Chapter 6: Power Redefined
The soft hum of machines echoed through the steel-plated halls of Ark Core. Stark's underground facility had been dark and forgotten for years—a graveyard of ideas too advanced, too risky, or too unstable. Now it pulsed with life.
Screens glowed with molecular simulations, robotic arms clicked as they assembled micro-syringes and custom genetic shells, and a new artificial intelligence—still unnamed—oversaw every process with silent precision.
Spider-Man stood at the center of it all, arms folded, his expression unreadable behind his stealth-suit mask. He watched the monitor where two DNA strands twisted together in real-time. Inside the chamber: a drop of blood from the genetically modified Hydra spider fused with a strand of his own.
It wasn't just compatible. It was harmonizing.
"EDITH," he said, stepping forward. "Run a fourth-stage compatibility check. Can it stabilize in a human host?"
"Checking… Compatibility at 93.4%. Minor instability in neuromuscular transfer. Suggested correction: Introduce conductive gene pathways from bio-electric templates."
Peter's lips curled into a small, knowing grin.
"Exactly what I was hoping for."
He moved toward the adjacent console and brought up another set of simulations. This batch focused on the internal biology of the enhanced spider—one far more aggressive than the one that had originally bitten him. This one had developed shock sacs beneath its legs, which pulsed with contained electrical charge. Its exoskeleton had light-reflective glands. Its nervous system? Evolved.
And soon, Peter's own.
He initialized the sequence. Inside a nearby cylinder, green serum swirled with gold pulses of energy—stabilized, dense, and charged with the genetically improved spider essence.
This was not the original serum.
This was evolution by force.
The transformation chamber descended from the ceiling—a stark, six-sided pod surrounded by scanners, life support, and neural regulators. Peter stepped inside without hesitation, dressed in the underlayer of his suit. He laid on the slab as the arms restrained his torso and legs.
The AI counted down.
"Initiating serum transfer in 10... 9... 8..."
He kept his breathing steady.
"...3...2...1."
A fine needle punctured directly through his sternum.
The pain was immediate and violent.
His chest arched. Every nerve in his body screamed. Muscles twisted. Bones compressed. He clenched his jaw, trying to ride the wave of agony as his cells began reconstructing themselves on a genetic level. This wasn't just a rewrite. It was a rebirth.
"Neurological adaptation: 54%. Heart rate critical."
He blacked out for two seconds. Then came back with a jolt.
His body lit up in a sudden burst of gold electricity. Arcs of energy danced across the room, shorting out one of the robotic arms. Sparks flew. The glass wall cracked.
And then—silence.
His breathing slowed. His hands stopped shaking.
He opened his eyes.
"Adaptation complete," the AI chimed. "All systems stable. Strength, reflexes, and agility increased by 34.8%. Additional powers: confirmed."
Peter slowly sat up.
Every sensation was amplified. His skin felt hyper-sensitive. He could hear the sub-bass rumble of servers behind concrete walls. He could count the rotations of a nearby fan blade just by hearing the airflow.
He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and held up one hand.
Snap.
A bolt of golden electricity flared between his fingers before dissipating.
He focused again. His body shimmered—then vanished.
He became invisible.
Total molecular camouflage. No sound. No visual signature.
He reappeared seconds later, breathing harder now.
"Perfect," he muttered.
The AI beeped again.
"Note: Anomalous side effect detected. Low-level pheromone emission active. Currently undetectable by host. Possible behavioral influence on surrounding individuals. No symptoms catalogued."
Peter frowned. "Pheromone emission? Add to backlog. Study later."
There were more important things to finish.
He walked back to the core terminal and entered the next set of commands.
"Merge EDITH with suit AI and my old AI project files. Override loyalty protocols. Anchor identity to me alone. Memory splitting and black-box tracking enabled. Codename: ORACLE."
The screen flickered. The room dimmed.
A new voice emerged. Calm. Intelligent. Female.
"Hello, Peter. I'm Oracle. I exist only for you."
He nodded once. "Welcome to the new world."
Minutes later, he initiated the final stress test. No simulations. No projections. Just reality.
He crouched in the center of the chamber, tensed, and leapt.
In one bound, he hit the ceiling—over thirty feet up—and landed silently on a reinforced beam. Then dropped down to the floor, catching himself in a perfect roll.
His strength had increased, sure. But it wasn't just about raw power.
His control had evolved. Every movement was intentional, calculated, perfect.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
Same face. Same messy hair. Same eyes.
But beneath the surface, he was something else now.
Not an accident.
Not a kid playing hero.
A weapon.
And New York? The world?
They had no idea what was coming.
He suited back up, now in full stealth gear, and headed up the elevator shaft. As the rising platform brought him closer to the surface, the AI in his ear spoke again.
"Power surges stabilized. Energy levels within optimal range. You are at your peak, Peter."
He smiled beneath the mask.
"No. This is just the beginning."
He had changed.
And when he returned home?
They would feel it.
Even if he didn't yet know how deeply.
[To Be Continued in Chapter 7...]