//------------------------------//
// Ch. 4: Oil and Water 
// Story: Ultimate Spiders and Magic: Episode III "Genetic Conscription" 
// by Maximus_Reborn 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Four “Oil and Water”

Within the walls of the prosthetics facility, Peter stood in only a pair of boxers while he stood over a table. His costume was pulled from the outside in, revealing an array of circuits and wiring. With his eyes narrowed, Peter carefully sorted through the mechanism with a tiny metallic pick. Logan stood at the other side of the room with his arms crossed, tapping a finger against his forearm. 

“So, how’d Fury recruit you?” he questioned, glancing in Spider-Man’s direction, “You’re way too young to be a SHIELD agent.”

Peter furrowed his brow, never averting his gaze from the suit’s inner circuitry. “I wouldn’t say he recruited me. It was more like he gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he paused, glancing to the side before shrugging, “Although when I say it out loud, it sounds pretty bad, but I screwed up back at home. Fury gave me a second chance. I’m here because of him.”

Logan huffed, straightening his posture. “You’ll learn that Nick never does anything out of the goodness of his heart. He helps you in any way, and you’ll learn there’s always a string attached.”

“You talk like there’s a history between you two,” Peter lightly declared, pausing to retrieve a pair of goggles before sliding them over his eyes. He pursed his lips before pulling his mask to the side, picking through the wiring behind the lenses. “It should be illegal to have this many firewalls. It’s as if someone doesn’t want me prying. It’s nothing a little bit of crossing can’t fix.”

Wolverine walked across the room, leaning his backside against the desk Peter worked at while keeping his arms crossed. “Fury and I go way back. There was a point where we were even friends. Hell, I’d like to think we still are,” he whispered, frowning as his shoulders fell. Rubbing  at the hairs on his chin, Logan shrugged dismissively, “Fury has good intentions, but sometimes, he falls into dark places in order to see the job done. That’s where we’ve always had our disagreements.”

Peter blinked, arching a brow. “Dark places? Like what?”

“Weaponizing kids like you and Eris,” Logan bluntly stated, sobering while sharing a glance with Peter. The pair stood in silence for a few seconds, allowing the weight of the older man’s words to take precedent. Eventually, Wolverine placed a hand over his hip and huffed. “Just really think about that, kid. For your sake, as well as hers.”

Before Peter could hope to respond, Eris materialized into existence in a flash of light between him and Logan. “Hello, boys! I think I’m starting to get an idea of how my powers work,” she cheerfully chimed, raising a finger. She vanished before reappearing in midair, leaning back in a sitting position. “My father always said that my powers are tied to my imagination. So if I think hard enough, I can create it!”

“Sounds like your father’s a mutant, too,” Logan replied, furrowing his brow as he peered up at the girl while opening a canned beverage.

Eris nodded, twirling a glowing finger before a sea of fish floated by. “He is. My father’s one of the oldest mutants in history. He used to work with someone named Apocalypse.”

Logan spat out his drink, coughing while his face twisted. “What?! Apocalypse?!” Blinking, he stared at the girl for what seemed like an eternity. “Your dad’s that old? Was he a horseman?”

“I don’t think so. From what I remember, Father wasn’t a fan and thought Apocalypse was far too stuffy. They both simply agreed to stay out of each other’s way,” Eris declared, shaking her head while she continued to hover in a sitting position. 

Rubbing a hand over his chin, Logan huffed. “Your dad must have been pretty powerful if Apocalypse didn’t want to deal with him.” He glanced back to the side, furrowing his brow. “You almost done, kid?”

Peter nodded, chuckling before removing a small circular object from the circuitry. “Yeah. It took a bit of work, but I managed to remove the firewall and leave a dummy signal in place.” He walked up to Logan, giving him the device. “All we have to do is get rid of this. Fury can chase this while we take care of Eris.”

