Blue energy burst from his palm. The recoil knocked him onto his backside. The blue beam struck the bathroom mirror and instantly dissipated into the air, leaving only a scattering of tiny electrical sparks across its surface.
Peter stared at his hands as the blue glow gradually faded. He could feel more of that energy inside him, but without his guidance, it would remain dormant.
His mind raced.
This energy came from his own body, glowed blue, and behaved like a plasma beam. It had no mass... it spread like an electrical arc when it hit the mirror. Glass was an electrical insulator, so the mirror hadn't shattered.
This definitely wasn't an ability Spider-Man originally possessed.
Miles Morales? He had a similar bioelectric attack that could shock and paralyze enemies. But that didn't make sense. If Miles was still alive, he was too young to have superpowers.
It could only be someone else.
The ability came from that gas, which contained the DNA of "Test Subject-D." D... Drew? Jessica Drew?
Peter abruptly sat up straight. That name flashed through his mind-Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. She had her own Venom Blast, and she could control and sense pheromones!
He could sense pheromones now!
She also possessed abilities similar to Spider-Man's, but Peter already had those, so that part wouldn't change much. However, she had some unique traits that Peter had now inherited as well.
Peter's gaze darkened slightly. Jessica Drew had another hidden identity: a Hydra agent.
If "Test Subject-D" was Jessica Drew, then the people they had arrested last night were Hydra. If this universe resembled the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then S.H.I.E.L.D. was Hydra!
That perfectly explained why the child abduction case had been suppressed for so long! Hydra was buying itself time!
Fury had gotten angry with him and, in his anger, assigned him a mission he never should have taken. Through that twist of fate, Peter had disrupted Hydra's plans.
That soldier... he was a higher-up in the operation. He was Hydra!
Peter didn't want to tell Fury about Hydra directly. He couldn't explain how a fifteen-year-old kid knew about a secret organization hidden inside a top-secret agency.
But he had a lead now! He just needed to make that old man talk!
He pulled out his S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued phone and dialed Natasha's number. After two rings, she picked up.
"What is it, Spider?"
"That veteran from last night. Has he talked?"
"Why do you ask? Did something happen?"
Peter hesitated. Should I tell her about the new abilities? No. S.H.I.E.L.D. had his file, which meant Hydra did too. To avoid being caught off guard, he needed to keep a trump card. His new abilities had to remain secret.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Just curious. That bastard who ordered thirty-two children killed-have you gotten him to talk?"
"Spider... he's dead." Natasha's voice grew cold.
Peter's heart skipped a beat, and he growled, "How?"
"A cyanide capsule."
"Didn't you search him?!"
"We did, but he had a second one. We don't know how he got it."
"Someone on the inside gave it to him?"
"You suspect there's a spy in S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I'd be surprised if there wasn't," Peter said through gritted teeth. "Someone delayed taking up the case. If Fury hadn't assigned me the mission, it might never have seen the light of day. Widow, something's wrong."
The other end of the line fell silent for a long time.
"Agreed. But until we uncover the truth, we can't make any rash moves. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Do what you normally do. Don't draw attention. They might be watching you."
"I know." Peter suppressed his suspicions. Panicking wouldn't solve anything.
"Good. Today's training is canceled. Fury's sending me to investigate that genetics lab. Good luck."
"When will you be back?"
"Not sure. If it takes more than a week, I'll send someone to take over."
"Take care, Widow."
"You too, Spider."
The call ended. Peter let out a long breath. He hoped Hydra wouldn't focus its attention on him, that they would assume he had survived because of his spider powers rather than because he had adapted and gained new abilities.
He left the bathroom and returned to his seat. Felicia was whispering into Mary Jane's ear, making her blush so fiercely her face looked ready to bleed.
"Hey." Peter sat down.
Mary Jane's head snapped up. Her gaze immediately swept over Peter's crotch before darting away. "Hi."
Peter froze for a moment. He smelled maple syrup.
Lust. And it was coming from Mary Jane.
He raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"
"Couldn't be better, Laohu." Felicia chuckled. "Absolutely perfect."
"Y-yeah!" Mary Jane stammered.
"Good, then." Peter sat down suspiciously.
"Feeling better?" Mary Jane asked.
"Yeah, my stomach was just a little upset. It's fine now," Peter said. He needed to find some time to test his new abilities. "By the way, Xiaomaomi, my boss just called. I don't have to work today. We can spend some time together."
