But… It’s me! The real Spider-Man!

We didn't waste any time on a long shuffle, so we began discussing important matters as soon as Karen had satisfied her curiosity. She wasn't too shocked by the story, though. It turned out that she had managed to trace my actions when I accessed the database for information about the blood samples taken from Gwen and Wanda, and the whole time she was wondering what I was up to and making assumptions, and quite close to the truth.

Back to business at hand: it turns out that Osborne's bitchiness, or should I say entrepreneurial entrepreneurialism, flares up every couple of days.

No, she doesn't become a raving psychopath and try to blow up everyone undesirable, as her doppelganger from my world did, and she herself immediately after taking the serum. None of that. Instead, she constantly tries to speed up the process of developing the cure, and does not give up trying to convince Karen to omit some "formalities" in order to get a finished product as quickly as possible to supply to the markets.

And speaking of Norma Osborne, you have to understand how tenacious she can be. There is already legend among the staff about the conflict smoldering between the head of ParkerIndustries' science department and the company's chief investor and partner. But with all her will, Osborne can neither impose her will on Karen, much less get rid of her, and the paradigms of our compulsion prevent her from resorting to extreme methods. In fact, if it weren't for suggestion, I'd probably find that ParkerIndustries no longer belonged to me upon my return. I have no doubt that Osborne would not fail to use my "death" as a pretext to take over the company and all the credit.

The last confrontation between Norma and Karen was not more than a few hours ago, as Connors told us, describing the expression of her vis-a-vis in facial expressions.

"But you still managed to talk her out of accelerating her schedule?" hiding my concern behind my colleague's confidence in the firmness of her professional and moral principles, I asked.

"Sure," Karen confirmed my aspirations, "in fact, I think Norma will not bring up the subject for some time," the scientist continued with a touch of smugness, "you could say that I won this debate."

When asked what was the decisive argument in their dispute, Karen was silent for a few seconds, pondering, and then knowingly said that it was an extra-scientific argument.

And that was it. Karen did not explain exactly what this argument was. Meanwhile, I caught Bobby's eye, and we understood each other without words. She only nodded slightly - Osborne would have to be checked.

When the questioning was over, which I was glad of, we decided to extend the day's work in the laboratory and get on with some urgent business. First, I suggested to Mary Jane, who until then had been a silent listener in our company, that she take the serum of eternity. I should have done it a long time ago... as much as I hate to admit it, the girl is in constant danger because of me, and the serum is the least I can do to protect her.

After finding out the details about this drug, the girl agreed. The main argument in favor of this decision was my confession that I had used it on myself at the very beginning. When M.J. found out about it, she immediately agreed to undergo the same procedure.

"I should ask," Connors asked thoughtfully, looking at the girl sleeping peacefully under the drip, "how do you know the formula for the stable variation of the super-soldier serum?"

We haven't brought it up since the Reptile incident. Although the woman must have had questions, since it was from my apartment that Gwen got her the sample of the eternity serum that allowed Karen to complete the Lizard formula. Though I'm not sure Gwen told her where she got the sample... maybe the professor just now figured it out.

"I don't think so," I said after weighing the pros and cons.

"Really... I was thinking, you knew from the beginning what would happen to me, didn't you? That I would turn into a monster by using the serum on myself?" voiced her speculation to Karen, "you tried to prevent it, didn't you? When you brought me those blueprints with the emitters and my father's formulas... because you didn't need the emitters in the end. You pointed me in the wrong direction on purpose."

Oh, how hard it is to be with smart people... sooner or later they start to see right through you. But I have nothing to be ashamed of!

"I couldn't talk you out of creating the serum, so... I just didn't want a repeat of events from my past. I was too late with the antiserum..."

"I see. I guess I really don't want to know. I'm afraid to even imagine what I might have done if you and Spider-Woman hadn't stopped me," a wise decision. Knowing about the crimes committed by the Lizard of my world could have a big impact on Karen's life.

