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Margo could manage very well on her own, thank you very much.
It doesn't matter how many times your teacher or your parents told you otherwise in equal doses of yelling and dirty looks, because of course it does.
By the age of 15, she was already tidying her room by herself, cooking her own meals and taking care of her own colds. She did her own laundry, went to and from school, paid her bills and only didn't work because her mother and father said no.
(It seemed to be the only thing they agreed on.)
The most they did effectively was not to make her homeless. Since Margo suspected that the house shopping was only done because they had to eat too.
So yes, she was a big girl.
Because no child would know how to take care of a 39 degree feber, or just roll over while the parents disappear from the house without giving any news. Only to them return out of nowhere and the single explanation given is that it was another fight.
And, of course, no child can hack the cyber system of the world's most famous virtual reality program and call herself a superhero from a city that lives more in the metaverse than the physical universe.
And fulfilling the role in style.
So take that, Dad, Mom and Mrs. Jackson!
She was a protector and guardian. Margo ensured order and peace for the citizens of a place that, like the real world, could be quite dirty and ugly. Answering for the oppressed and helpless. A bigger and better purple spider cloak ensuring New York's sleep.
Margo did it all by herself and nobody found out! Even though spiderbyte was a sensation everywhere and the talk of colleagues.
Even if there were rewards for her identity and the news guy said that this vigilante could only be a virus or a spy for some government.
Margo could do it all by herself. And the coolest thing, no one would know.
Well, hardly anyone.
Because the ultimate proof that she wasn't a child was when a blue spider guy appeared in her room - her bedroom - out of nowhere and a terrified scream didn't immediately echo.
He introduced himself, apologized for the scare, and invited her not only to an elite team, but to be one of the heads of technology there.
Spider Society, the man - Miguel O'Hara - explained.
A very adult responsibility. In an important role. In which she was the most qualified according to multiversal research by her artificial intelligence, Layla.
Because apparently the multiverse is real now.
But that was not important.
Because Margo could accept an important invitation, to a place where she was needed.
Where her presence mattered.
In which their actions were taken seriously.
The watch fitted perfectly on her wrist.
Margo was not a child, because she had a job now.
The first thing she noticed was that the thirst was huge.
Miguel introduced her to Jess, the second-in-command soon realized, as soon as her avatar could be integrated into the HQ's technology, who explained the mechanics of the place.
Thanks to the mess of a 1610 anomaly, the universes were plunged into chaos with people ending up on Earths they shouldn't have. So to avoid imbalance, everyone who was in universes that weren't theirs would have to be sent back.
And that's where Spiderbyte came in.
Margo would be responsible for mapping, programming and caring for the machine back. Ensuring that the anomalies returned safely to their original universes.
Miguel did not joke when he said it was a big responsibility.
Layla's explanation was concise, fun and easy. Of course, Margo was basically a genius so it wasn't difficult. The giant spider was also connected to its own virtual reality AI which made it even easier. Custom built for Margo to be able to use.
The explanation of canonical events, on the other hand, was...less fun.
Margo had no great destiny in her path. No self sacrifice, no spider bites, no relatives lost to death. But knowing that most of them, almost all of them had suffered so much shook her.
It shook her to think of waking up and no longer having her mother, father or uncle. To lose a great love through no fault of her own. For an innocent captain not to see another day for something as absurd as fate.
But it was necessary.
To keep the multiverse standing. So that the web of life and destiny would not unravel. That's why they hunted the anomalies, precisely so that the canonical events would continue.
Because Margo also saw what would happen if they didn't. Dimensions falling apart, people being erased from reality. Lives lost irreversibly. It was part of the job, of what had to be accepted.
So she swallowed her discomfort and began to memorize the instruction manual. Which universe was which, and the constant variables between them.
Margo also met her fellow fighters. Spiders like her. There were Peters and other adults, women spiders, creatures, animals and even a popsicle. All with their tragic past and resolution to do right.
The second thing she noticed was that her work was very individual.
Margo needed to be in charge of the machine at all times, never getting too far from the spider back home. And then not exactly talking to many people.
There were a few spiders her age.
But most had field work and some didn't even have a watch to come to headquarters in the first place.
But it was still better than at home.
Here at least Margo had respect and something to keep herself busy. She still had colleagues who asked if she had eaten, done her homework or needed a sleep break.
Layla would remind her that she could take over during her necessary absence and that while Spiderbyte was valuable, Margo Kess needs rest as much as anyone.
The Society cared for her as no one else has.
And so Margo stayed.
Even if the homecoming machine sent shivers down her spine. Or Miguel was too temperamental from time to time and her parents' faces and voices replaced his. Or that the whole history of canonical events twisted her insides.
The Society looked after Margo, and that was enough.
The rest she could do herself.
One day, a Gwen Stacy walked through the portal.
Margo had never met one in person.
Death loved the Gwens Stacys like tragedy loved Spidermen.
