Chapter 29: Silk Tunnels


Hey guys! Here's the second to the last chapter. Kind of a big one, isn't it.

Now I need you all to listen! I posted some fan art for this fic on my tumblr. On ao3 and wattpad I can just upload the fan art with the chapter, but I can't do that for FF, so if you guys want to see it, then you can go to my tumblr: ultimatespiderfeels . tumblr . com

Or you can visit my other accounts if you want to be lazy. My ao3 account is Mystery_Name and my wattpad account is OfficialUSMWriter (like this one). So far its only a picture of Spidey BEFORE he was completely mutated, based around "Loose Part 1, 2, and 3). SO you guys can check that out if you want. I'm going to work on some art for the rest of the Infected – till then, you can have that.

Anyway, here's your chapter!

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In the Academy...

Spider focused intently on his work, eyes narrowed and intense as his hands flew; pulling web strands out of his wrists and plastered and weaved them together almost hypnotically. The only sound he made was the huffy breathes he made to himself as he thought deeply.

Peter was silent as well, Spider could feel its presence in the back of his skull, but the voice made no move to talk, or even criticize, Spider. The silence was welcome; Spider was too agitated to argue with Peter anyway.

Stepping away, Spider examined his work and gave another huff, this time of satisfaction. Without another glance he stepped farther up the hallway and started weaving strands again and putting them on the wall. Zabu sat curiously at the end of the hallway, watching Spider with intent eyes, occasionally cocking his head to the side in question. But the giant cat never openly questioned Spider, he too could tell the Pack leader was fuming and knew better than to interfere.

Spiders' occupation with his webs wasn't particularly hard, but as he stepped back to view his progress again, he rubbed his wrists as a throbbing ache spread through them. He didn't usually produce and use this much webbing at one time, and it was taking its toll on his body. But Spider stilled hummed approvingly at his work, feeling pleased enough that it made the ache all worth it. Sighing with content, Spider turned from his wall and lumbered toward Zabu. The giant cat shifted and made room so Spider could sit next to him, resting his head on the arachnids leg as soon as Spider was situated.

Allowing himself to relax, and giving his wrists a break, Spider leaned back and closes his eyes, feeling a small bloom of exhaustion open inside him. Spider wasn't sure how long ago he had escaped this prison, but he was missing his moment of freedom more and more as time went on.

He couldn't wait to feel the Sun again, and finally breathe fresh air. Now that Spider knew what proper air was, this musty, dusty air was suffocating. He also noticed just how dark it was here, there were shadows everywhere, the cases on the ceiling (light fixtures or just light as Peter identified them) were dead and dark. Occasionally a few might turn on, Spider guessed it was because of the people watching him and his Pack (though Spider was pretty sure he destroyed all of the looking boxes – video cameras – that his enemy used). But even with the dull, nearly lifeless light, it just seemed to dark. Besides, this light wasn't very warm, not anything like sunlight, which was really disappointing.

The food was tolerable, but Spider's Pack needed to hunt, it was in their blood. Spider often caught Tiger or Zabu crouching or prowling in the shadows, watching Squirrel Girl or Rhino or even Triton. As soon as their victim wasn't watching, they'd dart out of the shadows and attack. Of course this was more play than real hunting, and Squirrel, Rhino, and Triton were never harmed. But it just wasn't right.

Even Squirrel Girl purposely hid her treasures in complicated spots and corners so she could find them later, usually trying to distract herself so she'd forget where she put them. Triton would wade in the water, sometimes the water would flip from a splash and Triton would twist around and snap at something with his teeth – just for him to realize there was nothing there. Rhino didn't hunt though, he didn't need to.

But as food kept appearing, those instincts were leaving. Zabu, Triton, and Tiger weren't practicing hunting anymore, and Squirrel Girl didn't try to scavenge as much as she used to. They all figured they didn't need to hunt anymore; the food was always there for them.

It made Spider wonder if their Captors were purposefully giving them food so their hunting instincts would be abandoned. Without hunting, skills such as fighting and defensive tactics eventually faded too. Without a way to defend themselves, and their attacks not as strong, Spider and his Pack were vulnerable to their Captors; they'd be weak and dependent.