And she still doesn't know who's hiding under the mask of Spiderwoman... though she could easily figure out the superheroine's identity thanks to her blood samples in the lab... I won't interfere, let Gwen decide who and when to reveal her secrets.

The next item on our schedule, naturally, was Wilson's abnormal condition. After listening to Wanda's account of the skirmish with the apostle agents at the not-so-secret entrance to the Shield base and comparing her words with the current state of the mercenary's body, we came to disappointing conclusions.

The healing process had been most barbarically interrupted, and although much of the affected tissue had already been removed, the mercenary's body was slowly returning to its former state. The only reason she hadn't turned into a boogeyman yet was the high concentration of the blocker mineral in her blood, which had been released after the collar had been destroyed. However, this was not enough to completely suppress the healing factor and when seriously wounded, the mercenary's regeneration restores the damaged areas, not to mention the fact that the concentration of blocker in the girl's body decreases day by day... and if nothing is done, in the not too distant future Deadpool will return to its previous state.

Fortunately, there is a way out of this situation. Now that we've ascertained the efficacy of the treatment, there's reason to interfere more boldly in the mercenary's body.

"Are you going to dissect me again?" Wilson asked with feigned displeasure, squinting warily at the blood sampler in my hands.

"No, we'll do without surgery, and without a long coma this time, too. I suppose there's a simpler, though not ideal way to keep you in a normal state," I took a few grams of blood from Wanda while I answered.

"Is that possible?" Wanda asked with irritation, scratching an already lingering puncture in her skin. She clearly did not expect such a rapid development.

And she wasn't the only one. Connors is also surprised by my statement, and she clearly intends to find out what I came up with.

"In order to prevent the multiplication of cancer cells in regeneration, you need to maintain a high concentration of the suppressor gene in your blood, but your ability keeps rolling back the results of our work," Karen voiced the current state of affairs, and then, coming close to me added in a whisper, "have you found a way to keep the changes?"

I smiled inwardly. The last of my secrets I hadn't told anyone yet. By using Wilson's genes to create my new body, I was also risking her affliction, but... I still hadn't become Freddy Krueger's twin, which meant she wouldn't, either.

Roughly speaking, it is necessary to teach the mercenary's body to fight the cancer, but experience shows that when the ability returns, all the changes that took place with Wanda's genes are rolled back. And while we can't solve this problem once and for all, there are workarounds. One of them I used when I took over the mercenary's healing factor. The genetic code of this body was originally "prescribed" multiple duplication of the genes necessary to fight cancer... but I will not suggest to Wilson to repeat my way... especially since without the system I will not be able to grow such a perfect body again. But I can use a working solution that's already in place.

"Not yet, but I know how to trick Wanda's body," I answer, "we'll use the blood of another mutant with the healing factor, which already has resistance to cancer."

"That... might work," Connors thought, "to create a drug based on another mutant's blood that won't be rejected by her body... but where are we going to find such a mutant? And we'd have to persuade him to give his blood."

"You don't have to look for it, and you don't have to convince it either, because it's right in front of you."

We managed to develop a stable drug formula for Wilson in one hour and twenty-two minutes, and most of that time was spent testing the drug. After that, Karen finally remembered that her husband was waiting for her at home. This, of course, was my fault, so I wished the woman a happy journey and stayed to work in the company of Deadpool yes sleeping Mary-Jane.

It was a pity I couldn't get all the ideas in my head into development right away. I had to limit myself to what I had started to prepare before the kidnapping. I couldn't help but take care of other needs besides the official direction of our activities. In the department of the lab, which was closed to others, I gathered everything I needed to help Bobby and Gwen, who were already acting as superheroes, and, of course, what I myself would need in the not too distant future... I mean right now.

Mainly, of course, it's various modifications of web-shooters, development of new variations of the web and the costumes themselves. There are, however, also blanks for more serious projects. For example, my attempts to reproduce the "soaring blade". Of course, no one is talking about industrial volumes, I'm not going to build a space elevator yet, but on a much more modest scale there will also be applications for this material.

