Spider-Man of Earth 65

How else could he describe New York other than a disaster? Much of the destruction focused on Manhattan. So that was where he went. 

Not everything was crushed. Not everything was on fire anymore. The people of New York worked hard. 

That didn't mean it wasn't tough to look at. Looking down from his helicopter, he inhaled sharply. 

The streets below were littered with abandoned cars, overturned buses, and the bodies of those who had been unable to escape the rampage of Creature Z. Entire city blocks flattened as though they had been crushed under an enormous hand. Roads had been reduced to deep craters, some still glowing faintly with heat. The Hudson River churned with debris, its waters tainted with oil, blood, and the unidentifiable remnants of what once was.

The helicopter touched down on what remained of a rooftop helipad in Midtown Manhattan. SHIELDS agents awaited. Coming out first was Captain America—Samantha Wilson. She offered a hand to the VIP scientist.

"Dr. Faeth, watch your step."

He had become that important. He was eyed with many eyes.

"I hope everything I asked for is here," Felix said, brushing himself off. The others, Luke, Rouge, Carol, and Monica stepped out of the helicopter too.

Captain Wilson looked at the highest-ranking agent. She received a nod in return.

He was back and immediately got to work. There was no talking or hesitation. This building, this area, he had selected it for a reason. 

A tent stood firmly next to a damaged high-rise building. In this wasteland, efficiency was paramount, and Felix was determined to work as fast as possible.

Work, work, work. Research, update, think. Keep thinking.

That was his life. For now anyway.

***

Sixteen hours had already passed. He did not gift himself his powers, not yet. Felix Faeth was working through sheer commitment and willpower. The Symbiote was fine with that, as long as he didn't die. 

Inside the tent, Felix's workspace was exactly as one might expect from a scientist in a disaster. Several laptops were spread out, their screens displaying live simulations and chemical formulas. Glass tubes filled with samples of irradiated water, soil, and debris were arranged neatly on the table. Every few minutes, a soft beep signaled that another blood sample was being processed, part of his continued effort to analyze and improve the radiation cure for human use. He had already solved that piece of the puzzle aboard the Helicarrier, but objects—bricks, wood, plant life—were proving to be a more complicated challenge.

Blood was but liquid. So the same principle applied to that. 

A tablet in his hands displayed heat maps of the city, showing radiation levels fluctuating based on proximity to where Creature Z had unleashed its Gamma Breath. Some areas were too contaminated to even step into without full hazmat gear. Felix had a suit on standby but refused to use it unless absolutely necessary. Time was not on their side, and the faster he worked, the more lives he could save.

Felix typed furiously on his tablet with one hand and on his laptop with the other. How did he hold the tablet? By pressing the bottom side against his chest. It was uncomfortable as it was efficient. 

Simulating decay rate of irradiated concrete with controlled enzyme solution. Hypothesis: Accelerated breakdown of contaminated particles should neutralize long-term radiation effects.

A small progress bar filled up on the screen as the program ran through calculations. Felix put the tablet down and tapped his fingers against the desk impatiently, then turned to one of his many sample trays. He picked up a piece of broken asphalt, darkened and pulsing faintly under the scanner's radiation detection. Using a dropper, he placed a few measured doses of an experimental neutralizing enzyme onto the material and observed the changes.

A minute passed. Then two.

The scanner beeped.

Radiation levels reduced by 6%.

Felix groaned, running a hand through his hair. "That's not fast enough." He adjusted the formula on his laptop, tweaking the molecular structure of the enzyme and recalibrating it for another test. If he could speed up the reaction, they might be able to treat entire buildings rather than demolish them. The thought of erasing New York's history—New York's homes—with a wrecking ball was unacceptable. He needed a solution that preserved as much as possible.

Luke Cage was with him. He had his arms crossed. "Gonna go out?"

"You could tell?" Felix said with a small smile.

"Yep. Let me tell the captain."

They had a pretty rigorous system. Luke stayed with him inside the tent alongside Carol Danvers, who was eerily silent. She very rarely spoke a word, she mostly went with the flow. Luke went and told Captain America that he was about to head out and she granted it.

"I won't be too far," Felix told the captain. "Just need to check the buildings again."

The dark-skinned woman gave a nod. "Of course."

Permission was still necessary, she said without saying it.

The tent area had quite a few SHIELD agents, although not too many in order not to attract the attention of potential criminals. Following him to the edge of the caution warning tap were Luke and Carol. Felix adjusted the portable scanner strapped to his wrist and surveyed the surrounding area. Nearby, volunteers moved supplies while medics tended to radiation-affected civilians. Some of them had already been given the anti-radiation serum he had helped develop, and early results were promising. Well, not just promising, it worked. 

