Marvel: The Enlightened One#163+164: The Spider and the Black Cat Run Away, The Pacific?

"Peter's missing?"

"How?"

Hawk listened as Gwen hung up the phone and launched into a frantic explanation. He headed toward the car parked at the curb, asking curiously as he walked, "Didn't Peter spend the entire Christmas break with MJ? I thought they went to Seattle together."

He and Gwen had originally planned to go as well.

But one comment from Helen had changed their minds.

In Helen's words, this was the first year Hawk and Gwen had officially become a couple, and also their first year living together. So going out to celebrate New Year's somewhere else didn't feel right—they should ring in the new year at home.

Because of that, when the Stacy family went to Long Island for New Year's, they hadn't even invited Gwen along.

Hawk and Gwen were good kids who listened to Helen. So this Christmas, they hadn't gone anywhere, dutifully staying put in New York City.

The trip to Kamar-Taj didn't count.

That was business, not pleasure.

"Peter didn't go."

"He didn't?"

"No. MJ's family went, but MJ didn't really explain everything over the phone. I could tell she was panicking, though. Come on, let's head over to her place."

"Got it."

Hawk nodded.

"You want to drive, or should I?"

"You drive. You're faster, and I think MJ's about to lose it."

"Alright."

Hawk caught the car keys Gwen tossed to him. He took a step forward—and in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of the car door. He pulled it open and slid into the driver's seat.

By the time he'd started the engine and released the parking brake, Gwen had just jogged over to the passenger side, yanked open the door, and climbed in.

Hawk floored the gas. The Toyota Corolla's engine roared to life, and the car shot forward like an arrow, speeding off toward Queens.

Half an hour later—

Queens. Fifth Precinct neighborhood.

The speeding Corolla whipped around the corner at the entrance to the neighborhood, executing a perfect drift before smoothly entering the residential street. Moments later, it came to a precise stop in the space between two classic American single-family homes.

The house on the left belonged to the Parkers.

The one on the right was the Watsons'.

Mary Jane came rushing out of the Parker house on the left, pushing the door open the moment she saw Gwen step out of the car. She ran over and threw her arms around her. "GWEN—PETER'S MISSING!"

Gwen wrapped her arms around the nearly sobbing MJ, immediately trying to comfort her.

Following MJ out of the house was Peter's Aunt May.

Hawk, standing by the door, gave Aunt May—whose face was etched with worry—a small nod of acknowledgment.

Aunt May managed a weak smile in return.

"Thank you for coming, Hawk."

"Peter's my friend."

Soon enough, all four of them were inside.

MJ stayed silent, just holding Gwen's hand as tears streamed down her face.

Hawk could only turn to Aunt May, seated nearby, and asked with curiosity, "When did Peter go missing?"

Aunt May shook her head. "Over the holidays, Peter came back to New Jersey with me to visit relatives. After Christmas Eve, he said he wanted to come back to New York, so I let him leave early. I didn't get home until last night, and I assumed he'd already gone to bed."

Hawk listened, then turned to MJ. "What about you? When was the last time Peter called you?"

MJ shook her head. "About a week ago."

Hawk raised an eyebrow at that.

"A week? And you're only saying something now?"

"Peter told me he was dealing with something and not to worry. I didn't want to bother him, so I didn't call. When I got back yesterday afternoon, I noticed Peter's car was gone. I figured he was out delivering pizza, so I didn't think much of it. But then this morning, when Aunt May and I went into Peter's room, we realized no one had been in there for at least a week."

"Delivering pizza?"

Gwen, listening to MJ's explanation, blinked in surprise. "I thought Peter was working for the Daily Bugle?"

MJ glanced at Gwen. "That's his other job. He started in October, but he didn't want me to tell you guys."

Gwen turned to look at Hawk, who was seated nearby. "Did you know about—never mind. Of course you're not going to say anything. Bros before everyone else, right?"

