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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
vii. BRING ME A DREAM

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   THE SUN BOWED AS night crawled out of the horizon, and three Avengers wandered into the woods in search of spiteful ghosts.

   For Riley, fighting in the dark wasn't much of a disadvantage but more of a nuisance. Without the sun's presence to watch her back, any wounds she braved would remain open, and any emissions of light could easily expose her location. Wariness was imperative.

   And yet, as pinks and golds ribboned through the dwindling sky, she felt relieved. At least Solar wouldn't be able to teleport behind them while she was distracted. Though that didn't mean she wasn't out there, tracing Riley's footsteps from a distance. As always, Riley was poised with vigilance.

   She soared over the treetops, carrying Roman on a separate forcefield. Peter swung along the trees and power lines just below them. Since he couldn't get the paint out of his suit, he wore it inside out, leaving it black with gold wiring. Riley preferred the red, but at least he would blend into the night.

   "Keep an eye out on those trees. We don't really know where this guy is," MJ advised through the small screen duct-taped to Peter's chest. She cringed. "I genuinely don't know how you do this without throwing up."

   "Rome knows all about that," Peter said. "Don't ya, Romie?"

   "Swing straight into hell, Spider-Boy," Roman grumbled.

   When they landed, the forest was a blinding chasm. The moon and its pale light were absent, yet the world's shadows prevailed. Riley turned invisible and clung to her senses, listening for the sound of breathing, the chittering of nocturnal animals, or perhaps the buzz or thwip or thump of metaphysical powers in the air.

   The bushes rustled.

   "Did you guys see that?" Peter whispered. "Riley, that you?"

   "No, I'm on your left," she said while MJ concurrently said, "Um... No."

   "It-It's really dark," Ned said. "Can't you get Riley to turn into a human nightlight? Maybe if you crack her back, she'll become a glowstick—"

   "Ned," Roman and Riley warned.

   "Shutting up now."

   "Okay, okay, okay, okay..." Peter murmured as they slowly inched forward. He was already tense, but everyone noticed immediately when he froze in his tracks. His suit's eye lenses widened, and his gauntlet activated in a flash of gold.

   At first, they weren't sure why he stopped moving. But among the three, Peter had the advantage of inhuman intuition, and once they caught his body language, Riley and Roman mimicked him.

   Then, Riley saw it.

   In her peripheral vision, a blue light illuminated the forest space behind them.

   "Wha-what's happening?" Ned asked.

   Roman muttered, "You think it's...?"

   Solar.

   With the presence of the light, Riley thought so.

   But that didn't explain that... sound. That electric humming in their ears. Riley had yet to see their next interdimensional guest, but unless Solar was part computer, it probably wasn't her.

   "Peter, what is it? Are you getting the tingle thing? Is the tingle happening? Is your tingle tingling?" MJ stuttered.

   Since Riley was the only one who could move without being detected, she turned around. She should've known better, but what she saw made her gasp.

   "Woah."

   Roman and Peter turned, too, each prepared to fight, only to falter the same way she had.

   A corporeal figure was suspended in the air, arms outstretched. All that tethered him to the earth were whips of flashing yellow electricity he seemed to be drawing from the power lines. They latched onto his limbs, turning blue as they absorbed into his body. The sheer force of the electricity surging through the air caused the wind to whistle.

   "Are you guys seeing this?" Peter asked.

   "Yeah," MJ slowly said.

   "Tell me that's not God," Riley muttered. "God, as in, like, God God."

   "Osborn?" Ned wondered.

   "No, he was green. This guy's blue," Peter whispered. Before anyone could decide on their next move, Peter shouted to the figure, "Uh, you wouldn't happen to be from another universe, would you?"

   "Yes, let's ask the monster if he's a monster," Roman hissed. "Brilliant fucking idea."

   Thankfully, Electric Man didn't hear Peter.

   "What's he doing?" MJ queried.

   "I don't know," Peter said. "Looks like he's charging."

   "Maybe we can just... pull the plug," Riley suggested. "You think he'd... turn off?"

   "You're gonna unplug God?" Roman doubted.

   "I don't know! He's being weird!"

   "Riley's right. I don't like this," MJ said. "Just web him."

   With the gauntlet, Peter shot a golden web, but it flew straight through the figure and hit a tree instead. It vanished, materializing in the crypt. MJ and Ned yelped in surprise.

   Though Peter's attack didn't work, it certainly caught their visitor's attention.

   His glowing eyes snapped open, and he fired a bolt of electricity at the three. Peter sprang out of the way, leaving Riley to raise a forcefield before herself and Roman. Electric Man didn't attack them again, instead propelling himself skyward and darting after Peter. His sparks flitted behind him, bouncing back at Riley and zapping her hand.

