178. Green Pulse. (Patreon)

Gwen POV:

Sterile white swallowed everything.

I stood beside Peter in a medical apron that rustled every time I breathed, mask tight against my face, gloves sealed, hair net itching at my scalp. The disinfection screen shimmered between us, a translucent veil humming softly as it kept the world clean and distant from him.

My husband lay strapped to the medical berth, sedated, motionless except for the steady rise and fall of his back and chest. Tubes ran from his veins into a machine that made my stomach churn no matter how many times I watched this process.

Silver liquid flowed out of him. Thick, metallic, alive yet subdued. It was pulsing red like it remembered blood.

At the same time, another stream flowed in.

Brighter. Cleaner. Meaner. Deadlier.

The new nanobots shimmered like liquid mercury poisoned with neon, pulsing toxic green as they replaced the old generation nanobots with picobots bot by bot. Vibranium-S shells instead of the old alloy blend. Stronger. Smarter. Hungrier.

I curled my fingers into my palms and forced myself to keep breathing.

“You’re doing fine.” I whispered to Peter, even though he couldn’t hear me yet. “You always do.”

Minutes passed like hours. Then Clanker’s calm, utterly unbothered voice filled the room.

“Nanobot replacement complete.”

I exhaled shakily.

Then the micro-operation hands descended.

Dozens of them.

They were delicate, precise and inhumanely mechanical.

They unbolted the screws of Peter’s old Sandevistan one by one.

The sound pattern of click, whirr, ting made my stomach flip violently as the neuro-connection needles unclamped from his spine. The incision remained open, held apart by the surgical retractors.

I stepped closer before I could stop myself.

Peter’s spine was exposed.

White bone streaked with red blood, Neuro mesh cables and flesh woven together so seamlessly it stopped being horrifying and became something else entirely.

Grotesque, beautiful and utterly terrifying.

“Clanker,” I whispered, my voice muffled by the mask, “does he even need a Sandevistan anymore?”

Clanker responded immediately. “No, Mrs. Parker. Peter no longer requires spinal support.”

I swallowed.

“The Falcon Mark I Sandevistan was designed to stabilize a damaged spine,” Clanker continued. “Its combat capabilities were secondary. The Raptor Mark II is designed with only two priorities.”

I already knew the answer.

“Offense,” Clanker said, “and speed.”

As if on cue, macro-operation hands lowered the new implant.

The Raptor Mk. II was sleek and predatory, matte black with sickly neon green highlights. The exact shade I had chosen when Peter had asked me what color felt right.

Seeing it now made my chest ache as I said it thinking Peter was asking a hypothetical.

“This unit has superior synchronization with the War Pattern Helios armors,” Clanker said. “Resulting in enhanced speed, reaction stability and stress management.”

I stared at the implant as it aligned with Peter’s spine.

“Unarmored,” Clanker continued, “Mr. Parker can reach approximately two thousand one hundred miles per hour. In the War Pattern Helios Mark III, projected sustained velocity by running exceeds one thousand seven hundred miles per hour.”

My breath caught.

“And the time dilation?” I asked quietly.

“Complete,” Clanker replied. “One hundred percent.”

The old Cerebral AI Interface Chip was removed next, replaced with an upgraded model. Vibranium-S reinforced, humming softly as it synced with Peter's nervous system. More qubits than one could ever need.

“Why not Mysterium?” I asked suddenly, needing something... anything... to anchor myself.

“Mysterium is vulnerable to sufficiently strong electromagnetic forces.” Clanker answered. “All Parker Industries armors and facilities utilize magnetism dampeners to prevent external manipulation.”

The implant bolted into place.

The incision sealed automatically thanks to the new nanobots and Peter's accelerated healing.

The disinfection screen faded.

Peter’s body arched slightly as the Sandevistan powered on.

Toxic green light flooded beneath his skin, veins pulsing with it, the glow syncing perfectly with the nanobots.

His eyes snapped open.

For half a second, fear stabbed through me.

Then he focused on me.

“Hey,” He murmured, voice rough but warm. “You’re hovering.”

I laughed, a wet, broken sound and leaned in to kiss him. He kissed me back without hesitation, slow and grounding, like he was reminding me that he was still here.

Still him.

“I picked the color but this wasn't the place where I expected you to use them.” I whispered against his lips.

He smiled, that trademark mischievous smile. “I know.”

Clanker interrupted gently. “Mr. Parker. Update. Harry Osborn has signed a one hundred million dollar investment deal into the Extremis project.”

Peter sighed, long and tired.

“Yeah,” He said with fatigue in his voice. “I figured.”

Harry Osborn POV:

Dinner tasted like ash.

Felicia sat across from me at the long table, posture relaxed, movements careful, like she was afraid any sudden sound might crack something fragile inside me.

I treated her like family.

That didn’t mean she didn’t see right through me.

“Harry,” She said softly, setting her fork down, “are you sure this is wise?”

I didn’t look up. “Define wise.”

“One hundred million dollars,” She said. “Into a volatile project with a thirty percent success rate.”

I cut into my food with unnecessary force. “I didn’t do it to save the world.”

Felicia’s eyes sharpened. “Then why?”

I finally looked at her.

“Insurance.” I said simply.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Against Peter.”

I nodded.

“The powers Extremis grants,” I continued, my voice low, “they’re imperfect. Dangerous. But they’re enough or I'm hoping the power to be enough.”

“Do you really believe,” Felicia asked carefully, “that Peter doesn’t already know what your father did? About his parents?”

The question hit like a blade between my ribs.

“I’m not sure.” I admitted.

I pushed my plate away.

“But certainty is a luxury,” I went on. “In this world, it’s better to have some insurance than none at all.”

Felicia watched me for a long moment, then nodded once and resumed eating.

The city glowed outside the windows and somewhere, beyond the windows unbeknownst to me Peter Parker was upgraded.