Spider-Man of Earth 65

Felix Faeth was happily brought to a containment chamber by the SHIELD agent. Blood tests and urine samples were extracted. As expected, almost immediately, he was told to strip by Maria. He had to. It was a procedure. SHIELD Agents had to do a basic scan of his biology to make sure everything was okay. 

The Symbiote had retreated deep, deep inside. Unless they split open his skull, the alien was impossible to detect. 

Hissss!

Felix Faeth stood in the containment chamber, mist hissing all around him. The decontamination process was thorough—necessary, considering they'd all been exposed to high levels of radiation. 

The mist subsided and a voice echoed through the chamber.

"All personnel, decontamination complete. Proceed to the next room."

Felix had been through a lot in the past few days, but nothing quite prepared him for the sheer awkwardness of buck-naked men and women coming together. The heavy steel doors slid open and at once the men and women all walked forward. Felix could feel the cool air hit his skin. Again, it was strange given the amount of time he spent with powers that negated him from feeling the cold. 

The decontamination chamber had been warm and so now he was just standing in a starkly lit, clinically dark room, starkly naked. He wasn't alone.

There were seven of them: two men, five women.

To his left, Captain America—Samantha Wilson—stood tall. It was Felix's first time meeting her in his civilian identity and well, Felix quite enjoyed looking at her. Her physique was impeccable, her muscles defined, a body sculpted from years of training. She was not voluptuous but it would be remiss not to note her big rack. She glanced at Felix, then at the others, before looking straight ahead, completely unaffected by shame.

To his right, as representative of the US Military was Monica Rambeau. She flaunted her gorgeous kinks and coils with all the curl confidence in the world. She was more traditionally shapely than Samantha Wilson and a shade lighter in skin tone. That wasn't to say she was not tall; she stood at an impressive five-foot-ten. 

She inhaled and exhaled carefully. Her soldiered mask was not as layered as Captain America either.

Next in the circle was the most stone-faced of them all: Carol Danvers. The only blonde and easily the most voluptuous of the women here. She was a damn pretty woman too: amazing hair that was tied into a long braid with luscious locks framing her face. But she didn't smile. She wasn't friendly and who could blame her in this situation?

Moving on was the only male other than Felix. A good man all things considered. Good-looking and kind too.

Issue was…he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Luke Cage, the tallest and beefiest yet easily the most awkward. He shuffled out rather than walking openly, his hands cupping his intimate parts. He tried not to stray from what was ahead of him—he did have a girl back home. But alas, right in his point of view was the one man he did not want to see, Felix Faeth. The dude who slept with his ex-wife.

"How does a guy have that much meat soft...jesus." 

Everybody here was trained to perfect. Everybody heard. Everybody looked.

Agent Shadowcat—AKA Rouge simply smirked. She was much slimmer than the other ladies, although she had the proud statement of saying she took that dick.

Monica blinked. "Big ass dick. Damn."

Carol did not look.

Maria Hill stood behind a glass wall. There were agents professionally and clinically combing over the data. The containment chambers were for decontamination. The room was a sensory room. Inside the walls was MRI, X-ray, and other medical technology. It was intended to be used on either uncontainable threats like Spider-Man or on numerous people at once.

High above, Maria Hill judged without subject. Luke's NYPD cop friends who were watching behind a glass wall were gobsmacked.

The first of the trio was Kevin Cole, a big white guy weighing at almost two hundred pounds of muscle at five-foot-eleven. He was a bit quiet albeit definitely ogling some of the naked chicks. Michael Morrisey and Jeffrey Piper were with him and they were damn talkative.

"Captain America, am I right?" Jeffrey whispered. "My dad had pin-up posters of her when he was young. They got her rack right, at least."

"Wait, she did pin-ups?"

"Hell no, they used photoshop."

"That's…that's kinda fucked up."

"...now that I think about it, yeah." Jeffrey went from Captain America to Carol Davers. Jeffrey whistled. He was a middle-aged black man, married and with a daughter. "Damn, blondes really do be having the biggest tits."

"I know right."

Then they moved on to…oh. Felix Faeth. Oh no. The smiles on their faces immediately turned upside down.

Michael scoffed, already bitter. "He probably can't read or some shit...God wouldn't give him that and just be regular."

"That's Dr. Faeth. The VIP," Jeffrey muttered.