Spider hissed inwardly, not wanting to disturb Zabu, who had fallen asleep. There was no way Spider's Pack is going to be solely relying on the Captors, but he couldn't exactly stop them all from eating. As far as Spider could tell, aside from the food given, there was nothing else edible in their prison. But Spider had to think of something, he wasn't going to let their Captors decided what they were going to be too.

With renewed vigor Spider carefully scooted out from under Zabu, as to not wake the cat, and lumbered back to the wall. Crouching down, Spider began to weave more silky strands again, bitter thoughts of anger and vengeance swirling around his head as he did.

Peter remained quiet.

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"What's he doing here?" Tony demanded, jutting a thumb behind his shoulder at Wolverine, who was smirking as he pulled on his gloves, flexing his fingers succinctly.

Nick Fury regarded Tony with an apathetic look, "Why do you care?" he inquired coolly, though his face gave away that he really couldn't care less. Tony scowled at the Director, "I thought you didn't want to bring in anymore people in on this. Especially after what happened last time."

"Gee Stark, I didn't know you cared." Wolverine leered behind the billionaire, walking up to him. Tony turned to glare at Logan, standing only a few inches taller than the mutant, and internally feeling happy about that little fact. "Don't count on that Howlett, I just don't want you to mess anything up."

Wolverine snorted, looking not even bother by the height difference (but then again, maybe he was used to it) "Yes, because everything was nice and under control before." he retorted. Tony glowered at the mutant. Nick exhaled deeply and moved past the two, "I don't understand why you're so concerned about this Tony."

Tony followed after the Director, shooting Wolverine a quick dirty look as he went. "All this guy is about is hunting and destroying; do we really want him down in the Academy with the Infected? The situation is bad enough as it is! Besides, I don't understand how he could help with anything anyway."

"You're just mad from our last run-in, aren't you?" Wolverine accused with a smirk, folding his arms squarely across his chest. Tony clenched his fist but didn't turn around, refusing to give the mutant the satisfaction of his annoyance. But it just made Wolverine laugh.

Nick Fury barely paid Tony any mind as he silently checked over the progress of his agents and their tasks. After almost running into the billionaire genius Nick withheld a sigh and said, "Stark, I don't care about any problem you have with Wolverine. He's going on a mission into the Academy for me, and that's that. Now get over and go do what you usually do."

"Hey, you can't order me around Fury!" Tony snapped. "I'm not one of your agents or little heroes. I'm only helping you because Spider-Man is a friend of mine."

"Then do him a favor and go back to finding a cure. Wolverines mission is none of your concern." Nick replied. The Director and the billionaire had a small stare-down, which ended with Tony stalking off with clenched fists, all while mumbling low and cruel things under his breathe

Wolverine watched Tony go with a loud chuckle, obviously not caring if the genius heard. Nick turned to the mutant, "Have you read over all the files yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, there's still a few pieces I need to look over." came the Directors gruff answer. Fury nodded, "As soon as you finish, send an agent and you'll be debriefed."

Wolverine grunted and headed off down the hall. Nick Fury walked in the opposite direction to go check on Dr. Connors. The scientist has been working almost constantly, running himself only on coffee and the occasional bagel from the S.H.I.E.L.D cafeteria. Nick appreciated Connors' efforts, but even he needed a break.

The halls of the tricarrier were inhabited with agents and guards, farther down the hall Nick spotted Natasha Romanoff walking among the agents were turning a corner and was lost from view. Fury noted that she was heading to the prison wing, he trusted the agent, but he was still curious as to what she was doing – probable interrogating a few of the villains, of anything.

But he'd investigate later; he took a different turn and was soon to Connor's labs. The Director didn't even knock as he opened the door, inside was hectic. Notes and paper littered desks and walls, empty test tubes were laying everywhere, whereas a group of tubes line the wall in the corner neatly, some a different color, all marked and labeled with loopy handwriting. Samples of blood were on one table, while another held formulas and equations. Holographic screens displayed graphs and charts; some showed the progress of the Infected such as growth, stature, genetic mutation, as well as the difference between the Infected heart-beats before and after the Academy attack.

