i wish that someway, somehow,
that i could save every one of us

but the truth is that
i'm only one girl

weight of the world
keiichi okabe

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

One step after the other, the darkness swallowed up any remaining light as you journeyed further into the tunnels, your heart unsteady as you grew unsure of what you'd find down here.

All you knew it wasn't good, obviously. Nothing is ever good when your sixth sense reacts, but to coax such a reaction from you? It was a huge problem, and you weren't sure if you were ready to deal with it on your own.

"Dawn, activate night-mode." You muttered, air growing thick with anticipating as you strained your eyes to peek further into the dark.

[Night-mode, initiated.]

Your shoulders grew tense at the new found sight, cringing into yourself as you watched a rat scatter across the tunnels with a squeak, the flea-infested rodent plunging itself in the trash littered about to hide itself. "Nice to know they're keeping this place clean." You muttered, rolling your shoulders as you kept moving.

The nice little tune you hummed to yourself calmed a fraction of your nerves, your mind reeling back to the couple at the substation. You hoped they had gotten home safely, especially with Naomi's sprained ankle.

[On your left.]

Stopping in your tracks, you turned to the left to see another path, a tall gate denying anyone entrance with the incorrect clearance. As you grew closer, you could see the classic 'Do Not Trespass' sign smacked on there along with other warnings, but what stuck out most to you was the familiar company logo.

Alchemax.

The tips of your fingers traced the bolded letters in wonder and confusion, only to flinch in impulse to the feedback your sixth sense was feeding you. Confusion etched its way between your brows, face scrunching as you searched your brain for plausible answers. This was definitely the reason you were down here, but what could such a cooperation like Alchemax be doing down here? And why hide it?

Clicking your tongue in annoyance, your eyes trailed up the gate to quite a large gap at the top, completely defeating the purpose of keeping people out. You almost laughed.

Without even thinking about it, you climbed up and over the gate, goosebumps crawling up your skin like pesky bugs as you jumped back down.

The shift in the air was immediate—cold and eerie. It felt like you crossed into a different world, unknown to man. You stared ahead of you with suspicion, hugging your arms close as you grew closer to your destination. "What are you up to?" You mumbled, subconsciously picking up the pace as you grew uneasy.

You kept your eyes up the walls, the transmission cables suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world to you. Mindlessly following them into the depths of whatever, you begin to reminisce about the moment's you lived as a normal teen.

The laughing, the joking, gorging yourselves on unhealthy amounts of foods, no responsibilities to worry about—all spent with your favorite people in the world. It was momentary bliss that you'd gladly turn back time for, even if it was just that brief moment over and over again.

It'd certainly beat being here in stinky, dark tunnels, hunting down potential threats coming from big money companies. Now, that's certainly gotta be the winning headline.

Transmission cables began to intertwine into one, the trail leading you to room you aren't certain what was held within. The only window you'd could peer in was dirtied and cracked, making it impossible to see through. Typical.

Taking ahold of the door's knob, you gave it a little twist and pull to test your entry. Nothing. "Also typical." You sighed out, before breaking the door off its hinges, lightly setting the hunk of metal on the ground. You didn't want to test your luck if there was any chance someone was still around.

Upon entrance, you took notice of the wide variety of buttons and switches, their blinking lights bothering you a little too easy. Behind the equipment was a tall wall of glass panels, dirtied just like the one behind you, but not enough to keep you from looking through.

You could see quite a few of shipping containers, their contents unknown, but you knew that's where you needed to be.

Trying your luck with the metal door, it was as expected. Locked in place. You assumed one of the buttons around here opened it, but you weren't about to push every damned button in here. Something told you your time was running thin.

You could just break it down—

"Multiple thermal regulation readings detected. Proceed with caution."

Nevermind.

Groaning out in annoyance, you looked around the room for any other solutions, when you spotted one of those metal staplers, certainly something heavy enough to break something with. Something that won't be too loud if you did.

Grabbing the stapler off the ground, you tossed it in hand to test out the weight, before plunging it through the glass that was long due for repairs anyways. You stood still in place, listening for any suspicion of the noise. Nothing.

