บท 110: Great Power
Two days later.
So far, the investigation for Emma Frost's mission was going well. All he needed was to ask for a break at work. Once that and a couple other loose ends were tied up, he was going to leave New York City. Just for a bit.
For today, he was still at Rio's apartment.
It was the early morning and Felix sat at the edge of it, completely nude, his messy dark hair damp with sweat from the long night he and Rio Morales had just shared. He had been with plenty of women but none had ever drained his balls like Rio.
'A decade of built-up tension does that to a woman.'
His toned body, a product of both his spider-enhanced physique and rigorous workouts, relaxed and leaned on the headboard.
Rio was equally nude, leaning on him with her phone in hand. Her wild, wavy hair framed her face as she giggled, flipping through a gallery of selfies, dick pics, and sex tapes they'd just taken together.
"You really need to loosen up," Rio teased. She held up the phone to take another picture, this time angling it so that his arm was draped over her shoulders. "Smile, Faeth."
Felix smiled weakly. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just not very photogenic."
Rio laughed, her brown eyes sparkling as she flicked through the pictures again. "What can I say? I love having receipts." She reached over to the nightstand, setting the phone down. "Now I can relive your awkward attempts at smiling forever."
"Or are you just blackmailing?"
"What is there to blackmail? Your big dick?" she joked.
"My dignity."
Rio laughed and flashed a smile. She scooted off the bed and stretched. Arms high up in the air, practically moaning as she stretched…
He was not going to pretend he wasn't looking.
Her caramel-toned skin glowed in the morning light and Felix couldn't help but admire dat ass. Before she started walking toward the bathroom, he reached out and playfully smacked her on the ass. The sound echoed in the room, followed by Rio's laughter.
"Oh, so that's how it is?" she said, glancing over her shoulder with a mischievous smile. "You just can't keep your hands to yourself, huh?"
Felix grinned, reclining further on the bed. "You make it hard, Mrs. Morales."
Rio winked at him and turned, sashaying her hips exaggeratedly as she disappeared into the bathroom. "Better hurry up and join me, Faeth. Or I'll use all the hot water."
Felix chuckled, shaking his head as he reached for his phone on the nightstand. As he picked it up, the screen lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number. He frowned slightly but answered, his voice casual.
"Yeah?"
A familiar voice came through the line, full of sarcastic amusement. "Well, well. If it isn't the Hung Nerd?"
Felix groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yelena. Good to hear from you—which begs the question, where are you? Are you out of prison? Are you at SHIELD?"
"Oh, actually, I'm watching you," Yelena Belova replied. "Nice cock, by the way?"
Felix sighed, hand on his forehead. "What, are you you spying on me with binoculars?"
"Ding-ding! Americans sure love things extra large." She laughed and added, "Kidding! I only took a guess as to what you were doing? Are you actually screwing your neighbour? See, my Aaron made a bet. He said fifty dollars you would bed her in a month. I said a week. So…do I win?"
Another exhale from his nose. "Yes, you win, but what do you actually want, Yelena?" He glanced at the bathroom door, where he could hear the faint sound of the shower running. Call him a pervert but he would prefer to clap Rio Morales' cheek than stay on the phone with an asexual Russian blonde who was potentially in prison and being recorded.
"Relax," Yelena said. "I'm here with updates. First, Kate gonna be fine. She'll need a week to recover. Felicia Hardy didn't go too far with the drugs during the kidnapping."
Felix let out a small sigh of relief. "Good. That's…good. And Eleanor's funeral?"
"Kate wants to set a date in a week. She wants to be at full strength for it."
"I'll be there."
"By the way, about the cat burglar, you did give her the money, right? Are the trackers working?"
He promised, after all. First half of the million dollar cheque upfront, second half once the job was done. The job was done and Black Cat picked up the money at another one of Aaron Davis' bases.
"The trackers? Nope."
A beat passed. Yelena was confused. "Nope? What do you mean nope?"
"We tagged her and the money, and either she dismantled all the money or her bad luck powers kicked in. Either way, I have no clue where she is."
