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***
12 June, 2013. 15:47.
New York University.
Spider-Man.
Peter was uneasy.
The last few days had been completely ordinary and unremarkable. He continued to prepare for a possible confrontation with the Sandman, looked into options for helping his daughter, even found their home address.
Along with that, he relaxed: spending evenings with his ladies, finally making time for dates. Met up with Steve once. The usual life.
Maybe it was all about that signal four days ago. Parker was just getting home when the Sense went off, just a warning prickle, in the familiar feeling of one of his visions coming true. But if that was the case, what had happened? Had the girl with brown eyes and brown hair made herself known?
Just questions.
At the moment, Pete tried to distract himself from the immediate problems and concentrate on work.
Still, his words resonated in Kurt's mind. Connors didn't take the serum. A few days after the memorable conversation, Doc had contacted Pete and asked for help with the research. So since yesterday, Parker had been poring over the Lizard serum, trying to preserve the regenerative capabilities but completely eliminate the threat of mutation. Unfortunately, it was damn hard, because the processes took place at the genetic level, and it was a real challenge to purify the drug. Much to the lad's delight, he'd been assigned an assistant for the challenge.
- I'll try to run the composition through the genomic matrix, maybe something will come out, - said the blonde with a cute ponytail in a concentrated tone.
- Whatever you say, Gwendy, - Parker smiled a little falsely.
- You're loaded, Pete, are you all right? - Stacy asked thoughtfully.
- Have you ever had moments of strange anxiety? You know, when everything seems fine, but your gut tells you that something irreparable is about to happen? - The boy wanted more than ever to discuss his feelings with someone, but if he shared them with Mary or Fey, the girls would immediately think about his spider business and worry. Unaware of his abilities, his girlfriend was the perfect listener.
- You know, there have been, but don't exaggerate by claiming irreparability," the blue-eyed girl smiled brightly, "you can always sort out any of life's mishaps, whatever they are.
- Thank you, Gwendy," her words really did make me feel better.
- Hey, what else are friends for?
Pete was glad that Stacy was able to outgrow her teenage crush, since then their friendship had grown even stronger, at times resembling a brother-sister bond.
- By the way, don't you have a boyfriend? - Parker casually continued the conversation, for some reason choosing this topic. Probably out of natural curiosity.
- Mary ratted or Felicia? - ironically asked the blonde.
- Both of them, - Spider brazenly set up his girls. The main thing is not to offend them.
Not to frame old George, right?
- It's not easy, and we communicate more on the network, he lives in another city, - Gwen began the story.
- How did we meet?
- Would you believe it? - says Gwen with a smile, - in an online game.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- Gee, mate, I never would have thought you were a gamer.
- Are those hours-long sessions of Warcraft customisation a joke to you?
- I thought that was just an exception to the rule.
The young men laughed.
- Okay, let's get on with our work.
Gwen went back to the microscope and Peter to his research.
***
Later.
Secret lab.
Dr Miles Warren.
The scientist was in his lab studying an email. His insane employer had disappeared from Miles' life for a long time, but continued to supervise the project from a distance. Most likely he had other things to do that required his presence, maybe he hadn't fulfilled his quota of flying his monster machine and laughing wickedly?
In any case, the doctor could concentrate on the project and with peace of mind begin to leave the laboratory, in order to at least take a hot shower.
But all good things come to an end one day. Today Goblin sent a message that he would visit the lab in a few weeks and hoped very much to see the progress.
And the results were there, and they would exceed any of the madman's wildest expectations by a hundredfold.
After all, he, Professor Miles Warren, a doctor in the field of cloning, had done it! He has recreated life! He had put himself on a par with God himself!
Miles thought it would take him at least a year to clone viable fetuses, but such tremendous progress he never expected even in his wildest dreams.
Spider-Man's DNA is a beautiful mystery of nature, revealing more and more surprises.
As it turned out, his blood is a perfect sample for clone breeding, even if without advanced equipment and almost unlimited resources this feature was useless.
The female specimen was the first to mature. Still, the Y-chromosome replacement was a small price to pay, and as expected, the female organism showed greater adaptability and accelerated development. As a slight modernisation, Warren added the spider enzymes responsible for the biological production of spider silk. We'll see where this goes. I hope it doesn't spoil that gorgeous face, the girl is a marvellous looker, even if she's no match for his Gwen.
