Disclaimer: I don't own Spider-Man, or any other Marvel Comics characters. I also do not own any DC Comics characters.
Chapter 14 - Edge of Midnight
The world seemed to go in slow motion as he leaped over the edge of the Daily Planet building, and plunged without thought down toward the scared, and screaming form about to meet her demise on the streets below. Spider-Man streamlined his body to maximize the speed of his decent and began to catch up to the falling woman, who Peter still envisioned to be his long lost love Gwen Stacy. Spider-Man reached out with one hand, inching closer to her by the second as the panicked shouts of pedestrians filled his ears. Peter blocked them out, and grabbed the woman, and placed his body below her, and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "No more webbing...too far to make it to stick to anything...Gwen...I'll protect you!" Peter closed his eyes, and waited for the impact. Peter felt himself, and the woman in his arms floating and opened his eyes to see that Superman caught them a mere six feet from the cleared away street.
A crowd was beginning to form around the three, and Spider-Man quickly lowered himself, and Lois onto the street. Peter blinked when he could no longer see Gwen standing there, and in her place their stood a dark haired woman staring at him with a thankful smile. "What was that? Why did I see Gwen? Wait! The Goblin!" Peter's head looked up, and started scanning the skies with urgency, but he saw no sign of his old foe. "NO! You won't get away from me, Norman!" Spider-Man was about to start wall-crawling back up the Daily Planet building to begin his search for the Green Goblin, when Superman placed a hand on Peter's shoulder getting him to turn his masked head. "Spider-Man, thank you for saving Lois. I don't know what I would've done if I lost her." Superman said to his teammate, and saw that Spider-Man's body tensed at his words. "There's no time! I have to stop him!" Superman shook his head with an angry frown. "I saw the Goblin disappearing into a portal of some kind above the city. We need the rest of the team here. It's time you told us everything about you, and the enemies that we could be facing, Spider-Man."
Superman stared at Spider-Man intently, and waited for his answer. "The Goblin's appearance here is no coincidence. This is the Beyonder's handiwork, and he could bring just about anyone to this universe if he wanted. If I keep quiet about my identity, and world...it will put innocent lives at risk. I can't do that, and I won't. I'd never forgive myself. There's a quicker way to have the League know everything," Peter has a look of concentration under his mask, and cleared his thoughts like his friend Moondragon taught him. Superman watched Spider-Man's form relax, and he was taking deep breaths. "J'onn...are you there?...J'onn...I need to talk to you."
Peter waited for a few minutes, before he felt the familiar sensation of psychic contact being established. "Spider-Man...we are heading for Metropolis now. There was a tremor on the psychic plane when you felt anguish about your lost love. I understand what you are feeling."
Peter's brow furrowed under his mask. "I appreciate you keeping my life, and the information about my world to yourself..." The Martian Manhunter flinches in his seat on-board the Javelin, and waited for Spider-Man to continue speaking in his mind. "but, now an old enemy of mine appeared in your world, and almost killed someone!...I want you to use your telepathy and send the team everything. All my memories." There was silence over their psychic link for a few moments, and the Martian Manhunter was the first to break the silence. "I understand, Spider-Man. I will let the others know. There is a one problem...Batman still has the psychic shields on his mind, and I cannot reach him telepathically." Peter frowned under his mask, and his jaw tightened. "I'll have to talk to Bats directly then...not something I'm looking forward to."
"I will wait until we arrive in Metropolis before I begin linking our minds for the transfer, Spider-Man."
"Good plan. My past isn't all sunshine, and rainbows. Thanks, J'onn." Peter begins to come out of his psychic trance, and Superman was helping Lois over to one of the Ambulance's that were onsite to help with the injured on the street. Spider-Man looked down and moved part of his costume up, and exposed his abdomen where his belt with his extra web cartridges are located. "I have to create more web fluid...who among all the League members has a lab? I've got a feeling only Bats has access to one. Or maybe I could go to that facility called S.T.A.R. Labs that Superman told me about?" Peter was brought out of his thoughts from the sound of the Javelin touching down on the roof of the Daily Planet. Spider-Man glanced over at his teammate Superman, who was hugging Lois to his chest, and running a hand through her hair. He separated, and kissed her forehead. Peter could hear Superman whispering apologies to her, and decided to give them some privacy and jumped up a high as he could, and began wall-crawling up fast to reach the roof.
