Peter was now demonstrating an updated version of the Webware specifically used for military use. Among the people in the demonstration were Captain Watanabe, Bobbi Morse from SHIELD and a few military officials from the army.
Peter needed this demonstration to go well, but Parker Industries recently had a small setback. During a field trip with his old high school student, Andrew Maguire, he was accidentally hit by strange particles, which Peter named Parker Particles.
Fortunately, he survived, but he gained superpowers from the experience. As one might expect, he was immediately excited by this prospect, but Peter had to take full responsibility for him. To that end, it was up to Spider-Man to train the kid, but he was even more difficult than Hope.
He constantly showed off without any regard for anything around and flirted with any girl he had eyes on. MJ best described him as Peter without learning responsibility from Uncle Ben. Eventually, it reached a breaking point when Terminus invaded the planet.
Admittedly, Andy did take down Terminus, but he went a little overboard, causing several planes to crash. One of them, Aunt May, had been resorting to an emergency crash landing, which damaged her hip. Peter then used Terminus lance to remove Andy's powers, making him normal again.
"Before we start, I would like to thank you all for showing up at this demonstration," said Peter. "As you all know, Webware allows those who have one to access the Internet no matter where they are and call for help if needed. What I'm demonstrating is a more upgraded version specifically for military use."
A Colonel looked at him curiously. "I must say I was surprised, Mr Parker. I was under the impression the Parker industries had no desire to work with the military."
"I'm afraid that's not entirely true, Colonel; we're more than happy to work with the military. We just refused to make weapons," Peter explained. "For this demonstration, I have taken the liberty of fabricating a crime scene."
All eyes turned to the fabricated crime scene, and judging from the white body lying on the ground, it was to simulate a murder. There were a number of items across the ground, making it look like a general crime scene.
Yuri looked impressed. "It certainly looks like a general crime scene."
"I saw a few of them during my time as a freelance photographer," Peter explained. "Now, this updated Webware will help not only to store information but also to scan and determine what exactly to place here."
Carlie looks somewhat concerned. "You try to take us forensics out of a job?"
"Not quite Miss Cooper," Peter smiled. "Having a camera does not make one a photographer; you would still need to know how to put the pieces together. Now, for this demonstration, I need two volunteers, and I thought you could be one of them, Miss Copper. For those of you who don't know, Miss Cooper is a very skilled forensic scientist who works at the New York Police Department."
Carlie smirked. "Smooth talker."
"I'm also going to need a volunteer who has very little skill in this sort of department," said Peter as he looked around.
The Colonel looked to the private next to him. "You take a whack at it private."
"Yes, sir," the private nodded.
Carlie and the private then walked up to Peter, each gave them an upgraded Webware. Once they activated it, holographic images immediately appeared in their eyes, which was more than a little overwhelming.
"Wow," said the private.
"This is amazing," said Carlie.
Peter looked up at everyone. "For those of you who are unable to see what two volunteers can see, I shall explain. Our volunteers are currently seeing holographic images of the crime scene, providing them with all the information they need to solve the crime. They will highlight all the small details someone might easily miss unless they have specific equipment."
"It's a little overwhelming," said the private.
"But it is incredible nonetheless," said Carlie.
"Shall we begin our investigation on the crime scene?" Peter asked.
Carlie bent down and began examining the crime scene; the Webware highlighted key points she might have easily missed, at least not without her equipment. For instance, she immediately knew how the victim died.
"The victim was stabbed," said the private. "That much is evident with the knife."
Carlie shook her head. "You're wrong. The victim was poisoned, and there are a trace amount of toxins in his blood. The murderer then stabbed the victim to make it look as if that was the cause of death."
"Our can you possibly tell that?" the private asked.
"Because the amount of blood that shot out of the wound is not as large as it should be. That means the victim was already dead and might have stopped long before murderers stabbed him with a knife."
Carlie then examined the victim more closely, and using facial recognition, the Webware quickly identified him. "According to the Webware, our victim is Benjamin Smith, age 41. He currently works at a company that specialises in media merchandise."
"Okay, is there some way to track the murderer?" the private asked.
"He didn't leave any fingerprints on the knife, but there is a footprint on the blood. The murderer must have accidentally stepped in the blood, leaving behind his footprint. That means there could be small traces of blood on the ground."