The story - the legend at that - of the girl who loves the hero and always dies for it well spread and explained why she didn't have that blonde hair and blue eyes in specific.
But, Margo had heard of this particular Gwen.
Spider-Woman from Earth-65, one of those taken to the 1610 universe after the Kingpin's collider messed up the Web of Life and Destiny.
And, Margo noted, she was her age.
That shouldn't make her interested, but there were so few spiders her age in the Society, and even fewer spider girls, that it was stronger than her.
Jess allowed her to attend the reception after little insistence.
Besides Miguel, Jess, Layla and Peter B. were there. Margo saw a white uniform clinging to a trembling form in Peter's arms.
When the lyre finally drops, Margo can finally see it better.
That Gwen...she was miserable.
Not that spider-men as a whole weren't kind of miserable - work, responsibility, sacrifice and all - but this girl exuded exhaustion. This Gwen was devastated.
There were tear marks on her cheeks and a glazed look in those blue eyes that were seen only in holographic photos.
The girl had light steps, her head clearly elsewhere. She didn't speak out of the blue as if she were mute.
Margo thought she heard sobs from her room come through the facility hallways that night.
And she was there when Gwen learned about canonical events.
Jess seemed to give a sort of tour of the whole facility.
It had been four days since her arrival and the girl looked better. The spiders gossiped and Margo knew the story behind such a hollow face.
A spider caught by his own father, who revealed his identity in search of mercy in a desperate act. An act that was to no avail, as said father spoke his rights as if the blood between them was nothing. A gun pointed at her waiting to be used.
Margo felt nauseous for minutes after hearing the story. Every child deserves parents, but not all parents deserve their children, she guessed.
Dropping another bomb on a person by a thread like then seemed insensitive.
She could see the explanation from afar and it wasn't pretty.
It never was, but thinking about what happens to the Gwens, how they end up, why the stories have to happen the way they do....
Margo could feel it by the devastation on her face.
Gwen was paralyzed, hands covering her mouth, eyes wide. If it weren't for the copious tears, rapid breathing and the slight tremor in her shoulders, she would have looked as if she were no longer alive.
Gwen looked haunted after she left the room.
Margo's stomach twisted.
It was, unfortunately, necessary.
It had not been a good day.
Margo's parents decided to fight uglier and later than usual and involve her this time. She had to lock the door. It had been months since she'd had to lock the door.
Margo wiped the tears from her face, thanking the heavens that in the midst of so much chaos, her parents had never come up with the idea to turn off the wifi and make her witness it all in person. Running to her room would do, thank you very much.
The headquarters was almost empty when she logged on.
Of course, it was three in the morning and most of the spiders were resting in their original dimensions, still having their own Earths to look after. No anomalies needed to be returned, and she decided to walk.
It was unusual for her to step away from the machine, but Margo would have an outburst if she didn't loosen up a bit, even if her frail, shrunken form stayed in its original dimension.
That was the beauty of virtual reality, the mind transcends the body.v
She went out onto the large glassed-in balcony that afforded a gorgeous view of Nueva York. Even though the avatar couldn't feel breeze on her skin and hair, there was a strange comfort in the place.
The venue being another one of those break spots with tables, lounging chairs, ambient jazz and soothing low lighting.
Margo expected only a few spiders sleeping or chatting.
She didn't expect to see Gwen Stacy wearing only a sweater above her surprise uniform devouring a blue hamburger like she hadn't eaten in days.
"Gwen?" The question jumped out of her mouth at point-blank range.
Gwen choked on her food immediately, wiping her mouth with her arm. This girl had definitely not expected to be caught.
"Hi! Hi." She tapped her chest a few times, apparently to get a piece of food lodged in the wrong place out. "Margo, right?"
They had never really spoken to each other. And since the day Gwen had arrived, she'd just been going back and forth on missions, almost like a robot. That night was the first time she'd seemed human, not a machine fulfilling duties. Overcoming shock with action, perhaps.
But Gwen remembered her name, so she hadn't been as inattentive as Margo thought.
"Sorry. I didn't expect you here." Margo watched with a frown as the girl caught her breath. "I thought you'd at least get a break to sleep. You know, rest and be able to get ready for school and all."
"I have, just decided to come anyway. What about you? Shouldn't you be asleep?" She collapsed into a seat a few inches away from Gwen, taking in the nightscape.
"I couldn't." Gwen looked away, gathering her arms closer to her body. Evasive.
Margo would ask if Gwen didn't have school tomorrow too, but she remembered that even at the same age, Gwen was a runaway. A spider who had left everything behind and had started over there. No more school, home or family.
"Getting ready for homework early?" The question had a touch of effort.
"No, I just like coming here." Margo replied, turning away.
It was common knowledge that because they were from different universes, each spider would look different. But the diffused light on the girl's skin looked like watercolor-
"Are you... blurry?"
"Oi?" Now it was Gwen who had a scowl on her face.
