[ New York ]

"God, I don't remember these hurting as much as before." Peter (Tobey) stumbled trying to just walk on the sidewalk.

Today was the Trial of the Century—also known as the Trial of Peter Parker. Obviously, not his Peter Parker, of course. It was the Peter (Tom) who he met yesterday. He had heard that it was taking place at Criminal Court—an opportunity he would not pass up. He had promised that he would save him, and today was going to be that day.

Following the groups of people and the direction of where the sirens were heading, Peter (Tobey) made his way to the Criminal Court.

For him, it was an easy crowd to follow. Just look for the people shouting his name and he was golden.

It still felt weird hearing people cry out the name of Peter Parker, and not Spider-Man. The past few years, he's heard all these things being thrown at Spider-Man; never before has he heard cries against Peter Parker. He may not know what's going on, but he believed that his Multiversal counterpart couldn't have killed someone.

These thoughts were derailed by his groan of annoyance when he saw the people that were awaiting at the entrance.

"You've got to be kidding me." Peter (Tobey) cursed, scoping out the area.

There was zero chance that he could get to the front door. The protesters were basically pushing one another. There was a lot of shouting and attention, destroying the chance of any distraction. The guards were even having trouble with them.

He had seen another entrance to the Criminal Court in his universe, but he would doubt that it was free. It was like the public had every in and out of the building etched in their mind.

—However, there was still another way.

The sound of screeching tires echoed in his mind. The garage came into mind instantly, meaning that only personnel would be allowed. Nobody would want to enter through the garage because the elevator was also guarded by security. It was the perfect and only way he could get in.

Avoiding the crowd as much as possible, he went down the elevated slope and into the parking garage door just beside the roll up cage.

Smiling as widely because of his perceived genius, it was quickly shot down when he was stopped by a guard himself at the door.

—On second thought, he should have thought this through.

"I'm sorry, sir. You're not allowed to enter here." The guard explained, looking rough as he is.

"Oh, I was told that I could get through here." Peter (Tobey) chuckled to lighten the mood. He started shuffling through his bag to find anything that could help him. "The crowd out there is crazy!"

"Sir, I need some I.D. if you want to get in. We have a busy day..." He yawned, scratching the back of his head.

"Here!" Peter (Tobey) joyfully exclaimed, handing over the I.D. and praying that he would pass.

As he calmly waited, the guard exchanged glances at his hopeful manner. Something told Peter (Tobey) that something was off.

"Jameson changed logos?" The guard asked, scanning through his Daily Bugle I.D.

"N—no. It's just an alternative logo for us. I'm sort of an intern." He explained thoroughly.

"Is that right." The guard nodded, finally looking at his name. It garnered an unreasonable look from him. "Parker... Peter?"

"Hehe..." Peter (Tobey) tried to play it off as oblivious as ever. "Small world, huh?"

"Pfft..." The guard scoffed and swung the door open. "Just don't cause any trouble. Had to come in because of the crowd response."

"No problems from him!" Peter (Tobey) assured, walking in. "Take it easy, officer."

"Appreciated."

Waving at the officers that were on standby at the elevator, Peter (Tobey) confidently entered. It was only him, making him think whether there were a lot of people inside the Criminal Court. Maybe it had been reserved for just Peter (Tom).

Still, he needed to stay vigilant. The man he met the night before had an uncanny resemblance to Marko. He had forgiven him many years before, so maybe this Marko had not yet been forgiven by the Peter (Tom) of his universe. Or maybe, he was from an entirely different universe all in all.

Putting that aside, the answer to his question earlier was that it was—the Criminal Court was full of people. From reporters to security, it was chaos. The press were trying to find where Peter Parker (Tom) was being held so they could interview him. On the other, people were just trying to get inside the trial room. In the middle of all of that, the police were trying to keep it together.

Standing on the side of the hallway, a guard approached him and held him by his arm.

"Apologies, sir. From what company are you working for?" He asked, keeping him away from the crowd of people storming around.

"C—company?"

"Yeah, what media outlet do you work for?"

"Um—Daily Bugle."

"Daily Bugle? Again? Didn't they just send another guy earlier?" He stared at him suspiciously.

"Oh..." Peter (Tobey), once again, played it off. "There was? Well, do you mind if you could point me to where they are? I'd like to speak with them."

The guard sighed, letting go of his arm. "I told him to stay in the cafeteria. You'll find him—the guy with the camera and pointy hair."

"Thanks, officer." Peter (Tobey) offered and went on his way.

"Yeah, whatever."

—Now this was going to be a much harder situation to get out of.

No matter what, he needed to be the one to get near to Peter (Tom). That meant he needed to persuade the actual Daily Bugle reporter and convince them that he was the one who was brought in. His reporting skills weren't great—even if he was hired for photography—but it was worth a shot.

