Peter POV:
The smell of Aunt May's pancakes drifted through the kitchen. Gwen was perched at the table, nursing a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, her eyes half-lidded from a late-night patrol. I shuffled in, hair sticking up like I had wrestled with a Van de Graaff generator.
"Morning, Einstein." Gwen teased, handing me a plate. "Or is it afternoon?"
"Technically..." I checked my watch, grimaced and sat down. "Okay, morning. Barely. But you're not any better, rockstar."
Uncle Ben looked up from the stove, spatula in hand. "One of these days, you two need to remember you're still teenagers. Try acting like it."
Gwen smirked. "Sorry, Mr. Parker. We'll limit our crime-fighting and corporate hostile takeovers to weekends only."
I snorted into my orange juice, nearly choking. "Yeah, because the criminals totally respect business hours."
Uncle Ben rolled his eyes but smiled slightly as he returned to the stove. "Smart mouths. Both of you and keep calling me Uncle Ben."
For a moment, the world felt almost normal. Breakfast chatter, clinking silverware and warmth. No Expo disasters, no drones, no shadow wars. Just family.
But as soon as breakfast ended, I excused myself with that same look Uncle Ben had noticed yesterday, the hungry stare of a mind already elsewhere. Gwen tagged along, curiosity written across her face.
Parker Defence Solutions – Sublevel Laboratory
The hum of machines filled the lab, but a new sound joined them: a low, thrumming pulse, like the heartbeat of a giant. At the center of the room sat the freshly materialized Quantum Lithography Machine. Sleek, alien in design, with delicate photon emitters poised within a sealed chamber.
[Image]
I stood before it, eyes gleaming. "This will be the foundation of mankind's revolution."
Gwen leaned against the console, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. "Translation?"
"Translation." I said while gesturing animatedly. "This machine fabricates processors at the subatomic scale. We're talking computation speeds magnitudes beyond anything Wakanda or Talokan has. Combine that with my AI neural interface chip's upgrade…" I tapped my temple. "…and suddenly, every AI, every system, every piece of tech I touch becomes my property by default."
Gwen whistled softly. "So basically, you just broke the speed limit on thinking machines."
I grinned. "Exactly. Watch."
The chamber whirred to life, beams of light crisscrossing like microscopic sculptors. Within moments, a wafer of glittering circuits slid onto the output tray. I picked it up with excitement.
"Quantum processor. Lighter than a feather. Stronger than diamond. Faster than anything on the planet."
I slotted it into a prototype chip and interfaced it with the core systems of the facility. Holo-screens burst alive instantly, smoother and sharper than before.
"Processing speed increased by 437 percent." Clanker reported.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Four hundred and thirty-seven?"
I couldn't hide the satisfied smirk tugging at my lips. "And that's just the first run. Once I scale production…" I trailed off, thoughts already racing ahead. "Neural-linked prosthetics. Real-time environmental simulations. Medical diagnostics that can outthink entire hospitals."
I leaned back against the console, exhaling deeply. "We're not just building weapons anymore, Gwen. We're building the future."
Gwen stepped closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. Her voice softened. "Then promise me one thing, Peter. That you don't lose yourself chasing it."
For a moment, the lab's hum faded and it was just the two of us. I covered her hand with my own. "I won't. I've got you, Uncle Ben, Aunt May and Captain Stacy. That's enough to keep me grounded."
The lithography machine pulsed with quiet light behind us and a new age humming to life in the basement of Parker Defence Solutions.
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