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Chapter 5: The Web Beneath the Surface
Back in the depths of Ark Core, far beneath the noise of Manhattan, Spider-Man sat before a wall of holograms flickering with data, security feeds, and diagnostics. Outside, the media was still spiraling over his vlog—some calling him a hero, others a manipulator.
But in here?
It was quiet.
Controlled.
He had bought Spider-Man time.
But Peter Parker was now the loose thread.
Sooner or later, someone would track down school records, airport footage, classmates, and MJ. His old life was a breadcrumb trail waiting to be unraveled.
He couldn't allow that.
Not if he wanted to keep this identity shielded.
Not if he wanted to keep his control.
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His thoughts turned to Pepper Potts.
The current head of Stark Industries. Tony's widow. The one person with the legal authority and tech access to either expose him—or protect him.
He had options: email (too slow), a call (too risky), but he settled on a more subtle, personal approach.
A direct message.
From Peter's old Stark-approved messaging channel, still lightly monitored by Stark's legacy network.
He opened a secure portal through EDITH's private StarkNet line and composed it.
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> To: Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Sender: Peter Parker (Spider-Man)
Hi Ms. Potts,
This is Peter. I understand this might be unexpected, but I'm asking for a private appointment. In light of recent events, I think you understand why I can't go through official channels.
I believe Tony meant for us to speak eventually. I'd like to do so now.
Please let me know if you'd be open to meeting, somewhere secure. You don't owe me anything. But I owe Tony everything. And I want to make sure his legacy remains in the right hands.
Thank you.
—P
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With the message sent into encrypted channels, EDITH confirmed delivery with a soft tone.
"Message successfully routed through StarkNet. Awaiting response from Stark Industries Executive Terminal."
That was all he could do—for now.
Time to focus.
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He had two massive projects on his desk.
One was technical: AI integration. He had EDITH. He had fragments of suit AI—HUD systems, drone control logic, battle predictions. And Peter had been working on his own AI framework before the Europe trip, something modular but more human.
The second project, though… that one was personal:
Understanding his own power. And pushing it beyond its limits.
He opened the second project files, watching the initial data scans from his suit: genetic anomalies, cellular activity, neural spike graphs. He wasn't just mutated—he was something new. The radioactive spider had altered more than just his reflexes and strength. His mind, too, was evolving. Sharper. Faster. He could feel it every time he spoke a command or built a prototype.
"EDITH," he said, tapping through DNA structure overlays, "run a deep-trace on the origin of my mutation. Focus on the spider that bit me. Where did it come from? Who created it?"
"Running trace," EDITH replied.
"Spider sample genetic match: 98.2% correlation to bio-weapons research project coded ARACHNID-08. Origin facility: Stark Biotech division, early experimental genetics wing. Research terminated after incident."
His brows lifted beneath the mask.
Stark Industries.
Peter blinked slowly. The old memories were surfacing—Tony's weird fondness for him, that extra layer of protection, the unspoken mentorship. It wasn't just because Peter was "smart."
Tony knew.
Tony had suspected or confirmed his origin and kept it hidden.
"That's why he trusted me," Peter muttered, sitting back. "That's why EDITH came to me."
The spider hadn't just wandered in from a field. It was created.
A one-in-a-billion fluke from Stark's early bio-labs.
And now, the spider that made him who he was… had siblings.
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"How many remaining spiders exist?"
"Two confirmed. One unknown."
"Where are they now?"
The hologram shifted.
"Hydra splinter cell. Hidden base. Approx. 60 miles north of New York City. Small outpost. Minimal personnel. No active surveillance. Coordinates locked."
Peter stood up.
Just like that, the second phase of his power project had begun.
"I've studied what I am. Now it's time to see the source."
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Four hours later, a shadow glided through the night sky.
Spider-Man, now clad in his prototype stealth suit, slipped through the treeline outside a seemingly abandoned factory deep in the woods of upstate New York. His new armor shimmered faintly under starlight—adaptive camo interwoven with noise-suppression mesh. No red. No blue. Just sleek shadows and silent boots.
Through the thermal HUD, he spotted five guards. Light armor. Semi-auto rifles. No air drones. Basic security grid.
Hydra had gone small—but not stupid.
"EDITH, keep radio jamming active. Prepare EMP darts."
"Armed."
He launched a spider-drone ahead to map the interior—corridors, biometric locks, a sealed vault in the sub-basement. Inside it?
Two containment pods. Both marked with the Hydra logo. One holding a glowing amber capsule. The spider.
Alive.
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Peter moved fast.
Two guards at the entrance were webbed to the wall before they could blink. Another fell to a knockout gas micro-grenade. He slipped through a vent and dropped into the hallway, dodging security lasers as EDITH redirected sensors.
He reached the sub-basement vault.
A six-digit biometric lock.
No problem.
He placed a replication device on the pad—one of Stark's old gadgets—and forced it open in nine seconds.
Inside the vault, the spider twitched in its capsule—larger than the one that bit Peter. Different.
Stronger?
He didn't know.
But he knew he couldn't let Hydra keep it.
He reached for it just as—
"INTRUDER!"
The final guard burst in with an electro-pulse rifle.
Peter spun, webbed the barrel, and yanked the gun out of his hands before flipping him into a wall with a crash. The man groaned and collapsed.
"All threats neutralized," EDITH confirmed.
Peter grabbed both spider pods and sealed them in a lead-lined Stark tech case.
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Minutes later, he was gone.
No alarms. No trails.
The Hydra base had no idea what hit them.
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Back at Ark Core, he carefully placed the pods on a scanning rig. EDITH ran a full analysis while Peter stood over them, silently observing.
"These are the last."
He didn't speak the words out loud. But he felt them.
The final keys to understanding what he was—and possibly what he could still become.
Stronger. Smarter. Better.
He looked up at the data stream.
One spider was viable for further testing.
The other… mutated beyond normal parameters.
Perfect.
Peter cracked his neck and took a deep breath.
There were so many projects still ahead. So many dangers. So many variables.
But now?
He had control.
He had purpose.
And most of all—
He had the power to shape his destiny.
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