April 12th.
A sombre atmosphere enveloped the Silverman Funeral Home on that Wednesday, casting a veil of solemnity over the gathering that had come to pay their respects. Rows of chairs were filled with mourners, heads bowed in reverence, as they gathered to bid farewell to a beloved soul.
Felix sat quietly among the attendees. His eyes were fixed on the casket, draped in solemn elegance, a poignant reminder of the dear friend he had lost.
There were many speeches. Many people. Felix even caught sight of Maria, who went up to give a speech on behalf of her father. He didn't want to think it out loud, but silently, he was glad she was there. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to work with her if her so-called motivation couldn't even push her to her father's own funeral.
Inevitably, Dr. Octavius came up to give her speech.
"Today, we come together to honour and remember a remarkable individual," Dr. Octavius began, her voice steady despite the emotions that lingered beneath the surface. "Reed Richards was the kindest, most brilliant, most generous boy I had met. His passion for discovery and his unwavering dedication to progress were unparalleled for his age. A real prodigy that I'm sure would have helped us all so much. Yet at the forefront of his genius was his compassion and a warmth that defined it.."
Felix felt a lump form in his throat, a deep sense of loss settling within him. Memories of shared moments and intellectual discussions with Reed flashed before his eyes.
"You a friend of the boy's?"
It was a sudden question in the form of a low whisper. An older gentleman sitting beside him with brown hair and a chiselled jaw.
"Hm? Oh, yes." Felix returned to the speech, Dr. Octavius' voice a drop in the background. "He was…my partner."
"I see. Sorry for your loss." Inhale and exhale. "I had a security friend that passed."
Security? "Ed Vernon?"
"Ah, you knew him? I suppose for a worker like you that day must have been truly terrifying." The middle-aged man sighed. "The city has changed. Nobody should be dying so young, not like this."
"Agreed."
All this death, all this mourning…all because of a traitor? All because one of the employees decided they…what? Wanted money?
Felix clenched his fist.
"Analysis complete! Dr. Elsa Brock found! Proceeding with a hack of the local phone!"
He blinked twice and pretended not to hear anything. 'Nice.' In his pocket was the Spider-Phone and in his left ear was the black earbud voicing Herbie's voice. 'I figured she would be here. She's Dr. Octavius' friend and an Oscorp worker. Even if there's no public record of her, I don't think she's a recluse.'
An alarm suddenly sounded in his ear bud. "Keep in range! Keep in range! Unknown Oscorp Prototype detected!"
'Well, nobody is moving until the speech is over—'
"I don't wish to take any more of your time," said Dr. Octavius. "Thank you."
After a bow, she got off the stage and shortly after that, everyone started to get up. Some were crying, but most remained quiet. However, for Felix—
"Keep in range! Keep in range!"
'Shit! What kind of phone does she have!?' Felix calmed his nerves and observed his surroundings. There were over a hundred people. Who could she be? The funeral was so quiet that he couldn't risk asking Herbie either.
His eyes swept the area. The back of his neck tingled. Read every expression! Observe! Who was suspicious?
'No, why would she be suspicious? She should be acting normal.'
In other words…
'Dr. Octavius.'
He turned his gaze to the front. Lo and behold, there was a blonde woman in a black dress wearing glasses. Her back to him, he was able to get a good glimpse of her figure. That didn't matter. He needed to buy time. It was clear that Dr. Elsa Brock was just about done talking to Dr. Octavius.
He approached them before that could happen.
"Excellent speech, Doctor," he said, practically interjecting their quiet conversation. Dr. Octavius looked the same, except her bushy hair was tied and she was in formal funeral wear.
"Ah, Felix." Dr. Octavius pursed her lips, a tinge annoyed at his presence. Whatever they were hushing about, it was important. "Meet Dr. Elsa Brock."
A gesture towards the blonde woman. Felix sent her a soft smile. Dr. Elsa Brock did not smile back, her green eyes piercing into him.
'Huh. She's pretty,' he thought to himself. He wasn't distracted, it was merely an observation. He was too neck-deep in his mission to allow himself to be manipulated by otherworldly desires.
"Felix Faeth here." He extended a hand. "I work under Dr. Octavius."
"Yes, Project Rebirth II. You were a friend of Reed Richards," Elsa stated. She accepted the short handshake. "Losing him is a truly sad day for all of us."
"Yeah…" Felix played into his emotions and lowered his gaze. He inhaled sharply and forced a smile. "And you? I hope I'm not prying too deeply if I ask about your position in Oscorp."
"I work adjacent to Dr. Octavius. That is all I can say," Dr. Brock said. After that, there was a pregnant pause. He could see it in her eyes, she was ready to end the conversation and leave.
