Spider-Man of Earth 65

Getting home, they were supposed to regroup. They were supposed to try and track.

They didn't. They sat there in the car outside Felix's apartment and just waited. The sound of Aaron Davis typing on his laptop punctuated the conversation. The engine turned off. 

That was when Felix spoke up. 

"So we're just going to give up?"

Maria replied without missing a beat, "We have no method of finding her, no knowledge of who this woman is, why she took Kate, and what she can do. We don't know what direction she went. All the stars aligned for her today, Felix. In this business, that is sometimes how it goes."

"Felix," said Aaron. "I'll handle it—"

"You mean 'we'," Yelena corrected.

"Right. Finding and stealing things is my specialty."

"Hm." He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Felix did not want to abandon Kate, not like this. His hand on his sleep, he fell deep into thought.

'I'm good at computers but Aaron the Prowler is definitely better. But unlike him…' His Advanced Glasses analyzed and scanned the cameras of the city. Local or not, he could connect to pretty much all of them and yet the supercomputer had not found the thief with a kidnapped Kate.

So how were Aaron and Yelena going to do this? Through sheer brute force? 

"Don't worry," Aaron said, "I got some shit hooked up to a dozen cell towers in the city. They're owned by the NSA and Oscorp and, well, I already got their security systems down pat. I could run a search for every signal that connects. Read through texts and phone calls. This thief, whoever she is, can't be working alone."

"You're going to be monitoring phone calls and texts?"

"Oscorp does it all the time. How do you think they've been creeping up on the phone market? Right now, they don't build phones, only cell towers, but that's going to change soon."

"That's…"

"What, we shouldn't do it?" Yelena snorted. "Look, we are all already superseding the law. Might as well keep going. You do want to save her, right? You gotta compromise."

Spying and accessing beyond public cameras was something Felix could do very, very easily, but it was invasive, villainous, and wrong. Right? It had to be, otherwise that would make him no different than the shitty executives of Oscorp that did everything they could to maintain their power.

'But to find Kate…'

Shit, was he really going to compromise his morals? First blackmail, now this…

"Mac addresses themselves can be spoofed so it won't be easy to locate her," Aaron continued. "I'll need more details. Do you remember anything about her?"

"White hair," Maria supplied. "Quite tall and exceptionally well-trained. Not necessarily versatile but a master of her art."

"She was the woman sitting next to me," Felix said. "Ashley was her name. She was…attractive, for one, and…"

His voice died out. Why didn't he want to speak? It was like his heart was pounding hard to tell him jot to say anything.

'If magic is what she has, then…is that why my attraction to her is so strong?' 

There was being horny and there was infatuation. Felix sincerely couldn't tell if it was actual magic or just the magic of beauty.

Felix managed to continue anyway, throat ripping out the words forcibly. "…almost as tall as me. Five-foot-ten, I would say, with green eyes."

Aaron wrote everything down. "That is a start. I'll have to go back to my computer to actually start plugging in and listening."

"So what? You got a Prowler Lair where you Prowl?" Yelena cheekily smiled at Maria. "You saw it, didn't you? He calls himself the Prowler. Such a poser, no?"

"Hrn. Admittedly, I did not think I would ever meet the Prowler." Maria peered over at him, eyes with an emotion of surprise, awe, and something else. "You're a legend among the rich of New York. To think the almighty Prowler would be a former cop…"

Aaron looked up at the detective. "Going to sell me out?"

"I am being paid handsomely by Yelena Belova and Kate Bishop, so no."

"Then we'll have no problems." Aaron flashed a smile and thumbs-up, then jabbed the thumb at Felix. "This dude here is a tough cookie but not that tough. He needs me around."

"Hey, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Aaron chuckled. "I dragged you into this, brother. You're my responsibility. Especially after all…this." He looked him in the eye. "We will find Kate. I give my word."

"What about Eleanor? What if she asks?" Felix pointed out.

"I'll handle it," said Maria. "Go to sleep for now. Tomorrow, if you are able, join us."

