MCU: Spider-Man: Rise of Saint

Franklin landed in the sewer tunnel, wrinkling his nose at the smell. His phone's flashlight barely cut through the darkness ahead.

"Should've bought more condoms if I knew we were gonna run out," he muttered, trying to focus on anything besides the stench. "Would've saved me from searching sewers at midnight."

A bat flew past his head, wings brushing his mask. Then another. And another. Franklin followed their path deeper into the tunnel.

His light caught something on the wall - claw marks scored deep into concrete. He touched them, feeling how fresh they were. More bats fluttered overhead, all heading the same direction.

The tunnel split ahead. Franklin listened - running water from the left, machinery humming from the right. He followed the bats right.

More claw marks appeared. Bigger this time. Equipment lay scattered on the ground - broken beakers, torn papers, pieces of what looked like lab gear.

The bats kept coming, streaming past him in growing numbers. Their wings created weird shadows in his light beam.

Franklin webbed up to the ceiling, crawling to stay out of the swarm. The tunnel opened into a larger space ahead. His light caught glimpses of metal walkways, old maintenance platforms.

The machinery sounds grew louder. Some kind of generator running. Franklin switched off his light, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.

Green light glowed faintly around a bend. More bats flew toward it, their shapes silhouetted against the glow.

Franklin moved silently along the ceiling. The space below came into view - an old pump station turned into a makeshift lab.

Tables covered in equipment lined the walls. Glass tanks filled with green liquid. Papers and notebooks lay everywhere, many showing sketches of bat wing anatomy.

The bats gathered on pipes overhead, watching. Waiting.

Franklin dropped to the floor, checking the papers. Formulas. Mutation charts. Notes about genetic stability.

A newspaper clipping caught his eye - coverage of Spider-Man at the bridge. Langstrom had written all over it, analyzing how the powers might work.

More bats streamed in, circling overhead. Their wing beats grew louder, drowning out the generator hum.

Franklin looked up. Through gaps in the swarm, he saw something move on a walkway above - something much bigger than a regular bat.

The green light reflected off massive wings as the shape unfurled. Eyes glowed red in the darkness.

Man-Bat dropped from its perch, landing on a table. Equipment crashed to the floor. The smaller bats scattered, their screeching echoing off the walls.

Up close, the creature looked even less human than at the bridge. Its face had elongated, ears grown larger.

"Professor," Franklin said. "I know you're in there."

Man-Bat's head snapped toward his voice. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of fangs.

The scream hit Franklin like a physical force, driving him back. The smaller bats went crazy, diving at him from all directions.

Franklin shot webs, trying to clear space. Man-Bat launched itself forward, wings spread wide.

Claws raked Franklin's shoulder as he dove away. The creature crashed through equipment, sending glass tanks shattering.

Green liquid spilled across the floor. The smell of chemicals filled the air.

Franklin webbed up to the ceiling, but the bats made it impossible to see. Wings battered his face. Claws scratched at his suit.

Another scream pierced the chaos. Man-Bat burst through the swarm, heading straight for him.

Franklin dropped just in time. The creature's claws caught empty air.

More equipment crashed as Man-Bat circled the room. Franklin shot a web at its wing. The creature barely noticed, breaking free with one powerful beat.

It dove again. Franklin rolled, coming up by the scattered papers. A notebook caught his eye - something about stabilizing the mutation.

He grabbed it just as Man-Bat slammed into him. They crashed through a railing onto a lower platform.

Franklin kicked free, but the creature was already airborne again. It snatched something from a table - a case of green vials.

The swarm of bats followed as Man-Bat flew into a tunnel, taking the serum with it.

Franklin started to follow, then stopped. Blood dripped from where the claws had caught him. The cut felt deep.

He looked at the destroyed lab. At the notes about Spider-Man. At the tanks of green liquid still dripping onto the floor.

Langstrom hadn't just been studying bats.

He'd been studying Franklin.

Franklin webbed up what research he could carry and headed for an exit. He needed to patch his shoulder.

And figure out how to stop Langstrom before the transformation became permanent.

****

Langstrom sat in his makeshift lab, examining a torn piece of Spider-Man's suit from their fight. The chemical composition was unique - he'd recognize that formula anywhere. The same smell he'd detected on Franklin Saint outside the DMV.

"Of course," he muttered, setting down the fabric. "The only success from the spider project."

He grabbed his notebook, flipping through pages of research. The timing lined up perfectly - Franklin's improved grades, his sudden departure from basketball, Spider-Man appearing shortly after Jerome Saint's death.