Letting out the breath you were holding, you slipped through the panels, stepping over the broken glass as your eyes wondered the overly large room.

The shipping containers. Scaffoldings. Forklifts. Roller Dollies. They were building something big enough to harbor this room, but you couldn't see a thing in sight that could pose as a threat.

"It's clearly unstable and could bring this whole place down to the ground!"

You perked up at the voice speaking, weaving through the mess of scaffoldings and towers of metal planks, revealing yet another entryway. Only this time, there was nothing keeping you from continuing, no door in sight as it was too wide, too tall to keep closed off.

Slowly approaching, a wave of lights crawled up the curved structure; a chamber of sorts, revealing two parallel colliders. You backed away in shock, pressing your back into the wall and out of sight as you tried to catch your breath.

"This is it. This is what I'm looking for." You whispered, chest heaving with anxiety as you continued to listen to the conversation going on behind the observation room, a group of scientist working away as the main two of interest quarrel.

"Haven't you heard, old man? He doesn't give a damn." The second voice cuts in, beckoning you to look over and a catch a glimpse at the men.

Your suit's eyes squint at the distance, the suit itself making it harder than it needed to see. "Dawn, increase the optical sight." You whisper, sliding down into a squat to keep yourself as hidden as possible.

[Increasing.]

Your brows jumped with shock when the sight adjusted itself, the face of the man a shock itself. "Johnathon Ohn? What the hell is he doing down here?!" You whisper-shout.

[Dr. Johnathon Ohn. Until a few months ago, he was working under Stark Industries.]

Dawn's relay of information knocked a few cogs in place, revealing a memory you had forgotten you had. The first time you've ever heard about the man was in the newspapers. Tony Stark's public announcement about his proud, new addition. The last time you've seen him, Ohn looked ecstatic to be there. Why the sudden change of mind? "He quit?"

[Precisely after Tony Stark stripped down the Inter-Dimensional Research Department. The works of Ohn had became too dangerous.]

That's right! His sole purpose was to prove the multiverse theory, creating a machine that could open a gate across the universe! You remembered being so excited to follow his work, to learn if the theories were true. Until you grew busy and lost interest. "Those Colliders. That's what he was working on, wasn't it?"

[Affirmative.]

Holding your breath, you took one more look into the chamber, the twin Collider's glaring right back at you. What would happen if they were to reach their full potential? Would it be just like Ohn said? Or could it mean something much worse for everyone and more?

Your mouth began to dry up as the question was just on the tip of your tongue, the reality of it crashing down on you. "What would happen if they were to start up again?" You asked, wiping you clammy hands on your suit as you awaited for Dawn's response.

[The instability of the Collider's would cause stronger tremors than before that could cause devastating numbers of injuries.]

Your throat tightened. "And if they were to succeed?"

[Our world could cease to exist.]

Your heart drops into your stomach, skin running cold at the heavy outcome. Everything that you know, everyone that you loved, would cease to exist if you don't do something to stop this. But something as big as this is way out of your hands. You can't possibly do this alone!

You're certain if you were to tell Dawn to connect with F.R.I.D.A.Y, you could get Tony down here within minutes. He'd know how to put an end to this. There was no way a kid, such as the likes of you, could put an end to a world-altering problem like this one. You can't do this.

Taking a step away from the edge of the chamber, your heart squeezing with anxiety when a familiar, gravely voice made it's presence known. "Spider-Woman, so nice of you to stop by."

Hissing in annoyance, you looked up to the observation room to find a large frame that belong to no other than, "Kingpin."

He grins with triumph, taking your breathless response as a sign of weakness. "Like my new toy? Costed me a fortune." He chuckles, awaiting for whatever snarky remark you had in you.

"Should have known it was you. You seem to like burrowing yourself underground, don't you?" You seethed, strengthening your stance as all terror was replaced with pure annoyance. You were naive to think you wouldn't see him again after throwing him in jail a year back. Of course he wouldn't have stayed behind bars for long before his little goons bailed him out. Rookie mistake.

