Tonight was not the first time Peter had met Nick Fury.
In fact, they had crossed paths a month ago.
Even though Peter had only been a superhero for two months, his amazing work had already caught the eye of the S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director.
Fury wanted to build a whole support team around Spider-Man, specifically designed to help him fight supervillains.
Now, if a Nick Fury from any other universe had made that offer, Peter would have said no without a second thought.
But this Fury was different.
Peter was currently living in the universe of the 2012 Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon.
He had only seen the first season back in his old life, but that was enough to know who this Nick Fury really was.
In this world, Fury was basically a superhero babysitter.
He was the guy who built cool gadgets for Spider-Man, came up with battle plans, and cleaned up the city after major fights.
Unlike other versions of Fury across the multiverse, this one was not secretly plotting dark, crazy schemes.
Working with him was actually a pretty smart move.
So, Peter took the deal.
He passed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s practical test with flying colors.
And tonight, Fury had shown up to deliver some good news.
Spider-Man’s support team was finally ready.
The S.H.I.E.L.D.
headquarters was a massive spaceship floating nearly two miles above the ground.
As the roar of the jet engines faded, the sleek Quinjet landed perfectly on the ship’s massive deck.
Peter and Fury stepped out of the aircraft and walked inside.
Fury led the way through a dizzying maze of metal hallways.
Without the Director guiding him, Peter definitely would have gotten lost.
A few minutes later, they walked into a massive, special lab.
The walls and ceilings were made of solid metal, and shiny, high-tech machines were everywhere.
Standing right in the middle of the room was a man wearing a white lab coat.
Right behind him was something huge, hidden underneath a giant red cloth.
“Spider-Man, meet our head science advisor, Dr.
Kurt Connors,” Fury said, pointing to the man.
“He is a master of physics, biology, and mechanical engineering.
A true genius.”
Peter’s heart skipped a beat.
He knew the name Kurt Connors very well.
In most universes, that was the man who turned into the terrifying villain known as the Lizard. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
But looking closely, Peter noticed something important.
In this universe, Dr.
Connors still had both of his arms.
He had no reason to test dangerous reptile DNA on himself, which meant he was not going to turn into a giant monster.
Here, he was just an incredibly smart scientist.
Peter reached out and shook the doctor’s hand.
Dr.
Connors looked at Peter with deep curiosity.
As a biology expert, he was clearly fascinated by the idea of a genetically modified superhuman.
“Dr.
Connors, please show Spider-Man his new gear,” Fury said, interrupting the scientist’s thoughts.
“Right,” Dr.
Connors nodded.
“First up, our next-generation web-shooters.
Spider-Man, please hold out your hands, wrists facing up.
Yes, just like that.”
Dr.
Connors snapped two sleek, capsule-shaped devices onto Peter’s wrists.
The new shooters instantly locked onto his suit.
A second later, a glowing 3D hologram of the S.H.I.E.L.D.
eagle logo popped up into the air.
“These hold twice as much web fluid as your old ones,” Dr.
Connors explained proudly.
“They are fully insulated, powered by light, and have secure communication channels.
Plus, they have a built-in 3D projector that can show you city maps, building blueprints, text messages, and photos right in front of your eyes.”
Peter let out a low whistle, genuinely amazed that they fit so much tech into such a small space.
“They are a little big and clunky, though,” Peter joked out of habit.
Deep down, he actually loved the upgrade.
“If you do not like them, you can always give them back,” Fury said, holding his hands out.
Peter quickly pulled his wrists away.
Sure, they are a little chunky, but it finally solves my biggest problem.
Do you know how hard it is to carry a cell phone in a skin-tight superhero suit without any pockets?”
Fury just smiled.
He knew Spider-Man would love the new toys.
But the web-shooters were just the beginning.
Fury’s support team really was top-notch.
Led by Dr.
Connors, they had built an entire lineup of high-tech gear for the web-slinger.
That included the giant object hiding under the red cloth.
“Next up,” Dr.
Connors announced, grabbing the fabric.
“I give you the Spider-Cycle!”
He yanked the cloth away, revealing a futuristic, gray-and-blue motorcycle with sharp, aggressive lines.
Peter, however, did not look very excited.
“It is cool and all,” Peter said, shrugging, “but I really prefer swinging on my webs.”
Dr.
Connors was ready for that answer.
“According to my math, swinging from 80th Street down to 34th Street takes you exactly three minutes and forty seconds, and it wastes a ton of your web fluid.
The Spider-Cycle can make that exact same trip in one minute and thirty seconds.”
“Hold on, Doc,” Fury interrupted.
His high-tech watch suddenly beamed a video projection onto the wall.
“It looks like we do not need to do any more explaining.
Spider-Man can just test the bike out right now.”
The live video feed showed a massive supervillain wearing a heavy, yellow-and-brown mechanical suit that made him look like a giant metal bear.
He was completely destroying police cars outside a bank.
The NYPD officers were totally outmatched.
Their standard-issue pistols were basically just scratching the paint on the villain’s heavy armor.
They were only shooting to prove they had not run away.
It was a pretty embarrassing spot for the cops.
The loudmouth newspaper boss, J.
Jonah Jameson, loved to go on TV and call Spider-Man a dangerous menace.
But whenever a real monster showed up to tear the city apart, those exact same people always ended up praying for Spider-Man to swoop in and save the day.