The sheer weight of reality started to sink in for Peter Parker. "What do I even wear to a confession? Do I need a suit? Is a tie too much? Maybe a nice sweater? Does Mary Jane like sweaters?" His eyes were darting around as he spiraled into a new cycle of anxiety. "Wait, should I wait for summer break? No, that's months away. But then there's the money issue. Dates cost money. Movies, popcorn, those giant sodas that cost ten dollars for no reason... I'm broke, Liang. I'm actually, functionally penniless."
As the realization of his empty pockets hit him, the hyperactive light in Peter's eyes dimmed. The "chatterbox" mode didn't exactly turn off, but the tone shifted. He slumped, returning to that familiar, slightly gloomy posture that usually defined him.
"Don't sweat the small stuff now. We're literally at the door," Huang Liang said, giving Peter's shoulder a firm, grounding pat.
The touch seemed to snap Peter out of his romantic crisis and into a survival one. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the sign of the Wing Chun Academy with sudden, intense apprehension. "Actually, Liang... I think I left the stove on. Or maybe I should go home and do my homework? Yeah, calculus is calling my name. It's probably better if I don't bother your Master. He's a busy man, right? Why would he want to see a guy who accidentally glues spoons to himself?"
The awkwardness on Peter's face was palpable. It was one thing to vent to a close friend like Huang Liang, but the idea of being poked and prodded by a legendary martial arts master—someone he'd only heard rumors about—felt like a terrible mistake.
"You've come this far, Peter. Don't go soft on me now," Huang Liang said with a smirk, shaking his head. "Besides, don't worry. My Master isn't going to experiment on you. Honestly, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, your 'powers' probably won't even be that impressive to him. He's seen things that would make your spider-hair stand on end."
"Not impressive?!" Peter's head whipped around, his teenage ego instantly flaring up. He'd just shot silk from his wrist and floored a varsity athlete without even trying. To hear that it might be "unimpressive" stung more than the spider bite. "I caught a girl mid-air today! I jumped over a fence like it was a crack in the sidewalk! You think that's 'little'? Maybe I should show you what 'little' looks like!"
"That's the spirit," Liang said, his grin widening as he successfully baited the hook. "We have a dedicated sparring floor. If you think you're such a big deal now, why don't you come inside and prove it? Or are you just all talk, Little Peter?"
"Hmph! Fine! Lead the way! I'll show you exactly how powerful I am!" Peter stomped toward the entrance, his indignation overriding his common sense.
Inside the academy, on the fourth floor, Huang Wen checked his phone. He had just received a message from Huang Liang. A subtle smile played on his lips.
"So, the little spider has finally found his way to the parlor," Huang Wen murmured. He had been curious about when Peter's mutation would finally manifest. In this world, things were moving faster than the movies he remembered, and he was eager to see which version of the wall-crawler he was dealing with.
"Bring him up," Huang Wen messaged back.
He wasn't alone. Logan was leaning against a wall, lighting a cigar with his usual gruff expression. Yuriko was sharpening a blade in the corner, her movements fluid and lethal. Zhong Qiang, Rhys Fisk, and John were also scattered around the room, their curiosity piqued by the news of a new "awakened" individual.
The elevator chimed. The doors slid open.
The moment Peter Parker stepped onto the fourth floor, the world seemed to slow down for him. It wasn't just sight; it was a screaming, vibrating alarm bells in the back of his skull. His skin tingled with a cold, electric shock.
DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!
"Hiss!"
Peter didn't even think. He didn't even look. His body reacted with a primal, explosive speed. With a sharp whoosh, he launched himself into the air, clearing the ten-foot ceiling in a single bound. His fingers and toes sought purchase on the smooth plaster, and he stuck there, perched like a gargoyle, his back arched and his hair literally standing on end. He stared down at Huang Wen with wide, terrified eyes.
He didn't know why his body was doing this. He didn't know why every nerve in his body was telling him that the handsome man standing in the middle of the room was a predator capable of unmaking him with a thought.
"Whoa, kid's got some twitch in him," Logan grunted, taking a puff of his cigar. He looked up at Peter with a critical eye. "He's fast. Even faster than your usual perception, I'd bet. He reacted to you before you even moved, kid."
