LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 23: Trouble Brewing
After Miles had laid down to rest, he felt all of his strength get taken away. Opening his eyes, he found himself in some pitch-black void. His body failed to move and he felt stuck, unable to do anything. He tried to wake up, but instead, a bright light appeared before him.
All of a sudden, he felt his body was dragged towards that bright light. The light was so blinding that he had to shut his eyes. It was only after a few seconds passed that Miles opened them again.
When they opened, Miles saw that he was sitting at the dining table, back at his parent's house. There were balloons everywhere and a sign saying "Happy 13th Birthday!"
People were socializing in the house and Miles even noticed Uncle Aaron standing in one of the corners talking on the phone. He looked serious as he tried his best to keep his voice down.
Then, out from the kitchen, Rio and Jefferson arrived. Jefferson was carrying a birthday cake while Rio had a camera in her hands.
"Everyone sing happy birthday to the birthday boy." Jefferson laughed, placing the cake down on the table in front of Miles.
"Mijo, look over here at the camera," Rio said to him, raising the camera to her eye. "Say cheese!"
The flash of the camera blinded Miles, causing him to blink.
...
When he opened his eyes again he found himself lying down on the couch in Aunt May's living room.
"Man, that was trippy," Miles muttered, sitting up on the couch. That dream felt like it was real. Almost as if he had actually lived through it. Could it be...were those the original Miles' memories?
"Why are they suddenly coming to me now?" Miles wondered. He decided to push those thoughts aside and instead went to look for Aunt May and Genki. Lucky for him, he didn't have to go that far.
Walking into the kitchen, Miles saw the two eating lunch.
"Oh, you're awake!" Genki said, biting down on a sandwich.
Miles nodded, "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better after that nap."
Aunt May motioned him to sit down next to them. "You should have something to eat, Miles."
"Thanks, I am kinda hungry." Miles accepted, sitting down at the table. Out of the corner of his eyes, Miles noticed a few boxes filled with what looked like motherboards, cables, and other tech stuff. "So, you managed to get everything you needed?"
Genki smiled and replied. "More than enough! With all this equipment we should be in business by the end of the month."
"That's good to know," Miles said turning to Aunt May. "Again, we appreciate the help."
"It's nothing, dear." Aunt May chucked, waving him off.
Miles gave her a nod before he turned back to Genki. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Listen, Genki. Before I say anything, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. But are you one hundred percent sure that you want to be a part of this?"
Genki raised a brow, confused as to what Miles was going at. "What do you mean? Of course, I do."
"Look, what I do is some risky shit. Excuse my language." Miles said, putting his hands up in an apology. "Every time I go out, there's no guarantee that I'll come back alive. I hate to say it, but Peter was proof of that."
"Peter knew the risks that came with being Spider-Man. It was for that reason that he usually worked alone." Aunt May replied solemnly. "You have to think long and hard about this, young man. You won't just be affecting yourself, but those who care about you."
After Aunt May finished saying her piece, Miles continued, "This Spider-Man business has a weird way of screwing with those around me. I want you to think long and hard before you agree to help me out because once you do, we're in this for the long run." Once he finished talking, Miles turned to look at Genki, waiting for him to say what he needed to say.
"Miles, I've already thought about this," Genki said, taking a deep breath, he stared at Miles with a determined expression on his face. "I know how difficult it is for you. Risking your life to keep the city safe. And I know the dangers that come with it. I just want to be able to do the same in any way I can and in the process, lessen the load for you."
Miles nodded, a smile appearing on his face. He stood up and put his hand out toward Genki. "Well, Genki. I'll take that as your verbal agreement."
Genki smiled, shaking Miles' hand firmly. "Thanks for having me be a part of the team."
"As for you Aunt May, thanks for the meal, but we have to get this stuff back to the dorm. It's already the afternoon and I still have to go out on patrol later."
"Well, If you want, I can drive you kids back to the academy." Aunt May offered. The two looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"That'd be great."
"Sweet!"
"Alrighty then, let's get going before it gets too late."
"Right!" Genki said, walking over to the boxes. "Uh, can you help me out with the boxes, Miles? They're kinda heavy."
Miles sighed, picking up two boxes, one in each hand. "You carry that last one. Don't forget that we're both going to start hitting the gym soon."
"Yeah, don't remind me." Genki heaved, raising the box with both hands. "I know for a fact that it won't be any fun."
"Think of it as a prerequisite for joining the team," Miles said smugly.
Genki groaned, shaking his head. "Doesn't make it sound any more fun."
...
After Aunt May dropped the two off at the academy, Miles left Genki to do his tech stuff while he donned the Spider suit and went out on patrol.
Sadly, it looked like it was going to be another lackluster night. Miles didn't want to admit it but New York wasn't known for being a peaceful city. Especially in the Marvel universe. You'd think it was Gotham with how heavy the crime was in this city. But now it was quiet.
A bit too quiet.
"Man, I have a bad feeling about this." After Miles clocked in his hours, he was thinking of heading back to the dorms.
That was until a call came to his phone. Landing on a roof, Miles sat down and raised his mask to his nose. With a smile on his face, he answered the call "Pretty late to be calling, Uncle Aaron. You need help setting up your TV or something?"
[Real funny, kid.] Aaron grumbled, [I got a lead on the group taking over Kingpin's operation. Are you doing your superhero stuff right now?]
Hearing that it was serious, Miles straightened up. "Yeah, I'm by 5th and Broadway."
[Good, stay there. I'll meet you in five minutes.] After he said that, Aaron ended the call.
"Guess this night won't be boring after all." Miles sighed, putting his phone away.
He hoped this lead would help MIles unmask the one behind this whole operation. But knowing his luck, it was unlikely to happen.
Perched on the edge of the roof, a cold breeze passed through Miles' body, making him shiver. "Aaron said he'd be here in five minutes. I should have enough time to get a coffee. I'm freezing my ass off here. I'll be quick."
With that, Miles leaped off the edge and swung to the nearest coffee place. Every superhero needed a little pick me up every now and then.
(Author's Note)
Sup guys, Beef here.
First of all, I want to say sorry for the gaps in uploads. My jobs got me working ragged.
And speaking of uploads.
After one of you guys gave me the suggestion, I've been thinking if I should make a schedule for the story where I release a chapter twice a week. Mondays and Fridays feel like a pretty solid schedule. You guys could also give me a suggestion as to what days you'd all like as well. As much as I'd love to do daily uploads, it's kinda tough with my actual work being in the way, but I gotta pay the bills somehow.
Now I don't want to make it sound like an excuse. I like writing. It's a big hobby of mine which I've had since I was in middle school. I enjoy writing this fanfic and I'm going to find the time to work on it. Hell, maybe in the future, I'll even think of starting another fanfic. But that's a talk for another time.
I will say that nothing is set in stone yet. While I could start the schedule right away, I want to know what you guys think first.
After all, I could keep it the way I have it now where I don't have a limit to how many chapters I can put out throughout the week. It'll be inconsistent but I might drop more than just the two chapters per week depending on if I have time. However, there may be times when there are no uploads as I'll be too busy with work or thinking of what to write next.
Each one has its pros and cons but what it boils down to is if you guys want consistency in uploads or sporadic uploads with a chance of more chapters throughout the week.
For now, I'll continue doing the latter until I see what you guys think.
Anywho, that's all for now, homies. I'll see yall later.