*Peter's Room. 6:17 AM. Next Morning.*
Peter woke to the sound of his alarm. He felt amazing. Rested. Energized. His enhanced body had recovered from the transformation completely.
He got out of bed. Stretched. His muscles responded with perfect coordination. No soreness. No stiffness. Just pure capability.
'This is going to take getting used to,' Peter thought. 'I feel like I could run a marathon right now.'
He went to the bathroom. Looked at himself in the mirror. He appeared normal. Maybe slightly more defined muscles. But nothing that would draw attention.
Perfect. He could hide in plain sight. Just another teenage genius. Nobody would suspect what he really was.
Peter showered and dressed. Headed downstairs. Uncle Ben was already up. Coffee brewing. Morning routine.
"You're up early," Ben said. "Sleep well?"
"Better than ever," Peter replied honestly.
"Good. You seemed tired last night. The field trip must have been exhausting."
"It was educational. Very educational."
They had breakfast together. Normal conversation. But Peter's enhanced senses were distracting. He could hear conversations from three houses away. Could smell breakfast cooking across the street. Could see microscopic imperfections in the kitchen tiles.
'I need to learn how to filter this,' Peter thought. 'Or I'll go crazy from sensory overload.'
His phone buzzed. Text message. From a number he didn't recognize.
"Peter. This is Tony Stark. New phone. Old one got left in a cave in Afghanistan. Long story. I'm back in New York. We need to talk. Today. It's important. Meet me at Stark Tower. Noon. Don't be late. Bring your big brain. I've got something to show you."
Peter stared at the message. Tony was back. Already. The timeline had compressed even more than he'd expected.
'My modifications helped him escape faster,' Peter realized. 'He built the first Iron Man suit and got out in days instead of three months.'
He typed a response. "I'll be there. See you at noon."
Another text came in. This one from Gwen.
"Peter. Something happened last night. Something strange. I need to talk to you. Privately. It's important. Can you meet me before school? Early? Please?"
Peter's spider-sense tingled faintly. Warning. Something was wrong with Gwen. He could feel it. A connection he didn't understand yet.
He replied. "I can meet at 7:30. Coffee shop near school. The usual place."
Gwen's response came immediately. "Thank you. I'll be there."
A third text. MJ this time.
"Peter, I know this sounds crazy, but something weird happened to me. I can't explain over text. Can we talk? Soon? Like today soon?"
Peter's spider-sense tingled again. Stronger this time. Both of them. Both girls had been affected.
'The clone spiders,' Peter realized. 'They might have bit MJ and Gwen. Although I calculated the possibility, right now it's really happening. And now they're transforming.'
He felt guilt. He'd known this might happen. Had accepted it as acceptable collateral damage. But now that it was real, now that his friends were scared and confused, the guilt hit harder.
'I'll help them,' Peter decided. 'Guide them through this. Make sure they don't go through it alone like I did.'
He texted MJ. "Meet me at the coffee shop at 7:30. Gwen will be there too. We'll talk."
MJ's response. "Gwen too? Did something happen to her?"
"Maybe. We'll find out together."
Peter finished breakfast quickly. Told Uncle Ben he had an early study group. Left the house at 7:15.
The coffee shop was only a ten-minute walk. But Peter decided to test his abilities. He took a detour through an alley. Made sure no one was watching.
Then he jumped. His enhanced strength launched him fifteen feet up. He grabbed a fire escape. Climbed to the roof. Ran across rooftops. Jumped between buildings.
Whoosh!
The city rushed past him. Wind in his face. His spider-sense guided him. Warned him of obstacles. He moved like he'd been doing this for years instead of hours.
'This is incredible,' Peter thought. 'This is freedom.'
He reached the coffee shop in three minutes. Came down an alley. Emerged onto the street looking completely normal.
Inside, the coffee shop was mostly empty. Too early for the morning rush. Peter ordered his usual black coffee. Found a corner booth. Waited.
Gwen arrived first. She looked pale. Tired. Dark circles under her eyes. Her hands shook slightly as she ordered tea.
She sat down across from Peter. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course. What happened?"
Gwen opened her mouth to answer. Then stopped. MJ had just walked in.
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