"Bug off. You gotta have a secret. There's gotta be a trick."
"There isn't."
"No spider-bite, no nothing? God damn, brother."
Right, so Hobie was a chill guy. Maybe a bit too chill considering he was asking him how to get a bigger dick while they did some adjustments to the Webware. Hobie was a phenomenal engineer. Like seriously, absolutely phenomenal. Felix believed Herbie and the supercomputer AI were enough but sometimes the creativity and experience of a human was better. Hobie, having more experience with Vibranium, explained a method of lowering the metals dosage and even including it in the nanotech in order to increase energy efficiency.
After work though…
"My suggestion? Go to Wakanda. The chicks dig foreigners—and I ain't talking just white guys. You hear my accent? They think it's exotic. Half of 'em think I'm from America."
"Seriously?"
"What decades of isolation does. No television, no movies, only the rich and the intellectuals were able to pirate shit. Most Wakandans still think British people are blond blue-eyed Aryans. I once bagged a chick by telling her I lived in Hollywood. She believed it."
"Cuz of the accent?"
"Cuz of the accent."
"I will…consider going there."
Shuri's bodyguard Okoye mentioned the same thing. Maybe he should go to Wakanda sooner or later. Hell, since there was a private plane, he might be able to convince Ororo to book him a free, passportless flight.
Only Hobie and Felix were left in the lab. The other males went to sleep. Being a castle, there were dozens of rooms and plenty of space.
"I'll see ya tomorrow then, mate."
It was almost four o'clock. Twilight was at its peak. Hobie gave him directions on where he was supposed to stay. Up a flight of stairs, a brief walk, and then a left turn to a second flight of stairs.
"Oh, you're all awake. So this is where you guys were staying,."
Modern or medieval, all castles had towers. In those old days, archers and scouts would be perched up to scan their surroundings for incoming enemies. Today, atop the spiral was a sizable area for bunk-beds, barbecue grilling, and a glass dome, half of it retreated into the main castle. This tower wasn't the highest or lowest, somewhere in the middle. The movable glass dome gave a nice, chilly wind.
"Ahhh, Dr. Faeth." Rogue sat crossed-legged on the highest bunk bed to the left and gave a wave. Monico was on the bunk bed underneath and Carol was under Monica. Samantha took the ground bunk and nodded. While Monica and Carol gave basic greetings, Samantha was deathly silent.
'Ever since she saw M'Baku, Samantha seems tense.'
There were two sets of bunk beds, side-by-side. However, Luke did not take to them. He was on the right side of the spiral where the glass dome was pulled back. An apron on, Luke grilled barbecue chicken, the smoke rising into the night sky.
"You and the nerds finally done?" Luke asked with a glance.
"Yep, pretty much."
"The mission is done then? Are we going home tomorrow?"
"Welll…give it another day. We have to iron out some kinks and sign off on an investment."
Luke gave a sigh and turned back to the BBQ. "Shit. Guess I'll finish making these burgers."
"In the middle of the night?" Felix half-joked, half-genuinely-questioned.
"We're trained to be alert at any and all times," said Samantha.
"Plus, I was watching you," Rogue added. "Beat to you to here!"
"Thank you. Really. By the way, where did Stark and his guard go?"
"What happened to M'Baku is my question?" Samantha murmured.
Felix and Rogue made eye-contact. He hadn't explicitly ordered Rogue not to tell Samantha. Then again, being ignorant about it was better than knowing.
'My goal here is to get Vibranium and prepare for the Hulk inside Bruce Banner. Should I get greedy? Should I ask what Stark and Killmonger are up to? There's no way they're just screwing with Ororo's ladies, right?'
Focus. What should his focus be?
His fingers twitched. Ah, was this what they called paranoia? After Creature Z, after the Symbiote and Natasha Romanoff, he wanted to know everything. If he knew everything, he could protect everything.
"First, burgers."
"Huh?"
His thoughts were snapped as Luke held out a plate of a nice, juicy burger. Felix blinked. He didn't need to eat, the Symbiote and Extremis made the necessity for hunger—
"You're not a robot. Come on, eat up," Luke said. "I bet negotiating with the princess ain't easy. Nor is being in this stupid nude colony."
Luke gestured to the rest. "Come on, people—burgers for everyone."
'Mm. This…does not taste good.'
Felix stopped mid-bite. On the bed, blinking, he did a double-take. 'Wait, you like to eat?'
'Yesss. Remember the eggs? Those were goooood.'
'Why didn't you mention it before?'
'Because you seem…apprehensive about eating.'
To eat meant to be hungry, which meant to have a weakness. Paranoia told him to get rid of any and all weaknesses. If he was on the run or in space or another planet, it was better to have a body that did not need to eat or sleep.
