章 122: Chapter 122
[Third Person's PoV]
"You know what this calls for?" Peter said with a smirk.
Everyone looked at him in confusion while Gwen went towards her lab with vials of blood.
Peter lifted his arms in the air. "A training montage!"
Seeing them look at him with a straight face, he grew a bit embarrassed before coughing and clearing his throat. "In all seriousness, we need to have some tests. We need to test your strength, speed, endurance, and flexibility."
"First is the strength test… Follow me," he said, leading them through a few rooms until they reached a gym.
The gym was filled with large weights and strange machines. There was one that appeared to be a large hydraulic press, a high-tech treadmill, and a pulling machine with weights measured in tons.
"Now then, I want one of you to stand by the hydraulic," Peter said.
Felicia looked at Peter like he was crazy. "Are you trying to squish us or something?"
Peter just smiled. "Yes. But wait, I forgot something. Be right back." He surrounded himself in lightning and rushed out of the room.
MJ and Felicia turned towards Harry, who gave them an awkward smile. "So how's the superpower life treating you?"
"I destroyed my bathroom," Felicia said with a straight face.
"I broke down my door and mirror," MJ said, a bit embarrassed.
Peter then returned with two black outfits and handed them to the girls. "Here, these are made from unstable molecule fibers. They should fit you perfectly and handle everything you're about to go through—something your regular clothes wouldn't. The next room over is a dressing room you can use."
They looked at the suits in their hands before looking at each other and walking towards the dressing room.
"Wanna handle the machines?" Peter asked Harry.
Harry knew it was Peter's way of making him feel included, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, it's not like I have anything else to do."
After a few minutes, both MJ and Felicia returned wearing the unstable molecule fiber suits.
"So, how are they?" Peter asked.
"It's weird. They feel just the right size," Felicia said, looking around herself.
MJ started to flex. "Do these show off my muscles?"
Peter gave her a small nod with a thumbs up.
"Okay, first things, Felicia under the hydraulic, MJ on the treadmill."
Once Felicia was under the hydraulic press, she looked up a bit nervously.
Meanwhile, Harry shouted, "I'm pressing start and will be increasing the pressure. Yell to me when you can't handle anymore. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Felicia said.
Harry nodded. "We're going to start low. We're starting with 100 pounds."
The hydraulics started to come down on Felicia as she reached up her hands to hold them up.
As the pressure increased, Harry yelled out, "500 pounds… 1,000 pounds… 1,500 pounds… 2,000 pounds, which is 1 ton… 2 tons… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7…"
Felicia started to feel the weight.
"8… 9…"
Felicia's knees started to buckle as sweat appeared on her forehead.
"10… 11… 12… 13… 14… 15…"
Once it reached 15 tons, Felicia's knees were already on the floor. "I give!" she yelled.
Harry hit the stop button and retracted the hydraulics.
Meanwhile, MJ was sprinting on the treadmill. "You're supposed to run with your back straight. Posture is very important when running."
"What does it say?" MJ asked, unable to look at her speed.
"130 mph or 209.2 km/h."
"You're saying I'm going as fast as a car! That is so cool," MJ said excitedly.
"Alright, that's enough," Peter said, causing MJ to slow down.
Felicia walked up to Peter and asked, "So how much can you hold?"
"Currently, around 90 to 100 tons," Peter said with a smirk.
"What?!" MJ and Felicia asked at the same time.
Peter nodded, reassuring them. "But don't worry, in a few months you two should be around the same. We all have a healing factor, which Gwen and I abuse the hell out of."
"And how much can Gwen hold?" MJ asked.
"80 to 90 tons."
"I see," they both said pensively.
"About your speeds?" MJ asked.
"I can go 200 mph or 321.8 km/h, while Gwen can go 210 mph or 337.9."
"So she's faster than you?" Felicia asked.
"In our base figures, yes. She's more lithe than I am, making her more aerodynamic. Since I'm more robust, I get hit with wind resistance. But when I use my lightning, I get a 5x boost and just push through the air resistance."
They nodded in understanding before heading to other machines to test their strengths and speeds.
"MJ can lift 10 tons, and Felicia can run up to 140 mph or 225.3 km/h."
"You've written it down, Aria?" Peter asked.
"Don't worry, I'm keeping track of everything," Aria replied.
"Now to test your endurance and reflexes."
However, before Peter could continue, Gwen rushed into the room. "PETER! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I JUST DISCOVERED!" she shouted excitedly.
Her shouting jump-scared everyone in the room.
"What? Calm down," Peter motioned her.
Gwen rushed towards Peter and took hold of his hands. "I can't calm down. You have to see this!"
She started dragging him as Peter turned towards the others. "Everyone, please take a 5-minute break."
