Oh, where did the time go? One moment, they were blowing each other's brains out and now they were standing underneath the jet hatch, waiting patiently. Czarina was in full-disguise. Loose white lab coat, a pair of glasses, and purple lipstick.
The jet was being perfectly aligned with the SHIELD helicopter carrying the Irish scientist, Madelyne Pryor, their target. There was fifty feet of distance, at the cusp of being noted visually. Luckily, the clouds were rather thick today. And of course, Felix did some last-minute tinkering with the cloaking devices.
Czarina rolled her wrists and then her neck. She puckered her lips and cleared her throat. Through some online lectures on Youtube, Czarina managed to imitate the scientist's voice too.
"Ahem, ahem! Confirm that that is our target?" Czarina asked while testing out her voice.
"Yes. Herbie?"
"CONFIRMED. ADDITIONALLY, WE REMAIN UNDETECTED. CLOAKING SYSTEMS FULLY ACTIVE."
"We can also confirm it's a custom Mil Mi-26?" Czarina questioned.
"AFFIRMATIVE."
The Mil Mi-26 was a Soviet-Russian heavy transport helicopter and, by all means, the largest helicopter in the world by size. It measured over 40 meters or 131 feet long and had an eight-blade rotor with a 32-meter diameter. It was capable of carrying 20 tons of cargo or up to 90 troops. It was pretty overkill in some ways, though for SHIELD's needs, it was perfect.
The inside, as it was described to them, was that of two sections. The front section where the scientists and agents were, and the rear section with maintenance and supplies. As luck would have it, there was a maintenance hatch in the rear section. Perfect for slipping in without notice.
Felix slipped the jacket off and tossed it onto a seat. His black shirt expanded, merging with his pants, and the red spider emblem stretched across his chest.
Rash stirred in his brain. 'I am ready~!'
Czarina studied the appearance of Spider-Man's suit with quiet fascination. The malleable lenses reddened and narrowed slightly. There was a greater curve to them now.
"So this is how you suit up. Impressive. And are those nanobots I see?"
"Something like that," Spider-Man replied. This wasn't the Mark X, he took it off. "This is the part where I ask if you are ready."
She gave a small smile. "I am a spy from the year 2099. I believe I can handle riding on a superhero's back."
"Good."
Felix flicked a lever and the hatch above them opened it. Cold air rushed into the cabin as the sky roared around them. The helicopter below was directly beneath the jet too.
Felix turned toward her. "Hold on." He wrapped an arm firmly around her waist.
The symbiote rippled and their bodies vanished. His invisibility was turned on. Czarina stepped behind him and laced her arms around his neck, her legs lifting. He didn't need to hold onto her with his arms, he was already adhesive and the Symbiote made sure to add tendrils too. She was like a backpack.
Spider-Man leapt out through the hatch and landed atop the jet. Felix could feel Czarina tense up and almost lose balance. The helicopter and jet were moving at Mach speeds—and as great a spy she was, she was just human.
Spider-Man was not. His feet and arms made sure they were utterly still. The wind tore past them as they slowly walked down the jet. Czarina held tightly to him while the ocean rushed closer.
He could hear her gnawing on her lip when he started walking down sideways. Then heard her breath stop when they were completely upside down, hanging off the jet and just staring down at the jet. At these speeds, even with special goggles, it would have been a blur to register.
Thwip!
"Hold on!" Felix called out.
The line of white webbing latched onto the helicopter's landing strut. He yanked himself down and Czarina closed her eyes, breath held.
It was all up to Spider-Man.
Yank!
Their fall was more of a throw due to his super strength and webbing. Spider-Man landed silently against the underside of the aircraft. With Czarina on his back, he was afraid he had made too much noise. Luckily, nothing happened.
The helicopter crew never noticed.
The invisible Spider-Man crawled up the landing gear and opened up the small maintenance hatch that led into the rear compartment. Everything was going perfect—
"Hey! Did the maintenance hatch just open!?"
