It didn't take long for Peter to properly locate the delivery truck's location. He already knew where it went; it was just a matter of getting there quickly, which he managed to do. He entered the alleyway to see that the truck had been parked to the far left side of the alley. Peter noticed he'd have to be at close proximity to the truck to suit up, but also away from anyone's sight. He looked around quickly, then crawled up a nearby wall.

As Peter clambered up, he noticed the passenger doors open to reveal two men, both wearing full-body masks. They walked to the back of the parked truck, mumbling between themselves. Peter kept his ears open; this could be important.

"So uh, why does the boss want this stuff exactly?" one of the men said as the other opened the trunk, revealing giant silver-plated crates. Peter couldn't exactly tell what the crates contained because of the distance.

The man who opened the trunk grabbed one side of the crate, motioning to his partner to help him out with it, "We get paid to bring this stuff, not ask questions."

"Oh I know, it's just -"

All of the sudden, a web bullet came from the left, trapping the man's hands on the crate, the same action soon following with the other man.

"Oh you two got quite the nerve." Almost in an instant, Peter landed on top of the truck's roof, dressed in his Spider-Man outfit. He looked down at the two masked men. "I let you kids out driving for the first time and you decide to burst into alleyways!"

"I told you not to drive that thing like a madman!" said one of the men, "Now he's gonna beat us up!"

"Shut -"

Considering that both were bickering, Peter saw it as the perfect opportunity for attack. He leaped from the truck's hood, landing on the crates, "Like, really?! Alleyways?! Of all places you could drive to, you choose an alleyway? Why alleyways?"

Since both men were carrying the crate to the level of their heads, Peter saw an easy opportunity to strike them both down with a kick to the nose.

"Like, how did you know the alleyway was big enough for your truck? How did you even turn into it at that speed?"

Both men were knocked out, their fall to the ground bringing the crate they were carrying with them to cold ground. Thankfully, Peter still maintained balance due to his wall-sticking ability.

"Alright, both of you are now soundly asleep, now on to taking away your toys." He grabbed the crate, pulling it open with ease.

"And the illegal arms the bad guys were about to send are...!"

He stops.

He shouldn't be this speechless about it, but he was.

It wasn't a doomsday weapon. It wasn't a human body. It wasn't a giant nuclear bomb.

Just stacks of vials on top of one another, crammed into the large container. All of them had shining thick green substance inside. Peter reached for one of the vials, examining it closely. Peter could see all its side effects. Its sinister components that can drive anyone mad were seen the moment he laid close eyes upon it.

He knew exactly what it was.

No...

Thankfully that little distraction in the alleyway was nothing more than just that - a distraction. Peter managed to take care of it in mere minutes, leaving him with the perfect amount of time to arrive to The Bugle office before the deadline.

Despite all this, Peter couldn't help feel a bit of uncertainty. Something wasn't right. Mere weeks after the death of the big goblin of crime, people were already trying to steal his tech. It was inevitable, really. Gobby was by far one of the most advanced crime bosses of the previous gang war, low lives would reasonably try to get some of what made him so formidable.

All he wondered was if Mrs. Osborn knows of this... she did say she would take Oscorp in a healthier direction, right? She wouldn't just lie to the whole city and make the company keep going down a bad reputation, right? Why would she not end the research of Globulin Green by now?

It felt so wrong and confusing at the same time.

He hoped it was just some guys stealing tech, or else Oscorp would be primary enemy No. 1 once again. Something Peter would like to stay away from.

While exiting the elevator door and entering the main floor of The Daily Bugle building, he noticed there was much more people than usual. There were people Peter already knew like Betty, Robbie, Foswell, and Ned, but besides them, he couldn't really tell anyone apart because they were spread all throughout the floor, staring at computer screens, talking business over coffee, and making calls. The Bugle started crowding after Norman's death. The news was big enough to have all the newspapers in town get on the subject quick. The reports about Norman's inner dealings further fed them. Peter didn't know how to feel about it all. He'd rather keep taking pictures of himself.

While finding his way to Jameson's office to talk to him, Peter spotted someone familiar at Betty's table. Other staff were in his way, covering his view a bit, but he could recognize a brunette girl sitting next to Betty and talking with her.

"And you just left?"

"I had to get here as soon as possible, Betty!"

"You've been here for thirty minutes."

"I still was in a hurry!"

