Chapter 199: Strange Interference

Once inside the warehouse, Silver vented some of her frustration verbally, which helped.

She knew it was a common human response.

She also knew none of this was anyone else’s fault.

It was her own.

She had been caught unprepared.

That was something she rarely forgave herself for.

She raised her head and watched Spider-Man standing calmly nearby.

Trish had removed the disguise a few minutes earlier, prompting a disappointed sigh from Black Cat.

Silver frowned at Spider-Man’s composure.

"Thank you for your assistance," she said before looking toward Black Cat.

"You will be rewarded for this, Cat."

Trish remained silent.

This was simply her job.

She had not expected any reward.

"Spider-Man."

"What do you want?"

"None of this would have come together without your planning."

He genuinely considered the question for a few moments.

In truth, he did not actually need anything from Silver.

After nearly two minutes, he looked through one of the warehouse windows at the city illuminated by the night.

Then he found his answer.

"A direct line between you and me."

That made Silver...and the other two women....raise their eyebrows.

"You are a valuable asset."

"Mastery of weapons."

"Advanced technology."

"Elite hand-to-hand combat."

"Operational intelligence."

"Strategic thinking."

"In simple terms..."

"I want you as an ally."

Hearing those words, Silver felt an unexpected surge of pride.

A compliment like that coming from someone like Spider-Man was exceptionally rare.

Without hesitation, she reached into one of her pockets and handed him a card.

"This is my private contact number."

He accepted it and stored it inside his utility belt.

Seeing she was no longer needed, Black Cat decided to leave.

Trish did the same.

She still needed to brief Dan and prepare a report explaining how the robbery case had concluded.

"I should be going as well," Silver said.

Before she could take a step, Spider-Man stopped her.

"Silver."

She turned just in time to catch the small rectangular black device he tossed toward her.

"I could tell you were frustrated about letting Black Fox escape."

"That is the difference between us."

"I am always prepared."

He paused.

"That device contains Black Fox’s current location."

"I suggest you move quickly."

Silver stared at the device.

For one of the few times in her life...

She was completely caught off guard.

When she looked up to thank him...

The warehouse was empty.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly before hurrying away to retrieve her transport.

....

Spider-Cave.

After entering the cave, he removed his mask before he had even finished taking off the rest of his suit.

Karen indicated ’that’ important information had appeared on the Spider-Computer.

"Where did this information come from?"

"Seattle."

"That is well outside our normal area of operation."

"Yes."

"The video was originally transmitted to S.H.I.E.L.D. as an emergency alert."

"I intercepted the transmission, reviewed its contents, and deleted every copy from their servers."

Jason frowned.

If Karen had gone that far...

Whatever was in the recording had to be serious.

He played the video.

A silver-haired young woman was cornered in an alley by an armed man.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a routine robbery.

The thug threatened her.

Then everything changed.

The slight young woman struck him with surprising speed, leaving him dazed.

She grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head against the wall before throwing him to the ground.

The next moments made Jason study the recording much more carefully.

Black veins spread across the girl’s face.

Her eyes glowed a deep crimson.

She seized the thug by the head and repeatedly smashed his skull against the pavement.

Jason immediately recognized what he was witnessing.

When it was over, the transformation disappeared.

The girl’s horrified expression returned.

She quickly gathered her belongings and fled the scene.

"You did well."

"Locate the girl’s current position."

"I am going to prepare something."

Turning away from the computer, he headed toward his private laboratory.

He gathered the necessary ingredients and immediately began synthesizing a series of pills along with a specialized liquid containing phenylethylamine, a naturally occurring compound found in the human brain and, in smaller amounts, in chocolate.

He did not need to be a genius to recognize what the girl’s condition resembled.

"The pills and the liquid should help."

"But nothing truly replaces the real thing."

As he spoke, he searched the computer for several very specific items that had not been commercially available for years.

....