The Rise of the Demons

Miss Stark's smile may have looked smug, but in truth, she didn't have a real lab—her only "lab" was her garage.

From start to finish, she had merely borrowed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech development lab to throw together a new set of equipment for Peter.

"Alright, now that you've received your reward, let's talk about what you found—"

A few minutes later, as Peter recounted his findings, Miss Stark's expression grew increasingly grim and uncertain.

Wilson Fisk had once told her not to trust Norman Osborn too much, calling him a dangerous man.

Miss Stark had been dismissive of this warning at the time. After all, she was planning to use Osborn, so she hadn't taken it seriously.

But now, as Peter shared the information he had uncovered, she began to see the truth in Fisk's words.

Peter had found key evidence that confirmed the deep-rooted animosity between Mister Negative and Osborn. But the most alarming discovery was a substance called "Devil's Breath"—the current target of the Inner Demons.

Neither Miss Stark nor Peter, despite their investigations, knew what Devil's Breath really was.

The only person who could reveal the truth about Devil's Breath was likely Norman Osborn himself, that old fox.

Peter laid out everything he knew, and Miss Stark fell silent.

"Emergency report: 10-34, shooting incident on 134th Street, Fifth Avenue. Officers injured, requesting backup!"

The urgent alarm from Peter's custom-made police alert app shattered the silence in the room.

Peter immediately stood up, ready to head out and assist the police, but Miss Stark grabbed his arm, stopping him.

She slowly raised her head, a flicker of surprise flashing across her eyes as she waved her hand. Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared on her desk.

"Hold on a second, Peter—Jarvis, isn't that near the Osborn Industries penthouse we visited a few days ago?"

A satellite surveillance map projected from the desk, followed by live footage from the scene of the incident.

With Jarvis' powerful hacking capabilities, the AI had easily breached New York City's surveillance network.

On-screen, NYPD officers were using their squad cars as cover while engaging in a gunfight with heavily armed Inner Demons.

"Ma'am, the Inner Demons breached the building's security system and have taken several hostages," Jarvis reported.

Peter frowned but remained silent, waiting for Miss Stark's next move.

"Hostages? Who did they capture?"

"Several employees from the Osborn Industries accounting department… and one particularly notable hostage."

Jarvis immediately cross-referenced his findings with Osborn Industries' internal database.

"Charles Standish, Chief Financial Officer of Osborn Industries. You met him during last week's board meeting."

On the screen, the Inner Demons were seen dragging a man at gunpoint toward the penthouse office.

Last week, Miss Stark, as a major shareholder, had called for a board meeting at Osborn Industries.

The building currently under attack by the Inner Demons was the very location of that meeting.

Charles Standish, the CFO, was someone Miss Stark had installed to manage the company on her behalf.

While Norman Osborn had established a trust to manage Osborn Industries during his time in office, Charles Standish was the trustee Miss Stark had handpicked.

Whether or not Standish was involved in Osborn's schemes, Miss Stark certainly did not want him harmed.

Taking a deep breath, Miss Stark stood up and looked directly at Peter Parker across the desk.

Peter could sense the intensity of her gaze, a feeling like someone was about to be in serious trouble.

"We can't waste any more time. We need to move quickly—come with me."

Initially, Peter was unsure about Miss Stark's decision to head directly to the scene. But instead of leaving the office immediately, she activated a hidden mechanism that opened a display cabinet.

Peter had seen wealthy people with secret rooms in their offices before, but Miss Stark's setup was a bit different.

What was revealed wasn't a hidden room, but a narrow elevator about a meter wide.

Miss Stark led a bewildered Peter into the elevator, which descended deep into the underground levels of the Damage Control Company.

This, she explained, was a newly completed underground base, one she had been preparing for a superhero alliance.

In every superhero movie or show, there's always a powerful, fully-equipped base, and this was hers.

Through the windows in the corridor, Peter could see a massive underground space.

Even though Miss Stark didn't explain anything to Peter, the awe and confusion on his face were evident as he entered the base for the first time.

Miss Stark pulled out her phone and called Captain Rogers, who was standing by at the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York office.

"The location is—yes, deploy the Rapid Response Unit immediately, and you come too."

After hanging up the phone, Peter, still unable to suppress his curiosity, asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Miss Stark, what exactly is this place? And who were you just talking to?"

"Captain America, Steve Rogers. We've been tracking the Inner Demons."

"And this… well, as you can see, it's the largest superhero base in the country."

"Of course, it's not officially operational yet, but you might just be the first superhero to enter," she said nonchalantly, without even looking at Peter's wide-eyed expression.

In truth, most of the base had been built with resources she had "borrowed" from S.H.I.E.L.D.

She had signed an IOU, but she had no intention of paying it back—only stalling as long as possible.

After all, the day S.H.I.E.L.D. disbands will be the day that IOU becomes worthless, and the underground base will be hers for good.

The base had its own helipad, where her modified Quinjet sat quietly, waiting.

Its black-and-white body, accented with gold, gleamed in Peter's eyes, like something out of a dream.

As the ceiling of the underground hangar opened, the starry night sky shone down, illuminating the hidden location.

No one knew that far from New York City, in a remote area beneath the Damage Control Company, lay this enormous secret base.

"Miss Stark, you should let me handle this. Why put yourself in danger?" Peter asked nervously as he sat in the cockpit of the Quinjet.

Miss Stark, fastening her seatbelt, shook her head with a smile as if she had just heard a joke.

"First of all, I'm not as weak as you think, and secondly—they made it personal."

Her tone was calm, yet firm, leaving Peter unsure how to respond.

"From what I know, Osborn Industries is a competitor to Stark Industries, right?" Peter asked.

"You're right, but not many people know I'm the largest shareholder in Osborn Industries."

The Quinjet rose steadily into the sky, and below, the hangar doors slowly sealed shut.

With a faint hum of energy, the Quinjet disappeared into the night sky, cloaked from sight.

Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York office, the Rapid Response Unit was gearing up in the underground garage.

A convoy of eight black Chevrolet Suburbans, each emblazoned with a dark gray eagle emblem, rolled out toward the meeting point.

"Deploy the energy neutralization field as soon as we arrive, then initiate the assault. Prioritize speed in eliminating the targets," came the stern voice of Brock Rumlow, who was driving the lead vehicle.

In the passenger seat next to him sat Captain America, suited up and ready.

In the second vehicle, Frank Castle was driving, tasked with transporting the energy neutralization devices.

The remaining vehicles were filled with heavily armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, their frustration mounting after days of being unable to catch the elusive Inner Demons.

The Upper Echelons in Washington were pressuring S.H.I.E.L.D. to resolve the situation quickly, as the Inner Demons' attacks were destabilizing New York.

Director Nick Fury was under immense pressure, and that pressure filtered down to the agents on the ground.

"The truth is, Peter, you always go out there in nothing but a thin suit..." Miss Stark teased.

"What's wrong with that? Is there something wrong with my suit?" Peter asked, puzzled.

"It just makes you look… a bit like a streaker…" she quipped with a smirk, lightening the mood as the Quinjet prepared to land.

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