   "Motherf— Ow!" she whined as she turned visible again.

   "You okay?" Roman asked.

   "Yeah, training with Thor helped my pain tolerance a bit," Riley grumbled. "Got any ideas?"

   "RUN!" MJ and Ned shrieked like they were watching a horror movie. They screeched over one another as electricity flurried through the trees after Peter, who swung away as fast as he could. "GO LEFT! LEFT! GO LEFT! WAIT, RIGHT! RIGHT!"

   "GUYS!" Peter shouted. "THIS IS NOT HELPING!"

   BANG!

   Light exploded through the darkness. MJ and Ned's shouts ceased. JOCASTA went offline, too. All Riley could hear through her comms was the sound of Peter groaning as his body smacked against the ground.

   When Electric Man flew into the sky again, Riley ordered, "Find Peter. I'll keep Sparky busy. Did you get anything from his soul?"

   "Name's Max Dillon. He calls himself Electro," Roman reported as Electro summoned more energy from the power lines. "GO!"

   He disappeared, teleporting to wherever Peter was struck down, and Riley soared toward the light. As she drew closer, she noticed the cables Electro was draining were beginning to fray and wither.

   "Max, you dirty dog! That's coming out of my tax dollars!" Riley greeted. "Not cool!"

   Electro just fired at her, but she deflected with ease. An onslaught of sunlight poured through her palms, and their opposing lights created another blast. Electricity vs the sun. Man vs nature. She tried to get closer, but she couldn't without the metal on her suit serving as a perfect conductor for her electrocution. Instead, she pushed against him, hoping it would keep him distracted long enough for someone to sever his connection to the power lines.

   Just when she was about to take the initiative herself, a tide of sand circled her and Electro.

   Riley blinked as the sand muddied her line of sight. "HELLO? ARE WE FIGHTING THE EARTH NOW?"

   Over the chaos, she finally heard Peter shout in her comm, "YOU GUYS TRY TO CONTAIN HIM! ROME AND I'LL PULL THE PLUG!"

   "You guys...?" Riley repeated before shaking her head. Clearly, this sand wasn't Peter or Roman's doing. It was someone else, and whoever that was seemed to be helping them. Multiversal monster or not, she had to trust Peter's instincts.

   She stretched her arms, splitting her light beam in half. Electro spun to defend himself, allowing Riley to finally trap him in a forcefield. Initially, it was wide, wide enough to force the unbreachable sand tornado funneling into the heavens to stretch. Then, she began to narrow it, depleting the air around him in hopes that it would knock him out.

   Electric strikes crackled against her impenetrable forcefields. White and yellow lights pulsated within the sandstorm as Valor and Electro pushed against each other. Electro couldn't touch her, but he could still conjure lashes of electricity from the power lines. The sand tornado thickened behind Riley, protecting her from being electrocuted.

   "ANY DAY NOW!" Riley shouted. Fires bloomed as many of the electric strikes missed her, hitting the ground instead.

   "I... CAN'T HOLD HIM MUCH LONGER!" the sand roared.

   "I GOT IT, I GOT IT!" Peter yelled. "NOW!"

   The power towers tilted as an assortment of webs pulled them forward. The towers broke. The cables snapped. An overload of electricity detonated through the air, causing Electro to finally power down and everyone else to go flying.

   Riley caught herself in a forcefield before she could hit the ground. She quickly released herself once she spotted Peter. He didn't seem too scathed, even landing in a stereotypical superhero pose, but Riley still hurried toward him. He met her halfway.

   "That was intense," Riley said, placing a hand on his cheek. "You okay?"

   Peter nodded. "That reminded me of when I blew up my microwave, but way worse." He put his hand on top of hers, his thumb caressing the back of her hand. "All good?"

   Riley nodded. "I think so."

   That was an understatement. Throughout the entire fight in the sky, Electro hadn't touched her once.

   "No! We are not all good!" Roman groaned as he emerged through the trees. He nodded to one of the fallen electric towers. "Pulling that shit gave me a hangnail!"

   Riley gently laughed, pulling away from Peter. As she did, the dirt swerved around their ankles, then shot upward until it took the form of a man. A Sandman.

   Sandman regarded Peter curiously. "Different Peter. Weird."

   "Thanks." Peter tried to give him a low-five, but the impact simply made his sandy hand fall apart. It reformed just as quickly, but Peter still mumbled, "Sorry."

   "Don't worry about it." Sandman eyed the girl beside him, taking a step back. "Riley O'Dair?"