The tent area was situated between two buildings. One building that had people and the helipad where they arrived. Another that was full of radiation that was strangely contained. From Felix's calculations, it would take a week to spread to the next building.

With the vaccine, he was unaffected. They didn't believe him at first and insisted he wear the necessary equipment—until he explained to him in a twenty-minute rant that when he said the vaccine worked, it worked. The body learned from it and could not repel any unwanted radiation. 

He walked toward the crumbling apartment complex, scanning the walls as he always did. The scanner fed information directly to his HUD glasses, overlaying radiation signatures in real-time. The contamination was embedded deep within the infrastructure, soaking into the very foundation of the city. Even if people were cured, they couldn't live in a place that was actively killing them.

Back at the tent, Felix grabbed a fresh sample of soil and tested another variant of his formula. This time, he introduced a secondary compound meant to accelerate molecular decay, forcing the radiation particles to break apart faster.

He tapped his foot, watching the scanner.

Radiation levels reduced by 18%.

Now they were getting somewhere.

"Alright, let's run it again," he muttered, making another round of adjustments. His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. He couldn't afford to second-guess himself.

A sudden notification blinked across his screen—data from SHIELD's satellite scans had come in. Felix's eyes narrowed as he absorbed the information. The readings confirmed that traces of radiation were lingering in the city's plant life, meaning that whatever method he developed needed to be safe for organic material as well. If the cure killed vegetation, it would only add another layer of devastation.

The city and the people—he needed to save both.

Felix turned to another station where a row of potted plants sat under UV lights. He injected his latest formula into the soil, then used a geiger counter to check for changes. The first few minutes showed promise, but then the plants wilted slightly. Felix clenched his jaw.

"Damn it," he muttered. "It's too aggressive."

He needed to slow the breakdown process so that living organisms wouldn't be affected. More calculations. More testing. His mind ran through the possibilities at breakneck speed, adjusting his approach in real-time.

A message pinged on his tablet—Status update: incoming test subjects for further radiation exposure analysis.

Felix sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. The work never stopped. He still had to refine the cure, ensure its safety, and then figure out the logistics of deploying it on a citywide scale. New York was counting on him, and failure was not an option.

***

An hour later, Felix went out again. 

Felix went some distance away from his tent in order to investigate. He found himself at an alleyway. Agent Shadowcat mentioned seeing a heavy pool of acid not too far while patrolling, so he decided to check it out for himself. As she mentioned, there it was. Faintly steaming, the acid pool sat in a shallow depression where the asphalt had eroded.

Monica Rambeau and Luke Cage were guarding the alleyway's entry point. They were always alert, albeit with a degree of relaxation. But it was Carol Danvers who was most closer and tense, alert, and stepped close to him, arms crossed. 

"Is it necessary to go this far out, doctor?"

"Yes. Definitely. I believe this is the creature's saliva."

"Spider-Man must have punched it out of him," Luke remarked.

"It could have been the air force. Don't put them down."

"No," Carol interjected. "The military and forces were unable to do anything of relevance. I agree, it must have been Spider-Man."

Felix just smiled and crouched down, pulling out a portable scanner from his belt. The screen flickered to life, reading the composition of the liquid. Hydrochloric acid, with trace elements of intensive radiation that he had seen so many times. Albeit here, it was different.

"Ah, I get it. This is blood and saliva. A mix of it. Eighty-twenty maybe?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the slight rise and fall of a chest. A figure was curled up behind a rusted dumpster, half-hidden under layers of torn blankets. Middle-aged, his face lined with dirt and exhaustion. The man hadn't reacted to their approach, hadn't even stirred when Carol whipped out her gun and aimed it.

"Doctor, step back, somebody is here."

Felix sighed and straightened up, brushing the dust off his gloves. "It's fine," he said, waving off the blonde's tension. "I saw him there from the start."

Carol gave him a sharp look. "And you didn't say anything?"

"Didn't need to. He's not a threat. He's just trying to sleep." Felix walked and dropped down to his level. The man's breathing hitched at the sound, but he didn't recoil. "Hey," Felix said gently. "You alright?"

The man groggily opened one eye, blinking blearily at Felix before his gaze flickered over to Carol, Luke, and Monica. "You with the government?" His voice was rough, like he hadn't had water in days.

