The hot water cascaded over Felix's body, soothing the aches and pains from the previous night's battle. He leaned against the cool tiles, his mind racing. The image of Crossbones' lifeless body did not haunt him.
His first kill.
Letting people die.
Leaving the corpse of Crossbones behind.
They were mercenaries though. For some reason, the guilt he harboured just…didn't exist. Everything was different—more personal. The methodical way he had ended Crossbones' life still churned in his gut but…in a good way. A satisfying way.
Except towards the end when the police and firefighters arrived. He fled without being able to hide the body. He fled and left evidence behind.
"In a building that exploded, finding my blood and figuring out what happened is going to be next to impossible," Felix muttered. "But the Symbiote…" Felix put an arm up on the wall, thinking.
How had Crossbones gotten his hands on it? Felix knew the mercenary had betrayed his employer to steal it. The symbiote was a dangerous, sentient creature, and Crossbones had taken a huge risk by attempting to control it.
"Otomo hired Crossbones," Felix muttered to himself, the water muffling his voice. "But someone else was behind it. The employer likely ordered Crossbones to take the symbiote from Oscorp Tower and he did so through Dr. Octavius.
"That's why he took her way. That's why the emails happened. There must have been a code in those emails or something. No, maybe just a way for Dr. Octavius to understand and contain the Symbiote while under threat."
He closed his eyes and recalled the transcript of the email:
I wanted to provide you with an update on our progress regarding Project New Element. The mercenaries did little damage to the device and though they left with its schematics it was heavily encoded. It will take time for them to decrypt it.
However, they will break through it. We must finish the New Element before they can.
Our recent breakthroughs in the fusion reactor prototype have shown promising results, albeit with certain challenges in stabilizing the energy output. I believe we are coming closer to a viable solution.
Additionally, I've observed some anomalous data readings that correlate with our recent adjustments to the molecular structure. I'm enclosing the reports for your review. Your insight into the matter would be greatly appreciated.
"What device? You didn't start building until later. Meaning…this is all some code language. She mentioned reports and I vividly recall said reports being attached to the emails. I bet if I analyze that, I'd find some sort of code thing. Exchanges between them." Felix opened his eyes. "Yeah, now it all makes sense. The emails Elsa Brock and Olivia Octavius exchanged…they were for the sake of understanding and securing the Symbiote—and doing so without Oscorp knowing anything happened."
Mentioning Project New Element meant that Norman Osborn would step in. So although the emails were sent during the attack, the police and the executives said nothing. Why?
Because Norman Osborn said not to. It was his secret pet project and he intended to keep it that way. Something the doctor knew and took advantage of.
He paused, letting the steam envelop him. "However, the fact that Crossbones went out of his way to get Dr. Octavius is strange. He had devices for the spiders but not for the Symbiote. The Symbiote must have been something the employer knew of but didn't have an intimate understanding of. Meaning, if or rather when Crossbones first touched it, he didn't know it would attach itself to him or do something to him. But Dr. Octavius…"
She did. She must have.
"Liv ran away. Used her arms or something. Used its weakness. And then...she met up with us."
Felix's brow furrowed in concentration. The pieces were starting to fit together, but there were still gaps in the puzzle. Who was pulling the strings behind Otomo? What was their ultimate goal? Why the spiders and the Symbiote?
With a heavy sigh, Felix turned off the shower, the water slowing to a drip. He reached for the curtain and pulled it aside, stepping out into the cool bathroom air.
At that exact moment, the door creaked open, and Rio's voice called out, "Felix, I brought you a—" She froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening.
Felix stood there, dripping wet, his body fully exposed. His face turned crimson as he quickly tried to cover himself with his hands. "Er…"
Rio's expression flickered between shock and a strained smile. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes locked on his face. "Uh, here's your towel," she said, stepping forward and handing it to him, her voice surprisingly steady.
Taking one hand out from his crotch was…not good. Not good at all. Rio's eyes flickered again and she almost let out a gasp.
"Thanks," Felix mumbled, wrapping the towel around his waist as quickly as possible.
Rio gave a tight-lipped smile and turned to leave. "I'll just… let you finish up," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she closed the door behind her.
