[36] Siberia

Dash, I wanna dash, 

I wanna run it... 

Joe nodded his head to the song blasting from the sound system as he finalized the prototype thrusters. The predator killer armor would feel incomplete without capable flight systems and seamless maneuverability. Even with flight integrated into the system, Joe knew that this was only the first step of constant modifications. The PK armour was supposed to be all-rounded, and perfectly balanced in all aspects of warfare. Be it the air, the sea, or the land, there wouldn't be any inhibitions. 

"Let's get a feel of temporary flight." Joe exhaled softly as he stepped into the thrusters modeled like metallic silver shoes. Click! The nanometals inside the thrusters wiggled around as if they were alive, trying to accentuate Joe's feet. 

"Minerva, start with five percent output." 

"Calibrating energy thrusters for test flight. 3...2...1... release!" 

Suddenly, Joe found himself floating mid-air, the instantaneous propulsion making him lose balance. 

"Wow, wow. Easy..." Joe tried to stabilize his form, however, the thrusters led him the other way around. 

Bang! He hurtled across multiple machines, ultimately causing a mess in his mechanical lab. 

"Ouch, that was... disastrous," Joe clicked his tongue as his body skidded on the floor before slamming against the wall. 

"Pfft..." A cute giggle broke through the chaos. 

Joe lowered his head and smiled in defeat. "I know I was totally uncool, but please... don't laugh at me." 

"It's satisfying seeing you struggle from time to time." Minerva pretended not to hear him and intensified his taunting laughter. 

"You're a bad girl. Okay, now please run simulations and calculate the optimal output for aerial stability," Joe ignored Minerva's sadistic laughter and commanded her to look into the important matters. 

As Minerva ran the calculations, Joe began recalling his previous amateurish movements and thought about better ways to effectively control his muscles when in mid-air. The aerial failure and body instability paved the way for his success. 

"The simulated controlled output, perfect for vertical uplift is 3.5%," Minerva shared her results after a moment. 

"Initiate test flight #2..." 

Joe braced himself as he began moving against gravity. His face was relaxed as he slowly levitated. His mind and body were fully synchronized. Each calculated thought led to precise muscle movements. 

"I've gotten a hang of it. With this, I think I can even outrace Hermes with his winged sandals." Joe smiled as he eventually touched the ceiling. A few moments later, he safely landed at his initial position. 

"Joe, you have a call from Gwen Stacy," Minerva reported as a holographic display of Joe's phone dialer floated toward Joe.

"Gwen? And it's a video call?" Joe muttered under his breath as he disengaged the feet thrusters. 

"Do you want me to cancel it?" Minerva suddenly suggested. 

"No, no, Minerva. Why would I want that? Gwen's my dear friend." Joe's expression slightly soured as he reprimanded the clueless AI. 

"I thought you had no friends," Minerva's words were like a sharp blade, cutting through his conscience. 

'What the hell? Do I exhibit friendless characteristics?' Joe thought, feeling wronged. Even his personal assistant had already begun ridiculing him for his reclusive nature. 

"I've perfect healthy relationships beyond my work, remember that. Your boss isn't some socially inept loser." Joe defended himself. 

"Minerva, you can start the automated integration and remodel everything according to the uploaded blueprint," Joe instructed her before moving to another room that served as an office of sorts. There was no need for Gwen to witness all that clutter and personal business. Let's not forget she was Captain Stacy's daughter. 

Joe pressed on the LCD screen of his wristwatch and a medium-sized projection hovered above it. 

"Hey, cupcake," Joe smiled a greeting at the beautiful blonde pouting at him. 

"Ew, call me anything but cupcake," Gwen funnily scrunched her nose in disgust. Calling me some Pitbull's name. The audacity.

"Oh really? I can call you anything. Then how about honey? Sugar? Baby... Old hag?" Joe pretended to think before speaking, a mischievous smile arrowed on his handsome face. 

Gwen narrowed a threatening gaze at Joe. She really missed that bastard and now he was coming up with such atrocious labels. 

"Hmph, you're lucky because of our current long-distance relationship," Gwen warned, pointing a deadly finger at Joe. 

"Long-distance relationship? I didn't expect you to become funny after not seeing each other for some weeks." Joe shook his head in amusement. 

"I missed you, Gwen." He then added in a gentle voice, his abrupt but sweet words catching her off guard. Something about his voice made her heart nearly skip a beat. 

Gwen looked away from the camera for a moment, not sure how to immediately react. There was nothing special about Joe's words in the first place. Perhaps it reminded her of that night's embarrassment from George. 

Ugh, there's no need to overreact. We've said the same words a million times. Yeah, there's nothing to feel shy about. Tsk, why am I more aware of his presence? Gwen's mind was in chaos. 