Carlie began to examine the ground, and sure enough, she saw small traces of blood and began to follow them. She followed the trail until she came face-to-face with Gayle.
"Gayle, you're the murderer?" Carlie stared.
Gayle smiled. "That's correct."
Peter then turned back towards the audience. "As you can see, wearing one of these updated Webware doesn't turn you into a forensic scientist. However, these will certainly help in tracking, storing data and communicating."
Everyone present immediately clapped, clearly impressed.
After the presentation, their guests left happily, all of them wanting to buy the military version of the Webware.
"I say that you sold it pretty well," said Carlie.
"Harry was the one who had the idea to demonstrate it by creating a fake crime scene," said Peter.
Harry smiled proudly. "One of my best ideas yet."
"They were certainly quick to buy them," said Gayle. "I'm actually worried we won't be able to keep up with the supply and demand."
They all laughed and toasted, triumphing over the recent business accomplishments.
A few days later, Peter recently took down a Goblin Gang and the new Hobgoblin. After a little fracas between him and the gang members, Peter was able to acquire a briefcase that the Hobgoblin had acquired. He had no idea what it was, but he had a hunch that it was nothing good.
He soon returned to Parker Industries and his office, where he placed the suitcase in his secret vault, which was hidden behind the bookcase. He then went to see Harry and was surprised to see that he was talking to Sally Floyd, who he had previously worked with at the Daily Bugle.
"Peter, I'm glad you're here," said Harry.
"Interview not going well?" Peter asked.
"Actually, she's not here to interview me; she's here for you," said Harry.
"You certainly come a long way, Peter, since your days at the Daily Bugle," said Sally as she rose to her feet. "First working as assistant to Doctor Richards, then running your own company, all the while designing tech for Spider-Man."
Peter looked at her, stunned. "Come again?"
"Apparently, a few people at Horizon Labs blabbed that you design technology for Spider-Man," said Harry. "I'm guessing they're desperate for some good press, considering that Jonah is trying to shut them down every chance he gets."
"Mr Modell did try to convince me not to print the article, but there's no well give up a story like this," said Sally, looking at him apologetically. "Pete, I'm not trying to make life difficult, but this story is absolute gold. If you want to stop this story, you're barking up the wrong tree."
Peter remembered the golden rule about old reporters: if you want to stop a story, you head straight to the source. In this case, the source was Robbie, who was taking over the Daily Bugle from Jonah.
"Robbie, I'm begging you not to run this story," said Peter as they made their way through the corridors.
"Sorry, Peter, but it's the truth, and the truth must be printed," said Robbie. "Personally, I think you would put you in Parker Industries in a positive light."
"I'm not disputing that, but I'm concerned for the well-being of my family," said Peter. "You know what happened to my daughters just because I took a few pictures of Spider-Man."
"Peter, you took more than a few; you did release the book of photographs of him," Robbie reminded him. "Besides, it was Norman Osborn who made your life hell, and he's currently in a coma. Plus, your aunt is married to Tony Stark's butler; you practically have the Avengers on your speed dial."
"Can't you at least give me some time to prepare?" Peter asked.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," said Robbie. He showed Peter paid on the daily Bugle website, which said 'The Man Behind Spider-Man'.
Meanwhile, at school, May and April were currently being bombarded with questions regarding the article that the Daily Bugle had just posted on the playground.
"Your dad actually developed the gadgets that Spider-Man used?" said Wes, stunned.
"But Spider-Man has been around since before we were born," said Courtney confused. "In fact, wasn't your dad in high school when he first made his debut?"
"Which means your dad was developing technology for Spider-Man when he was in school," said Wes excitedly.
Davida whistled. "I knew your dad was smart, but I didn't think he was building gadgets for a famous superhero when he was a teenager."
May and April looked at one another; they didn't expect their first day back at school to turn out quite like this.
"Why am I not surprised your father works for an underrated superhero," said a familiar snooty voice.
They don't have to go far to discover that the boys belong to Simone Desantos.
"Look who's gracing us with her presence," said Davida.
"You should be grateful that I'm here; I can add a little glamour to your second-rate entourage," said Simone.
"You do know that April is a supermodel now," said Courtney.
April blushed. "I wouldn't say I'm that super."
"Neither would I," said Simone. "Your mother is good-looking enough, I suppose, but she could have done far better than Peter Parker."
