When the core connector popped out, Peter was still hanging inside the pressure relief ring.
He reached out to press it down.
But the White Queen's psychic power pressed into his mind first.
Avengers Tower vanished.
Peter stood in the kitchen in Queens again. Aunt May had her back to him, taking burnt toast out of the toaster.
It was quiet outside the window.
He wasn't late for school yet.
And no one was planning to destroy the Earth.
Peter's grip loosened for a moment.
The core slid another half inch outward.
Chen Mo crashed into the pressure relief ring just then.
His shoulder slammed into Peter's chest, and they fell against the metal inner rim together. Chen Mo grabbed his hand and pressed it back onto the connector.
"Wake up!"
The kitchen was still there before Peter's eyes.
Chen Mo gave his mask a backhanded slap.
"Is your Aunt May wearing white high heels today?"
Aunt May turned around in the kitchen.
She was wearing the White Queen's boots.
Peter's vision abruptly cleared.
The pressure relief ring reappeared in front of him.
"Thanks."
He clamped the core connector with his mechanical spider legs.
"You could go a little easier next time."
"Next time, have her show you a math test."
"My math grades are pretty good. I might actually get caught up doing it."
"Well, solving a mathematical problem of the century in an illusion would still count as contributing to the world."
Chen Mo shot a web, sticking it to the White Queen as she was about to retreat.
The web had barely pulled taut when the variant who had been wiping his blade lunged in from the side. His blade sliced past Chen Mo's wrist, severing the web.
Four other variants quickly disengaged from the battle.
They