[Third Person POV]
Music thumped through Peter's corner of the lair, the bass rattling against scattered tools and half-finished prototypes. He and Harry worked shoulder-to-shoulder, sleeves rolled up, sparks of concentration lighting their eyes as they pieced together the power dampener.
Sure, they could have let the Spider-Bots handle assembly in minutes—but there was something more satisfying about building it themselves, feeling the weight of every component, the hum of energy in their hands.
Peter flicked a core across the room. Harry snatched it out of the air without looking, a grin tugging at his lips as he locked it into the collar's inner frame with a sharp click.
A pen-like tool dangled between Peter's teeth as his fingers blurred across a floating holographic keyboard. Streams of glowing data cascaded in front of him like waterfalls of code, his movements so quick the keys lagged behind his input. With a push of his chair, he slid down the desk, pulling a matte-black plate into his grasp.
Spinning the pen deftly between his fingers, Peter leaned in and began etching delicate circuitry into the surface. Fine glowing lines branched like veins of light across the plate, eliminating the need for messy wiring.
Harry mirrored the process with his own piece, both of them working with surgeon-like precision, movements in perfect rhythm. Click, twist, etch, align—piece by piece the collar began to take shape.
Finally, the two snapped the last sections together and set the completed collar onto a recessed slot in the worktable. The surface hummed as the lair's systems interfaced with the device, streams of data transferring into its core.
The collar lay open on the table, sleek and black, its light pulsing with a steady red glow.
Peter leaned back, and flashed Harry a grin. "Alright," he said, shutting off the music, "shall we see if this thing actually works?"
"You seriously want to try this on ourselves first? I mean, come on, I'm pretty sure we've got a few unwilling participants in the medical bay we could slap these on," Harry said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder toward the behind them. His tone was half-joking, half-serious, but his eyes lingered on the half-finished collar in his hand with curiosity.
"I want to personally see how it works," Peter replied without hesitation. His voice carried that stubborn edge Harry had come to recognize whenever Peter was absolutely set on something.
Peter tilted his head back slightly, baring his neck in challenge. "If we're going to use these on others, I need to know how it feels, to know if there are any flaws—if I need to make improvements."
Harry let out a long, drawn-out sigh, spinning the crescent-shaped device between his fingers. "If you say so…" he muttered, not entirely convinced.
Peter grinned, unable to resist. "You know, this somehow feels kinky…" He let out a short snicker, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Alright, bro, there's no need to make this weird," Harry groaned, shaking his head with mock disgust as he moved forward. Carefully, he placed the half-formed collar over Peter's neck.
The device responded immediately, unfolding with mechanical precision. Metallic segments extended outward, clicking together until it wrapped snugly around Peter's throat, adjusting itself until it fit perfectly. The glow that had been a steady blue shifted in an instant, flickering before stabilizing as a sharp green ring of light pulsed along the edge.
"Oooh… that's a weird feeling," Peter grimaced, his face tightening as he twisted his shoulders uncomfortably. "It's like… I just lost feeling in my arm. I can't move it at all. Almost like I've been paralyzed, but only halfway."
Harry leaned in slightly, his curiosity overriding his initial unease. "Was it painful?"
Peter shook his head, rolling it from side to side as though testing the fit. "No, not painful. Just… bizarre. Like my body's forgotten how to respond in certain places." He clenched his fist, expecting the familiar crackle of electricity to dance across his knuckles, but nothing came. His hand twitched uselessly. "Yep. That's gone. No sparks."
"What about your strength?" Harry pressed, his tone shifting into something almost clinical, like a doctor running through a checklist. His brow furrowed as he studied Peter's posture.
Peter flexed his arm slowly, gauging the resistance. "Weirdly enough, I still have some of it. Not all though—definitely weaker than before. It's like… the collar doesn't erase everything, it just shuts down the parts that shouldn't exist." He paused, thinking aloud. "I think I get it now. The powers from the spider bite and the cosmic storm—they're gone, or more accurately, blocked. But the enhancements from the SSS? Those are still there. The serum didn't mutate my DNA like the spider bite or cosmic energy did—it only boosted what I already had. Makes sense that it slipped past."
Harry nodded slowly, absorbing the explanation. "Alright… but what about your magic? Can you still summon spells?"
Peter frowned, his expression shifting to a more serious one. "No. If I were a traditional sorcerer who drew power from the raw energies of the universe, then yeah, maybe I could bypass it. But I don't. I channel my Chi, and since the collar's cutting that flow off—no dice."
"Figures," Harry said. Then his lips quirked into a grin. "Try to rip it off. Let's see what the durability looks like."
Peter grabbed the collar with both hands and pulled. His muscles flexed, veins bulging as his shoulders shook from the strain. He gritted his teeth and let out a growl as he tried again, pulling with everything he had. The metal didn't even creak.
Finally, he let go, panting as he rubbed his sore hands. "Nope. Not happening. Only someone with Hulk-level strength could rip this apart in one go."
Harry crossed his arms, satisfied. "Good. That's the point. But now for the important part—the countermeasure if it's ever used on us."
Peter closed his eyes for a moment, then spoke clearly: "Protocol 542, serial number 935464821."
The green glow immediately pulsed, then flickered back to red. A sharp beep followed before the collar split at the seams with a hiss, releasing his neck. The halves retracted smoothly, leaving behind only the faintest warmth on his skin.
"Not bad. We can call this a success," Harry said, holding out his hand. The two high-fived, grins spreading across their faces despite the tension lingering in the air.
"Yeah, it works. We'll need to fine-tune a few things here and there, but overall, solid prototype," Peter agreed.
"Let's build a few more before we take them to Gwen and the others," Harry suggested, already turning back to their workstation.
Peter nodded before he paused, then smirked. "And while we're at it, I say we don't stop at collars. Let's make handcuffs too. Arresting people with only neck gear is going to look a little… weird."
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