before that big brain of his finally caught up with what I said. “That’s not what I meant.” Peter groaned. “Jeez, I didn’t know you could tell jokes.”

I shrugged. “I learned from the best.” Miss you, Lisa.

“Who?” Peter asked. “Who did you learn from?”

I sighed. “No one you would have heard of. But if you have to know, yes I have some experience with superheroism. None of the names matter, none of the history matters.” He went to open his mouth again and I slapped my hand onto his chest. “I’m not done talking, Peter.”

He swallowed, face going red from embarrassment. He mimed zipping his lips.

“This life isn’t all sunshine and lollipops, so forgive me if I’m not jumping over myself to unload my trauma on a kid.”

“’Mm not a kid.”

I glared. He zipped his lip harder.

“I’ve learned a thing or two, I’ve made some mistakes, and the last thing I want is for you to end up making the exact same mistakes that I did. Does that make sense?”

He blinked rapidly as I pulled my hand back. “Uh, what mistakes are we talking about here.”

I sighed. “Only the one we’ve been talking about all day, not shutting everyone out of your life.”

“I’m not shutting people out of my life.” We started walking again as Peter waved his hands. “I’m just, you know, doing some extra curriculars. It’s not like anyone would care if I picked up an instrument or something like that.”

“You might be surprised.”

“Look, you told me to think about it, and I thought about it.” He pulled me into the shade of a small townhouse with a neat little yard. I noticed a telescope in the upstairs window. Maybe property prices weren’t yet so terrible after all. “So promise me you’re not gonna go blabbing to Aunt May about it.”

“And if I don’t?” I asked. “Are you going to cut me out of this part of your life as well?”

“What? No!” He shook his head. “Just—!”

The door behind him cracked open. “Peter? Are you back already?” An older woman with bone white hair stepped out onto the porch. “And is this young lady the new friend you mentioned?”

“A-aunt May!” Peter spun around, stepping in front of me. “I thought you’d be watching your show!”

She adjusted her glasses, blue eyes sparking merrily. “Weren’t you the one who showed me how to do the dee vee are?”

He gave an awkward chuckle. “Just surprised you…remembered?”

“Oh, Peter.” Aunt May shook her head. “It’s not rocket science. Now what are you waiting for, introduce me to your friend!” She had a smile that parental units everywhere sported when their child finally started to spread their wings.

Peter gave me a desperate look over his shoulder. I sighed, nodding once. He relaxed. “This is my friend Taylor.” He gestured for me to follow him to the porch. “Taylor, this is my Aunt May. She basically raised me, after…”

I did my best to put on a kind smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” I pulled my winter cap off. “Peter’s told me a lot about you.”

“Has he?” She shot her nephew an unimpressed look.

“All good things.” I smiled wider. “Still, I knew that anyone who raised a kid like Peter would be a good person.”

“Oh, Posh.” May didn’t even bother to hide her pleased expression. “Come inside already! There’s no point in us standing around out here.”

Peter and I followed her back into the house. “Like I told you, I just recommended Taylor for that position at the lab!”

“The test position?” Aunt May pursed her lips. Still, when her eyes tracked to my empty sleeve, she didn’t say anything but, “Well, I’m glad you’ve managed to help out your friend. You always find a way to make me proud.”

Peter chuckled, earlier tension draining out of him. “Aw, it was the least I could do.” He lead me into a cozy little sitting room, with two easy chairs and a couch set around a thick woolen rug.

I took one glance at the brown high backed chair, noting how fastidiously clean it looked compared to the rest of the very lived in room. Without prompting, I settled down on one end of the couch. Peter flopped down to my right, putting his jacket over the arm.

May, for her part, puttered into the kitchen. “Do you drink tea, Taylor?”

I glanced over my shoulder, watching her pull out three mugs over the half wall. “I love it. Do you have Earl Grey?”

She hummed, turning to the pantry. “I think I have a bit left in here. Might as well break it out since this is a special occasion!”

“I’ll also drink Lipton,” I said, voice dry. “Does Peter not bring people over, often?”