Felix shook his head. "No. Well… sort of, but not in the way you're thinking." He knelt down. "Name's Felix Faeth. I'm trying to help clean up the radiation."

The man licked his chapped lips. "That's nice. Think you've found the solution yet, doc?" 

Felix laughed. "I'm pretty close, Mostly, I'm trying to make sure people don't start glowing in the dark."

"Wait, am I glowing?" The man looked himself over and sighed in relief. "Sheesh, that's possible?"

"Anything is possible man."

"Ha, true! With a giant lizard and a spider-dude, anything is possible for sure." A hoarse chuckle escaped the man's throat. "You got a place for me to go, doc?"

Felix nodded and pointed down the street. "Yeah, actually. There's a shelter a few blocks from here. It's got running water, food, and medical supplies. You can get another dose of the vaccine there if you haven't gotten one yet."

The man sat up with some effort, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, they gave me a shot a couple days ago. Said it'd help keep me from… y'know, turning inside out or something."

Felix exhaled, relieved. The distribution efforts were working, even among those most vulnerable. But it still wasn't enough. Osborn's Ganali Device would take one more day to be fully operational. They had to choose the right locations for maximum dispersal of the anti-radiation antigen.

"Carol, do you have a water bottle on you?"

Carol pursed her lips, knelt down beside them, and gave the man a water bottle. "What's your name?" she asked.

He took a swig of the water, sighing as it soothed his parched throat. "Dennis," he muttered. "Dennis Carradine."

Felix filed the name away. "Alright, Carradine. I'll let the folks at the shelter know to expect you."

Dennis capped the bottle and met Felix's gaze. "You're doin' good work, dic. I'll spread the word about you."

Felix chuckled, shaking his head. "If you're gonna spread the word about anyone, spread it about Spider-Man."

Dennis grinned, revealing a missing tooth. "Nah. Spider-Man might've saved the city, but you're the one sticking around to clean up the mess. That matters, too."

Felix didn't respond, just patted Dennis on the shoulder before standing up. Carol shot him a look, silently disapproving of any contact whatsoever. Felix shrugged, shaking off the moment.

Because there was still so much to do.

***

Up on the rooftop, alongside the helipad, there were devices connected to satellites for Felix to access. SHIELD went all out for him. Felix even had full camera access to Creature Z. It was still in the stratosphere, frozen and unable to defy gravity. 

Creature Z's Extremis was like his Extremis and was a biological reaction. It could not adapt to natural phenomena like gravity. How could an organism even adapt to gravity in the first place? So the humongous lizard floated without being able to fight. 

"Creature Z is still in the stratosphere. I assume the government has attempted contact?"

Luke glanced at Agent Shadowcat who rolled her eyes. 

"Of course it has," Agent Shadowcat retorted. "The world has approximately eleven thousand satellites in orbit. Half of them are owned by Mr. Osborn and his company. That is why he is up in the Helicarrier, I believe by now it should have made contact."

"I want any and all info on Creature Z's biology."

"Already done," Agent Shadowcat said. "Come on, the government might be secretive but we aren't going to hide info from you, the one guy who knows what he's doing."

'Symbiote, are you listening? Relay this information in real-time to Herbie.' 

'Information…relayed.' 

'We have complete access to SHIELD records, including their data and blueprints on Alistair's Spider-Slayers. Create new blueprints for our very own space-adjusted spider-bots. Make them tiny and make them fast. With all this destruction, nobody will notice if metal is stolen. Use the pipe exit for the spider-bots to get through.' 

Information relayed. 

That was when Luke put a hand to his ear. He blinked several times. "Oh. Oh, okay, great! Yes!"

"Something up?" Felix asked, turning. 

"Felix," Luke called out, excited and happy. "We finally located Rio Morales and her son. And not just her—Jessica too! They were sent to the same shelter!"

"Really!? Rio…Miles too!?"

"Him too." Luke grinned. "Both of them are in perfect condition."

The human Felix almost collapsed. All the work had suddenly caught up to him. He stumbled back and leaned on the table holding the laptops. 

"So what's your next move? Bring 'em here?" 

"No, wait." Felix raised a hand. Discreetly, he glanced at Carol and Rouge. "Don't bring her here. Let's…let's go to my house."

"Your house?"

"The equipment here is phenomenal. You guys supplied everything. But…I need my own lab. My own stuff. I should be able to synthesize something if I'm there."

"Is there house even—"

"The Smyth-Faeth Mansion is still up," Rouge declared. "If you say you can do something there, then let us go."

