Chapter 34: Spider-Man vs Black Widow (Part 1)
Back in her own apartment, Natasha carefully replayed her conversation with Peter Parker in her mind.
From that brief exchange, she still could not be certain whether Peter Parker and Spider-Man were connected. But one thing was clear. Peter Parker was anything but ordinary.
The fact that he had recognized her was enough to convince Natasha that he was hiding secrets.
Just as she put on her earpiece and began listening in on Peter's room, the feed cut out.
Bzzzt—
Natasha frowned. The signal was gone. The listening device was destroyed.
Peter had destroyed it.
She had considered the possibility that he might eventually discover the bug, but she never expected him to notice it immediately after she left.
In an instant, Natasha realized the truth. Peter must have caught her in the act of planting it.
"So he's that cautious," she muttered.
She understood now. She had exposed herself. Peter Parker already knew she was a spy.
Creak.
The sound of a door opening reached her ears.
Natasha pressed herself against her own door, listening closely to the hallway outside.
Tap, tap, tap.
She heard footsteps.
"He's leaving," Natasha whispered to herself.
Once the footsteps faded away, she realized this was a good opportunity.
Peter Parker was out. That meant she could search his apartment.
Natasha knew it wouldn't be easy. Anyone who could crush a listening device so casually was not someone to take lightly. Still, she trusted her skills.
Even if she failed, she was confident she could withdraw safely.
For caution's sake, she contacted Nick Fury first.
"Natasha, did you find anything?" Fury asked.
"Director, I haven't confirmed the connection between Spider-Man and Peter Parker yet," Natasha reported. "But you were right. Peter Parker is suspicious. He seems to recognize me."
"He recognizes you?" Fury repeated, his brow furrowing on the other end of the line.
Plenty of people knew of S.H.I.E.L.D., but very few knew Natasha Romanoff. Her identity was one of the agency's highest-level secrets. If Peter Parker truly recognized her, then he was far more dangerous than Fury had initially assumed.
"That's right," Natasha continued. "And his awareness is extremely sharp. I planted a listening device in his room, and he destroyed it almost the moment I left."
She relayed every detail without omission.
"Natasha, maybe you should pull back for now," Fury suggested.
The moment he heard her report, Fury realized Peter Parker was far more complicated than he had thought. Natasha's cover was blown, and continuing would likely be pointless.
Worse, if Natasha clashed directly with Spider-Man, the consequences could be disastrous.
"Director, Peter Parker just stepped out. I want to search his apartment for clues about his true identity."
"Are you confident? Do you need backup?"
"I have some confidence. But if S.H.I.E.L.D. can spare anyone, support would be appreciated."
"Backup is on the way," Fury said decisively.
After ending the call, Fury found himself questioning his decision to recruit Spider-Man.
Peter Parker knew Natasha's identity. He was far too mysterious.
Fury preferred people he understood inside and out. He never liked enigmas.
Once the call ended, Natasha changed into her black tactical suit and quietly slipped into Peter's apartment.
…
The Daily Bugle.
Peter was in the middle of reporting his work to J. Jonah Jameson when his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen.
A video was playing.
It showed Natasha sneaking into his apartment.
"Who recorded this?" Peter muttered, confused.
He hadn't installed any cameras in his room. In fact, he couldn't even afford one.
But right now, that wasn't the important part.
Natasha was.
"Of course," Peter sighed. "The one thing I didn't want to happen just had to happen."
"Mr. Jameson," Peter said quickly, lifting his phone, "my source just contacted me. He says he has new information and wants to meet, so I need to head out—"
"Yeah, yeah, go," Jameson waved him off impatiently. "Don't waste time."
Peter bolted out of the Daily Bugle, ducked into a nearby alley, and changed into his Spider-Man suit in record time. A moment later, he was swinging through the city on web lines, racing back home.
Inside Peter Parker's apartment, Natasha searched carefully.
She opened the desk drawer. Inside were only old newspapers and Peter's handwritten drafts.
Next, she checked the wardrobe. It contained nothing but a few worn clothes.
To counteract any potential cloaking or stealth devices, Natasha placed sonic detectors along the walls and floor.
Still nothing.
She found no trace of anything she was looking for.
"The room is barely furnished," Natasha murmured. "He has exceptional awareness, a mysterious connection to Spider-Man, and yet he chooses to live in a place like this. Is he hiding something… or is there another reason?"
In her mind, Peter Parker had to be here for a purpose. It never occurred to her that the real reason might simply be that he was broke.
"Wait… Spider-Man."
A realization struck her.
If Peter Parker truly had ties to Spider-Man, then searching his belongings meant thinking like Spider-Man.
Natasha slowly looked up at the ceiling.
"Spiders can climb walls…"
She attached a sonic detector to the ceiling.
The moment it made contact, the device overloaded from a surge of powerful electricity and dropped to the floor.
"There's something up there."
A satisfied smile curved across Natasha's lips.
Just as she pulled out her tools to investigate the ceiling, a flash of white webbing shot through the air and yanked them out of her hands.
Natasha spun around instantly and saw Spider-Man by the window.
"Hey there, beautiful lady. Breaking into someone else's home is pretty rude, you know."
"Spider-Man?" Natasha narrowed her eyes. "So Peter Parker really does have something to do with you."
"Peter Parker?" Spider-Man tilted his head. "The reporter who snapped a few photos of me? This is his place? Huh. I always thought journalists were rolling in cash."
"Enough with the act. We already know there's a connection between you and Peter Parker."
She was testing him, trying to force a reaction.
"A connection? He took a few pictures, that's it. What kind of connection could that be? Miss, have you been watching too many movies? I get it, young girls like you tend to have wild imaginations, but you really shouldn't confuse fiction with reality."
He knew she hadn't figured out that he was Peter Parker. Otherwise, she wouldn't keep talking about "Spider-Man and Peter Parker" as two separate people.
Spider-Man didn't know why this universe's S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't uncovered his identity, but that didn't stop him from playing dumb.
"Young girl? Do you have any idea how old I am?"
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist and hurled an electric dart straight at Spider-Man.