Unlikely G Man

The smell woke Josh up first—it smelled very eclectic. His nose twitched as he tried to filter out everything it picked up: faint hints of cleaning chemicals, a lingering metallic tang, and the earthy undertones of something he couldn't quite place. Then, the sun hitting him in the face brought him fully awake. His body hummed with unfamiliar energy like he could run a marathon. A tingling warmth coursed through his muscles, contrasting starkly with the aches and bruises he remembered from the previous night. His skin felt hyper-aware, almost alive, and every deep breath seemed to fill his chest with a strength he had never known. It was surreal—his body was fully healed, and a robust vitality bubbled to the surface, even if he was a little hungry. He lay still for a moment, soaking in the sensation before voices in another room drew his attention. He strained to listen, curiosity overriding caution.

"... he feels similar to us, Peter. My spider sense didn't go haywire like when I met you, but it did something. Does your universe have another Spider-Man? Did Oscorp make another radioactive spider?"

The voice was soft but carried an edge of authority. Sensing he was alone, Josh cracked his eyelids open. Bright sunlight made him wince, but he resisted the urge to groan. He was lying on a couch in a music room, the faint hum of an amp adding to the atmosphere. Black sound-dampening foam covered the walls, and a collection of instruments surrounded him, from guitars to a complete drum set. A small blanket was draped over his battered frame, but bloodstains on his clothes reminded him of the previous night.

"Yeah, I brought him to my place, Peter," the same voice replied. "I've been here for three months. I don't know anyone in this universe, and I'm not taking him to your place when you have Michelle to look after."

Josh blinked, recognizing the names. Gwen, Peter, and Michelle? His heart raced as the realization hit him. He was rescued by Ghost Spider.

"He didn't seem like a bad guy. He looked like a homeless man asleep in Central Park. I'd have missed him if my spider sense hadn't gone off. Plus, I've been fighting superhero vampire variants—I could take a Spider-Man variant."

A soft chime broke through Josh's thoughts. He squinted as a screen appeared in his field of vision:

Gain Superpowers (Complete)... Prerequisite met... Activating System...

Status Unlocked... Questline Unlocked...

Having read a fair share of System novels, Josh whispered, "Status," his voice barely audible.

A new screen popped up, detailing his abilities. He skimmed through it, his heart racing as the implications sank in. Enhanced senses, strength, Gu constitution, and shapeshifting—he wasn't just imagining things. Whatever had happened to him after Geiko's bite had changed him fundamentally, granting him superpowers.

As he read, the door opened. Gwen Stacy stepped in, her Ghost-Spider costume pristine and unmistakable. His heart raced as the costume confirmed it was Gwen Stacy. He was in the same room as an iconic figure in Marvel history. His inner fanboy screamed at him to say something, but he clamped down on the urge, not wanting to come off as a lunatic. Gwen Stacy was standing right there—and not just any Gwen, but a stunning, confident version with a skin-tight suit that left little to the imagination regarding her figure. This wasn't the time to geek out, though. He forced himself to focus, trying to process the absurdity of his situation without losing his composure. She paused, her masked gaze meeting his. For a moment, neither of them moved.

Josh quickly decided to keep the details about the System to himself. To his knowledge, the "systems novels" genre didn't exist in the Marvel universe, and explaining it might open a Pandora's box of questions he wasn't ready to answer. Besides, how would Gwen and Peter react to the idea of someone gaining a game-like advantage? It was better to play it safe, focus on survival, and keep the System as his personal edge for now.

Gwen tilted slightly before replying, "So, what and who are you, and where did you come from?" Her tone was neutral, but Josh detected a hint of suspicion.

"Uh, thanks for letting me crash, Gwen," Josh ventured, his voice hesitant, trying to appear non-threatening.

The iPhone in her hand, held like a recording device, made him chuckle nervously. "Uh, Ordinary Human Male, Josh Carter, California-born, Utah-raised. There is a Utah here, right? I'm... uh, a multiverse hopper like you?"

Gwen's eyes narrowed slightly, and she moved closer, her posture shifting subtly into something more guarded. "Wait a second," she said, her voice tinged with suspicion but calm, as if carefully measuring her words. "How do you know our names?"

Josh froze, feeling a bead of sweat form on his temple. "Uh... I mean, you said them in your phone conversation earlier," he stammered, trying to sound nonchalant.

Peter's voice came through the phone, equally skeptical. "You heard all that from the other room in a room full of sound-dampening foam panels? That's some pretty sharp hearing for an ordinary guy."

Josh scratched his head, feigning confusion. "Yeah, I guess? Maybe it's this room or something. Sound travels weirdly in here."

Gwen crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "Right. And you just happened to piece together who we are from a couple of sentences?"

Josh shrugged, forcing a nervous laugh. "I mean, you said Peter and Gwen. Not exactly the most common pairing of names, you know?" Internally, though, his mind raced. He felt like he was walking a tightrope; if he said too much, they'd figure out he knew more than he let on. If he said too little, they might press harder. His pulse quickened as he tried to mask his nervous energy, hoping they wouldn't notice the faint edge in his voice or how his hands fidgeted slightly at his sides. He paused, then added quickly, "Besides, you came dressed like Ghost Spider right after the conversation. I just assumed Peter was the name of Spider-Man."