"What's that supposed to mean?" said May.
"Face the fact he's only famous because of Spider-Man, and I would hardly call him a hero," Simone sneered.
"Yet you don't hesitate to wear a Webware," Wes noted.
Simone quickly hit her hand behind her back. "My mother bought one for me; she seems to think that's what all the cool kids wear now."
"Then obviously, she's the brains in the family," May smirked.
"Good thing we didn't miss a generation," April smiled.
Simone glared at them. "Oh, make your jokes. But mark my words, associating with Spider-Man is a bad move."
"Spider-Man saved the entire planet," Wes pointed out.
"He was lucky, that's all."
April clenched her fist and was just one step away from punching Simone in the face, but then they heard an explosion right above them. Then suddenly, they saw the Hobgoblin flying directly above them.
"Oh good, it's playtime," he said.
Everyone immediately began screaming and rushing back into the school, but Hobgoblin flew down, grabbing May and April.
"Let go!" May yelled, banging her hands on the Hobgoblin.
"Don't tempt me," said Hobgoblin, wincing as the girls kept on hitting him. "For a pair of brats, you two are certainly strong."
"Where are you taking us?" April demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough," said Hobgoblin.
A few moments later, the two of them soon found themselves face-to-face with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.
"Let us go!" May demanded.
Fisk turned to Hobgoblin. "I thought the intention was to grab their father?"
"I thought that grabbing the girls would be easier, and he would be more than willing to do anything we ask of him just for their safety," said Hobgoblin.
Fisk looked back at the girls. "I do apologise, my dears; it was not my intent to kidnap the two of you."
"But it was your attempt to kidnap our father!" May snapped.
"I'd be careful, Fisk, these two are quite feisty," Hobgoblin warned.
"So I see; I just hope that we don't regret this decision."
"You wanted the case. This is the best way to get."
"For your sake, you better be right."
Peter was pacing up and down frantically; he had just received a message from the school saying that the Hobgoblin had kidnapped his daughters. It could have happened at a worse time, with MJ out on an acting job and Gwen in Washington trying to help calm down the stairs, which had restarted after the whole Phoenix situation.
He then heard someone landing on the balcony and was relieved to see that it was Ben.
"I just got your message," said Ben. "Any updates?"
Peter shook his head. "Nothing from the police, and I've been busy trying to convince MJ everything will be fine."
"Don't worry, we'll find May and April," Ben assured him.
Peter groaned. "I knew this would happen when people believed that I made Spider-Man's gadgets."
"Technically, you do," Ben pointed out.
"You know what I mean."
They then heard the phone ring, and Peter immediately answered it.
"This is Peter Parker speaking," said Peter.
"Ah, Mr Parker, good," said Fisk. "This is Wilson Fisk calling on behalf of your daughters."
"What do you want?" Peter asked. "Is it money that you're after?"
"Oh, I assure you this is no ransom, and it was not my intention to have your daughters kidnapped," Fisk assured him.
"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."
"I would believe me either, but I do want something from you. Spider-Man recently got his hands on a certain case that I have my eyes on. If you bring it to me, I'll give you back your daughters unharmed."
"I'm supposed to believe that you let us walk away?" Peter asked questionably.
"Believe what you will. This is your best chance to get your daughters, and I know how much you care for them dearly. I'll give you the address, and we can exchange our precious goods with one another. Just be sure to come alone. I don't want any spiders nearby."
Fisk gave him the address of the exchange point, and Peter hung up.
"I'm guessing you heard all that?" he said, looking at Ben.
"That case must be important if he's going to this extreme," said Ben.
"And if we don't, who knows what you do to my girls," said Peter.
"How'd you want to play it?" Ben asked.
"First, I need to get that briefcase, and you'll shadow me because, knowing our luck, something will go wrong."
Peter returned to Parker Industries and got the briefcase. He followed Fisk's instructions and made his way to the coordinates he had given him. He was then ushered inside, where he found the place crawling with guys in red robes holding katanas.
Then, in the middle of the courtyard, he could see Fisk and Hobgoblin and behind them were May and April. Both girls remain perfectly calm despite the circumstances.
"Mr Parker, I'm glad you could come," said Fisk.
"You didn't give me much choice," said Peter.
"Once you give me that briefcase, this whole affair will be behind us," Fisk assured him.