Hawk looked at his fiancée, who'd just answered her own question, and his mouth twitched slightly.

He didn't bother arguing, though.

Because he did know about Peter delivering pizza. Not that Peter had told him—Hawk had figured it out on his own. And since Peter hadn't brought it up, Hawk wasn't about to run around advertising it. He wasn't a gossip.

Hawk turned back to MJ.

"Did you check with the pizza place?"

"First thing this morning. They said they're looking for Peter too. Apparently on the morning of the twenty-sixth, Peter picked up two pizzas to deliver. He made it to the first customer, but never showed up at the second one. The second guy was so pissed he called and chewed them out."

"The morning of the twenty-sixth?"

"Yeah."

"Exactly one week ago."

Hawk frowned, looking at MJ intently. "What time did you call Peter on the twenty-sixth?"

MJ thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone and scrolled through her call log.

"Eleven in the morning."

"So he was in the middle of the delivery route."

"He delivered to one place but never made it to the second..."

Gwen chimed in, then looked at Hawk. "Peter's not the type to just bail like that. Unless something really important came up."

Hawk nodded in agreement.

Forget Spider-Man's famous reputation as "Your Friendly Neighborhood" hero for a moment.

Just the fact that Peter had superpowers and never once thought about robbing a bank vault or shaking down criminals for cash—instead choosing to scrape by on meager photo commissions and eventually resorting to pizza delivery—said everything about his character. Peter wasn't the kind of person who'd abuse his abilities for personal gain.

Which meant there was no way in hell he'd run off with a pizza order.

So the question was—

Where did Peter go??

But no matter where Peter had gone, one thing was certain: he wasn't in New York City right now.

Because Hawk's Sixth Sense had already spread out, blanketing the entire city. And he hadn't detected even a trace of Peter's presence anywhere in New York.

Of course, there was always the possibility that someone was using advanced technology to hide Peter. Or that someone stronger than Hawk was blocking his senses entirely.

The former was a possibility.

The latter, though, was extremely unlikely. At this point in time, the number of people with the power to surpass Hawk could be counted on one hand.

Thor was roughly equal in strength. And if Thor ever fully awakened his Thunder Authority, Hawk might not even be able to beat him.

But Thor was a straightforward warrior—the "fight me head-on or don't bother" type. He'd never resort to underhanded tactics like this.

Plus, Hawk and Thor were on pretty good terms. There was no reason for him to target Peter.

The second and third candidates were the Ancient One and Odin, the God-King who, at this point, had basically been exiled to Earth by Loki and was living out his twilight years like a forgotten old man in a nursing home.

But neither of them would bother with something like this either.

Which left two possibilities.

Either Peter had been captured by some villain with access to high-tech equipment.

Or—

Peter had left New York City entirely and gone somewhere unknown.

Hawk was leaning toward the latter.

He thought for a moment, then looked at Aunt May and MJ with curiosity. "Before Peter disappeared, what was he busy with?"

MJ thought about it, then shook her head in confusion.

Aunt May, however, seemed to recall something. She turned to Hawk and said, "Oh, right. When we were in New Jersey, Felicia kept calling Peter."

Hawk raised an eyebrow. "Felicia? Felicia Hardy??"

"Yes. I asked Peter what it was about, but he didn't say."

"No answer."

While Hawk was talking with Aunt May, MJ—having heard Felicia's name—had already acted with lightning speed, dialing Felicia's number.

The call went straight to voicemail.

The next second—

MJ shot up from the couch like a spring had launched her. "I'm going to find her."

Gwen snapped to attention, standing up as well and quickly grabbing MJ's arm. "Are you seriously in any condition to drive right now?"

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Take our car."

Gwen said, glancing over at Hawk.

Hawk caught her meaning and turned to Aunt May. "We'll go check in with Felicia first. See if she knows anything about Peter's disappearance."

With that, he stood as well, said his goodbyes to Aunt May, and then hurried after MJ and Gwen, who had already rushed out the door in barely controlled panic.