"Couldn't you at least get some info? At least a number?" Betty paused, setting her coffee mug on her table. "I still find it hard to believe that he caught you as fast as you claim he did. You're making it seem like the guy was a mutant."

Peter made his way through the crowd, finally reaching Betty. Now with a better look of the other girl, his eyes widened in surprise.

Brown hair. Glasses. Blue eyes. Freckled face.

What a coincidence.

"He did!"She gestured with her hands as she talked, and Peter could tell she was someone excitable and pretty hard to keep up with in a conversation. "One second I was in the middle of the road, and the next I was -" She looked away from Betty for just a second and saw Peter standing in front of her.

"Oh my God,"she muttered.

Betty was perplexed at her reaction, then turning to who she was looking at, she said, "Oh hey, Peter!"

"It's him."

"Who?"

The girl stood up, eyes still on Peter like he just came from the moon.

"Peter saved you?"

Yup. It's her, Peter thought. "Hi," he said and extended his arm to the girl.

"How…"

"Uh..." Peter looked over to Betty, not knowing how to respond. Unfortunately, she was too busy trying to hold in her laughter.

The girl sighed, taking Peter's hand and shaking it. "Nevermind, just, I'm still wondering how you rolled onto the ground at that blinding speed. I mean, what human has been able to do that before?"

He didn't even know her name yet, and she's already at this point. Joy. "Uh... didn't you listen to what I told those kids?"

She was ready to fight off any excuse Peter would throw at her. He could see it in her face alone. "I'm not buying that. Good advice for the kids though."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"So like...are you a mutant or something?"

"What? No." Peter said, chuckling. He could hear Betty laugh a bit too, making Peter ask, "Are mutants even real?"

"They could be!" The girl brought her finger up as she said that statement, taking a deep breath to bring up proof of mutants.

He had to stop it. "Just my luck, I guess," he said. Peter shrugged, having nothing else to say but finally complimented his luck, for once. "I'm Peter Parker, freelance photographer." Yeah, yeah, Betty did say his name earlier but he still felt the need to properly introduce himself.

"Carlie," the girl said, still shaking Peter's hand, "Carlie Cooper. Junior Investigator for the Daily Bugle Crime Investigations."

Peter raised his eyebrow as he let go of Carlie's hand, and glanced over to Betty, "... that's a thing?"

Betty shrugged.

"Anyway, I moved here to Manhattan with my parents."

"Mhm.." Peter crossed his arms.

"My father's expertise in forensics, criminal activity, and investigations made me very interested in being part of such a team -"

"Yeah." Peter said.

"…Especially after the death of-"

"Alright, alright." Peter signaled to her with both his hands, "Slow down Carlie, I ain't going anywhere." His chuckle was followed with an awkward silence. "Yeah, I... I guess I can understand why you were in such a hurry now." He chuckled again.

"Oh, definitely. I have so many things to do in one day, you don't understand."

"Oh believe me, I do," Peter said.

"Good to see you two getting along," Betty remarked. Peter knew why – there was someone else in the office who actually knew what it was like to be a busy teenager.

"Well, actually I gotta go talk with Mr. Jameson so..." Peter placed the tips of his index fingers together, rolling them around on top of each other.

"I'm gonna keep hanging with Betty," Carlie said, waving goodbye to him. "Nice meetin' ya!"

Before Peter's hand got to the doorknob, Jameson burst out of his office in a flare of anger only someone like him could embody. He had a long cream-colored jacket, along with a hat of the same color. This isn't what he usually wore at all, making Peter assume he'd be going out today, wherever it may be.

"Unbelievable!" he yelled. "A masked man murders their CEO, and they won't bother to make him pay for it!"

Those words just about stopped all activity in the office. What was he on about? Whatever it was, Jameson certainly didn't seem to care if anyone heard him.

"Uh, Mr. Jameson?" Peter was the first to speak.

Instead of explaining his sudden fit of rage, Jameson turned straight to Peter to yell at his face. "Parker! What are you doing just moping around? Get pictures of Spider-Man being incriminated now or you're fired!"

"I- what?!"

"Are you kidding?! The city is finally seeing him for who he truly is! Not only did he ruin my son, but he killed Norman Osborn, a man who should've been treated for the sickness he had from that drug!"

Jameson was always a ranter. He did it so many times a day that Peter was sure that allof his blood vessels would eventually pop like a firework show. This though... This was a rage unlike anything Peter had seen beforehand. Jameson never said things this straightforward in front of so many people. Call Spider-Man a menace? Yeah, sure. Talk about how Spider-Man killed a mental patient? Rarely.