   "Different universe, different Riley," Peter reminded him as if they'd already had this conversation. "Uh, Ri, this is Flint Marko. It looks like he comes from a universe that has a Spider-Man and a Riley, too."

   A Riley he seemed to recognize...

   She decided not to question that just yet.

   "Are you just a guy made of sand, or are you the Sandman from those old stories?" Riley wondered. "Like, Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, Sandman?"

   Roman snorted. "I bet you get that a lot, huh?" he said to Sandman.

   "You have no idea."

   Riley offered a smile. "Well, thanks for helping out back there. I'd shake your hand—"

   "It's cool," Flint said, shrugging.

   Nearby, Electro rose to his feet. No longer was he drowning in electricity, a human once more. His eyes and skin were deep shades of brown, though his veins thrummed a faint shade of blue. An indicator that his power wasn't gone, only dormant. His hair was cropped and black, and... Oh. Why was Riley only just now realizing he was completely naked?

   Max glanced down at himself. Electricity danced around his forearm before it disappeared. "I got my body back," he mumbled to himself.

   "Hey, um..." Peter greeted. "This is gonna sound really crazy, but this isn't your universe."

   "Another universe?" Max repeated.

   "Uh-huh."

   Flint frowned. "What?"

   "That's what I was feeling. The power, it's different," Max realized, perhaps too excitedly. His pearly white grin gleamed against the fires. Gold flashed behind his pupils. "I like it."

   "Easy, buddy," Flint said, holding his hands up while Peter and Roman took a step back.

   "Let's settle down, tough guy," Riley, who was the only one to step forward, warned.

   "You," Max said, finally getting a good look at her. She held her breath, waiting for him to recognize her, too. "Who are you? How did you know my name? No one knows my name."

   Okay, different universe.

   "Has anyone ever told you you look like a Max?" Riley easily returned.

   "It's actually our fault that you're here," Peter mentioned.

   "Like... Like the universe? Or the woods?" Max inquired. "I hate the woods."

   "I meant the universe, sir."

   "So, what?" Max retorted. "Y'all just gon' stand here and act like I ain't butt-ass naked?"

   "I am," Flint deadpanned.

   "Well, if you want my thoughts—" Roman started.

   "I have literally never wanted anything less in my life," Riley interrupted.

   "Uh... No, no, I, uh..." Peter's gaze landed on the nearby power station. A line of unharmed uniforms was on display. Once Max was dressed in one of the uniforms, Peter wasted no time and shot a gold web at him, teleporting him into the Undercroft.

   Riley cringed. "You could've at least warned him—"

   "What was that?" Flint demanded. "What did you just do to him?"

   "No, no, no, it's okay!" Peter assured.

   Sandman began to rise in height. Sand swirled around his figure. "Did you kill him?"

   "I can explain everything! Please just trust me—!"

   "I don't trust you! You're with her," Flint roared, glaring at Riley. "Why should I trust you? I don't know you!"

   Just when the sand was about to attack Riley, Peter webbed him, and he disappeared.

   "Peter!" Riley groaned.

   "He was gonna attack you! And then me! And then everyone!"

   Meanwhile, Roman yawned. "All in a day's work."

   "You're being way too casual for someone who almost died just now," Peter said. "Again."

   "Hey, these guys are all your multiversal enemies," Roman said. "As long as there aren't any extra Peter Parkers hiding in the streets of New York, I'm a happy camper."

   Riley rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, let's call the kids. Pete?"

   "On it."

   He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening Ned's contact. How his phone didn't get destroyed during the fighting was a real-life plot hole Riley didn't feel like working out at the moment. She turned to the fires, creating forcefields around them to cut off their oxygen supply to put them out.

   Roman wagged his finger as he did his best Tony Stark impression. "If those darn kids are up past their bedtime, no TV or parties at Elon Musk's house for a week!"

   "You know," Riley said, "I met him once."

   "Really?"

   "I mean, I saw him from a distance. I was shadowing Nat while Tony was having a full-blown existential crisis in the bathroom at the Grand Prix in Monaco. I was 9."

   "Oh. So you didn't meet him."

   "That's all you got out of that?"

   "Guys?" Peter called. He didn't say anything more than that. His finger hovered over the call button, but he wasn't moving. It seemed like he was staring at the screen, but the reality was, Riley (and technically Roman) knew him well enough to know that something was off.

   There was a pause. But the night was silent. No voices, no whirs and drums and whooshes of multiversal attacks, only the unforgiving wreckage that followed the Avengers everywhere they went. Not a sound nor shadow. Nothing.

   But Peter's senses were telling him otherwise.

