39: Bite

Peter had made a terrible and huge mistake! He had forgotten his camera!...

"This sucks," he sighed, shoulders slumped, as he and his tour group entered the massive Oscorp building.

"Come on, man, look on the bright side. Just look at where we are," Ned said, throwing an arm around his shoulder and gesturing at the Oscorp facilities.

The place was incredible, and Peter would have enjoyed it even more if he could have taken some pictures to remember it by.

"Are you going to stay there?" Jessica called out, making them realize that the class had already moved ahead, and they were the only ones lagging behind.

They quickly caught up, listening to the guide assigned to show them around the place.

For Peter and Ned, the tour was extremely interesting; for others, not so much. The local group of bullies spent their time playing around and bothering others whenever the supervising teacher wasn't looking. Peter, wisely and intelligently, decided to distance himself from the crowd before he got caught up in their antics—his day had been bad enough and he wasn't going to let it get any worse if he could help it.

They were already on one of the upper floors of the building, where most of the genetic experiments were being conducted. Peter looked at some lizards on display with interest; the information about them said they were experimental crosses never seen before, which was amazing.

In a dark corner of the area, something stirred. Eight eyes lit up when something in the air caught its attention—something familiar. The spider, which had been extensively modified by Dr. Curt Connors, began to move, starting to track that sensation.

Without Peter or Dr. Connors knowing, the spider had gained the ability to recognize others of its "own species" using its heightened senses—something that would normally be useless considering it was one of a kind.

But perhaps due to fate or something else, the spider, unique in its existence, encountered the only other living thing that had a genetic connection to it—a life form that shared part of its central DNA.

And so, without realizing that what it was following wasn't truly another of its kind, the spider moved, guided by its instincts.

Peter decided it was time to rejoin the group, but before he could, he saw Jessica approaching him. The girl seemed a bit nervous, but when their eyes met, she swallowed hard and walked toward him with firm steps.

"H-Hey, Peter."

It was strange—Jessica didn't usually stutter.

Jessica, on the other hand, was trembling inside. The reason was simple—she had finally decided to ask Peter out, something that hadn't been easy. She spent days trying to work up the courage but couldn't manage to do it. She had even bought a pair of tickets for a local concert. Now all she needed was to invite the guy she liked, but that was much easier said than done.

For days, she had been trying, looking for the right moment, but no matter what, she couldn't find it, and the date of the concert was fast approaching. If she didn't do it soon, this opportunity would slip through her fingers.

So when she saw him distancing himself from the group, she decided it was now or never.

Despite that, her steps were slow and heavy; it felt like an eternity to walk toward him. And when he turned to look at her with those warm brown eyes, she almost shrank into herself and ran away.

But she forced herself to stand firm—she wasn't going to back down now.

"what happens?" Peter looked at her with concern and stepped a little closer to her. Neither of them noticed the "invisible" figure jumping from the ceiling and landing on Peter's backpack.

Hairy legs, hidden by an unparalleled camouflage ability, moved slowly. Without Peter noticing, the spider crawled until it settled between his back and the backpack he was carrying, where it nestled calmly.

"W-Well, I got some tickets for a concert," Jessica almost cursed when she stuttered the first word but forced herself to continue and pulled out the tickets she had been keeping in her backpack.

Shyly, she extended one toward Peter and continued speaking.

"Do you... do you want to go with me?"

Peter, for his part, went from confusion to shock in zero point five seconds. His eyes widened in amazement as he wondered if Jessica was asking him out. Of course, his stupid mouth couldn't stay shut, and before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"L-Like a date?" Why did he say that? What if it wasn't? What if he was misinterpreting this? A thousand thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, but what she said next made all of them disappear.

"Yes! Like a date," she said, looking directly at him, even though her face was completely red and she felt her knees weakening.

Peter stood as still as a rock for a moment, a silence that was perhaps too long for Jessica, who was starting to get even more nervous, her eyes beginning to well up. Somehow, Peter managed to notice this, and although he wasn’t the most socially adept person, he knew the right words to say in this situation.

"Of course!"

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"Hellooo∼" Peter sang out as he entered his house, his aunt and uncle, who had been in the living room, raising an eyebrow as they watched him come in.

Their nephew tried to hide his smile, but it was obvious to anyone who looked at him that he seemed about ready to break into a dance.

"How was the field trip?" Ben Parker asked as Peter approached them. The boy shrugged, trying to play down his joy.

"Fine, I guess," he said vaguely.

"Just fine? You walked in here like a man who just won the lottery, Peter," his aunt chimed in, making Peter laugh as he scratched his head.

Should he tell them? He debated for a moment before thinking, 'To hell with it,' and began to speak.

"I have a date!" He almost shouted it. His aunt and uncle stared at him with wide eyes in silence for a moment.

Then Ben got up and walked over to him with a big smile on his face.

"You finally asked that girl Gwen from your class out?" His question made Peter blink before he quickly shook his head.