...

Soon, Hawk was back behind the wheel, driving Gwen—who sat in the passenger seat—and MJ, who was in the back, frantically redialing Felicia's number over and over again. They sped toward the Osborn estate on the outskirts of the city.

"Still no answer..." MJ muttered as she hung up yet again.

Gwen, seated up front, suddenly remembered something. "Come to think of it, wasn't Felicia supposed to attend the NYPD charity gala on the twenty-seventh? I don't think she showed up."

Hawk glanced at Gwen.

"George told you that?"

"Mom did."

Gwen explained. "It must have been the twenty-eighth. Yeah, the twenty-eighth—you went off to spar with Thor that night. Mom came over. Remember? You asked where the lemon sea bass came from."

Hawk followed Gwen's train of thought, recalling that evening, and nodded.

"Right."

"Mom and I were chatting in the backyard when she mentioned it. Apparently, Felicia was supposed to attend, but she never showed up. Her assistant came in her place."

Gwen continued.

It wasn't unusual. It wasn't exactly a critical event. People canceling at the last minute wasn't a big deal.

For the NYPD, as long as the donation cleared, they didn't care if someone skipped the party.

So when Helen had mentioned it in passing, Gwen had just filed it away as an amusing anecdote and moved on.

But now—

"Wait."

"Peter disappears, and now Felicia's missing too? And conveniently, Peter was on the phone with Felicia right before he vanished?"

"They didn't... elope, did they?"

Gwen's eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. She carefully glanced at the rearview mirror, sneaking a look at MJ in the backseat.

MJ sat staring anxiously out the windshield, seemingly oblivious to Gwen's wild speculation.

They arrived at the Osborn estate. Since Hawk and Gwen had been there before, the elderly butler recognized them and opened the gate. He stood waiting at the front entrance of the main manor.

...

A few moments later, The three of them climbed out of the car, and MJ immediately rushed up to the butler, asking urgently if he knew where Peter had gone.

The next second—

The butler blinked in surprise, looking at MJ with confusion.

"Peter and Miss Hardy took a flight out of New York on the afternoon of the twenty-sixth. Didn't Peter tell you?"

"..."

<><><><><><><><>

The elderly butler—who had served Norman Osborn, then Harry Osborn, and now Felicia Hardy—listened to the three visitors explain why they'd come, his face a picture of utter confusion.

The moment those words left his mouth—

MJ looked like she'd been struck by lightning.

Gwen's mouth fell open slightly.

Hawk raised an eyebrow.

Well, well...

Had Peter figured it out? That working hard was pointless when you could just find a rich woman to take care of you? So he'd dumped MJ and eloped with the Black Cat?

Wait.

He remembered—not from the movies, but from one of the Spider-Man comics—there was a version where Black Cat Felicia and Spider-Man Peter were actually a couple.

So technically, this probably couldn't be called eloping.

But that still didn't make it okay!

How could anyone allow this?

The guy hadn't even broken up with MJ yet. This was textbook two-timing. Classic scumbag behavior.

As someone whose entire personality was built on loyalty and devotion, Hawk's mind wandered as he mentally condemned Peter's actions with righteous disdain.

Just then, Gwen, sitting beside him, caught sight of the smirk spreading across her fiancé's face. She immediately elbowed him in the ribs.

Hawk snapped back to reality, glancing at Gwen.

Gwen shot him a glare, then turned to MJ—whose face was frozen in shock—and quickly wrapped an arm around her best friend in a preemptive gesture of support. She looked at the butler. "Did Peter or Felicia say where they were going? Or why?"

The butler shook his head.

"No. But Miss Hardy and Peter left in quite a hurry."

"A hurry?"

"Yes."

The butler nodded, then continued, "If you'd like more details, you can call Miss Hardy's satellite phone. She called just yesterday."

Gwen's eyes lit up. "Could we use it to call her?"

MJ had gone completely silent.

