"Pack it up!"
On the street, police sirens wailed.
George surveyed the massive crater at the scene, shaking his head.
"Using that move on a few thugs? People might think it was some terrifying super-villain!"
"I think Spider-Man's rattled," an officer speculated.
The chubby officer leaned in. "You mean yesterday's thing?"
"Yeah, that big bird pissed him off."
"I'd say so too."
"These thugs got unlucky, running into a ticked-off Spider-Man."
"Like using a cannon on a mosquito. Overkill."
"Haha, you haven't seen a missile take out a bug."
"I know, that joke's been circling online."
As the officers drove off, Ben Parker and Aunt May watched from a nearby streetlamp, staying silent about last night.
Clearly, they thought Spider-Man was shaken by that weird bird.
Charlie, seeing their silence, nodded approvingly.
"Good. You get my point. We'll pick up the lessons tomorrow. Dismissed."
With that, he shot a web and swung off, vanishing into the night.
But he didn't go far, keeping an eye on their next moves.
Sure enough, they didn't head home. They swung through the city instead.
In this crime-ridden city, heroes always had a stage.
With Kingpin "missing," crime rates had spiked. The underworld was in chaos, gangs fighting over territory daily, bloodshed commonplace.
Two hours later, Ben and May stumbled into an underworld shootout.
Under Charlie's watch, they barely handled it, but it was a bandage on a broken system. These incidents would keep happening.
A new idea sparked in Charlie's mind.
My uncle as an underworld overlord?
Sounds fun.
He grinned, forming a plan.
As Ben and May headed home, Charlie beat them back to the house.
In the dark living room, Baby Kingpin clutched an empty bottle, sleeping contentedly.
He'd nearly died for that milk.
Charlie didn't wake him.
The next day, he sought out Professor Connors.
"You want a brainwave sensor?" Connors looked surprised. "What for?"
Charlie shrugged. "Kingpin's a baby now, living at my place. I want him to spill some secrets."
"Kingpin's a baby?"
Connors blinked, vaguely recalling something.
"Yeah," Charlie said. "With him gone, the underworld's a mess. Gangs are fighting over territory every night. It's annoying."
Last time, he didn't beat Adrian, so no restart points.
Cleaning up the underworld could earn him plenty.
Connors understood Charlie's intent, nodding thoughtfully.
"Captain Carter said you're Spider-Man's contact. Helping him's fine by me.
But sorry, I can handle basic sensors, but your specs are high. Only Otto could build that."
"Dr. Octavius?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.
Connors nodded. "Yeah. To assist his artificial sun experiment, he developed a neural-linked sensor system for his mechanical arms. A single chip could meet your needs."
"Got it. Thanks for the tip, Professor."
"No problem."
As Charlie turned to leave, Connors hesitated, then called out.
"Wait, I need to tell you something."
"What?" Charlie turned back.
Connors took a deep breath. "I know."
"Know what?" Charlie's heart skipped.
Connors locked eyes with him. "Spider-Man. I know who he is."
"Professor…"
Seeing Connors' certainty, Charlie's expression grew serious.
He figured it out?
Not bad, Professor.
"Sorry, Professor, I've been—"
"Spider-Man's your father!" Connors declared.
Charlie: "?????"
"Uh, you sure about that?" His mouth twitched.
"Absolutely."
Connors opened his computer, displaying mutant spider data.
"Richard and I were classmates, friends. I knew some of his work.
I've known for years he was researching this."
Charlie frowned at the genetic data. "What's this?"
"Parker family genetics," Connors explained. "Richard used my computer once, left this behind.
When he vanished, he didn't delete it."
Charlie mused. "What's this got to do with Spider-Man?"
Connors' face grew bitter. "I found the Parker family's genes are highly compatible with mutant spider cells. It might've been a clue Richard left, but I didn't get it then.
Years later, it's too late to follow up. I missed the chance to find your parents."
Before Charlie could speak, Connors added, "But Spider-Man's appearance gave me hope again."
He smiled. "You being his contact isn't random. Spider-Man's likely a Parker.
Most likely your father, Richard Parker."
Charlie scratched his head. "So I could become Spider-Man too?"
Connors nodded. "Yes. One bite from a mutant spider, and you'd gain stronger powers than those spider mutants.
Not just you—Ben and May, too. No, not just possible—I bet those two Spider-Men at the Pyramid were them."
"Why?"
"If they didn't know me, they'd have sent me to the police right away. Instead, they stashed me in a dark room until the Carter family stepped in, then handed me to Captain Carter."
Charlie's eyes widened. "So Uncle Ben and Aunt May are the Spider-Duo making headlines?"
"Spider-Duo?"
Connors hadn't followed the news but found the name surprising.
"Looks like they've embraced being Spider-Men," he chuckled.