The second subject was a bit of a problem. After trying to amplify spider genes in the sample, went cellular degeneration, which urgently had to be eliminated. As a result, the scientist achieved increased strength in the long run, but the clone's face was covered with disfigured scars. Small price to pay.
The longest wait for the maturation of the perfect clone, the one in which Miles did not change or add absolutely nothing, except for the elimination of defective genes that could potentially cause unwanted mutations. He'd done that with all the samples, though. And the rest? A pure re-creation of Spider-Man. A perfect replica.
And then yesterday, the object showed characteristics of the original, he looked at the clone and was shocked by what he saw.
Who would have thought that the pathetic troglodyte, Connors' sidekick, the creepy freak constantly hanging around HIS Gwen, Peter Parker, was Spider-Man?
Warren couldn't believe it, but after the shock came the gloating.
At last the mystery of the New York superhero's identity had been revealed, albeit in such an unusual way. But more importantly, Miles will now have unlimited access to a source of genetic samples, and the nasty kid won't even have the option of refusing, unless he wants his second life to become public knowledge. CNN will pay a lot of money for that kind of news.
In any case, the experiment was a success and now the doctor could begin his personal project - the re-creation of Miss Stacey.
Warren was distracted from his dirty thoughts by a signal from the flask with the female subject.
- What is it? - Miles quickly walked over to the vessel and watched what was happening.
Inside was the same girl with brown hair, she was floating in the solution, an oxygen mask was attached to her face.
The next instant something happened that made Warren wince - the subject opened her eyes.
The clone looked at the doctor with her big brown eyes and began to touch the glass with her hands in incomprehension.
Miles panickedly rushed to the equipment and began to enter commands to feed the sedatives into the solution. The girl seemed to sense that something was wrong, for the tapping on the glass became louder and more insistent.
Warren returned to the flask and watched nervously as the subject tried to escape. There was fear in the girl's eyes, but after a dozen seconds her eyelids began to twitch and her eyes began to slip shut until they closed altogether.
The professor exhaled in relief. Nothing irreparable had happened.
***
Peter Parker.
I was returning home in my spider role. The day had been quite productive and things were starting to move forward with the Lizard formula. Also, Gwen announced that Mr Stacey's birthday is in a fortnight and she's inviting me, May and the girls. George is an old fox, he didn't tell Spidey about his birthday.
I shoot out a web, but I can't get hold of the thread in time.
Spidey's spidey sense kicks in.
"Carrier!" - Raj shouts, seeing us falling.
Instinctively, I activate the glider and use it and the gravity pads in my boots to stop the fall, flying over the heads of the dumbfounded bystanders.
I reach the wall and climb up.
"What's wrong, Peter, another vision?" - asks the symbiote in an attempt to make sense of what happened while I catch my breath.
"No, Raj, not really, something..."
Spider Sense rings again, as if resonating with some source.
"That hurts," I rub my temples.
It's clear now what it reminds me of. The spider bugs operate at roughly the same frequencies, the sensation is similar. Except this time they're much stronger.
And now I feel like I'm being pulled towards a certain point.
I'm coming up.
"Peter, did you see something again?"
"No, but I know where I need to go."
I shut up and, jumping over a joint, shoot a web at the nearest wall.
Internal radar leads me through the centre. I cut through Harlem at the desired neighbourhood. I catch a glimpse of a rooftop.
As soon as my gaze locks onto a sewer manhole, the Sense cuts in my head once more.
Down, then.
I wait for the cars to clear the carriageway and jump to the manhole, pushing off the lead cover and crawling down.
Yeah, and I was glad I was out of the sewer system. It's a Ninja Turtle thing.
"Great scents, don't you agree, Bearer?" - murmured the Symbiote with displeasure in his voice.
"Can you really smell odours, Raj? Or rather not even that, do you have to breathe?"
"Well...no," the Clintarian replies embarrassed.
"But I do, and there's no escaping the obligation to smell the incense, so don't complain to me here."
"I'm just making conversation."
Finally after a while we delve further into the sewers, and pass the drains, making our way out into a more or less dry space that smells at least damp.