Standing within the middle of the fray, stood the one-armed man. Purple crescents hung under his red rimmed eyes, his hair was a tangle mop of blonde whereas his lab coat was a pile of wrinkles and stains. The scientist was hunched over a microscope, adjusting the magnitude every once in a while, his used S.H.I.E.L.D tablet was laying nearby.

Nick remained where he was for a second, before coughing loudly in his hand. Connors jerked up roughly, almost tripping himself over his stool, but managing to catch the side of the table to steady himself. He looked up at Nick with wide eyes, before relaxing slowly, "Oh, it's you." He breathed.

Nick quirked an eyebrow at him, "Who else would it be?"

Connors shrugged then rubbed the nub of his other arm, "Nothing; no one, just forget about it. What do you need Director?" Nick looked at Connors a bit suspiciously, his eye narrowing slightly at the scientists' snippy tone. "Come to check on your progress." He replied back. Connors nodded un understanding, "Yes, okay-um, that makes sense." He gestured widely at the tornado of papers and numbers around him. "What do you need to know?"

"Any new progress to a cure?" Nick asked. Conners slumping shoulders was all the answers Nick needed, "No." Connors grumbled, rubbing his eyes as if to clear a fog. "That...that one stupid chemical! No, it's not even one chemical anymore! There's two more than we can't identify. TWO MORE! How can we find a cure when we can't even properly isolate the three properties that gives this virus any real power! The only one who made any real progress would be Octavius, but he's stuck in a cell now!" Connors one hand was clenched to a white-knuckle grip, a vein in his neck bulged from under his collar, and his saggy eyes suddenly look alive in hysteric outrage.

The Director watched quietly as the scientist seethed. Eventually Connors looked back at Nick Fury and realized that he was making a scene. He roughly smoothed back his hair (which accomplished absolutely nothing aside from making it messier) and attempted to straighten his lab coat a little. "I'll keep trying though."

Fury shook his head, "No." he replied.

"What?" Connors demanded, abounding a little offended, before clearing his throat and saying calmly, "What do you mean Fury?"

"I mean you've been running yourself dry trying to figure this sickness out. So I'm ordering you to take the rest of today and tomorrow off. Go spend time with your wife; she's been worried about you." Connors looked at Nick as if the Director had grown another eye. "What!?" he demanded again, not caring to hide his vindictive tone. "No, I can't do that, I've been busy, and there's still a lot I can cover and...N-no, I can't stop. Not yet." Connors turned around stubbornly and went back to gazing in his microscope.

Nick sighed and walked up to Connors. "You've done enough Curt." Nick insisted, placing a hand on the scientists shoulder. "Taking a day and a half off is not going to kill you, or the Infected – it'll do you some good of anything. Go home to your wife and son, the day after tomorrow you can get right back to work." Connors was quiet for a moment, his shoulders slumped lower, looking burdened with a heavy load.

Nick added, "And if you don't leave on your own then I'm making it an order and will personally escort you off my ship. Got it?" Connors sighed softy, "Yes Sir." He whispered.

"Good." Nick turned to leave, but as he walked a crunching caught his ear. He looked down to see a paper stuck to the bottom of his shoe. He rolled his eyes and pried it off; looking briefly at the notes scrawled over it. It was a bit more rushed and sloppy than Connors normal handwriting, but that's probable due to Connors rushed behavior.

Nick put it on one of the tables; Conners looked over at the notes, it having caught his eye when Nick Fury picked it up. "Hmm..." Connors hummed in surprise, looking as if he'd forgotten about that specific paper. "Let me see that." Nick handed the paper off to the scientist.

Connors rubbed his chin as he read over the page, mumbling soft phrases to himself like, "Maybe if I...hmm, that might work...then maybe it could..."

"Day off." Nick reminded.

"Yes, yes." Connors replied absentmindedly, stuffing the paper in his pocket, "I'm going." Nick nodded in satisfaction and left the lab.

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Tony Stark sat grumpily on his chair fiddling with a screwdriver and a rectangular contraption. He mumbled unflattering things about a certain dog-smelling mutant as he untwisted the cap on the back and looked over the insides. Nearby Sam Wilson and Bruce Banner watched the billionaire with perplexed expressions.

Bruce straightened the glasses on his nose uncomfortably as he asked loudly, "Uh...Tony...are you okay?"