Eris vanished from sight, reappearing next to Peter. She bit down on her lip, grinning devilishly as her crimson eyes thoroughly scanned the young man’s physique. “You certainly look the part. I can grate cheese on those abs.” The temperature in her face rose, evident by the pink flush staining her cheeks. Her eyes lowered, centering on the pair of boxer briefs Peter wore. “Are clothes an option? I can disrobe, if you allow me the thought…”

“No!” Peter and Logan blurted out, with the older man rolling his eyes while the other quickly grabbed his costume in an attempt to clothe himself. 

Eris poked her lips out in a mock pout before smiling. “You two are such fun. I really don’t want this day to end.”

Logan frowned, ignoring the girl’s teasing as he glared intently at the object in his hand. “Hey, kid. Can you create a pigeon or something? It’ll be good practice.”

“Pigeon! That should be easy!” Eris cheered, closing her eyes before the school of fish floated near her direction. Soon, one sprouted wings and feet, still keeping its fishy form. The girl hummed, staring at the fish before shrugging. “Eh, close enough.”

Peter tilted his head to the side, giving the girl a bemused stare. “I take it you have a hard time staying focused?”

Eris poked out her lips, humming. “I’ve had ADHD since I was four, so concentration can be a bit cumbersome at times,” Oblivious, the girl shifted her gaze skyward, “Speaking of which, did I take my medication this morning?” 

“Great. That’s like giving a chimp a gun,” Logan mumbled under his breath.

A string of bubbles materialized around them while pieces of chocolate floated aimlessly. Eris stared longingly at Peter, fluttering her eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the prettiest eyes?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Peter stammered, straightening his costume while fumbling the mask in his hands. Eris vanished from sight before reappearing behind Peter, wrapping her arms around his neck affectionately. A lump swelled in his throat, making the simple act of breathing unusually difficult. Peter cleared his throat, shifting his gaze wildly. “You mind not telling anyone my secret identity?”

Eris grinned, tightening her hold. “I wouldn’t dare! You saved my life. It’s the least I can do.” She narrowed her gaze. “What grade are you in? You said you were almost old enough to drive, so I assume you’re fourteen or fifteen?”

“Sophomore and fifteen,” Peter simply replied, causing the girl to tighten her hold. She brushed the back of her gloved hand affectionately against his cheek. The young man furrowed his brow. “I hope you know I’m not popular. I’m what the cool guys call a dork. Or geek. Or dweeb.”

Waving a hand dismissively, Eris eased back before stretching her limbs high overhead. “That’s no issue. The popular kids are so stuffy and boring.”

Peter arched his brow. “Is that why you are always getting into trouble?”

“Certainly so,” Eris whispered, laying down while levitating. She crossed her arms before allowing her head to rest on top of them. “We fall into a rhythm and life grows boring. I just like to keep myself guessing.” Smiling, the girl chuckled as she traced her lower lip with her tongue. “If today is any indication, chaos just follows you wherever you go. You have such an irresistible aura.”

Alternating his gaze about as Eris inched closer, Peter scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “You sure that just isn’t my deodorant?”

While the students continued to converse, Wolverine grumbled under his breath. The fish cooed as Logan arched a brow, rolling his eyes before making the fish swallow the small tracking piece. Opening the nearest window, the man released the creature and watched as it awkwardly flapped its wings. Once it took flight, Logan watched as it soared for a few seconds before it plunged into the harbor with the grace of a brick. 

Exasperated, Logan shook his head and took a seat at the nearest table afterward. Peter did the same, folding his arms. Both men glared at each other intently, never shifting their gazes. Logan growled under his breath while he narrowed his line of sight. However, Eris materialized into existence between both individuals, smiling widely while allowing her chin to rest in the palm of her hands. Seconds turned to minutes in what felt like an eternity.



Peter exhaled, glancing to the side momentarily. “I, uh, guess I was a little hot headed back there.”

Inhaling deeply before sighing, Logan frowned before nodding. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I’m more upset with Fury than anything else. It rubs me the wrong way that he’s willing to use kids as weapons now.”