Huang Wen laughed softly, looking up at the trembling teenager on his ceiling. "It's a specialized sensory perception. A danger sense. And it seems his instincts are top-tier." He looked over at Logan. "What do you think, Uncle Wolf? Can you smell the X-gene on him?"
"Hmph! Don't call me that," Logan growled, though there was no heat in it. He sniffed the air, his enhanced senses sifting through the scents of old wood, sweat, and adrenaline. "He doesn't smell like a mutant. Not a drop of that familiar musk. He smells... different. Like ozone and something synthetic. More like a freak accident than a natural evolution."
"A human detector, huh?" Huang Wen teased. "Maybe we should put you at the front door to screen the guests."
"Funny," Logan pouted. He looked back up at Peter. "Most kids, once they get a little juice in 'em, they act like they own the world. This one? He looks like he's ready to piss himself. Still hasn't come down."
"Peter, seriously? Come down from there," Huang Liang said, feeling a massive wave of second-hand embarrassment. "Everyone is watching. It's fine! Master isn't going to hurt you!"
"You don't get it, Liang! My body won't let me!" Peter's voice was strained, his fingers digging into the ceiling. "I want to come down, really, I do! But every time I even think about moving closer to him, my legs turn to jelly! It's like standing next to a nuclear reactor! If my brain didn't tell me that running away would probably just make him chase me, I'd be three zip codes away by now!"
"Is it really that bad?" Liang looked at his Master, confused. He didn't feel any pressure from Huang Wen at all.
Huang Wen nodded, his expression becoming more serious. "He's tuned into a different frequency now, Liang. He senses the 'threat' of my internal energy because his survival instincts are hyper-reactive." He turned his gaze back to the ceiling. "Since you're so worried about proximity, let's change the environment."
Before Peter could ask what that meant, the world blurred.
In a flash of light that defied physical laws, the entire group vanished from the fourth floor.
"Bang!"
The sudden shift in air pressure and lighting caused Peter to lose his grip. He fell from the 'ceiling'—which was no longer there—and tumbled through the air. Fortunately, his new reflexes kicked in, allowing him to twist mid-flight and land in a perfect three-point crouch.
He looked around, his heart hammering against his ribs. They were in a massive, high-tech subterranean facility. The walls were reinforced steel, and the air smelled of filtered oxygen and cold machinery.
"Liang? Where... where are we? Did we just teleport? Is that a thing now? Can everyone do that?" Peter scrambled over to Huang Liang, sticking to his side like a nervous shadow.
"This is Base One," Liang explained quietly. "It's my Master's private testing ground. And no, not everyone can do that. That's just the Master being... well, the Master."
"This is terrifying," Peter whispered, his eyes wide. "He can just move people? Without asking? What if he sends someone into the middle of the Atlantic? Or the sun? Or a volcano? How do you even fight someone who can just 'delete' you from a room?"
"I haven't actually tried the volcano thing yet," Huang Wen's voice appeared right next to Peter's ear.
"Hiss!" Peter jumped nearly ten feet to the side, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat.
Huang Wen chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Maybe I'll save that for someone more annoying. For now, let's see what you can actually do. No more talking. Let's see the 'Spider' in action."
A loud Beep-Beep-Beep echoed through the hall. From a concealed hatch in the ceiling, a massive, solid iron block—roughly the size of a refrigerator—was released. It plummeted toward Peter.
"What?!" Peter looked up, his pupils shrinking.
The danger sense flared, but he realized this wasn't an attack meant to kill him; it was a test. He planted his feet, grit his teeth, and reached up.
Clang!
The impact sent a shockwave through his joints, but his legs didn't buckle. He caught the iron block above his head, his muscles bulging under his shirt. The sheer weight was incredible, but he was holding it.
"Standing high jump: nine meters. Casual long jump: thirty-six meters. Impressive for a first-day awakening," Huang Wen noted, looking at a digital display on his wrist. "But let's see your limits. Increase weight."
Peter heard the command and expected another block to fall, but nothing happened. Instead, he felt the block in his hands beginning to grow heavier. It wasn't getting bigger, but the internal density was being manipulated.
Five tons... ten tons... fifteen...
Peter's arms started to shake. The veins in his neck stood out like cords.