Chapter 49: Three Candidates for the Avengers

In the university library, Alan sat at a computer, staring at a flat map on the screen that Red Queen had constructed. Since there were no surveillance cameras in the sewers, this map was the best he had. Each red dot represented a person in the sewer, tracked through their signal-emitting devices.

"Master, Peter Parker left Oscorp in Norman Osborn's car," Red Queen reported.

"Can you find out what Peter was doing at Oscorp during that time?" Alan asked.

"It's possible, but it will take some time," Red Queen replied.

Alan thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead and investigate."

The idea that Norman might become Gwen's enemy in the future made Alan cautious. He couldn't afford to take any chances.

"Understood, Master," Red Queen responded and then went silent.

Alan shifted his focus back to Gwen's situation. Rather than dealing with these big villains personally, Alan preferred guiding Gwen from behind the scenes, helping her grow into a skilled Spider-Woman.

It felt like playing a… well, a nurturing game. He had to admit, it was kind of thrilling.

In the sewers, George and his team still hadn't located Connors. Gwen continued following from a distance, carefully laying webs across the sewer as she moved. The threads connected to her hand so that if any enemies approached from behind and touched the web, she would know instantly.

Meanwhile, following Norman's directions, Peter entered the sewers and began making his way toward the section beneath Queens. As he got closer to the area, he came across a damp platform where a table stood. On the table were various experimental instruments. Although they looked old, they were still functional.

Lizard Connors was using these instruments to work on something. In front of him, a small tower-shaped device was slowly taking form.

Suddenly, the Lizard sniffed the air, his long snout twitching slightly. "Looks like a few pesky bugs have wandered in," he growled.

He set down his tools, crouching low to the ground, and continued sniffing. "Is that... Peter? You've come as well... Once I deal with these other pests, I'll come for you."

A creepy grin curled across the Lizard's elongated mouth as he pinpointed Peter's location. Then, with a swift leap, he dived into a nearby water channel and began swimming at an alarming speed.

"What is this?" Peter wondered aloud. Now within the sewer system beneath Queens, he noticed the walls around him were covered in thick, white threads. Curiosity got the better of him, and he reached out to touch them.

"Spider webs?" he questioned, surprised. But why would there be such enormous webs in the sewer, big enough to cover entire walls?

Peter thought the webs looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen them before.

Just moments after Peter touched the webs, Gwen felt a distinct tremor through the threads she had placed.

"Is there something behind me?" Gwen murmured, immediately turning to check.

"Miss Gwen, it's Peter Parker," Red Queen informed her.

"Peter?" Gwen exclaimed. "What's he doing here?"

Red Queen then explained to Gwen in detail how Peter had ended up in the sewers.

"If Peter is here, Dr. Connors will definitely go after him. I need to get to him right away."

"Miss Gwen, should I inform Captain George and the others?" Red Queen asked.

"No need. They won't be of any help."

Gwen was still a little upset when she thought about the events of the previous night.

George and his team's firepower, although not enough to cause serious harm to Connors, still provided some level of protection.

However, Gwen, after weighing the risks, decided to head towards Peter alone.

In the library, seeing Gwen's red dot moving in the opposite direction on the map, Alan quickly guessed what she intended to do. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as if deep in thought.

After a moment, Red Queen's voice broke the silence. "Master, after Peter Parker met with Norman Osborn, Norman provided Peter with a private laboratory."

"During this time, Norman Osborn used the resources of Oscorp Industries to retrieve a rabbit from Connors' laboratory for Peter Parker."

"A rabbit?" Alan asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes, a rabbit that had been injected with the regenerative gene serum."

Alan understood immediately—Peter had developed a serum that could turn the Lizard Connors back into a human. That's why Peter went into the sewers alone. He intended to use himself as bait, lure the Lizard Connors out, and inject him with the serum.

"Red Queen, inform Gwen about this," Alan instructed.

"Understood, Master," Red Queen replied.

After a brief pause, she added, "There's one more thing, Master."

Alan's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"When I was investigating Oscorp's internal data and decisions, I discovered that someone else had hacked into their network."

"Do you know who it was?"

"I traced their activity and found that it was S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? So, they're getting involved too?" Alan murmured.

. . . . .

Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury watched the scene unfolding in Gulmira, where Tony Stark was destroying all the Stark Industries weapons in the area and wiping out the local Ten Rings gang. On his way out, Tony even accidentally downed a military F-22 fighter jet.

"He's definitely a troublemaker," Nick Fury commented dryly.

From Tony's current actions, Fury had already decided that Tony Stark would be a member of the 'Avengers Initiative.' Now it was just a matter of finding the right time to approach Tony and bring him into the fold.

At that moment, Agent Hill approached from behind Nick Fury. "The NYPD has begun pursuing that Lizard creature," she reported.

"And Spider-Woman?" Fury asked.

Agent Hill shook her head. "Her location is still unknown."

Nick Fury took a sip of his coffee, his expression calm. "I suspect she's down in the sewers with the NYPD right now."

Without further explanation for his assumption, Nick Fury moved on. "Any other updates?"

"None at the moment," Hill replied.

Nick Fury nodded, feeling more optimistic. The Avengers Initiative, which had seen little progress until now, finally had three candidates: Tony Stark, the mysterious Spider-Woman, and the brilliant physicist currently on the run... Dr. Bruce Banner.

. . . .