"No, I didn’t ask anyone out," he said, causing them to look at him in confusion. With a bit of embarrassment and pride, he confessed what had happened.

"Jessica asked me out." This time it was hard for Ben and May to hide their surprise. They knew Jessica because she had come over a few times to work on group projects with Peter. She was a good girl, though a bit "tough," although "rough" might be a more fitting word.

To think that a girl like her would ask out their nephew…

"Looks like the Parker charm has finally kicked in for you, kid!" Ben couldn’t help but feel very happy for Peter, and with more force than he should have, his hand slapped Peter’s back.

The boy, who had been smiling happily, suddenly frowned as he felt something stir on his back and winced.

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"Ben! Be more careful," May scolded her husband, misinterpreting Peter's reaction. Ben looked embarrassed as he saw Peter suddenly hunch over.

"Are you okay, Peter?"

Peter, for his part, didn't know how to respond to His aunt and uncle. Sure, the slap had hurt a bit, but his backpack had cushioned the blow. No, something else had happened. Peter didn’t know what it was, but suddenly he felt as if something had pricked him? Bitten him? He couldn’t explain the sensation, only that it was like a sharp, burning pain that numbed almost immediately, leaving only an uncomfortable itch behind.

Straightening up, Peter played it down and smiled again.

"It’s fine, I’m fine, see?" he said, stretching out both arms. Still, that itch persisted, and Peter decided he needed a shower.

“But I think I need a good bath, it's been a long day,” he said a quick goodbye and walked up the stairs to his room with a frown in confusion.

His aunt and uncle watched him go with some concern, and May couldn’t help but scold Ben again.

"Parker charm, really?"

"Hey! It worked on you…"

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Peter was sweating—sweating too much, which wouldn't be so strange if it weren't for the fact that he was so cold!

With a staggering body, he opened the door to his room and walked in, almost stumbling several times on his way.

Something was wrong.

He should turn around, go back to his aunt and uncle, ask for help, but his consciousness felt dimmed. He felt dimmed, drowsy. Without being able to stop it, his body collapsed backward onto his bed—he hadn’t even managed to take off his backpack.

In a final act of awareness, his hand grasped his blanket, trying to cover himself from the cold.

A few minutes later, when his aunt came up to check on him, she found him half-covered by his blanket. Thinking her nephew had simply fallen asleep, she just shook her head and quietly closed the door.

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Where do geniuses reside? Daniel had pondered this question many times, reflecting on it until he realized that the answer was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

Geniuses were everywhere.

After all, there were different kinds of geniuses, some more specialized than others. Taking that into account, he focused on a more specific question: where do scientific geniuses reside?

In many places, actually. This world had numerous prestigious institutions, each with several prominent names. Some he recognized, others he did not.

After cleaning up all of Smallville with Carol, ridding the town of kryptonite, Daniel decided to take a small break. He was now in his workshop, reviewing information about various important institutions.

Many were private companies similar to Stark Industries. He dismissed those first—he already had Tony to work with, and he didn’t need to attract more millionaire entrepreneurs for the time being.

Besides, many of the names he came across gave him a bad feeling. Of course, much of this had to do with his lack of memories about them. If he had no recollection, it meant there was something there—perhaps something good like Tony, or something bad like a supervillain or a criminal organization. He didn’t know, so he decided to be cautious.

And then there were those he did remember.

"Cadmus. I'll have to check that place out thoroughly," The problem was that Cadmus had several locations across the country, which could make things a bit complicated. He might have to take Carol with him to see if she could spot anything, but that was a task for later. He didn't think Cadmus would be an issue for now; it was too early for them to be causing any major trouble. Still, he made a note of it so he wouldn't forget and turned his attention to the next.

"Baxter Foundation..." As he said it out loud, a few images came to mind, primarily of four individuals... Fantastic ones.

In fact, Daniel had run into one of them purely by chance not too long ago, something that still brought a smile to his face. After all The photo he took with the guy had gone quite viral, even making it onto some news channels.

"That should attract a lot of girls, right?" he joked to himself.

"Attract what?" The flat voice made him blink; he had gotten a bit distracted. He turned to see Carol entering the workshop with two cups of hot chocolate. She looked at him with a blank expression, and Daniel would have found it amusing except that this time he didn't mean to intentionally upset her.

“The clothes, that always attracts girls right? look I've made some designs.” Without missing a beat, Daniel changed the subject and brought up several images on his monitors. The designs weren't anything extraordinary; in fact, many were just copies adapted to Carol's figure and build, based primarily on what she usually wore.

Carol looked at him for a moment before shrugging, deciding to ignore what she had overheard and moving closer to see what was on the screens.

"Do you want to change anything?" Daniel asked, taking the cup she offered and sipping from it.

Carol looked at the designs and shook her head. Everything fit well with what she liked to wear, and she couldn't help but be a bit surprised that Daniel had paid so much attention. It made her feel warm and happy for a moment, but that mood was shattered when she noticed something on one of the screens.