"That's…total bullshit."
"She dismantled the bombs, we gave the money, she's gone. Not much else we can do."
"She kidnapped Kate—ugh, nevermind." A frustrated sound later and she was back to update. "Clint Barton's appeal went through yesterday. With a good lawyer, he'll be out in a month. And Natasha is being kept at SHIELD's New York base. She won't be going anywhere."
Felix did soften his tone. "How are you handling that?"
There was a brief silence on Yelena's end before she spoke again, her voice unusually measured. "It's what I came here for, Felix. I knew it could go either way—good or bad. I'm fine."
Felix crossed his legs. He knew better than to keep asking if she would be okay. She would. "So, what's next for you?"
Yelena let out a dry laugh. "Funny you ask. SHIELD's given me two options. One, join Captain Samantha Wilson's team. Two, get arrested by the CIA. They even slapped me with a tracking collar and an ankle monitor. Very chic."
Felix blinked. "Wait, hold on. They collared you? I knew you were a mercenary but damn, you're that dangerous?"
"Yep."
The plan was for her to get caught. For her to face the consequences was anticipated, of course. There were several plans to get her out. First, have Maria negotiate a deal. If that didn't work, then break her out. With Aaron Davis' help, Felix could do it as, well, Felix and not Spidey. Wouldn't be too hard either.
Except…
'She's not saying the code word.'
The code word, the phrase Yelena had to say to start the break-out plan. It was a simple phrase: Pancakes at the Stray. Once she said it, boom. In three days, Aaron Davis and Felix Faeth would break in and get her out. But so far…
"What are you going to do then?"
"I think…I prefer not to be running as a criminal anymore."
"Huh? Usually, you'd say, 'Do you think a Russian wants to work for an American organization? Please.'" His Russian accent was a bit too thick. Yelena laughed.
"That's true, it does hurt my patriotic pride. Imagine a South Korean joining a North Korean or…I was going to pick an Asian country but everybody hates everybody there. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh…trust me, it's a circlejerk of hate there. I've gone there so many times, it's like an infinite bubble of mercenary work and violence. Great for me, not so great for the people."
Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Yelena. If you end up in jail, Aaron, Maria, Kate, we're all gonna miss you. We all want what is best for you."
There was another pause, this one longer. When Yelena finally spoke, her voice was softer. "You'd visit me in jail, wouldn't you? Bring cookies or something?"
Felix chuckled. "Every week. I'll even bring you the good kind."
"Cookies in prison versus no cookies at all because I'm a super secret spy with restrictions. Tough to choose one." Yelena laughed, but there was an edge of sincerity to it. And again, she wasn't using the breakout word. "Thanks, Felix. These past few weeks were… honestly, some of the most fun I've ever had."
"...fun?"
"I live life on the edge. This kind of shit is what fuels me," she joked. "What I am trying to say is…I'm glad I met you."
Felix smiled faintly. "Me too."
The line went dead. That was it, it seemed. Felix tried to call back but couldn't. The phone number no longer existed. Felix set his phone down on the nightstand. He sat there for a moment, processing the conversation, before the bathroom door opened and Rio peeked her head out.
"You coming, or what?" Rio asked, her hair damp and clinging to her neck.
Felix flashed a smile and bounced off the bed. "Yeah. Just had to deal with a friend. No big deal."
Whatever Yelena chose for her future, he hoped it would lead her to happiness.
****
The smell of sizzling bacon filled the Morales kitchen, mingling with the sound of eggs cracking against a bowl and the light scrape of a whisk. Felix stood by the stove, flipping pancakes in a pan, his casual T-shirt and sweatpants making him look every bit the picture of a relaxed Saturday morning. Rio was cutting fruit into a bowl, her wavy hair falling over her shoulder as she worked.
In the living room, Miles Morales sat, bouncing his knee with excitement as he chattered on about his plans for summer.
"So can I go? Please? It'll only be for a week."
Rio glanced up from the strawberries. "I don't know, Miles. Camping? That seems…a bit much. And with parents I don't know?"