'Think, think! Come up with something!'
"I see. Then perhaps you can give some advice," Felix said out of the blue. He glanced at Dr. Octavius, who was mildly confused. "Both of you. It is regarding…Rebirth II, I believe I've come up with a solution."
"Oh?" She was intrigued. Keep going.
"Yes." He wasted time and looked off into the distance. "It seems Reed had an idea that he wrote down. Something he planned to tell me but didn't get a chance to. I've run the numbers and it looks good so far. However…the credit wouldn't truly belong to me, would you?"
"Are you telling me that you were able to find a source that can stabilize the body?" Dr. Octavius asked, her voice high-pitched.
"Vita rays," Felix said. "Reed believed that was the key. I also believe him, not just because of a misplaced sense of trust. The science backs it."
"When we start on hybrid work, I would very much like to see this," Dr. Octavius said. "But as for your concern regarding credit…"
"Take it for yourself," said Dr. Brock. "The field is merciless. Even telling me about this was foolish, though I suppose a novice wouldn't know better. Trust me, the more people believe it is you, the more power they will give."
"Is that right?"
"That is right. It is how I am where I am," Dr. Brock said, nodding.
Then Herbie spoke up in his earbud: "Hack complete! Data now being transferred! One minute remaining!"
Felix smiled. "Understood. I will take your advice, Doctor."
"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go. Until next time, Dr. Octavius."
"Next time," she replied.
Dr. Brock didn't walk fast enough. She remained in range up until the transfer was complete.
"Transfer complete!"
Excellent. Time to leave.
"Oh!"
"Ah."
Only to bump into the beautiful Czarina. She wore a black dress reaching the knees and was buttoned up. Her lashes were astonishingly long now that he was this close to her. Felix blinked and the redhead blinked back. There was a pause.
"Hey," Felix greeted. "Good to see you."
"I'm...sorry for your loss," Czarina said. "I remember you and Reed would always come together."
He smiled. "I know. Thank you for being so nice to him. At Oscorp, a lot of people didn't give the respect he deserved because he was young."
"I..." Czarina's eyes went to the floor. "I wasn't that kind."
"But you treated him like a person and I think he appreciated that." Felix put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Czarina. I mean it." She gave a small nod. Felix smiled and pulled his hand back. "I'll see you later then."
"Yes." For the first time, Czarina sent him a big, sincere smile. "Bye."
He was a little taken aback by her. The lovely look in her eye and the picture-perfect smile turned her into a radiant goddess, but like the hardworking mortal he was, Felix managed to bid her goodbye. He left the Silverman Funeral Home, called up a taxi, and went home.
In his mind, all he could think about was Czarina, Reed, and how things would never be the same.
***
Returning home, he thought long and hard about what he would do. Hacking was an invasion of privacy and doing it to an individual that was nothing more than a minor suspect was criminal. In the end, Felix came to accept that some of the things he would do would be criminal in nature. For Reed, for all the people that died in the funeral, he needed to do this. He needed information.
He opened the door to his room and tossed his black jacket to the wayside. He plopped into his chair and rolled the wheels forward.
Herbie had already connected the data to his computer. The monitor flickered to life, displaying the contents of the hacked data.
"Anything big?" Felix asked.
"Yes, two large pieces of information to note," Herbie responded in his synthesized voice. "Firstly, Elsa Brock is implicated in a series of irregular financial transactions within Oscorp. The evidence suggests possible involvement in embezzlement, diverting funds for undisclosed purposes."
The monitor before him illuminated, displaying a series of detailed documents, financial records, and correspondences. Herbie navigated through the data, highlighting specific transactions, dates, and incriminating conversations.
"Seriously? Embezzlement? Like fraud?"
"Yes. Here are the transferred funds, channeled through several obscure accounts," Herbie explained, displaying a flowchart of financial transactions. "All linked to Elsa Brock."
"How much has she taken? What is she doing exactly?
"A total of five and a half million US dollars have gone from her account to shell companies and back."
Felix clicked his tongue. "Sheesh. How has she not been caught?"
"In the same way her name is not listed in Oscorp public records, her department is also not listed in their public financial records."
'Most employees like me aren't public but Dr. Octavius and Dr. Brock should be there. They gotta promote stuff. So why? Why isn't Dr. Brock there?'
"What about the second noteworthy thing?" Felix asked.
"Two, Elsa Brock's personal notes in the notes app detail how she lost Project Symbiosis. Allegedly, Elsa gave it to…"
A photo appeared on the monitor. Felix's eyes widened. Short blonde hair, blue eyes, and an ordinary smile.
'Gwen Stacy?"