"Your face. The lights." Margo even put on her different types of visages. It didn't look like any kind of spider ability. "You're changing colors."
"Oh, that." Gwen laughed nervously, twisting her fingers together. "It's... my universe's thing."
"Got it." Margo nodded, taking off her helmet. She considered the questions for a minute before asking them. "The Earth-65, and its mood ring structure. I've been curious about this for some time: does everyone change color?"
"Oh, yeah. That," Gwen waved her hand spread-eagled in front of the whole twist, pinks, purples and blues showering her, "kind of happens to everyone, basically."
A silence settled between them. Not the comfortable kind, that's for sure.
"I'm sorry," Margo began, "about the whole thing with your father." She had no idea what prompted her to say that in the first place. But it seemed appropriate, the Society was about support, right?
"Thank you." Gwen looked surprised. But not upset. There were a few more seconds of silence before she spoke again." And in your dimension, what are people like? Does everyone have an avatar or...?"
"Yes, most of them do. Virtual reality is a pretty popular thing." The mention of her house shouldn't make her stomach as heavy as it was.
The discomfort must have been obvious as Gwen drew her eyebrows together, concern written all over her face."Are you...okay?"
"Yeah it's just..." Margo resigned herself to a sigh, not having any energy to lie, "rough night at home."
Gwen's soft, compassionate smile was not anticipated, but welcome nonetheless. "Yeah, I can understand." Margo believed her.
More silence.
She stared at a deck of Uno on a table full of games. Margo recalled Peter B. explaining something about a stress reduction initiative and encouraging socialization among spiders.
Call her old-fashioned, but even though reality could be molded to her liking, Margo still loved physical and group games. Which were difficult to enjoy in her dimension for obvious reasons.
But she and Gwen were unoccupied so....
"Do you want to play a game of Uno?" She shrugged.
Gwen frowned, tilting her head slightly. "What is Uno, exactly?"
"So you hacked the entire virtual reality system? Impressive." The Earth-65 spider complimented by throwing a red three onto the pile of cards with a thud.
Explaining the world's best card games wasn't in Margo's bingo year, but Gwen was a quick learner.
The sun was rising over the horizon and the two were sitting on opposite sides of one of the tables, very focused on the conversations and games that must have been going on for at least two hours.
They had...got on well.
Gwen was a bit socially inept, missing some obvious social rules(seriously, who calls adults by their first name? Margo's mom would kick her out on the spot), but overall very pleasant to be around.
It was comforting to have some other spidery teenager to talk to and just pass the time. No powers, no responsibilities.
Just two girls playing UNO with fast food strewn about. Talking into the wee hours of the morning about anything their sleep-deprived minds can think of.
The closest thing to a sleepover Margo has ever been.
"Thank you. That wasn't too hard." Margo replied putting up a yellow three.
"Well, you're a genius. And only a genius says that."
The answer caught her a little off guard. Margo knew she was smart. Hearing it was still strange.
" Thank you." Margo replied, a little shyly
"And you? The missions with Jess are going well."
"Yes!" Gwen sounded like a fan who had heard someone mention her favorite cartoon. "She's really cool and teaches you so much! You should try going on a mission with her sometime."
Margo denied with her head."I can't get out of the machine back home. Too much to do."
"I see." Gwen said, the slight discomfort at the mention of the machine not going unnoticed. "But, have you been? In other dimensions?"
"I have. They're quite nice. But I prefer it here, it's better." She pulled another card from the amount.
"Mm. You know, I never knew how you got here?"
"Miguel appeared out of nowhere in my room and invited me."
Gwen's wide eyes and the sudden interruption of her movement bordered on the comical and it took everything in Margo not to collapse with laughter. "Pretty important, eh?"
"Thank you." She puffed out her chest in pride. Quite important indeed.
"Haven't your parents heard anything or do they already know?" The Earth-65 girl fidgeted in her chair.
"My parents are...complicated." Margo looked away. She already knew all about Gwen's family life, it didn't hurt to share some of hers." They fight all the time and let's just say not much has changed since I started here."
The worried face was too much."But it's all right. You can manage everything and the Society takes care of me. It's better here anyway."
"Yeah." There was no firmness in the answer.
"What about Earth-138?" Margo changed the subject, the memories of the giant mechanical spider flooding her mind too much. "Is the stay okay?"
Gwen alternated nights at HQ and in the reality of the local anarchist. Margo never questioned it, the white metal building could be stifling, she knew.
"Yeah, Hobbie gave me a couch, the world keeps changing and I got these little beauties." Gwen pointed to the turquoise blue sneakers. "It's a nice place and Hobbie a great host."
"So the best Earth you've ever been to?" Another letter was put on the table.
"No." A small but gentle smile appeared on an almost unconscious Gwen. "That's Earth-1610."
The sweetness of the answer took Margo by surprise, however, she didn't give it much thought because Gwen threw a plus four on the pile, the smile somehow getting bigger. "You can pull."