“Oh, not nearly as much as he used to.” A note of mild reproach entered her voice as May set a kettle to steep. “Why, it feels like it’s been an age since Gwen or Harry came by!”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Not cutting people out of your life?”

He flushed again, crossing his arms. “That’s…anecdotal.”

A second eyebrow joined the first. “Do you want me to run a case study on your friendships?”

He tilted his head back and forth. “I mean, how would you set up the blind.”

“It would be you, obviously.” He looked at me in confusion, and I sighed, rubbing my face. “I’m saying you're blind.”

“Oh, we’re all blind.” May walked back into the room, settling into the smaller. “I can barely see a thing without my glasses these days.”

I slowly turned my head to the only person in the room not wearing glasses. “Even Peter?”

He went ramrod straight. “C-contacts! They’re super convenient, you should try them!”

“You shouldn’t force your decisions on other people.” May tsked. “I think those glasses look lovely, Taylor. They bring out your eyes.”

I dipped my head. “Thank you, Mrs. Parker. I try to keep them in good shape.” They were the only thing I had left from Earth Bet, though why Contessa gave them to me I’d never know.

“Please, call me May.” She smiled, folding her hands on her lap. “Any friend of Peter’s is a friend of mine.”

“I couldn’t do that.”

“Oh, I insist! Mrs. Parker makes me feel like an old woman.”

I gave an internal sigh at being outmaneuvered. I wasn’t going to call Peter’s aunt old to her face. “Alright, then it’s nice to meet you, May.”

She beamed at me, before rising back to her feet as the kettle whistled. “I’ll go make the tea. Play nice, you two.” The tilted her glasses down to look at her nephew.

I half rose to my feet. “Would you like me to—”

“Sit, sit.” She waved a hand as she walked back to the kitchen. “I’ll be finished in just a moment.”

I sank back to the couch. We sat in silence for a moment.

“Peter.”

He huffed. “What happened to ‘not forcing your decisions on other people’ like Aunt May said?”

I rubbed my eyes. Maybe I was going about this the wrong way. Teenagers were stubborn little shits sometimes, I would know. Still it ate at me to see Peter making the exact same mistakes I had, especially when I would give my last arm for another day with my Dad.

I glanced towards the mantle, where a picture of an older man with a kind smile and laugh lines around his eyes took center stage.

I’m sure Peter felt the same way, which is why I couldn’t come out and say it. He just didn’t see the connection between his current actions and what it would be like if he didn’t come home one day.

I sighed. “Fine, I didn’t come all this way to have a fight. So lets get our story straight before May comes back with the tea.”

He let out a breath of relief. “Right. I was thinking I met you at the park or something, and then we hit it off?”

“When was the last time you went to a park?” I pushed myself up into a sitting position. “Anything else you want to try?”

He grunted. “Okay, fine, what’s your idea?”

Before I could reply, May came back into the room with three steaming mugs balanced on one of those trays that came with stubby plastic legs. “Here you go, the one with the flower is yours, Taylor.”

I took the mug, blowing on it gently. “Thank you.”

She gave Peter his tea before settling into her own chair again, tray forming a table for her drink. “So how did the two of you meet? Peter’s been talking about his new friend, but he’s been so secretive about it.” She gave a knowing smile. “I should have known he new friend was a young woman.”

I tested the tea with my lips to give me a second to order my thoughts. “Peter was doing some work for the lab.” I gestured to my empty sleeve with the mug. “I happened to be nearby as he was, I don’t know, moving some samples or something. It looked important.” I put on a sheepish smile. “I was having some trouble with my bag and a door, you know…”

I trailed off, and May took the bait with a smile. “Oh, and he stopped to help you, didn’t he?”

“Almost dropped whatever expensive equipment he was carrying.” I chuckled, before taking a sip of my tea. “Anyway, we got to talking, and Dr. Connors current project happed to come up.” I shrugged. “What can I say? It was a lucky meeting.”

“Well, isn’t that just lovely.” May clapped her hands once, a proud smile on her face.

Peter, for his part, was looking at me with a very different expression. “I didn’t know you were such a good…story teller.”

Liar, he meant.

“Like I said.” I took another sip of my tea, letting the heat seep into my weary bones.

“I learned from the best.”