AN: Ohman I really missed writing this novelization. It's fun to add little extra scenes/tidbits to make things feel and read more like a book. As always, for better flow, some of the narration is actually dialogue/speech bubbles taken from the comic! Some Kasey POV in here this time. Warning: she's a bit of a potty mouth. Enjoy.

The Specialist

Alchemax, Genetics Department...

Upon signing in, the computers granted Miguel the location of his new laboratory and instructed him to head there immediately. He complied, curious to see what it would have to offer. It wasn't far removed from his old workshopping area, but far enough so that repair and construction couldn't interrupt his work. It was smaller, a step down from the last lab, but still impressive. Already Miguel could come up with dozens of ways that the equipment he'd been provided would prove useful for personal reasons. He also didn't mind the size change; it made everything feel a little more private, somehow.

Miguel preferred to work alone, but he also recognized that some research required a supporting staff of underlings and lesser scientists. The machine he'd made had been ambitious enough to require many men and women on board the project. This new lab was no exception; it was crawling with other employees. One of them, a younger man with copper-coloured hair, approached Miguel as he stood surveying the room.

"Welcome back, Mr. O'Hara. It's wonderful to be working with you again-"

"Shut the shock up Steve."

"Yes Mr. O'Hara." The groveling grunt scurried away like a cockroach. When you had ambition but no talent to supplement it, the only way to climb in this cutthroat company was to sidle up to supervising superiors, like leeches. Complimenting them, sleeping with them, anything to secure a foothold. Miguel had neither the mood, patience, or temperament to put up with it.

"Someone lower those damn lights, please," he barked. The change in lighting was instantaneous. Miguel was swiftly and seamlessly falling into his old role.

It was at that moment that Tyler Stone decided to show his face to the faculty. The man was in a green suit, lacking the sophisticated, long, high-and-stiff-collared jacket he'd been wearing the night before. He appeared pleased to see Miguel already there, and Miguel's stomach churned somewhat. Nevertheless, Miguel went to him and they walked together for a while, Tyler taking the opportunity to show him features of interest throughout the room.

"You see, Mike? We've scaled the entire project back. You weren't happy, and if you're not happy, we're not happy. Of course, it's only a temporary space until we can set you up with something more suitable. We even managed to recover most of your project files that we had backed up on our servers. May have lost a few, accessory imprints, but all non-vital. Nothing that will require you to start from scratch," Tyler Stone assured him smugly.

"A few imprints...?" Miguel sounded lost. God, somehow he knew, deep down in his gut, that one of those lost imprints was his own, prior to the lab explosion. It would be just his luck. Even if he managed to recreate and perfect the machine again within a few months, if he'd lost that original record of his complete, uncorrupted genome, then it would tack on anywhere from a few more months to a few more years to reconstruct a cure program for himself. He'd be stuck like this. A spider-freak, for who knows how long, maybe until the damage was irreparable.

"Yes, just a few human and chimp samples. By the way, Mike, why did you ask that the lights be lowered? You never had a problem with that before."

Miguel eyed Stone meaningfully through his shades before he spoke, almost bitterly, "Rapture's made me a little light sensitive. That's all." He moved on quickly from that. Now that the pleasantries were over, it was time to interrogate Tyler. "What I want to know is what makes you say Aaron is this... What's his name?"

"Spider-Man." There was that same amused and knowing twinkle in Tyler's eyes. "Let me tell my secretary to cancel my 10 o'clock appointment, and then we can go up to my office and chat."

/

Elsewhere in Alchemax...

Kasey Nash was in the worst of moods. The samurai-guy, a person she now knew to be a corporate agent, likely hired out by Stark-Fujikawa, had dropped her off at Alchemax of all places. She'd been handed off to an awaiting assembly of employees, like a shipment upon delivery. The vague words "ADVANCED RESEARCH" over a wide, open hallway entrance was her only clue as to where she was. A part of her had anticipated that something like this would happen eventually, but that didn't mean she would take it sitting down.

"If I'm being arrested, I demand proper trial! You can't just scarf me away whenever and do whatever you-"

"You had your trial. It was three months ago, and you were in absentia, I fear," interrupted one of the employees, a sturdy and balding fellow. He and his two buddies wore blue uniforms, made up of blue overalls, jackets, hats, and protective eye gear that varied from visors to goggles. In Alchemax, they were quite literally called "blue-collars".