Until it wasn't. There were SHIELD agents in the maintenance area, because of course they were.
Still invisible, Spider-Man crawled silently along the floor. Czarina clung to his back without making a sound. Their hearts beat fast as eyes suddenly swung to the lone maintenance hatch at the back. It had been open for two seconds, maybe less.
But the helicopter's manual systems noted the intrusion and the rush of wind also couldn't be ignored.
Two SHIELD agents ran right up to the hatch, eyes squinting.
'D-did they see?'
"Hm…the lights went red but…I don't see anything," said one of the agents. "Think it could have been a glitch?"
"...are you sure? I swear I heard wind rushing in."
Eyes were still looking at the hatch.
They didn't realize the invisible pair were crawling right on top of them. It was a thin fit, especially considering it was two people. However, luck arrived when the agents started crouching to check out the hatch. That gave them ample space to make it to the front section door. They opened it and
Inside the front section, several SHIELD agents sat along the sides while the scientists occupied the central seats. Most of them looked tired after the long night.
Spider-Man scanned the passengers.
'There you are, Madelyne Pryor…! Now, to make the switch.'
A red-haired scientist sat near the center, glasses perched on her nose while she stared at a tablet. Must have been studying Gwen's biological data.
This part had been vaguely rehearsed. Czarina said she could do it. He looked over his shoulder and she nodded. She slipped off his back, although made sure to keep holding hands with him. Otherwise, the invisibility would fade.
His fingers started buzzing with bioelectricity. Slowly gathering up energy, controlling it, and then when it was enough…
Slam!
He jammed his fingers down and the helicopter rattled through what they assumed was a patch of turbulence. Suddenly, everyone was holding, either with closed eyes or grunts. No one looked at the door that opened at the moment of the turbulence.
Nor did they notice a pair of invisible humans darting through. Czarina and Spider-Man arrived right in front of Madelyne Pryor and yanked her tablet from her hands.
"Ah!"
The poor woman assumed it was turbulence. Being inexperienced with it, she tried to go after her tablet.
Which was exactly what they wanted.
"More turbulence!" came the announcement through the speakers. That was because of Herbie. Remember those EMPs he had gotten from Elektra in case of an emergency? He refitted them to drop and affect the clouds. The bioelectricity from Felix had been the signal for the real thing.
The helicopter leaned completely one way. Some scientists toppled over and among them was Madelyne Pryor, but unlike them, she fell into the arms of Spider-Man. When that happened, he pressed his finger gently against the scientist's neck. A faint electrical pulse shot through her body and she slumped into him.
In one smooth motion, Czarina slipped out of his invisible grasp and into the turbulent seat. She adjusted the lab coat and pretended to be struggling to not fall over like everyone else.
"Come on, people! Put on your seat belts!" a SHIELD agent announced.
One of the scientists stammered out, "I-I thought you said this helicopter could go through any turbulence—"
"Well, shit changes!"
To anyone looking, nothing had changed, when really, they were losing one of their own people. Felix slung the unconscious scientist over his shoulder and Herbie triple-checked that she was strapped in for the ride. Still invisible, he moved back toward the rear end and crawled through the maintenance hatch. Since the turbulence was still going on, the lights were already flashing red. The SHIELD agents didn't notice it opening this time around, too busy balancing themselves and holding onto the straps.
In an infiltration that lasted twenty seconds, he slipped out of the helicopter, crawled to the side of it, looked up, and aimed his wrist.
Thwip!
He yanked himself back up to the jet. His palms and feet hit the bottom side of the jet hard. Felix panted and looked down.
"Good luck, Czarina. And thank you."
The hatch was still open. He crawled around his jet and dropped down. The hatch sealed immediately afterward.
The helicopter continued flying. Not a single person aboard had noticed anything.
Well…except one.
"Mm…."
Madelyne Pryor was still on his back and unaware of anything. He didn't want to torture her or seal her up or anything. He had a…funner plan in mind.