Right, Gwen was learning too fast.
"So, you're on the side of the war that the electric uniforms would disappear if the spider fell into a dimension without electricity." Gwen recapped the last point of the discussion, pulling out a card.
Margo didn't know when their game nights became an official thing. It just happened.
The fifth time it happened, it was decided by consensus that it did not matter what day of the week it was, only that the two were sleep-deprived and willing, that such activities were a tacit agreement.
Often the two spiders would then spend hours at it until the sun rose over the Nueva York horizon.
They decided that they would choose the game on rock, paper and scissors. The winner on the night was Margo and now they were in the middle of a game of Cards Against Humanity (which fortunately already existed in Gwen's universe).
Some of the games didn't exist in either dimension, sometimes in neither, and somehow it made it all the more fun.
Margo and Gwen would meet on the porch and enjoy each other's company. No judgments, no filter and lots of sleep deprivation.
Plus many, many random conversations.
"Yes, I mean, the energy has to come from an external source. And Layla agrees with that theory." Margo commented as if presenting indisputable proof.
"So Spiderbyte wouldn't exist in this dimension?" Gwen asked before grabbing a glass of soda and drinking the liquid noisily.
Margo shrugged. "Probably."
"Got it. But then would a blackout have the same effect? I mean, I talk to you and suddenly the power goes out and poof!" Gwen rambled, swirling her glass from side to side.
"Yeah, but a blackout at HQ is unlikely." Margo commented pulling out the last letter and forming the phrase 'What are my parents hiding from me? Italians.' "I mean, imagine, some anomaly is being sent back and suddenly the machine back home stops working."
"Have you thought about it?" Gwen's voice suddenly sounded hollow."What happens? If the machine malfunctions and stuff?"
Margo lifted her face to stare at her. "No. Layla takes care of the maintenance part and it always works perfectly. Although my theory is that the body stays in various dimensions until everything reconnects."
Gwen looked away. "And don't you find that giant spider kind of... scary sometimes?"
Margo was noticing Gwen's reactions. How the Earth-65 girl always looked suspicious and defensive passing by her workstation. How she had a face twisted in something like fear as she watched her accomplish her mission.
"Yeah, I guess, I confess." And speaking it aloud seemed to make the thought trapped for so long lighter.
"Can you tell if it hurts?" Gwen cringed at the last word.
"My reports have noted mental stress but never pain." Margo's weak smile had to sell some certainty. "Not to mention it helps keep the canon running and I guess makes it less scary?"
"Do you have canon events, Margo?" The question took her by surprise and Gwen immediately corrected herself."You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's just that I've never heard of it and I was curious."
"It's okay, I have the basics. Like the spider powers, the great powers and great responsibilities, but the virtual world provides little possibilities in that."
There was crime-fighting and the weight on the shoulders, but misfortunes? Apart from family and home life, none. Margo had no death, no heartbreak and no major traumas in her history. And reading the archives of the other universes, she seemed to be one of the few.
Yet that suffering was necessary. To keep the multiverse standing. She thought about it often. And each time, it was still conflicting.
Gwen's smile was sincere and sweet and in ways beyond Margo's knowledge, seemed to highlight the dark circles under her eyes. "Glad to hear it."
Gwen pulled out another set of cards.
For the first time, Margo wanted her situation to be the rule, not the exception.
"And then we found this new spider, and it comes from a place called Mumbattan! And it's all so big and beautiful!" Gwen recounted the latest mission after Margo asked about the newly-recruited one. "Although the food is very spicy."
"Please, Gwen. All food is spicy for you. Your favorite dish is hot dogs." Margo joked putting one more piece of the puzzle in place.
"Hey! No shaming for my culinary taste." She retorted with false offense.
"I disagree with what you call culinary taste." Gwen's uniform wasn't the only white thing about her after all.
"Very funny. Anyway, the new guy, Pavitr, made his own web launchers out of his bracelets." Another piece in place.
"I think every spider person does. A constant I guess." Margo agreed putting another piece in place.
Gwen rubbed her right temple. "Yeah, mine gave me a headache. Web fluid isn't easy to develop."
"But it works. All the spiders are clever too." There were few pieces left now.
"Yeah, most Peters go into grad school on scholarship for a reason." Gwen turned her attention back to her. "Have you thought about what you'd do, Margo? Like a career?"
Yes, she knew. "I wanted to be a programmer. Revolutionize technology." At a university far from her home state, preferably.
"I'm sure you would do very well. You have the gift for it." Gwen replied, grabbing a handful of fries.
"Thank you very much," Margo placed another piece, the image of what was supposed to be the Web of Life and Fate almost complete. "And you?"
"Maybe play in Hobbie's band. Did you know Gwen from his dimension was a rock star?" Gwen tucked one of her locks behind her ear.
She had run away from home without identification, so any possible teaching had been terminated along with life on Earth-65.
