Chapter 451: Peter Rescued
"A hundred dollars? Is that a lot?" Nebula asked, genuinely confused.
"Yeah. It's a lot. A real lot," Peter nodded, his voice hollow.
Time slipped away. Twenty-two days passed in the cold silence of the vacuum.
"I'm going to die..." Peter lay listlessly on the floor of the Benatar, his eyes glazed and staring at nothing. Their final rations had run out a day ago, and he was currently experiencing a level of hunger that felt like a physical weight crushing his chest.
Fortunately, his Spider-Man physiology kept him from becoming as weak as a normal human; he could probably hold on for a few more days.
"How are you feeling?" Nebula asked, walking up behind him.
"Breathing is hard. Feels like the end," Peter murmured, eyes closed.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gaia operated the nano-material to form a mask over Peter's face, feeding him a concentrated supply of oxygen.
"Thanks." Peter felt a momentary surge of relief. At least the suit had an internal oxygen supply system.
"Then you don't have to die just yet," Nebula shrugged.
"This universe is so much bigger than I imagined. We're so insignificant," Peter sighed, looking out at the vast, uncaring expanse of stars. They were still far from their destination, and the ship was incapable of making long-range jumps. According to Nebula, the nearest convenience store was thousands of light-years away. It seemed he really was going to die in space.
"Gaia," Peter said.
"Yes, Peter?"
Peter let out a heavy sigh. "Turn on recording mode."
"...Understood," Gaia replied after a short silence.
"Recording a final testament?" Nebula asked, surprised.
"Hey! Don't talk, I'm recording," Peter pouted. "Gaia, delete that part."
Nebula shook her head helplessly and turned to walk away. "Give a shout before you actually die so I can collect the body."
Peter's mouth twitched as he watched her leave.
"It's been deleted, Peter," Gaia lied. In reality, Gaia hadn't deleted a thing and had already backed up the entire interaction.
"Is it on?" Peter whispered.
"Ready," Gaia confirmed.
"Ahem." Peter straightened his posture, looking directly into the sensor. "Silas, it's Peter."
"If you're alive and seeing this, it means I'm gone... I hope... I hope you aren't too sad. Okay, actually, I hope you're crying your eyes out and feel guilty for the rest of your life. Sigh."
"Uncle Ben, Aunt May... I won't get the chance to take care of you. I wanted to finish college, make a lot of money, and give us the life we deserved. It looks like I won't be able to do that now. I hope Silas can give you that life instead."
"Don't be sad. Everyone faces life, old age, sickness, and death. I'm just experiencing it a bit early. Death isn't scary. I've seen the most beautiful galaxies. They're amazing. If you ever get the chance, you really should come up here and see them. Finally, Gwen... what the—?!"
Peter was about to mention Gwen when a brilliant, multicolored light streaked toward the ship. From a distance, it looked like a comet trailing a long tail of luminescence.
"What is that?" Nebula ran back to the window, drawn by Peter's exclamation. They were powerless to act; they couldn't even accelerate or turn.
In the blink of an eye, the source of the light reached the window, revealing a human figure. It was Carol Danvers, coming to the rescue.
"Oh my god... LED light girl," Peter muttered, remembering Mr. Stark's nickname for her. Carol couldn't hear him through the vacuum, but judging by his lip movement, it didn't look like a compliment.
Thump, thump, thump!
Carol tapped lightly on the glass, then flew beneath the ship, lifting the massive vessel with both hands and accelerating toward Earth.
Avengers Headquarters
It was night. Steve Rogers was walking through the corridor with the remaining Avengers when the entire building seemed to vibrate.
"Move!" Steve led the team out onto the lawn. Carol set the ship down gently on the grass. The hatch hissed open, and Peter and Nebula stepped out.
The moment he smelled the fresh air, Peter took a deep, greedy breath. "I'm back! Earth!"
"Thank God you're back, Peter!" To Peter's shock, Uncle Ben was standing right there. He rushed forward and pulled Peter into a crushing hug.
"Uncle Ben..." Peter blinked. How was his uncle here?
Following the Snap, Steve had organized the remaining Avengers to locate the families of those who had vanished. He had personally visited Ben Parker and explained the situation. When Ben heard that Silas had turned to ash and Peter was missing in deep space, the middle-aged man had aged a decade in a single night.
Working at Parker Industries had kept Ben feeling young and energetic. Now, he looked like a frail old man whose only hope was the nephew who was still missing. He had been staying at the base every day, waiting for Carol's return.
Seeing Peter alive gave him a reason to keep going.
"What's wrong, Uncle Ben?" Peter felt the change. His uncle looked so old, and his tears were soaking through Peter's shirt. Even for a homecoming, this felt too intense.
"Peter... May and Silas... they're gone," Ben said, his voice cracking as he gripped Peter's shoulders. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Aunt May... Silas..." Peter's pupils dilated. A wave of raw agony surged from his heart. "No... that can't be true..."
"Cap, where's Mr. Stark?" Peter looked around, realizing Tony was absent.
"Tony... he's gone too," Steve said, his voice heavy.
The atmosphere turned somber. It should have been a celebration of Peter's return, but there was no laughter—only grief. Looking at his broken uncle, Peter fought back his own tears. He was all Ben had left now. He couldn't break down; he had to be strong.
Peter put an arm around Ben's shoulders. "Don't be sad, Uncle Ben. We'll get through this."
Nearby, Rocket walked over to Nebula, who was sitting on the steps. He didn't say a word; he just took her hand in his. They were the only Guardians left.
The Briefing Room
"Since Thanos snapped his fingers and killed half the population, governments have collapsed into chaos," Natasha said, standing by a screen. "The census is still running... and it looks like Thanos did exactly what he said he would. He took half of all life."
Above them, a holographic screen cycled through the faces of the vanished. Peter stared at the familiar faces until he felt a cold resolve.
"Where is Thanos?" Peter asked, his voice trembling with a new edge.
"We don't know. After the battle, he opened a portal and left," Steve shook his head.
Bang!
Suddenly, Thor, who had been sitting in silence, stood up and marched over to Peter. He loomed over the boy. "Tell me! Why did your brother Silas give the Stone to Thanos?!"
"What? Silas gave him the Stone?" Peter's jaw dropped.
"Don't play dumb. You must have known," Thor snarled.
"Enough, Thor! Don't do this!" Steve stepped in to break them apart.
"Enough?! Loki was my brother!" Thor roared.
"Silas was mine! My blood!" Peter screamed back, his voice raw.
The room fell into a stunned silence. Peter, who had always seemed like a boy, suddenly looked like a man who had lost everything.
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