"Hmm. What's wrong? Does the lack of reply equate to you not missing me? That's brutal, bestie." Joe put on a pitiful expression, pretending to be emotionally hurt. His fake but perfect acting made Gwen roll her eyes. It slightly calmed her thoughts, saving her from overthinking. 

"Okay, I missed you too, you troublemaker. Anyway, what have you been up to? Has Candy Crush given you an early retirement?" Gwen exhaled lightly before asking curiously, her sharp gaze scanning Joe's background. 

'Looks like a standard office. Did Joe repurpose his room or is he at some other place?' she thought. 

"Hoho, something like that. With money like that, I don't think I'll ever work again. My dream of traveling the world isn't a dream anymore." 

"I'm jealous. While people like me hustle around the lab all day just to get by, here's someone who's talking about freely traveling the world and retiring at nineteen. Life truly has never been a fair game." 

"You realized that now?" Joe smirked as he opened another holographic tab, tapping on the air like an insane person. 

Gwen leaned her head closer to the screen, hugely interested in the shit Joe was trying to pull. 

Has he gone completely mental? She wondered. 

Soon, Gwen heard the incoming notification ringtone from her phone. She pulled her eyes away from the Mac and picked up her phone. 

[******* sent you USD 50000] 

When Gwen saw the four figures, her lower jaw hit the floor and words failed to escape her mouth. 

She has never seen such a huge amount of money enter her Epal account. Even her summer wages at Oscorp as an assistant didn't reach this level. 

"J-Joe, is this your doing?" Gwen's lips trembled as she immediately turned her attention back to the camera. 

"You're welcome." 

"B-But I didn't do anything do deserve this amount of money?" 

"You surely did. Remember you were part of Candy Crush's development as my overworked nanny." 

"You... So you knew all along that you were overworking me while enjoying it? As expected of Evil Joe," Gwen lamented as she remembered the suffering she went through to keep up with a juiced-up workaholic. The said person even dared to proudly admit it in her presence. 

"That's your overtime bonus, Gwen. Make sure to enjoy it." 

"Whew, this is still a lot. It feels undeserved, in my opinion. But..." 

"You don't want it? Wait till I reverse the transaction." 

"Wow, wow, take it slow. You can't touch my money. That money is mine now, you understand? Gwen loves money and money loves Gwen." 

"I thought you were gonna continue refusing for long," Joe mockingly grinned. 

"That's the strategy when receiving something valuable from others. You can't just be outrightly upfront," Gwen explained, her cheeks dyed in embarrassment. 

"Oh, I see. I'll keep that in mind." 

After that, the two continued talking for some time and tried to catch up as much as possible. It has been so long since they talked about random things, laughed at some odd shit, and joked around.

While the two were enjoying their video call, Minerva finished the integration of feet and shoulder blade thrusters powered by the upgraded miniaturized arc reactor. She even incorporated an advanced energy shield framework by using the core from Agent Kruger's Exosuit. 

Joe was in for another surprise, and Minerva couldn't wait to be praised by his creator. Meanwhile miles away from Forest Hills, at NYPD's Mortuary, Tony Stark was in a state of befuddlement as he closely observed one of the preserved victims on the aluminum table. 

"This is undisputedly reactor technology, no doubt about it. But, but, I don't understand. How?" 

"The 'how' is what we are looking for, Mr. Stark," Becker arched her brows as she pocketed her pants. 

It hadn't taken long for Stark to fully analyze the different kinds of laser-cut wounds and plasma injuries. Now with a close-up view of the dead, Tony couldn't be more accurate as it sickened him. 

"Now, you've my full attention, detective. While the reactor technology used by the killer is similar to mine, it's sadly not connected with Stark Industries." 

"Why's that so?" Becker frowned. 

"Because... I said so. I'm out, detective. I'm a busy man and I think I've accommodated you long enough." Tony fixed the tinted glasses on his face before he began walking to the door. 

"Wait..." 

"Detective Becker, 'till we meet again." And Tony left. 

Becker clenched her hands helplessly. 'Is the case going to have no significant progress?' 

"Sigh, this is going nowhere. We're basically searching for a needle stuck within bundles of hay. Stark didn't help at all." 

Becker palmed her forehead, the stress lines feeling more pronounced. 

"I've reached a dead end?" Becker sighed tiredly before leaving the mortuary. 

Was the dockside massacre going to ultimately remain a murder mystery? 

If even Tony is helpless, who can help NYPD crack the nearly unsolvable case? Perhaps arcane arts? Magic? Bullshit.

…

A few days later, halfway across the globe.

5th May, 2010

Russia, Siberia. 

A camouflaged figure materialized near a small mountain and scanned the surroundings before disappearing once again. The chilly Siberian winds whipped the snow into a frenzy, masking the footstep sounds from the entity. 

…

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[Word Count 1720]