Spider-Man of Earth 65

Work was done for the day. Surprisingly, Felix didn't feel all too excited about it. The fact that human testing was coming up soon just...didn't matter. His thoughts were elsewhere, stuck on what he learned during lunch. 

'What if I post these negotiations online?' 

Oscorp had lobbied for this hunt; and yet...lobbying technically wasn't illegal. Merely frowned upon by the common people.

So even if he did release the texts, would that change anything? At the end of the day, Spider-Man did kill Crossbones. That was a fact. For the public and government officials to react negatively to that was expected. A consequence that Spider-Man had to face. 

"Herbie," Felix murmured, activating the AI in his glasses, "run a simulation on the potential outcomes of posting the incriminating texts online."

As he went down the elevator, holographic projections danced before his eyes. The future played out rapidly. Because the texts would have to be posted anonymously, the NYPD would feign innocence and proclaim the texts as fake. More importantly, according to recent polls, public opinion on Oscorp was very sympathetic due to the invasion. So in all likelihood, no one would care.

The invasion's aftermath had left Oscorp with a sympathetic image and the anonymity of the posts meant this would do nothing. Nothing at all. It wouldn't stop the Spider-Slayer project nor would it prevent the NYPD from hunting him down. As of right now, people were mildly skeptical of Spider-Man. They appreciated his work but, unlike Gwen Stacy, was a little too dark.

The elevator doors opened. Czarina waved at him.

"Hey."

"Hello."

Czarina was as pretty as ever. If he wasn't so damn preoccupied with Spidey stuff, he would have initiated a proper conversation. Alas, life wasn't so simple. He had to go.

'I did overtime too,' Felix thought. Currently, they were preparing for human testing for Project Rebirth II. When that happened…

Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair. His walk slowed down to a stop once outside. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. 6:30 PM. The city was transitioning into its evening rhythm, lights flickering on in the deepening twilight.

"Good to see you, Felix."

The voice startled him. Felix turned to see Alistair Smyth wheeling towards him, a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. Felix tried not to tense. This man was assigned to the Spider-Slayer project meant to hunt him down. It was…weird.

"Alistair," Felix greeted, wearing a casual smile. "Heading out for the day?"

"Indeed," Alistair replied, maneuvering his wheelchair alongside Felix. "Beautiful evening, isn't it? Perfect for a night out. Speaking of which, have you heard? Black Cat's making a comeback."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "You too?"

"Ah, you know a fan?"

"Yep, my neighbour's son. He's obsessed with her."

"What can we say? She's a classy type of singer."

"Is she? Miles did not strike me as the classic type."

"When I mean classic, I mean Michael Jackson." Alistair chuckled after seeing his flat stare. "Black Cat has a show next week. Tickets are selling like hotcakes."

Suddenly, Felix noticed Alistair studying him intently. He felt exposed, as if Alistair could see right through his civilian disguise to the spider suit underneath.

Alistair cocked his head. "Huh. The tips of your hair have changed colour." 

Felix's hand shot to his head instinctively. "What? Oh, yeah. Just noticed it myself recently. Weird, right?"

Alistair leaned forward in his wheelchair, fascination evident in his eyes. "Hmm. A spontaneous colour change... from black to brown, no less. You know, it could be a sign of mutation."

Felix laughed, trying to brush it off. "Come on, Alistair. It's probably just stress. Or maybe I'm not eating right. You know how it is, burning the midnight oil at Oscorp."

"Perhaps," Alistair mused, but his tone suggested he wasn't convinced. "You should go to the doctors."

"I will," Felix deflected, checking his phone again. "I should get going. Early start tomorrow and all that."

Alistair nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Of course, of course. Don't let me keep you. Oh, and Felix? Do be careful out there. The city can be dangerous during the evening. You never know what – or who – might be lurking in the shadows."

Alistair wheeled away after that. Felix felt a chill run down his spine. The friendly conversation had felt like a chess match, each word carefully chosen. He couldn't shake the feeling that Alistair suspected something.