"Maybe you can apply to some college here in Nueva York. I'm sure you could get some documentation." Margo tried.
Gwen seemed to consider, fidgeting in her armchair. "It's one way."
"So, with that in mind, what would you do?" Yes, yes, Margo knew she was too curious for her own good.
"I always thought of a double major
Physics and music." One piece of the whole puzzle was missing now.
"Kind of an insane decision," Margo leaned back, propping herself up on her hands."But I would if you would."
"Yeah. But I wouldn't share a room with anyone." Gwen reached for more fries.
Margo threw her arms up.
"Seriously! The best part of college is your roommates!"
"Because getting a degree is overrated." The blonde rolled her eyes.
"You can make connections for a lifetime. Company!" And it was a great point!
"Okay, okay. You have a point." Gwen raised her arms in surrender.
"I know!" Margo put on the last missing piece.
The web was complete.
"The Web of Life and Fate connects us right? So we have constants between us. In your opinion, why is the red and blue uniform one of those, even if not universally?" Gwen pulled one of the blocks out of the column. That day, the game chosen was Jenga.
"Sincerity? Least idea," Margo replied, all concentration employed to keep the tower balanced on three blocks from falling precariously." Purple, for example, I think is much prettier."
"I agree. I mean, I came from a universe of pastel colors. Wearing only blue and red sounds like a crime. The pink adds a special touch in my opinion." And vindication!
"Someone gets it, thank you." Margo exclaimed, laughing and Gwen soon followed suit. "Although some constants in that cosmic bingo are cooler."
The Earth-65 girl raised her eyebrow, bemused."Ooh, can you share which one?"
"It may sound cheesy...but I like the canon of having someone special waiting for me." Margo felt her cheeks warm and her stomach flutter with butterflies. "Having an MJ."
She loved the concept of having someone to swap of her feets. The idea of a person who loves you unconditionally, despite problems, flaws, the outfit, had a very specific appeal on her.
Gwen's cheerful face faltered. "Ah."
And then Margo wanted to kick herself.
Mary Jane was the great love. The chosen one The one who would emerge after Gwen Stacy. To help with Spider-Man's grief, to mourn the death of blonde hair and blue eyes that were no longer there. MJ thrived while Gwen Stacy....
"Gwen, I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"
"No, no, it's okay. I agree, the idea of a person made for you sounds amazing actually. No problem." Gwen assured her, moving her hands in front of her body.
Margo looked at the girl in front of her.
Gwen was still Gwen Stacy. But this Gwen Stacy was also the spider of her Earth. So does she die for someone or does someone die for her? How does canon work when the girl loved to death and the hero who must carry on despite her are the same person?
"Any particular kind of that special reserved for you?" Gwen deftly changed the subject.
Margo rolled along, putting her hand to her chin, a thoughtful face. "Okay, let me see. Oh! I like tall boys. A brother. With braids! I think boys with braids are so hot! And smart. I've always liked the nerds."
Gwen nodded. "I understand."
Margo pondered for a few seconds. She was curious and needed to know. "What about you Gwen? Any significant others? Any particular kind in your heart?"
Gwen blinked in disbelief."Are you serious?"
"Hey, I opened my heart to you, nothing could be fairer." Margo crossed her arms in fake disappointment.
"Okay, okay." Gwen rolled her eyes, staring at the tower with a faraway look and a found smile. The sun was rising and Margo could swear she was pink, white and yellow. "I like... artists. Boys with big brown eyes and cute freckles. And smiles. I like pretty smiles. Of smart, funny boys."
Margo's eyes softened. "That's very nice Gwen."
"Thank you." The girl pulled one more piece and the tower fell.
However, Margo realized, she was in too good a mood to care.
"Hey, Margo," Gwen's face to her could only be understood as supportive. "You'll find your MJ one day, I know it."
"Margo? Hey, it's all right-"
She didn't let Gwen finish, because all Margo knew was that as soon as her playmate's bedroom door opened, she had her arms around the Earth-65 girl.
Thank heavens the avatar could stay solid.
"Margo, what happened?" Gwen thankfully didn't repel her, on the contrary, concern dripped from her voice.
"How do you do that, Gwen?" She hugged her tighter, sinking her face into her torso. The voice small and sad."How do you live with someone who hates you?"
Margo went over the whole day in her head. She tidied her room, made the food herself, went to and from school on time. All done as neatly as ever, her parents shouldn't be angry with her.
She had done nothing.
But they were very, very angry.
And it scared her like it hadn't scared her in a while. Fights would almost always involve just the two of them, on bad days, she would become part of the issue.
Today was a particularly bad day.
Margo had to flee to the library. She didn't want to try her luck and locking the door didn't seem enough.
The next day it would be as if nothing had happened, the fight forgotten to make way for another. It was unbearable.
Margo needed someone, anyone. She needed someone who understood, who listened.
