Artificial Sun Experiment, The Eve.
10 PM, Stark Tower.
"Cap, we're ready."
"Good. Await my orders."
In a nearby hotel, Carter kept watch on Stark Tower through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Whoosh~
The next moment, a web line dropped, and Charlie, hanging upside down outside the window, tapped on the glass.
Knock knock~
"Hey, Captain, you called for me?" he asked.
"Use the front door next time."
Carter opened the balcony window, her face expressionless.
Charlie swung into the hotel room. "Sorry, first time you've asked me to a hotel. I figured we should keep my identity under wraps. After all, everyone knows we're cousins. Wouldn't want rumors flying."
As he spoke, he retracted his nano-suit and started taking off his jacket.
"What are you doing?" Carter's face darkened.
Charlie paused. "What else do you do in a place like this?"
Carter gritted her teeth. "I called you here for serious business. Stop overthinking."
Charlie scratched his head. "Overthinking? Me?"
He walked into the bathroom. "You didn't use up all the hot water, did you?"
"No."
Carter answered, then stood there, wrestling with her thoughts for a long moment.
When Charlie emerged, wrapped in a towel, she took a deep breath.
"There's still time. Hurry up, don't delay the mission," she said, lying down.
Charlie: "???"
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
"No way, sis, you thought I was here for that?"
"Wasn't that your plan?"
"Oh, come on! You really think I'm that kind of guy? I'm disappointed in you."
"Don't act like I don't know about the stunts you pulled in the last resurrection match."
"That wasn't my fault!"
"You expect me to believe that?"
Carter rolled her eyes. "I've humored you enough. Now, back to business." She stood up.
Charlie shook his head. "For the record, I was being serious this time."
Carter froze mid-step. "You're… serious?"
"Of course."
Charlie leaned in, whispering near her ear.
"I haven't showered in three days. Obviously, I had to try out a five-star hotel bathroom."
Carter: "."
Her face darkened, teeth grinding. "Charlie Parker!"
"What?"
Bang!
A gust of wind roared as Charlie caught the incoming shield with one hand, raising an eyebrow with a grin.
"Not bad. Forty tons of force, plus your shield. If the Hulk shows up again, you've got enough to hold your own."
Carter snorted. "I called you here about Adrian."
"That Vulture?"
Charlie's tone grew serious. "Have you found him?"
"I've been tracking him. He's been showing up every night."
Carter looked toward Stark Tower. "Each time, he drains life force from passersby. I've studied his routes, and it seems he's circling Stark Tower."
"So draining life force isn't his endgame. His real target is Stark Tower."
Charlie's gaze locked onto the top floor through the window.
That's where Tony was.
"His target is Tony?" he frowned.
"Draining life from random people or from Tony—what's the difference?" Charlie said.
Carter shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I've already warned Stark. He should be prepared."
She looked at Charlie. "If Adrian shows up tonight, you good?"
Charlie glanced at her. "You're no slouch yourself. Why lean on me?"
"My speed's still slower than yours. I can't catch him."
"Tony's suit isn't exactly slow."
"I've calculated it. Tony's suit is fast, but it's still not enough to catch that guy."
"No worries. I already talked to Tony the other day. He agreed to build an anti-Vulture suit for me."
"Anti-Vulture suit?"
Carter pondered. "If there's an anti-Vulture suit, is there an anti-Hulk suit?"
"Of course."
Charlie crossed his arms. "Not just anti-Hulk. He's got an anti-Spider-Man suit too."
Carter blinked, surprised. "Aren't you two friends?"
"Exactly why he'd make an anti-Spider-Man suit."
Charlie shrugged. "It's just his style."
At that moment, a message crackled through Carter's earpiece.
"Cap, we've spotted Adrian."
From a rooftop, Barton, bow in hand, locked his gaze on a massive bird-like figure in the night sky.
Carter grabbed her shield. "He's here. Move."
"Got it."
Charlie tapped the spider emblem on his chest, nano-metal enveloping his body in an instant.
Together, they leaped out the window.
"Here."
Mid-fall, Charlie tossed a web-shooter to Carter, then fired a spatial web into the night sky.
"Barton, back up Spider-Man," Carter ordered.
"Understood."
Barton's voice was cold as he loosed an arrow with a sharp hiss~
Boom!!
The arrow exploded in the night sky, heatwaves surging. Adrian, glowing with green light, accelerated and dodged the blast.
"Hm?"
Barton frowned. "Cap, he's too fast. I can't lock on."
He fired several more arrows, but none could pin down the Vulture in the sky.
"Hahaha, these primitive weapons are child's play!" Adrian cackled, vanishing into Stark Tower's top floor in a blink.
Tony, already suited up, saw the green streak coming and spoke calmly.
"Jarvis, activate the anti-Vulture system."
"Yes, sir."
Click click~
Mini-missiles launched from the suit's shoulders, streaking with fire, but Adrian dodged them effortlessly.
