[Cellular Hyper-Regeneration (Axolotl Synthesis): Possesses profound, systemic regenerative capacity. Damaged tissues, including complex organs and major skeletal structures, can be regenerated over a period ranging from hours to several days, contingent upon available bio-energy reserves. Cellular regeneration is guided and regulated, preventing aberrant growth (e.g., uncontrolled tumorigenesis or superfluous limb formation).]
[Extreme Velocity Neuromuscular Augmentation (Tiger Beetle): Neuromuscular junctions and fast-twitch muscle fibers have been optimized. Capable of achieving sustained movement velocities up to 350 meters per second (approximately Mach 1.02 at sea level). Reaction time and neural processing speed are proportionally enhanced to facilitate control at such velocities.]
[Multifocal Independent Ocular Targeting (Chameleon): Ocular muscles and neural processing pathways modified. Each eye can now focus independently on separate targets, allowing for simultaneous tracking of multiple objects in motion. Merges with existing Hyper-Spectrum Vision… Integration complete.]
[Specialized Lingual Appendage Development: Lingual muscle structure, flexibility, and tensile strength have been significantly augmented. The tongue can extend up to four times its resting length and possesses fine motor control, capable of rapid, whip-like extension and prehensile manipulation in multiple directional axes.]
[Active Adaptive Camouflage (Chameleon): Dermal chromatophores and underlying muscular micro-structures have been enhanced. Can consciously alter skin pigmentation and, to a limited degree, texture to approximate surrounding colors and patterns, providing a basic form of active camouflage against visual detection. Ability merges with existing Electrostatic Adhesion for potential multi-spectrum stealth applications… Integration complete.]**
[Biological Sonar Emission & Processing (Bat): Larynx modified to produce focused, high-frequency sound pulses (up to 300 kHz). Auditory cortex expanded to interpret returning echoes, constructing a detailed three-dimensional sound-map of the environment. Effective in total darkness, through smoke, foliage, or thin walls. Range: approximately 100 meters.]**
[Acoustic Spectrum Analysis & Ultra-Hearing (Bat Synthesis): Auditory range and discrimination significantly enhanced. Can parse complex layers of sonic information, isolating specific frequencies, identifying minute variations in sound, and extracting data from ultrasonic returns. Merges with Vibration Perception… Integration complete. Ability to discern emotional states, lies, or physiological conditions from vocal micro-tremors now possible.]**
[Enhanced Pathogen Resilience (Bat): Immune System has been fortified with a broad-spectrum antiviral and antibacterial profile. Capable of rapidly identifying, isolating, and neutralizing a vast array of known and novel biological pathogens. Congratulations, you are now effectively immune to all common sexually transmitted infections, hemorrhagic fevers, and most engineered biological weapons.]**
[Precise Musculoskeletal Control (Bat): Proprioception and voluntary motor control have been refined to a microscopic degree. Can consciously manipulate individual muscle groups, including non-standard ones (e.g., ear muscles for directional sound-funneling, laryngeal adjustments for vocal modulation). Can generate subsonic vibrations through rapid, controlled limb movements.]**
[Infrared/Thermal Sensory Overlay: Dermal and optical receptors can now perceive and interpret mid- and long-wave infrared radiation. Can visualize objects and beings based on their heat signatures, see through certain types of visual obscurement (smoke, light fog), and track residual thermal footprints. Merges with Expanded Sensory Array… Integration complete.]**
[…All Systems Calibrated.]
A slow, exhilarated breath escaped Aaron's lips as the last of the synthesized energies settled into his biological framework. The sensation was not of being overloaded, but of becoming… denser. More complete. Each new ability was a tool integrated into a growing, hyper-specialized kit.
Mastering this arsenal, however, was the new challenge. Even with his Superior Cognitive Matrix, achieving perfect, intuitive control over so many simultaneous sensory inputs and physical capabilities would require dedicated practice. He hadn't even fully stress-tested his earlier suite of powers. Simple Super Vision was now a composite monster of telescopic, microscopic, multispectral, thermal, and independently focusing functions. Activating it all at once presented a data stream that would shatter an ordinary mind into psychedelic fragments. He was learning to filter, to toggle sub-routines on and off like a pilot managing a futuristic cockpit.
No one will ever have to worry about me walking into a wall in the dark, he mused. Between low-light vision, thermal imaging, and biological sonar, darkness had ceased to be an obstacle; it had become an information-rich medium where he held a decisive advantage. He was evolving into the ultimate nocturnal predator. Even the mythical creatures of the night would find him a disconcerting variable.
The most significant upgrade, however, was Cellular Hyper-Regeneration. Combined with his Structural Reinforcement Matrix from the ironclad beetle, it created a terrifying synergy. He wasn't just durable; he was persistent. Damage that could cripple or kill anything else was, for him, a temporary inconvenience, a problem to be solved with metabolized energy and time. He was becoming the biological equivalent of a Terminator—hard to break, and if broken, even harder to keep down.
Precise Musculoskeletal Control, Adaptive Camouflage, and the newly acquired Supersonic Velocity opened avenues for infiltration, evasion, and engagement he was only beginning to consider.