"Mom, come on. It's not like they're kidnapping me."
"You never know," Rio and Felix said in unison.
Miles blinked, then burst out laughing. "Wow, zero faith. Good to know where I stand."
Felix flipped a pancake. "So camping and a second trip to Black Cat and her concert. How'd you manage that?"
"You know, one of my friends has a job. Paid for us all. Good guy."
"Didn't you mention a lottery ticket?" Rio asked, a brow raised.
"Uh…it was both."
Felix looked over his shoulder and mouthed to Rio, "It's a party."
Rio sighed. There wasn't much she could say without evidenc—nah, that wasn't true. The only reason she wasn't blowing up at Miles for going to a party and lying about it was because she was in a good mood. A great mood, even. No Miles and a whole night with Felix.
An overall wonderful way to cool down.
"By the way," Felix said, pointing the spatula at him, "I already took you to a concert, remember? And you're already going back? Kids these days, always chasing fun, never studying."
"Come on, you had fun too!" Miles shot back. "Don't even lie. I saw you bobbing your head when they played Feline Frenzy."
"Alright, fanboy," Felix said, flipping another pancake onto a plate. "Maybe they'll autograph your forehead this time."
Rio chuckled softly as she brought the fruit bowl to the table. "He does have a big enough forehead for that."
"Wow!" Miles clutched his chest dramatically. "You're supposed to be on my side, Mom. This is betrayal."
Rio smiled sweetly. "Betraying for the truth isn't betrayal, Miles."
Felix brought the pancake stack to the table, setting it down with a flourish. "Breakfast is served. Pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs à la Faeth."
Miles immediately reached for the pancakes, loading his plate like he hadn't eaten in days. Between bites, he looked at Felix and asked, "By the way, why were you here so early this morning? Mom said you fixed the shower?"
Rio smoothly chimed in. "He did! The water pressure was all messed up. Felix came by, and now it's working perfectly."
Miles nodded, completely oblivious to the shared glance between his mom and Felix. "Nice. Guess it's handy having a science guy around. You should come over and fix the Wi-Fi next. It's been acting weird."
"Wi-Fi is my specialty," Felix replied, sitting down at the table. He got his phone from his pocket. Herbie was already running a diagnostic. "Let's see here…"
Miles wolfed down another forkful of pancakes.
As the morning wore on, the three of them laughed and talked, the conversation bouncing from Miles's summer plans to Felix's questionable taste in music and even to Rio's insistence that Felix should learn to make arepas next time. It was a morning full of warmth, teasing, and the kind of easy familiarity that felt, for all of them, a little like family.
Alas, Felix had to get up. "Work," he elaborated in a single word. "See you two later."
Miles waved a hand. "Bye!"
"Bye—oh, I packed you a lunch too," Rio said, jogging after him. It was a classic large aluminum-inside lunch bag.
"Ooh, what's in it?"
"It'll be a surprise."
Standing at the door, Felix contemplated kissing her. In the end, he just hugged her and went on his way.
***
"You," Dr. Octavius said, pointing, "are getting a raise."
"Huh?"
"From now on…" She looked down at the paper and adjusted her glasses. "Let's see here…ah, right. Forty thousand dollars a month."
Blink, blink. He didn't want to pretend he didn't see this coming. Olivia was apart of SHIELD so it was in her best interest to keep Felix, a clearly dedicated smart young man, happy. Moreover…
"Is it because Alistair is gone?"
"Yep. He used to earn millions from us and you're…kind of his replacement? We're hoping you will be anyway. You are inheriting his everything, including his severance pay."
Severance pay from Oscorp. Honestly, he had been wondering about that. Would it apply to him? Apparently, it did.
"The only people who know about severance pay being inherited by you is myself and Mr. Osborn. So don't worry about people finding it. Keep doing what you're doing."
"Right, thank you," Felix muttered. Aside from the severance pay stuff, there was one other thing he wanted to discuss. "Actually, if you don't mind…may I take a week long break? I, well…"
"You don't have to explain yourself. After all the shit that has happened…" Liv shuddered. "You deserve it. Take your break."