'I doubt he has. No one has anything on me—besides that one thing with Czarina.' 

And his plan with Czarina had not come to fruition. SHIELD has not approached Alistair as far as he was aware. So what was he to do next?

***

"Algorithm Sigma, Phase Delta, Authorization: Faeth-One-Two-Seven."

The first thing entering Daxter Lab was go over to the Fantastic Computer, open up the finger print hatch, and press his thumb into it.

"Analyze blood, please."

He didn't even wince as a cut sliced his thumb to draw blood. He waited patiently until the necessary amount of blood poured in.

In a matter of seconds, the cut healed. After that, he moved onto the next pressing matter.

"Herbie..."

Poor Herbie. He had malfunctioned while trying to fix the suit. The Sleeper's acid was untouchable for any creature or machine aside from him. 

"Alright, Herbie," Felix muttered, picking up the small robot to put on the workbench. "Let's get you back in fighting shape."

He grabbed his tools and began the delicate process of repairing Herbie. The robot's hands had melted and the acid had gone to its wiring too. Felix felt a pang of guilt as he worked. Herbie was more than just a machine to him; it was a partner, a friend.

"There we go," Felix said softly as he made the final adjustments. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

Herbie's eyes flickered to life, a series of cheerful beeps emanating from its speakers. "I have returned, Dr. Faeth."

Felix grinned, patting the robot affectionately. "Good to have you back, Herbie. Now, let's tackle the real challenge."

Felix turned his attention to the Big Time suit, laid out on another workbench. The damage from the acid attack was extensive, far worse than he had initially thought. The fabric had several layers; one for wiring, two for protecting the wiring, another two for comfort, and another final two which he had added to comfortably absorb and conduct lightning.

This suit was a state-of-the-art invention—and the Sleeper had ruined it. 

"This is going to be trickier than I thought," Felix muttered, running a hand through his hair – noticing again the brown strands mixed with his natural black. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.

He began by carefully cutting away the most damaged sections of the suit. Each snip of the scissors felt like a small defeat, but he knew it was necessary. As he worked, he explained his process to Herbie, partly out of habit and partly to organize his thoughts.

"The acid's eaten through multiple layers," Felix said, peering at the suit under a microscope. "We're going to need to recreate the suit's unique properties from scratch in some areas. I thought maybe the stealth tech at the feet and hands would be safe. Guess not. It's not going to be easy."

"Agreed," Herbie beeped inquisitively, and Felix nodded.

"We might need to make some improvements while we're at it. Maybe incorporate some acid-resistant materials this time around. Learn from our mistakes, right?" Felix crossed his arms. "What else, what else? Oh, right." He checked his wrists. "I don't need web-shooters anymore."

Through mild experimentation, he learned that the natural webbing could be whipped into nearly any shape he desired. 

"Dr. Faeth, blood analysis has been completed. Your spider-DNA is undergoing a significant transformation. It appears to be merging with the Extremis virus at a cellular level."

"Merging? Wasn't it already merged?"

"Merged in your body, yes," Herbie continued, "But at the end of the day, they were separate. Your spider abilities and the Extremis virus coexisted in a state of harmony, functioning as separate enhancements. Stacking ontop of each other, in other words."

"So...like Goku using the Kaio-ken and Super Saiyan Blue at the same time. Separate yet together." 

"Precisely. The latest tests show that they are now integrating into a single, cohesive genetic structure."

"That's... okay," Felix muttered. "But what does it mean for me? For my powers?"

"The full implications are yet unclear, Dr. Faeth," Herbie admitted. "However, this merger appears to be the cause of your recent physiological changes, including the appearance of brown hair among your natural black."

Felix ran a hand through his hair reflexively. "So the spider-DNA is... redecorating?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Herbie confirmed. "The emergence of brown hair appears to be a benign side effect of this genetic restructuring. The cause is likely due to your battle with the Sleeper. It is possible that this is just the first of several physical manifestations we might observe."