Fisk had a tight grip on the head of his cane, his face twitching with anger that he couldn't keep within any longer when he was so close on achieving his goal. Of course, Spider-Woman had to show up again and ruin it once more. But this time is going to be different. This time? He came prepared.

All anger was gone at his revelation, a sinister laughter booming throughout the room, one that almost had you backing away in alarm. "It'd be a shame to turn you away, when you came all this way. Why don't you stay? It's one hell of a light show."

Fisk turns to Ohn who stood anxiously beside him, gesturing with a single movement of his hand to start up the process. "But, sir, it's no recommended to proceed until we're sure that the Collider's are stable and—" he chokes on his sentence, Fisk yanking at his collar.

"I don't care. Do it!" Fisk spits in his face, making the man, along with everyone else in the room, startle into submission.

Ohn stumbles onto his feet, his teeth gritting together as he turned to the team on standby. "You heard the man. Start the countdown." He ordered, turning to the head man in charge with an unseen glare, strangling the clipboard in hand.

Whatever doubt you were having about yourself had to be thrown to side as you watched the machine's cog's began to churn, The Collider's whirring to life as it began to spark. "What do I have to do to stop it?!" You shouted over the machine, swinging into action.

[Up above. Under the ceiling panels. If you can get up there, I can create an overriding code and override the Collider.]

"Got it!"

Kingpin watches with a scowl as you inch your way up the chamber's encasing, unable to hold his 'tolerance' any longer. Slamming his hand on a big, red button that almost always means nothing good, he shouted, "Norman, stop her!"

You felt around for the hatch, knocking around the metal to hear that sweet, sweet hallow sound. "Found you." You muttered, peeling the handle open to reveal an overcomplicated motherboard.

Before you could speak of your success to Dawn, your body was rattled with a warning of oncoming danger, making you want to bang your head repeatedly with frustration. "What now?!" You shout of with frustration, turning over your shoulder in time with the animalistic roar.

An involuntary yelp leaves your mouth at the sight of a green, mutated (can't forget ugly) goblin flying towards you with its talons out in front of him. Quickly unsticking yourself, you narrowly avoided his prowl as you free-fall, landing swiftly on unstable scaffolding.

"Stay still, you little bug." It snarled.

You looked up at the unnatural monstrosity with vexation, heart pounding against your chest as it flew towards you with the intent of murder. "You gotta be kidding me."

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

[Peter's Apartment, 3RD POV]

30 minutes. That's how long it took before Peter threw all rationality out the window at the absence of your return.

An earthquake. It was one measly earthquake, wasn't it? Surely, there wasn't much that Spider-Woman could do, right? Maybe damage control, but even then, it couldn't be big enough to keep her out longer than 30 minutes.

The agonizing silence between the two best friends was now accompanied with the sound of Peter's bouncing leg, the showcase making it harder and harder for Ned to keep it together.

He get's it. He really does. When your best friend is Spider-Woman and has the abilities she does, you're going to worry about the trouble she can find herself in. But Ned knew no matter what, you'd get through it! So he really shouldn't worry, but it's really hard when the rational of the two is freaking out.

"Okay." Ned chimes nervously, making Peter stop in his tracks. He looked to him with an 'oh shit' look as he notices Ned is in his first stage of a freak-out, and when those happen, there's no stopping him.

"There's gotta be a reasonable explanation, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course, there is." Peter dumbly nods, not wanting to chance it with saying something wrong and escalating the situation.

"I mean . . She's Spider-Woman! No one has ever defeated Spider-Woman!" Ned exclaims with flaying arms, almost knocking down one of Peter's figurines.

"Right." Peter confirms, guiltily thinking of scenarios of Y/n facing impending doom. It's not like he wanted to, but it's what happens when you worry, so sue him.

"She's definitely not—" Ned chokes up, nauseous just thinking about the possibility.

"Ned!" Peter warns, daring him to finish his sentence. Ned holds up a hand as he asks for a moment to himself, the contents he consumed ready to pass. Peter groans in frustration, rubbing at his face as he mumbles "We're getting nowhere."

Minutes had passed when the pair find themselves in the living room, another glass of water in the hands of Ned in hopes it would calm him down. It had only worked to some extent, the worry still there.