"As long as…" Carol Danvers cut in, "...this isn't an excuse to see them. I am sorry to say but you do not have that luxury."

"No, that's just a bonus. I really do need my lab there."

***

Felix paced impatiently in the grand foyer of his mansion, fingers drumming against the polished wood railing of the grand staircase. Outside, the sky was a bruised orange, tinged with lingering radiation clouds that glowed ominously in the distance. 

He was exhausted. He knew Carol disapproved of him taking a break, but this moment mattered.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Luke unlatched the heavy lock and he ran over. There stood Rio Morales and Miles.

Ah. 

His heart skipped several beats. 

Before either of them could react, Felix pulled Rio into his arms, wrapping her in a tight, joyous embrace. She let out a small, startled laugh before sinking into the hug, her arms locking around his back. For the first time in what felt like forever, Felix let himself breathe.

"I can't believe you're alive." He breathed in her scent and kept his hands on the back of her head. He found comfort in the texture of her hair. He found comfort in everything she did.

"I was so worried," Rio murmured into his shoulder. 

"I'm here," he whispered back, resting his chin atop her head. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Felix then looked over at Miles and gave a thumbs-up. "You did a great job protecting your mom."

"Thanks." Miles chuckled, though his eyes still carried the weight of everything they had survived. "You don't know how good it is to see you, man."

Blink, blink.

"Wait…are you dating my mom!?"

The hug ended and Rio became beet red. "T-that's not—"

"Hey, I didn't say it was bad. I mean, shit, look at this place." Miles gestured at the mansion. "They told us we were going to 'Dr. Faeth's lab'. This is your lab?"

"S-something like that…"

Felix still had Rio in his arms and they looked at each other, only to blush and pull their arms away.

"Wait, is that why there were so many noises that one morning…?"

Mortified, Rio put a finger to her lips and whispered aggressively, "We'll talk about this later."

As if fate was on their side, another presence made itself known. Jessica Jones had been right behind the Morales duo, her arms crossed, eyes scanning Felix as if making sure he was still the same man she remembered. 

"Felix, you look healthy."

"Right back at ya." Felix grinned and nodded at her. Off to the side, Luke tensed up.

Jessica smirked before bursting into a jog and pulling him into a warm hug. "Haah…" Her smirk faded the moment she hugged him. Her shoulders shook. She started to cry. Felix just smiled and patted her on the back. 

"Don't worry, everything is going to be okay."

"I-it better." Jessica sniffled as she pulled back and crossed her arms. "Dammit, I'm lame."

"You're not." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me."

That was when Jessica saw Luke. There he was, still in his NYPD uniform. The ex-couple exchanged a long look. The tension of their divorce still lingered, but neither had ever stopped caring. Without a word, Luke opened his arms, and Jessica stepped into them. Their hug wasn't desperate or overly emotional—it was simply an acknowledgment of everything they had been through, of everything they had lost. 

"The house is gone," Jessica murmured.

"I know. It's okay."

When they pulled apart, neither spoke and Jessica was quick to step toward Felix, her arms crossed. She didn't want to look at him too much. The same with Luke. 

Felix cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, everybody—"

"Is that Captain America!?"

That was Miles and his little yell earned a chuckle from the woman in question.

"Good to meet you, Miles." The tall, beefy woman strode toward him and extended a hand. Miles immediately took it. 

"C-Captain America, wow. I-it's nice to meet you, sir—I mean, ma'am. Ma'am." 

Rio was beside Felix and wide-eyed. She, unlike her son, was able to contain her voice and whispered to Felix. "That's Captain America, Felix."

"Mhm."

"Like…in the history books. War World II."

"Yep, the same."

"Why is she here?" 

"I…got promoted."

Rio looked at the tall ceilings, Luke Cage the beefy cop, Captain fucking America, and then the chandeliers. "Well, this is one hell of an upgrade. Puñeta…"

"You get used to it." Felix slipped an arm around Rio's waist in an instinctive but natural motion. "I'll explain everything later."

Luke nodded, arms crossed. "To make a long story short: Felix here is our VIP since he's the only scientist worth a damn."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Must be nice having so many bodyguards."

"Enough," Carol cut in. "Time's wasting. Doctor, only you have the ability to help this city. We are on a timer. Get to it."

"Only you can…?" Rio tightened her grip on his side, looking up at him. "Really?"

Felix met her gaze and smiled gently. "I got this. You're about to see exactly how cool I am."

Rio smiled and laughed in relief—and he could tell she hadn't done either for quite some time.