She had no family to rely on, no friends to run home to. So she came to HQ. And she was never more grateful that this was one of the nights Gwen slept at HQ.
Gwen tensed. "What did your parents do to you?"
"They fought badly. More than usual. It's left for me." And then arms wrapped around her too. Strong, tight and safe.
"You don't have to stay there" Vwen's voice had an enviable assurance." You can come to headquarters. I know Miguel and Jess would let you."
Gwen was right. They would.
Margo could decide to run away right now, without looking back, and a room for her physical body and food would be provided immediately. It would be easy, simple.
But, Margo couldn't. Because she also knows how conditional the welcome could be.
How much a misstep means, the stress, the pressure, the fear, the over-surveillance. It would be trading one prison for another, and as good as Nueva York was from her own city, Margo still had a choice on Earth itself.
That despite everything, Margo was not being hunted and even with all the noise and arguing, her parents provided food and a roof over their heads. Because despite all the dread, Margo still had some freedom and choice.
And I had no change of giving that up.
There were already enough questionable actions on her record by the Society. Margo preferred not to think about what she would do if it were up to them.
"Margo?" Gwen's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Do you want something? Is there something I can do?"
"I want to play." Margo wanted to distract herself. That had to be enough for today.
She would take off her VRs and walk out of the library and climb out the window as if nothing had happened.
That night, however, Margo needed to forget.
Gwen stroked his head affectionately. "Let's play then."
A little purple box with a pink bow appeared on top of the control panel of the machine back home three days later that night. A "for you" note written in pink and blue watercolor ink.
There were several hair clips. The ones with colored crystals encrusted her dimension.
Margo remembers talking about enjoying experimenting with hairstyles in her avatar and how she'd like to do them in real life. And how she had wanted those hair clips for months.
She spent the evening trying out hairstyles.
"So you were in the middle of a fight with Doc Ock from your dimension when you got sucked into another universe?" Margo rolled the dice just in time to hear Gwen curse softly.
They were playing Monopolies and Gwen owed another one of her properties.
It had been a week since she showed up crying in her room. They didn't touch the subject anymore, there was no need.
Gwen would stop at the machine back home more often while they were in their devres at HQ and stay longer than usual. I would ask if she had tried any new hairstyles. She would play a new game without questions on tricky days.
Margo on the other hand would always hand her a snack, ask how the missions were going or just invite her to sit together on the porch to soak up the calm of the moment.
They had tacit complicity, a new and welcome trust of mutual support.
Solid enough Margo finally asks Gwen how the whole mess with the Kingpig collider went. She had heard numerous versions minus the one from the person who was actually there.
(Margo would ask Peni, but Peni had a constant tired look and a vibe of not wanting to be bothered.)
The story that caused the whole reason for her job to hang around long enough.
"Yes, it was a mess. Saving the universe is stressful. Especially when you can fail it out of existence." Gwen explained, handing over the money due.
"Yeah, I read about the multiversal coexistence theory." Margo spoke as she counted the fake ballots.
"I had to blend in there until I knew what to do and found the others. Although some students looked at me strangely. Probably because of the whole diffused, colored light thing." Gwen rambled.
"Ah yes! The archives say that Peter B., a spider-noir, Peni Parker, spider ham and the 1610- anomaly were there too."
"Miles." The correction was apposite, cutting and with barely contained annoyance.
In all that time, Gwen had never sounded so...hostile. "Huh?"
"His name is Miles Morales. Not the anomaly from 1610." She repeated with a hard look, piercing blue eyes like Margo had never seen. On the defensive.
"Got it." Margo started again slowly. A theory cooking in her brain."What's he like?"
Boredom gave way to confusion. "Who?"
"Miles Morales?" Margo repeated, tilting her head forward, rolling the die."Miguel talks so much about the kid who messed up the timeline, but never about him."
"He's nice." Gwen began, calmer. "Brave, sweet. A great Spiderman. His jokes aren't funny, but pretty clever. He saved us all. Sent us home."
Once, Margo had overheard a conversation that, frankly, she shouldn't have. Something about Gwen. About her having a very high liablity.
It was not difficult to find out why.
"How did you know him?" The question came out innocent.
"My spider-sense led me to him a week before the bite." And Gwen responded as if it was the most normal thing in the multiverse.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes.
Margo knew that the Web of Life and Fate did a lot of strange things, but this? That was a whole new field.
"Your spidey sense led you to him and predicted everything?" Margo hoped Gwen would pick up on the strangeness of the situation.
"That's one way to put it." She didn't pick up.
"And was it only you who met him before the sting?"
"Basically."
Margo resigned herself to throwing the die and nodding slowly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were brought together by the universe. Kind of like soul mates."
It was a joke. It was meant to go down as a joke. After all, all spiders (well, except Miguel, but Miguel was dead inside) had a sense of humor.
But Gwen was staring, eyes wide and cheeks tinged deep pink. Mouth opening and closing like a fish.
