Marvel : Web Of Evolution

The soft glow of Peter's laptop screen cast shadows across his cluttered desk. His fingers tapped idly against the keyboard, his thoughts half on his research and half on the familiar buzz of his phone beside him.

Felicia.

He smirked, already picturing the teasing tone in her voice. He picked up the phone and answered.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey, Tiger." Her voice was smooth, playful. "Miss me?"

Peter grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Always." Peter replied. "What's up?"

"Just checking in on my boyfriend," she cooed. "And making sure you're not getting into any trouble without me."

Peter bit back a smirk."The only trouble I have is a complicated relationship, with this dangerous girl. But in case I get into any normal 'trouble', you know me, I always land on my feet."

Felicia hummed. "I do like to keep things interesting."

Peter chuckled. "You? Never."

She let out a mock gasp. "The slander! Now you owe me dinner."

"Fine, but I'm making you pay."

Felicia scoffed. "Please, you think I'd let my Tiger foot the bill? A lady has standards."

Peter rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Right, how could I forget?"

Felicia's voice turned softer. "So, what's on the agenda, this evening? Hopefully not a study session. That'd be tragic."

"Nah, just hanging out with Harry."

There was a slight pause. "Harry Osborne?"

"Yeah, why?"

Felicia sighed dramatically. "Ugh, bromance over romance. I guess I'll allow it… for now."

Peter smirked. "How generous of you, babe."

"Don't forget it," she teased. "Call me later?"

"You know I will," Peter said softly.

"Good. Stay out of trouble or at least don't get caught."

With a final laugh, they hung up, and Peter leaned back, shaking his head, running a hand through his hair. Felicia Hardy. She was fun, sharp, and way too good at keeping him on his toes. Felicia was trouble wrapped in silk, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Doesn't this feel like a chore? It never did. It was an addictive game. One he'd play till the end and wait for her to reveal herself.

But now, back to his responsibilities. Peter's eyes flickered over the screen as data scrolled past at lightning speed. Hacking into someone's personal life wasn't exactly heroic, but when it came to J. Jonah Jameson, exceptions could be made.

["Sir, you have accessed J. Jonah Jameson's personal accounts. I must remind you that hacking is.."]

"Yeah, yeah, morally ambiguous," Peter interrupted. "Save the lecture for when I'm not being slandered in the press. Now, let's see what skeletons are in this guy's closet."

His eyes scanned through files, messages, and call logs. The deeper he dug, the filthier it got.

Covering Up Conspiracies.

-Jameson had personally suppressed multiple exposes on Oscorp's shady human experiments, keeping them buried under layers of corporate pressure.

-Reports of Wilson Fisk's less-than-legal dealings had mysteriously vanished after a large donation to the Bugle.

Silencing Critics

-Multiple blacklisted reporters, each one of them having tried to publish anti-Jameson or anti-Oscorp stories. Their careers? Destroyed.

-Bribing Cops for Spider-Man's Identity

Multiple phone records and text messages showed frequent contacts with NYPD officers, all revolving around one thing: Spider-Man's identity. Jameson had tried to pay off informants within the force to get any information on the "menace."

Frequent contacts with criminal.

-Obviously Kingpin, but several other numbers too from burner phones. But one number stood out more due to the number. Short calls, but multiple times, about 23.. and all made within the last one week.

["If I didn't know better I'd have thought that Mrs.Jameson has some new competition in town".]

Peter frowned as he scrolled through even more files. One thing stood out, Oscorp was deeply involved in Jameson's smear campaigns.

"CELESTE, am I crazy, or is Oscorp at the center of all these smear campaigns against me?"Peter exhaled.

["Sir, your paranoia is justified. Oscorp is mentioned in 68% of all anti-Spider-Man articles tied to the Daily Bugle."]

"So he's not just biased, he's practically on either Oscorp's payroll or someone else's, to make me the scapegoat."