***
Twenty minutes later…
"Mm…! W-what…?"
The red-haired scientist groaned softly and her eyes fluttered open. The smell of hay filled her nose.
"W-where…?"
Madelyne blinked slowly and sat up. Wooden beams stretched overhead. Dust floated through thin rays of sunlight. She was lying in a barn.
"…What?" Madelyne murmured weakly. "Huh? Huh? I don't…"
Her head throbbed.
The last thing she remembered was sitting in the helicopter and now…now she was here. It didn't make sense. There was no way she could be here.
Madelyne slapped herself. Nope. Still here.
A pair of boots crunched across the dirt floor. An older farmer stepped inside, holding a shovel. He froze when he saw her.
"Well now," he said slowly. "The hell are you doin' in here, little lady?
The scientist stared at the farmer in confusion. "W-where am I? Who are you?"
The farmer scratched his head. "Ma'am, I think the better question is how you got in my barn."
"Y-your barn? Not…is this…l-like a test?"
"A test? The hell? Who do take me for, lady!?"
High above the clouds, the private jet turned west. Felix sat in the cockpit, sighing and munching on a sandwich. He was hungry.
"Sorry, Madelyne, but you're about hours away from internet civilization. And even if you do make it, as long as Czarina is down there, I'll have Herbie there to intercept your calls."
Felix exhaled slowly. Step one was complete. Although to call it step on was a bit obtuse. This wasn't a plan. Felix was just reacting.
Anyway, he had to get back to New York. He had to start investigating again.
***
"Home sweet home."
Daxter Labs always brought a smile to his face. The codes needed to access the building and most importantly, the elevator ride down…
Ding!
When the elevator doors opened up, he was greeted by the robotic army of Herbie. Coming here, he didn't feel as alone.
"Greetings, Master Faeth!"
"Hello, Master Faeth!"
"Hi, hey, hi." He finger-pointed at some of the robotic Herbies, smiling. Even if they weren't really alive, they were just…comfortable. They reminded him that he had a place to come back to no matter how stressed life was.
The computers and keyboard especially. It was a lifeline.
When he sat on the chair of the Fantastic Computer…
"Woah."
His muscles suddenly lost all their energy and Felix passed out for a whole hour. When he woke up, he was groggy. He was still in the chair too, except it was obvious he had been slightly moved. He sighed, knowing what had happened.
"Still not recovered, huh?" Felix murmured. "Herbie, you checked my status, right?"
"AFFIRMATIVE," came the Herbie voice through the Fantastic Computer. "READINGS SUGGEST TWO WEEKS OF REST."
"Two weeks, huh?"
It didn't feel that way. He felt he was about eighty-percent okay.
"THE MARK X BOLSTERS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES IN EXCHANGE FOR DRAINING AWAY AT ONE'S METABOLISM. FOR A NORMAL HUMAN, USAGE OF THE MARK X COULD LED TO DEATH IN UNDER 2 MINUTES."
Yep, that much, he was aware—which was why, again, it was meant to be used in conjunction with Rash. The Symbiote exponentially amplified his metabolism."
"ADDTIONALLY, THE LOSS AND SUBSEQUENT GAIN OF THE SYMBIOTE HERBIE HAS DONE NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE. NOTICE YOUR FINGERS AREN'T REACTING AS QUICKLY AS THEY USUALLY DO."
Twitch, twitch. He was right. There was this…strange slowness in his fingers. He had noticed it when he was climbing the jet. It wasn't bad enough that he couldn't fight or do shit. It did make him uncomfortable.
"So what does this mean?"
"NO MORE HULK-LEVEL FIGHTS. IT APPEARS WE HAVE FOUND THE LIMIT OF YOUR EXTREMIS."
Felix actually straightened up. "The limit?"
"CORRECT. YOUR EXTREMIS LARGELY ADAPT AND HEALED YOU BUT AS A RESULT, YOUR BRAIN IS SENDING OUT VASTLY WEAKER SIGNALS. IN THE HOUR YOU WERE ASLEEP, WE PUT YOU THROUGH AN MRI MACHINE."
