Chapter 86
"John, I..." Peter began as I entered the lobby, his voice full of restrained excitement.
"I can see." I gently cut him off, noting the satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Everything went well. Now for the next stage. We need a small, quiet room. The storage closet on the second floor will do fine. Let's go."
"Just like that... right away?" the boy asked, sounding slightly flustered.
"The sooner we finish, the faster Thompson Corp. becomes even more powerful!" I jokingly pumped my fist.
"Um, yes. Let's go, then." Peter smiled uncertainly and hurried after me. "Where were you all this time, by the way? The building felt like a ghost town in the last few days."
"Well, that's not far from the truth, actually." I shrugged as we walked down the empty corridor. "There really was nobody here except you. As for us, we were ridding the world of a shadowy terrorist organization. One that could theoretically have destroyed it in a dozen different ways."
I wasn't exaggerating. The projects Hydra oversaw, from Insight to Hive's revival, were only the tip of the iceberg. Whitehall, as it turned out, had an obsessive plan: a virus to enslave humanity based on Kilgrave's pheromone principle. You could spray this across the entire globe, and that would be it. No more free will. Everyone would obey only him. Fortunately, the other Hydra heads were slightly more vain and hadn't greenlit the project. They understood that ruling a herd of mindless puppets wasn't particularly interesting. All of the data on Project Consciousness was now destroyed. I had personally verified it five times.
"Wow," was all Peter could say, his eyes widening. "So while I was here meditating, you were saving the world?"
"You wouldn't have been able to help anyway." I stopped him from spiraling into self-reproach. "Trust me, the roster there was... specific. Metahumans, super-spies, and demigods like Hyperion. And besides," I nodded toward the nearest corridor screen, "you can check the news. Fury should have made an official statement by now."
Yes. Due to Fury's entry into the International Security Council, S.H.I.E.L.D. was forced to step out of the shadows. That was where things had been heading all along. And given the scale of the operation against Hydra, though the public was naturally not given all of the details, S.H.I.E.L.D. had kicked down the door to the global information space. Now the whole world knew about it. That meant that soon enough, the Avengers would appear.
This was the logical next step for Fury. A step that killed two birds with one stone. It provided control over powerful metahuman loners like Hyperion. It provided a way to keep me on a short leash. I would become part of the Avengers. It was purely a matter of trust, and honestly, I was fine with that. A smart PR move. A show of force to the world. And of course, it was about calming that same world after recent events. It was advantageous for me too. Given my plans for a public presence, the Avengers would make an excellent platform. And Fury's paranoia would quiet down, at least somewhat.
"Alright," I said when we reached the right door. "Sit in the break room for half an hour. I'll prepare the space." I opened the door to a small storage closet crammed with mops and buckets. "Catch up on the news while you wait. You've gone completely feral this past week, I can tell."
"Fair enough," Peter sighed. "I also have a pile of overdue work at the university. My aunt and uncle are worried."
"You will sort it out. I will come pick you up when everything is ready." I nodded, stepping into the cramped closet, which was barely four feet by six feet at most, and closed the door behind me.
I locked it from the inside. I closed my eyes. I concentrated, pulling my attention away from the physical world and sinking into the spiritual dimension. The spiritual noise in this little room was minimal. Perfect. It was time to begin.
The walls. The floor. The ceiling. I began to weave concentrated Reishi along the entire perimeter of the room, layer by layer, creating a spiritual dimension within the physical one. To my inner sight, they appeared as shimmering, semi-transparent membranes of light vibrating in unison.
I focused and began the spiritual programming. I embedded a single, fundamental directive into these Reishi-walls: Spiritual Energy Amplification. Any energy possessing even a fragment of Reishi, and I had already confirmed that in this world everything was closely intertwined, would be amplified inside this room. Not by several times. Not by ten times. By hundreds of times.
Naturally, mere intention was insufficient. At the same time, I gave the Reishi-walls a special fractal geometry. These were not merely pretty patterns. They were literally metaphysical antennae. Every fold, every curve, and every angle was calculated for resonance, amplification, and focus of spiritual waves.
In the center of the room, I marked a single point on the floor, visible to the naked eye. A small, glowing circle. This was where Peter would stand. The perfect focal node for the entire construct. The stage under the spotlight. The podium for a negotiation with the universe.
