"Eight minutes is enough. Begin infiltration on my mark."
Peter pulled up building schematics on his phone. FSIS overlaid the optimal route. Through ventilation shafts to the spider lab. Grab specimens. Take genetic samples. Exit the same way.
He checked his supplies. Small containment tubes in his jacket pocket. Specially designed. Titanium construction. Hermetically sealed. Each one could hold a single spider safely.
And his system storage. The dimensional pocket that existed outside normal space and time. He could transfer anything he touched directly into temporal stasis. Perfect for biological samples that might degrade.
Peter exited the bathroom. Walked calmly down a hallway that led away from the tour group. Found the ventilation access point FSIS had identified.
"Execute," he whispered.
---
Across the city, in a luxury penthouse, a very different meeting was taking place.
Wilson Fisk sat behind a massive mahogany desk. His bulk filled the expensive leather chair. His hands were folded on the desk surface. Perfectly manicured nails. Rings worth more than most people's cars.
The Kingpin of Crime listened as his subordinate delivered a report.
"Oscorp has identified a candidate for their feline enhancement project," the man said. He was thin. Nervous. He knew failure meant death. "A high school student named Felicia Hardy. Age sixteen. DNA screening shows she has natural genetic markers that make her ideal for the modification."
"Hardy," Fisk repeated. His voice was deep. Cultured. "Why do I know that name?"
"Her father, sir. Walter Hardy. The cat burglar. He stole from you twice. You had him arrested three years ago. He's currently serving time at Ryker's Island."
"Ah yes. The cat burglar." Fisk's expression didn't change. "And now his daughter has genetics suitable for feline enhancement. That's... poetic."
"Oscorp plans to approach her with an offer. Legal participation in the enhancement program. They'll present it as an opportunity."
"Which she'll refuse," Fisk said. "If she's anything like her father, she values independence. She won't sell herself to Norman Osborn."
"Our intelligence agrees, sir."
Fisk leaned back in his chair. It creaked under his weight. "But a desperate daughter trying to help her imprisoned father? That's different. That's leverage."
"What do you propose?"
"We wait. Let Oscorp do the research. Let them perfect the formula. Then we steal it. When Felicia Hardy becomes desperate enough, we'll offer her what she needs. Power. In exchange for service."
"The Black Cat," his subordinate said.
"Exactly." Fisk smiled. "A cat burglar's daughter with supernatural abilities. Working for me. It has a certain elegance."
"Should we begin surveillance on the girl?"
"Discreetly. I want to know everything about her. Her routines. Her relationships. Her weaknesses. When the time comes, I want to know exactly how to manipulate her."
The subordinate nodded and left. Fisk remained at his desk. He pulled up a file on his computer. Oscorp Industries. Norman Osborn. Genetic research.
'Everything connects,' Fisk thought. 'Power. Control. Evolution. Osborn thinks he's the only one who can play this game. He's wrong.'
'I'll take his research. His formulas. His candidates. And I'll build my own enhanced army. Starting with one very special cat.'
---
Back at Oscorp, Peter climbed into the ventilation shaft.
His Physique 10.0 body made the movement effortless. He was strong enough to bend metal with his bare hands. Agile enough to move through tight spaces like water flowing downhill. His 347 martial arts included multiple infiltration and stealth techniques.
He was a ghost. Silent. Invisible. Perfect.
The shaft led deeper into the building. Peter navigated using the schematics FSIS provided. Turn left. Straight for twenty meters. Drop down one level. Turn right.
"Security systems disabled," FSIS reported through his earpiece. "All cameras offline. Electronic locks under my control. Motion sensors deactivated. You have 8 minutes before automatic reboot."
Peter reached the spider lab. A vent grate looked down into the research space. He could see the enclosures below. Rows of genetically modified spiders. Each one a potential revolution in human enhancement.
He gripped the grate. Pulled. The screws held for a moment. Then the metal bent silently in his hands. Impossible strength applied with perfect control.
Peter dropped down into the lab. Landed without sound. His enhanced spatial awareness made every movement precise.
The lab was dark except for emergency lighting. UV lights in the spider enclosures provided soft illumination. The spiders moved in their containers. Sensing something. Probably smelling him.
Peter approached Spider-42's enclosure first. The red and blue spider sat motionless. Waiting.
The lock was biometric. Retinal scan and fingerprint. But FSIS had already cloned the necessary credentials from security footage. Peter's phone emitted the correct electromagnetic signature.
Click.
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