"Stark, your missiles are too slow."
"Are they?"
Tony smirked as the missiles in the night sky looped back.
"What?"
Adrian yelped, flapping his wings to climb higher. The tracking missiles pursued relentlessly, determined to hit their mark.
"Whoa, tracking missiles? That's the anti-Vulture system?" A red-and-blue figure swung onto the scene, landing nearby. Tony glanced at Charlie.
"Of course not."
He snapped his fingers, and the lab erupted with firelight as a barrage of tracking missiles launched, surrounding Adrian from all directions.
"That's gotta be it, right?" Charlie asked.
"Nope. Still not it."
Flames burst from Tony's boots as his suit rocketed into the sky.
Boom!!
He fired arc pulses from his hands, detonating the tracking missiles early.
Boom boom boom!!
The night sky bloomed with dazzling fireworks as the missiles released electromagnetic nets, blocking all of Adrian's escape routes.
"Nice. My turn."
Charlie crouched, ready to launch Adrian skyward while his movements were restricted.
But he quickly abandoned the plan.
"Hahaha, interesting. Not a bad tracking system!"
In the night sky, Adrian laughed wildly. His wings glowed green, slicing through the electromagnetic nets like butter.
"What?"
Tony's face twitched, but he quickly regained his composure.
"You should've told me how much trouble this guy is. With a bit more time, he'd be nothing."
As he spoke, flames roared from his suit, and he shot into the night, closing in on Adrian.
Buzz~
Bang bang bang!!
Palm cannons fired wildly, but Adrian dodged the energy blasts with ease.
Before he could taunt, the Mark suit kicked into full-power flight mode.
Boom!!
Blue flames erupted from the back of the suit, and Tony's figure streaked past Barton's perch, sonic booms rippling through the night.
"What?"
Adrian panicked at the sudden acceleration, flapping his wings as green light surged, boosting his speed to barely evade the Mark suit's charge.
"He's even faster now," Tony muttered, frowning.
"Sir, the suit's overload is critical. Please deactivate full-power mode," Jarvis warned.
"I know."
As the back thrusters closed, Tony was drenched in sweat.
"I can try a few more times."
He stretched, realizing the full-power mode wasn't as taxing as he'd thought.
The thrusters reignited, blue flames tearing through the void.
Boom!
"Damn it, again?!" Adrian cursed, flapping his wings to flee.
Tony pursued relentlessly.
Soon, both figures vanished into the night.
"They're gone," Barton reported.
At Stark Tower, Carter swung onto the rooftop with the web-shooter.
"Coffee?"
Pepper approached with two cups, looking relaxed.
Charlie turned. "I only drink juice. Two cups."
"Oh, sorry, I forgot."
Pepper handed a coffee to Carter. "Thanks for your hard work. I'll grab the juice."
"Thanks."
Carter sipped her coffee and glanced at Charlie.
"Stark's anti-Vulture suit doesn't seem too effective."
Charlie shook his head. "He didn't have much time. Getting it to this level is already impressive."
"So what's next?"
"You're the Captain, and you're asking me?"
"I want to see if your powers are back."
"They are."
Charlie shouted toward the room, "Hold the juice, I've got stuff to do!"
He fired a web into the void.
"Where are you going?" Carter asked.
Charlie said, "This guy's target seems to be Tony, but Tony doesn't have what he wants. I think it's a trap."
"Stark's in danger?" Carter's eyes widened.
"No, he's just drawing our attention."
"Then what's his real goal?"
"No idea, but looking in the opposite direction should give us a clue."
With that, the red-and-blue figure shot out from the web like a slingshot, disappearing into the night.
Soon, Pepper returned with two glasses of juice.
"Where's Spider-Man?" she asked, puzzled.
Carter pointed in the direction Charlie left. "He had something to do."
Pepper frowned. "That direction…"
"You know something?" Carter noticed her expression.
Pepper shook her head with a smile. "Probably overthinking it. A big bird wouldn't be interested in a giant reactor, right?"
Carter raised an eyebrow. "Giant reactor?"
"Yeah, Tony built a massive reactor to power all of New York's factories. It takes a huge load off the city's power grid."
Carter's mind clicked. "Got it. Adrian's target isn't Tony—it's the giant reactor!"
She quickly radioed Charlie. "You hear that? It's the giant reactor."
"Got it. And I see it."
In the night sky, Charlie spotted a blinding blue glow erupting from a coastal factory.
Sensing the terrifying electrical power within, he was stunned.
"What does that Vulture want with all this power?"
Carter mused, "Adrian's speed has gotten faster. I think it's tied to the Time Tablet."
"I know."
Charlie landed near the factory, spotting a glowing monument at the center of the giant reactor, seemingly charging.
"Activating the Time Tablet takes massive energy. That's gotta be it."
In that moment, he thought of the pyramids.
The Time Tablet had been activated by the unique energy in the pyramids.
