The Cold

Felix sat in his apartment, clicking and dragging icons on his computer. Synchronized to the Fantastic Computer, he could give real-time input to the Herbie robot reconstructing his suit. He had been focused for several hours when a knock snapped him out of his work. He sighed and cracked his neck. "Man…who is it?"

The screen pulled up a camera that showed who it was. Felix sighed again. He stood up, walked over to the door and opened it to find Detective Maria Hill standing there.

"Maria," Felix greeted her, faking a smile. "Sorry, I'm busy with work. Is this important?"

"Quite important. I'd rather not talk on the phone."

"Fair enough." Felix closed the door behind her, gesturing for her to take a seat. They both sat down in the living room with Maria wasting no time getting to the point.

"You asked me to look into Christine Everhart, the reporter," Maria began. "Unfortunately, I haven't turned up much. Not much other than what you or I already know. She is close to Stark even now. She mentioned Osborn but to be frank, it could be anything. She is, how do I put it, not a crude. Her relationship with Stark was an exception, not the norm. So we can rule out a transactive relationship with Osborn."

"How did you figure that? Did you search her place or something?" Felix said, half-joking. The dead-serious look in her eyes told him otherwise. "Oh, you actually searched her place."

"I'm a private detective. I wouldn't be good at what I do if I don't invade privacy."

'That's not why they call it private but okay.' 

"So Osborn is planning something with her…I wonder what?"

"Indeed. According to her neighbours, she has been going out more and more. She appears to be investigating something regarding the rich."

"Osborn is rich. Maybe she found out he evades taxes?"

Maria gave him a look. "Norman Osborn, unlike Stark, would never be caught dead in bad PR."

"So what else was she meeting him for? It's not fun and it's probably not an exposé." 

"Are you sure she didn't lie to you?"

"It's not impossible," Felix admitted. "But if that's the case, if not Osborn, who was she meeting?"

"The traitor would be unlikely. Calling a woman of her beauty would arouse attention. That would be stupid."

"Hmmm…" Felix sighed, signalling that he was giving up. "I don't know. I give up. Thanks for trying, though."

Yeah, right. He was only giving up in front of her. He was going to investigate the hell out of Christine Everhart once his costume was stitched back. 

"You were vague on how you met her," Maria said. "Was it really just a coincidence?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I bumped into Christine when I was going down the stairs," Felix said honestly. "But it wasn't a full-on thing, just a short conversation. I thought I was going crazy and thought I might as well ask the best detective I know for more information."

Maria nodded. "I see. I wish I had better news for you."

"There's nothing on the traitor?"

"Not exactly. The explosion at Mamma Rosa's Pizzeria, did you hear about it?"

"It happened nearby so more like I felt it." Felix leaned forward, his interest piqued. "What did you find?"

"According to the autopsies, one of the bodies found in the explosion was Crossbones," Maria said, her tone serious. "However, they can't verify it. He was a mercenary, a criminal, his blood and fingerprints were never in any database."

"So it's just a guess."

"The physical attributes match. But more importantly, there's something unusual about his death. His throat was charred. Something appeared to have clogged it."

Felix's heart skipped a beat. He knew exactly what had happened, but he kept his face impassive as Maria continued.

"My theory is that Spider-Man killed Crossbones," Maria said, her eyes searching Felix's face for any reaction. "He used his webbing which dissolves, leaving little trace of evidence."

"You really think so? Spider-Man isn't a killer."

"Correction: Gwen Stacy wasn't a killer. This new Spider-Man does not have to abide by the same rules." Maria crossed her arms. "I could be wrong. It could have been the black alien creature the witnesses saw. Somehow, in the explosion, it disappeared."

"An alien goo creature…" 

"Got any ideas? You're a scientist, so I wanted to ask for your professional opinion on it."

'My professional opinion?' Felix pursed his lips, careful not to give anything away, and got to thinking. To Maria, it probably looked like he was theorizing. He wasn't. Felix already knew the answers to her question: the real question was whether to tell her. 'Should I give her a hint? Nudge her toward Project Symbiote? Or leave her in the dark?' 

He met her gaze. "I don't know. An alien creature on-par with Spidey is what I read on the news. I'd have to get a piece of it to draw any conclusions. However, I don't think Oscorp has anything to do with this. If it did, then it wouldn't be Oscorp behind it, but Norman Osborn."

In the end, Maria was an asset, not a partner. Felix decided he would be better off operating in the dark. Her deductions were a bit too on the nose for his liking. 

"Like that other project—Project New Element. That's Norman Osborn's doing," Maria stated. A finger curled around her chin. "This is tough. Investigating Norman Osborn is nothing like Stark. He's careful beyond belief. No smoking, no drinking, no parties, nothing. He's as ruthless and quiet as they come."

"Other than his son, I don't see a weakness, yeah."

"His son…" Maria repeated. "Right, his son, Harry Osborn. I did some digging and heard he was taken by SHIELD for a while. He's out now but information on him is scarce. Osborn keeps him guarded at all times. The journalists and the public can't get a peep of him."

So Harry Osborn wasn't an avenue possible for even the great Maria Hill. 'But Spider-Man may be a different story…' 

Silence fell on them. There was nothing more to say. "Thanks, Detective Hill. I appreciate it," Felix said, his tone sincere.

Maria stood up, giving him a small smile. "Take care, Felix. If I find anything else, you'll be the first to know."

Felix got up and saw her out. Once the door closed behind her, he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He couldn't afford to let his guard down, not with so much at stake.

Then there was another talk on the door. Felix suppressed a groan and opened it.

"Miles." Felix blinked. "What's up?"