The butler smiled warmly. "Of course."

He turned and gestured for the three of them to follow him inside. After asking them to wait a moment, he disappeared to retrieve the satellite phone.

Gwen pulled the silent MJ over to the living room couch. "You heard him. They left in a rush. It must have been something urgent. Peter probably doesn't have access to a satellite phone, which is why he couldn't contact you."

Normally, a friend would encourage a breakup, not reconciliation.

But that was the behavior of fake friends.

Gwen was a real friend.

So she did her best to cover for Peter.

As Peter's best friend, Hawk stayed completely silent. Gwen wasn't just MJ's real best friend—she was also his fiancée. In a situation like this, it was better to let Gwen do the talking. If he jumped in to defend Peter too, it would look like the two of them were ganging up on MJ in Peter's defense.

That wouldn't be a good look.

MJ listened to Gwen's attempt to rationalize things, and the frantic worry that had been etched on her face gradually began to settle into something calmer. "But Felicia has a satellite phone. He could have borrowed hers."

Gwen froze at that, her expression faltering. She turned to Hawk with a silent plea for backup.

Hawk caught the signal. His mind raced as he prepared to jump in and save the conversation.

Just then, The butler returned, holding the satellite phone. "The phone is already—"

Before he could finish, MJ was already on her feet, snatching the phone from his hands. She said a few quick words, then listened as Felicia's voice came through on the other end. Her tone was eerily calm as she said, "Could you put Peter on the line?"

A moment later, Peter's voice crackled through the satellite connection.

MJ gripped the phone and walked off to the side for privacy.

Gwen and Hawk exchanged a glance before turning their attention to the butler, who had just returned.

The butler's expression was tinged with curiosity. "When I called Miss Hardy and mentioned that you were here looking for Peter, he said he'd already called Aunt May. Didn't you go to her first?"

Gwen blinked in surprise. "Aunt May? She said Peter hadn't called her at all."

Hawk, sitting beside her, let out a soft laugh. He glanced at Gwen. "Aunt May never actually said Peter didn't call her. She just said she got home late last night and that she and MJ didn't see Peter in his room the next morning."

Gwen's head snapped toward Hawk, her expression stunned.

"Are you saying... Aunt May lied to us? Why would she do that?"

"Who knows?"

Hawk shrugged.

As far as he was concerned, all that mattered was confirming that his friend Peter hadn't vanished for no reason.

As for why Peter had called Aunt May but not MJ—that was Peter's personal business.

Gwen, seeing that she wasn't going to get anything more out of Hawk, gave up on the conversation and turned her attention to MJ. She stood by the window, speaking quietly into the satellite phone. Her expression was no longer panicked or worried—just calm. Unnervingly calm.

For some reason, Gwen had a bad feeling about this.

A few minutes later—

MJ ended the call and walked back over, her face still completely neutral. She handed the satellite phone back to the butler with a faint smile. "Thank you."

The butler accepted the phone.

MJ then turned to Gwen. "Sorry for the false alarm. Peter's fine. We can go now, Gwen."

Gwen looked at MJ's expression, wanting to say something, but in the end, she just nodded. She stood up from the couch and turned to the butler. "Thank you so much for your help."

Hawk also stood and offered his thanks.

The butler smiled warmly as he escorted the three of them back to the front entrance.

Not long after—

The yellow Toyota Corolla's engine roared to life. With a sharp screech, it was already pulling out of the Osborn estate.

As Hawk drove toward MJ's house, MJ—seated in the back—began explaining the conversation she'd just had with Peter and why he had suddenly disappeared in the first place.

"Peter didn't just disappear out of nowhere."

"It was Felicia."

"That day, Felicia called Peter and told him she'd found something while cleaning up the estate. She said she'd discovered videotapes related to Richard Parker and Mary Parker—and that there might be new leads."

"Peter's parents."

"When Peter heard that, he dropped everything and rushed over to the Osborn estate immediately."

"..."