—Because this shot costs a lot.

Entering the cafeteria, he searched through his eyes far and wide to look for anyone resembling a Daily Bugle employee. There were tons of media outlets waiting at each table, so it had to be easier to distinguish who was who. But he didn't need that.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

—His Spidey-Sense told him right away.

Turning to a specific direction, he was brought to the sight of a mere teenager holding a camera.

Approaching the kid, the connection grew stronger and stronger. His Spider-Sense didn't normally react this way, but it was with this kid. There was either something abnormal happening to him or the kid. This time, he would find out.

Grabbing the attention of the teenager, who had seated down, Peter (Tobey) interrupted his peaceful endeavours. "I'm sorry, but you're from Daily Bugle, right?"

"Hm?" He had finally turned his way. "Uh, ye—yeah. Why? I'm here for the story, so—"

"Yeah... do you mind if I sit?" Peter (Tobey) kindly asked and he obliged. "Well, the problem is that I'm also from the Daily Bugle."

"Really?" He acted childish. "I—I didn't think Jameson would send another."

"And that's how it is." Peter (Tobey) left it at that.

—But after a moment, they both staggered.

}{—}{—}{—}{—}{

In that moment, they both confirmed their suspicions—they were somehow connected. Whether it was through their knowledge or not, the Spidey-Sense was never wrong.

"Yo—you're Peter Parker?" Peter (Andrew) quietly asked, leaning to his counterpart.

"And you are too?" Peter (Tobey) reflected, and Tom (Andrew) nodded. "So you were the other one who was at FEAST last night?"

"And you were the one who was almost caught at that parking lot in East Side?"

"You're here to repay him, aren't you?" Peter (Tobey) inquired, feeling relieved that he had someone who he could trust.

"You too, huh?" Peter (Andrew) grinned, scuffing his hair. "I thought this was the best place to do it. There's an opening after the trial where I could snag him—according to what I read on the Internet."

"Yeah. Whatever is the plead, they'll transfer him to a facility to do what's needed. We can get him from there." Peter (Tobey) agreed, examining his features. He was undoubtedly Peter—sadly nerdy as he is. "Is it true, you're from a different universe?"

"Eh, you're in the same boat too." Peter (Andrew) didn't assume, taking it as a fact as well. "I don't know why I was brought here, but there's no way I could just sit back and watch."

"Same here." Peter (Tobey) added, trying to look under his jacket. "Where's the suit?"

"Hey, tone it down." Peter (Andrew) reminded, grabbing his backpack from the side. "It's in here. I'm changing as soon as that trial's done."

"Has it started?"

"No..." Peter (Andrew) perched his lips to the side and breathed out loudly. "The lawyer's not here yet."

"Peter's (Tom)?"

"Apparently, he's always late. Even if it's the Trial of the Century." Peter (Andrew) threw his hands up. "Besides, that'll give us more time to—"

}{—}{—}{—}{—}{

Once again, the two Peter's groan. In sync, they both looked at each other to affirm what they felt was real. There was something coming, and it wasn't Peter's (Tom) lawyer. It was something dangerous.

Through multiple street blocks, the sound of mechanical parts rustled in hiding. The smell of unpleasant gas creeped up from the streets below. The growling of insects inside the functioning water pipes below them were evident. High tensions of electricity were fluctuating through the district's power lines. The subtle shaking of the ground was ever-so apparent.

—And lastly, that cursed laugh.

"You're feeling the same thing I'm feeling, right?" Peter (Andrew) double-checked.

With a face full of serious intent and worry, Peter (Tobey) muttered, "Put on the suit."

...

The courtroom was... a change of pace.

It was quiet. Only soft murmurs could be heard in the room. Barely any of it were directed at him. Even the jury gave him occasional glances instead of the long stares he had when he was on the street.

But Peter (Tom) still felt uneasy. He didn't know what to expect. There were too many things he didn't know because of everything that's been happening the past few days. He's just been told that the trial's still happening in the first place.

As he gathered his thoughts, a woman tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, it was a tall, blonde woman that began to seat beside him.

"Hey, you 'doin okay?" She asked, fixing some files beside him.

"U—ye—yeah..." Peter (Tom) nodded, trying to figure out who she was. "Um, ma'am, should I know who you are?"

When she heard that, her jaw dropped. "Matt hasn't told you about me?"

"He hasn't..."

"I'm Karen Page. I'm a representative of our firm—Nelson, Murdock & Page." She explained. "And apparently, the lawyer of the firm is more tardy than I am. God..."

"Do you mind me asking, ma'am. What happens if he's late?"