"Are you going to sit at the microscope all night?" I felt Deadpool's heavy hand on my shoulder.

I was so engrossed in analyzing the latest synthesized sample of nanomaterial that I didn't even notice Wilson sneaking up on me... and I didn't notice the smell of alcohol, either. Ha, there was no sneaking around, she was drunk. God, a drunken Deadpool in a lab - my heart clenched in a spasm of horror.

"Wanda... what are you doing? This isn't a good time for this," I tried to appeal to reason.

If I'd have heard myself a few months ago: 'Calling out Deadpool's mind' was a laugh. But after all that has happened, I'm sure that despite her complete lack of outward signs, this woman is reasonable. Smarter, at least than her male counterpart from another world.

"Wrong, kid!" Wilson ran her hand dramatically over her again-perfect skin, leaning against my desk-now is the perfect time for a drink. There's still enough of that blocker in my bloodstream.

For some reason, I suddenly felt hot. I couldn't help the gestures Wanda made with her body language. There was too much sensuality in that movement.

"I've been drinking?" I tried to pretend like I hadn't noticed, and I asked, "I think you're already drunk out of your mind."

"And that's great! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had one? Regeneration, baby, damn it. No matter how much you drink, it's all for nothing. I haven't been drunk longer than I've been fucked for real... will you have a drink with me?"

Wanda licked her lips predatorily... oh, I don't like that look. Neither did the understatement in her words. "Drink" and "fuck" were too close together, and by offering me the first, she was clearly hinting at the second.

"Regeneration, Wanda," I pulled away from the drunken woman and returned her own words. "We're making medicine for you out of my blood, because I have regeneration now too, I can't get drunk."

"Hmm... really," she answers, not really trying to sound surprised, "eh, you're so young and you've already robbed yourself of one of life's greatest joys. What a pity."

"Well, if we understand each other..." I tried to turn back to the microscope.

"Then there's only one thing to do," Wanda whispered, her chest against my back, her arm over my shoulder with the whiskey bottle clutched in her hand, her hot breath burning my ears.

Now that sounds a lot like sexual harassment. And in the workplace. And in my own company.

"Wanda..." I traced my gaze over the drops of whiskey that had spilled onto my desk because of the sudden movement, "you know what I mean. I used your genes to create this body, too. You said it yourself: we are related now."

"And that's great... forbidden fruit is sweet and all... it didn't stop you from trying to get into Stacy's panties, and I have nothing against incest either... and my panties are already wet."

What the hell is this?! I feel discomfort in my head caused by the discomfort in my pants...after all, she's too sexy and brazenly taking advantage of it.

"Okay," I turned to face the mercenary, but she didn't even think of pulling away... and she wasn't that drunk, her eyes quite clear, "I'll tell you frankly. You're one of the sexiest women I've known in both my lives."

"I like the start..." grinned Wilson contentedly, throwing her other arm around my shoulders, too. Now it was like I was in a grip.

"But I also knew another version of you-Wade Wilson, you know. You're too much alike in character. Looking at you, I still see him," I admitted honestly, but, remembering the mores of the local male population, I decided to add clarity to my confession, "and I'm not interested in men, not at all."

"So it's all about the fact that you see me as a man?" she even forgot that she was pretending to be drunk when she said that, "and that's it?"

"That's a serious handicap, you know? Doesn't she get it?"

"Come on! You've done so much for me! More than anybody in my whole fucking life, and don't tell me it's about that "contract" of ours. It's gonna take me forever to pay you back." Wanda blurted it out at once, and then she looked into my eyes with a long, sparkling look of overflowing emotion.

And I don't even know what to say to her. I had already told her everything, without any secrecy...

"And I wondered why you don't respond to me," Wanda smirked and continued without waiting for my answer, "even though you flirt with almost everyone else... I thought maybe you only want young girls, but it turns out that it's all the fault of the little homophobe living in your head!"