The Sentience radar starts resonating more and more, which means I'm on the right track.
I descend lower and find myself very deep underground, crawling along the wall, I notice that there used to be an old underground station here. A long, long time ago.
I crawl down the abandoned tunnel and eventually land near a brick wall.
"Are we here for a tonne of bricks?"
"Looks can be deceiving, Raj."
I run my palm along the wall and discover a seam.
"Do you think there's some kind of computer system in here?"
In response, I simply forcibly push back the false covering, revealing a solid steel door.
"You know, never mind."
I apply the same amount of force and push the metal door back, breaking the lock.
I walk through the room and find myself in a state-of-the-art laboratory that clearly shouldn't be here.
"Doesn't look like a legitimate place, does it?" - I broadcast a thought to my interlocutor, looking around at my surroundings.
"Could this be a secret government lab?"
"Possibly."
I walk further and look around at the surroundings: high-tech equipment, centrifuges, large monitors, with equally large control panels, obviously for multiple operations. Not every one of these devices was in Doc Connors' lab, if only because they would hardly fit in a campus lab.
In the distance, a small room, most likely a testing room, could be seen. And to the right, a row of something covered in thick cloth.
Before I go any further, I catch a glimpse of a huge desk, piled with various folders, small tools, and papers.
I walk over and pick up the folder closest to me.
"Graph of nucleic acid chain construction."
I take another sheet of paper.
"And here's a diagram of the reaction of the effect of blood cells on glucose."
"So this is the lab where the genetic research is done, Bearer?"
"Apparently so, Raj."
I pull the test tube setup closer to me and examine them one by one.
Acids, alkalis, and something else.
I take another test tube.
"Specimen number 1. Code name: Spider."
- What?
There's a pop from outside the testing room.
I turn round and see a shocked Miles Warren.
- How did you find me?! - the scientist growled in a frightened tone. - Don't come any closer! - Warren attempted to turn round and run away.
I run towards the professor and, firing a web, yank him towards me.
Warren goes flying and falls in front of me.
- No, don't touch me! - The man shrieks.
I lift the old man up by the collar of his medical coat.
- What kind of specimen is this?! Why does it say Spider?! - I shove the test tube under the professor's nose. What have you been doing here?!
Miles is silent, but a nervous eye movement towards the covered structures gives him away.
- No, stop! - shouts the scientist as I head that way.
I pull down the nearest blanket.
It concealed a machine with a naked girl inside. She was floating in a murky solution.
Solution. Blood.
That's impossible.
- What were you doing in here!? - screaming furiously, grabbing Warren by the chest with both hands.
- Promoting science, isn't that what we're supposed to be doing, Peter? - he says with a nasty little smile.
No.
- Now be a good boy and let me go.
I don't listen to the old man and move on, tearing off the rest of the cloth coverings.
There are two male bodies splashing around in the flasks. And both have my face, even if one of them is disfigured.
- How dare you?! - I throw Miles back to the testing room.
I use so much force that the man's body smashes through the glass partition.
I enter the room and walk over to Warren, who's wheezing and trying to get up.
The thing looks so pathetic and disgusting that I don't hold back. I remember all the feelings that came over me when I met him, the Jackal's personality and all my disgust for him. I step closer and kick my enemy into the wall of the testing room.
- You bastard! You used my blood, you created clones! - I start tearing the room apart: smashing flasks, breaking cabinets, picking up a table and throwing it at the opposite wall.
- Stop, Parker! - Hysterically shouts the professor, coughing after hitting the wall.
- Don't you dare say my name! - I sharply approach Miles and grab him by the throat. - I will destroy this place, every device, every test tube!
I catch a glimpse of two more capsule machines, similar to the last, standing against the wall.
- What else have you done?!
- No, stop! - Warren shouts as I approach the machines.
The devices are labelled Miles Warren and Gwen Stacey.
- Bastard," I say in disgust and squeeze my hand tighter.
The scientist begins to wheeze convulsively.
How is that possible?! I've taken every precaution, I've left no trace anywhere. Maria and Kurt destroyed every sample I entrusted to them!
- How did you get my blood?!
- K-crow-for-d," the Jackal wheezes.
From shock, the grip loosens. The scientist drops to his knees and tries to catch his breath.