'What is it you like about eggs?'
'I…don't know. Only that it is gooood. Tastes sooo good.'
'You do need it to survive?'
'No, no. When we become us, your body and brain started to produce SO much of the thing that we loveeee. We enjoy feeding on it.'
'A chemical found in my brain…? And found in eggs? Wait a minute…'
"Hey, Luke, do you have any wine?"
"Wine? Uhh, I think Ororo has a crate somewhere…ah here." Luke yanked out a bottle from the crate underneath and tossed it to Felix, who caught it with ease.
"Thanks."
He flicked the wine bottle open and drank it.
'Yes, yes, yessss! This too! This drink! We love it! We LOVE it!'
'That confirms it, you Symbiotes love phenethylamine. It's found in brain tissue, which you can munch on in spades since I heal, as well as chocolate, eggs, and wine. You learn something new everyday.'
'Yesss! Thank you, thank you! We love you so much, Felix! We love you!'
Sheepishly, Felix chuckled, rubbed the back of his head, and took another swing of wine for the Symbiote to enjoy.
That night, he slept and ate well.
…
…
…
…
…
He slept. He dreamed.
"Dr. Faeth?"
Mm? His dream wasn't exactly manifesting. There was red, that much he was able to discern. Red in the shape of a human and…and…
"Dr. Faeth? Dr. Faeth!"
A spider-symbol.
"Dr. Faeth, you got a minute?"
Until he heard her voice.
Felix Faeth never expected to open his eyes in shock. In surprise. After regaining his powers, he didn't think he would experience the sensation. In his body were three security systems: first his Spider-Sense, second the Symbiote, and third being Herbie. Technology, alien, or a simple person wanting to tap him, he would know. He would always know.
Not this time.
Not tonight.
Not when she was standing over him, smirking. A blonde babe in red. A hero that was NOT supposed to here of all places.
"Y-y-you're…"
"Hi."
Woah.
What.
No. Way.
"G-Gwen Stacy!?" Felix exclaimed. "H-how did you... how are you... how did you get…"
He looked around. Everybody else was asleep and they…they didn't wake up. They didn't notice. Before he could call for them or even think about anything else, Gwen squatted down and placed a finger to his lips.
"Hey, woah, quiet. Look, I need your help, Doctor. I hear you're the smartest guy around."
Smartest guy? What? What was she talking about? T-this was Gwen Stacy, the original Spider! The real spider of this universe! A-and she…what? She wanted Felix Faeth? Why?
"Felix, right? Can I call you Felix? Or is Dr. Faeth better?"
"Um..."
"Dr. Faeth, it's a long story," Gwen said, reading his previous thoughts. With a cute smile, she asked, "Think you can help me? Out of the goodness of your heart?"
Felix was breathing heavily. Out of everyone he had met, celebrity or otherwise, this caught him by complete surprise. This utterly befuddled his senses and his world. This whole time, he had been fighting as her. Taking her place and using her name. He carved his own legend, oh sure, but the OG was the OG.
"Just don't enlist until you know what war you're fighting in."
Huh? That was Hobie! Felix looked to his left and saw him with his arms crossed and in what Felix could only guess was his Spider-Man costume. It was the most metal thing he ever saw: a ripped, leather-look jacket with a blue underlayer, blue leggings, a white Spandex bodysuit, and a silver leather belt. A bunch of other accessories dotted Hobie's spider-costume too. Felix swore he saw him carrying a mask with a mohawk of spikes. Spikes!
"Hobie? You're here too?" Felix called out. "What's going on? I-I'm just…really…confused."
Especially because Gwen Stacy was so damn close. Almost kissing him type of close. Realizing as much, Gwen flipped herself off the bed and crossed her arms. She was a pretty young woman, blonde and blue-eyed. Her smile — equal parts sharp and sincere. There was something different about her though. It was nothing like the heroic videos Felix watched on Youtube or the sadness that took her when she was on trial.
The Symbiote — red as fresh paint on a war mask — coiled lightly across her face, rising from her neckline like living silk. It curled over the edge of her jawline, dancing just beneath her cheekbones before it slithered lower, gently caressing her neck. At times, it looked like a second skin; other times, like it was thinking.
Felix wasn't sure if he was imagining it but the Symbiote ridded her old imperfections. If some insulted her teeth, they were no longer large. If others disliked her hair, they were now a beautiful platinum-blonde that had been swept back into a high bun, with a few wild strands caught loose in the sunrise's breeze.