"Maybe she just got caught up with the crowd, y'know?" Ned's looks to Peter with hope. "When it gets scary, you're going to want answers from some form of authoritative figure." He adds, almost making it sound sense.

But Peter knew you. If it hadn't been as serious as they were thinking, you would have shot them a text to let them know everything was okay, and that you were caught up with something in similarity to what Ned said. You had before in the past. But that was the thing; you hadn't.

And that just gave him all the more reason to worry.

With a long puff of air, Peter lets his head fall back onto the couch, starring holes into the ceiling—hoping it'd all solve itself—when he got an idea.
"Track her suit."

"What?!"

"Track her suit, man!"

Ned immediately shot the idea down with a constant shake of his head, recalling back to the time in Sophomore year when he accessed Y/n's suit. "No way, man. Last time I messed with her suit, I got in trouble with Tony Stark."

It wasn't really trouble, per say. Just a weak slap on the wrist with an even weaker 'don't-do-it-again' lecture from Tony. He wasn't one to discipline kids, if you hadn't caught on, yet.

"Come on, Ned! What if she's really in trouble?" Peter says, shaking him around by the shoulder in hopes to convince him faster, but all it seemed to do was annoy the boy.

"Quit it!" He shouts, slapping away his hands. "There's no need when we could just call her. She always has her phone on her." Ned says matter-of-factly, sending a judgmental look at Peter as he dug through his pocket for the thing.

He was kind of mad at himself for not thinking of that in the first place, but he isn't about to speak on it and slow the process.

Ned dials her as quickly as he found her contact, pressing it to his ear with quick manner as he listens to the line drone. Peter leans in close, desperately waiting for her to pick up. "You're going to feel so stupid when—"

Her phone rings from inside the apartment. "Shit." Ned mumbles. Peter was quick on his feet to follow the noise into his bedroom, seeing it was shoved in messily along with her clothes. She forgot her bag.

He comes back with the bag in hand with a knowing look. "Track her suit, dude."

"Shit."

With a curse under his breath, he went to dig out his laptop from his own bag, doing the very thing he swore (not really) not to do; hands slightly shaking with anticipation. Peter walks back and forth, waiting for Ned to speak upon his findings. "Substation. Why is she at the substation?" He had asked no one in particular, leaning closer to his screen to make sure he got the location right.

"I don't know, but we'll find out when we get there." Peter shrugs, stopping in front of Ned who was short with panic.

"Woah, dude. We're not exactly mutated ourselves, how are we going to help Y/n?" Peter sighs out exasperatedly, turning to Ned with an annoyed look. The two had ended up in a fight, debating if they should wait like you had said, or go out to look for you, when suddenly the door to the apartment was flung open.

"What the hell is going on?" Michelle's voice cuts through their argument, startling the two into silence.

Their mouths gaped open like a fish out of water, not sure where to begin. It didn't matter when the building began to tremble once more, only this time the tremors were strong enough to knock them off their feet.

Michelle yells out in shock as Peter pulled her further into the living room and towards the couch, successfully cushioning their fall as they all shielding each other from falling objects. "Where's Y/n?!" Michelle shouts out, clinging onto the couch.

Peter kept his mouth shut, not wanting to scare her about the whereabouts and possibilities of their best friend-stupidly so. They were going to have to tell her eventually, but now didn't seem like the best time.

"Peter?!"

Before he could get out an exclamation for not giving her a response, the lights went out with a loud buzz leaving them in silence as the tremors finally stopped.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

[The Chamber]
2nd pov

Your muscles screamed under the Green Goblin's weight, your chest heaving with desperation as you helplessly watched the Collider's beams mesh together.

You cried out when his talons sunk into your skin, throwing your head back in agony. "Eyes on me, little bug. I wanna see every last drop of life leave from your eyes." The Goblin groveled, snickering as his other talon reached for your mask.

"That's 3. . 4. . . 5 separate dimensions! It's unstable. We should stop!" A scientist claims, looking to Kingpin for approval of override, but he was too busy watching the beams with his heart hammering his chest.