"Y-you, you, you..." She couldn't put it into words. Seeing her confusion, Daniel turned to look at her, noticing her face had turned extremely red. Then he followed her gaze and almost laughed in response.

"Well, I thought you might appreciate some of those too—extra durable and comfortable, very soft to the touch, guaranteed quality," he said solemnly, looking at the bras and panties displayed on the screen.

Carol stayed silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, making him laugh too.

"Is this what you meant by knowing what might look good on me?" After catching her breath, Carol asked this question suddenly, catching Daniel off guard. His eyes turned to look at her causing their gazes to meet and a somewhat strange and ambiguous atmosphere to begin to form between the two of them.

Uh-oh, it seemed his earlier words had landed him in trouble once again.

But since he had said them, he couldn't back down, right? As annoying as it was, his mother hadn't raised a coward, though he wouldn't tell her that if he ever saw her again.

"I guess we could find out once they're ready."

Carol's eyes widened in surprise at his response. She had only said it to embarrass him, but now she was the one feeling the blush creep up on her.

Seeing her like this, Daniel chuckled to himself—Carol had a few more years to go if she wanted to tease him successfully.

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Washington D.C., Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

Deep within the facility was a hidden area, accessible only to high-level personnel. It was where many secrets and important projects were kept.

Nick Fury frowned as he descended in a special elevator, contemplating the news he'd received recently.

Ten years. It had been ten years since he had heard anything, but today, on this very day, one of the specialized doctors in charge of one of his greatest failures had called him.

The patient who had been in a coma for ten years had shown signs of activity.

When the elevator stopped, Nick began walking with heavy steps. What should he do? What should he say? How do you explain to a man that he lost ten years of his life due to a stupid mistake?

Due to his stupid mistake...

Nick knew this was his responsibility and that he had to face it. If that man truly woke up, Nick needed to be there and deliver the news while looking him in the eye. He deserved no less; Nick Fury would give him no less.

When he arrived at the location, he saw the lone doctor in charge. Nick greeted him without a word, and the man nodded in response.

"His vital signs have been improving, and his brain activity has been increasing as well. His fingers and toes have started to move occasionally, as have his eyelids. I've never seen anything like this before, sir. The chances of him regaining consciousness are high, very high," the doctor said as they entered the specially prepared room.

Nick took a deep breath and approached the only bed inside, where a man lay reclined—Franklin Hall, one of his best scientists in his time, and also a man he had failed.

"It seems they still haven't shaved him," he commented absentmindedly, noticing the growing stubble on Franklin's face.

The doctor came to his side and nodded.

"In fact, the activity started when the nurse in charge was applying shaving cream to his face. We think that might have stimulated him in some way, so we decided not to interfere further until we gathered more data."

Looking at the man he hadn't seen in years, Fury couldn't help but recall the past. It seemed so distant yet so close... no, something wasn't right here.

Fury remembered—he remembered images that had been sent to him of the man. Although he hadn't visited him in person, he stayed updated from time to time. A man who had been in a coma for over ten years shouldn't look like this.

He hadn't looked like this before.

"Why is his physique different?" he asked, pointing at the man's thick arms, arms with muscles he shouldn't have.

"So you finally noticed, huh? It started at the same time he showed the first signs of life. His body, to put it simply, is changing. Before, he was as thin as a twig despite the best care we've given him. But suddenly, in a short time, he started regaining muscle mass—and not just that, he's been gaining muscle. It's something completely inexplicable, sir, but I theorize it has to do with the project Graviton."

At that last word, Fury felt his body tremble slightly. He thought it was because of the emotions those old memories brought up, but he quickly realized the tremor didn't just affect him. He could see that the medical team had also shaken slightly—not just the team, the whole room had trembled lightly.

One of the vital signs monitors began beeping loudly, the patient's heart rate rapidly increasing. Fury sensed something was about to happen. There was another tremor, another jolt, and then, for a moment, everything felt light, as if all the weight in the place had vanished.

Then, in the next instant, all that weight returned with force, causing Fury to almost drop to his knees.

"What’s happening?!" the doctor asked in panic, the man having fallen to the floor.

"We need to get out of here!" Fury decided that being hundreds of meters underground during a tremor was not a good idea. He hurried to the gurney with the doctor, who clumsily got up, ready to take Franklin and escape.

But as the doctor's hand was about to approach the unconscious man, an arm lifted and grabbed his hand. The tremors stopped for a moment as a pair of eyes that had been closed for years opened once more, with a flash of translucent white light in each of them.

Then the whole place began to collapse.

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Note:

It seems Peter is lucky for once in his life… or not? we'll see.

On the other hand Daniel is about to find out how it feels to face a walking “black hole”...

comment, like, and if you spot any errors, point them out so I can correct them later. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.

Finally remember that You can already find the next chapter (and several more chapters) of this story on P)atreon ( p)atreon com/EmmaCruzader ) All the support received is appreciated ;D

P.S: The design I had in mind for Jessica Jones is from Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 —just, you know, younger and less grim.