"Peachy." came the grouchy reply.

"You don't seem 'peachy'" Sam commented. Tony merely grunted back. Sam and Bruce glanced at each other uncertainly, before Sam shrugged and rolled his eyes. "It's probable another one of his moods." He whispered to Bruce. "Just leave him alone for a bit and he should come around eventually."

Bruce eyed Sam in unbelief, "What do you mean 'another one of his moods'?" the gamma scientist whispered back. Sam shrugged boredly, "Tony just sometimes gets these moods where he shouts at everyone and just sits by himself making little gadgets. He snaps out of it over time."

"Oh, okay."

"Would you two STOP whispering?! I can hear you, you know!"

Sam and Bruce grimaced at being caught. "Er...sorry?" Bruce replied back uncomfortable. "I haven't been here for a while, and the Other Guy doesn't usually pay attention to your...uh...moods." Bruce rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Hulks doesn't pay attention to anything other than things he can either eat or smash." Tony retorted. "And I don't have any 'moods', what are you talking about Sam?"

"Tony, you have certain moods." Sam stated wryly, going back to the information he was reading on his Stark Pad.

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes you do."

"Sam Wilson!"

"Yeah, Tony."

Tony growled and threw down his screwdriver, he pointed a grease-smeared finger at Sam "I will destroy you." He commented. Sam scoffed, not even looking up from his device, "Yeah, alright, whatever you say." Tony scowled, looking like he just swallowed something sour. "I do not appreciate your attitude." He clarified.

"And I don't like your 'mood'."

"I DON'T HAVE A MOOD!"

Bruce tried, and failed, to hide a smile behind his fingers. Tony's scowl turned to the gamma scientist as he heard a stifled chuckle, "And what are you laughing at Banner?" he demanded. Bruce shook his head, "Sorry its just," he grinned, "I forgot how moody you could get."

Tony groaned loudly in annoyance, before banging his head against the table. "I hate you both." He announced. Sam and Bruce laughed in agreement. Conversation ceased after that, all three of them going back to their projects. But not soon after the talking died down the door to the room slid open.

Wolverine stepped in the room, looking as grouchy as he usually did. Tony turned and immedianly glared at the mutant, "I was wondering what smelled like a wet dog."

"Shove it Stark, you're the one that called me down here." Wolverine growled, crossing his arms expectantly. Tony snorted, rolling his eyes in slight exasperation and shot back, "And your such good boy for listening, do you want a treat now?"

Wolverine growled throatily, "Listen bub, I didn't walk up here just to listen to you whine. Either you tell me what you want or I'm leaving, and you remaining unharmed is highly unlikely in that given situation." At those words, the titanium claws of the mutant slowly rolled out of Wolverines hand, in between the knuckles, and cast bright rays of light as the ceiling fixtures gleamed off them.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He tossed a soft, string-tied bag at the mutant. Wolverines claws shot back in his body, before catching the bag easily; rolling the black fabric around in his hands he looked back at Tony, "And what's this?"

"It's a little present." Tony dryly answered. "If you're really going in the Academy, it'd be better if you didn't completely fail." Wolverine's eyes bored into Tony's, "Hack into Fury's system eh, couldn't mind your own business. Seems just like you Stark." Tony shrugged carelessly, "If Fury's going to be sending someone like you out on a mission, then I at least want to know what's its about. And F.Y.I, I didn't hack into Fury's system, its pretty obvious he was going to have you go in the Academy. Why else would Nick ask me to make a bunch of 'stealth' cameras?"

Wolverine opened the bag and rolled a few of its contents on his palm. They were small, metal sphere, about the size of marbles. The metal was smooth and clean, with a large, black circular screen on one of the sides. "And they work?" Wolverine smirked, his tone condescending and mocking.

"Of course they work," Tony snapped back. "I made them myself after all,"

"I know," Wolverine said. "That's why I asked."

Tony looked ready to strangle him. "Anything else bub, or can I leave now?" Wolverine asked, as if he was really asking permission. Tony muttered sourly at the mutant but said, "Unfortunately, no; I have one more thing." He picked up another bag and through it at Wolverine, who once again caught it with ease.

