Chapter Text
The fall doesn’t feel heroic.
There is no bright light, no dramatic last stand. Just the sickening pull of gravity and the sharp realization that Peter has nowhere left to land. One moment he’s standing in a city that no longer knows his name, and the next the atmosphere tears open like fabric stretched too thin. His spider-sense screams, wild and directionless, before the world twists and drops him into darkness.
Green is the only thing he sees before he passes out.
He doesn’t know how much time has passed when he wakes up. Doesn’t recognize any of his surroundings; all he sees and feels is green.
Fighting through the green liquid? Was it a liquid or a slime? He can’t quite tell. However, it feels like molasses, making every one of his movements slow and sluggish.
When he gets out after breaking the glass. He cuts himself on the wall of his enclosure? He almost folds in on himself as soon as it happens as scalding hot green? Rage flooded into his eyes, and his brain clouded almost immediately.
But when he looks at his arm where a huge gushing wound should be, he instead finds nothing. His healing factor was never this good? What has the green goo done to him, and more importantly, where was he?
Getting fully out of the tank with green liquid, he notices that he still has his spider suit on. And so he puts his mask back on to try and ask Karen what the hell was happening here.
„Karen, where am I? “But at his command no one answered. The sarcastic but caring voice of his AI wasn’t there anymore.
Looking at his watch, it too was broken and not in any working condition.
Most likely having to do with having been stuck in that green goo for an indefinite amount of time. And so, having hope that he could fit all of this, he got out of his suit and wrung it out to get rid of the green goo.
Having the opportunity to look at himself more closely since he was only wearing a thin t-shirt and some sweatpants, he got a closer look at his arm.
And when he did, he saw that not even a little cut had been left after he had almost cut off his entire arm earlier.
Looking around, he spotted three more empty tanks with a similar size as his own but nothing else in the room. And listening with his spider sense, which seemed to be malfunctioning as it screamed though nothing was in his vicinity. For the first time in a long time, he chose to ignore it in favor of just his normal advanced hearing. Hearing nothing, he finally stepped out of the room to look around.
As he did, Peter discovered that the room he was in was part of some kind of underground facility, as he could hear cars driving above him and the sewer water rushing beside him.
The next room seemed to be a kind of staff relaxation room, as there was a small kitchenette and a refrigerator. The refrigerator sadly seemed to be out of business, as he could feel no electricity coming from it.
Seeing there was no food in the cupboard either, this facility must have long been abandoned.
Walking around, he spotted some leftover belongings of the staff that must have worked here, which spoke to them leaving in a hurry. And walking into the next room, he spotted the personal lockers. Which he quickly pried open, finding not much.
But still he acquired a gym bag, some clothes that were two sizes too big, and a pair of boots that were his size. He called it a good haul overall.
Stuffing his Spider suit into the gym bag and changing into his newly acquired shoes feels like heaven. He also pulls on one of the black hoodies with a white logo that looks slightly of putting.
Not feeling it he scratched of half of the print wich looks much cooler.
Having explored evre room except one he winces when the loud sound of a trapdoor opening comes down on his already frayed senses.
He feels that green feeling trying to bubble up again but pushes it down with a quick breathing exercise.
Next he jumps up on the sealing as he hears footsteps coming down a metal ladder. He can’t risk running into anyone before he can get enough information about this place. Looking around he crawls on the ceiling to the door of the changing room again.
Then he sees to cloaked figures wearing domino masks walking into the beak room. They seem to be talking on some type of communications device.
„Listen to me Red, you have to be careful. There is a huge amount of radiation coming from the room next to you, beside to first secure the parameter.“
„Yes mother dearest“ Answered the man dressed in the red outfit to the communications device. Peter is 90 precent sure that its their version of guy in the chair.
Now the purple dressed one pipes up „I thought his lab was shut down like ages ago why is there signal coming from here now?“ Her questioning tone was slightly funny. But Peter was trying to concentrate on his escape so hasn’t going to make quips about it right now.
Climbing onto the ceiling into the room they had just left he sees a mother lab part though this one had bee thoroughly cleaned out by the people who ran this shithole.
Then he saw the exit. A tiny trapdoor shaped like a manhole cover wich was already opened. Presumably by the two people dressed in the costumes.
Getting out of that smelly place only to step into the hellhole that awaited above wasn’t what Peter had assumed was waiting for him.
Looking around there was nothing but smog and darkness.
The smell wants any better. Except for the smell of Gunpowder, a metallic odour and something that smelled faintly of Goo?
(Right therein goo he had just almost drowned in) He could sense the dead body’s buried under the rubble of the fallen buildings around him.
Had none of the loved ones claimed or wanted their bodies?
But knowing that had if he died or was just not there anymore (like right now). He knew that no one would have missed him. He would have gone down in history as not even a John Doe.
Having wallowed in self pity long enough he gathered his few belongings and went of to find a shelter he could stay in till dawn.
But after only a few moment he knew why this wasn’t a good idea. Not 10 minutes later he stood in an alley with a knife at his throat being threatened too give up his belongings.
He knew that he could easily beat the and was just about to swing his fist at the first man, he stopped hearing footsteps running over the roof and in his direction.