"Dammit." 

Jeffrey ended up laughing. "That brother packin' a tree chomp."

Michael just spiraled. The more he looked, the worse it got. He groaned and tucked a hand under his chin. "He walking around with a fucking monster schlong and all I got is 5.5 goddamn inches and not a thing I can do to change it. How is that fair? Maaann, fuck my life some people are so fucking lucky."

He was grumbling towards the end and Jeffrey just laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. He had a kid and wife so he wasn't as insecure about it.

Hands behind her, Maria leaned forward and spoke into the mic. "Everybody, please place your hands at your side."

Silence. Felix, Captain America, Carol Davnvers, Monica, and Shadowcat all had their hands at their side.

"God dammit."

Except poor Luke.

The announcement only applied to Luke Cage. His NYPD friends laughed at him a bit.

"Arms up," Maria said, stoic. For her, this was but a process. Luke grumbled but eventually obliged. Hands went up.

"Brother is jacked," Jeffrey remarked.

"And bigger than me too," Michael murmured. "The world really is unfair."

Everything needed to be analyzed. Penis and scrotum of the males, the breasts and vagina of the females. Everything had to hang out.

It was the most humbling moment of Luke Cage's life. Looking down at that anaconda and then his little thing and trying not to get die inside. 

Especially because Samantha fucking Wilson was here. She was the black chick in America. She was studied all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. She was admired by any and all. In every survey, she was ranked among the greatest African-Americans in their history.

And Luke Cage with all that context got shown up by a white boy.

God dammit.

High school boys being high school boys often joked about Samantha in silly, objectifying ways.

"Bro, she's gotta tight as fuck."

"That grip gotta be crazy from the serum."

"You think she was getting plowed in the trenches?"

Luke Cage had laughed and said those remarks in his youth.

A stray eye objectified him: scanned his broad shoulders and six-pack until she dropped to his crotch. 

Suffice to say, a tiny little smile appeared and she slipped on her stoic mask.

Not so fun on the other side, it seemed.

It was all about the motion of the ocean. What happened when a white guy with a schlong twice your size has both? Some women genuinely could not take big dicks but the women here? Captain fucking America? How was a smaller dick supposed to compete with a guy who has the size and all the knowledge on how to use it? How was Captain America not supposed to be impressed by the young white man?

"Personally," Jefferson said, "I'd hate having something that big. Could you imagine how much play you won't get because of it? Your only option is porn."

"I think that's cope."

"Is it though?"

Michael sighed, dejected. "It is, man."

It was then Jefferson noticed the hologram imagery Maria was reading. It was a report on Luke Cage and Felix Faeth. He peeked over, read it in an instant, and told his cop friend in a hush, "I guess maybe you're right. It says Dr. Faeth was with Jessica Jones, Luke's ex wife."

"Was with…? You mean…?"

They were cops. Friends. Of course they had met the white chick. They always thought Luke was a bit too loose with her. Too dedicated with the job and constantly citing she would understand.

"Wait, so Luke and the doctor know each other!? Was that why Luke seemed so pissed on the helicopter ride?"

Jefferson shook his head and eyed the nudity down below. He felt nothing but sympathy for Luke Cage. "My brother, don't even worry about it. Shit happens," Jefferson said as if Luke could hear him. He couldn't. The glass wall was thick enough to block bullets.

"I can't believe it…Jessica and Luke separated…Luke didn't even tell us yet. That's just crazy." Michael shook his head and clicked his tongue. "W-wait, hold on was it after they divorced or…?"

"After."

Both cops froze up. Maria Hill answered their question. So far, they had been whispering and keeping their voices low. Guess it was pointless. Suddenly, the keyboards stopped and everybody on the computers started talking about it. Literally. Everybody. 

"His girl got cooked."

"She honestly deserves a trophy AND a pizza party guys.....she has to be an absolute warrior."

"How do I get a dick like dat. I mean is it on steroids or something, sheeeesh—"

A hologram appeared in front of Maria Hill. All the necessary data was acquired. The SHIELD agents were done, so like high schoolers, they started gossiping.

"Silence."

Until Maria Hill raised a hand and shut them up. 

"I respect your expertise, I do not respect your languid nature. This is a test, nothing more, nothing less. Keep your heads out of the gutter and focus."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Even Jefferson and Michael ended up saying it with a salute—and they didn't even report to her. 