Clearing his throat, the first blue-collar continued, "Miss Nash, in addition to the other crimes of terrorism you're associated with, you have been quoted as saying: "The Corps do whatever the shock they want"."

"And you're out to prove I'm right?" Kasey bit back, absolutely unabashed.

Smugly, the man started to speak once more. "In this case, you are. Alchemax has purchased your criminal record and disposition thereof. Helps clear out judicial backlog. Which means you're at our disposal. Gentlemen, prepare her for experimentation and run her through showers and processing. Twice, please. Lord knows what she's brought in with her."

Although Kasey was far from the point of admitting she was scared, she couldn't keep down a gulp. As the head blue-collar finished his commands, she was already formulating a plan of escape. Discreetly, her eyes trailed over another nearby blue-collar's hip, upon which was perched a holster. Inside was a standard-issue pistol. Her gaze locked onto it, fingers twitching. While he was distracted by his coworker's words, Kasey lunged...

/

The indoor transportation unit was waiting for Tyler and Miguel from the moment they entered the halls, a shining symbol of the elite Stone's influence, luxury, and privileges in the company. A vibrato humming sound betrayed the magnetic mechanism that kept it upright on its single stabilizer, as well as serving to propel the small vehicle. It was orange, sleek, and three seated. The front seat was for the driver, which took the form of one of Stone's bodyguards. The passenger seating was in the back, side-by-side, much to Miguel's displeasure. Tyler was the first to sit down, Miguel settling beside him afterwards. Instantly they started to glide along, weaving through people, guided by colour-coded magnetic lines in the floor.

"Why walk when you can ride. Right, Mike?"

"I'm still waiting, Ty. What's Aaron's connection to Spider-Man?"

"Oh that. Well, I might as well tell you some of what I know now," Tyler sighed long-sufferingly. "Aaron was here the night Spider-Man first appeared. Auto-check-in confirms that. And since then, he's vanished, as if he's gone into hiding." At this Tyler paused, his flinty blue eyes meeting Miguel's. A smile crossed his face, almost a knowing one, but also somewhat self-mocking. No matter how Miguel read the expression or tried to decipher it, it puzzled him. "Sometimes you simply can't ignore coincidence. It would be foolish, don't you think?"

As nonchalantly as he was able, Miguel replied in the way was expected. Inwardly his mind was a whirlwind, racing with suspicion. "Oh yeah. Very foolish."

Except I know Aaron took a swan dive out the lab the night everything went down. There's no way they can't not know about that, is there? So either Stone is lying and trying to trick me, or else Aaron survived somehow and is running loose knowing everything about me. I don't know which I like less...

Suddenly, Miguel was shaken out of his skeptic thoughts by a shout off to his side. The two of them, Ty and he, jolted in their seats when a woman ran right in their path, waving around an obvious weapon. She'd come from an offshoot hallway on their left to cut them off, teeth gritted and eyes fierce. From that same connecting corridor, Miguel heard distant yells.

"Stop her! She grabbed a gun off a guard!"

"Get her back in here!"

"Forget it!" screamed the lady, firing multiple rounds behind her. "You're not running your sick experiments on me! You guys! Out of the skutter! NOW!"

So stunned was Miguel that he barely registered her turning the gun onto him and Tyler. The guard and driver was already reaching for his own firearm in defence of Stone, ready to take the escapee down. Unnecessarily, Tyler roared out in outrage for the guard to "Shoot her! That's a direct order!", but the woman's reflexes were faster.

"Too slow!" she snarled, leaning to the side and taking aim. There was a blinding flash before the guard was cast backwards, yowling. He collapsed violently onto Tyler, the two men making a messy pile on the floor.

Standing from his seat in surprise, Miguel cried, "Ty!"

"S'matter?" the woman spat, though her tone was somewhat softer now. She was coming closer to the skutter, gun half-raised at her side. "Worried about your boss?"

"Well..." started Miguel, considering. "Actually, N- Hey! Leggo!"

The lady had reached out and latched a hand onto his arm, above the wrist. She had quite the grip, perhaps unsurprisingly when Miguel took note of her frame, muscled but taut and thin. It would've been a simple matter for Miguel to pull free or break her hold, but there was one complication in that: the gun nudging against his sternum. For now, complying was in his best interests. Spider-augmented speed or no, there was no dodging a blast at point-blank.

"C'mon, Lemon. We're leaving."