Without that energy, Adrian needed immense electrical power to even partially tap into the Time Tablet's power.
As his thoughts raced, his spider-sense blared.
Buzz~
Boom!!
A rocket blasted toward him as Charlie leaped, the explosion scattering debris. He landed on a nearby glass walkway.
Rustling sounds emerged as hordes of enhanced soldiers appeared from the shadows, each wielding a rocket launcher, abandoning alloy arms for brutal firepower.
The Winter Soldiers had gone full ranged.
"Hydra?"
Charlie frowned, then swung into the factory with a web.
Boom boom boom~~
Explosions erupted behind him as he flung tiny spiders into the air.
Chitter chitter chitter~
Pfft pfft pfft
Magic webs shot into the crowd, bursting with energy and detonating the rockets in the soldiers' hands.
Boom boom boom!!
The explosions engulfed the enhanced soldiers, limbs flying everywhere.
The blast's shockwave caused the giant reactor's glow to flicker, unleashing a terrifying surge of electricity.
Zzzzt zzzzt zzzzt~~
Boom!
Arc lightning shot everywhere, too dense for even Charlie's speed to dodge. He was struck mid-air and crashed down.
At the same time, the reactor's runaway energy caused the monument at its core to crack.
Crack crack crack
Bang!
The monument shattered, turning to dust under the arc's impact.
Seeing this, Charlie's eyes narrowed.
"The Time Tablet was a fake!" he radioed Carter.
Carter's face darkened. "That's the real trap. The giant reactor's about to blow. Get out!"
"No chance. They planned for this."
Charlie stood, brushing off his hands, his tone light.
"But it's fine. I won't die this time."
"You say that every time, and it always goes south."
"Not lying this time."
Charlie grinned. "You're my witness—this mess is Hydra's doing, not mine."
"What?"
"I mean, Tony's lawyer can't pin this on me."
He formed hand seals, the spider totem on his chest glowing.
Buzz!!
A massive red-and-blue spider totem spread beneath him, enveloping the runaway reactor.
Resurrection match reward: Summon Tiny Spider!
Youth Edition!
"Come out, Arc Spider!"
Buzz~
As the totem erupted in light, the reactor was fully encased in magical energy.
Moments later, a terrifying arc surge leveled the factory.
Meanwhile, Adrian, pursued by Tony, got the news and laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha, dead, dead, finally dead!"
He turned to Iron Man, smirking.
"New York's richest man, I'm done playing. Once I have the full power of the Time Tablet, your fortune's mine."
With a cold laugh, green light spread across his wings, his speed surging as he left Tony behind.
"What?"
Tony's thrusters dimmed, and he stopped in mid-air, exhausted.
Panting, he watched Adrian vanish, feeling powerless.
"What kind of speed is that?"
Shaking his head with a sigh, Tony flew back to Stark Tower.
Soon, he landed on the rooftop.
"Where's Spider-Man?" he asked Carter.
Carter shook her head. "Couldn't reach him."
"No contact?"
Tony tried himself, confirming Spider-Man was unreachable.
He fell silent.
"If that's the case, he might…"
As expected, Happy rushed up to Tony.
"The giant reactor exploded. We found some metal arms at the scene, and someone saw Spider-Man there."
"What?"
Tony's face paled. "With the reactor's blast, no carbon-based lifeform could survive."
"So Spider-Man's dead again?" He looked at Carter.
Carter shrugged. "Barring a miracle, probably."
Harry, just arriving, overheard and looked regretful.
He'd rushed over after work, only to hear of Spider-Man's death.
Shame he didn't see how Spider-Man went down.
What a moment.
Beep beep~
His communicator rang, and he answered.
"Hey, buddy, how's it going?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Harry's expression turned odd.
"Charlie?"
"It's me. Don't recognize my voice?"
At a street corner, Charlie grinned. "Been too busy to meet up the last couple days. Tomorrow, after Dr. Octavius's artificial sun experiment, let's grab a drink."
"You sure?" Harry's mind was a mess.
Spider-Man was dead.
So who was this guy?
Damn, have I been wrong this whole time?
Thank God I didn't call it out. That'd be so embarrassing.
No, not just embarrassing—it's…
I've been fooling myself this whole time.
So humiliating. No one can know.
Absolutely not!
Soon, Charlie hung up.
He gazed toward Dr. Octavius's villa, deep in thought.
The Time Tablet needed immense energy to fully activate, and Dr. Octavius's artificial sun was the perfect choice.
Eliminating Spider-Man early meant no one could stop Adrian.
At least not in the short term.
Chitter chitter chitter
A blue arc crawled onto his shoulder.
Charlie patted the little guy, smiling.
"Tomorrow's on you."
Chitter chitter chitter
The Arc Spider squealed, while another tiny spider in his pocket silently wept.
The master loves a tiny spider, but that spider isn't me.
So love really can fade.