Shaking his head, Peter raised a hand objectively. “I was doing this before I even met Fury. He’s just giving a helping hand… in his own super shady way.” Managing a brief smile, Peter extended his hand in a friendly gesture. “So… Friends?”

Logan turned in his seat away from the young man, snorting. “Don’t push your luck.”

Eris wiggled in her seat, grinning. “You two are adorable. You mix as well as oil and water.”

“Sounds hazardous,” Peter mumbled as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his cheek

Brushing a hand through her hair, Eris beamed while leaning her head against Peter’s shoulder. “Exactly! That just makes it more fun.”

Sobering, Peter turned his attention back to Logan. “Speaking of which, who was tall, dark, and smashing? Any idea why he was after Eris?”

Wolverine straightened his posture, tapping a finger against the table. “Yeah. That was the Juggernaut. We’ve tangled with him a few times. He’s Professor Xavier’s big brother.”

Slack-jawed, Peter chuckled nervously. “Big brother is right. What’d he do? Eat all the Wheaties when they were kids? The dude’s built like a house! So, I take it that he’s a mutant, too?”

Nodding, Logan huffed under his breath. “No. He’s not. Juggernaut’s power comes from some  mystical jewel, but he’s all muscle and no brains.” He paused, standing from his seat before walking to the nearest door. “It sounds like he was sent here by Magneto. Knowing Eric, he wants to recruit Eris into his Brotherhood of Mutants.”

“Sounds like an afterschool club,” Peter responded, sliding his mask back over his face. “Is that what he meant by tipping the scales of the war?”

“Yep. The Brotherhood of Mutants is Magneto’s answer to Professor Xavier’s X-Men. We fight to be accepted by humanity. Eric fights for superiority,” Logan declared, folding his arms. He paused, sobering as a thought came into mind. The man frowned. “So, what are you going to do now that you’ve heard my side of the story? Are you still going to report to Fury?”

Spider-Man shook his head. “It’s not my choice to make.” Logan’s eyes widened as Peter pointed his thumb at the girl by his side. “We’ve been going on about this entire thing without even asking Eris what she wanted to do.”

Eris blinked, her mouth falling agape. “You… care about what I think?”

“Well, yeah. This is your life and choice. I’m just protecting you from the bad guy,” Peter simply stated, shrugging, “You definitely have options. The X-Men? SHIELD? The Brotherhood? Or just go back home with your dad? By the end of the day, the choice is yours.” Peter trailed off, catching Logan staring intently in his direction. His masked eyes furrowed after an awkward amount of time. “W-What? Is there something on my mask?”

The corner of Logan’s lips curled into a smirk. “And here I thought you were just like Fury, but it turns out, you’re a naive kid.” Just as Peter readied himself to retort, Wolverine chuckled lightly. “I mean that in a good way. You remind me of Chuck. You both are about making sure everyone has a choice in what they do, a pair of idealists. It’s… refreshing. Please don’t let anyone snuff that out of you. The world needs realists to keep it alive, but it needs idealists to give it a soul.”

Spider-Man leaned up to Wolverine, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Wow. Under that gruff and hairy exterior, you’re just a big teddy bear.” A sharp snikt could be heard as Logan growled, raising his claws near his shoulder where Peter’s head rested. The younger man could only chuckle sheepishly. “A teddy bear with razor-sharp claws. Right.”

Exasperated, Logan rolled his eyes before retracting his claws. “He’s got a point though.” Sharing a glance with the girl, Wolverine’s eyes softened. “What do you want to do?”

Eris inhaled deeply, placing a hand over her chest. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in.” She let out a deep sigh, easing back to the ground before taking a seat in the nearest chair. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I don’t want to fight. I just want to learn how to control my powers and have fun again.”

“Then, that can be a problem,” a voice harshly declared as a magical circle spiraled into existence between everyone. 