With a hard wrench, the woman got him out of the vehicle. Halfway out, Miguel felt something leave his spinnerets. Some silk silently splattered onto the floor, unbeknownst to anyone but him. Thankfully, the glasses he wore hid the worried widening of his eyes. It was a repeat of the incident with Venture, in which he's first produced webs. Aw, great! Her squeezing my arm made me squirt webbing on the floor. Please don't look own. Pleeeeaaase don't, a mortified Miguel mentally begged.

She was now standing at his side, grasping his shirt and thrusting the gun against his jaw. Some new guards were running their way from multiple directions, but were some distance away. In a high but booming voice, she announced her intentions for anyone who might not have been paying attention. "Nobody try to follow us! Or he gets it!"

As placating as possible, Miguel spread out his arms in a peaceful gesture. He couldn't resist a quick, crisp quip before she walked him away. "I'd really rather you kept it."

"Security, after her! But keep your distance!" Miguel heard an enraged Stone hollering behind him. What he didn't see was Stone trip, shoe stuck to the puddle of webbing...

/

He didn't sign on for this shit. Not by a long shot. Be a scientist, Dad said. It's safe as can be, pussy work, he said...

"Eyes ahead, pretty boy," the woman growled, nudging him. It was hard to ignore the gun; he was hyperaware of its presence.

What a wonderful way to start my first day back, bemoaned Miguel. Not only do I have to tolerate Tyler, but I get to be a hostage victim too. Swell.

There was something strangely and strikingly familiar about his kidnapper. The funny thing was, though, that Miguel was sure he'd never seen her before in his life. At least, not in the flesh. Maybe she was in some of the joint Alchemax-Public Eye fugitive files...? Regardless, it didn't really matter.

To avoid pissing off the gun-wielding woman, Miguel wisely kept his mouth shut. All the while he was keenly conscious of the hand-held weapon digging into his back. One flick or twitch of a finger against the trigger could end his life. Occasionally she alternated to pointing it at his head, which was even more disconcerting. Miguel kept calm, though. He was smart enough to know the best way to save his bacon was to clam up and keep cooperating.

"Resistance seems to have melted away," observed his captor astutely. Indeed, they were the only ones on the lowest level, now. An exit door for deliveries was creeping closer. "You must be some golden boy, lemon. What's your name?"

He complied without a second thought. "Miguel, Miguel O'Hara."

To his surprise, the gun was immediately dropped from his temple, though she still clutched it tightly. Seemingly stunned, the woman said stutteringly, "Mig… O'Hara? You couldn't be related to..."

"Hold it!" he hissed, recognition flashing across his face at last. "In Gabe's holo… that was you! Kasey!"

"You're Gabe's slime-ball brother?!"

"In the slime."

Shock eased both their tongues. Once they were outside she stepped back from him, facing him with her gun hanging upwards in a non-threatening hold. The initial awkwardness and disbelief gave way to calm conversation. Kasey was bitter, but she didn't seem to blame Miguel. Not entirely. "The place you work for was going to "experiment" on me. Bought out by my criminal record," she explained.

"How'd you pick up a record?"

She shrugged. "I spoke up, destroyed some property. These days, destroying the wrong property can be fatal. You think about that." Turning on her heel, Kasey started to run, throwing some parting words over her shoulder. "Think about what your company was going to do to the woman your brother loves. That bring it home for you?"

"Hold it, wait!" he called out, stretching a hand after her. She wouldn't get far without his help, but she also didn't seem interested in stopping. "Incredible," Miguel mused exasperatedly when she nearly disappeared from view. All that was left was a small, retreating silhouette. "Gabe manages to hook up with every loony in the whole shockin' cit-"

No sooner had he spoke, than a corporate agent blew by on an elegant hover vehicle, not unlike the Public Eye's bikes, a sword at the ready by his side. His appearance and Gabriel's description of a similar individual collided in Miguel's memories. Dimly, he registered the samurai speaking. "One side, please," the man said as he passed. "This one does not wish to injure you during pursuit of the escaped felon."

Before Miguel could stop himself, his thoughts were transmitted from his mind to his mouth. "It's him! That nut Gabe was talking about!"

To Miguel's dread, the man heard him and stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he spared an intense glance over his shoulder, shrewd black eyes piercing Miguel's frame. Voice curious, but deadly quiet, he asked, "Does this one know you, sir?"

So unnerving was the samurai, that Miguel's childhood cowardice rose its head. It was like he was face-to-face with a bully, and all he could do was scramble to conciliate him. He wished he could sink into a crevice, like a rat, or a spider. "Uh... No. No, I... No."