Wolverine took out this bags content as well, this was a small rectangular box with two filtered circle on each side, with a clip on the side. "That's to hide your smell." Tony said. "Your smell is awful by the way."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you actually cared." Wolverine chuckled scornfully.

"It's a damn good thing you know better." Tony sniffed. "I'm taking pity on the Infected; I can smell you and I don't even have enhanced senses. The Infected will smell as soon as you step foot in the Academy. Poor things, I just couldn't doom them to such a fate."

Wolverine put the items back in their respected bags, he sneered at Tony, "As if you can actually 'smell' me Stark, there's nothing special or enhanced about your senses."

"Thanks goodness for that." Tony agreed. "But I heard enough about it from Spider-Man to know it could prove fatal. You can leave now."

"Gladly." Wolverine growled. The mutant turned on his heels and stalked toward the exit. Over his shoulder he added "And yes, you are very moody Stark." before the doors closed.

"I AM NOT MOODY! Why does everyone think that?!" Tony whirled around and sat back on his stool. It was quiet in the lab; Tony looked up to see Sam and Bruce watching him with confused expressions. "What?" he asked.

Sam glanced at the door, and then back at Tony. "Who was that?"

"Ugh, Wolverine." Tony answered, spitting the name out as if it were poison. "Guy thinks he's so cool with his 'Hey Bub, I have six pieces of metal that can stick out of my hand', "Hey bub, I can tell what you had for dinner last night by smelling your breath', 'Hey bub, no matter how many times you shoot me with that repulsor cannon I'm not gonna die because my healing factor is practically on steroids'. Argh! That guy drives me nuts!"

Sam and Bruce glanced at each other again, listening as Tony ranted with curious, but confused, eyes. "So, is he the reason you're acting moody?" Bruce asked. Tony glared at him, "If I was acting moody right now, which I'm not, than it probably would be because of that mongrel-smelling midget!"

Tony stormed over to another table which held a large variety of science equipment and got to scribbling down notes and assembling different chemicals that were scattered about. Sam rolled his eyes and went back to reading over information, Bruce shot a questioning look at the pouting billionaire, before snapping his safety glasses back over his eyes. "What did that guy – uh, Wolverine right? – do to make you so mood-er, mad?" the gamma scientist asked as he bent over his microscope.

"Just a run-in with him a few months back." Tony replied, but offered no further information. Bruce decided not to press the matter and didn't say anything else. It was quiet in the lab, nothing but the sound of clanking test tubes and the occasional tap on a Stark Pad.

But then there was a loud, "OW-SHIT!" from the corner of the room.

"Tony you should really put some safety goggles on."

"Shut it Banner, I can get sodium chloride in my eye if I want to!"

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(11:00 P.M)

After a long debriefing with Wolverine, and a thorough explanation of the plan, they were finally ready. It was going to be an in-and-out mission. Stay in the shadows and don't get caught; plants as many cameras as he could get in the Academy, and get out of there as soon as possible.

Tony was present on the Main Deck, along with a handful of agents and the rest of the Avengers. Agent Coulson had taken the time away from May Parker to also attend the mission (the women's company was now getting kept by Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson).

The teen heroes were staying out a bit later to stop a drug-deal going on down at the docks. Amadeus installed a chip that would download the transaction into his suit so he and his team(s) could watch it later. The agents waited patiently for their orders as up above Wolverine buckled himself into an S.H.I.E.L.D jet. "Any questions Logan?" Fury asked in his comm.

"No," Wolverine grunted. "Leave it to me bub; I think I can handle a giant spider, two kittens, a fish, a horned elephant, and an overgrown rodent."

"Don't get cocky Wolverine, or I think they'll prove too much for you to handle." Fury wryly scolded. Wolverine laughed lowly to himself, "Have a little faith in my Fury. Now let's get this party over with, I have a poker game to finish."

The agents looked at Fury, who nodded, which sent them all to work. The S.H.I.E.L.D jet roared to life and slowly crept its way into a speeding roll, before pushing off into the sky. It was quiet in both the tricarrier and the jet as everyone silently hoped that his mission would turn out better than the one before.