To join them meant to skip out on work. Honestly, it wasn't a difficult choice. Going to work for a small paycheck that he didn't need versus helping find a missing woman. The latter was far more important. 

He inhaled sharply. 'But for tonight, I have to go to sleep. I am still a normal scientist to them, after all.'

And so, Felix Faeth went back home. 

***

Sleep came hard. It was hard to close your eyes when a woman got kidnapped because of you. 

'Maria said she would handle Eleanor but…' 

They didn't have to tell her. Not yet. They could save Kate tomorrow or the day after. Eleanor would never have to know.

In the meantime, Felix was on his computer, arms crossed. His three allies were manually analyzing but he had Herbie. He had a supercomputer. 

"If I go as Spider-Man and save Kate, it will be suspicious. Instead…" 

He had a USB plugged in and an interface that he was developing that would function perfectly with what Aaron had. It wouldn't be on the same level as Herbie but it would be exponentially better than manually scanning. 

When did he learn to code and make apps? Right now. He was learning as he went. 

"I don't need sleep, so in eight or hours, I can probably develop something appropriate for them."

A brain that did not sleep. A brain that functioned perfectly. Not a photographic memory but something very close to it. Felix was efficient. He learned fast—and when times were tense and someone's life was on the line, he learned faster.

It was well past midnight when Felix heard the knock at his apartment door. The sound was hesitant, barely audible at first, but persistent enough to draw him from his work. 

"Oh." He blinked. The camera showed who it was and, well…

He got up and went to open it. When he did, he found Rio Morales standing there, looking like a shadow of the strong, confident woman he had come to know.

She was dressed in a simple, shoulderless nightgown, her curly hair undone and disheveled, framing her face that was streaked with tears. Dark circles hung under her eyes, her usual warmth replaced by a hollow, haunted expression. Felix's heart sank at the sight of her. 

"Rio?" he said. "Are you okay?"

His neighbour didn't answer right away, her lips trembling as she tried to form words. Instead, she nodded shakily, her eyes pleading for something she couldn't seem to say. 

"Can I come in?" Rio finally asked, her voice thick with exhaustion and emotion.

Felix stepped aside without hesitation, closing the door behind her as she walked in. She sank onto his couch, her hands shaking slightly as she clasped them in her lap. Felix watched her for a moment before fetching a glass of water from the kitchen. When he handed it to her, she took it with a small nod of thanks but didn't drink.

"What's going on?" Felix asked gently, sitting down beside her.

Rio didn't meet his eyes at first. She just stared ahead, her hands gripping the glass tightly as if it were the only thing grounding her in reality. After a long moment, she spoke, her voice low and filled with disbelief.

"The FBI... they came to me tonight," Rio began, her breath hitching as she spoke. "They told me... they told me my husband... Jefferson..." She paused, swallowing hard. "He's alive. Not just alive—he's been arrested."

Felix felt a knot tighten in his stomach, his face remaining neutral. He knew this moment would come, but hearing it from Rio—hearing the pain and confusion in her voice—made it feel heavier than he ever imagined.

"They said he's... he's a crime lord," Rio continued, her voice breaking as the words came out. "And I—I can't—" Her breath shuddered. "I can't keep it to myself, Felix. They told me I had to, but I just can't. It's too much. I don't know what to do."

She looked at him now, her eyes pleading, searching for something—comfort, understanding, anything that could make sense of the chaos she had been thrust into.

"I can't tell Miles," Rio whispered. "I can't tell my mother... So it's just you. I didn't know who else... I had to tell someone."

Felix sat quietly, listening as she rambled, her words tumbling out in a stream of panic and disbelief. This had rattled her core, rattled everything she had done the last ten years.

"They told me not to try to see him," she said, her voice small. "That it wasn't safe. But part of me... I don't know, part of me believes them, Felix. That this is real. That Jefferson... that the man I loved is really alive... and that he's done these awful things. An auction master or something…t-the Scorpion! They gave him a codename!"