This was bigger than he thought. "Sweetheart, keep an eye on the Oscorp board members and the staff with higher clearance."

Later at the rooftop of Oscorp tower, Peter and Harry sat, watching the city, enjoying the cool breeze that carried the distant sounds of the traffic below.

"You really wanna walk away from all this?" Peter asked.

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Ever since Dad died, the board's been trying to push me out. They offered me $300 million to leave."

Peter frowned. "That's way lower than what your dad's shares are worth."

"I know," Harry muttered. "But every lawyer I call either backs out or suddenly stops answering. I just wanna graduate, live a normal life. Corporate politics? No thanks."

Peter leaned back. "I might know a guy. A damn good lawyer."

Before Harry could respond, Peter's earpiece crackled to life.

["Sir, I have found something… suspicious."]

Peter stayed silent.

["A scientist currently inside Oscorp is simultaneously posting pictures from Thailand. His phone's GPS is still in Thailand. But he is… here."]

Peter's eyes narrowed. I think I know, who this new guy might be.

He stood up. " Shit! Aunt May had asked me to buy her some meds and I totally forgot. Gotta go, dude. I'll call you after I get in touch with the lawyer."

Harry nodded. "Be careful, man."

A few moments later, Peter was already inside the vents. And getting him unseen to the ventilator grills was nothing CELESTE couldn't handle.

Peter exhaled. "Usually, it's the imposter that takes the vent. But this time, the tables have turned."

["Sir, the phrase is 'how the turntables.' But I appreciate the attempt."]

Peter chuckled. "I'm rubbing off on you."

["Heaven forbid."]

Slipping inside, he moved quickly, following CELESTE's directions. Inside, it was dark and narrow, but Peter moved through easily, navigating with ease. Once he was far enough in, he switched into his Spider-Man suit, securing his mask and adjusting his webshooters.

"CELESTE, start recording. Body cam.. is on."

["Understood, sir. I am also monitoring Oscorp's internal security feeds."]

"Good. And sweetie, keep me posted on anything unusual."

["Of course, sir. And for the record, I must say, sneaking through air vents is not the most dignified of entry methods."]

Peter smirked. "Yeah, well, dignity's overrated."

["I shall note that for future reference."]

Peter chuckled softly as he pressed forward.

Peter crouched in the vents, watching the scientist make his way into the Animal Research Wing. His enhanced vision locked onto the scientist stepping out. A ponytail, full beard, glasses. A seemingly ordinary man, yet his spider-senses said otherwise. They were constantly tingling, telling him how this was going to be more of an irritation, than danger.

["Sir, that is him,"] CELESTE confirmed in his earpiece. ["His name is Anton Gregor. A biochemist with no known criminal record… until now."]

Peter narrowed his eyes as the man walked briskly down the hall, heading toward the Animal Research Wing.

"How is this place still running after the whole Lizard incident?" Peter muttered under his breath.

["Corporate resilience, sir,"] CELESTE replied. ["Oscorp has an astonishing ability to sweep catastrophes under the rug."]

Peter went further into the vents, following Gregor, with the help of security cam feeds from CELESTE. As the scientist stepped into the research lab, a few employees noticed his return.

"Anton?" One of them frowned. "Back from vacation already?"

'Gregor' didn't miss a beat. He adjusted his glasses, offering a tired chuckle.

"Yeah, had to cut it short. Family emergency," he replied in a perfectly natural tone.

Keeping up the act, Gregor approached a terminal and inserted a USB drive. Peter could see the screen flashing as files were copied over.

"CELESTE, are you seeing this?" Peter whispered. "His phone is still in Thailand?"

["Affirmative. His last social media post was uploaded from Bangkok fifteen minutes ago, and his GPS remains unchanged."]

Peter sighed. "Chameleon."

Peter watched as the guy pulled a small drive from his coat and began transferring files. Confidential research. Probably something Oscorp didn't want the world or authorities getting their hands on.