   Roman seemed to sense it, too. The presence of another soul.

   He locked eyes with Riley, calmly and quietly, then slowly shifted his gaze to something behind her. Something hidden. Something he and Peter couldn't see, but Riley would.

   Without a minute to hesitate, Valor whipped around and blasted the space behind her.

   An invisible Solar's back slammed against a tree, its trunk snapping on impact. Solar groaned, and finally, Riley could see her in her invisibility. She was an outline of air, almost. Glowing. Translucent. Borderline ghostly. Her features were drawn with a purple-white energy that no one could see with the naked eye unless they were a Child of the Sun. Unless they were a Riley.

   Solar recovered quickly though as she made herself visible. Dusting herself off, she mocked, "Wow, you guys really are superheroes, huh!"

   The light radiating from Riley revealed Solar's wicked grin and twin face. The look on her face was obsessively erratic, teetering madness. The bags beneath her eyes were graying, just like her fingertips, drained of color. The purple veins webbing beneath her gray skin glowed.

   Still, upon seeing her for the first time, Peter and Roman's faces fell. Even their stances wavered.

   "That... is freaky," Roman said.

   "Riley?" Peter weakly greeted. His voice was gentler than Riley would've expected. But, truly, how could she expect otherwise? To him, the relentless demon in front of him was her. His Riley.

   "Peter Parker," Solar matched, her voice venomous. She drank in his appearance, silently taking notes, probably comparing and contrasting this universe's Peter to the one she knew. Riley knew this because it was the first thing she did when she met Solar. "I've been looking for you."

   Solar looked worse than before, yet at the same time, she seemed much more alive than any of them. Alive with an agenda, at least. That much, Riley could tell.

   "I should've known you'd resort to stalking," Riley said. "It's the oldest trick in the book."

   "Don't flatter yourself, Riles. I was keeping busy, but then I looked outside, and... How should I put this? I was simply following this light," Solar purred. She kept her feet planted. She knew Riley was waiting for any kind of movement that would force her hand. Solar liked that. The power of anticipation. "The fire always leads back to you, doesn't it? Ah, the life of an Avenger."

   "You've been doing your research," Riley noted. "What's your game?"

   "It's not about the game." Solar's gaze flickered back to Peter, and she smiled. That smile that seemed so sweet on his Riley was much more threatening on her. "It's the prize."

   "Whatever happened to you, that was a different Peter. It wasn't me," Peter carefully said. "You're in a different universe. It's complicated, but we can explain everything—"

   "Save it for someone who wasn't paying attention," Solar dismissed. "I was here for the whole fight. Excellent teamwork skills, little heroes. It's sweet, really. Enough to make a girl sick in her stomach."

   "Or in her head," Roman matched.

   "Reading my soul, are we?" Solar giggled. "Take me out to dinner first!"

   "How many stupid comments do you have in your back pocket, sunshine?" Riley remarked impatiently. "What do you want?"

   "The same as you, Val," Solar said, her face darkening. "I want to avenge."

   Solar turned invisible, prompting Valor to do the same. She quickly realized that Solar wasn't trying to outsmart her. She was focused on Peter, killing him when he was most vulnerable. Of course, as long as Riley was breathing, she would never let that happen.

   At least, that was the goal.

   Unfortunately, Solar was ruthless.

   Valor tackled her before she could attack Peter, shoving her to the ground. Her strength forced the dirt to lift, sending rocks flying. All she wanted was to knock Solar out, but Solar moved like every breath was one closer to death. Not hers, of course. Peter's.

   Solar rolled aside, crawling to her feet. She caught Valor's fist mid-punch, pulling her forward and kneeing her in the stomach, then twisting her arm backward. Riley retaliated just as fast, blasting light with her ensnared arm at Solar's face. Solar winced, then fired back at Riley, who caught the light and sent it back at her.

   Solar's movements were clunky and desperate. Valor's were clever and graceful. And yet, they were equal matches in power.

   If Valor and Solar were mirrors, their powers reacted accordingly, bouncing back and forth, growing in size, shining through the forest brighter and brighter and brighter.

   "WEB HER!" Roman shouted as he and Peter stood by helplessly. They couldn't see either girl, only the rapid, sporadic bursts of light they shot at each other. "WEB HER ALREADY!"

   "I CAN'T SEE THEM! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO— LOOK OUT!" Peter yanked Roman before he was struck.

   It might've been the last thing anyone was expecting, but Roman stood protectively in front of Peter. "We need to get you out of here!" Roman hissed.

   "I'm not leaving Riley!"

   "Well, one of the Rileys wants to kill you, so—!"