It was her college ID photo, no doubt about it. That photo had been plastered all over New York after her identity had been revealed.
"Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy," Herbie declared. Felix grabbed his mouse and went on another tab.
The digital notes contained within Elsa Brock's transferred data unveiled a startling revelation—an account of Elsa's forced relinquishment of the symbiote to Gwen Stacy, AKA Spider-Woman.
Project Symbiosis was some kind of black goo. There were images of it and it looked as disgusting as it was scientifically intriguing. A lab experiment based on the Radioactive Spider Isotopes that Cindy Moon had created.
"Gwen Stacy took it…?" No mistaking it, Elsa was talking about Spider-Woman. "Why would she take Project Symbiosis?" he asked.
"According to her personal notes…it seems Gwen Stacy lost her powers."
"W-what? She lost her powers!? Is that why she's gone!?"
"Unverifiable."
"So…what? She took Project Symbiosis for a temporary power boost?" Felix scratched his head. "That's…will she ever come back? No, wait, where is she?"
"Unknown."
Crime was on the upturn. Robbery was becoming common. Embezzlement and conspiracies were rising up. All of it was due to her lack of presence. Without someone like Spider-Woman to strike fear into people, the villains of New York were making their moves. The attack on Oscorp Tower was nothing but a prelude to what was to come.
Someone had to do it. Someone had to take up the mantle of protector.
It was then he noticed that the mouse was attached to the palm of his hand.
Felix didn't believe in destiny. He didn't think there was some otherworldly entity controlling the strings to everything. But then he met Reed, who turned his world upside down. Gods existed. The multiverse existed.
So maybe this was his destiny.
"Herbie," Felix called out. "Boot up your other self at Daxter Lab. I think I have an idea."
On his computer, Felix meticulously sketched out the blueprint of the Spider-Man suit, the details etched with precision on the paper. His mind buzzed with ideas and possibilities as he incorporated the design elements he envisioned.
'Stealth. I need stealth. I don't have the combat expertise to get into fights willy-nilly. If I'm surrounded by the NYPD, for example, I can't just brute force my way through. I need more. I have to be different from Spider-Woman.''
The vivid green spider insignia sprawled across the torso and extended around the back, its legs branching off toward the hands and upper thighs, illuminated by glowing green lights that adorned the feet's midpoint. The eyes, widened and radiant, shimmered with a luminous green hue.
In contrast, the rest of the suit was a deep black, highlighted with slightly lighter tones on specific areas like the feet and upper chest. The abdominal segments stood out prominently, marking the suit's rugged texture, with scaled pads embellishing the shoulders, knees, and outer hands, lending a rougher texture to these regions.
But…something was missing. The design was phenomenal. Badass, even, yet it lacked a key feature.
'Oh, right!' He recalled Gwen Stacy and the way she traversed New York. She was able to shoot out webs and glide through the air. 'Web-shooters! Luckily for me, Reed created a prototype for them! All I need to do is install them.'
"Herbie, pull up the prototype web shooters Reed made."
"Will do."
Such a sophisticated piece of technology, Felix thought. Felix specialized in nanotechnology, not chemistry, so he probably wouldn't have been able to make this. He chuckled to himself. Even after death, Reed was helping him. Thus, Felix was able to accurately draw web shooters that were visibly wrapped around the wrists.
"But materials…" Felix trailed off, having several series of ideas, then asked, "Herbie, what do we have at Daxter Labs?"
"Materials available at Daxter Labs include a variety of advanced compounds and alloys, ranging from graphene-based polymers to steel and iron derivatives. There are also reserves of Unstable Molecules, Secondary Adamantium, and omni-harmonic mesh components," Herbie replied, detailing the array of sophisticated materials present in the lab's inventory.
"The omni-harmonic mesh should form the core of the suit," Felix said. He wasn't too knowledgeable in Unstable Molecules and he sure as hell didn't know how to experiment with Secondary Adamantium. The omni-harmonic mesh would work for a beta suit. "I want a couple of modes for it. I don't want to be like Gwen Stacy and parade around in spandex. I want functionality and durability, assuming it's possible."
"Calculating…calculating…"
Throughout the night, Felix continued to refine the blueprint, each stroke of his mouse bringing the envisioned suit to life on the virtual paper. It was a tangible representation of the mantle he was taking up—the guardian New York needed in the absence of Spider-Woman.
By the time morning arrived and Dr. Octavius had mailed the link for their virtual meeting, he was positively drained. Even so, as he opened up the link and greeted his boss, he felt accomplished. He felt like he was finally doing something.
Who was Felix Faeth? What would he become? He didn't know the answer to those questions just yet, but he was beginning to.