"Don't you think he's misunderstood?" Peter said. "That his actions are always misinterpreted? I always saw it that -"

"Don't come to me with that crap, Parker. Do it!"

Jameson stormed out the building with nothing else to say. Everyone in the room kept eyeing Peter who was at a loss for words about what just went on. Betty must've noticed this since she was walked over and touched Peter's shoulder. Peter turned to her, her face showing sympathy.

"Don't worry about it, Peter. It's been a really busy day and, quite frankly, a very hectic month for Jameson." Betty's lips curled into a smile. "He'll forget about what he said here anyway."

Peter looked back at the front door of the office as everyone else went back to work except for Carlie. Peter could see Carlie behind Betty, just as confused as Peter was. He assumed Betty would get to comforting her also.

He sighed and peered back at Betty. "Yeah, I know... "It's just starting to get pretty hectic for me, too."

Dr. Miles Warren stared vacantly at the spiders within the glass display cell. He never partook in their creation, he only knew about how the spiders were created by mixing many different animal breeds into one tiny arachnid. They intrigued him in every aspect: their genetic makeup, their capabilities, their build.

Truly, they were the pinnacle of genetic manipulation. None of his attempts at mixing genetic codes has worked as much as these spiders did, and unlike his past attempts, these spiders have been living normally ever since their creation.

But there was also one man who topped all his creations. Behind him on the table in front of the glass display were pictures of him: Spider-Man.

Ever since Miles knew about Spider-Man, he was intrigued. No one should be able to be that agile, that fast, that strong, and that cunning at the same time. Whether he was a freak or a man caught by a random accident, Spider-Man was a miracle of science. Miles saw Spider-Man as the perfect opportunity to make what he had always wanted to create: the perfect genetic being. He started by combining mamillian DNA using Kravinoff as his first test subject. Kravinoff was turned into a giant monster instead; meanwhile Spider-Man still retained his physical human structure. Somehow, Spider-Man was the perfect breed - so many abilities, yet he looked exactly like a young man would. To top it off, Spider-Man defeated Kraven on multiple occasions.

When Spider-Man defeated Molten Man, he saw that as yet another example of Spider-Man's power. Another one of his creations, defeated by the Webhead. If only he could claim making him, but he couldn't. He could say that the spiders in his lab were used to genetically design Spider-Man, but he didn't have the proof for it. He needed Spider-Man's DNA first of all, to prove his connection to the spiders. Second was the fact he never actually created Spider-Man. Claiming his generation only convinces people to join him, but he knew his passion for his field would never be satisfied until he made a being just like Spider-Man.

The more his creations were defeated by him, the more his goal of making a mammalian hybrid changed into something else. Every one of his experiments, no matter how many attempts, always failed to best Spider-Man. Not only that, but Spider-Man single-handedly took out all major crime bosses in New York in a matter of months. It was then that he learned nothing else would cut it - if he were to succeed in future endeavors and profit, he would need to learn the secrets of the arachnid hero's genetics.

He would've continued admiring these spiders and let his mind explore all the possible ways Spider-Man could revolutionize his corner of science, but he was soon interrupted by a voice:

"Miles?"

Miles looked up at his older brother, Aaron, who was strolling through the hallways of the ESU Lab until he was in front of his younger brother.

"Yes?" Miles said, letting an unwelcoming aura emit from his expression.

Aaron caught on pretty well. "Is everything alright? You seem... gloomy."

Ever since Dr. Connors was forced out of the ESU Lab, Miles took it upon himself to hire new employees, Aaron being the first in line to join his brother. It was rather annoying in Miles' eyes - he wanted Dr. Morbius to fill in the role Aaron did. Miles realized that maybe it was a better idea to keep his own brother closer; he still had trust in him. Morbius even agreed with Aaron's point of view, which is why Morbius replaced Aaron at Midtown High. He'd still be very secretive about his actual intentions with the lab so he could make his own experiments, because even his own brother wouldn't let him get away with what he planned to do.

"I'm fine, Aaron. I just don't like being interrupted during my research."

Aaron looked over to the table in front of the spider display, seeing nothing but a microscope on top of it.

"Hmm... You seem pretty busy," Aaron said sarcastically.