Oh.
Oh.
Gwen liked the boy from Earth-1610.
And if her mortified appearance was any indication, these were strong, constant feelings that should be a secret.
Margo knew, she had watched enough movies to know. A problematic fact for the Society. Fascinating to her.
Many conversations have just been elucidated.
"No, not like that! We were - we are friends. That's all! There's no such thing as soul mates." Gwen looked away and man, how this was getting more interesting by the second.
"Well, in theory there is. Mary Jane and Peter Parker are pretty constant. We've talked about it." The Web of Life and Fate played tricks when it wanted to. And among the plays was frequent soul ties.
"Yeah, but Gwen Stacy doesn't have a soulmate." She exploded.
A beat.
Of course. Gwen Stacy didn't have a soul mate, because she died before any lasting commitment.
"But, maybe the spider-woman could have." Margo walked a few more houses, shrugging. "You never know."
"Yeah, maybe." Was all Gwen replied.
Gwen didn't ask Margo to keep the conversation between them. She didn't have to.
"I'm going to Earth-1610." Gwen tried hard to keep a neutral face. She was failing miserably. The pinks and yellows in it betrayed her. "An anomaly was detected and Jess assigned me there."
She had asked to talk to Margo at a particularly quiet time. They were in an empty corridor, near the dome.
I couldn't help but smile at Gwen's enthusiasm. "Congratulations.
She smiled back. "Ah! The mission might take a while, so I came to warn you."
"I'm sure things will be fine. Do you know what the target is yet?"
"A guy full of holes. His name is Spot. Can walk between multiverses and everything."
Margo hissed. "Hard."
"Don't even remind me." Gwen let out a sigh. "I need to go, duty calls. Mario Kart next time?"
"Absolutely. You're going to lose, Spider-Woman." Margo joked and Gwen snorted.
"In your dreams Spiderbyte."
When Gwen appeared again, she was with Hobbie and an unknown boy along.
He bumped into her and Margo's spider-sense immediately beeped.
Ah, so that's the oh-so-famous Miles Morales.
"I am Spiderman." It was the first thing he said.
Margo could understand her friend. The boy was a bit clumsy and awkward, but cute. Captivating. Gwen had good taste.
Like a well-mannered person, she introduced herself, what she did, even why she was there. Margo swung her avatar from side to side. Miles looked amused.
Gwen, on the other hand, was not at all happy.
For someone so repressed, the girl couldn't hide her emotions for the life of her.
Pulling the kid with a web because he spent a minute talking to her, seriously?
Man, Gwen did indeed have it down bad.
They walked away quickly and Margo returned to her duties.
She would later tease Gwen for winning Mario Kart and for that.
It all escalated too quickly and now she had a choice to make.
Miles found out everything and clearly did not like what he had been told.
Her spider-sense didn't beep on the spot, but Margo knew something wasn't right with the strange movements near the machine back home.
Everything broke down. She and Layla tried to fix it.
That's when Miguel burst through the door, followed by several spiders, and was tearing through a mesh that was made of threads from the Web of Life and Fate with a face distorted in rage and looks of homicidal intent.
Margo was terrified.
What should she do? What should she do?
The shutdown screen appeared.
All the discomfort with the whole situation came to the surface. The Society, Miguel's methods with that machine.
Margo looked at Miles. Looked into eyes filled with pleas, fears and requests. She paled, then nodded.
No more accepting without question.
And then he smiled.
Miles realized. Margo...wasn't going to stop him.
She couldn't. He went home.
But that in no way ended the discussion.
Miguel went mad. And then he blamed Gwen.
And Gwen was livid too, saying several poignant things that were nowhere near well accepted. Even Peter B. wasn't enough to calm tempers.
Margo's heart stopped as Miguel led Gwen to the edge and for a minute, the fatal fate of all the Gwens Stacys flashed in her mind.
What he did next, however, was much worse.
Layla had activated the machine.
Gwen was forcibly pulled away, sent home despite every kick and punch. What she said next would haunt her forever, Margo knew.
"We should be the good guys."
A blinding light. Sepulchral silence.
"We are." Miguel reaffirmed, though Margo didn't know whether to everyone there or himself.
Gwen had been brutally banished to a place where she was persecuted and her father's life was hanging by a thread. For trying to help her friend who only wanted to save her father from death.
Their game night was off.
Margo unplugged the avatar without a second thought, ripping off the virtual reality glasses and tossing them on the bed only to feel tears risk her cheeks and her breathing heavy.
One certainty seared deep into her bones: she never wants to go back.
Margo was alone and didn't know what to do. Nor how to process everything she had seen.
She stared at the hair clips next to her computer, going over the events in her head again and again. Half her face hidden in her crossed arms.
I couldn't go back to the Society. Not after what Miguel did to them.
Not after what she did.
Margo had let Miles get away with it, and she didn't regret it. But it also meant breaking the rules that were sacred to a very temperamental spider.