A SHIELD agent and a high-ranking scientist at Oscorp. Whenever he saw her, he always wondered who she was more loyal to. But the fact that she let him go and didn't keep him, the next Alistair Smythe, down on a leash told him everything. Olivia Octavius cared for people. Being caring came first, SHIELD came second, and being the head of the department came third.
During lunch in the cafeteria (because he did have to work for today at least), Felix decided to email and receive the documents pertaining to Alistair's wealth. The lawyers had everything so all he needed to do was ask.
"This dude Alistair was rich rich," Felix muttered.
See, Alistair wasn't a rags to riches scientist. He was the son of Spencer Smythe, a robotics genius who founded New U Technology. Located in Washington, New U Technology was close to the government and developed many weapons designs post-War World II and especially during the Cold War. When Alistair came to inherit New U Technology, the company boomed further. After a decade of independent work, Alistair met Norman Osborn and decided to merge New U Technology with Oscorp.
Hence why Alistair was so vital to Oscorp. He had worked there for half his life on top of having close relations with his own company prior. Because his family company dissolved under Oscorp, he was given a ludicrous yearly severance package. Hence why Felix had been wondering about it: would he receive it?
The answer was a resounding yes.
How much was it then?
'Fifteen million dollars per year while adjusted for inflation. So I don't even have to work a day in my life; this severance will do everything.'
Felix previously had a net worth upwards of fifty million but with Alistair Smythe, he was now worth two hundred million dollars.
'He owns three buildings and his father co-founded a storage company called Marvel Storage which he has a thirty-percent stake in. Alistair himself never particularly interacted with Marvel though.'
From what it seemed, Alistair's father Spencer was a Thomas Edison type. An inventor, sure, but also a sharp businessman. Alistair was Nikola Tesla, a brilliant scientist with brilliant ideas and a bit of crazy.
'Hm. I wonder…'
Alistair Smythe was Mr. E, otherwise known as the man that hired Black Cat. Little Thief, the object he hired the Black Cat to steal, could it be somewhere in one of his buildings? Or in a storage unit in his storage company? Little Thief couldn't be in the mansion, the NYPD and SHIELD likely scoured every inch of it.
"Reports of their investigation, please," Felix muttered.
Herbie pulled it up. Yep, there was nothing. SHIELD searched and investigated the affiliated storage company and came up with nothing. While SHIELD mentioned there was a small chance of Alistair hiding something, it was unlikely because unlike his father, the co-founder of the storage company, Alistair was very distant. He had no strong relations with the company; no loyalty and no way to convince people to stand against the NYPD or SHIELD for investigation. If he hid Little Thief, it wasn't in the Marvel Storage Company.
Others note: his mansion had no secret underground basement or withheld weapons. Only a safe containing two thousand pounds worth of Vibranium, Adamantium, and…wait what? Vibranium and Adamantium? Pure Adamantium too?
'Just how rich was this guy?'
Neither SHIELD nor the NYPD could legally confiscate it since Alistair specifically listed it in his will. It would go to Felix, not the authorities.
Felix knew he was going to inherit a shit ton of stuff; he didn't think he would inherit the rarest metals on the Earth. Jesus. From what the report detailed, Alistair's father had been stockpiling it for the day he would be able to use it. He couldn't figure out a good way to use it so he passed it off to his son.
Even Alistair didn't know what to do with it so he just kept it.
And now…it belonged to Felix.
'Alistair Smythe, you really were something.'
The inventor of the spiders had one last card up his sleeve. Felix could just feel it.
******
The interior of the limo was a cocoon of leather and quiet luxury, the muted hum of the city slipping through its tinted windows. Felix sat back, one leg crossed over the other, his Advanced Glasses perched neatly on the bridge of his nose. The subtle hum of the car's electric engine reminded him of the world he'd fallen into—the wealth, the privilege, and the expectations left behind by Alistair Smythe. Everything Alistair owned—his mansion, his buildings, and his vast fortune—was now his.
Everything except the elusive Little Thief.