Felix's throat tightened as she continued, her hands trembling again, spilling a bit of water on her lap. Gently, he reached over and took the glass from her, setting it aside. Then, without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"It's going to be okay," he said softly, rubbing her back in slow circles as she cried into his shoulder. 

Rio clung to him, her sobs quiet but deep, as though years of pent-up grief and confusion were finally breaking through. Felix held her tighter, feeling the weight of his own guilt pressing down on him. He couldn't tell her that he had played a part in Jefferson's arrest, that he had helped bring her husband's double life to light. 

But for now, she needed comfort—not the truth.

Her breathing eventually slowed, and she pulled away slightly, wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "I didn't mean to fall apart like this."

"You don't need to apologize," Felix replied, offering a small, reassuring smile. "This is a lot to take in. Anyone would feel the same."

Rio gave a weak nod, her shoulders slumping as the exhaustion weighed her down. She leaned back against the couch, her eyes half-closed as the emotional toll of the night caught up with her.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "For being here."

Felix gently brushed a stray curl away from her face. "Always," he said quietly. 

So they sat there. In his room, Herbie continued to work on his app.

While here, he comforted Rio. She had no energy. She had been thinking and trying to sleep and failing—until now. 

As Rio finally drifted off to sleep beside him, her breathing deep and even, Felix watched her for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. Her face was tear-stained, her cheeks flushed from crying, but at least now, there was a quietness about her.

But Felix couldn't ignore the gnawing guilt inside him. He'd made choices—hard choices, ones that had led to this moment. Blackmailing Eleanor Bishop, playing his part in Jefferson's capture—it had all seemed necessary at the time. Looking at Rio's sleeping form, he wondered if it had been worth the cost.

His gaze lingered on her, and after a moment of contemplation, he made his decision. It was worth it. Rio, as much as she had been hurt, had accepted the truth. She was stronger than she realized, and in time, she would get through this. The weight of this secret would lessen, and she would heal.

Felix would be here for her—just like he promised.

***

The soft smell of scrambled eggs and bacon wafted through the apartment as Rio slowly opened her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt disoriented, the weight of the previous night's revelations still pressing on her. But as she glanced around and remembered where she was—Felix's apartment, the familiar warmth of the couch beneath her—the tension in her chest loosened just a little.

She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and the sight of Felix at the kitchen counter brought her back fully to the present. He was moving around with quick feet, flipping pancakes on the stove and humming softly under his breath. The quiet domesticity of it all felt surreal after the storm of emotions from last night. But it was a welcome distraction.

"Good morning," Felix called over his shoulder, catching her eye with a small smile.

Rio blinked, surprised to find breakfast waiting for her. "Felix, you didn't have to—"

"Sit down," he interrupted gently, motioning toward the table. "You need to eat. I took the day off from work, so we've got time."

"Work... oh no, I didn't mean to—" Rio started, the apology spilling from her lips before she could stop it. She felt a wave of guilt crash over her. Here she was, falling apart, and Felix had dropped everything to take care of her. 

"It's nothing, Rio. I already cleared it. Miles is sleeping in, too. I called the school and told them he'd be out for the day. Kid has no idea."

Rio blinked again, this time stunned. "You... you did all that? Felix, I... I don't even know what to say."

"Thank you would be a good start," Felix teased lightly, his tone gentle enough to make her smile.

Rio pressed her hand to her forehead, still trying to grasp everything. "I'm sorry for last night... for dumping all of that on you. I shouldn't have... I didn't mean to—"

"Rio," Felix cut her off, this time with more sincerity, as he set down two plates of food on the table. He sat across from her, his eyes steady and understanding. "You don't need to apologize for anything. I'm here. Whatever you need."

The weight of his words settled over her like a warm blanket, and for a moment, Rio felt the tears threatening to return. But she pushed them back, forcing a shaky smile instead. "Thank you, Felix. Really, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Felix just shrugged, his familiar, nonchalant grin returning. "Hey, you've been there for me plenty of times. This is just me returning the favor."