Inside the jet Wolverine unbuckled himself and went over to the sliding panel, he pushed a button and the panel rolled open. The roar of the wind snagged and pulled at him, but the mutant held his ground and looked over at the pilot, waiting for his signal.

The jet flew lower, staying only 1 mile above the water. They skimmed over the surface, approaching the darkened Academy ahead. As they got closer the pilot glanced over his shoulder and gave Wolverine a thumbs-up. Without a second thought Wolverine threw himself out of the jet and dived to the black water below.

A few moments later a faint splash could be heard over the purr of the jets engines, the pilot pulled the jet up and circled around back toward the tricarrier. In the Main Deck the spectators all tensed as soon as Wolverine hit the water. Nick Fury watched the screen that showed the conditions of the mutants body, right now showing the bodies temperature go down a few degrees due to the cold conditions of the ocean.

"Here we go." Fury murmured.

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Wolverine swam up to the Academy, only breaking the surface of the water to take a swig of air. As soon as he was in close proximity, Wolverine turned on the night-vision S.H.I.E.L.D installed in his mask. Able to see better, Wolverine pushed a button on his wrist gloves and his body was encased in a S.H.I.E.L.D ocean-divers uniform. Not wasting a second, Wolverine dived beneath the calm waves of the sea.

He swam far down the side of the Academy to one of the pipes and looked for an emergency access panel. Even with the night-vision in his suit, it was still hard to make out anything in the murky water. But eventually the mutant found the circular panel with the words: Employee's Only Beyond This Point – S.H.I.E.L.D Access Only, printed on it, along with the S.H.I.E.L.D insignia beneath it.

Wolverine pushed on the insignia, as he was instructed. The symbol glowed slightly before it split in half to display a bright screen with a red dot in the center. Wolverine held as still as he could as the device scanned him, after a moment the red dot flashed green and the words: Access Granted, appeared on the screen.

The panel swished open and the mutant swam in. He swam along a short corridor before coming to a decent sized room. Once inside Wolverine hit a button nearby and the room closed off. A soft whirring stirred the water, before the room filtered out.

Wordlessly, the mutant tapped his glove again and the diver's suit was gone, hiding in the folds of his suit. He strode across the room, puddles of water sloshed noisily around his heels, until he came to the opposite end. There was a low, nearly undistinguishable hum from the walls as Wolverine was silently scanned again. A moment later the door opened automatically into a long, barely lit hallway.

"I'm in bub." Wolverine said into his comm.

Good. Nick Fury answered. Down this hallway is a stair way that will lead up to the Cargo Hold, you'll be able to find your way up from there. Everything is locked down and shut off beyond this hall, try not to get caught. If the Infected find this Emergency route then it could prove to be an escape opportunity for them. I'd rather that didn't happen.

"Got it," Wolverine grunted. "Keep the overgrown kids from finding an access point out of their cage. I'm moving in."

Good luck.

The mutant started into the hall, his footsteps barely heard as he strode along the smooth metal surface. Once he got to the end, a wide metal door was waiting for him; Wolverine was scanned once more, this time the process taking a few more seconds than the last. But it eventually flashed green and Wolverine swung it open.

A long, narrow stairway loomed in front of him, encased completely in dark shadows; the light fixtures that dotted above were cold and dark. Wolverine subconsciously sniffed the air, but nothing seemed to loom in the darkness. He moved on, shuffling up the stairs, lightening his steps as he got closer to the top.

As he climbed Wolverine wondered what the Infected would be like up close; they seemed...intense, on a screen, but face to face was something completely different. Wolverine wasn't sure, he couldn't determine how dangerous the Infected really were until he got a look at them. According to Fury that was something Wolverine was recommended not to do, but Wolverine still wanted the opportunity to size them up himself.

But that'd have to wait. Wolverine came up to the next door, this one he had to manually open, (due to passing the shut-down point) which merely consisted of the mutant slashing open a hole small enough for him to fit through as quietly as he could manage. Once a portion of the door was gone, Wolverine looked out into the looming space of the Cargo Hold. Large boxes and metal containers made up most of the room in a maze of supplies that the Infected had yet to fully uncover.

