My brain short-circuits as Ellie closes the door behind us, sealing us in with Piper's doppelgänger. The blonde girl turns to face us fully, her eyebrows raised in surprise at our sudden entrance. Despite her startled expression, she doesn't look afraid, just cautious and maybe a little annoyed at being interrupted.
"Hi, I'm Brynn," she says, extending her hand toward me with surprising confidence. Her voice sounds just like Piper's but sharper somehow, with an edge that Piper's usually lacks.
In a heartbeat, everything clicks into place. The identical face, standing vigil at Uncle May's bedside, the blonde hair… I know exactly who this is. This has to be the gender-flipped version of Ben Reilly from the comics. Piper's clone.
"It's nice to meet you, Brynn," I say, reaching out to shake her offered hand.
The second my fingers touch hers, Ellie moves with superhuman speed. The symbiote erupts from her arm, forming a jagged tendril that ends in a wicked spike pressed against Brynn's throat. Brynn freezes, her eyes widening as she stares at the black alien substance threatening to impale her.
"Don't touch him," Ellie snarls, her voice dropping to that dangerous octave that usually precedes violence.
She turns to me, her blue eyes wild with protective fury. "I don't know what she is, but my other is saying she's Piper, and that doesn't make any fucking sense."
I sigh heavily, running a hand through my hair. "Relax, Ellie. She basically is Piper."
"Huh?" Brynn's eyes dart between us, confusion momentarily overriding her fear of the deadly tendril at her throat. "What are you talking about?"
"You're Brynn Reilly, right?" I ask, watching her face carefully.
Her expression immediately shifts from confusion to defensive suspicion. The tendril at her throat hasn't moved, but she straightens her posture slightly, shoulders squaring despite the threat.
"Did you put May in the hospital?" she demands, eyes narrowing. "Because if you did…"
"No, of course not," I interrupt quickly, holding up my hands in a placating gesture. "We're friends of Piper's."
I turn to Ellie and nod slowly, keeping my voice calm despite the tension crackling through the room. "She's Piper's clone, Ellie. You can put the death spike away."
Ellie's eyes widen, but the symbiote tendril remains firmly against Brynn's throat.
"Clone?" Brynn sputters, her face contorting with indignation. "How the hell do you…"
"Piper doesn't even know you're still alive," I continue, cutting her off. The tendril at her throat finally retracts, slithering back beneath Ellie's skin with reluctant slowness.
Brynn takes a cautious step back, her eyes never leaving mine. "How do you know that?" she demands, fingers flexing at her sides in a way that reminds me eerily of Piper preparing for a fight.
I swallow hard, my mind racing to fabricate something believable. "I saw it in a dream," I say finally, the lie feeling clumsy on my tongue. "A long time ago. I wasn't sure if it was real or not."
Her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. "You have visions?" The skepticism in her voice is palpable, but there's something else there too, a spark of desperate curiosity.
"It's complicated," I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant as I deepen the lie. "Out of my control, and it doesn't happen often."
Ellie remains surprisingly silent beside me, her body tense but seemingly allowing me to take the lead. I can feel her watching me closely, probably wondering where I'm going with this.
I look at Brynn again, really taking her in this time. The blonde hair, the familiar face with subtly different expressions, the way she holds herself, slightly more aggressive than Piper, shoulders squared like she's always ready for a fight.
Something inside me breaks open with recognition and excitement that I can't contain.
"You're Scarlet Spider," I breathe, unable to keep the awe from my voice. "Holy shit, you have my favorite superhero costume ever. That fucking blue sweatshirt is iconic!" The words tumble out of me in a rush of genuine enthusiasm. "I always liked Spider-Man's outfit, but I go absolutely feral for Scarlet's."
"…Spider-Man?" Brynn takes another step back, looking like she's been slapped.
"Here we fucking go again," Ellie groans, rolling her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't get stuck. "He's always doing this fucking shit." She grabs my arm and yanks me against her side possessively, her fingers digging into my hip with unmistakable ownership.
Brynn looks completely overwhelmed, her gaze darting between me, Ellie, and the unconscious form of Uncle May in the hospital bed. Her expression cycles through confusion, suspicion, and something that might be fear.
"I'm actually a superhero too," I blurt out, reaching into my pocket. "Up and coming, but still. Name's Skip Step."
I fish out my golden mask from my jacket pocket, unfolding it with slightly trembling fingers. The material catches the fluorescent hospital lights as I hold it over my face, giving Brynn a little wave with my free hand.
"When you're free later, maybe we could get a picture together? You know, in costume?" I ask, lowering the mask.
Brynn shifts uncomfortably, crossing her arms over her chest. She glances at Uncle May's unconscious form, then back at me, her expression guarded.
"Brynn, you don't get it, I'm a huge fan of yours…" I stop myself mid-sentence, remembering something else. "Has Kaine been following you?"
Her entire body tenses, eyes widening in shock. "Yes," she whispers, taking a half-step forward. "All over the goddamn country. You know that too?"
I feel Ellie's grip tighten on my hip, a silent warning not to say too much. But I can't help myself.
"She's another clone," I say, carefully watching Brynn's reaction. "A failed one."
"What?" Brynn exclaims, her voice rising sharply before she glances at Uncle May and lowers it again. "Another clone? What are you talking about?"
I run my hand through my hair, trying to organize my thoughts. "Whatever happened to May is being caused by the Jackal. Kaine is just being manipulated or something." I pause, struggling to remember the details of the clone saga. It was a very convoluted story line. "It's been a while since my... dream, so I don't remember everything perfectly."
Brynn stares at me like I've grown a second head. "What the fuck?" she whispers, her voice barely audible.
"I imagine it's a lot to take in," I say apologetically. "But about that photo… Do you think we could make that happen?"
Brynn doesn't answer immediately. Instead, she turns her gaze from me to Ellie, as if trying to make sense of our presence.
Ellie sighs dramatically beside me. "He usually gets this excited when he sees F-list villains," she explains, her tone dripping with boredom. "To see him get this worked up over a Spider-Woman knock-off... I don't get it at all."
"I'm not a Spider-Woman knock-off," Brynn snaps, her eyes flashing with anger. "I'm a clone. There's a difference."
Ellie lets out a dismissive snort, waving her hand like she's swatting away Brynn's words. "Listen, I don't give a single fuck what you are," she says flatly. "Clone, knock-off, whatever. I'm just here to chaperone my boyfriend so he doesn't accidentally get himself killed."
Brynn lets out a small laugh, shaking her head as she looks between us. "You two have a very... interesting dynamic going on."
"I know," Ellie sighs with resignation, her fingers still digging possessively into my hip.
"Ellie, stop making it sound like I'm some kind of chore you have to deal with."
Her expression softens unexpectedly, those fierce blue eyes warming as she looks down at me. A genuine smile spreads across her face, the kind that still makes my heart skip a beat.
"You're my favorite chore," she says, her voice dropping to that intimate tone that's just for me.
The moment shatters as the hospital door swings open. Piper stands frozen in the doorway, a backpack dangling from her limp fingers, her face a mask of complete shock. Her eyes lock onto Brynn, widening with disbelief as she takes in her blonde doppelgänger.
"What the hell is going on?" she demands, her voice barely above a whisper.
I exhale heavily, running my hand through my hair. "Damn, I really wish you'd just come back earlier." I glance between the identical women, feeling the tension in the room spike to dangerous levels. "Alright, let's go over this one more time, from the top."