"No steroids, no drug usage. Everybody is clean here," Maria said without missing a beat. "MRI, X-ray, and a brief CT scan. Check, check, check. Abnormalities are as expected: Super Soldier Serum, Adamantium Skeleton, two females in peak lean physical condition, one male with a universal blood mutation and a buff-type peak physical condition, and one male with a lean near-peak physical condition."

The cops and the SHIELD agents awaited further instructions as did Felix and everyone else down below.

An earbud and mic were on Maria's face. Arms crossed, Maria declared, "That will be all. New clothes will be supplied in your containment units. The helicopter has always been ready. Dr. Faeth, we are counting on you."

Felix looked up and gave a two-finger salute. He walked back to his containment chamber, the cool air brushing against his bare skin. The sterile white walls and the hum of overhead lights were his only company as he reached for the special black clothes folded neatly on the bench before him. 

As he reached for the clothes, a presence made itself known. He turned slightly, sensing someone watching him. There, standing just outside the reinforced glass, was an old woman, her sharp eyes fixed on him with the kind of authority that demanded attention.

Director Peggy Carter.

The woman was old. Like old old.

Felix raised an eyebrow but remained composed. "You don't strike me as the type to sneak peeks, Director."

Director Carter did not react and just stared. "I'm not here for the view, Dr. Faeth."

Felix grabbed the shirt but didn't put it on. "I've heard your name mentioned a lot. You're something of a legend. What's up?"

"This is a one-on-one conversation." Director Carter came as close as she could to the glass of the chamber. "No SHIELD, no outside government, no military. Just us."

Felix studied her carefully. Never in a million years did he think he would be meeting the Director of SHIELD, especially like this. The pink dye in her hair, the deep wrinkles that cut across her face, the weight in her stance—it all screamed of someone who had carried the world on her shoulders for too long. Yet….there was no official air to her. This was personal.

"Oscorp intends to create Super Soldiers," Director Peggy Carter began. "We know that you, along with Norman Osborn and your team, are pushing forward with it. We also know about Luke Cage."

Felix remained silent. He was under a strict NDA, and he knew better than to confirm or deny.

Peggy took that as confirmation. "Luke Cage's DNA is unlike anything we've ever seen. He's compatible with everything, every serum, every enhancement. And you're the one who's going to perfect the formula."

Felix exhaled, pulling his shirt over his head. "Not exactly how it works, but okay."

"I need you to continue it," Peggy pressed. "Do not stop. Pursue that project to the very end."

Felix frowned. "And why…?" Wait…wait a minute…

The doctor narrowed his eyes. "You're taking an inferior version of the serum, aren't you?"

Peggy chuckled. "Sharp. But yes. The original serum—Samantha Wilson's serum—allowed for extended life spans, possibly even two hundred years. But every iteration since then? Cheap knockoffs. It's kept me alive, but not for much longer."

Felix quickly did the math in his head. Peggy Carter had been active since the 1950s. If she had been sustaining herself with imperfect Super Soldier Serums, the side effects would be catching up to her. The eyepatch, the wrinkles, the hunched over posture that he could halfway see—this was a woman running out of time.

"You want me to finish the serum for you," Felix said, crossing his arms. "So you can take it before you die."

"I'm not asking, Dr. Faeth."

"Of course you're not."

Peggy stepped closer, her voice lowering. "We did this seventy years ago with technology that was practically stone-age compared to today. You're telling me you can't finish it now?"

Felix ran a hand through his hair. "It's not about whether I can. It's about whether I should."

Peggy's expression didn't change, but there was something heavy in the way she looked at him.

"The government butchered people to create that serum," Felix continued. "Nick Fury showed me the files. Every failed experiment, every body left behind in its pursuit. It took more than just science. It took sacrifice, the wrong kind of sacrifice. Anybody can leap through a hundred years of medicine if they have children and women and men lining up."

"I don't care how you do it, Dr. Faeth, but all I ask is for you to do it. You are a smart man—focus on both."

Felix stared at her, this relic from another time, a woman who had spent her entire life fighting battles no one else could. She thought herself equally as valuable as the people of New York. Perhaps she was right. She was desperate, but there was no denying that she saved lives, that she was a hero in some regards. 

If anyone could do it, it was him. But he wasn't willing to cross the same lines his predecessors had.

