Web of Fate

Peter held his phone to his ear, his voice calm as he spoke to his uncle. Meanwhile, Jessica, on her phone, similarly talked to her adoptive father.

"Uncle Ben," Peter greeted.

"Peter, what is it?" Uncle Ben spoke with gentle kindness.

"I'm heading out with a friend," Peter explained casually.

"Oh? Is it a girl?" Uncle Ben teased, his tone playful.

Peter grinned, deciding to play along. "Yes," he admitted, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh," Uncle Ben replied, caught off guard for a moment. "Well, if you and your lady friend need a ride back home, just call me."

"Thanks, Uncle Ben," Peter said. His gratitude was genuine.

"You're welcome. Have fun with your date," Uncle Ben added with a chuckle.

"I will. Bye," Peter replied before ending the call, shaking his head fondly at his uncle's good-natured teasing.

Jessica gripped her phone tightly, her voice still a bit hesitant as she spoke. "Hi, Mr. Jones," she greeted, the word "Dad" feeling just out of reach, a lingering effect of the accident.

"Yes, Jessica?" Mr. Jones replied, his tone warm and patient, as always.

"I'm hanging out with a friend. Can you pick me up later?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Of course. Have fun," Mr. Jones said. His reply is basic but encouraging.

"Thank you," Jessica replied softly, appreciating his understanding.

"No problem," he said before the call ended.

Jessica hung up, slipping her phone back into her pocket. She turned to see Peter already waiting for her with a patient smile, ready to leave.

"Let's go," Peter said, motioning for Jessica to follow. 

Jessica nodded, falling into step beside him as they began walking. 

"So, where are we heading?" Jessica asked, glancing at him curiously. 

"Let's grab some food first," Peter replied. "Do you know any good restaurants around here?" 

Jessica thought for a moment before answering, "There's a pretty good Chinese place nearby." 

"Sounds perfect," Peter said, a warm smile spreading across his face. 

Jessica couldn't help but smile back, a quiet excitement in her chest.

As they walked side by side, Jessica found her gaze drifting toward Peter's hand. She hesitated, as her hand caught between reaching out and holding back. The thought of holding his hand sent her heart racing, but doubt lingered. 'What if he thinks this is weird?'

Peter, meanwhile, was scanning the surrounding town, his eyes taking in the unfamiliar streets and storefronts. Queens wasn't where he originally came from, and everything felt both new and oddly familiar.

As Peter and Jessica passed a familiar street corner, fragments of memories from the original Peter began surfacing—fleeting images of faces and places that felt oddly familiar yet distant.

Then someone suddenly bumped into him.

"Sorry," Peter said instinctively, stepping aside to let the man pass.

The man hurried off without a word, but Peter's lips curled into a sly smile as he and Jessica resumed walking.

Jessica glanced at him curiously. "What's with the grin?"

"Oh, nothing," Peter replied casually, slipping his hands into his pockets.

What he didn't mention was that during the brief interaction, the man had tried to pick his pocket. However, Peter's reflexes were sharper than most. Not only had he managed to retrieve his own wallet, but he did an uno reverse card as he swiped the man's wallet.

When they arrived at the Chinese restaurant, Jessica stepped forward, turning to face Peter with a smile. "This is the place," she said confidently.

Peter returned the smile, but it quickly vanished as an intense, overwhelming blare of his Spider-Sense erupted in his mind. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before—a warning that screamed of imminent death.

Before he could think, Peter dashed forward and wrapped his arms around Jessica.

"Peter?" A shadow loomed over them, cutting off Jessica's words. Her eyes widened in shocked as an enormous mass of sand hurtled down toward them like an avalanche from the sky.

Peter pivoted to the left, his instincts taking over. With a powerful leap, he carried them both to the side, landing as far away as he could manage. They tumbled onto the pavement just as the massive wave of sand crashed down, obliterating the restaurant and several nearby buildings in its wake.

Dust and debris filled the air, the ground trembling beneath the impact. Peter shielded Jessica with his body as they lay on the ground, both panting.

