Marvel's Iron Lady

Fate is quite an interesting concept. How does that saying go again? Ah, yes—fate works in mysterious ways.

When the doors to Fisk's office were thrown open, and Stark saw who had entered, she was momentarily stunned.

By logical reasoning, it should've been the real NYPD officers converging with the fake ones pretending to be law enforcement. The fake cops would then tell the real ones that Wilson Fisk was holed up inside, giving them the go-ahead to deal with him. In the confusion, they'd sneak Stark out of the Fisk International Financial Group building and maybe even take the opportunity to make a public appearance.

But why was Spider-Man standing in the doorway instead?

Seeing the iconic red-and-blue suit adorned with web patterns, Stark fell into deep thought. The Peter Parker before her was vastly different from the boy she had met just a few months ago.

Underneath that sharp suit was a body bursting with muscle—lean, toned, and incredibly strong. Could it be that the mutant spider genes had triggered a second growth spurt in just a few short months? How fascinating.

As Stark scrutinized Peter Parker, Peter was also taken aback. Perhaps the future had changed because of her, but some things, no matter how much the future altered, would always remain the same.

The moment their eyes met, Peter noticed the handcuffs binding Stark's hands behind her back. His gaze then shifted to the riot police surrounding her. They weren't making any effort to free her, and there was not a single speck of dust, ash, or smoke on them.

If these fully armed riot police had been following him all the way from the bottom floor to the top, their uniforms should've been covered in dust from the explosions and fires.

Peter quickly put the pieces together—these guys were fakes! No wonder Stark had given him such a strange look. She must have been held hostage by them!

Seeing the hostile glint in the eyes of the so-called riot officers beneath their black visors only confirmed his suspicions.

Realizing this, Peter knew he had to act fast. His eyes narrowed with determination. He wasn't just saving Stark from these goons; he also owed her for saving his uncle's life.

With a flick of his wrists, Peter fired two strands of webbing from his shooters. As an experienced superhero, he knew the best strategy was to immediately disarm the enemies, leaving them helpless.

One strand of webbing shot out and stuck to the only Remington M870 shotgun in the group. A quick tug from Peter's wrist yanked the gun away, sending it flying across the floor and smashing into pieces.

The other web strand, however, wrapped around the watching Stark, pulling her toward him with a startled gasp.

The soft, feminine body of Stark landed squarely on Peter's shoulder, her stomach pressing against his firm muscle, nearly causing her to lose her breakfast.

Even with her body enhanced by the Extremis virus, the sudden jolt was still difficult for her to handle.

Doesn't this stupid kid know how to treat ladies? What's wrong with him? Does he have a hole in his head? Stark silently screamed in frustration.

With Stark slung over his shoulder, Peter coldly scanned the group of fake riot officers, his eyes calculating. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the door of the conference room, carrying Stark as he ran.

And what could the fake cops do about it? They were ordered to protect the lady, but now that she'd been "rescued" by Spider-Man, they couldn't leave their post. After all, behind the door of the office lay their boss, Wilson Fisk.

Outside the room, Peter set Stark down. His expression behind the mask was complicated.

"I don't know what you're doing here, but you need to leave as soon as possible. It's dangerous here," Peter said.

Stark, however, simply stared at Peter with an expression that seemed to say she was dealing with an idiot.

She wasn't dumb. She could immediately tell that something was different about Peter Parker. It wasn't just his second wave of physical development; his entire demeanor had changed from the first time they met.

This Spider-Man, this Peter Parker, felt much more mature now.

For Stark, it had only been about half a year since she'd last seen Peter. What she didn't know was that while it had been six months for her, several years had passed in Peter's timeline.

The future had already twisted, and though Stark didn't realize it yet, many things had changed drastically from what she remembered.

For example, Ben Parker, who should've died at the hands of the Sandman, was still alive, living with Aunt May and raising Peter together.

Meanwhile, Norman Osborn, one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies, was now preparing to run for mayor of New York.

Many events had already played out in ways starkly different from the fragmented memories in Stark's mind.

Unaware of the changes to the future, Stark found herself unable to predict the course of events anymore.

After ensuring Stark's safety, Peter turned and rushed back into Wilson Fisk's office.

The man had the audacity to occupy an entire floor of the skyscraper just for his office—how extravagantly ridiculous.

"What an idiot…" Stark muttered with a sigh, watching Peter disappear.

Since the police hadn't arrived as she'd expected, she had no choice but to make her way down the building herself. However, the floors had become quite treacherous due to the earlier explosions.

She had specifically worn heels for the meeting, but in this environment, walking in them was an absolute nightmare.

With no other choice, Stark activated the Space Stone's powers and transported herself down to the lower floors. She figured it'd take a while for everything to conclude, so it'd be better to make her way down slowly.

Meanwhile, back in Fisk's office, Peter found himself facing the same group of fake cops once again.

"So… can we finally finish this?" he asked mockingly.

His taunting tone clearly hit a nerve, and the fake cops, unable to bear the disrespect, lunged at him.

People usually have two reactions when faced with scorn—either they swallow their pride and endure, or they lash out. And lash out they did.

Though Peter had already disarmed their shotgun earlier, they still had riot shields, which doubled as both defense and a means to bludgeon Spider-Man.

Without much choice, Peter decided to get creative with his attacks. As he fought, he quickly formulated a strategy.

He blocked an incoming shield strike with a punch, then immediately fired two webs at the floor. Using the webs to propel himself, he slid between an enemy's legs, kicking upward and sending the man flying.

With a mid-air flip, Peter kicked the man several more times before webbing him to the floor.

Despite lacking formal combat training, Peter relied on his heightened reflexes to fight instinctively. Even though the goons had handguns, not a single bullet came close to hitting him.

After several minutes, Peter had incapacitated everyone in the room.

When the door to Fisk's private office was finally pushed open, Peter had just finished his call with Yuriko Watanabe.

The building was now completely surrounded by the police, with helicopters patrolling the skies above. Fisk Tower had become a trap, with Fisk caught inside, awaiting arrest.

Though Peter wasn't sure what had prompted such a determined response from the NYPD, he was more than happy to lend a hand.

Fisk's private office spanned two floors in a lavish duplex, decorated in a style that leaned heavily on Japanese aesthetics. Despite being a crime lord, Fisk had spared no expense, adorning his office with expensive marble columns.

The office also housed Fisk's personal collection, including samurai armor gifted by the Hand and antiques from the Far East.

Scrolls, katanas, vases, lanterns—the room's décor made Peter feel like he had stepped into Japan.

As for Wilson Fisk himself, he sat at his desk, completely composed, signing documents as though he had no fear of being arrested.

"Writing your memoirs already? Though, I think you'll have plenty of time in prison to finish those," Peter quipped.

"Oh, and don't forget—my full name is Spider and Man," Peter added, unable to resist another jab.

Fisk grinned, a vicious smile spreading across his face at the sight of Spider-Man standing in front of him.

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