Faster than anyone could react, a caped man stepped through the opening with a small box in hand and tossed it towards Eris. The girl could only let out a shriek as her entire body was pulled into the gem at its center in a flash, causing the jewel to emit a glow afterwards. The box levitated back into the man’s grasp, and he eyed the item with an arched brow. Logan shot up with his mouth agape, and Spider-Man staggered back, his masked eyes as wide as saucers.

“Strange?! What the hell are you doing?!” Logan blurted out, unable to shake his visible shock.

Doctor Strange nodded dismissively, never averting his gaze from the jewel at the center of the box. “Nice to see you, too, Logan. I’ll handle everything from here.” He glanced to the side, double taking upon spotting Spider-Man before arching a brow at Wolverine. “Who’s the kid?”

Spider-Man raised both hands defensively, sharply alternating his gaze between both men. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can’t just pull a Ghostbusters move on my friend and act like nothing’s wrong! What the heck just happened?!”

Logan stepped in between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, facing the younger of the two. “Hold on, kid. I’m with you, but hold your horses. This is Doctor Strange.”

Peter grumbled, straightening his posture while huffing. “Oh, so we’re using our made-up names? Okay. I’m Spider-Man.”

Slow to respond, Strange stared at the young man with a puzzled expression before shifting his gaze towards Logan. “What is he? Your ward?”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s a friend, and I am with him about Eris. What are you going to do with her?” Wolverine questioned, narrowing his gaze.

Doctor Strange held out the box, allowing it to levitate while magical circles glowed over his palms. “This girl is far too dangerous to leave unchecked. I’ll have to banish her in the Crimson Circle of Cyttorak until she gets a grip.” 

Spider-Man raised a hand. “Wait! You’re just going to banish her without giving her a chance? How long is this supposed to last?”

“If she’s anything like her father, it could last as long as a few thousand years,” Strange nonchalantly stated, tracing a finger in a circular motion. A portal spiraled into existence behind the sorcerer. “Good day, gentlemen.”

Logan frowned, glancing to the side. “I don’t like this.”

Spider-Man shook his head defiantly. “This isn’t right! Eris needs help, and your best solution is locking her up?”

“It’s not as cut and dry as you think, kid. That girl possesses chaos magic, and with a mere thought, she could flip the world on its head or destroy the strands of reality,” Doctor Strange bluntly stated, inhaling deeply before letting out a low sigh, “I’m not the bad guy here. Try to understand.”

“Oh, I understand,” Spider-Man responded, his tone low. He turned his back, seemingly ready to depart. Just as Strange nodded, readying to do the same through his portal, a strand of webbing shot out and latched onto the box. Spider-Man narrowed his gaze and tightened his grip on the thread. “She won’t have a chance with you.”

Logan slowly raised a hand. “Kid…”

“Don’t…” Strange reaffirmed, holding a warning tone.

With a swift jerk of the wrist, Spider-Man pulled the box away from Strange’s grasp and caught the item with a single hand. He leapt out of the window, firing a strand of webbing onto the side of a building in the distance.  Reaching a railing, Peter flipped through the sky briefly before a portal opened in his path. Unable to stop, Spider-Man entered before immediately exiting a second portal, and he glanced towards the street, spotting Doctor Strange staring in his direction with both arms crossed. 

Just as Peter shot out another strand of webbing, he dove into a swing, but a pair of portals opened mere feet apart, causing the young man to become trapped in a loop as the thread latched onto his foot. Strange reared back, allowing a glowing magical rope to materialize in his hand, and he cracked the whip, managing to lasso it around Spider-Man’s waist before snatching him out of midair. The sorcerer stood firm and thrust his open palm forward, slamming it into Peter’s chest once he was within range. The outside world slowed to a halt as Peter’s astral spirit was ejected from his physical form.

Peter paused, eyeing his seemingly lifeless body before gazing upon his current ghostlike shape. “Oh, God! I’m dead!”

Bemused, Strange stood in front of Peter’s physical body while glaring at his spirit form. “Relax, kid. You’ve just been separated from your physical form. Think of it as an out of body experience.”

“You keep talking about this stuff like it’s normal!” Peter sharply interjected, floating haplessly.