Jessica looked up at Peter, her voice shaky. "What... what just happened?"

Peter didn't respond immediately, his senses still on high alert as he glanced at the destruction. His jaw tightened as he muttered under his breath, "We're not safe yet."

'What the fuck was that?' Peter thought, his mind racing. 'I can't catch a break.'

Around them, the streets erupted into chaos as people screamed and ran in panic.

Peter turned his head toward the source of the chaos, his eyes narrowing as he saw a towering figure of sand rising amidst the rubble.

'Sandman,' Peter realized, his stomach sinking. 'But who is he fighting?'

A blazing fireball streaked through the sky, slamming into the sand colossus with explosive force, answering his question.

"Fantastic Four," Peter muttered under his breath, recognizing the signature attack.

Snapping back to the moment, he quickly got to his feet and extended a hand to Jessica. "Let's go, Jessica."

Jessica, still stunned, grabbed his hand without hesitation. "Okay," she said, her voice trembling but resolute.

Clasping her hand tightly, Peter led her away, the two of them sprinting in the opposite direction of the escalating battle.

Jessica couldn't help but glance back a few more times as they ran. Her gaze remained fixed on the fight—the towering Sandman clashing with bursts of fire and energy from the Fantastic Four.

In the chaos itself, she noticed a shimmering barrier forming around the nearby civilians, shielding them from the debris.

Her thoughts raced. 'Maybe I can help people with my power…' The idea sparked something within her.

Peter, meanwhile, was entirely in his own head. 'Do I have the Spider Luck?' he thought bitterly. 'If I do, then fuck me.' His thoughts darkened. 'Please don't let Paul exist in this world. If he does, I swear on my life I will rip him in half'

Back at the battlefield, Sandman rose to his full height, towering over the wreckage like a giant humanoid fortress of sand. His massive form stood still for a moment, waiting for the inevitable assault from the Fantastic Four. 

"Reed, are you done yet? I can't hold this guy much longer!" shouted Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, his body ablaze with fiery energy. 

With both hands extended, Johnny unleashed a torrent of fire toward Sandman. The flames licked and roared, striking Sandman's colossal right arm. The intense heat transformed parts of the sandy limb into brittle glass, cracking under the pressure. 

But Sandman was far from finished. He extended his left hand, forming it into a massive swatting motion. The strike connected with Johnny, sending him hurtling through the air like a rag doll. 

The impact extinguished his flames, and Johnny reverted to his normal form mid-air. "Shit," he muttered, the word barely escaping his lips before his body went limp, his eyes fluttering shut as unconsciousness claimed him. 

Johnny plummeted toward the ground, his fall rapid and uncontrolled, when a rocky humanoid figure leaped into action. With impeccable timing, The Thing, Ben Grimm caught Johnny mid-air, landing heavily but safely in his arms. 

"Matchstick, you good?" Ben asked with a chuckle, despite seeing Johnny knocked out cold. His rocky face twisted into a small grin. "Figures you'd burn out before the fight's done." 

Ben shifted Johnny over one broad shoulder, then touched a finger to the makeshift "ear" on the side of his rocky head, activating his comm. "Reed, is it ready yet?" 

A calm but determined voice crackled through the comm. "It's ready," Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, replied. 

Above the battlefield, the Fantasticar soared into position. The Fantasticar released several sphere-like devices from its underside, plummeting them directly toward Sandman. 

Sandman reacted instantly, swinging one of his massive arms to swat the incoming devices. But the moment one sphere contacted his hand, it exploded in a burst of freezing mist, encasing part of his arm in ice. 

In frustration, Sandman tried to dodge, but there were too many spheres. One after another, they detonated on impact, spreading ice across his body. His movements slowed as his limbs froze, the sand crystallizing into brittle shards. 

The freezing process wasn't over yet. As Sandman struggled, drones emerged from the Fantasticar, circling him like vultures. Each one unleashed a concentrated burst of cryogenic mist, ensuring no part of him was left unfrozen. 

In moments, Sandman stood immobilized, encased entirely in a thick shell of ice.