Peter could see Hawkgirl flying from the roof, and descended towards his location on the side of the building. Shayera's wings flapped lightly, as she kept pace with Peter crawling upwards. "Need a lift?" Hawkgirl said getting Spider-Man to stop, and look up at her. "Thanks for the offer, Polly... but I've got lots of practice scaling buildings like this." Hawkgirl frowned slightly when she heard a hitch in his voice. "This isn't open for discussion. Your coming with me." Hawkgirl strapped her mace to her belt around her waist, and surprised Peter when she scooped him up under his costumed arms, and began flying skyward. Peter looked down, and didn't struggle in her grip. "It's a long way down...been there, done that." Peter looked up to see Hawkgirl smirking down at him, and then she started diving right towards the roof at high speed. Peter unconsciously clung onto Shayera, and she blushed a little from their close contact.
Shayera's wings expanded, and flapped loudly as she lowered Spider-Man onto the roof with Superman just arriving after they touched down. Everyone, but the Batman was present on the Daily Planet's roof, and Spider-Man cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "J'onn's probably brought you up to speed on the situation. An old enemy from my world has shown up here, and that means the Beyonder is making his move. You all need the knowledge that I have about myself, and my world to help you if there are more of my rogue's gallery on the way. J'onn's agreed to send you all of my memories telepathically...I don't like it...but the Goblin's arrival has forced my hand." Peter said clenching his gloved fist, and narrowed his eye lenses while staring at his teammates in the League. Flash sent Peter an understanding smile. "It's not fair that your the only one exposing his identity, Webs. Hey, J'onn! Can you send Spidey my memories too? You never know when you could run into one of my baddies like Captain Boomerang, right?" Flash received questioning looks from the other members of the League. "You sure about this, Flash?" Green Lantern asked with his arms folded over his chest, and lantern insignia. "Yep! You guys should too! I mean...if you want to." Flash said looking at the faces of all the other members of the League.
Green Lantern huffed, and sighed. "Fine. I'll do it." Flash ran over, and tapped his friend on the back in a friendly manner. "Good man! Anyone else?" Hawkgirl turned her head, and rubbed her upper left arm with her other hand. "Not just yet. I'm sorry, but there are some things I'm not ready to share with you." Hawkgirl gave everyone an apologetic look, as her gaze lingered on Spider-Man longer than the others. Wonder Woman asked J'onn a question. "Do we have to include everything? Mother forbade me from revealing anything that could expose Themiscrya, and I don't want to endanger my Amazonian sisters." Spider-Man wasn't in the mood to deal with their debating, and turned his head to look at J'onn. "Do I have to be here for the transfer?" J'onn shook his head. "Good enough for me. I've got a Goblin to hunt!" Spider-Man ran over to the other side of the roof, and took a mighty leap 20 feet over to the next highrise building, and kept going until he was out of sight. Hawkgirl stared at Spider-Man's retreating form with a forelorn look, and the rest of the League were looking guilty with their heads down. J'onn stepped forward with a serious look on his face. "Spider-Man's memories will overwhelm you, and are not for the faint of heart. Be prepared." J'onn's eyes glowed red, as he entered a psychic trance like state to transfer Spider-Man's memories to Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
The memories of Peter Parker started flooding their minds. His early days of being bullied by Flash Thompson, gaining his Spider powers, and trying to cash in on them. The death of his Uncle Ben that changed his life, and helped shape his future. Faces of all of Spider-Man's enemies flashed across their minds-eye. Super powered men with animal themed costumes, Alien symbiotes, mutants, and sights that even John Stewart, and the more experienced members of the League were astounded at. They watched as Spider-Man faced threats that would've caused even Superman to think twice before challenging. They saw Peter with multiple arms facing off against a living Vampire, getting cosmic powers, and facing down a mad despot standing next to death herself with the power to end his life with a single thought. They saw some of Spider-Man's enemies becoming friends, and allies...a woman in a skin tight leather costume with white hair, and a domino mask on, and a man in a lab coat with one arm that transformed into a lizard man. They witnessed him becoming teammates, and friends with a group of super-humans known as the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and others. The League members saw all of this, and they dropped down to their knees holding their heads with blank looks in their eyes. J'onn cut off his telepathy, and his eyes no longer had a red glow.
