Over the following days, Peter continued testing Cortana's new abilities while helping her adapt to physical life. Her technopathy improved quickly, and her control over her body became more natural with every training session.
At the same time, several of Peter's other projects continued progressing.
Caesar trained with the Tambō and spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to conquer God of War on the highest difficulty despite Peter's warning. Selina began learning how to properly handle her whip before being allowed to use its more dangerous configurations. Itsy trained with her twin swords and pistols, while Yuri tested Luce and Ombra alongside her new gloves.
Missy began learning to summon and maintain Gáe Bolg for longer periods, while Susan started carefully testing whether the treatment Peter had given her was improving the density and stability of her force fields.
May, meanwhile, had become dangerously attached to the cookbook.
Peter had already begun questioning whether giving it to her had been a mistake.
As for Cortana, she continued learning what it meant to possess a physical body. Eating, sleeping, exhaustion, pain, touch, temperature, and countless other sensations were completely new experiences for her. Some fascinated her. Others irritated her. A few produced reactions Peter found far too amusing.
For Peter, however, the most important development was simple.
Cortana was no longer limited to the Cave, a computer, or a holographic projection.
She could walk beside him.
She could train beside him.
And eventually, once she was ready, she could fight beside him.
That possibility brought new risks, but Peter had long since accepted that nothing in his life came without them.
For now, he focused on preparing her, improving his equipment, monitoring the progress of the others, and finishing the projects that had been waiting for his attention.
The brief period of peace would not last forever.
For someone named Parker, it never did.
....
Several Days Later.
New York City.
The cold night air rushed past Peter as he stood on the edge of a rooftop, looking down at the streets below. Compared to the previous weeks, the city had been unusually quiet. There were still robberies, assaults, and the occasional idiot who thought carrying a gun made him invincible, but nothing that required more than a few minutes of his attention.
Tonight had been no different.
Two attempted robberies, one carjacking, three drunk men fighting outside a bar, and a group of teenagers who had apparently decided that throwing fireworks from a rooftop was a brilliant idea.
In other words, a normal night in New York.
"Anything interesting, Cortana?" Peter asked while walking along the edge of the building.
"Nothing that requires your immediate attention. Police activity is normal, emergency channels are relatively quiet, and I have detected no unusual energy readings within the areas we are monitoring."
"How disappointing."
"You are disappointed that no one is trying to destroy the city?"
"No. I am disappointed because I spent several hours improving my equipment and have had absolutely no reason to use any of it."
"That sounds remarkably childish."
"Thank you."
"That was not a compliment."
"I accepted it as one."
Cortana remained silent for several seconds.
"Sometimes I genuinely question why I love you."
"Because I am handsome, intelligent, charming, incredibly humble, and excellent in bed."
"I regret giving you that last piece of confidence."
Peter smiled beneath his mask.
After making sure there was nothing nearby requiring his attention, he fired a web and swung toward the next building. For the next several minutes, he moved through the city without any particular destination, allowing his body to act almost entirely on instinct.
Eventually, he landed on another rooftop and looked toward the skyline.
For once, everything seemed calm.
Too calm, perhaps, but Peter refused to become paranoid simply because nothing terrible had happened for several days. He had enough things occupying his mind already.
Cortana was progressing faster than expected with her new body. Caesar and the girls were adapting to their weapons, Susan's treatment appeared promising, and several of his projects were finally approaching completion.
Even the company was doing better than expected.
Everything was going well.
Which, considering his surname, was probably the most worrying thing of all.
Shaking his head, Peter decided to enjoy the rest of the patrol rather than tempt fate any further.
Sighing, he started doing parkour across the rooftops and stopped on one to admire the view of the city.
For several seconds, he simply stood there, taking in the lights stretching across New York.
Then he heard something behind him.
Peter immediately turned around.
And froze when he saw it.
"Hello, Peter."
"Hello, Father."
He saw a disheveled-looking man who could easily have passed for someone living on the streets.
"Son. It is good to see you, and in good shape."
"I would say the same, but you look like you just stepped out of a convention where the most disheveled person wins," Peter said mockingly as he sat on the edge of the building with his arms and legs crossed.
Through the HUD, he saw Cortana's face displaying pure confusion after hearing what he had called the man.
"Hehe."
Laughing softly, the man glowed once again, revealing a completely different appearance.
"What do you think of this look? In my opinion, it conveys seriousness, kindness, nobility, and respect. What do you say, Peter?"
He sat beside him, and together they contemplated the wonderful view of New York.
"By the way, hello, daughter."
"Cortana, he is talking to you," Peter said.
"Hello?" Cortana replied uncertainly before falling silent again, clearly unsure how to react to suddenly being called daughter by a complete stranger.
"In that appearance, you represent everything you stand for. There is no better look for you," Peter said honestly.
"Thanks. I might start using this one."
Peter nodded at the idea.
"What brings you here, Father? What do you need from me? Do I have to fight someone? Help with something? Eliminate someone?"