Gwen exchanged a glance with the phone screen, her brow furrowing, but Peter sighed audibly. "Fine. Maybe he's telling the truth," Peter muttered. "But we're watching you, Josh."

Gwen removed her mask, revealing a confident smile like she had never been suspicious of Josh. "I told you he wasn't bad," she called out. "I knew he was another universe Spider-Man when my spider sense went wonky around him." Her platinum hair, styled in a pixie cut, framed her face. A piercing in her eyebrow glinted under the sunlight, adding to her punk aesthetic. She looked older than her animated counterpart, closer to her mid-twenties, and exuded a calm confidence that momentarily stunned Josh. She looked a lot better than Emma Stone's Version of Gwen Stacy.

"Don't remove your mask, Gwen," came Peter's voice. "That proves nothing, and turn me around so he can see me too."

Gwen ignored the request to stay masked, flipping the phone to show a masked Spider-Man on the screen. "Technically, I'm dead here in this universe, so seeing my face isn't a big deal. So, what's your universe like?" she asked.

Josh hesitated. "Not much to tell. I'm not a Spider-Man Variant, whatever that means. Just an ordinary guy who fell down a hole and ended up here." He glanced at the screen to see a masked Spider-Man still suspicious. To clear all suspicion, Josh decided to tell most of the story.

"I arrived two months ago as just a regular guy," Josh continued. "Pretty sure I got my powers last night. Did you find Geiko when you picked me up?" He is still playing dumb about how he got the powers.

"The car insurance company?" Gwen asked, confused.

Josh groaned, running a hand down his face. "No, a small green gecko. My... uh, sidekick."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that guy. He's been zooming around, catching bugs, and dancing like he owns the place."

"Geiko, come here!" Josh called. A green blur zipped into the room, perching on his shoulder. The gecko chirped happily, nuzzling against Josh's neck.

Josh smiled, relief washing over him. Gwen's previously skeptical expression softened as he spoke, her arms uncrossing slightly as curiosity took over. Peter's voice came through the phone again, his tone less guarded and more inquisitive, as if he was starting to see Josh as less of a threat and more of a puzzle to solve. Josh noticed Gwen tilt her head slightly, her gaze steady but no longer probing, as if she were genuinely trying to piece together his story. "Well, here's the short version of the story. Two months ago, I was walking home in Tooele, Utah, when I fell into a utility hole. Winter runoff swept me away, and when I climbed out, I was in New York next to a giant building called Oscorp. Geiko here showed up, and we've been surviving together since. Little by little, I realized that this wasn't my New York. Superpowers and mutants don't exist where I'm from".

Josh felt that telling Gwen and Peter they were fictional characters in his universe wasn't a great idea. With so many different comic timelines and alternate versions, he wasn't even sure which events applied to this universe. What if he mentioned something that never happened here, or worse, something devastating that might not come to pass? It could plant unnecessary doubts or even destabilize their sense of purpose. He decided it was safer to stick to the "ordinary guy lost in the multiverse" routine and keep any meta-knowledge to himself.

As Josh recounted his journey, Gwen and Peter exchanged glances, their skepticism fading as his sincerity became apparent. "Last night," he continued, "I was jumped by these guys who called themselves the Enforcers. They wanted Geiko—said he was an escaped test subject. I didn't give him up, and they... well, they beat me pretty bad. Geiko did something to knock them all unconscious, and I tried to get away, but I was fading fast. Then Geiko bit me, and I woke up here, feeling Great."

Peter sighed and removed his mask, rubbing his temples. "Oscorp's at it again. Great."

Josh was surprised to see it was the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man, but he looked a little older. A wave of excitement and disbelief hit Josh—this was his favorite Spider-Man, someone whose movies he'd rewatched countless times. Seeing him in person—or at least a version of him—was surreal. His mind raced with questions he wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue. This was real life for Peter, not a movie, and Josh knew he had to tread carefully. The lines between fan and participant blurred as he processed the moment, forcing himself to focus on the situation rather than geek out. When he heard Michelle instead of MJ, He assumed it would resemble the Tom Holland and Zendaya version of the Spider-man story.

"What does that mean exactly"

"I got my powers from Oscorp when I was bitten by a radioactive spider right before college. They were trying to genetically modify spiders to advance medical advancements in humans. After seeing the successful application of their research in Spider-Man, they tried to recreate it using many different species. From what I have heard, all Test subjects died before human trials, and Oscorp was considering going in another direction. Geiko must be the last viable subject to replicate the spider that bit me."

"So the powers definitely come from Geiko. I am still in a different universe. Any way I can get some ID or a job, I'd like to go back to living in a building instead of being homeless."

"I know some people that I can talk to get you legit. We might have to say you're an illegal alien seeking refugee. We will figure something out. For now, I am late for a date with my fiancée, and seeing as this wasn't a trap or trick, I should go get to it."

Gwen, however, grinned. "Looks like we've got another Super in town. Welcome to the chaos of NY, Josh."