Miles stared back. No emotion, no smiles, not even an insult. His message was clear: Get to the point, or leave.

Aaron sighed. "I only came to inform you about the cloning project -"

"Excellent," Miles interrupted. "Anything else?"

In truth, Miles was more interested in the cloning project than it may have seemed. It could benefit his ultimate goal. Cloning unlimited subjects over and over until he produced the perfect specimen. Unfortunately for him, his brother wanted to use the research for purposes he found uninteresting, so at first he didn't even want to do the project.

"There's this man at the door," Aaron said. "He says you called him over."

"Name?"

"He says his name is Donald Mac-"

"Let him in."

Aaron opened his mouth to say something more, then closed it. He headed over to the door of the Lab, and let the man in.

The man had a scar on his left eye, a black sleeveless shirt paired with a brown coat, with jeans to match. He had a scrawny build yet looked like he could pack a punch if need be.

"Aaron, you have permission to leave," Miles stated.

Aaron was taken aback.

"This is private matter," Miles said. "Go."

Aaron glanced at the man in black clothes, frowning as he made his way to the door. Once he left, Miles took out a controller from his pocket, turning off all cameras in the vicinity. "Pardon my older brother, MacGargan. If it were me at the door, we would've had this conversation a long time ago."

"Nah, it's alright" Gargan said, putting his hat down on the table to reveal his bald head. "Never liked my brothers growin' up either."

"So, I saw the news about the leaks," Miles said out of nowhere. While he did think lowly of his brother, he told Gargan to come to talk about other matters anyway, so he better to get straight to the point. "Did you make sure to remove my involvement from the leaks?"

"Yes. You're clean of any trouble, Dr. Warren." Gargan said.

"Good. Any word on the current state of underground New York?"

"I've talked to everyone on the street, boss. Not even Blackie has a clue about what's goin' on," Gargan began. "Only major dealings going on right now are a bunch of weasels trying to grab ahold of Osborn's serum after his lady stopped all production of it. Li, Kingsley…"

"Kingsley? The perfume shop owner?"

Gargan chuckled. "Oh, man, you've much to learn."

"Can he be trusted?"

"Want my input? No. Never deal with that guy, always quick to back-stab."

Miles liked that about Gargan - he said things as they were. Whatever would happen on a mission, victory or failure, he always said the truth. That personality trait wasn't too far away from what Miles was like, only adding to his trust in him.

He originally met Gargan during his meetings with Norman, who was privately funding Miles to experiment on humans and make human weapons for him. Norman provided Miles with the guinea pigs and the right amount of money to conduct experiments so secretive that the college board wouldn't find out about them. Gargan was more of a private worker for Norman - a gun-for-hire. The last time Norman used his services was on the same night he died to get rid of Donald Menken.

When Norman died, Miles didn't panic like one would expect. He had his lab, his freedom to do whatever he wanted, the ability to start anew and go ahead with his newfound goal of creating a being like Spider-Man. Connors no longer stood in the way of what he'd do. The only problem since then was private funding. Sure, he could conduct experiments the college board didn't know of, but not to the level of creating weapons. How long until they'd figure out that they were giving too much money to a simple college professor? He needed someone who would be more than glad to pay from the outside, which is where Gargan came in. Gargan had the connections to underground New York and everywhere else. He knew all the corners, rumors, gang fights, black market dealings, people of interest, all of it. When Miles saw him in the contacts of people associated with Norman, and knowing Gargan was just a small payroll away from helping his cause, he knew it would be a stupid decision to not bring him in.

Plus, Norman made sure to let all his co-workers knew Miles was the one to go to, should anything go down, Gargan included. He was the only one who wouldn't have the risk of being too connected to Norman. There was also the fact that Norman still lived, a secret only Miles kept. He intended to keep it that way.

"Good to know." Miles put both arms behind his back, looking at the spiders in the display once again.

Gargan couldn't help but peak just a bit, curious as to why Miles had so much interest in these spiders.

"But we need funding," Miles said, cutting off Gargan before he said anything. "Private funding."

Gargan stopped, thinking back to his previous encounters during the day to find a potential funder. "Well… I think I know a guy."

Annnnnnnd end of chapter 3.

Again, forgive me for the delay. This just happened to be one of my busiest weeks, joy. -.-

I will continue updating as much as I can, make sure to comment on any recommendations!

Also, special thanks to user okay_chris, she helped me out a bit with this one.