"CELESTE, get me a list of what he's downloading."

["Sir, these are classified genetic modifications. Some of these were used in previous cross-species experiments. Others related to regenerative abilities."]

"Lot more nightmare fuel." Peter's eyes narrowed, watching for any tells, a slip in posture, a moment of hesitation, anything. But this was Chameleon. A master of deception.

A few moments later, the transfer was complete. Chameleon removed the drive, tucked it into his lab coat, and casually exited the lab.

Just as Peter was about to crawl back out of the building through the vents, to follow Chameleon, a Spider-Man in suit just like the original jumped in through the front door of the lab.

"Guess who's stealing your data again, bitches?" he announced, showing off the USB drive.

Screams. Panic. Papers flying everywhere. The room erupted into chaos. Security scrambled, scientists dove under desks, and alarms started blaring.

["Sir! What now?"]

"It's go time!". Peter jumped out, freezing everyone for a moment. Especially the fake Spider-Man. He fired a web, yanking the drive straight out of the fake's hand. "Yoink!"

The fake, without hesitation, turned on his heel and bolted.

Peter leaped after him, only to be cut off by a wall of security guards bursting through the doors.

"Oh, come on! I was so close!"

The guards raised their weapons.

"Spider-Man! Stand down!"

Peter sighed. "Why is it always 'stand down'? Why not 'stand up and take a compliment for once'?"

No time for a fight. Peter tossed the stolen drive high into the air. The guards instinctively looked up.

Step one: Diversion. Check.

Step two: disappear.

Peter jumped back in the vents, CELESTE navigating him out. By the time security turned back, Spider-Man was gone.

Minutes later, Spider-Man perched on a fire escape across the street, watching his target. He sighed, "Oscorp visits through vents should be impossible from now".

The fake scientist had switched outfits, blending into the night crowd like a ghost. But as good as he was, he couldn't escape the spider-sense.

["Sir, he's changing outfits and his face. Either he's got a fancy disguise, or he's got a wardrobe from Mission Impossible."]

"That's Chameleon, a mentally instable spy and disguise expert. His clothing could be made of memory material, adjusting to different configurations."

["Neat trick."]

The target moved quickly, slipping into a narrow alley. Peter followed, keeping to the shadows.

Then, voices. Thick, heavy Italian accents.

Peter edged closer, peering around the corner. A group of mobsters stood in a loose formation, hands in their pockets, but the bulges beneath their coats weren't subtle.

Peter's target was nowhere to be seen. But the tingling was still here, but fading.

What the.. Gotta find him fast. Spider-Man stepped in. "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse, tell me where the gu.."

"We've been waiting a long time for you," Mobster #1, one of the mobsters said.

"Now bring the data," Mobster #2 added.

Peter frowned. Wait. They think I am him?Why are they asking me the data?

Before Peter could process it, his Spider-Sense flared.

One of the mobsters was slipping away, almost reaching a sleek black sedan parked a few meters away.

Not good.

Peter tensed, about to make his move.

Then the sirens hit. Red and blue lights flooded the alley, bouncing off the brick walls. Peter turned, a dozen cops. Weapons drawn.

The mobsters stiffened, their hands hesitating at their sides. And stepping forward, at the head of the squad, was a man in a captain's uniform.

Captain George Stacy.

Peter's stomach sank.

"Spider-Man," Stacy barked, eyes hard. "Surrender."

Peter's fingers twitched. Fight or flight? Neither sounded great.

"Uh…" Peter glanced at the mobsters. "You guys mind telling him I'm not the guy you're waiting for?"

"But you were just making us an offer," came a reply from Mobster #1.

"Bruhhh!", for the first time in his story, Spidey was left speechless.

His earpiece crackled.

["Sir… what is happening?"] CELESTE asked, her voice tight with concern.

Peter exhaled. "We have been had."

And that was never a good thing.