Quentin Beck took a deep, nervous breath, sitting in the car with his heart pounding, feeling nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.
Yesterday, he had actually, actually stood up to Kingpin, demanding a raise of a full two hundred dollars a week! And he even stood up for Mr. Dimitri! My god, were those even words Quentin Beck could have uttered?
"Deep breaths, Beck, deep breaths. You can do this, you can handle this. You were fine with Kingpin, this is just a warm-up."
Quentin continued to take deep breaths in the sedan, while Aaron Davis, driving in the front seat, was already used to the young man's dramatics. He pulled the car into the designated spot, parked, and then turned to Quentin, who was still trying to reassure himself. "We're here, uh, Mysterio. Time to work. Get out quickly, the sooner the better."
"Ah? Oh!" Quentin hugged his fishbowl helmet and asked nervously, "Is time very tight?"
"Uh, no. This parking lot costs five dollars an hour. The faster you finish, the less I pay for parking."
Quentin looked at his helmet, took a deep breath, then fumbled to put it on. In an instant, a non-existent green battle suit and a purple cape appeared on his back, and Quentin—no, Mysterio's aura became calm and confident.
"Mr. Aaron, please rest for a moment. I'll be back soon."
Aaron nodded, leaned back in his seat, and opened his phone to watch last week's Saturday Night Live. Mysterio opened the car door, concealed himself, closed the door, and left the underground parking lot—he was invisible at this moment; no one could see him.
His target was the building not far from the parking lot: Oscorp Tech. Otto Octavius had given Kingpin another list. Unlike the Shocker, who had to rob a bank, this time everything was at Oscorp Tech, so they needed to operate secretly. Otto handled all the security systems, and Mysterio just needed to steal the items.
Just as Mysterio infiltrated Oscorp Tech, Norman Osborn was briefing Jonathan Drew, Jessica Drew's father and later the primary researcher for mutated spiders, on a new project.
"The advancement of the Savage Force project should not be limited to arthropods like spiders and scorpions. The vast genetic difference between them and human genomes is likely why we haven't been able to make progress."
Norman Osborn was somewhat of a scientist, so he could half-understandably converse with Jonathan. However, the latter hesitated for a moment before honestly stating his true thoughts: "I don't have deep research experience beyond arthropod genetics, Mr. Osborn. But I know someone, Curt Connors. He was my junior in college, and he researches using reptile regeneration genes to repair human bodies. He might be able to help."
Norman looked at Jonathan with a hint of surprise, then recalled something. He remembered seeing a similar research plan before, but Oscorp Tech hadn't invested in it. In fact, almost all known biotech giants hadn't invested in that guy.
After all, in the past few years, with the exception of the "Savage Force" project pushed by the US military, almost everyone believed that transplanting animal genes into humans was impossible. Even Norman Osborn, who was leading this project, thought it couldn't be achieved. He took on the project simply to attract investment.
However, Spider-Man and that swarm of spiders proved that while mass-producing super soldiers might be impossible, creating a superhero like Spider-Man was not impossible for specific gene sequences. This led him to increase investment in the "Savage Force" project, and it also made the US military realize the possibility of success, increasing their investment in Oscorp Tech.
"…He's researching gene transplantation, not gene modification, right?"
"No difference, Mr. Osborn. Besides, wouldn't a self-regenerating super-soldier be more appealing?"
Jonathan clearly knew how to persuade Osborn. Norman nodded and smiled, agreeing to the proposal. Jonathan, having secured investment for his junior, also breathed a sigh of relief. Neither of them noticed that an invisible person had just walked past them.
"A scorpion…"
Mysterio didn't know why Otto was interested in a radiation-modified scorpion, but he still stole it and put it into a specially made safe, then carried it away. According to Otto, this thing was just a bonus; what he really needed was a composite material, something that could render Spider-Man helpless.
Under the cover of his illusions, it was a long time after Mysterio had left that people discovered the scorpion's theft. By then, Mysterio had already reached Oscorp Tech's warehouse, placing a modified Oscorp Tech employee card on the access panel, waiting for Otto to open the door.
Inside was a complete set of metallic-sheened woven fabric. Mysterio asked curiously in a low voice, "What is this thing?"
"Metallic biopellet skin, an unbreakable biomimetic structure, but it's too heavy. No one can withstand its weight. But if someone is strong enough to wear this thing, then I guarantee you, that person can face off against the Hulk, let alone Spider-Man."
"How am I supposed to carry something so heavy?"
"Use the liquid nitrogen I gave you to freeze a small piece and cut it off. We don't need all of the biopellet skin, just a sample."
Mysterio followed the instructions, took his day's spoils, and headed towards the exit. Soon, the theft alarm blared throughout Oscorp Tech. Mysterio manipulated the surrounding environment, making himself unnoticeable to everyone, moving unimpeded. He returned to the car, where Aaron, still watching Saturday Night Live, was laughing happily until Mysterio suddenly deactivated his invisibility and spoke in a deep, confident voice.
"It's all done, everything went smoothly."
"Oh my god! You scared the life out of me." A startled Aaron almost dropped his phone. He shook his head, looking at Mysterio in the rearview mirror, who refused to take off his helmet. "Can't you appear normally?"
"That's not Mysterio's style. Let's go."
Aaron shrugged helplessly, but then his phone rang. Answering it, Aaron immediately began cursing at his subordinate on the other end.
"Didn't find it? What do you mean the NYPD came and still didn't find it? Just come back."
"Something happened?"
"Chameleon's face is gone. Someone took it before us and S.H.I.E.L.D." Aaron cursed again, then shook his head. "With that thing, it's like having a new face."