Chapter 204: Picking Up

After taking a quick shower, Peter dressed casually to go pick up Liv and bring her back to the Sub-Cave.

He needed to run a series of tests to determine the exact nature of her condition and whether he could develop a cure or an immune agent.

Before he could finish getting ready, however, a sharp alert echoed from the Spider-Computer.

"Father," Karen said.

"I heard it."

He crossed the cave quickly and saw that the alarm was being triggered by the Bifr?st monitoring system.

"Karen, report."

"A Peter Parker has traveled between Multiverses."

Peter frowned. "Karen, I told you to reprogram the Bifr?st so that it does not flag every single trip a Peter Parker makes across the Multiverse."

"Father," Karen said carefully. "He traveled into this Multiverse."

The distinction immediately sharpened Peter’s focus.

"Was any outside agent able to penetrate the barrier?" he asked.

"Based on the algorithms we collected from your own travels and the times you breached the wall, no—no external agent has managed to enter. However, there is something unusual about the patterns."

"What is it?"

"They are similar to yours. Not identical, but the method of rupture is virtually the same."

Peter considered this for several seconds before arriving at the correct conclusion.

"Search for the dimensional residue left behind by the traveler’s journey. Trace the originating dimension. The only scenario in which there would be no residue is if a being of superior power teleported the individual directly."

Karen fell silent for a few seconds as she ran the search.

"Located," she confirmed.

"So no higher power was involved," Peter noted. "Let me share an interesting fact."

He paused, ensuring Karen’s full attention. "To breach the Wall between the Prime Multiverse and this one, you need either the explicit permission or consent of The One Above All. If anyone attempts to cross from one side to the other without that permission, they die. The only alternative is for someone to punch a temporary hole in the Wall—one that lasts exactly long enough for a person to pass through."

"I will store that information," Karen said with a slight smile.

"Which universe did the traveler originate from?"

"Universe 24616."

"Good. Have Brother Eye monitor that universe—specifically its dimensional travel activity, nothing else. What that Spider-Man does in his own universe is irrelevant to me. But if he becomes a danger to my Multiverse, he will be eliminated immediately."

"Understood."

"Thanks, love."

Peter turned away and finished getting dressed, not noticing the lingering, penetrating look Karen was giving him.

--------

’Perverted voyeur,’ Peter called.

Cassandra’s presence flickered at the edges of his mind.

I am not a voyeur! she replied indignantly.

’Whatever you say, Cassandra,’ Peter replied mentally.

What do you need? she asked.

’Someone from our Multiverse recently traveled to the Prime Multiverse,’ Peter explained. ’Most likely, it was TOAA requesting a favor from a Spider-Man.’

I know. I felt the disturbance, Cassandra noted. Apparently, the traveler had anti-Julia protection—something only I could provide. That is... strange.

’It was the Spider-Man of Universe 24616,’ Peter told her. ’Do you know which dimension he traveled to?’

Do you not already know? she countered.

’I have an idea,’ he replied.

616, she confirmed.

’I figured as much,’ Peter thought. ’Keep an eye on him. Two Spider-Men in one place is twice as chaotic—especially in that particular universe, where the concentration of Spider-Men is already absurdly high.’

I will, Cassandra agreed, then paused. Hmm... something unusual.

’What is it?’ Peter asked.

When I travel between dimensions, I become a comic book character, just like everyone else. But you... you remained a normal, three-dimensional human. Unlike everyone around you.

She sent him a mental image to illustrate her point.

’That is strange. Investigate it,’ Peter instructed. ’The only explanation I can think of is that it might be a benefit of being the Totem of the Multiverse.’

Most likely. I will look into it, Cassandra agreed.

Cassandra’s presence receded from his mind as she went to investigate. Elsewhere, she observed the visiting Spider-Man interacting with the children of Universe 616. She rubbed her face in exasperation when she overheard Peter’s counterpart casually remark that Valeria’s name sounded like something a streetwalker would use.

"Peter will not like this," Cassandra murmured aloud to herself.

----------

Peter pulled on his eyepatch, grabbed his jacket, and headed out to pick up Liv.

While driving, he felt a strange sensation prickle at the base of his skull, but he dismissed it. When he arrived at the forensic department, he parked, stepped out, and walked toward the entrance. He had planned to ask someone for directions to the morgue, but a building directory near the front lobby saved him the trouble.

He navigated through the station, turned down a corridor, and descended a short flight of steps. At the bottom, he found Liv standing beside a tall man. The two of them were stitching up a corpse. Peter noticed Liv unconsciously moistening her lips as she worked.

"Liv," he called.

Both Liv and the man looked up. Liv’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall—it was already eight o’clock.

"Damn. I forgot," she said. "Ravi¹, could you take care of the rest? I have something I need to do."

"Do not worry," the man said cheerfully. "I just need to finish the stitching and file the reports. Nothing that will take more than a few minutes."

He looked past Liv toward the imposing figure filling the doorway.

"By the way—who is your rather strapping friend? A new boyfriend, perhaps?"

"What?! No!" Liv sputtered. "He is just—"

"Jason Todd," Peter interrupted smoothly, stepping forward. "FBI. I am a friend of Liv’s. We were planning to go out for a drink."

Ravi raised his eyebrows and gave Liv a meaningful look. She huffed and walked away to gather her things.

"By the way," Ravi said, peeling off a latex glove and extending his hand, "I am Ravi Chakrabarti. Liv’s boss."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor," Peter replied, shaking his hand.

Liv returned with her bag slung over her shoulder. "I am ready. We can go."

"Well then, we will meet again, Doctor," Peter said with a polite nod before leading Liv out of the station.

"Cute," Liv remarked when she saw the red sports car parked outside.