Right, his training chamber was fitted with strong magnets and radio waves. It was pretty much an extra-large MRI machine.
"WE SUGGEST LIMITING YOUR USAGE OF YOUR SPIDER-ABILITIES. KEEP YOURSELF HUMAN. THE MORE YOU PUSH, THE MORE SEVERELY YOU WILL PASS OUT. AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE WEAKER YOUR BRAIN SIGNALS WILL BECOME."
Felix wanted to go wide-eyed. He wanted to be surprised. But…he had been anticipating this from the start. "I knew there had to be a limit. No power comes without some compromise." He grimaced. "When you say, limit my powers, by how much?"
"USE YOUR SPIDER-ABILITIES ONLY ONCE EVERY TWO DAYS AND THE NEURLOGICAL DAMAGES WILL BE LARGELY MITIGATED. IDEALLY, WE WISH FOR NONE AT ALL BUT…"
Felix smiled. "You know me. That's now happening."
"INDEED, MASTER FAETH."
The other voice in his head popped in. 'I…apologize. This is my doing. My fault. We…never should have separated.'
"What's done is done, Rash."
'Nooo! I must make it up to you!'
"You hear that, Herbie? He wants to help. Can he?" Felix asked, genuinely curious.
"RASH'S FUNNELLING AND DEEP CONNECTION WITH YOUR BRAIN IS LIKELY THE PRIMARY FACTOR FOR YOUR AILMENT. I SUGGEST MORE REGULAR COMMUNICATION BUT STILL LESSER USE OF SPIDER-POWERS. THIS IS ABOUT RECOVERY."
"Hear that, Rash? We have to talk more." Felix snorted and he could hear the Symbiote chuckle a little too.
"Unfortunately…" From his shoulder, Rash appeared as a wobbly, liquidy black head. Curved white eyes and everything. "I am not too helpful in what you will be doing next. This…investigation stuff is…complicated. And I am dumb."
"Don't worry, we're all dumb on some days. Other days, we can be geniuses. Now…" Felix crossed his arms. "Herbie, any updates on the coup in Latveria?"
"IT IS DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN INFORMATION. LATVERIA IS A HEAVILY RESTRICTED ZONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. BUT, THERE DOES SEEM TO BE A GREAT FEAR AMONG POLITICIANS."
Just like Harold wanted. Ha.
Well, he didn't mind that part too much. Politicians were supposed to serve others, not serve for themselves. The world had indeed forgotten about that.
"Alright then, analyze large scale energy readings in New York in the last twenty-four hours. Harold teleported, maybe even multiple times. We need to find him."
At the Emporium Auction, they detected a build-up of energy in advance of the grand teleportation. No reason why Herbie hadn't detected it and kept it in the records.
"I was too busy trying not to die against the Hulk, but I hope if you did find something, that there's a chance you triangulated a location."
"Yes. Agreed." Rash nodded along cutely. "Triangularigate."
"QUANTUM FOLD DISPLACEMENT LOCATED IN LATVERIA."
"Of course." He gestured with his hand. "And New York?"
"QUANTUM FOLD DISPLACEMENT NOT LOCATED IN THE CITY OR STATE OF NEW YORK."
Felix did a double-take. "That's impossible. How…what? There has to be a teleportation start and end goal."
The Fantastic Computer possessed a plethora of monitors. Each contained a model of the Earth and was using the Oscorp and SHIELD satellites to double and triple and quadruple check. Turning his head side to side, none of the monitors gave a position answer.
"NEGATIVE. NO QUANTUM FOLD DISPLACEMENT FOUND IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK."
"But… there has to be…"
Harold teleported. He did. And it had to be somewhere in New York. If not in the city, then the state.
Tap, tap. Felix tapped his forehead.
"So what's going on? We detected a displacement in Latveria, confirming he arrived there. But…the starting point…"
Where was that?