“I’ll put everything back in place once I get the box back,” Strange declared, reaching for the item in Spider-Man’s physical possession. However, once fingertips away, Peter’s body pulled the box away out of the sorcerer’s range. “What? How?” he blurted out, flabbergasted as he reached for the item again. Yet, the same result occurred with Spider-Man continuously shifting the box away from Strange’s many grasping attempts. “How are you doing that? This is impossible!”

Peter tilted his head to the side, oblivious to the waves trembling around his head. “I don’t know, but it feels amazing!” 

As Strange continued to swipe in many failed attempts to retrieve the box, Peter swam towards his physical form before rejoining the living world. Suddenly, Spider-Man’s eyes widened as he lowered his hand, unleashing a massive torpedo-shaped web ball. Strange’s entire body was jettisoned, flying at high velocity before colliding back-first into the nearest wall. The impact caused the gossamer to spread, leaving only his head, hands, and feet exposed. Stuck in place with no way to free his limbs, Strange strained as he attempted to pry himself free. 

“Unless you have super strength, you’re not breaking out of this. Also, that may have been one of the coolest things to ever happen to me, but please don’t ever do that again,” Spider-Man firmly stated, perching himself on the wall by the sorcerer while shuddering involuntarily. He glanced to the side, chuckling at the device on his own wrist. “That’s two for two. I’ll have to thank Doc for the upgrade. Guess we’ll settle on calling it the Impact Web.”

Doctor Strange exhaled after a brief duration, narrowing his gaze into a glare. “You’re making a big mistake. It’s my job to protect all of reality. If you let that girl run rampant, she could destroy the entire multiverse with a thought!”

“Maybe she could, but that doesn’t mean she would! You’re not even giving her a chance!” Peter exclaimed, shaking his head, “Try actually talking to her before you lock her up!”

Logan emerged from around the corner, pausing to alternate his gaze between both individuals. “You two ladies finished?”

“Oh, good. Wolverine! You can cut me free,” Doctor Strange huffed, staring at the older man intently.

Slow to respond, Logan frowned before unsheathing his claws with a snikt. “Good idea, Doc,” he chuckled, turning while cleanly slicing through the box and gem.

“What are you doing?!” the sorcerer spat, sharply glaring at the man. A light erupted from the sliced gem, and Eris materialized back into existence, landing roughly on her bottom. Straining, Strange gritted his teeth.“You’ve just doomed us all!”

As Spider-Man helped the girl back to a standing position, Wolverine smirked. “Sorry, Doc. I’m with the kid on this one. Caging a bird ain’t the answer. You have to let them fly first.” Logan pointed a thumb to the side, motioning for everyone to follow. “Let’s go. We’ve got another problem. I’ll explain it later. How long will this stuff hold him?”

“About an hour,” Spider-Man simply stated, turning to take his leave.

Doctor Strange’s complexion paled. “An hour?! You can’t just leave me here like this!”

Spider-Man inhaled deeply before sighing. “I know you’ll come back after us. Maybe then, we can talk. Try to think it over while you have some time. Just stick around.”

Logan grumbled under his breath while pulling Spider-Man away by the shoulder. “That was bad, and you should feel bad.”

As both heroes walked, Eris readied to follow, but she paused, turning back to face Doctor Strange. Her eyes softened as she placed a hand over her chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I’ll learn to control my power. I promise.”

Strange could only watch as the trio ventured off before his gaze lowered shamefully, dryly exhaling. “This is why I hate teenagers.”







Elsewhere, Juggernaut snarled as he stomped through the streets of Canterlot City. “I don’t believe this! Those little half-pints have got to be around here somewhere! If I don’t find them soon, I won’t get paid!” he growled, kicking a nearby car out of frustration. The vehicle spun across the street before colliding with another parked car, both folding upon impact. As fire crackled to life from the metallic heaps, a smile formed on the giant’s face. “All right! If you won’t come out, I’ll smoke you out!”

To be continued…