Gwen dragged Peter towards her biology lab where holographic figures of DNA helixes and other biological forms floated amidst various apparatuses.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay," Gwen said, trying to calm down. "So, I was studying all of our DNA, right? And as I was doing so, I started comparing them to regular DNA—ones that didn't have any enhancements or anything."
"Uh-huh," Peter nodded, looking at Gwen curiously.
"Well, I was looking at how our regular DNA bonded with the spider DNA, and that's where I found something incredible. A chemical element, never before seen, is holding and stabilizing our regular DNA with that of a spider. Because of this little element, you, me, Felicia, and MJ are able to be spider people without having grotesque appearances. It's blending our two DNAs absolutely perfectly!"
Gwen held Peter's arms and started shaking him back and forth. "I just freaking discovered a brand-new chemical element!"
Peter looked at Gwen in surprise. "Are you for real?"
"And that's not the best part."
"It's not?" Peter asked.
Gwen started pacing excitedly. "That element is what we need to complete the SSS. That's what the Vita rays, which made Captain America, and the spider venom were for—to stabilize the DNA. The new chemical element is a stabilizer, so we have no need for radiation or a venomous animal to enhance someone."
Peter grabbed Gwen and started spinning her around. Gwen laughed, holding her arms around his neck.
She grabbed Peter's face and gave him a kiss before jumping off and celebrating.
"So, do you know how to create that element by itself?"
Gwen nodded. "I can complete the SSS right this instant."
"Did you have Aria run the necessary tests?" Peter asked.
Gwen nodded. "Of course, I had to make sure I was right about my thought process."
Peter hugged Gwen once more. "I'm so proud of you."
Gwen puffed her chest with pride, then looked up at Peter with her arms around him. "Peter... let's give it to Harry."
Peter smiled. "I was thinking the same thing, but since it was your discovery, I didn't want to make such a suggestion in case you wanted to try it for yourself."
Gwen shook her head. "We are all getting superpowers, and Harry is just as much a best friend to me as he is to you."
Peter nodded before sighing. "I think we should tell Harry the truth about his condition as well."
"Are you sure? Weren't you the one who wanted to keep it hidden?" Gwen asked.
Peter nodded. "If I keep it for too long and then he somehow finds out we knew without telling him, I don't think he'll appreciate it. It could ruin our friendship."
Gwen smiled and nodded. "You're right."
"Aria, can you call Harry over and, in the meantime, give the girls a tour of our place?" Peter instructed.
"I'm on it," Aria said.
Aria made a hologram of herself appear before everyone in the training room.
MJ and Felicia were climbing the walls, seeing what that was like, while Harry was on his phone texting Lizzy.
Aria turned towards Harry. "They want to see you in Gwen's lab."
Harry looked up from his phone, nodded, turned it off, and put it in his pocket before walking towards Gwen's lab.
Aria then started walking up the wall towards MJ and Felicia. "In the meantime, I'll be your tour guide."
As Harry walked in, he saw the serious expressions on Gwen and Peter's faces, causing him to look at them apprehensively. "What's wrong? Why that expression?"
Peter let out a sigh. "Harry, we've been keeping something from you for a while."
"Yeah?"
Peter scratched his head, trying to find the right words. "Harry, you aren't sick… and you never were."
"What? What are you talking about?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Harry… we were poisoned… and we believe that so was your mother."
Harry looked like he couldn't believe what he just heard. He took a step back and held out his hand. "I'm sorry? What did you just say?"
Peter turned towards Gwen. "Gwen, show him."
Gwen nodded and sat in her main chair, clicking on her computer to show Harry's DNA scan.
She pointed towards his DNA. "See here? This shows that what you have isn't hereditary. This is poison designed to make it look like it was."
Harry grabbed a seat and sat down, his foot tapping the floor. "And how long have you two known?"
"A week, at minimum, since you gave us your DNA."
"You had an entire week to tell me, and you guys didn't?" Harry asked, his expression flashing with anger.
"It was mostly me. Gwen wanted to tell you right away."
"Okay, that still doesn't answer the question of why you waited an entire week to tell me."
"Mostly because I was scared about how you would react. I didn't want you to do something stupid, like go and try to confront the people that did this."
"Why? Because I don't have cool or fancy powers like you do?"
"Yes," Peter said plainly.
"Peter," Gwen said, looking at him.
Harry scoffed, but before he could react, Peter continued.
"You don't have any power or anything that could protect you, so I didn't tell you. I was scared and worried that if I told you, you would do something crazy and I would lose my best friend… that I would lose my brother…"
Harry looked at Peter for a second before his shoulders slumped down in defeat. He leaned his head back and looked towards the ceiling.
"So why tell me now?" he asked, tears pooling in his eyes. "Why tell me that my mother was murdered, and for what reason?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"Because if I held it in any longer, I felt like it would destroy our friendship. And as for the reason… we believe it was to control your father, and now they're using you to do the same."