Charlie rubbed his chin. "Uncle Ben's my dad's brother, so the Parker genes make sense for him.
But Aunt May's not blood-related. Why's she a stronger Spider-Man?"
Connors glanced at the computer, frowning. "Good point, but I'd need time to figure it out."
Charlie smiled. "Doesn't matter. Thanks, Professor. You've helped a ton."
Connors shook his head. "I should be thanking you. Whether Spider-Man's Richard or not, I trust he'll protect you."
"I'm an adult now. I don't need protecting."
"You're grown, starting to protect others," Connors said, beaming.
...
Soon, Charlie left Connors' lab and headed to the coastal villa to find Dr. Octavius.
"Oh, Charlie, you finally showed! Heard about my artificial sun experiment's final phase?"
In the lab, Octavius had rebuilt his mechanical arms.
The octopus-like arms moved fluidly with his thoughts. In a trench coat and shades, he'd look like "Doc Ock" reborn.
"Congrats, Dr. Octavius, on reaching the final step," Charlie said.
Octavius had an assistant remove the arms, smiling. "I owe it to your equations. They sparked new ideas, pushing me to this stage early."
Charlie froze. So the artificial sun's tied to me?
Octavius patted his shoulder. "Three days from now, the final fusion phase. I'll invite reporters—you come too."
He leaned in. "I added your name to the project. Don't tell anyone—it's a surprise just for you." He winked.
Charlie's heart churned with mixed feelings.
"Dr. Octavius, I didn't really help."
"No, Charlie, you helped immensely. You don't get how vital those equations were."
Octavius glanced at the repaired fusion machine, eyes gleaming.
"Without precise tritium values, my experiment would've failed. You solved my biggest hurdle. You deserve a share of the success."
He turned to Charlie, encouraging. "You're a genius. You should have this. We'll be the world's top scientists, our names remembered.
And, Charlie, you're my friend. I'm glad I met you."
"I…"
Charlie was speechless.
Despite only meeting twice, Octavius was willing to share his success.
Charlie knew he didn't deserve it.
He didn't know how to explain.
Octavius' sincerity left him silent.
Seeing Charlie quiet, Octavius handed him coffee.
"Don't get too emotional, kid. It'll get better. You'll get better."
"I'm trying," Charlie exhaled, smiling. "I need a brainwave sensor to communicate with someone mute."
"No problem. I've got spare chips. It'll be done in a bit."
"Spare chips?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Like the ones in your arms?"
"Exactly. One of my proudest creations."
...
That night, Charlie returned home with the brainwave device.
"Baby, try the gift I got you."
He placed the headset-like device on Kingpin's head and flipped the switch.
"Bzzz~"
Kingpin felt dizzy for a moment.
Snapping back, he looked at Charlie, his little face uneasy.
"What did you—huh? I can talk?"
He lit up with joy.
"I can—no, it's this headset."
The device spoke, and Charlie grinned.
"Perfect, Mr. Kingpin. Now we can chat smoothly."
Kingpin adapted quickly, his face pensive.
"This jerk starved me so long, I won't—no, what's happening, my voice…"
He clutched his face, horrified.
"Why? My thoughts…"
"Mr. Kingpin, whatever you think, it tells me," Charlie said, pointing at the headset with a wicked grin.
Kingpin, exposed, scrambled to remove it.
"Jerk, take it off! I don't want this!!"
But his tiny arms were no match. Charlie pinned them, smirking.
"Your dark empire's huge. You must know how to handle your old crew, right?"
"Of course—no, I won't tell you, you devil, let me go…"
"One bottle of milk for one tip."
"No, I won't—ugh, I really want to."
"Deal's done."
"I didn't agree!"
"Your heart did."
"No, this damn baby body—I don't even like milk!!"
That night, Charlie got his answers, then removed the chip, disabling the device.
As Ben and May returned, Charlie intercepted them.
"Mr. Spider-Man!"
"It's me, your good nephew—er, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
He tossed them a file.
"Here's a mission: take down Kingpin's dark empire. This'll help."
"What?"
Ben caught the USB, confused.
"With this?"
"Yup."
Charlie said, "Their crime records are in there. I'll have Captain Carter back you up. They're not Kingpin—can't cover their tracks perfectly.
Once you take them down, Carter will plant her people in the empire. What it becomes is up to you."
"Us?"
Ben and May exchanged glances.
"I get it. You want us to be the next Kingpin."
"But we can't. It's insane."
"Yeah, impossible."
Their refusal was expected.
Charlie looked at them, voice firm.
"With great power comes great responsibility. Believe in yourselves—you can do it."
"Great power?"
"Great responsibility?"
They mulled over the words, their eyes gleaming with newfound purpose.
That phrase hit Spider-Men harder than a designer bag does a fashionista.
When they snapped back, Charlie was gone.