"What guarantees do I have that you won't kill us off once I give it to you?" Peter asked.
"I could easily kill you now and take it by force," Fisk pointed out.
"Here," said Peter, handing him the briefcase.
Fisk took it, placed it down on the ground, and looked at one of the robed men. "Fujiwara."
"You know me, master," Fujiwara bowed.
He then drew his katana and swung it down onto the briefcase. The moment it made contact, he was then electrocuted.
"At last," said Fisk as he opened the briefcase, revealing a golden key shaped like a goblin, "the golden key is mine. And with it, Norman Osborn's most valued cache of assets. From his goblin tech to the secret he amassed as head of HAMMER National Security Agency. There is no greater treasure trove in the world."
"Got that right, chubs," said a voice above them.
To their surprise, everyone looked up and saw the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, hovering directly over them on his glider. Almost instantly, a battle ensued between him and the new Hobgoblin.
Fisk and his men were now more focused on watching the battle, and Peter used this opportunity to sneak over to the girls, who had already freed themselves from their bonds.
"Nice work three yourselves, now we've got to get out of here," said Peter.
"What about those nasty goblins?" May asked.
"And the fat guy?" April asked.
"Uncle Ben is close at hand, and once you two are safe, I'll join him, but we need to move now," said Peter
Ben then sprung into action and fired a web line at Kingsley's glider, pulling it right under his feet. This caused the two goblins to fall out of the sky and crash to the ground. Peter then used this distraction to fire a web line of his own, snatching the key right from Fisk.
"The key! Get them!" Fisk yelled.
Ben then jumped in and fired some webbing, trapping Fisk's men. "Sorry, Willie, you will be getting anywhere near them."
They managed to get outside, but unfortunately, the two Hobgoblins decided to stop killing each other and began chasing after them.
As they ran, Peter noticed the key was pinging, indicating they were getting close to Norman's stash. Peter was concerned about the girls' safety, but he knew he could better protect them if they were him, and they began to pull the ping.
Fortunately, getting away with them was rather easy, as they would now begin trying to kill one another. This allowed them to locate the stash and get inside before the goblins could grab them.
Inside was a massive treasure trove of goblin gear, but before any of them could marvel at anything, a hologram of Norman appeared right in front of them. It then informed them that if they didn't input the correct security code in the next 60 seconds, the entire place would self-destruct.
Harry was back at home playing with Stanley when he suddenly got a call from Peter.
"Peter, did you find the girls?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, and I found one of your father's stashes," said Peter. "And this entire place is about self-destruct if you don't tell me the security code."
"If he hasn't changed it, then the code should be 'Stromm,'" said Harry.
Peter immediately inserted the code, and thankfully, it accepted it. "You're a lifesaver, Harry."
"You're welcome; good luck with whatever it is you're doing."
"What are we going to do, those nasty goblins?" May asked.
"You two are not going to do anything," said Peter as he changed into his costume. "You remain here where it's safe."
"In the place that almost blew up with us on it?" April asked.
"Okay, relatively safe; the point is you're staying here."
"Then what are you going to do?" May asked. "They saw us coming here. Don't you think it'll be strange if they see Spider-Man coming out?"
"Don't worry, girls. I pretended to be myself a few times," Peter assured them.
"How can you pretend to be yourself? April frowned.
"I'll tell you another time," said Peter as he mounted one of the gliders.
The Hobgoblins were trying to break through, but Peter suddenly swooped in on the gliders, surprising. They were even more surprised when Ben arrived, offering some assistance, but what really took them down was their double-crossing one another.
Pete wasn't certain what happened, but it looked as if the two Hobgoblins had decided to cut their losses. There was also no sign of Fisk and his men, and there was no doubt Ben had left behind quite an impression.
"I'll stay here for the police and ensure they would have a look at Osborn's stash, and I'll keep an eye on the girls," said Ben. "The police will no doubt want a statement from them."
"I better go home and call MJ to assure her the girls are quite safe now," said Peter.
"Guess we don't have to be more careful when we are dealing with villains now," said Ben.
Peter sighed. "It's like the Civil War all over again."
"And just like last time, you've got friends to help; we'll get through it, as we always do," Ben assured him.
Peter smiled. "Thanks, I better swing on home then."
Peter fired a web line and began swinging home, unaware that a golden octobot was stalking him.