'Finally, you're coming home to me.'

You wiggled around frantically, trying to loosen his hold on you, but your movement had only sunk his talons deeper into your skin, stalling your attempt. You were too exhausted, there was only so much weight you could handle under such a state.

"Poor. Little. Bug." The Goblin taunts, tongue licking over his many, sharp teeth. You cringed with disgust as his slobber drips down next to your head, a sudden light of hope filling you as you looked past his head.

"Hey, Norman." You wheezed out, hazily looking up at him as his talon paused mid-air. "Heads up."

Within a blink of an eye, Norman couldn't even process what you had said before the fallen debris hit him head on, knocking him off and out of your way.

You groaned in agony as you twisted around onto your hands and knees, gasping for the much needed air. Your vision danced as you tried to focus onto your hands in front of you, but you pushed on when you felt like it wasn't going to get better.

Almost slipping off your feet, you clutched your side as you spoke, "Please tell me that override code is finished." You wheezed, swinging back to where you were needed.

[100% completed. Please be careful, Y/n.]

Nodding your head, you clung yourself to the chamber's perimeter once again, lazily crawling as fast as you could, but you were spent beyond your capabilities.

Pushing open the hatch, you sighed with exhaustion. "Let's try this one more time." You mumbled, watching with wonder when the suit at your fingertips extended into a hard drive, ready to be plugged in.

But you knew how this was going to end.

The remaining air in your lungs was squeezed out by the Green Goblin's clutches as he smugly flew towards the Collider's beams. You yelled out in frustration as you hit him with all your might, hissing between his teeth as he tighten his hold around you.

"Take a good look, because this will be the last thing you'll ever see." The Goblin growls, before pushing your face closer and closer to the collision.

"No!" Fisk shouts, teeth grinding in anger as he watched the Green Goblin push you into the Collider's beams. Upon your intrusion, it became unstable. "Get her out of there!" He screamed into the intercom, fist slamming down into the desk.

Your body falls limp, your erratic breathing coming to a slow, even breath as you opened your eyes. It was. . . quiet. Everything outside of the beam had fallen deaf to your ears, giving you a peace of mind.

But even so, you failed. You failed to stop the Collider, and now it will only grow unstable and tear your world apart. The last of your family, your friends. . They'll all disappear because of you.

Your body trembled with your cries, eyes growing blurry with the tears of your pitiful sorrows. It was just like they had said about near-death experiences. The moment you're about to cross unknown paths, the memories you hold dear flash before your eyes.

They didn't comfort you like they usually do, but they only make it all that harder to come to the terms that you failed. The smiling faces of your friends would be no more, you'd never hear their laughter again. This is your fault.

Whispers. You can hear whispers.

You blinked away the tears to clear your vision, looking in front of you to see the prettiest of colors swirling around each other, a string of voices coming from it.

What was this?

Like they had a mind of their own, your arm had freed itself from the weight holding you down, hand reaching out with desperation towards the painting-no. The gateway to the answer of your problems.

And just when your fingertips came into reach, everything was gone. No more pain. No more tears. No more were you filled with fear. . .

But with tranquility.

The lights weakly flickered on, allowing the trio to relax their tensed muscles, when Peter suddenly shot out from the couch. "The laptop, Ned." He says, hurrying the said boy to pick it off from the ground.

Michelle had watched in confusion as Ned scrambled to get the laptop to work again, him being just as desperate as Peter was. "I'll ask again one more time." She mumbles, standing up with a tensed jaw. "What the hell is going on?"

Ned's face drops, not thinking his words through when he says "She's gone." Peter's heart stops.

"She?"

For the first time since they've been friends, Michelle had finally lost her 'calm collected persona' in front of them, throwing both of them for the loop as grew anxious. "What do you mean she's gone, Ned?"

Peter blinks away the tears threatening to fall, breathing through his nose when he asks the burning question. "Where is she?"

"I—I don't know! One second she was there, and then suddenly she isn't!" Ned stumbles, trying to access the suit's location again, only for it come out blank.

"She's gone."

originally published on 11/28/21
edited on 12/01/25