- What Crawford?! - I'm grabbing Warren's dressing gown again.
- I stole a sample from her lab after I overheard you and Connors talking, about four months ago, I don't remember exactly," and even though the old man was beaten, Miles couldn't help but say it all with genuine superiority, enjoying the mistake Parker had made.
- No," I said lost.
- If you don't want me to reveal your secret identity, then let me go, Parker," Miles said, feeling like the master of the situation.
However, the Spidey instincts in me disagreed with him.
- You conducted illegal and unethical experiments, created clones based on my DNA, found out who I am under my mask," I lift Miles up into the air on my outstretched arm, "and you dare to threaten me!
I approach the cloning machine with the Miles Warren patch, release the metal spider limbs from my backpack, and, to Jackal's shocked stare, turn the mechanism into a pile of scrap metal.
- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! - screams the professor.
Ignoring the scream, I approach the second machine.
- No, Peter, I pray, just don't my Gweni, I-I'll surrender to the police, I won't tell anyone about you, just please don't touch the machine," the old man begs pitifully.
"He's lying, Bearer," the Clintarian said quietly.
The symbiote tried not to glare in any way, sensing that his master, at the moment, was on edge because of the facts revealed.
"Yes, I know.
What to do?
You could...you could keep the machine with Gwen's clone sample and blackmail Warren or...or turn him in to the Shield!
What do I do?!
The thoughts in my head frantically alternate, but one particular knowledge always comes back.
"He's dangerous. Too dangerous. Will betray. Can't be trusted."
Taking off my mask.
- I know people like you, Warren," I grabbed Miles by the throat again, "a cowardly, spineless lowlife.
I involuntarily move my other hand around the scientist's neck.
- A jackal who likes to stab people in the back and exploit their weaknesses. Look at my face, look me straight in the eyes!
The professor looks at me with horror, trying to tear the steel grip from my throat. But in vain.
- I won't let you use that weakness against me.
Before I can realise, there's a crisp snap.
I look into Miles's eyes, which are slowly becoming lifeless.
I loosen my grip.
Warren's body falls to the floor like a broken puppet.
- So fast," I look shocked at my palms, "so easy.
"Peter?" - the symbiote's voice is a mixture of concern and shock.
But I don't react. Trying to digest what's happened.
Before Raj can say anything else, I find the strength to begin.
"Then, during the fight with the Sinister Six, you dissolved most of the Beetle's armour without a trace, can you do the same with human tissue?"
It is necessary to get rid of the body.
"Yes, I can absorb it," Raj only replies.
"Good. Dissolve the bones, melt the organs, scorch the blood, I don't care, there must not be a single particle left of Warren. Do you understand?".
"Understood."
The symbiote spreads from my feet and undulates and begins to consume Jackal's body.
I turn away and walk over to the cloning device. On the glass is a die with Gwen's name on it.
My hand starts to shake, but I clench it into a fist.
I take a deep breath and punch. Stabbing the device until it's a pile of scrap metal.
I turn round and walk slowly towards the exit.
A set of cells, just a set of cells. It wasn't her. It wasn't her.
I step out of the testing room and lean on the doorjamb.
This is it. There's no turning back. I killed a man for the first time.
So what now?
I shake my head and walk towards the cloning machines.
I pass two clones and stop in front of the brown girl floating in the solution.
I look at her face.
Looks like the girl from the vision, but not her.
To my surprise, the brown-haired girl opens her eyes.
At first the clone fidgets in incomprehension.
- Calm down," I say, placing my palm on the glass. - It's okay, you're safe.
At first there's doubt in her eyes, but then it's replaced by calmness and...recognition? The brown-haired girl mirrors my gesture and places her hand on the glass.
- Sleep.
The brown-eyed girl nods briefly and closes her eyes.
I ponder what has happened for a while.
I feel a familiar movement at my feet. The symbiote has returned.
"I'm done," the words full of confidence in the task at hand.
"No sign of it?"
"None."
I nod briefly and place my hand on the flask again.
"Now I understand what happened, Raj. How I knew where to go. Spider Sense sensed a signal from a similar mind." - I smile lightly. - "She called out to me."
"That's good, of course, Bearer, but what do we do with them now?"