'Well, shit.'
Spider-Man or not, conspiracies or not, he was still just a guy. That was really damn embarrassing. And because of his super hearing, the walls were razor thin.
Outside, Rio was leaning on the door and muttering to herself, "Talk about a magnum dong."
Felix pretended he didn't hear that.
***
Felix stepped out of the bathroom, still drying his hair with the towel, and made his way to the living room.
He found Miles sitting on the couch, engrossed in a video playing on his phone.
On the screen was a striking woman with short silver hair, belting out a powerful song with a voice that captivated even Felix, who wasn't much of a music enthusiast. Her stage presence was magnetic, the crowd clearly entranced by her performance.
"Who's that?" Felix asked, genuinely curious.
Miles looked up, grinning. "Felicia Hardy! You know, leader of the Black Cats! Disappeared for two years but guess what?"
"She's back?"
"Yep!"
"Yeah, she's got a whole backstory that makes her pretty mysterious and cool," Miles said, his enthusiasm palpable. "And guess what? My friends got tickets to her next concert!"
"Lucky you."
Felix eyed the woman on the screen as he sat down. Bobbed silver hair, dark skin, and a French accent to her voice.
"Oh, shit!" Miles suddenly showed him his phone. "Spider-Man was in Harlem!"
There was no image or video to accompany it; only a news article that proclaimed that witnesses saw Spider-Man in action. One quote said that, "They were as black as the night so it was hard to keep track of them."
Another witness claimed to have seen black lightning and green acid spewing. A third witness said, "There were two of them! Two Spider-Men!" Several declared that neither Spidey or the Symbiote cared or noted the presence of civilians. To an extent, they were correct. Felix certainly wasn't thinking about saving lives when he was fighting for his own life.
"Black lightning…You think Mr. Negative was responsible for the alien thing? I mean, no way Spider-Man has lightning. He's a spider."
"Is that how that works?"
"I dunno, I mean, he's Spider-Man, right? Gotta have spider-powers for that. Lightning doesn't fit with the theme. Otherwise, he'd be like…the Harlem Knight or something."
'Harlem Knight…that sounds kinda cool…'
"Yeah, but what if he didn't want to be called Spider-Man? What if it was the media that made him Spider-Man?"
"Oh, shit, yeah. He doesn't talk, does he?"
"Yep, so it's possible he IS the Harlem Knight and that we're calling him what he doesn't like to be called."
"Damn. Poor Spidey."
Felix picked up the remote and turned on the TV, idly flipping through channels. It was all the same. Spider-Man, Spider-Man, black alien thing, acid, and a huge explosion. The screen flashed until a "Breaking News" banner appeared and Felix stopped pressing. A blonde reporter stood in front of a flattened, smoking building. Firefighters and police officers were everywhere.
And who else could the reporter be but Christine Everhart?
"...reporting live from Harlem, where authorities are advising all residents to stay indoors for the remainder of the day due to ongoing police activity. I repeat, all residents are advised to stay indoors for the remainder of the day."
"Wait, stay inside?" Felix's brows furrowed. "Does that mean I don't have to go to work?"
"Probably. That's why I'm not going to school today. They already said that we should stay put," Miles said.
Christine went on to say, "Details are scarce, but it appears to be related to last night's explosion at Mamma Rosa's Pizzeria. Stay tuned for further updates."
"So…I get to skip work today." That was a strange feeling. He tapped at his pockets. His phone wasn't with him and neither were his Advanced Glasses. Shit. He could have used them to investigate—
"Who wants breakfast?"
Before either of them could say more, Rio appeared, her warm presence instantly lifting the mood. She was carrying a tray laden with breakfast foods—pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a pitcher of fresh orange juice.
Her smile was big and her enthusiasm was bigger upon returning with the second tray. "I even got us mallorca~"
Mallorca were sweet rolls dusted with powdered sugar and in the shape of a mini cone. It looked pretty sugary. Rio Morales in general appeared to be a sweet woman with a sweet ass with a penchant for sweet foods and drinks.
Felix had never had it before. He took the fluffy bun and took a bite. It was good.