Work was done so rather than call up a taxi like he usually did, he called Yuri Watanabe. She was always at his beck.
Right now, she was silent at the driver's seat and he was at the back thinking.
Alistair had hired Black Cat to acquire the device from an underground auction, a device so potent it could simulate anything: blueprints, police reports, operations, weapons, and beyond. A perfect training tool for someone like Black Cat.
But she definitely didn't have it. No way. So it was somewhere in Alistair's possession.
Yet, despite investigations by SHIELD and the NYPD during the murder, Little Thief hadn't been found among Alistair's possessions. They might not have been intentionally searching for it but they would have known. They would have taken photos or—the most likely case—SHIELD would have confiscated. It was originally their invention and used by Clint Barton.
'I bet what happened was that the Chameleon sold off Clint Barton's Little Thief to the Scorpion. I'm a bit surprised she didn't use it for herself. Must be a pride thing. Old lady prefers to do her crimes the classic way.'
Nevertheless, Alistair hadn't documented its existence officially, there was only one conclusion: he'd hidden it somewhere off the books.
Felix leaned forward, his fingers lacing together as he focused. The problem wasn't just where Little Thief was—it was that he couldn't openly ask anyone for help. Especially not Yuri Watanabe. The former detective turned chauffeur was professional and sharp as a tack, but they'd only met a week ago. Trusting her with something this sensitive felt... premature.
Quietly, he activated the glasses' discreet hacking function.
"Herbie," he murmured, barely audible. "I want every location this limo has visited in the last year. Cross-reference them with anything suspicious—something that doesn't match Alistair's profile."
After all, this limo had an electric engine and high-tech GPS software. All custom-made by Alistair.
UNDERSTOOD, DR. FAETH. THIS WILL TAKE A MOMENT.
Felix glanced out the window as they idled in traffic, pretending to admire the skyline while data compiled in his glasses. The process took less than ten seconds.
TWO LOCATIONS STAND OUT. ONE IS A SMALL PIZZA SHOP ON WEST 28TH STREET. THE OTHER IS A PAWN SHOP IN QUEENS. BOTH LOCATIONS WERE VISITED MULTIPLE TIMES BY MR. SMYTHE WITHIN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. THEY DON'T ALIGN WITH HIS USUAL PATTERN OF ACADEMIC AND CORPORATE DESTINATIONS.
Felix's brow furrowed. A pizza shop? Probably he just liked their sauce. But a pawn shop? That had potential. "Address?"
Herbie displayed the address across the glasses' interface, and Felix casually glanced at it as if deep in thought. He leaned forward and tapped the intercom button near the window divider. "Yuri, change of plans. Can you take me to a pawn shop in Queens? I want to check something out."
Yuri's calm voice came through the speakers. "Of course, sir. May I ask why?"
Felix hesitated for only a moment, keeping his tone light. "Just tying up some loose ends. I was given a note by Alistair. He left something there."
"Did he? I do not remember. But as you wish," Yuri replied. The car shifted direction, heading toward the location Herbie had provided.
The pawn shop was modest, tucked between a laundromat and a bodega on a quiet Queens street. A bell jingled as Felix stepped inside, the scent of old wood and dust filling the air. Shelves crowded with second-hand goods stretched to the back of the store, their contents ranging from vintage radios to mismatched jewelry.
Overall, an old place in Queens. Cool albeit very out of place for a man like Alistair Smythe.
The shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter. He was tall, an inch or two taller than Felix and with green eyes. His hair was brown and receding. "Ah, a new face! Nice to meet'cha, kid!"
Felix gave him a smile, pulling the glasses off and tucking them into his jacket. "I'm Felix Faeth. A customer by the name Alistair Smythe left something here—a device, about the size of a phone?"
Recognition flickered across the man's face. "Ohhh! Yes, yeah, Alistair. Wheelchair, right?" A nod from Felix. "He did mention a young man might come by eventually. Emphasis on might. Hold on a sec."