They both dug into their breakfast, the silence between them now warm and comforting instead of heavy. As they ate, the sunlight filtered in through the windows, casting a soft glow over the room. It felt like a temporary haven from the world outside—a small moment of peace.

After a few bites, Rio glanced up at him, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "So, if you've got the day off... what are we doing?"

Felix smiled. "Well, I do have a meeting this afternoon—" He paused for just a second, choosing his words carefully. He wasn't about to let it slip that he was meeting up with her brother-in-law who was missing in action. "Investor stuff. But we've got five hours to kill until then. We can watch TV, play some video games, whatever you feel like."

Rio let out a small laugh, some of her previous tension easing away. "Video games, hm? You're lucky, you know. You play against Miles, not knowing it was me that introduced him to it."

"Oh?"

"I played Lara Croft aallll the time when I was younger. Smash Bros too. Trust me, I'm good." She smiled, the first real smile she'd managed since last night, and it made Felix feel like the morning was a win already.

Felix grinned. "We shall see about that, ma'am."

The morning passed in a blur of lighthearted moments and easy laughter. They ended up on the couch, controllers in hand, as Rio discovered just how terrible she was at the latest racing game Felix had put on. Every time her character crashed into a wall or spun off the track, she groaned in frustration, while Felix stifled his laughter, shaking his head.

"You did that on purpose!" Rio exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him after he won yet another race.

"I swear I didn't," Felix replied, holding up his hands innocently. "You're just too distracted by my flawless technique."

Rio narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Yeah, yeah, keep talking. Next round's mine."

After a few more rounds—and several more defeats for Rio—they switched gears, lounging on the couch as an old movie played in the background. The quietness returned, but it was no longer filled with the same weight of grief and uncertainty from the night before. Rio leaned back against the cushions, feeling something close to peace settle over her.

As the afternoon approached, Felix glanced at the clock and stretched his arms, a signal that their quiet hours together were coming to an end.

"I should probably get ready for that meeting," he said casually, not making too much of it.

Rio nodded, though a bit of reluctance crossed her face. "Right... Of course. I didn't mean to take up your whole day."

Felix shook his head, standing up and giving her a reassuring smile. "Hey, this morning was good. You needed it, and so did I."

Rio stood up too, giving him a small, grateful smile. "I don't know how to thank you for everything."

Felix waved it off, stepping towards the door. "No need. You've got my number, okay? Anytime you need to talk, just knock or call. I mean it."

"Okay," she replied softly. "Thank you, Felix."

Felix flashed her a smile, grabbed his coat, and went out. 

Outside, the cool morning air brushed against his face. His eyes immediately found the sleek, yellow car parked across the street, Yelena Belova leaning against it with sunglasses and a suit. 

"Nice car, eh?" she said. 

"You got a new one?" Felix asked.

"Yep. Your friend blurred out our car in the public cameras but unfortunately, he cannot do the same for people's memories. Better to be safe than sorry."

Fair enough. Typical spy shit, using and discarding to maintain anonymity. 

He slid into the passenger seat as Yelena got behind the wheel. A whole night went by. Felix found nothing and judging by Yelena's tone of voice…

"Nothing?"

"Nothing yet."

Felix exhaled. Kate was abducted and they had found nothing. They had to get ahead of it before it unraveled something much larger.

Five minutes into the drive, Yelena broke the silence. "Nothing on J. Jonah Jameson's podcast this morning. No mention of the Sanctum."

"That's strange. You'd think with all the noise, there'd at least be rumors."

"FBI and SHIELD must have worked together. Makes sense. The gallery section above was far enough from the action underground. And those that were there, rightfully ignorant. They wouldn't know a thing."

"Hm."

"Don't believe it?"

"I do. From the FBI's perspective, they are trying to flush out the participants of the auction. They have to be quiet."

"Good job, Mr. Scientist. You're getting the hang of this."

The car weaved through the city streets, heading toward one of the more upscale districts where Aaron Davis resided in luxury. 