The final touch, and by no means the least important, was the conceptual enchantment. I slipped into an altered state and focused on the essence of the Web of Life and Destiny. Its omnipresence. Its unbreakable connection to every Spider across the Multiverse. Its conceptual nature, bound to Fate itself. Then came my seal. I laid it across the entire spiritual chamber, which had become both a storage closet and a concept. The concept of an "Offer."
Naturally, it was an offer impossible to refuse.
Spiritual artifact "Room of Spiritual Resonance" created. Difficulty: Medium. +250 OP gained.
A space woven from spiritual particles and reinforced by the concept "Offer." It functions as a powerful amplifier of spiritual energy and a metaphysical beacon, broadcasting to entities linked to the Web of Life and Destiny that an ideal candidate is present: an "offer." The conceptual amplification guarantees that the "offer" will be heard and considered.
The System had approved it. That meant it definitely worked. Now this cramped storage closet was no longer simply an amplifier room. It had become an active signal beacon. It was broadcasting across the entire Multiverse: "Hey! Perfect vessel right here! You can't ignore this!" Though that entity... How high-level was it that the System could not even name it? Or was it simply that it would not name it? Another question whose answer I apparently would not be getting anytime soon.
"So, Peter." I entered the break room. The boy sat on the couch, absorbed in his phone, probably catching up on the news. "It's time. Follow me. I'll give you a brief overview."
Peter pocketed his phone, stood without a word, and walked beside me. His anxiety was almost palpable.
"The key events," I began as we walked toward the storage closet. "This is the most important thing you'll need to clarify with the entity that answers your call. The entity that will grant you your powers."
"What exactly do you mean by 'key events'? And why are they so important?"
"These are events, or nodal points, that one way or another define the fate and shape the character of every Spider-Man across all realities. They include the deaths of loved ones. The appearances of certain enemies fated specifically for you. For example..." I paused, choosing my words. "So you understand the full weight of this. The death of Gwen's father, Captain Stacy. That was a key event on her path."
"And for me..." Peter whispered, turning pale.
"And if you had become Spider-Man through the classic method, via a radioactive spider bite, for instance, you would have had every chance of losing someone close to you. It could have been Uncle Ben. It could have been Aunt May. It is almost inevitable in the classic scenario. But!" I raised a finger. "We are taking a non-classic path. You are not receiving your powers by accident. You are entering into a contract. You have the opportunity to discuss the terms of your employment. Given that you are an ideal candidate, this entity will not be able to ignore your questions. Well, in theory."
"In theory?!" Peter stopped, flaring up. "John, we are talking about my only family! We are talking about Uncle Ben! We are talking about Aunt May! What if I simply gain the powers without any conversation? What if this mystical entity just weaves me into its Web, and I have to live every day in fear, knowing that my greed for power got them killed?!"
"This is precisely why I am warning you," I answered calmly, meeting his eyes. "You have the option to refuse. Right now. You have other ways to become stronger, and you know what they are. But the paradox is that even without becoming Spider-Man, if you choose the path of a hero, you will most likely encounter the key events regardless. And in that case, your fate would be a grim one, because you would have betrayed the Web, despite being a perfect vessel."
"This is a choice without a choice." Peter shook his head, his voice wavering.
"Why?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. "You can simply live. An ordinary, peaceful life. A good position in my company. Good money. Recognition in scientific circles. And if you're lucky, you might even get a wild cat for a wife thrown into the bargain."
If you could even tame Felicia, I thought. I wasn't ready to reveal the girl's identity to Peter yet.
"I didn't catch that last part." He blinked in confusion. "But as for the rest, if you can't protect the people you care about, then none of it means anything. The money, the recognition, all of it is just dust."
"S.H.I.E.L.D., private security agencies. You can hire metahumans. There are always protection options."
"And for every option, there's a counter." Peter looked at me with unexpected firmness. "No, John. I need to take my fate into my own hands. The key events, right?" He nodded resolutely. "I'll handle it. What do I need to do?"
Well. The restless spirit in him wouldn't let him think rationally. In the end, he had made his choice. Honestly, I'd never doubted it. On my end, I'd done everything I could. I'd warned him. I'd secured the process as best I could. The rest was truly up to him.
"You will sit right here. Try not to move." I guided the boy to the center of the metaphysically transformed closet, positioning him precisely at the glowing focal point. The room's energy hummed, resonating with him. "I'm stepping out now. You need to meditate again. Focus on your soul. Focus on your desire to become stronger. In short, be yourself, only amplified. Call out to the power. It will hear you. Good luck."
A hero.