"That is most fortunate," he said, and somehow Miguel believed him wholeheartedly. Satisfied, the samurai took off again, focused entirely on the shrinking speck that was Kasey Nash.

Conflicted feelings clashed inside Miguel from all directions. He remembered his promise, or rather a lack thereof to Gabriel. Simultaneously, he also remembered the last time he'd tangled with a corporate agent, Venture, and how he'd barely escaped that encounter with life and limb. Aw, shock. He was going to catch her, and drag her back to Alchemax, where they'd do who-knows-what to her... Just like Sims. Unless Miguel did something, Kasey Nash was as good as dead.

Hardly realizing where he was walking, Miguel wandered into a side-alley. Maybe he could talk to someone. Convince Stone to let her loose. A reality check promptly hit him over the head on that account. Yeah, sure. After she shot a guard and who knows what else. But if he did nothing, how could he ever look Gabri in the eyes again? What was Gabe saying earlier? With great power... Gabriel's voice echoed in his ear, as though he were standing right there. -Comes great responsibility.

"Wrong, completely wrong," Miguel whispered to himself, unconsciously clawing at his shirt in inner agony. "With great power comes great guilt."

A Metro Express shipping booth was the perfect place to change. Here, at least, Miguel could expect some privacy and not have to worry about the Public Eye prying. Additionally, it solved the matter of what to do with his clothes. All he had to do was slip in his card, punch in his apartment as the destination, and shove the clothes into the auto-packager. Within three hours, his clothes would be safely delivered to his home. Now he only had to hope that he'd be there to meet them.

Unlike the first time, the costume flowed easily over Miguel's skin as he changed. Even if it was form-fitting, Miguel found it comfortable, sans the awkward protrusions spiked along his forearms. It was like a second skin. He slipped into the suit with the same ease he slipped into his secondary persona. Sliding his mask down, Spider-Man sprang from the shipping kiosk, ready to run to Nash's rescue.

/

"Your flight is most irritating, Kasey Nash," said the jackass. Funnily enough, he didn't sound all that irritated. It was more like she was a chore, a stubborn basket of laundry that refused to be folded. "This one has captured you once. Certainly you did not think you would have any greater success in repeated escape attempts."

"SHOCK YOU!" she screamed, looking behind her long enough to get a shot in. Life downtown had taught Kasey Nash how to use a gun, and how to be damn good at it. Her aim made its mark at the jackass' chest, but he brushed off the bolt as though he'd brushed away a fly.

"Not a likelihood. This one is 'un-shockable'."

Kasey couldn't comprehend this turn of events. The gun was corps-grade, top of the line. It'd drilled through the guards, but didn't even slow this guy down. Before she could contemplate it, she was forced to throw herself to the side as the jackass zoomed past her, his blade flashing. Next thing she knew, the gun was in pieces at her feet, the jackass making his rounds on her again.

"This one could have just as easily sliced your arm apart, along with your gun, Kasey Nash. Know that."

The only thing Kasey could think to do was run. So that's what she did. She ran like her life depended on it, and indeed, it very much did. By now her lungs were screaming and her muscles ached, but there was nothing else to do. Just when she thought she could feel the jackass' breath on the back of her neck, and when the hum of his cycle was heavy in her ears, he stopped.

Hardly believing her luck, Kasey pushed herself harder, making her legs move faster than they'd ever gone before. It was only when she was somewhat of a safe distance away that she allowed herself a second's rest. Curiosity compelled her to check out what had interfered with the jackass' chase.

A man in a black costume holding his own against her hunter was the last thing she expected to see.

/

It didn't take long to find her, what with her pursuer hot on her tail. Miguel was impressed at how far Kasey had got without being recaptured, and on foot no less. Whenever the samurai got close, she evaded him by ducking into frightened crowds or dodging to change directions. Far from being annoyed, the man calmly taunted her from his steed-like vehicle. Miguel didn't hear exactly what was said, but he heard Kasey's response loud and clear. "SHOCK YOU!" she screamed, blasting at him with the gun still in her possession. To both her and Spider-Man's surprise, he deflected it with his gauntlets, like he was shrugging off a slap instead of a bolt.

Miguel took a breath, psyching himself up. Okay, Miguel. Lead with your head. And that doesn't mean using it for a punching bag. And whatever you do, do it before he nails Kasey and can use her as a hostage or shield.