"The formula is in my head," he finally said, tapping his forehead. "So I'll think about it when I can. But my main priority is getting rid of the radiation. That's the bigger problem right now."

Director Carter studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "I assigned Luke Cage to your personnel for a reason. Do not disappoint me."

She was gone. She walked off. 

***

All seven of them were seated in the helicopter. Felix and Luke sat beside each other with Rouge and Samantha across from them. At the cockpit were Carol Danvers and Monica. 

"Something wrong?" Luke asked, noticing that their doctor seemed to squirm. He wasn't squirming, he was analyzing.

"All black, huh? What is this material…?"

Felix couldn't identify so he had Herbie identify it for him.

'CUSTOM FABRIC: POLYETHYLENE-BASED FABRICS – GOOD FOR BLOCKING NEUTRON RADIATION AND OFTEN USED IN SPACE APPLICATIONS — AS WELL AS BORON-INFUSED TEXTILES WHICH ABSORBS NEUTRON RADIATION, COMMONLY USED IN NUCLEAR ENVIRONMENTS.' 

Felix blinked rapidly. "Wow. Polyethylene-boron fabric…who made this?"

"Don't underestimate SHIELD," Rouge said with that classic arrogance. "We have our scientists work on everything and anything. No emergency is out of our prep plans—except a giant raging radiative monster bigger than the Empire State Building. That, we couldn't exactly prepare for."

"Right…" Felix crossed his arms. He checked out the city below him. Things had gotten better with the help of the international world. "I hope FEAST is okay…"

"Ah, that is your charity company, yes?" Samantha Wilson gave an approving nod. "Do not worry, they are alive and working."

"That's great."

"I debriefed myself on you. Perhaps he has not mentioned," Samantha flicked her gaze at Luke, "but your neighbours, Rio Morales and Miles Morales, are okay."

"Really!?" If he could, Felix would have stood up. Instead, he practically melted into his his seat as he sighed. "Thank god…"

"Do not thank god," Samantha said. "Thank your friend, Mr. Cage. He saved them."

"S-seriously?" Felix whipped his head at Luke who rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you, man! Really! I owe you!"

"It's fine," Luke grumbled. "I did what I had to do."

"No, really, I owe you! I…I should have been there."

"Nobody except Spider-Man could have maneuvered through that hell," Samantha Wilson interjected. "Do not beat yourself up over it."

It was unfortunate. That remark might have worked on anyone but Felix. 

"Jessica, what about her?" Felix asked. "Is she alright?"

God, it wasn't just her. Aaron Davis, Yelena, Czarina, everybody. He wanted to ask about every single person. But he knew based on Herbie that it wasn't so simple. It was better to keep calm and wait for infrastructure to return to a better state. 

"I don't know. I tried messaging her and when she didn't respond, I went to your place." Luke stared at the floor and clenched his fist. "Jessica'll be alright. I know her."

Felix softened and stared ahead like Luke did. "We'll find Jessica. I promise."

Luke did not stay quiet as he pulled his phone from his pocket. 

"The NYPD launched the NYPD-Z Emergency App," Luke said. "So if Jessica is alive, there's a good chance she'll report it here."

The NYPD-Z Emergency App. An app sponsored and programmed with the help of Oscorp's electronics division. This way, people in New York could contact authorities. The app was city-locked so nobody outside New York could download it. Although fear of hackers and fake requests persisted, everybody agreed it was a worthwhile risk in order to better understand the situation and the casualties.

"So far…?"

"Nothing," Luke said. "My girlfriend is a nurse too so she says she'll keep an eye out for Jessica too. I'm covered all my ground."

"All we can do is wait then…"

"Exactly." 

'Symbiote, start relaying to Herbie. Prevent any and all hackers and fakes from infiltrating the app. Diverty thirty percent of your attention to this at all times.'

The message was relayed to the phone which then pinged back to Herbie back underground in the city.

After some silence, Felix spoke up. "Is it possible for me to see Rio?"

"I don't know. I dropped her off at a local shelter but with the radiation spreading, she's likely not there anymore."

"And she probably isn't using the app either…"

Felix clenched his fist, then released it. "At least I know she's okay. That's what matters."

Luke eyed him with a small smile. "Is she your girl?"

"...yeah. Yeah, she is."