The teenager looked up at him, wide-eyed. "You bought FEAST!?" Shocked and out of breath, he must have ran all the way here. 

"Oh…that." Felix smiled sheepishly. "I did."

"I didn't know you were rich!"

"Eh, rich is an exaggeration."

No, definitely not. Yesterday, because of the bombing, the investments he made into the technological sector shot up. Through the Oscorp executives, Felix was already told well in advance as to who the next big US military contractor was going to be. Oscorp was a big company that funnelled its money into other smaller companies. Its ultimate plan was to use them for innovation, buy out their patents, and then absorb the company itself.

The multi-year long process was a massive opportunity for executives to make money—as well as Felix himself. It felt almost illegal, really. It was like raising a child and when they became a millionaire, you stole all their assets. 

Which was kinda what happened to Felix. He went from a millionaire to a multi-millionaire. He went from investing in FEAST and owning a portion of it to just buying the whole thing. 

"Plus, the deal isn't completely set. I'm just the leading guy," Felix explained.

"So you're not buying FEAST?"

"I am but the transition is going to take a while."

"How long is a while?"

"A week, I think."

"Then you practically own it, dude!"

"Yeah, kinda, sort, yeah," Felix admitted, smiling shyly. "I did say I would handle it."

"I thought you were gonna…I dunno." Miles scrunched up his face. "Invent something for us. Like a device that filters all dirty water into clean water."

"I mean…I can do that."

"You can!?"

'More specifically, Reed already did that. He just didn't have the money to mass produce it.' 

Felix could though. He could change everything for the homeless of New York. "Like I told you, don't worry." He put a hand on his shoulder. "I got this."

***

Although he was a millionaire, he still had to go to work. The money was too good at Oscorp to pass up, especially the health insurance and other benefits. 

Indeed, the next day, Felix was back at Oscorp Tower. Outside and inside, all everyone could talk about was Spider-Man and the explosion.

"You think he's a terrorist?"

"You're crazy. He was fighting an alien thing. Had to be a massive battle or something."

"I dunno, J. Jonah Jameson makes some good points. First a crane, now a building…what's gonna be next?"

There was some scepticism. However, the vast majority of employees at Oscorp were very pleased.

"Dude, the building was full of the terrorists that invaded Oscorp Tower. I got shot in the leg and almost died, man! Whatever happened, good riddance!"

"Agreed! When I heard those dead bodies were the same mercenaries that fucked us over, I literally jumped out of my seat."

"Spider-Man rules!"

While Felix wasn't sure about the rest of the world, the census on Spider-Man on Oscorp was overwhelmingly positive. Even the few that did criticise Spidey did so not out of disagreement over his actions but the potential escalation of villain battles. 

Currently, he sat in the cafeteria. His ears were sensitive and picked up everything, as did his advanced glasses. 'Luckily for you guys, Spidey won't be active for a couple nights. My suit is totally fucked.' 

Work itself was fine. Project Rebirth II was progressing well, almost too well. The team had made significant advancements and animal testing had gone off without a cinch. That led to Dr. Olivia Octavius to push hard for human testing. She was way too eager to move forward. 

'Has she forgotten about the scientific process? Before we start fucking with humans, we should wait. What if in five weeks, the rabbits start turning into zombies? We have to be absolutely sure that the serum works—but no. No, we should go right for human testing like scientists from a stupid horror film.'

Felix leaned back in his seat while drinking a mango milkshake. He tried to relax but no matter what his thoughts drifted to the repercussions of rushing the super soldier serum trials.

"There's a 78.8 percent chance of success," he muttered to himself, sipping on his milkshake absentmindedly. "But that 21.2 percent failure rate…"

The stakes were too high to ignore that margin of error. He finished his milkshake and stood up, heading towards the elevator to get back to the lab.

'I have to try convincing her one last time. I want to fine-tune the chamber and serum so that we don't get any crazy ass lizards or snakes or whatever the hell.' 

If he used the Fantastic Computer, he could no doubt increase their odds. Quietly, a finger pressed to the side of his glasses, he did just that. "You saw all the data, Herbie," Felix whispered. "Divert fifty-percent of your effort into simulations of Project Rebirth."

AFFIRMATIVE. WHICH HUMAN TEMPLATE SHALL BE USED? 

"All. Anyone and everyone we have on record."

DUE TO THE NYPD'S DATABASE, THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AUTOPSIES AND BODIES TO CHOOSE FROM. 

"Like I said, all of them."

CALCULATING…CALCULATING…SIMULATIONS WILL TAKE SEVEN DAYS TO COMPLETE. 

'Fine by me.' 

Felix got up and went to throw out his milkshake. Lunch time was almost over. It was time to head back.

Suddenly, his Spider-Sense tingled. Time slowed.

But he did not stop what was about to happen.

A pair of cold arms wrap around him from behind. A sultry voice whispered in his ear, sending a chill down his spine.

"Found you."

He knew of her reputation—her beauty, her power, her danger. And now she was here, holding him in a way that was both intimate and threatening. He tried to empty his mind. He focused on nothing, willing his mind to be a blank slate, even though he wasn't sure if it would work.

Felix peered over his shoulder and saw icy blue eyes. For the first time since he got his powers, he felt cold.

Both intimate and threatening, he didn't know which part of her was causing his heart to race like this.

Everybody else in the cafeteria noticed. Heads were turned. Whispers spread. Confusion and wild conspiracies flashed through their minds.

Minds that she could read. 

Quiet mutters that Felix could hear. 

"Isn't that…?"

"No way…!"

"I heard she was coming today but why is she…?"

Smooth, sexy, and in control, Emma Frost had arrived with her cold arms and her cold smile.