The serum vials lined his desk, their green liquid catching the dim light. His hands shook as he reached for one, but he stopped himself. Not yet. Each transformation was getting harder to control, harder to come back from.

Franklin's chemical knowledge explained so much. Web shooters built from scratch, a formula strong enough to support cars. The boy was brilliant - exactly the kind of student MIT needed.

Langstrom pulled out his research from Stark Industries. Years of failed tests, dead ends, until that one spider went missing. Now he finally knew where it went. Who it changed.

But why did it work for Franklin when his own serum remained unstable? The answer had to be in the boy's blood. One sample could show him everything - how to stabilize the formula, make the changes permanent.

His hearing aid squealed again. The sound felt like needles in his brain. Soon even the device wouldn't help anymore.

He needed to work faster. Find Franklin. Study how the spider's DNA merged so perfectly with his system.

Langstrom looked at the serum. Not time for another dose yet. Each transformation risked losing more of himself, but he was running out of options.

The answer was so close. Spider-Man's secret was right there.

And now Langstrom knew exactly who to find.

He pulled out his last photo from Stark Industries - the spider project team celebrating their first successful test. Before everything went wrong. Before the funding cuts.

Langstrom laughed, the sound bouncing off the tunnel walls. A sixteen-year-old kid had succeeded where an entire research team had failed.

His laughter grew louder, more unhinged, echoing through the sewers.

*****

Franklin climbed through his window, pain shooting through his shoulder. His room was empty - MJ must have left for school tomorrow.

He pulled his mask off, wincing at the blood staining his suit. The cuts from Man-Bat's claws ran deeper than he'd thought.

"Great," he muttered, struggling to get the suit off. Each movement made his shoulder burn.

The spandex stuck to his skin where the blood had dried. Franklin gritted his teeth as he pulled it free, checking the damage in his mirror. Three long gashes crossed his right shoulder.

He needed the first aid kit. Gloria kept it under the bathroom sink, but she'd hear him if he went that way.

Franklin pulled on sweatpants and headed downstairs, listening for any sign his aunt was awake. The house stayed quiet. He found the kit behind some cleaning supplies and hurried back to his room.

Sitting on his bed, he dumped out the supplies. The cuts looked worse under his desk lamp.

"I should probably shower first," Franklin said after sniffing himself "I'll wash my suit tomorrow, I'm too tired for all of this"

After getting out of the shower, Franklin put on boxers before walking to his bed

"Stopping bike thieves was easier than this," he said, opening the rubbing alcohol. The liquid stung as it hit the wounds.

Franklin pressed gauze against his shoulder, taping it down as best he could. Blood already started seeping through.

He lay back on his bed, staring at his ceiling. Man-Bat was different from the usual street criminals. Bigger. Stronger. And Langstrom wasn't going to stop until he got whatever he wanted.

Sleep came quickly, his body exhausted from the fight.

"Franklin! Get up - you're late!"

Gloria's voice yanked him awake. Sunlight streamed through his window.

"What?" He grabbed his phone. 8:45 AM. School started fifteen minutes ago.

"I've been calling you for an hour!" Gloria shouted from downstairs. "Move it!"

Franklin jumped up, his shoulder protesting. The gauze had stuck to his sheets, pulling loose.

"Coming!" He threw on clothes, grabbed his backpack.

"What happened to your alarm?" Gloria asked as he ran past her.

"Forgot to set it. Sorry!"

He was halfway to school before realizing he'd forgotten to change the bloody bandage.

"Great, just fucking great, and to top it off, I'm already late for school," he muttered

Franklin rushed through the school's front entrance, his shoulder throbbing with each step. The hallways stood empty

He headed for Chemistry, trying to think up an excuse Mr. Thompson might believe. The bandage under his shirt felt damp. Probably bleeding again.

MJ sat at their usual lab table when he walked in. Twenty other heads turned to watch him limp to his seat.

"Mr. Saint," Mr. Thompson said. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry. Overslept."

"Must have been quite a night." Mr. Thompson raised an eyebrow at Franklin's messy hair and wrinkled shirt. "See me after class."

Franklin dropped into his chair. MJ slid her notes over without looking at him.

"You could've woken me up before you left," he whispered.

"I tried. Three times." She kept her eyes on Mr. Thompson. "You were out cold."

"My phone died."

"Sure it did." MJ finally turned to him. "Your shirt's backwards."

Franklin looked down. She was right.

The lecture dragged on, something about molecular bonds. Franklin checked his phone. His shoulder burned every time he moved to take notes. The cuts felt deeper than last night.

After class, Mr. Thompson called him to his desk while other students filed out.

"Everything okay?" Mr. Thompson asked. "You look rough."

