"What?"
"I've been suspicious of Norman for a while. Some of the experiments at Oscorp are questionable. Dangerous. I think he's working on something big. Something he's not telling anyone about."
Peter leaned forward. "Like what?"
"Human enhancement. Beyond what's officially sanctioned. I've seen evidence of unauthorized lab use. Missing chemicals. Strange patterns in his behavior." Alex met Peter's eyes. "I think Norman Osborn is experimenting on himself."
"Jesus. With what?"
"I don't know yet. But whatever it is, it's not safe. Not stable. And I want to keep tabs on him. Figure out what he's planning before it goes too far."
"So you want to investigate your own boss. The guy who signs your paychecks."
"I have a hunch this experiment of his can endanger society." Alex pulled out a notebook. "And I need your help. You can get places I can't. See things I can't access. We work together on this."
Peter was quiet for a moment. "You want us to spy on Norman Osborn."
"I want us to protect ourselves and others from whatever he's building. Yes."
"That's dangerous, Alex. Really dangerous. If he finds out—"
"He won't. We'll be careful. Methodical. And we have advantages he doesn't know about. He doesn't know we're working together. Doesn't know I know your identity. Doesn't know you trust me completely."
Peter stood up. Started pacing. "This is a lot. You want me to consistently hold back my strength so your reports look accurate. You want to investigate Norman. You want us working together on corporate espionage basically."
"I want us to be prepared. Norman's obsession with Spider-Man is just the beginning. I can feel it. Something bigger is coming. And I'd rather be ahead of it than caught off guard."
Peter stopped pacing. "Okay. I'm in. But we do this smart. No unnecessary risks. And if it gets too dangerous, we back off."
"Agreed." Alex extended his hand. "Partners?"
Peter shook it. "Partners. Though this is weird. I'm used to working alone."
"Get used to teamwork. It's going to be important."
They spent the next two hours going over details. Alex showed Peter the footage analysis. Explained what Norman would be looking for. Coached Peter on how to make his fighting style more consistent. How to create patterns that would lead Norman to wrong conclusions.
By midnight, they had a solid plan. Peter would continue being Spider-Man but with more awareness of how he appeared on camera. Alex would feed Norman accurate but incomplete data. Both would investigate Norman's secret research.
Peter left through the window around 12:30 AM. Alex watched him swing away into the Manhattan night.
Then he sat down at his desk. Pulled out a clean notebook. Started writing.
Not for Norman. For himself.
'Future Plans - Long Term Strategy'
His enhanced mind had been working on this for weeks. Putting pieces together. Seeing patterns in how the Marvel Universe operated.
Heroes worked alone too often. Got isolated. Overwhelmed. Died or failed because they didn't have backup. Didn't have team support.
Peter was powerful. Maybe the most naturally gifted enhanced individual Alex had encountered. But he was sixteen. Inexperienced. Reckless. He would get in over his head eventually. Everyone did.
'I need to build something. Not just for me. For all of us.'
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