Her costume was a dynamic fusion of her original design and the symbiote's influence: a sleek, skin-tight bodysuit that shifted between glossy black and deep red, the colors pulsing faintly with each breath. The material hugged her hourglass figure perfectly — not exaggerated, but unmistakable in its grace and athletic form. She looked like a dancer sculpted from muscle and nerve.
The spider emblem was sharp and angular, carved in bold crimson across her chest, the legs stretching outward in jagged lines over her ribs and shoulders, slightly asymmetrical — wild, more aggressive than her old symbol. It looked alive.
And maybe it was.
Occasionally, a ripple would move across her side, as if the suit was adjusting itself. The red twisted like fire beneath a glass surface.
Gwen turned her head toward where the morning chill came. Luke had closed the dome before they slept. She must have pried it open.
How? How had Felix not noticed? None of this made sense to him. He sat up straight, blanket close to him, giving him modesty.
"Adam Brashear is the scientist here," Hobie said, before Gwen interjected.
"He has something I want. Something I need." Gwen put a hand on her hip while putting a hand out. Her smile was non-threatening. "And if you don't mind, I want your help getting what I need."
Right?
His own Spider-Sense seemed to not be working. All the future sight, all the precognition, he got nothing from her. Was she truly non-threatening? His mind was telling him it couldn't be as simple as that.
Then again, this was Gwen Stacy. She was a hero. The hero for Felix Faeth.
He needed a second opinion to see if he was paranoid or not.
'Symbiote? Symbiote, I need you. Confirmation, information, give me everything.'
Huh?
'Symbiote? Hello? Where are you? I need you and Herbie to give information here—'
His Spider-Sense still wasn't going off. His paranoia was at a strange scale. On one hand—duh, Gwen wasn't threatening him nor did she show any sign of hostility. By examining the finer details of her figure again, from her pupils to her muscles, it appeared (if his eyes weren't fooling him) that Gwen was more than happy to leave if he said the word. Same with Hobie. Hell, moreso with Hobie. He hardly wanted to be here.
So why was Felix's Symbiote not responding? Without the Symbiote, he couldn't have access to Herbie. Without Herbie, he only had himself.
'No, it's not just the Symbiote…'
Everybody was silent. Everybody was fast asleep, from Rogue to Captain America. What in the world was going on? His stolen glances were noticed by Gwen.
"Oh, that was me. I didn't want them to hear."
"W-wait? I'm a Super Soldier researcher, I'm more than familiar with Captain America's immunity to most diseases."
A finger to her lips and a wink. "My secret~"
That was when his super-enhanced vision caught it. Tiny tendrils through the ears and pumping directly into the Defender's brain. Felix's heart froze. What was she doing to them? Why would she...?
She wanted to talk to him, that was why.
Felix pretended not to notice the tiny, near invisible Symbiote tendrils.
She seemed so much more confident than in the videos—or maybe he was just experiencing her real self. His only concern was the Symbiote. From his own deductions and information, Gwen had stolen Mary Jane Watson's Symbiote in order to fuel her own. That explained the red shade. Then there was the whole affair with Jarvis. The two of them narrowly missed each other and Gwen seemingly used Jarvis for something.
To come here maybe?
Did Jarvis calculate something for her? Did Jarvis send her here? Wait, what about Hobie? Where did he play into the equation? Too many questions, not enough time. All he could say with one-hundred-percent certainty was this:
'They don't know I'm Spider-Man. They want Dr. Faeth.'
"I...I'll go with you."
"You will?" Gwen was real excited.
Hobie raised a brow, asking, "Really? Can I ask why?"
"I mean…she's Spider-Woman. She's a good person, right?"
That seemed to make Gwen beam. Hobie hummed, not quite convinced and giving him a look. "Seriously, mate?"
"I doubt you know this, but…you saved my father once." Total lie. Felix faked his appreciative smile. "He took a trip to New York and you saved him so I think I owe you."
"Well, look at that. I guess being a hero comes in handy," Gwen said with a big, proud smile. "See, Hobie?"
"Right…" Hobie rolled his eyes. "Do you even know where we're going? It's a secret laboratory underneath a nightclub. It won't be easy. "
Ah, so they were indeed going there. "But…" Felix put on an Oscar performance, wearing a big smile and placing a hand on his heart. "...we have Gwen Stacy so we'll be alright, I feel."
Gwen was momentarily stunned, honestly touched. She then elbowed Hobie, her grin widening. "Hear that? It'll be alright because I'm here. I think I like him."
Hobie rolled his eyes for the second time. "Like I said, don't say we didn't warn you, yeah?"
Gwen Stacy, Hobie Brown, and Felix. It was like a Spider-Gang was coming together, even if two of them didn't know it yet.