Felicia's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere you like, babe. I'm all yours today."
"Hmm..." Felicia looked him up and down. "Then let's go shopping!"
"Shopping?"
"That's right! It's time to get you some decent clothes, Peter!" Felicia shot him a glare. "You've got such a great body, but you always wear those baggy, bulky old things!"
Peter looked down at himself. She was right. He had wanted to upgrade Peter's wardrobe for a long time, but he hadn't had the money or the time before. Now, at least, money wasn't a problem.
"All right, Xiaomaomi. Let's go shopping."
"Yay!" Felicia cheered.
"After we're done studying."
"Come on, you taught us all this weeks ago! We're just reviewing now!" Felicia shut her book and stuffed it into her bag. "It's settled. We're going shopping now!"
Peter looked helplessly at Mary Jane. "Sorry, Mary Jane. Looks like we're wrapping up early today."
Mary Jane nodded. "It's okay, Laohu. Enjoy your date." She was about to leave when Felicia caught her.
"Where do you think you're going, Xiaohong?" Felicia said. "You're coming with us!"
"Me?"
"Her?" Peter was surprised too.
"Isn't this a date for you two?" Mary Jane asked.
"Yeah, but I need help. Do you think he'll sit there quietly and let me try clothes on him?" Felicia huffed. "Peter is a project that takes two women to manage. Help me pick out clothes, and then you can go."
Peter shrugged indifferently. He and Mary Jane really hadn't talked much lately. Mary Jane looked at Felicia, then at Peter, and nodded. "Okay. Sounds fun."
The three immediately took a cab to the mall a few blocks away. Felicia practically dragged them through the doors.
First stop: underwear.
"Here." She tossed several packs of underwear into the shopping bag. "This is important."
Peter raised his eyebrows at the red, blue, black, and even pink packages. "Xiaomaomi, I have plenty of underwear."
"And I'm sick of only seeing white!" Felicia glared at him while Mary Jane blushed beside her.
"Felicia!" Peter said helplessly.
"What? She'll get used to it eventually." Felicia waved a hand. "Now, let's see what we can turn you into."
The next two hours were pure purgatory for Peter. He was dragged from store to store and handled like a dress-up doll. He felt close to breaking down and even considered faking a heart attack to escape.
In the end, he did find a few things he liked: a leather jacket, a nice pair of pants, and a T-shirt with Tony Stark's Arc Reactor printed in the middle. It even lit up!
But Mary Jane and Felicia also piled a bunch of bizarre outfits on him that he would never wear, dressing him like an arrogant rich second-generation heir, just like Harry Osborn. He desperately intercepted them and discarded the ugliest ones, but still ended up buying a whole wardrobe of flashy-looking new clothes.
After shopping, they decided to have an early dinner at a restaurant two blocks away.
"This way." Mary Jane pointed down an alley. "It's a shortcut."
Peter and Felicia shrugged and followed. Peter carried the shopping bags, though with his spider strength, their weight was practically nonexistent.
"Laohu, what are your plans tonight?" Felicia asked.
"I need to stop by the Baxter Building after dinner. Susan needs my help testing a project." Peter winked at Felicia and mouthed, "I'll tell you later."
"It's so cool that you get to work with the Fantastic Four," Mary Jane said admiringly. "By the way, does Johnny Storm really sleep naked?"
Peter paused. "No. Why would you think that? More importantly, why would you think I'd know?"
"Wouldn't he burn his clothes in his sleep?" Mary Jane reasoned with a perfectly straight face. "So I thought it made sense for him to sleep naked."
"It does make sense." Felicia nodded. "What about Thing? Does he have anything down there? Or is it covered by rocks?"
"Can Mister Fantastic make any part of his body bigger?" Mary Jane pressed.
Peter blinked. "You know... I've honestly never paid attention. Maybe I should ask them."
"Ha, you really should." Felicia laughed.
Just then, a figure jumped out from behind a trash can and blocked their path.
The man wore a hood, and a dagger gleamed in his hand. "Hand over your money! Now!"
Mary Jane screamed and stumbled backward in fright. Felicia instinctively moved to act, but Peter stopped her and shielded both girls behind him. Felicia could fight, but she had no superpowers. Peter shook his head at her. She hesitated, then stepped back.
"I said hand over your money! Now! Nobody better get hurt!" the mugger bellowed.
Peter looked at him. Even without superpowers, he could easily beat this bastard into the ground. But he sensed something was wrong.