To avoid being caught in a dilemma if the arrival of the symbiotes and the "Clash of the Greens" occurred simultaneously, Peter knew he had to secure a strategic advantage.
He needed eyes on the Life Foundation. Specifically, he needed to monitor the trajectory and re-entry window of the Drake rocket in real-time.
His first attempt at a solo hack was... a bit awkward.
While Peter was powerful, he discovered that the Life Foundation's cybersecurity division wasn't staffed by amateurs.
Within thirty minutes of breaching their internal network, he was detected, and his access was unceremoniously severed.
Sure, He could spend weeks trying to pick up enough cybersecurity knowledge to force his way back in, but to Peter, that hardly seemed worth the time..
Why spend weeks learning to code when he could simply recruit a genius hacker?
Someone like... the future SHIELD legend, Daisy Johnson, better known as Skye.
Finding someone in NYC was a trivial task for Peter now. He could go through the underworld, use George's police database, or call in a favor from the spies.
To avoid his future father-in-law asking too many questions about why he was looking for a girl named "Skye," Peter chose the path of SHIELD.
He pulled out his encrypted phone and dialed "Black Widow" Natasha Romanoff. She picked up on the first ring.
"Peter? How rare. I thought you'd forgotten about me," Natasha's voice, as ever, carrying that natural, playful lilt that always sounded like a flirtation.
"Why? Is there a 'lonely senior' in need of my care?" Peter joked.
"Don't push it! I'm only seven years older than you!" Natasha snapped back, her tone genuinely piqued.
"Only. Seven. Years." Peter emphasized each word, earning him a long, annoyed silence from the other end.
When she spoke again, the playfulness was gone, replaced by a professional, icy chill. "Fine. What do you want?"
"Just a small favor," Peter said, rattling off everything he remembered about his target. "I need detailed info on a hacker from the group 'Rising Tide.' Goes by the handle Skye. Real name is likely Daisy Johnson. I need her current location."
"Oh?" Natasha perked up. "Looking for a woman? Aren't you afraid your little girlfriend will get jealous?"
"A real man knows how to manage his time," Peter replied flippantly. Since he had zero romantic interest in Natasha, he talked to her with reckless abandon, mostly just to see how much he could mess with her.
Natasha rolled her eyes—a gesture Peter couldn't see but could certainly feel. Despite knowing how powerful he was, she felt strangely relaxed talking to him.
She even stretched in her chair, her silk pajamas straining against her curves, though there was no one in her empty apartment to appreciate the view.
"Will finding this Daisy settle one of the favors SHIELD owes you?" she asked, pulling up her terminal.
"In your dreams," Peter retorted. "Trying to write off a debt with something this simple? Where's your conscience?"
"Well, if it's not official business... then it's a personal favor," Natasha purred, shifting her tone back to a tease. "If I help you personally, how do you plan to repay me? Dinner, perhaps?"
Truly a succubus, Peter thought. Her seduction skill is a passive ability at this point. "Safety warning: Gwen's punch force is over 20 tons. If you're confident your ribs can handle that, I wouldn't mind a dinner date."
Natasha winced at the number, imagining Gwen's tiny fist hitting her. Not even her high-quality Suit could survive that. She dropped the act and got down to business.
"There are fourteen Daisy Johnsons in NYC. Only three fit the age bracket. Two have fixed addresses at... and... the third has no permanent residence but attends a parochial school in Brooklyn."
Peter noted the school's name. "Thanks. I'll buy you a coffee next time."
"Please. I prefer vodka."
"Too bad. I'm not 21 yet. If you don't mind waiting three years, the vodka's on me."
After having Herman issue a "Parker Tech Internship Invitation" to the school, Peter quickly secured Skye's current coordinates.
The next morning, Peter arrived at a nondescript van parked in a Brooklyn lot, his glider hovering silently behind him. He pulled open the unlocked van door.
His eyes met those of an Asian-American girl, roughly eighteen, with features as delicate as a porcelain doll.
She froze, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. She looked at Peter with suspicion for a split second before her eyes widened with pure, unadulterated joy.
"You... you're the Arbiter?!"
Seeing her "fan-girl" reaction, Peter mentally whistled. This just got a lot easier.
It made sense. Rising Tide was a group of hacktivists obsessed with "information freedom" and anti-establishment rhetoric.
To a group that loved breaking rules, a vigilante like the Arbiter—who operated entirely outside the law—was practically a god.
Peter didn't hesitate. He reached out his hand toward her.
"Miss Skye, would you like to work for me and join the Shadow of the Kinkou?"
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