Her parents were away and the house silent.
Maybe that was why she could hear the window opening. Maybe it was the tingling behind her head in physical form for the first time.
Margo jumped up from her chair.
That was it. Miguel had figured it all out and came for her neck. He almost kills a boy who just wants to save his father and throws out another who questions him for life.
God, her stomach churns at the thought of what he would do to her.
She's not Spiderbyte here. Margo has no powers or anything. Just another ordinary girl in New York.
From a city so alienated from everything and everyone that you wouldn't even hear it scream.
But Margo would not become another missing person statistic, thank you very much.
The positioning near the door was strategic, hoping it would be an easy escape if she needed to run for her life. She expected many things and they would all involve an angry Miguel.
What she didn't expect Gwen Stacy from Earth-65 standing in the middle of her room.
They had talked about it.
About Gwen going to her house to see her, to really see her. But with her parents, the constant fighting and having to explain how she met this white girl they had never heard of, it was preferable not to.
But, as it turned out, there was a first time for everything.
Margo blinked once, twice. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real, could it?
At least the girl had the decency to look uncertain.
"Hi Margo. I love your room. It's just like you said." Gwen commented with a weak, nervous smile. But she was fine.
Gwen was fine.
Margo didn't think, the impulse acting on her limbs and making her wrap her arms around her, squeezing her tightly as if the blonde was the avatar that could disappear.
Gwen let out a deep breath before returning it with equal force. She was warmer and more comfortable than expected. And taller.
"I'm glad to see you, too," Gwen's tone was a tearful happiness, as if Margo wasn't already on the verge of tears to begin with.
She took a step back, her eyes still fixed on the girl who in theory would be confined in her dimension. "You're here. How?"
Gwen raised her wrist right in his line of sight, the familiar but still modified object answering all his questions. "Thank Hobbie for that."
But the clock reminded her of claws and sharp teeth. A target on her back. "Why are you here? What happened? Is Miguel here too?"
Gwen soon realized her nervousness, putting her hands on her shoulder in comfort. "No, no. You're safe, Miguel's not here. It's... about Miles."
"He's not home?" Margo frowned and the other girl sighed.
"No, he's not." Gwen removed her hands and wrapped her own body around them. "He ended up in the wrong dimension."
The frenzy of Miles' troubled return came to Margo's mind. The address that was traced."When he used the machine back home..."
Gwen's turn and face were permeated with anguish."That's why I came. I need to take him back. Without a watch, he'll die out there. But I can't do it alone."
A box made up of various newspaper clippings was laid out. Inside it, a clock with an identical aesthetic to Earth-138.
"You who ran the machine back to each. No one knows as much about universes - the universe it was - as you do." Margo gripped the object as if it would break at any moment. It all sounded too surreal.
Gwen stepped forward, eyes looking more watery and Margo realized how she was on the verge of tears. "Miles is safe thanks to you. And I'll never be able to thank you enough for that, for protecting him when I failed him."
There was a mixture of guilt and determination in that blue. Margo glanced at her watch again.
"I know it's too much to ask." Gwen began again. "That going against the entire Society is crazy. But we need your help."
It was an offer with big implications.
If Miguel would have been angry with her for letting Miles get away with it, joining this endeavor is guaranteed laser-guided anger.
"The choice is yours. The watch stays with you even if it doesn't."
Margo thought of fun nights and laughter, warm company and comfortable presence. She thought of what she did for the Society and how every action always seemed wrong, even if deep down. Of her own loveless home and her lonely little girl who found an equal.
In a boy who took the reins of his own destiny and went beyond what the book said. Who served as a beacon, an example. Miles did not have to submit to a life of suffering, nor did Gwen, much less Margo.
"I had already given up. After he attacked Miles and kicked you out." Margo said good-naturedly, looking at her friend with tears on her face and an embittered voice. "He ruined our game night. Nobody ruins my game night and gets away with it."
Gwen smiled, her form taking on a bright yellow illumination, tears falling down her own face. It was incredulous, surprised and relieved.
Soon her arms were around Margo once more and you could swear her room was in pastel colors. They separated, wiping their faces.
Soon Margo's mood modus operanti was activated, walking towards the window.
"Right, I'll need a few minutes for the tracking, but we can leave soon after." The watch on his wrist fitted perfectly. "I'll also need a place to operate, Spiderbyte will be able to help more with stability."
"No problem. We have a plan." Gwen's nod was confident.
Margo stopped in her tracks. "Wait, did you say we?"
"That's about it..." She followed the line of sight out of the window. A very diverse and familiar group waited outside. Margo snorted in disbelief.
"What are your thoughts on joining a band?"
Margo Kess could manage on her own, but she didn't have to be alone. She had friends for that. And now, a mission to accomplish.
And as far as she was concerned, they would all come out winners.
She looked at Gwen confidently one last time before entering the portal.
Game night was on again.