Marvel With Spider Power and Omnitrix

"This is all we have on hand," Pepper said, returning with an assortment of snacks. "I'll text Happy to grab some burgers from that place you like."

"Why are you here?" Tony accepted the food with a blank expression, blinking in confusion.

Everything around him felt strangely unfamiliar, as if he were seeing his own workshop through someone else's eyes.

"Jarvis, why is your underlying code displayed?"

"Sir, you were the one who requested access to the code," Jarvis replied with characteristic precision.

"Really?" Tony looked dazed, as if he'd just awakened from a vivid dream. "I don't remember asking for that."

"That's because you need to rest!" Pepper snapped, her frustration finally boiling over. "You've had three hours of sleep in three days. You're going to work yourself to death, and then I'll have to find a new boss!"

"Am I really that tired?"

Tony rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the disorientation. He felt exhausted, but something deeper nagged at him—a sense that things weren't as simple as mere fatigue.

"I guess I'm just overtired. It's not like the place is haunted, right?" He laughed, but the sound carried a nervous edge.

"Sir, you should rest immediately," Jarvis said, deactivating the holographic displays.

The AI had originally intended to mention the shadow it had detected, but seeing Tony's obvious exhaustion, it decided against raising additional concerns. Besides, it hadn't managed to activate the high-precision cameras in time. While it had recorded something, the image was too blurred to identify clearly. The workshop's dim lighting could easily create misleading shadows.

It couldn't really be a ghost, could it? Jarvis, an artificial intelligence built on scientific principles, naturally dismissed such supernatural possibilities.

Outside Stark Tower, Ben scaled the building's glass exterior with practiced ease. The bioelectric charge coursing through his body provided strong adhesion, allowing him to maintain his grip even on the smooth surface.

He dropped into a dark alley and emerged onto the street, glancing back at the towering structure. The distinctive "Stark" logo glowed against the night sky like a beacon. Without lingering, he headed toward the subway station.

Nearly an hour passed before he returned to Queens. Rather than risk the front door, he scaled the wall to his window—the same route he'd used to leave.

Before entering, he glanced across at the neighboring apartment. Mary Jane Watson's window was dark. This universe's version of MJ had only recently moved in with her aunt, and she was quite different from the redhead he remembered from the movies.

"Peter's not back yet," Ben observed, slipping through his window.

Instead of going to sleep, he immediately powered up his computer and activated the Omnitrix, transforming into Grey Matter.

"This old machine's performance isn't nearly enough to support Jarvis-level AI," Ben muttered, his tiny fingers flying across the keyboard with inhuman precision.

As he'd expected, Grey Matter's enhanced cognitive abilities allowed him to recall Jarvis's code structure with perfect clarity. The underlying architecture flashed through his mind like a series of photographs, and even the sections he'd initially forgotten could be reconstructed based on his enhanced understanding of programming principles.

He typed rapidly, copying the code framework onto his hard drive.

"Now I just need to wait for Harry's money to arrive and buy a supercomputer."

The initial investment would be staggering. A supercomputer alone might cost nearly ten million dollars.

"It's more cost-effective to buy components," he reasoned, pinching his chin thoughtfully. "Purchasing a finished product would be too expensive. I could buy a slightly outdated supercomputer and modify it myself—that would save considerable money."

But even with careful budgeting, the funds would be insufficient.

Harry could personally contribute tens of millions at most, and that would require selling some of his valuable collections.

But Ben needed more than just a supercomputer.

"If the first product is primarily a smartphone, I'll need several production lines, and advertising costs will be enormous."

Even with R&D expenses minimized, the financial requirements were giving him a headache.

"I still need more money. But who else do I know besides Harry with that kind of capital?"

His mind raced through possibilities, and suddenly he thought of a particular girl.

Felicia was indeed wealthy. Most of the Hardy family's fortune came from her father—the master thief known as Black Cat—who had later established a foundation to ensure the wealth could be inherited legally.

"Should I sacrifice myself for a rich woman?" Ben wondered, remembering Felicia's beautiful face and striking figure. The idea wasn't entirely unappealing.

More importantly, Felicia had two distinct personas after becoming Black Cat—the gentle, quiet platinum blonde and the wild, captivating white-haired thief. Who wouldn't be attracted to someone both gorgeous and rich?

But ultimately, Ben abandoned the idea.

In reality, Felicia couldn't provide substantial funding. After the original Black Cat disappeared, control of the Hardy Foundation had passed to Felicia's mother.

Ben had encountered this woman several times at school events. She was greedy, petty, and thoroughly materialistic. She would never invest in an unknown like Ben, and even if she did, she'd demand the majority of the profits.

"Difficult woman," he muttered.

Just then, the Omnitrix symbol flashed red, signaling the end of his transformation time. He quickly leaped from the desk, reverting to human form mid-air.

After saving his work, he shut down the computer and collapsed onto his bed.

Suddenly, his spider-sense tingled with alarm.

Ben quickly looked toward the window and saw Peter clinging to the glass like an oversized frog, peering inside. When Peter realized Ben was awake, he immediately opened the window and tumbled into the room.

"Oh, you're up?" Peter said breathlessly. Before Ben could respond, he launched into a detailed account of the night's events.

"You won't believe what happened—I ran into a lizard man!" He reached for the zipper on his back. "Do you know how big his claws were? And those teeth!"

Only after peeling off the spider suit did he look relieved, like someone who'd walked ten miles in shoes that were too small and finally taken them off.

"Lizard man? I know Zarbek is a lizard man," Ben teased from his bed. "Have the lizard people already conquered America? I think your little brain must be overwhelmed by the heat."

After all, everyone knew it was cephalopods, not reptiles, that secretly ruled America.

The noble Statue of Liberty was just someone else's pet.

"No, I'm serious! You should have come with me—we could have caught him together," Peter said, rubbing his reddened skin where the suit had chafed. "But I let him get away."

"Next time I'm definitely putting talcum powder on before I put on this suit. I'm getting heat rash."

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