"Any potential dangers I should be aware of?"

"Current data doesn't indicate any immediate health risks," Little Herbie reassured him. "However, I strongly recommend continued monitoring. This genetic merger is uncharted territory, Dr. Faeth. We should be prepared for unexpected developments."

Felix recrossed his arms. "Thanks, Herbie. I'll try giving my blood whenever I can. Let me know if anything changes or if you detect any new developments."

"Reed invented something just for that," Herbie said. "Check cabinet seven. There is a device that can scan blood through visuals alone."

"...but I'll still have to draw the blood."

"Yes." Pause. "But it is portable."

Felix chuckled. "Fair enough."

***

"So the upgrades are complete?"

"Affirmative. All your requests have been added."

Felix stretched, doing a forward lunge, a knee nearly touching the floor. Afterward, he cracked his neck left and right.

Felix had entered the training chamber, the door sealed behind him. The air seemed to thicken as the artificial gravity increased. Felix rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight settle onto his frame.

"This is 7Gs, right?" Felix said, receiving a confirmation. "Cool. Hit me with the full training sequence. Lasers, obstacles, the works."

A series of panels opened along the chamber's walls, revealing an array of laser emitters and mechanical arms. Without warning, they sprang to life. Beams of light crisscrossed the chamber as obstacles jutted out from the walls at random intervals.

This was all new stuff. Not holograms but real danger. See, with holograms, his Spider-Sense could sometimes be hit or miss since he wasn't in any real danger. But with this—

Felix's enhanced reflexes kicked in immediately. He leapt and twisted, narrowly avoiding a laser that singed the air where he'd been standing a split second before. The increased gravity made each movement more difficult.

But not hard enough.

"Come on," Felix muttered through gritted teeth as he vaulted over a suddenly appearing barrier. "This is easy. Increase gravity by one G every ten minutes!" 

He wasn't sure if he was going crazy but Felix truly found himself tapping into something new. It was like he could feel the Extremis virus working in tandem with his spider abilities, pushing his body beyond its usual limits. His movements became more fluid, his reactions quicker, even as the gravity continued to increase.

"Herbie," Felix called out between dodges, "bump it up to 25Gs. And increase laser intensity by 20%."

The AI complied, and Felix felt the additional weight bear down on him. Sweat poured down his face but he refused to give up. He had to push himself harder. He had to overcome his limits.

And he did. 

Hours passed in a blur of motion and exertion. Felix lost track of time, focused solely on dodging. Dodging, ducking, jumping, moving. To be able to move meant living. It meant he could still change something. His muscles screamed in protest.

He was no longer moving in 25Gs. Now, it was 40Gs. 

Yet he kept going. He jumped and narrowly twisted his limbs from a barrage of lasers. His Spider-Sense was unnecessary. His reflexes were good enough.

Nothing could touch him. 

Felix landed and jerked his head to the side. The red laser didn't come close. 

"Alright, Herbie. That's enough. Power down."

The chamber gradually returned to normal gravity, and the obstacles retracted into the walls. Felix stood in the center, breathing heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat.

"How... how long was that?" he panted.

"Four hours and seventeen minutes, Dr. Faeth," Herbie responded. "You've surpassed all your previous endurance records."

"Haaa…hahh…"

He remembered the Sleeper, all of a sudden. His battle with that thing opened his eyes. In this world, there were creatures stronger than him. In a flat plane, the question of whether he would have been able to adapt in time before its acid killed him was a question he kept asking. No, not just a flat plane, what if he wasn't wearing his suit? What if he didn't have Detective Mode?

He stumbled out of the gravity chamber, his legs wobbly from the intense workout. His powers were evolving, becoming stronger. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

"Herbie," Felix said as he collapsed into a chair, "start analyzing the data from this session. I want to compare the data with those of the Sleeper. And... maybe order me a pizza? I'm starving."