No, the better question was…
"How are you hiding a quantum displacement, Harold? There's no stopping it, it's the caveat of teleporting. It requires a huge amount of energy. So…you must be doing something to blur it from our sensors? Did you hack it?"
"LIKELY NOT," Herbie chimed in.
"The robot has confidence. I believe in him."
"I AM NOT A HIM. I AM HERBIE."
"Riiiight."
Tap, tap. Felix was thinking. Thinking, thinking, thinking, going back to past experiences, going back to what Harold knew about the world.
A light bulb went off.
"Nuclear power. That's it, nuclear radiation. That always tends to bug out sensors! Like at Harry's factory! That means…"
Felix started typing. He searched up all nuclear reactors in the state of New York. He didn't need Herbie's help for this. He smiled, chuckled, and zoomed in on location in the Salem County of New Jersey.
"HOW HAVE YOU COME TO THIS CONCLUSION? THIS IS OUT OF STATE TOO. THOUGH…IT IS QUITE CLOSE."
"Exactly. Ha, sorry Herbie but this is something only humans know. My dad was a manager at a nuclear plant so he told me here and there about it." He pointed a finger. "People at reactors work extra long shifts, about twelve hours-ish, and commuting is long due to nuclear plant stipulations. Still, the towns nearby are kind of close."
"WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND."
"Meaning, people tend to rent trailers to sleep. They only came back home on weekends or shorter days."
"Neither of us understand still," said Rash.
"Remember how we kept asking where Harold kept his people after the Emporium Auction? It was here! At various towns around a nuclear power plant! The nuclear radiation stopped the sensors from picking it up! And since there are small towns, digital footprints are nonexistent."
"BUT…WHAT IS SO…"
"Bingo. Looks like you've noticed." Felix pointed at the map. "In the Salem County of New York, there is the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station and riiight next to it, literally connected, is the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. Two nuclear plants in one location. Double the energy. Looks at these numbers: together, these plants produce 3,572 megawatts. It's the largest nuclear power facility in the east!"
"TWO POWER PLANTS…SIDE BY SIDE…WITH TOWNS SUCH AS STOW CREEK TOWNSHIP WITH POPULATIONS IN UNDER THE THOUSANDS…"
"Exactly." Felix uncrossed his arms and smiled. "Harry Osborn owns homes in New Jersey, correct? Show me which ones."
On the monitors, Herbie pulled up twelve different homes. Felix's smile grew.
"And look at that. A home in Lower Alloways Creek. Interesting. Let me guess, this house was bought last year, shortly after the Creature Z incident?"
"AFFIRMATIVE."
"Meaning, during Harold's rise in power."
"NO."
"...huh? No?"
"THIS HOUSE WAS BOUGHT ONE WEEK PRIOR TO GWEN STACY AND HAROLD'S ESCAPE."
"One week…? Wait, so Harry about this originally? What…for…?"
What for? The answer was obvious—to help Gwen Stacy in secret. New Jersey was far enough from New York, but ultimately, a two hour drive or half an hour on a jet. And from the memories he pulled from Elsa, strangely, he felt a tug. He thought it was just the deduction but now he was thinking it was something more.
"So…we have something?" Rash asked.
"We do. I'll…be able to find his teleportation device and maybe...reverse-engineer it. Or maybe tamper with it. I don't know. I…guess I have time to decide."
Felix frowned and fell silent. There was a small chance his deduction of Harold's teleportation base was incorrect. Even if it was …did it matter?
Harold likely had two primary targets: Gwen Stacy and the Sheath. Gwen's location was obvious enough to both of them. But the Sheath…that was the trump card. An item that could turn the tides for either of them.
"He's not going to fight me directly. He can't. He mentioned his body is growing older. I wonder…"
Did this lowly, unknown home in Lower Alloways Creek hold the answers to what happened to Gwen Stacy? To Harry Osborn? To Harold?
To the Sheath?
"Well, only one way to find out."