Brooklyn – Morning
The smell of grease, salt and burnt coffee clung to the air of a half-empty burger joint. Peter B. Parker sat hunched at a table, devouring a burger with such terrible table manners that it would make even the devil say, " Bless you." Ketchup and mustard dripped down his fingers, which he licked up without shame.
Across from him, Miles Morales sipped a chocolate milkshake, staring away while debating whether it was really chocolate in the shake.
"You know," Miles said carefully " Normal people don't eat breakfast like that."
Peter B. spoke through a mouthful. "Kid, I'm not normal. I'm divorced, broke, dimensionally displaced and hungry. This is therapy. Also, in my dimension this burger joint shut down six years ago. I don't know why."
Miles muttered, "Probably health code violation."
A waiter slapped the bill on the table, his face permanently scowled.
"You got cash right?" Asked Peter B.
"Can you focus?" whisper-yelled a frustrated Miles.
"First look up where the headquarters of Alchemax is" instructed Peter B.
Miles nodded. After a few taps on his phone, results popped up.
"It's on a private campus in the Hudson Valley. We can swing there" Miles said.
"Haha, swing there" Peter B. said.
Hudson Valley Explorer – Late Morning
The Hudson Valley Explorer bus rolled through forests of maple and quaking aspen. The swirling red of maple and yellow of aspen leaves created a beautiful scene.
"Miles, we're not going to swing to Hudson Valley. And not to mention I don't even have enough web fluid. We'll need our feet in perfect shape, trust me on this." Peter B. said.
" Can you give me some advice on how to be you know....." Trailed off Miles.
" Disinfect the mask and use a lot of baby powder on the joints in order to prevent chafing. Well, that's everything." Peter B. said.
After some time, the bus hissed to a stop at a scenic overlook, a few hundred meters from the Hudson Valley Alchemax Science Campus. The sprawling facility glittered in the sun — glass atriums and perfectly numbered parking spaces. The place didn't look menacing at all. It looked… regular. Too regular.
Miles peeked from behind a large rock. "This is Alchemax? Looks like an Apple Store that went to college."
Peter B. tugged his coat tighter. "Don't be fooled. Anytime you see shiny buildings that look too innocent this far from the city, it means they're definitely hiding something."
Campus Perimeter
"Okay we need a plan. First I use the ventilation shafts to sneak into the lab. Then I find the head scientist's office and hack into her computer. I copy the collider data, steal a bagel from the cafeteria and swing away." Peter B. narrated.
"What about me?" Asked Miles.
"You're the lookout. If anything goes sideways, bolt."
Miles frowned. "What do you mean bolt?"
Peter patted him on the shoulder. "You're new at this. Start small. I'll do the science-y theft part."
Peter B. swung away. Miles smashed his fist against the boulder in frustration and it cracked. "Huh, that's new." Miles muttered, but then he spotted Kingpin's car pulling in with Tombstone at his side.
Inside – Ventilation Shafts
Peter wriggled through the vents, muttering "Why do villains always have oversized air ducts? Seriously, you could host yoga classes in here."
"Peter, we need to leave" a whisper came from behind.
"Kid, I told you to be on the lookout!!!" Hissed Peter B.
"Kingpin's here. I'm not watching another Peter die." Miles hissed back, surprising Peter B.
"…Thanks kid." Peter B. said quietly.
Below, in a sleek conference room, Wilson Fisk stood in a black suit that strained against his massive frame. Beside him, Dr. Olivia Octavius adjusted her glasses, typing a password Peter B. caught sight of.
"Mr. Fisk I need more time." Dr. Olivia said.
"Ooh, now he's going to say you have 24 hours." Peter whispered to Miles.
Miles leaned closer to the vent grate.
Fisk's voice rumbled. "The collider goes online in 24 hours. I want results, Doctor."
Octavius sighed without looking up. "Patience, Mr. Fisk. Quantum realignment isn't like baking a cake. If you rush it, you don't get soufflé. You get an implosion."
She left to persuade Kingpin for more time.
Peter B. slipped down from the vent the moment they stepped away. He slid into her workstation, eyes darting to the keyboard.
"Let's see… what were you typing, doc?" He retraced her keystrokes and grinned when the screen blinked green. "Password: Newton'sApple12468854$&"
Just as he started copying data, Miles tried climbing down through the ceiling, whispering "I can help—"
Thunk. His hands latched onto a light fixture. Stuck.
Miles struggled, dangling like a piñata. "Uh, Peter? Little help?"
Peter glanced up and groaned. "Relax. Just… relax. Do whatever you for relaxing."
Miles thought for a moment and started muttering lines from Sunflower under his breath and his fingers disconnected from the surface of the light fixture one by one. He dropped straight onto the glass desk, scattering papers as he was too engrossed in enjoying the song.
"Smooth." Peter muttered.
"Kid! Where did you go?" Whispered Peter B., jabbing his finger into the air, only to poke Miles in the eye.
"Ow! You poked me in the eye!" Miles exclaimed.
Before they could finish bickering, Dr. Octavius pushed open the doors. Miles vanished again.
"I'll keep her distracted. You get the data. The password is Newton'sApple12468854$&" Peter yelled.
Olivia stepped inside, adjusting her glasses, and froze at the sight of Peter. Her eyes lit with curiosity. "Spiderman? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Peter jumped in front of the desk, blocking the monitors. "Oh hi! Big fan of your science stuff. Did I mention I'm auditing the campus tour? Also surprise! I'm not dead."
Meanwhile Miles panicked at the desktop chaos: hundreds of open windows, random code, half-finished notes. He fumbled and finally unplugged the monitor, yanking the CPU tower free.
Octavius narrowed her eyes and grabbed Peter, yanking his mask up. She forced him into a mechanical chair that bound his arms and legs, then took a saliva sample.
She slipped it under a microscope. Her smile widened. "Your molecular structure is fascinating. But you're decaying. At an exponential rate. Every cell in your body is unraveling. You're going to die horribly in agony and I'm going to enjoy watching it."
Miles froze mid-step, horrified.
Peter blinked. "Wow. You really know how to kill the mood. Wait, what's your name again?"
She set down her glasses and swapped them for green-lensed goggles. Her lab coat slid off to reveal a green outfit. From her back burst mechanical tentacles, gleaming and writhing with hydraulic power. Unlike other variants, hers were made of high tensile polymers with carbon fiber endoskeletons.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly." She purred. "Doctor Olivia Octavius. But you can call me Doc Ock."
"You're Doc Ock?!" Peter yelped.
The tentacles grabbed him and slammed him against the floor.
"Run kid!" Peter B. shouted.
Read 35 chapters ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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