"Hey Jake, how are you feeling?" Peter's voice cuts through my thoughts. I turn toward him and immediately recognize the concern on his face. Which is weird. Because I barely remember this life. Yet somehow, seeing him worry about me feels familiar. Like I've known him for years.
Because technically... I have? At least, the old me did. "Hey, Peter." Before I can say anything else, his voice draws the attention of everyone nearby. Luke Cage looks up from where his head is resting against Jessica's shoulder. The giant wall of muscle immediately straightens.
Then he walks over. Luke is exactly how I remember him. Tall. Built like a tank. The kind of guy who looks like he could punch through a wall and apologize to the wall afterward. His dark brown eyes scan me before he pulls me into a bro hug. "Dude, what happened to you over the weekend?"
He pulls back, running a hand through his short, faded afro haircut. "You look like you got hit by a truck." I freeze for half a second. Too close to home. I quickly force a laugh. "Wasn't feeling well. Had a fever." Luke raises an eyebrow. Not convinced. But he lets it go, "Alright, man. Just checking."
We rejoin the group. Peter, Harry, Ned, Eddie, Lyn, The two MJs, Cindy. A collection of people who, in another life, I only knew from stories. Now? They're my friends. That thought should make me happy. Instead, it makes my stomach twist. Jean is standing a little away from the group.
She notices me looking and gives me a small wave. I wave back. Then I see someone else approaching. And immediately sigh. Of course. Because apparently my life needed another reminder that I am living inside a comic book. Felicia Hardy. My cousin. Technically.
Our grandparents were siblings, which means our families are connected. We aren't exactly close in the traditional sense, but we've hung out enough that she counts as family. And considering who she becomes? That is both reassuring and terrifying. "Feeling better, Jake?" she asks.
I nod. "Yeah. Thanks, Felicia." She smiles before heading over to Lyn, Cindy, and the other girls. I have no idea what they start talking about. Probably something normal. Something harmless. Something that does not involve superpowers, secret identities, or saving the world.
Hopefully.
Meanwhile, Peter, Harry, Ned, and I start talking science. And that is when things get weird. Because suddenly... I understand. Not just basic stuff. Advanced concepts. Engineering, physics, and chemistry. Things I shouldn't know. Things that my old self definitely never knew. Words just come out naturally.
Equations.
Theories.
Ideas.
It feels like someone unlocked a part of my brain that was always there. And honestly? That freaks me out more than the fact that I reincarnated. Because at least the reincarnation has an explanation. This? This is just weird. Still, I play along and nobody seems to notice.
Eventually, the bus arrives. Everyone starts boarding. I spot Danny Rand heading toward the back. He takes a seat beside Miles Morales. Miles has his headphones hanging around his neck, his body relaxed as Gwen leans against him. He notices me looking and gives me a small smile before putting his headphones back on.
Miles is another weird mix. Part Spider-Verse, part comics. Part something else entirely. At this point, I'm convinced reality itself is just throwing adaptations into a blender and seeing what happens.
I take a seat beside Harry. Peter and Ned sit in front of us, immediately continuing their conversation. I lean back and look out the window. Manhattan passes by. The skyscrapers. The streets. The people. A city that looks completely normal. Except I know what's coming. This isn't just Manhattan. This is Marvel Manhattan. The place where random Tuesday afternoons can become alien invasions.
Peter, Ned, Harry, Luke, Danny, Miles, Eddie, Lyn, Gwen, Felicia, Jean, and Cindy. I mentally count everyone. My friends. The people who are supposed to make this situation easier. But instead... I feel even more nervous. Because I know their stories. I know what happens to people like them. And I still don't know what version of this universe I'm in.
'Please don't be the Scope-verse.' I shiver. Because if it is... Then the symbiotes are going to be a nightmare. I still remember those stories. The insanity. The mutations. The depravity and the sheer chaos a friend introduced me to. Nope. Absolutely not.
I refuse.
Meanwhile, in the Author's Room...
Freeze frame.
Yep. It's me again. The narrator. Look, before you ask, yes, I was absolutely about to go crazy with everything. I was sitting there thinking about Tracy Scopes' comics, wondering whether I should crank the symbiotes up to eleven.
Because obviously, this universe needed more problems. Then... A blue flame floated into the room. Not normal fire. Not magical fire. A creepy, supernatural, "someone definitely summoned this from Hell" kind of flame. The kind of thing you see in anime and immediately know something bad is about to happen.
Basically?
A Satan-looking plot device. And naturally... I panicked. Because when something like that appears in a fanfic, there are only two possibilities.
Option one:
It's important foreshadowing.
Option two:
Deadpool is involved.
And knowing Deadpool? Probably both. I follow the source of the anomaly. And the second I realize what caused it... I lose my patience. "Deadpool!" My voice echoes through the room. "That scrotum-faced son of a—" I stop myself. Because somewhere, somehow, I know this is going to become evidence. And the One Above All takes court sessions remarkably seriously. "When he's finally caught for his crimes against the Noctice-verse and Rego-verse, I swear I'm going to—"
[STATIC ERROR]
[SIGNAL LOST]
[SCREEN CUTS TO BLACK]