'Alistair…you planned for every eventuality, didn't you? In other words…you knew there was a target on your back. Did the factory explosion accidentally tip you off? That wasn't intended for you but it seems that it led you to springing into action.'
He likely figured Felix was Spider-Man after what Black Cat told him. That was the only guess Felix could make.
The shopkeeper was in the back room, the sound of boxes shifting and metal clinking filling the silence. When the shopkeeper returned, he held a small black device that looked unassuming—a sleek rectangle no bigger than a smartphone. "This what you're looking for? He said to give it quick and fast when you come for it."
Felix took it carefully, turning it over in his hands. The blue screen, the old school buttons, the thick antenna to the side. Yep, this was it.
"And there's one more thing," the shopkeeper added, placing a CD case on the counter. "The mister said to give this to you too if you were alone."
Felix frowned, picking up the CD. It was labeled with nothing but the date of the factory explosion scrawled in black marker. "Did he say anything else?"
"Nope."
"By the way, was Alistair himself alone?"
"Came here on a taxi, kiddo." The shopkeeper winked. "Old men like us don't use Ubers, haha!"
'So Alistair went here without Yuri knowing. Interesting…'
Felix's chest tightened slightly. He nodded, slipping both the device and the CD into his jacket. "Thanks."
As Felix turned to leave, the shopkeeper called out, "You know, he didn't seem the type to talk a lot. But when he talked about giving this, he sounded sad. I hope to know it's in good hands."
Felix paused at the door, glancing back. "It is. It will be." He checked the name tag on the shopkeeper. "Benjamin."
"Oh, please, I'm old. Most folks call me Uncle Ben."
Felix checked the name of the store. "Named after you. Classic."
"My wife's choice, actually. Said the man makes the story." Uncle Ben gave a smile. "Have a good day, young man."
Felix beamed. "You too, sir."
The bell jingled again as he stepped back out into the sunlight. The limo idled by the curb, Yuri standing by the passenger door. She opened it for him without a word. Felix slid into the backseat.
******
He was back at Daxter Lab. He told Yuri to drop him off at a restaurant close to the building. After eating, he headed right for his privately owned building. Through the entrance and into the elevator.
Now, he was seated.
"...do we even have a DVD player? Or Blu-Ray?"
"The disk was scanned the moment you brought it out," Herbie said through the echoing walls. "Playing now."
The Fantastic Computer and its huge monitor started to play the video. The screen flickered with colours. There, on a wheelchair, was Alistair Smythe. He was in a room and using a very low quality camera to record this.
"Hello, Felix Faeth—or should I say Spider-Man?"
Felix crossed his arms. The audio was shitty too. Felix knew how he recorded this: a flip phone. Maria had given him one and he played with its camera a couple times. This was a complete match to that.
"I don't know how, but somehow, you were bitten by one of my radioactive spiders and survived. The same way Gwen Stacy did. Except…that shouldn't be possible. My spiders were not created the same way Cindy Moon's were. Cindy Moon created her spiders specifically for the purpose of passing the spider's radioactivity to a human. That was not my intention. The spiders, in fact, were specifically engineered to not bite humans."
Felix put a hand to his chin. "They weren't programmed to bite humans…? That…makes sense. It's what I would do to stop accidents from happening."
A long, long pause went on. The silence was overbearing since Alistair was just staring at the camera.
"When you were unconscious, when we were both dying, I remember seeing a spider-bite. At the time, I convinced myself I was hallucinating. It was impossible. Perhaps a rock cut you. We did survive an explosion, after all. But that is not the case. After all, by what felt like destiny, Spider-Man was born." Alistair stopped talking and took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say. I have no idea what happened to make the spiders consider you non-human. Are you already not a human? Are you a mutant? A mutate? I—"
Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Extremis. Extremis had just been introduced into my system, reconstructing, and so the spiders who don't completely rely on sight or smell…"
"—why they failed to recognize you as human. I made sure to account for uncontrolled environments. I thought of everyone. And yet, here you are. You, according to that young mercenary lady, were able to find a hidden corpse. You were able to sense danger well ahead of what was possible in reality. Traits I specifically engineered in my spiders. So you have them. You have the powers. That day, during the explosion, the impossible happened."