Peter then went into more detail about what he believed occurred since they were little. Harry had a hand over his face as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"So that's all I am—a pawn in someone else's game, to control my father… I…" He choked up, "I've never felt so powerless…"
"Well, the good news is that you don't have to feel that way for long," Peter said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Harry turned toward Peter, looking at him in confusion. "What?"
Peter turned towards Gwen. "You tell him. It was your discovery."
Gwen smiled and nodded. "You remember the incomplete Super Soldier Serum Peter retrieved from your father's lab? Well, I just discovered a brand-new chemical formula that could complete it. And we want you to have it."
Harry was surprised. "Are you guys serious?"
Gwen nodded. "This is the first-ever completed SSS in years, and we want you to be the first to have it."
"Oh right… and I may or may not have made some adjustments, making it stronger."
"What?!" Peter and Harry asked at the same time.
"You don't know about this?" Harry asked, looking at Peter.
"This is the first time I'm hearing it…" Peter said. "What did you do to it?"
"Okay, so you guys remember the lizard serum, right?"
"Yeah?" Peter and Harry nodded.
"So, this chemical element stabilizer should be the key ingredient to perfecting it, allowing someone to gain its regenerative power without turning into the whole lizard thing."
"And that's not all. If we add different animal DNA, it could enhance you without any negative effects. You could have the part of the DNA that makes a gorilla strong and a part that makes a cheetah fast. The most DNA I can mix is three, and the three I just mentioned are the ones I have and have been studying."
Gwen hit a button on the computer, showing a DNA helix with images of a gorilla, cheetah, and a lizard merging into a new DNA structure.
"Although it could only work for Harry."
"Wait, really?" Peter asked.
Gwen nodded. "We can take the normal SSS, but not the one Harry will be receiving."
"Think of our DNA strands as a canvas waiting to be painted. Harry's canvas is white and can be painted with different colors, creating a brand-new art piece. Ours is like the Mona Lisa—already a masterpiece. Adding new things to our canvas could destroy the masterpiece that it is. We can add tiny bits to enhance the image, but too much and it gets ruined.
But Harry's... his is a blank canvas, waiting for a painter to come and create his masterpiece, and the KOJ Serum is the painting material."
"KOJ serum?" Peter and Harry looked at her in confusion.
"King of the Jungle Serum, since we're using animals from the animal kingdom and he's taking the best parts of each animal. So, KOJ Serum. Smart, right?" she said proudly.
"So, when is it complete?" Harry asked.
Gwen looked towards a machine holding a vial and shaking it up and down. "In about 2 minutes."
"I'm not going to start growing fur or get fingers for toes, right?" Harry asked nervously.
"That's what the stabilizer is for, so that doesn't happen. You have nothing to worry about."
Harry nodded, then sighed and turned towards Peter. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier—"
Before Harry could continue, Peter shook his head. "I shouldn't have kept it hidden from you and told you as soon as I found out."
Harry smiled appreciatively. 'And maybe with this, I'll be able to take some of their burdens away so they're not always so tired.'
"Thank you guys… truly."
"Ew," Peter said.
Harry groaned, rolling his eyes. "Do you always have to ruin the moment?"
"Yes," Peter said with a serious expression, lifting a hand. "When you start doing mushy, disgusting things, as your best friend it's my job to put you in your place."
Harry let out a sigh and shook his head. "Why are we even best friends?"
Peter raised a finger to answer. "Well—"
"Don't answer that," Harry said with a straight face, before hearing a ding.
When they turned towards the sound, they saw that the machine was done. Gwen grabbed the blood-red vial, examined it briefly, and nodded. "It's the color Aria predicted."
Gwen grabbed a syringe and siphoned all of the liquid from the vial. She flicked the tip before nodding. "Arm," she instructed Harry.
Harry took a deep breath and extended his arm. Gwen put the syringe by his vein. "Harry, once this goes into your system, it could change your life forever. Are you sure you're ready?"
Harry nodded, his expression serious. "I'm ready."
"Wait, is the poison inside him going to make it worse?" Peter asked.
Gwen shook her head. "The lizard serum will expel it all. He'll be at his peak condition."
Peter nodded and gave Gwen the go-ahead.
Gwen nodded and started to inject Harry with the KOJ Serum.
Harry's eyes rolled back as he fainted. Peter quickly caught him.
"Quickly, put him on the table. I'll be monitoring him in case something goes wrong. You can go back to testing the others afterwards."
Peter nodded and placed Harry on the medical bed. Harry started to sweat profusely, his breathing became labored. From his mouth, green smoke slowly began to expel.
"That's the poison. That means everything is working as it should," Gwen said.
Peter nodded before walking out. He paused and looked towards Harry one more time before leaving the room.
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