"Just tired. Been studying late."

"Your grades are good, Franklin. But showing up on time matters too."

Franklin nodded, trying not to wince as his backpack strap pressed against his cuts.

"Don't let it happen again."

In the hallway, MJ waited by his locker. "You're bleeding."

"What?"

She pointed to his shoulder. A red spot had soaked through his shirt.

"Shit." Franklin pulled his jacket closed. "Must have caught it on something."

"In the sewers?" MJ crossed her arms. "While looking for your professor?"

"Can we not do this here?"

"Fine. Later then." She turned to leave, then stopped. "By the way - there's an assembly next period. Whole school's going."

"Since when?"

"Since they posted notices everywhere last week." MJ shook her head. "Maybe if you weren't so busy with 'work stuff' you'd notice things."

Franklin watched her walk away. He checked his reflection in the window - his shirt was stained red where the cuts had reopened.

He needed to change the bandage. The nurse's office would have supplies, but she'd ask questions.

The bathroom then. He had ten minutes before assembly.

Franklin locked himself in a stall, peeling off his shirt. The gauze from last night was soaked through. He'd forgotten to grab more supplies this morning.

Paper towels would have to do. He cleaned the cuts as best he could, pressing fresh towels against them.

The assembly bell rang. Students flooded the hallway outside.

Franklin put his shirt back on, making sure it wasn't backwards this time. The paper towels felt scratchy under the fabric.

He joined the crowd heading to the gym. Right now, Franklin had to sit through whatever this assembly was about. Had to pretend he was just another tired student who overslept.

Even if his shoulder screamed otherwise.

Back at the house, Franklin spread Langstrom's notes across his desk, his shoulder still sore from changing the bandage. The papers were water-stained from the sewer, but most of the writing remained readable.

Diagrams of bat wings filled one page. Chemical formulas covered another. Franklin recognized some compounds from his AP Chemistry class, but others looked more advanced.

He grabbed his chemistry textbook, flipping to the chapter on protein synthesis. Langstrom's formula seemed to target specific genetic markers

But something in the bat serum was unstable. The more Langstrom used it, the more it altered him. Not like Franklin's permanent change from the spider.

His phone lit up - MJ asking if he wanted help decoding the research. She'd been mad at him all day for ditching her last night, but her curiosity about Langstrom's work won out.

"Come over," he texted back. "Bring your big brain."

Ten minutes later, MJ climbed through his window. She looked at the papers covering his desk.

"That's a lot of science for someone who barely stays awake in class."

"This is different." Franklin pointed to a formula. "Look at these protein chains. They're supposed to enhance hearing by modifying inner ear structure."

"Like actual bat ears?"

"Yeah, but it's not working right." Franklin shuffled through more papers. "Each dose changes him more. Makes him lose control."

MJ picked up a page of notes. "These dates go back months. He's been planning this since before you visited MIT."

"Since the spider project got shut down." Franklin found another formula. "He kept working on it after Stark canceled the funding."

"Because he was losing his hearing?"

Franklin nodded. "Must have tested an early version on himself. When it didn't work, he made it stronger."

"And now he's turning into that thing." MJ set down the notes. "Can you help him?"

"Maybe. If I can figure out why the formula's unstable." Franklin grabbed his chemistry notebook. "The spider bite changed my DNA permanently, but his serum only works temporarily."

"That's why he keeps taking more doses?"

"Has to. Otherwise the effects wear off." Franklin sketched out the chemical structure. "But each dose makes the transformation harder to control."

"So find a way to stabilize it."

"Not that simple. His notes show he's tried everything." Franklin rubbed his eyes. "I don't even know where to start. The spider bite did something to me, but I never had a way to test what actually happened."

MJ looked at the mess of papers. "But you make web fluid. You understand enough chemistry for that."

Franklin paused. She was right - he'd figured out the web formula through trial and error. Maybe Langstrom's serum wasn't so different.

"Hand me that page with the protein diagrams."

They worked late into the night, breaking down Langstrom's formula. Most of it went over their heads, but Franklin started seeing patterns in the chemical structures.

"The serum's attacking his cells," he said finally. "Instead of merging with them like the spider venom did."

"Can you fix it?"

"Not without better equipment. This is way more complicated than making web fluid."

MJ yawned. "We should sleep. Your aunt will be up soon."

Franklin looked at his notes. He was close to understanding something, but his brain felt foggy.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for helping."

"That's what girlfriends are for." MJ gathered her things. "Even if their boyfriends ditch them to fight monsters."

After she left, Franklin stared at the formulas until his vision became blurry.