"Then I'll be the one doing opening statements." She annoyingly answered. "He's always like this—especially during the big cases."

"How many big trials has he been in?"

"Let's just say that you're not the first 'Trial of the Century' he's been responsible for."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, it's a big deal. Sadly, it seems like it's a normal Sunday for him." She stated, looking around the crowd. When she spotted them, she turned to him, "By the way, your Aunt and your friend are here. I managed to get Michelle Jones out of the ear of the NYPD so she doesn't have any charges. She's free."

Peter (Tom) sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you, ma'am." He didn't turn to find them, knowing it will stress him out even further.

"Well, I'm kind of an expert at getting people out of places they shouldn't be so... don't mention it." She declared, glancing at the opening doors to the side. A stumbling blind man was seen, with a case full of files. "There... speak of the devil."

Matt Murdock went to their designated table, as he garnered some whispers from the crowd. As he sat down beside Peter (Tom), they knew that the trial was about to start.

"Matt..." Page leaned over the table to look at him.

"What's up?" He fixed his tie and brushed off his pants.

"What's up?" She repeated with a irritated tone. "Trial starts in five."

"Yeah, hasn't started yet." He adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah! And what if you were? Then I'd be the one who's doing opening statements."

"And you aren't—I will be."

She noticed the bruises on his face, "What were you up to last night? You stayed up?"

"I think we can discuss those details at a later time, Page." He got comfortable on the seat, then proceeded to hit Peter (Tom) on the arm. "Right, kid? You ready?"

"N—not really, sir." Peter (Tom) muttered.

"Don't worry. We'll be golden."

After a moment, a guard got on the podium and announced.

"All rise... court is now in session." Everyone obliged, now standing in front of the booth. "The honourable Judge Cynthia Batzer presiding. Indictment number 1952-4447, The People v. Peter Parker."

Batzer looked at the crowd and then spoke, "Be seated."

They all took a seat. Peter (Tom) was nervous, obvious sweat coming down from his head. His counterpart, however, was as calm and easygoing as ever. It was like he was born for things like this.

"You better be throwing your best punches, Matt." She whispered over to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Batzer continued, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the defendant has been indicted for several serious crimes. We would like to remind the jury that..."

As the judge continued to give the basic rundown, Murdock leaned to Peter (Tom). "Is this the most nervous you've been?"

"Ye—yes, sir."

"Well, you don't need to be. They've given us a lot of chances. I don't plan on giving up that easily." Murdock smiled, "All you have to do is watch."

Batzer looked at them, "Mr. Murdock, are you ready to give your opening statement."

Murdock stood up, fixing his cane, "More than ready, Your Honor."

Murdock moved over to where the jury was. Not too close, as he wasn't allowed to. He took a moment to take in the silence—realizing how much he had miss this so much.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Peter Parker—also known as the vigilante Spider-Man—is not guilty."

Knowing that he got full control of the room, he continued.

"An seventeen-year old who fought off aliens and protected Earth too many times to count." Murdock looked to the jury. "Where were we when we were eighteen? Probably just starting up college. Crazy, isn't it?"

The crowd began murmuring, processing Murdock's thoughts.

"But he knew that it was dangerous to let the world know. I mean, he's seventeen. What happens when a vigilante like that gets his mask taken off? Exactly whats happen the past few months." He paused, then turning to the judge. "And he's been a world of hell. Do we really think a teenager like that wants to let go of his identity—more or less kill a person?"

"We know he's been affiliated with the late Tony Stark. Yes, there are body counts for Mr. Stark, but what was he most known for? Sacrificing himself for the greater good of life... so do we really think his tutelage would stray a person like Peter Parker down the wrong path?" Murdock paused, sensing their feelings. They were opening, "I've got to know Mr. Parker the past two months and I know what exactly what he is—a scared teenager who knows nothing of what's happening around him. He always doubts what he's doing. He doesn't know if he should have been Spider-Man."

The jury curled their foreheads, feeling more and more intrigued by Murdock.

"But he's a good kid. He just wants what's right for this world. So it doesn't sit right with me that he's been labeled as a murderer... a fraud... and most importantly, a false hero. To me, he's nothing but someone who just wants to do some right in the world.

...

"What I'm trying to say here is that... Peter Parker is the victim here." Murdock nodded, "That's all, Your Honor."

—Clap, clap, clap.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Peter (Tom) immediately turned to the figure walking down the aisle. Battle-torn armour, with large goggles and a darkened hood. It was unmistakably the person he had fought with the past few days.

—Now he was here.

"Wonderful opening statement, Mr. Murdock!" Osborn echoed, as the crowd began expressing their loud thoughts. "But I'm afraid we're here for the closing statements..."