A low murmur echoed through the underground laboratory.
"Here," Harry said quietly, kneeling and extending the USB drive toward Felicia.
Felicia blinked, confusion flickering in her bright green eyes.
"Why… why are you giving this to me?" she asked, staring directly at him.
"Ah—" Harry hesitated, unsure himself. He turned away from her gaze, glancing at his own hand as though it had moved on its own.
Then, as if something clicked, he met her eyes again. "Because," he said softly, "I want to help the doctor settle this once and for all."
Felicia chuckled, covering her lips with one gloved hand. "Hehe… I see. Don't worry, I'll definitely call you when I go to meet Kingpin."
She rose slowly, still a bit unsteady from the electric shock, but her recovery was surprisingly quick.
"Goodbye, Harry," she said, turning toward the elevator.
As the doors began to close, she looked back and added, "By the way, Dr. Connors — your serum did work."
The elevator ascended with a soft hum, leaving the lab in silence.
Dr. Connors stood motionless, his face frozen in disbelief. Then, a trembling smile broke across his face.
"I… I succeeded. I succeeded!" he repeated joyfully, standing up and pacing excitedly.
"Doctor, are you alright?" Harry asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Connors said, his voice trembling. "I'm just… happy. So many years, Harry — and to hear that it actually worked…" His eyes glistened with tears.
Harry couldn't quite understand why scientists became so emotional over experiments, but looking at the doctor's expression, he knew there was no way to continue any venom testing that night. It would have to wait until tomorrow.
Outside, in the dark maze of Hell's Kitchen, Felicia moved like a shadow. She stopped in an alley, where a faint echo of footsteps approached.
"You're here," said a calm, low voice. From the darkness emerged a man in a dark red suit — Daredevil.
"Did you get it?" he asked.
"Yes," Felicia replied coolly. She knew better than to underestimate his heightened senses.
"Then tell me," Matt Murdock — the man behind the mask — said through clenched teeth, "where did Kingpin take Erica?"
"I told you," Felicia snapped back, her tone sharp, "I won't tell you until you help me save my father."
Matt's jaw tightened. To most, he was just a lawyer. But at night, he was Daredevil — the blind vigilante who fought to purge Hell's Kitchen of crime.
And Felicia Hardy — the Black Cat — was a thief. A criminal.
Yet here they were — two people on opposite sides of the law, united by circumstance.
Matt wanted to rescue Erica, his girlfriend, taken by Kingpin. Felicia wanted to save her father, who was being held as both leverage and a test subject — the only survivor of the super soldier experiments. She knew Kingpin would never willingly let him go.
She needed help. And when the story of the "Devil of Hell's Kitchen" reached her, she knew who to find.
Now, they were partners.
Matt exhaled slowly, leaning against the wall, his anger fading.
"We'll have a new ally soon," Felicia said with a mysterious smile.
"Who?" Matt asked warily. Taking on Kingpin was already suicide with two people — adding a third could mean disaster.
"His name is… Peter Pan." Felicia lifted the USB drive, letting it glint in the dim light with a teasing grin.
Morning sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows of the Osborn Building, illuminating the crisp newspaper spread across Harry's desk.
"The Daily Bugle sure knows how to come up with ridiculous headlines," he muttered, tossing the paper aside.
On the front page was a dramatic shot of the battle from the previous day — Harry on his hoverboard, flames blazing, alongside Spider-Man and Electro. The bold headline read:
"Urban Heroes: Peter Pan, Electro, and Spider-Man Save the Day!"
"The Bugle finally calls Spider-Man a hero — and they name me Peter Pan?" Harry groaned, rubbing his forehead.
Max, sitting nearby, picked up the paper and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You've got to admit, it's catchy."
Harry shot him a glare. "That name is awful. I'm changing it."
"Relax, man. Only the Bugle uses it. Look — The New York Times doesn't," Max said, tossing over another paper.
Harry glanced at the headline. His eyes widened.
"'Skateboarding Savior!' Are you kidding me?!" He groaned and collapsed dramatically onto his desk.
A knock came at the door. Knock, knock.
"Come in," Harry said, still face down.
The door opened. "Sir, this is yesterday's report. Please take a look."
Harry looked up — and froze.
It was Felicia.
She walked in calmly, her usual professional demeanor intact, and placed a folder on his desk.
"You— you— you…" Harry stammered, pointing at her, completely stunned.
The woman frowned slightly. "Is there something wrong, sir?"
Harry blinked. "Did you forget something? Coffee?" he said quickly, masking his shock with forced seriousness.
"Ah — my apologies, sir. I'll prepare it right away," she said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Harry said sharply. "Who are you?"
In a flash, Max's form dissolved into blue lightning and reappeared right in front of her. Electricity crackled in his palm as he raised his hand — then fired a bright pulse straight at her.
But she moved — unnaturally fast — twisting her body midair, the bolt missing by inches and shattering the glass behind Harry with a deafening crash.
"System, scan the person in front of me," Harry ordered.
The woman lunged at Max, but instead of attacking, it was a feint — she rolled to the side, her body shifting as she ran.
Blue scales began to ripple up her neck, spreading rapidly. Her hair darkened, shortening into a crimson pixie cut. Within seconds, Felicia Hardy was gone — replaced by a blue-skinned mutant woman with piercing yellow eyes.
The system chimed:
[No recordable person within 10 meters.]
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Mystique…" he muttered.
"Max, don't chase her," he said quickly, stopping his electrified ally. "Once a shapeshifter like her blends into the crowd, there's no tracking her. Especially not in a building full of people."
Max clenched his fists. "Why the hell was a mutant here, anyway?"
Harry sighed. "No idea. But whatever it is — we'll find out soon enough."
He picked up the phone and called maintenance to repair the shattered glass. Then, straightening his coat, he looked at Max with a faint grin.
"Come on. Let's go see the doctor. I've got something very interesting* to show him."
He smirked — the gleam of intrigue flickering in his eyes — and quickened his pace toward the lab.