Then his mental cataloguing hit a snag.
Specialized Lingual Appendage Development.
He stared at the readout in his mind's eye, his expression flat. "Giant Tongue Whip. What in the actual… Is this a 'positive quality'? Am I the sort of individual who requires a prehensile, extensible tongue?" A bizarre and unwelcome series of internet-age images flashed behind his eyes. "Absolutely not. This must never be discovered. Ever."
He shook his head, forcibly derailing that train of thought. When combined with the earlier Molecular Agitation ("Vibration") and his newfound muscle control… it painted a picture of capabilities he had zero professional or personal interest in exploring. His physical prowess, strength, and speed were more than sufficient. He did not need… auxiliary equipment.
Though, a treacherous part of his brain supplied, the Katar from the Ten Rings would be a useful artifact to analyze. Purely for its metallurgical and dimensional properties, of course. He immediately quashed the thought. Focus.
CRACK!
His distracted irritation translated into a casual slap on the reinforced steel table. It didn't buckle; it shattered under his palm, the sound a sharp report in the silent room.
Outside, Norman flinched. A hesitant knock followed. "Sir? Is everything alright?"
"Fine!" Aaron called back, his voice steady. He glanced at the wreckage of the table, then at the now-empty room. Without another word, he exited.
Norman and Felicia peeked through the closing door at the vacant space where a small menagerie and thousands of dollars of equipment had recently been. Their questions died unspoken. Felicia's analytical mind filed it under 'Priority: Do Not Ask.' Norman simply accepted it as another datum in the growing file labeled 'Aaron: Inscrutable Power.'
Norman studied his new employer as they walked. There was a… presence about him now, even more pronounced. His gaze felt like a physical weight, a scanner penetrating flesh to assess the skeleton and the soul beneath. Norman, who had spent a lifetime building masks of corporate ruthlessness and paternal concern, felt disconcertingly transparent. He looked down, focusing on the polished floor.
"Sir, the broader procurement list. We anticipate securing at least fifty percent of the items within the month. Some entries, however… they appear to be mythological, or have no record in any database we can access. Those will require… alternative methods and more time."
Aaron nodded, a gesture of approval that sent a disproportionate wave of relief through Norman. "You're proceeding adequately."
The praise, simple as it was, warmed Norman for a second before a cold knot of self-awareness formed in his gut. He's praising me. And I'm pleased. God, I've adapted to being a subordinate with terrifying speed. The psychological whiplash was dizzying.
Gathering his nerve, Norman ventured a question. "Sir, our Corporation does maintain several advanced genetic research lines. There is one project in particular you might find… of interest. Our bio-engineering division recently synthesized a novel genome using recombinant RNA, hybridizing traits from three distinct arachnid species. The result was a batch of thirteen prototype super-spiders, though each exhibits… undesirable variances from the target profile."
Aaron stopped walking. He turned, his expression one of sharp, sudden interest. "You have them? Here?"
He cross-referenced internally. The keywords—synthetic RNA, hybrid spiders—triggered a memory retrieval from the vast, disorganized archives of his old world's pop-culture knowledge. A specific, famous number surfaced.
"Are you certain," Aaron asked, his tone carefully neutral, "it wasn't fifteen?"
Norman's eyes widened. He shot a glance at Felicia, who was doing an admirable impression of a very attractive wall, then back at Aaron. "You… you know about the Phase Two iteration? The project lead, after reviewing the flaws in the thirteen, proposed a revised gene-splice to produce a batch of fifteen. The files are highly compartmentalized. How did you…?"
Aaron raised a hand, cutting him off. "Take me to them. Now."
Spider-Man. The concept, once abstract and fictional, now had a tangible, eight-legged vector in a lab somewhere in this building. The potential implications buzzed in his mind.
As they moved, Aaron pressed further. "What about your colleagues? Professor Curt Connors? And Dr. Otto Octavius?"
Norman's posture shifted subtly at each name.
"Connors… a brilliant theoretical biologist. We collaborated briefly on limb regeneration. Ambitious work. Ultimately… unsuccessful." His tone was dismissive, edged with the bitterness of a failed investment. "Octavius is a fusion visionary, but his 'miniature star' project is… volatile. The potential is staggering, yes, enough to rival Stark's arc reactor, but the containment protocols are a house of cards. The man is a genius, but he lacks… practical restraint."
Aaron noted the emotional undercurrents: professional jealousy toward Connors, wary respect undercut by fear regarding Octavius, and a deep, simmering resentment when mentioning Tony Stark. Osborn had been left in the dust, and it chafed.
Aaron didn't care about Norman's bruised ego. The past was irrelevant. Under his guidance, Osborn would eclipse its former self.
But his immediate focus was on the two names Norman had confirmed. Curt Connors meant the Lizard Serum. Otto Octavius meant the fusion reactor—the "miniature sun." His mind, ever calculating the Furnace's potential, spun with new equations.
What would the Primal Furnace synthesize from the raw concept of a contained stellar fusion reaction? Or from a serum that overwrites genetics with primordial reptilian dominance?
A slow, genuine smile touched his lips. The hunger of the Furnace echoed his own.
Now we're talking.