As the guy was circling around, Miguel caught up by jumping off the building he'd been using for a vantage point. The fabric on his back slowed his descent enough that the drop wasn't deadly. In spite of the cape's assistance, his stomach leapt in his abdomen all the same. He landed in a roll, coming out on all-fours.

So far, he'd generated small globs of webbing, sometimes on command and other times when it was most inopportune. If I tense my muscles, sustain the pressure... maybe...

Lifting an arm, Spider-Man aimed and released a long, thick cord of silk. It speared through the air and stuck to the back of the guy's bike, spoiling Miguel's initial sense of triumph. He'd been aiming for him, but only got the bike. But maybe, if he anchored the line, this could work in his favour.

A nearby pillar along a walkway caught Miguel's attention for this purpose. Thinking fast, he stood on the pillar's side. Even now he experienced a sort of muted surprise when his feet stuck to the surface as easily as super glue, toe talons digging in for additional support. He might never get used to that sensation. With a brisk jerk, Miguel wrapped the webline around the top of the pillar to bring the bike to an abrupt halt. The sudden shift in momentum sent the samurai shooting forward off his vehicle.

Wow, thought Miguel, releasing the webline. This stuff's strong. Out loud, he yelled after Kasey, "Run, lady! Leave him up to me!"

Kasey didn't need any more encouragement. She'd been watching from a ways off, but at hearing Spider-Man's encouraging cry, she took the opportunity to resume running again. Miguel took a certain amount of relief from seeing her leave. Now, he only needed to focus on keeping himself alive. God, Gabe better appreciate this. The bullshit he went through for his brother...

The man flew forward and fell awkwardly, but was on his feet in no time. Even as Spider-Man charged him, the samurai faced him fearlessly, sword raised. While Spider-Man was a silent opponent, the samurai was blustery and direct. He screamed at him, swinging the sword in a dangerous arc. "Who dares interfere with a mission of the Specialist? Speak! Or is your tongue paralyzed with terror?"

Holy cow was this guy hokey. As the katana cut through the air, Spider-Man twisted mid-flip. His legs automatically spread out and tucked towards his body. The sword went whistling by, too close for comfort, sheering off a few strands of Miguel's cape. Saved by his own flexibility, Spider-Man settled to the ground on the other side of the so-called "Specialist". "No..." gritted out Miguel. The Specialist was already turning when Spider-Man scooted backwards on his bum, between his legs. "It's..." He leaned back in a single motion, knees bending, feet aimed at the Specialist's face. A crack rang out as Spider-Man's kick connected. "...Not."

Spider-Man observed the Specialist stumble back, breathlessly reeling. Cautious optimism permeated his being, accompanied by a newfound confidence. He was doing it. He could actually take this guy. Shock it, he took Venture, and he was a cyborg. This guy was just meat. Spider-Man crouched, awaiting the Specialist's next move. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hmm. This one knows now," he said, advancing. "He has heard tell of the Spider-Man. How fortunate that your name of battle, at least, is known to this one."

The words went right over Miguel's head. He was in the zone, utterly focused on the fight. Talons scrabbling against the ground, he rushed to meet the Specialist's attack. Fake to the left and then- Like a bullfighter, the Specialist smoothly sidestepped to allow Spider-Man to pass. Using the flat of his forearm, he put him off balance with a sudden strike to Spider-Man's spine.

"It would not be honourable..." The katana slashed at Spider-Man's back, shredding more of his cape. The skin was spared by the UMF, but Spider-Man still felt the starts of an upcoming bruise from the cut. "...To kill a man..." Just as he cried out, the Specialist drove all five folded fingers into his cheek. "Who is anonymous." More knuckles barrelled into him from above. His vision strobed white and then black. Spider-Man went down, just in time for the Specialist to scoop him up by the light byte cloth that was his cape. He lifted his limp quarry, speaking in a sneer.

"However, a man of honour does not hide his identity. This one will make you into an honourable man by removing that mask. Once this one has seen the face of his enemy, he may then kill him in a manner befitting a warrior."

End of Chapter

*SPOILERS* I saw Into the Spider-Verse with my lil' bro when it came out, and as bad as it sounds, and as much as we loved it, we're honestly more excited for the Miguel-centric sequel they teased with that end credits scene HAHA. My soooonn. Lylaaaa. Perfect voices, too. I'm in this fic for the long haul, and when I eventually run out of comic stories to cover/adapt, or ones I have planned, I want to venture into spider-verse territory. Maybe make it more movie inspired than Dan Slott's version eugh.

Thanks to the few people who reviewed last chapter ily.