Alex Ray hovered high in the sky, overlooking the illuminated streets of Manhattan below.
His sharp gaze picked up on the countless flashing lights of police vehicles. From this height, the cars looked like multicolored ants zipping through the narrow streets.
"Something serious must've happened tonight," Alex muttered to himself. He was no stranger to this kind of scene—during the battle in Hell's Kitchen, a swarm of police units had similarly converged on the district.
His eyes gradually locked onto the tallest building nearby.
Alex understood the logic of this universe far too well—superhero and villain clashes were drawn to skyscrapers like moths to flame.
They always made perfect backdrops for these conflicts. Without such structures, those dramatic midair combat sequences wouldn't have the same impact.
In this world, tall buildings were like lightning rods for chaos—just like in the first Avengers event.
Americans seemed to have an unexplainable obsession with skyscrapers.
Sure enough, Alex soon spotted a figure scaling the glassy façade of one such tower in the distance.
"Knew it," Alex sighed. "Called it again."
At the same time, Peter Parker was on the rooftop, frantically scrambling up the launch tower's metallic spine.
The liquid nitrogen he had used to freeze the Lizard was gone—and the wounds Peter had inflicted were already healing, regenerating rapidly.
The Lizard—once Dr. Curt Connors—turned his attention to the man before him: NYPD Captain George Stacy. His mutated eyes gleamed with primal fury.
Step by heavy step, the creature advanced, each movement sending tremors through the rooftop.
Captain Stacy didn't flinch. He raised his firearm and opened fire on the Lizard, squeezing the trigger with unrelenting force.
But it wasn't enough.
With a sudden surge of strength, the Lizard lashed out, his claws stabbing straight through Stacy's chest.
The captain collapsed, bleeding heavily. Without hesitation, the Lizard flung him aside and sprinted toward the tower's peak.
He couldn't allow Peter Parker to foil his plan.
This project was everything to him. He had to see it through.
But when the Lizard reached the summit, he was already too late.
Peter had swapped the original payload with the antidote. The glowing green chemical had been replaced with a luminescent blue one.
BANG!!!
A deafening blast echoed out as the antidote cartridge fired skyward.
The Lizard could only watch in despair. He knew it was over. His ambitions were disintegrating before his eyes.
As the antidote spread, it began altering his body on a cellular level.
Scales peeled away. His mutated skin reverted to something human.
But something was wrong. He looked down at himself—his limbs were mangled, incomplete.
Curt Connors—once a brilliant doctor—shed silent, anguished tears.
Then something clicked in his mind, and his eyes widened with panic. "Where's the captain?" he gasped.
Peter's breath caught. In all the chaos, he had forgotten—George Stacy had been mortally wounded while protecting him.
Peter rushed over.
Captain Stacy lay dying, blood pooling beneath him, staining the rooftop crimson.
But when he saw Peter approach, he didn't plead for help. Instead, he rasped, "Where's the Lizard?"
Peter—bruised, torn, battered—knelt beside him. "It's over," he whispered. "We stopped him."
He used the word we on purpose.
Peter knew he never would've made it to the tower without Stacy's intervention. The captain had given everything for this.
He had bought the time Peter needed—with his life.
Captain Stacy's expression softened. He exhaled, slowly. Relief washed over him.
He had fulfilled his duty. He'd protected the people of New York.
But then, the sharp pull of pain reminded him his time was short. His body spasmed, and his face contorted in agony.
Peter's heart clenched. He leaned in, eyes watering. "Please, just hang on. Don't fall asleep. Look at me—the ambulance is on the way."
He was terrified. He had already lost his parents. He'd lost Uncle Ben.
Now, this man—this father figure—was dying in front of him.
And worse, this man was also Gwen Stacy's father.
Peter couldn't let him go. Not like this.
But George Stacy, with blood staining his lips, gave a weak smile. "Peter... you need to leave. Now. Before the other officers arrive. Do you understand?"
Even now, dying, he was worried about Peter's secret identity being exposed.
Peter shook his head.
He wasn't leaving. Not until he was sure the captain was safe.
He owed him that.
Stacy stared into Peter's eyes and saw the truth. The unwavering loyalty. The courage. The guilt.
"You're a better man than I thought," he said with effort. "This city... it needs you."
With trembling fingers, he reached into his jacket and handed Peter his torn, dirty Spider-Man mask.
"You're going to need this."
Peter accepted it solemnly.
Then came the dying request.
"You're going to make enemies, Peter. And people will get hurt. Especially the ones closest to you. Please... don't drag Gwen into this. Promise me."
It was a father's final plea—not as a cop, but as a parent.
Peter hesitated.
He wanted to protest. He wanted to say Gwen could handle it. But no words came.
Then—
A deep, unfamiliar voice cut through the silence behind him.
"Sorry to interrupt the touching farewell. But actually, Captain Stacy doesn't have to die."
Peter jolted upright, spider sense blaring.
He hadn't even heard anyone approach.
He turned, preparing to defend the wounded captain—only to freeze.
Descending slowly through the air, cloaked in a long black coat, was a man with jet-black hair, a strong angular jawline, and piercing eyes that radiated calm power.
Alex Ray.
Peter's instincts screamed at him. The man's aura was... overwhelming.
Peter dropped into a fighting stance, every muscle tensed despite the pain and exhaustion from his battle with the Lizard.
Whoever this guy was, he wasn't getting anywhere near George Stacy.
Peter wouldn't allow it.
But then the man spoke again, calm and certain: "Relax. I'm the only person in the world who can save your father-in-law, George Stacy."
His voice was low, resonant, undeniable.
"And just to be clear... he's dying. I don't raise the dead, Peter Parker."
Peter blinked, stunned. "Who... who are you?"
The man's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Alex Ray. Remember that name. You'll be hearing it again."
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As the plot unfolds, it dives deep into the Spider-Verse, Avengers War and the Marvel Multiverse, weaving in epic elements from Endgame, God of Stories Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Council of Kangs, the Council of Reeds, and even Franklin Richards.
Expect mind-bending twists with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, going on a rampage that includes killing everyone... even the authors themselves.
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