He saw the spider-bite that day and chalked it up to coincidence—until Spider-Man appeared. Until Black Cat told him about what he did. At that point, he couldn't ignore it as coincidence. The genius deduced that Felix was Spider-Man.
"It also means my worst fears have come true: my spiders are going to be used as a means of war. Cindy Moon is after me. I am convinced of it. Cindy Moon created the spiders that gave Gwen Stacy her powers. She created those spiders because of her own dreams. When she was a girl, a radioactive spider almost bit her. Almost. And that denial haunted her forever. Her parents witnessed the spider and sued Oscorp and as she came to learn during witness testimony from Oscorp's Head of Genetics, Curt Connors, that spider could have given her powers—or death. She hated being ordinary. She hated the rejection of what she perceived to be her destiny. So she joined Oscorp. She joined SHIELD. She became obsessed about what could have been. Cindy Moon did everything she could to attain those powers, and one day, she did."
Alistair pointed to the sky.
"Agent Jesse Drew, Agent 77, went to the moon, only to be attacked by alien parasites. He was infected. He was the only survivor. SHIELD called on Cindy Moon to help—and she succeeded and so much more. She learned to fully manipulate radiation. She crafted an isotope that Agent Drew became addicted to—that she convinced everyone he had to constantly use in order to survive. But SHIELD was slowly seeing through her. She left SHIELD and convinced Jesse Drew to do the same, convincing him that only she could cure him. That without her, the isotopes couldn't be created and SHIELD would be fine with his death. After all, to an extent, it was true; only Cindy Moon could make the isotope. So, together with Jesse Drew who temporarily gained the same spider-like abilities as Gwen Stacy with the isotope, they established S.I.L.K—Strategic Intelligence and Logistic K. The Veil that Covers the World."
Alistair breathed in and out.
"But…after so many years, there was fear. Fear she wasn't worthy or maybe she was getting ahead of herself. So she sent the spider out to the world and let it bite whomever. That victim became Gwen Stacy, the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Woman. Cindy shadowed her. Followed her. And when she learned of Gwen Stacy coming and going to other universes, as well as the existence of an advanced universe, Cindy Moon pounced. She went to another universe and came back with a weapon that stripped Gwen Stacy of her powers. That's right—Gwen Stacy no longer has powers. She has been relying on a Symbiote to act as a Spider-Woman."
"I know this," Felix said, "but where—"
"Gwen Stacy can no longer use her Symbiote or her powers. She is here, not in New York, but somewhere. If you wish to meet with her…"
He was silent.
"To be precise, Geny came to me a year ago, asking if it was possible to regain her old powers or if the Symbiote could be fixed to better suit her needs. At the time, I could provide neither. This…is only a haphazard guess but I believe she went to Norman Osborn after talking to me. What became of this meeting, I do not know. But if you, Spider-Man, wish to know where your counterpart is, then Norman Osborn may or may not know."
Norman Osborn.
Felix narrowed his eyes. Should he pretend to be surprised?
"And in the event I die, I hope this message comes to you. No, how foolish of me. There is no hoping. You are Spider-Man. if I die, you will find it. Yes, I am sure you will. I am also certain of your most burning question: why I gave my will to you. Felix, the best time in a scientist's life is in their beginnings. When they are naïve and open-minded and bursting with ideas. You are not yet tainted by the darkness. All scientists when they see the youth see themselves. I wish to continue for you to be bright-eyed. Yes, please, keep yourself wide-eyed, for the world. Cindy Moon and the Kingpin and Matt Murdock…these criminals have been destroying what it means to advance humanity. These gifts should be used to bring progress, to end sickness and poverty. Not to engage in petty squabbles. You are smart. I see how you conduct yourself as Spider-Man. You only fight when you need to and you focus efforts on the humanitarian side too.
I believe with great power, there must also come—great responsibility."
Alistair bowed his head.
"Thank you—and towards the future we go, my friend."
The message ended.
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