'I came here last time with my Spider-Bot. Now I'm here in-person. It's a lot bigger,' he noted to himself. 

They reached the towering glass building, its façade gleaming in the late morning sun. The lobby was pristine, too clean for Felix's taste, every surface reflecting light. They bypassed the front desk without a word, Yelena flashing the kind of look that made it clear interruptions wouldn't be tolerated. An elevator awaited them, opening with a silent whoosh. The air inside felt colder, sterile even, as they began their ascent.

Felix leaned against the mirrored wall, watching the floors tick by. "Any guesses as to who the thief is?"

Yelena shrugged. "Surprisingly, no. Not even our resident cop-thief knows. She's a total mystery." 

'So not just digitally but even in the social circle of thieves, this white-haired thief is unknown.' 

Someone hired her. How did they find her then if she was so mysterious? 

The doors slid open at the top floor, revealing a spacious, high-ceilinged penthouse that seemed more like a tech hub than a home. The main living area was dominated by a sprawling setup of a dozen laptops, the screens displaying lines of code, maps, and camera feeds from across the city.

"Woaaah." 

"Cool, right?" Yelena smirked. "All the latest stuff too—from Russia and America." 

Aaron Davis stood by the table, walking and scanning and occasionally crouching to type. Maria Hill was there too, sitting at the head of the table, her eyes scanning multiple screens at once. She looked up when they entered, offering a brief nod of acknowledgment before getting back to work.

"Glad you made it," Maria said without pleasantries, her voice sharp and efficient. "We've got a lot to go through."

Yelena wasted no time stepping toward the table, pulling up a chair and starting to examine the nearby feed, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. "We're looking for anything. The woman who took Kate—cameras, calls, texts, digital footprints. Anything that points to her."

Felix approached one of the laptops, staring at the overwhelming amount of data on the screen. The city, their city, was laid bare in front of them. Every street corner, every public space, every tiny interaction captured and cataloged. It was a deeply invasive method, and despite his determination to find Kate, he couldn't help the sinking feeling that gnawed at him. This wasn't just surveillance—this was ripping away every layer of privacy the city had. 

But he had no choice.

"By the way...." From his pocket, Felix pulled out a USB. "I made an application so that it's easier for us to go through texts and phone calls. It analyzes voices and puts out a transcript into a database. That way, if we need a keyword, you can find the calls that have it."

Everyone looked at him, silently asking how and when he could possibly do such a thing.

"Did you really think I'd go to sleep? I spent all night writing this." Sort-of. Half was by him, half was by Herbie. "It'll help, trust me."

"You sure it will be compatible with my software?" Aaron asked.

"It has machine learning," Felix explained. "It will be fine."

 "Oh, so like AI?" Yelena asked.

"No, not AI. Look, just..."

He pulled up a chair, injected the USB, and the software spoke for itself. It materialized as a way to collect and store information. Maria glanced at him, the laptop, then back to him. .Good work."

"Hmm..." Aaron was walking around the table and the laptops, arms crossed. "It connected to all my laptops too. That's amazing." Aaron looked over. "I forget, what do you do exactly at Oscorp?"

"A lot," Felix said. "Like a lot."

With that said, he began helping them sift through the data. It was a maze of information—calls, messages, security footage from countless locations. The application he gave really helped to organize everything. Every street camera was a potential clue, every conversation a breadcrumb that might lead them to the woman who'd taken Kate.

"Man…" Felix sighed after fifteen minutes. "Why is there so much sexual content?"

"People fuck, deal with it," Yelena retorted.

"Sex is apart of life," Maria added. 

"Nah, I get it," Aaron said. "I'm a dude, I do not want to see another man's schlong."

"Right? Seriously, there's this one guy here that is constantly sending dick pics. I'm scrolling through his message and like…why? Why that many? He's sent a hundred to a hundred different women. We should tell the police..." Felix paused and realized what he was doing. "This is seriously dangerous."

The power to know everything everyone did…

How easily corruptible. Felix would have to watch himself.