"No, no, no. This is how my family does it." Rio gestured at him to watch. "You take the mallorca, cut it in half, and slather it with jam or butter or whatever; then you get the top side and flip it on top of the other piece. Press it together and you get heaven."
So that was what Felix did. He followed along and made himself a strawberry mallorca. This bite was better and Felix was taken aback. "Oh, wow."
"See?" Rio flashed him a smile. "Like I said, heaven."
Staying the day and relaxing like this…
Yeah, this definitely felt like heaven.
"Although I do have a question," Rio said, "what do you eat? You're very, err, big."
"Is he?" Miles looked at him. "It's not like he's an NBA player."
Rio mumbled something among the lines of, "Créeme, él tiene algo que ellos no..."
If only Felix had Herbie to translate. Miles was in the same boat, blinking and puzzled. "Huh? I didn't catch that, Mom."
Heaven and hell, two sides of the same coin apparently. Clearing his throat, Felix shoved two mallorca in his mouth, chewed quickly, and stood up.
"I'll be back. Have to get my phone."
"Oh! Want me to make anything else for you?" Rio asked, smiling and brushing off her prior comments. "Milkshake maybe?"
"...could you?"
"Hey, I never get milkshake!"
"Yes, you do, Miles," Rio replied. "And Felix is our guest. It's called being polite."
Felix, laughing, gave an appreciative nod and wore a big smile. "I'll be back then. Try to be nicer to your mom, Miles."
"B-but I am!"
"Sure, sure."
***
"So you're alright?"
"Perfectly fine, Liv."
Felix had gone back to his unit to fetch his phone and saw that he was bombarded by phone calls by Dr. Octavius. Calling back, he was immediately met with her worried voice.
"Police mandates are mandates for a reason. Stay put," Liv said. "I'll let the team know of the circumstances."
"Wait, so I'm the only one that lives in Harlem?"
"Yep. Nothing against it but most of us prefer Times Square and Central Park."
"How much is the rent there?"
"...none of your business is what."
Beep! The call ended there. Felix chuckled and sat down on his bed. Home sweet home.
'And she doesn't suspect me in the slightest. No one does. It's great.'
Anyway, with his phone back in his hands, he could get to researching with Herbie. Plopping an earbud in, the connection to Herbie was formed. "Herbie? You there?"
He eyed his phone and saw a returning message.
HELLO, DR. FAETH.
A relieved smile. "Good. Okay, so first thing's first; my suit. Make a new one. My old one is…." The ripped up, mangled suit of black sat beside him on the bed. He sighed. "Really messed up. You have the blueprints, don't you?"
CALCULATING…SUIT RECREATION WILL TAKE SEVEN DAYS. THREE DAYS IF DR. FAETH COMES TO ASSIST.
"Can't," Felix replied. "Too much work to do."
UNDERSTOOD. HERBIE THE ROBOT WILL GET TO WORK.
"One more thing: analyze the report that Dr. Octavius and Elsa Brock exchanged. There may be a code there."
ANALYZING…CODE FOUND.
"Huh? That fast? Well, okay, damn, show it to me."
An image was sent. Through the letters at the start and end of each line, a request could be found.
I'm beIng Held hostage. PleaSE teLL me hoW tO UnLocK THE SyMbioTE.
That was from Olivia's end. The response, the report Elsa Brock sent back, was codified in a different way. Much more complicated. Specifics letters were found in every second and third line in alternating directions.
SouND, FiRe, But only in DOSES. AdaPT FAST. Be CAreFul.
"Sound and fire are the weakness of the Symbiotes…I see, so that's why my black lighting was pseudo-effective. Intense heat but not direct enough."
Okay, so that was one mystery solved. The image of what happened that day at Oscorp made sense. Although…
"Crossbones made it sound like he killed Reed on purpose. He knew me. He remembered me. Is it possible…the employer told Crossbones to kill Reed?"
Possibly. His left hand went over to his right and instinctively rubbed his wrist. Suddenly, he blinked and recalled what happened to him and that he could create natural webbing. Strangely, however, the slit was no longer there.
"Weird…" Felix muttered. "I'll have to do some testing. Lots and lots of testing."