"Alright, I think that's everything," Peter said out loud, biting the pencil he held in his hand while furrowing his brow.In his other hand was a notebook he had asked a nurse for when she came to check on him. The medical order was that he had to remain in the hospital for the rest of the week, which meant he couldn't go out and test his powers. The room was surely being monitored with cameras and microphones, so doing anything here would be dangerous at best.
On the other hand, Peter was able to focus on something a little more urgent: he finally had the time to analyze the memories of the original Peter from this world.He didn't know if it was because of the original Peter's photographic memory or because of his own condition as a reincarnated soul, but he was able to replay them with a clarity that shouldn't be normal for a regular human. So he began taking notes on everything he considered important to get an overview.What he discovered was both fascinating and a little alarming.
First of all, it seemed that his backstory followed the same model as The Amazing Spider-Man, with Peter being abandoned by his parents at his uncle's house in the middle of the night. He couldn't recall it precisely—something that seemed natural, considering that unlike in the movie, in this reality he had only been a few months old.But he could remember fragments of things: Uncle Ben and Richard Parker arguing, Aunt May shouting that they couldn't abandon them, the cries of Kaine and Benny, and above all, the constant drumming of rain on the roof.
He had searched online and discovered that, just like in the movie, Richard and Mary Parker had apparently died in a plane crash. Peter knew that was false and that they had surely been murdered—the problem was that he didn't know by whom, according to this universe's version.In the main universe, Peter Parker's parents were secret agents working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and were murdered by Red Skull after discovering his cover.In The Amazing Spider-Man, Richard was a scientist at Oscorp who experimented on and modified the spiders, and was later killed on Norman Osborn's orders when he uncovered the company's illegal operations and its intention to turn his research into biological weapons.
Peter couldn't predict exactly which of the two versions was true—or if it was some blended version of both. He only hoped he wouldn't one day find himself in the middle of a cemetery face-to-face with his supposedly dead father. Although, if it was the Amazing version, at least it spared him from having to set up a secret lab.
On the other hand, his family life with Uncle Ben and Aunt May wasn't bad at all.
Besides the fact that his uncles—especially his aunt—had practically already married him off to MJ, there wasn't much else to highlight.Except, maybe, that they were probably part of the mafia.
He could deduce that easily thanks to the memories he had: half-heard conversations when they thought he was asleep, shady men visiting the workshop or the bar who were quickly taken away by Uncle Ben as soon as they arrived, not to mention the times he'd glimpsed Aunt May's account books. He knew perfectly well that the numbers were inflated: duplicated entries, invoices from nonexistent suppliers, expenses that didn't line up with day-to-day life.They were altered books, camouflaged to hide money from another source.
Peter couldn't get much more information since, despite their slip-ups, his aunt and uncle were meticulous about keeping things from him. He wasn't sure if Kaine, Teresa, or Benny knew."Great, I'm the new Spider-Man and my family's in the mafia. Well, at least I know there won't be financial problems in the near future," Peter thought. One of the original Peter Parker's biggest struggles had been the lack of money and having to cover both his own expenses and his aunt's. From the account books and the way they lived a seemingly middle-class life, he could roughly calculate that they had at least a million dollars stashed away.
"Well then, I can use this without worry," Peter murmured, spinning between his fingers the half-million-dollar check Norman had given him. The simple texture of the paper made him smile with a certain irony; that piece of cellulose was worth more than he had ever seen together in his entire life.He had decided to keep it for himself—not for the family, nor for covering immediate expenses. No, that money would be the initial boost for his new life, the fuel that would set Spider-Man in motion.
"A hero needs more than just a mask and powers," he thought as he jotted down new ideas in the notebook. "If I can get Richard Parker's underground lab, that already covers the need for a properly equipped hideout. But I'll need materials, and I'll also need to update and replace any defective or obsolete lab equipment. None of that will be cheap," Peter reflected, aware that a hidden camera was watching him.
The irony made Peter let out a small laugh: the original Peter Parker had broken his back selling photos to the Daily Bugle just to eat and pay rent, while here he was, in this new reality, sitting on half a million dollars and a family with dirty money hidden under the floorboards.
He jotted down a quick list in his notebook, heading it with large letters:
THINGS TO DO
1. Open bank accounts
2. Secure a stable source of income
3. Study power limits
4. Find the underground lab
5. Buy materials and equipment
6. Develop the web formula
7. Design web-shooters
Peter went over the list, underlining point number 1 and 2 with emphasis.
"The first thing is to secure the money," he thought, twirling the pencil between his fingers. "I can't just go around paying for things with a check from Norman Osborn without raising suspicion… and even less can I let it get mixed in with my uncle's accounts. I need identities, fronts, something that will let me move money without the IRS or even Oscorp tracking me."
The second point was trickier. Half a million was a good start, but it wouldn't last forever if he wanted to afford lab materials, prototypes, specialized equipment, and eventually combat tech. He had to find a stable, steady source of income."Stable income…" he murmured. "The Bugle is out—I'm not living off Jonah Jameson's scraps. I'm not getting involved with the mafia either, at least not yet. Maybe the stock market? With my intelligence I could create a program to help me, but the problem is still moving capital without drawing attention."
Peter kept thinking, searching for an answer. He had seen a lot of movies in his previous life and in this one, so he trusted that something would come to him."Maybe I can use fake identities—or better yet, create shell companies. A well-built LLC can hide a lot of money if you know how to move it. With Parker's memory and mine, learning the basics of creative accounting shouldn't be too hard."
The thought made him chuckle under his breath. "Look at me, not even twenty-four hours into deciding to be Spider-Man and I'm already thinking like a corporate supervillain. Norman would be proud."
His eyes returned to point number 3."Study power limits…" he thought. That would have to wait. He couldn't train in the hospital room, not with cameras watching his every move. But at least he could plan the tests: endurance, speed, strength, reflexes, regenerative capacity. Everything had to be measured with scientific precision, and once he had those limits, he could train his body. Peter knew from the comics that the only Spider-Man who had actually trained was Assassin Spider-Man, who had been trained by Wolverine.
On top of that, he needed a spacious, isolated place to run the tests. Along with that, he needed to find someone willing to sell lab equipment and industrial-grade chemicals to a teenager."I need an assistant," Peter thought, and started writing again in the notebook:
8. Develop an A.I.
He snapped the notebook shut and left it on the nightstand. Lying back on the bed, he spun the check between his fingers one more time, as if that piece of paper held all the answers. In a way, it did. Money didn't solve every problem, but it did buy time and room to maneuver—and in this world, those were the most valuable things anyone could have.
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Thanks for waiting. I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have. Stones are also one of my motivators.
Thanks again for waiting.