   A plan spun in Peter's mind as he ripped off his magically-enhanced gauntlet and shoved it onto Roman's forearm. Again, Peter yelled, "I'm NOT leaving her!"

   "Peter! Wait, don't—!"

   Despite having no clue where either girl was, Spider-Man sprinted toward the blinding light. He let his eyes close and his senses guide him in a fight between ghosts.

   Solar remained invisible as she placed her efforts into hurting Peter in any way she could, between punches and bursts of light, but he managed to dodge every single one. Not quite with ease, but with a lot of spite and luck. Any time Solar drew too close to touching him, an invisible Valor would jump between them, and while they were distracted, Peter used his usual web shooters to weave webs through the trees.

   Solar laughed at him. "You missed!"

   Peter somehow managed to find Solar's forearm, but before he could web her, she lit her hand and attempted to burn him — the same way she had killed those police officers that morning. As if on cue, a whistle came from above him. Peter shot a web upward, and it attached to one of Riley's forcefields. He pulled himself out of Solar's grasp, giving him a chance to properly swing at her. He was blind in his attack, but he trusted that Riley would see what he was trying to do and guide him.

   His foot collided with her chest, and Solar went pummeling into the massive spiderweb that Peter strung — the one she stupidly called a missed shot. Against her will, Solar turned visible, revealing how she'd quite literally gotten tangled in his web.

   Satisfied, Peter smiled beneath his mask. Even in their silence, he and Riley spoke the same language.

   "Piece of cake," Peter proudly said, wiping his hands.

   To their surprise, a bruised and battered Solar spat her blood on the ground and grinned back at him.

   "Finally!" Solar breathlessly beamed. "A Spider-Man that knows how to have some fun."

   Solar wrapped her body with light and began to burn through the webs she was wrapped up in.

   "Oh, come on!" Riley groaned from somewhere nearby.

   "Roman..." Peter panicked. "ROMAN!"

   "SORRY, SORRY!" Roman said, fumbling with the magical gauntlet. "No one told me which button I'm supposed to—"

   "WEB HER!"

   "I'M TRYING, BUT IT'S REALLY CONFUSING—"

   "IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, YOU IDIOT, JUST—"

   "NO ONE GAVE ME A TRIAL RUN—"

   "A TRIAL RUN," Riley scoffed. "ARE YOU SERIOUS—?"

   "OH, SO EVERYONE JUST KNOWS HOW TO USE THIS THING—"

   "ROMAN!"

   THWIP!

   A glittering gold web struck Solar, and she evaporated.

   When Riley became visible again, she was holding her side and breathing heavily. Her cheekbone was bruised, and blood spouted from her nose. "Fuck," she muttered. "Fuck, she's good."

   Roman and Peter were almost paralyzed by the sight of her. Solar hadn't gotten off without any injuries, but that was expected. After all, she'd been in a fight with Riley Stark. The Valiant Valor. They just weren't expecting Riley to look equally as banged up.

   But, in all fairness, neither had seen Solar in action. Only Riley seemed to know what she was truly capable of.

   Peter slid an arm around her for support. "You okay?"

   "She's good," Riley repeated, now holding her head. "I'll be fine in the morning, but..."

   "What do you mean... she's good?" Roman slowly asked. "She can't be better than you. She doesn't have half your training."

   "What she lacks in experience, she makes up for with a whole lot of fucking audacity," Riley said through gritted teeth. "Rome, can you teleport us back—?"

   "Hey," Roman interrupted.

   Riley stared at him. "Hi?"

   "What do you mean," he repeated, his eyes vibrant with worry, "when you say she's good?"

   "She's me," Riley spat. "That's what I mean."

   It didn't register for either of them at first, but when it did, their stomachs dropped.

   Solar was an equal match.

   "Hey, it's fine. We got her. She can't touch any of us now," Peter assured. "How bad does it hurt?"

   "I've been worse. I just... wasn't expecting her to give it her all like that." Riley glanced up at him. "Pete, whatever you did... whatever her universe's Peter did... I think she really wants you dead."

   "Yeah," Peter nervously said. He thought back to how much it took just to dodge her hits, let alone land any. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be able to see Solar when she was invisible. Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't. His nightmares didn't need any more fuel. "I picked up on that, too."

   "Let's head back," Roman said. "We shouldn't leave MJ and Ned alone with any of our visitors for too long."

   Peter held Riley tightly as Roman transported their souls across New York. Riley was too distracted to even think about how much discomfort she was feeling. Instead, she kept asking herself what was apparently the question of the day:

   What the fuck did Peter do?

  What did Peter Parker do that was so horrible that Riley O'Dair wanted him dead?