Superman had haunted eyes, and shook his head to help sort his thoughts. "Great Scott! What he's had to endure...it makes what I went through on Apokolips look pale in comparison." Superman was humbled by Peter's sacrifices and how he faced threats bigger than any he's seen before. Wonder Woman stood up slowly with her slender left hand held over her blue eyes. "Spider-Man is a true hero. If only my mother could see these memories...she would not doubt that man's world can produce true men that have honor, and dignity. I know my mother would welcome him to the shores of Themyscira." Diana walked over to the edge of the building, and stared off in the location Spider-Man left to, and gave an Amazonian salute in that direction.
Green Lantern couldn't believe all of the different alien races that existed in Spider-Man's universe, and he remembered the conversation he had with the Guardians after the League's meeting about Spider-Man. "The Guardians said that they had a falling out with being's called the Elders of the Universe, and entities called the Living Tribunal, and Eternity decided to split the Universe into two separate ones, because the Elders threatened to use their Infinity Gems to kill the Guardians. Seeing Spider-Man's memories confirms things. Buried alive...scorched by cosmic flames from a herald called Firelord...I'm going to need to use my ring to sort through everything to get more info on these Elders since the Guardians wouldn't tell me anything else." John looked over at Flash, who was shaking on his hands and knees with a vacant stare.
"Flash?" John was getting no response from Wally. "Flash!" Wally still was looking down, and Green Lantern could see sweat dripping down Flash's face from under his cowl. John used his ring to create a green energy hand, and gently lifted Flash onto his feet. John rushed over, and lightly shook Wally by his shoulders. "Wally! Can you hear me!" Flash blinked under the lenses of his mask, and groaned painfully. "What happened? Was...all of that...real? He's got all of these guys wanting to destroy him...my rogues aren't even in the same league as his!" Flash started shaking again, and John shook Wally again, and gave him a stern look. "Flash...Spider-Man's life, and yours are two different things. Don't overlap them, and draw any comparisons! Just be happy that you never had a world eating cosmic being trying to make our world a midnight snack." John tried a joke with his dry sense of humor to get Wally to focus, and it worked when he saw him chuckling a little. "Yeah...can you believe it? That one herald called Nova was super hot, though!" Flash grinned widely. "Yeah, Wally's back to normal." Green Lantern smirked, and pushed Wally with his hands on his back walking over to main group. "We need to compare notes with the others, and then track down Spider-Man before Batman chews us out."
On the other side of Metropolis City
Spider-Man approached the head of S.T.A.R. Labs, Doctor Emil Hamilton to use one of his labs to make more web fluid for his web-shooters. Professor Hamilton agreed to allow Peter to use their lab, as long as he was being supervised by one of his staff at all times. Peter agreed to this, and began to gather the chemicals for his web fluid. Peter was suspicious of Hamilton when he saw him making mental notes of what chemicals he was using, so Peter made up an excuse that he was needed back at the Watchtower and he needed a container for the necessary components, and will return later to the lab to make it. Professor Hamilton offered to recreate the fluid, if Spider-Man provided the formula. Peter politely refused, and he noticed Hamilton frown slightly before smiling and accepting Peter's reasoning. Spider-Man left the lab quickly with the chemicals in a specially made container that had a strap that was over Peter's right shoulder.
Spider-Man arrived at a large harbor that separated Metropolis, and a dark city that looked nothing like the bright city that Superman calls home. Peter looks over at a sign indicating the name of the city across the harbor. "Gotham City...that's Batman's city. Goblin likely doesn't know anything about the world that the Beyonder sent him to. Norman would feel right at home over there. Not to mention telling Bat's about my life the old fashioned way." Peter narrowed his eye lenses when he heard sirens, and the sounds of shouting people in panic. "It's like New York if Dracula was the Mayor! Better see what I can do to help out!" Peter leaps over to the harbor ferry, and saw a large man wearing a blue sailor suit and a brown Gatsby hat with one squinting eye. "Who the?! Your that guy Superman was hanging out with!" Peter gave the man a salute. "I need your help to get me over there to Gotham, can you do it?" The large man pulled up a sleeve of his coat, and gave Peter a grin. "Any friend O' Superman's a friend of mine! Name's Bibbo! I'll get you there in no time flat!"
Author's note: Chapter 14 Complete! Thanks for reading, and leave a review to let me know what you thought of the chapter. (^-^)