Peter had always believed that being a hero was the right thing. Noble. But now, looking at John Thompson, who until recently had been just Mary Jane's classmate with some strange ideas, and was now moving pieces across the world's chessboard, Peter understood that it wasn't only about doing what was right.
It was about strength.
About being strong. About being able to protect the people you loved. About facing each new day with confidence. About possessing that unshakable confidence that radiated from John.
For John, unsolvable problems might as well not have existed.
There was Fisk, a billionaire who had turned out to be the city's crime lord. He had gone underground, afraid to even show his face.
There were the vampires. Their very existence was something Peter, a rationalist through and through, had struggled to accept. But John had dealt with them too, acting through Eric Brooks. Eric was another strong figure capable of controlling his own fate, or perhaps not entirely human. But in the end, John had won.
And now something had happened that Peter simply couldn't wrap his head around. Something he had just read about in the news while waiting for John.
A global terrorist organization. Worse than Fisk and the vampires combined. An organization that might as well have been the Illuminati straight out of conspiracy theories. And this organization, Hydra, had turned out to be damned Nazis with a century-long history, trillion-dollar budgets, and connections at every level of power.
And John, who had apparently been the one to initiate this incredible purge, had won again in three days. He had simply torn out the cancerous tumor that the world hadn't even known existed.
Peter didn't need victories like those. He didn't need power over the world or the ability to grind his enemies to dust. It would be enough for him if some new Kraven or other lunatic couldn't catch his family off guard. It would be enough if Aunt May and Uncle Ben were safe. Always.
But John's words about the key events had pulled the rug out from under him. They had shattered the fragile confidence Peter had been living with this past week. The confidence that since he had started working with John, everything would be all right. The confidence that since John had managed everything before, he would keep on managing it.
But what if it really did go the way John had said? What if, by gaining the spider powers, he would receive an inevitable doom along with them? What if the death of someone close to him was the price of the gift?
But the problems would come regardless! This world had turned out to be far more dangerous than he had ever thought. Simply living an ordinary life was no guarantee of safety. The powers were just a tool. No, he couldn't think that way.
"With great power comes great responsibility." That phrase, like guidance from the future, echoed through his consciousness. A responsibility. Given his current weakness, that was difficult to fully grasp. But apparently, he needed to. Which meant that...
Yes. He was ready. Probably. He wanted to believe he was ready. And he definitely would not blame John, who had warned him honestly. John was the one who had given him a choice.
"And every option has its drawbacks." Peter's voice was unexpectedly firm, cutting off John's suggestion that he hire security, a plan that would leave his loved ones' lives in the hands of others. "No, John. I need to take my fate into my own hands. The key events, right?" He nodded resolutely, meeting John's eyes. "I will handle it. What do I need to do?"
He would handle it. Or at the very least, he would try. It was time to grow up. It was time to truly take responsibility. And superpowers were good, but they were not a cure-all. As Peter had already come to understand, they would not help against the likes of Hyperion or the Hulk.
But now he had access to the best research facility he had ever seen. And he had John's genius. He could devise a thousand ways to protect the people who mattered most: Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Smart security drones. A home defense AI. Perhaps even using existing methods to grant powers to Uncle Ben himself, if he agreed to it, of course.
In the end, if you did not look into the abyss, you would not understand its depth. And becoming a part of this new, frightening world, a world of the strong, was only the first step. A step toward taking control of his own life. Toward taking control of his own fate.
Thompson. A surname that, until recently, had evoked nothing but painful memories from schoolyard beatings and deep-seated insecurities born of old wounds. Now it meant something else entirely. Victory. Possibility. Strength.
The moment Peter followed John into the cramped, transformed storage closet, he felt it. The air here was different. Thick. Charged. Vibrating with invisible energy. The glowing circle on the floor drew him in. He understood with sudden clarity that whatever outcome awaited him, he would not leave this room as the same person who had entered.
"Good luck!" John's voice cut through his thoughts as he left the room and pulled the door shut behind him.
A click of the lock.
Silence.
Peter took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He stepped into the center of the glowing circle. The energy immediately responded, enveloping him in a warm, vibrating cocoon.
He sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing and fell into the familiar rhythm. He focused on the sensation of his spiritual self. He entered a meditative state and called out. He did not know to whom or how. He simply called, pouring into that soundless cry all of his desire to protect and all of his readiness to accept the responsibility.
He waited for some entity to appear. He waited for an answer from the depths of the universe.
He did not know. He simply waited. He was on the threshold of a new life.
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