Gwen, sitting beside her, frowned as she listened. "Peter's parents... didn't they die in a plane crash when Peter was really young?"

Hawk, keeping his eyes on the road, glanced at Gwen through the rearview mirror. "That's what the reports said. The plane lost contact over the Pacific Ocean. But they never found the wreckage."

If this were the real world, the lack of wreckage wouldn't matter. They'd be declared dead regardless.

And officially, that's exactly what had happened.

But...

This was the Marvel Universe. When you factored that in, as long as there were no confirmed bodies, there was actually a pretty good chance Richard Parker and Mary Parker were still alive.

Oh, right.

He probably should have asked Mephisto about that while he was in Hell.

Hawk's eyes lit up at the thought, then he shook his head with a quiet laugh.

MJ, sitting in the back, continued her explanation after Hawk and Gwen's brief exchange about the plane crash.

Back then, both Richard Parker and Mary Parker had worked for Osborn Industries.

At the time, Norman Osborn hadn't deteriorated to the point where he was bedridden. The spider serum the Parkers had been developing was originally intended to cure Norman's mysterious illness.

Of course, it had since been revealed that Norman's condition wasn't an illness at all—it was a curse placed on the entire Osborn bloodline by a Hell Witch.

But the Parkers and Norman himself hadn't known that at the time.

And then, During their research on the spider serum, the Parkers accidentally contaminated it with their own blood. They discovered what made the serum work—but they also caused the spider to mutate.

To put it simply:

The serum was personalized. The mutated spider, now carrying fragments of Parker DNA, could only work on the Parker family. Specifically, on Peter.

For anyone else, the serum wasn't a cure. It was poison.

The Parkers reported this to Norman Osborn and requested access to a second specimen—the one known as the Golden Spider.

But when Norman told them where that spider had come from, they made a decision. They left young Peter in the care of Ben and May Parker, boarded Norman's private jet that very night, and flew to the origin site to conduct their research.

And then, The plane crashed. Richard Parker and Mary Parker never came back.

Norman sealed the Golden Spider away in the Osborn Museum. And after that, the rest of the story was pretty straightforward.

Years later, when Peter visited the Osborn Museum, the long-forgotten mutated spider—purely by chance—bit him and triggered the transformation.

"So..."

"Yeah. The videotape had coordinates. The location where the spider was originally discovered."

"Where?"

"Peter didn't say. He said it's an Osborn corporate secret."

"...Fair enough."

Gwen nodded, not particularly surprised by that answer. Then her thoughts drifted back to Aunt May. She frowned. "But why didn't Aunt May tell us? Even if she didn't want to tell us, MJ was about to call the police. She should have at least told MJ privately, right? Why didn't she say anything to her either?"

MJ shrugged, glancing at Gwen. "Maybe because I'm an outsider."

Gwen opened her mouth to respond to that.

"MJ, you—"

"Peter's safe. That's all that matters. Everything else... doesn't matter anymore. Right?"

MJ met Gwen's gaze, her face lighting up with a smile that looked almost like relief—like she'd made a decision and was finally at peace with it.

Gwen said nothing.

...

Half an hour later.

MJ stepped out of the car, hugged Gwen briefly, then walked directly toward the Watson house on the right.

Hawk drove off with Gwen—who had moved back to the passenger seat—heading home to Bleecker Street.

"Hawk."

"Yeah?"

"I think MJ's going to break up with Peter."

"Yeah."

Hawk's tone was flat as he nodded.

He wasn't an idiot. Just watching MJ's reaction back there had made it pretty clear.

Gwen frowned, her thoughts still on Aunt May. "Why do you think Aunt May didn't tell us? Even if she didn't want to tell us, MJ was freaking out enough to call the cops. She should have at least told MJ privately. Why didn't she?"

Hawk thought about it seriously, then glanced at Gwen, who was still deep in thought.

"Maybe..."

"She doesn't think Peter and MJ are a good match either."

"..."