Then the man, Drops down from one of the roof and land right behind the guy who was trying to stab Peter. Not thinking Peter shoved the robber into the guys arms and ran like all hell broke loose just screaming „ Nope, Nope, Nope not getting involved in this shit tonight.“
The vigilante/ weir red looking guy stood perfectly still trough this whole ideal. But Peter knew better his heart hd sped u marginally right after Peter had pushed that guy into him.
Memorizing that heart beat for some reason he ran farther down the street.
Three streets down he could still hear the fight between he two. Well admittedly it wasn’t really fight more like a beat down. The robber had been hit in the temple with one of the mans guns and had darted bleeding .But instead of just tying the man p the vigilante just drop kicked the man against a wall and started whispering in a slow and menacing tone.
„I stated my rules, and
you broke them this is your last warning. No touching kids!“
Peter was slightly offended at that. He wasn’t a kid. He hadn’t been for a long time. Ever since Tonys death.
Anyway he needed a shelter for the night. Saing that he looked to his right where a metro station was located. Walkind Dorn there and jumping over the gate felt wrong bu he couldn’t do anything else right now. He went up to one of the maps on the wall and saw a big red pin where the public library was located.
That would be his next stop. As h could already see the sun coming up on the horizon and shimmering down into the metro underground station he planned to just take a train there and then Capp out infant of the library until it opened.
And he did just that the next train came only 8 minutes later he go on and sat in an empty compartment.
Almost falling asleep He fought to stay awake
Peter got out at the station fittingly called Gotham public library and waled up the stairs.
The sun had now fully risen and looking at a clock at the entrance of the library it was only 5 o’clock. The door stated that the library wouldn’t open till 8.30 and so he sat down on the stair leading up to the library.
Peter then felt his stomach grumble. If he wasn’t careful it would start eating itself. Over the past couple of moths he had inexperienced this quite a lot. No one would hire and uneducated and paperless minor. And so he had tended to get into quite some shady laces just to pay his rent. In an apartment that wasn’t bigger than shoebox.
And so he had had quite the experience with hunger. Thought he felt as if being in that green goo had worsened his hunger still.
So his next mission was to find something to eat. Reaching out with his sense of smell he quickly found a cheap looking Pizzeria. But feeling in his pants pockets he found not a single dime. But then relief at last the guy who had left his jacket had also somehow left his wallet in there. There was no ID or any kind of identification but it had some lightly crumpled dollar bills. Just enough to buy himself a large pizza. Wich he quickly did.
Though he didn’t know why a Pizza show had been upended at 5 o’clock he wasn’t complaining. Walking back to the stair of the library he sat down and enjoyed his pizza.
Waiting wasn’t really Peters strong suit. It was something Tony had always complained about. Them working in his lab and ever never having enough patience to sit still. Tinkering with his inventions on the ceiling of the wall or dangling up side down from a shelf. Tony always complained with an exasperated sigh.
However the billionaire had ner kicked him out one wich is why Peter sassed that he secretly enjoyed the way Peter mumbled out loud about his thinking process.
After the man had died and left him with nothing, Peter was kind of glad that he could go back to hs neighbour hoodly spider-manning. It was also the only thing distracting hi from the loss of his kind of father figure.
There it was again that feeling of green entering his vision and taking over and fogging his brain.
Snapping out of it and his thoughts he sees a red haired woman approach him smiling and seemingly singing to herself.
Only when she came even closer did he register the key in her hand and guessed that she was coming to open the door.
Had he really been lost in his thoughts for that long?
Anway he followed her into the building and greeted her as she slid behind the counter.
„Good morning!“ Trying his best to smile.
Though he guessed it came out looking slightly rough as the woman only smiled back with a customer service smile.
„Yes goodmorning how can I help you today. Would you like to register for a library card? Im Barbara by the way you can ask anytime if you need help“ The help she offered however seemed really genuine.
„Oh no im just here to browse a litte. Do you have a computer where I could Research a bit? Also im Peter“ Peter was really hoping they had one since he knew nothing about where he was. With was why he didn’t even notice that he had give Barbaa his real name.
„Ah! Yes of course. However for non library card owners there is a limit of three hours. She seemed to be a bit disappointed about her own rule, but Peter didn’t want to ask.
„Thank you that is plenty of time, where are they?“ He just wanted to get to it, wich is why the words came out a bit harsher than he ment too.
„Just over there…“ She pointed to the second floor staircase „Right around the corner, you cant miss them.“ She smiled this time a bit more genuine.
„Thanks again, ill get going then.“
And peter marched over witch a quick pace. After reaching the computers and logging into the guest account he quickly started typing.
„Gotham?“ He had guessed that this was the city name since the library was named after it and he was correct.
And so his deep dive started. He searched about all kinds of topics.
Gotham history, and its famous people: he found the Waynes very interesting and noted how man children Bruce Wayne seemed to have adopted. He kind of reminded Peter of Tony wich made him feel that green rage again.
Then he searched for hers and vigilantes. Red hood had stood out most to him as he recognised his as his saviour from just a few hours ago.
But Red robin and batgirl stood out to. He recognised them as the vigilantes who were in that facility he woke up in.
Now he dove deeper and deeper into his research binge so much that the could tune out every other noise and smell. It was kind of nice.