Nonetheless, Wolverine took in a big breathe of air. Any other smell, aside the musty-dusty scent, didn't' permit the area. He stepped out and started up the hall. But a thought crossed his mind and Wolverine glanced back at the hole. He went back and scooted a few, big and heavy boxes in front of it, just to be safe. Once that was taken care of, the mutant hurried back to the task at hand.

He scoured the Cargo Hold till he caught sight of an exit; reaching into one of the tightly-closed bags hanging diagonally across his chest, Wolverine pulled out a few of the rectangular clips that Stark invented and clipped them onto his suit. As programmed, the clips hummed softly before releasing an invisible cloud around the man. Wolverine sniffed himself experimentally, and Starks invention as true to its design – he smelt nothing.

Wolverine stepped out of the Cargo Hold.

It was quiet within the Academy, so far. Wolverine walked on with caution, stepping light enough that his steps couldn't be heard – which was surprising due to the destructive and loud nature the mutant usually had. But not this time.

It wasn't until Wolverine had journeyed deeper into the Academy did he get his first whiff of one of the Infected. It was faint, but at the same time strong. Wolverine's nose crinkled in slight confusion, he bent down a little and took a better smell. It was stronger, but of anything the scent seemed fuzzy. Wolverine growled lowly to himself. It was Starks anti-odor clips – or whatever the heck they were called. They got rid of his 'smell' alright, but it is also messing with his sense of smell.

Wolverines comm had been quiet the whole time, but part him wanted to call up Stark and chew him out about it. But time was of the essence and Wolverine just needed to make do with what he had. Taking another whiff, Wolverine focused on what he could make out of the scent.

It was dusty, kind irritating, like an annoying itch in his nose. But he could smell, faintly, what seemed to be kitchen cleaners, and definitely fur. There was something else, maybe something metallic – but the mutant couldn't be sure. Overall, what Wolverine smelled reminded him of that of a rodent, so his first impression was that this was that one Squirrel kids' scent. Probable not as old as Wolverine was thinking, due to Stark's stupid invention – but not fresh either.

Wolverine moved on.

Farther in Wolverine started smelling more of them. Grass, dust, sweat, and...perhaps something more...human? Maybe the S.H.I.E.L.D hostage that Fury mentioned, if he wasn't dead yet. Other than that Wolverine, guessed it was that Rhino guy.

Sweat, dust, fur, and something definitely feline – there were two cat smells, it was a litter harder to distinguish those ones, but they were definitely the two cat hybrids.

Scales, moldy-bacteria, and fish – the mutated Inhuman prince.

And finally some with fur, a lot of fur, something sweet clung to this scent – not a good sweet, more of the sickening sweet that made your stomach twist and your head dizzy; the relative smell of poison – Wolverine had no doubts that it was Spider's scent.

Unable to get a real good smell of any of them, Wolverine still managed to catalogue those scents in his brain if ever he came across one of the Infected head on. He continued on his way. The animal odor got stronger the further Wolverine journeyed through the partially-empty structure. He had yet to find any of the mutates, but occasionally he picked up the faint sound of growling, or hissing, or even the thump-thump-thump of running.

Finally though, as he rounded another corner, Wolverine stopped dead in his tracks. His eye flew across the hall, observing all that he could see. The walls, ceiling, and partially the floor had thousands upon thousands of silky strands weaving and interlocking like cold, sharp veins; Wolverine took a small flashlight out of his bag, something he stored for himself (surprisingly flashlights were almost an necessity in his line of work), and shone it across the walls and ceiling. The silky strands, definitely webs, were in an intricate, almost beautiful, pattern that flashed and seemed to glow in the light. Some strands hung off the ceiling, not very low, but within the bouncing shadows they seemed to grow clawed fingers, reaching for anything they could reach to trap in their sticky grip.

The smell of Spider seemed stronger here, a lot stronger, fresh too; as well as one of the felines' scents. This seemed as good a place of any to start hooking up the cameras. Wolverine reached to get one of Starks spheres, but a low growl and scraping sound reached his alert ears. Quickly, Wolverine dove smoothly back around the corner and pressed himself against a wall, as one of the giant cats rounded the corner.

Wolverine cursed Stark for messing with his sense of smell, knowing he should have picked up on the cats scent sooner. There was another low growl, coming from the far side of the room. Wolverine dared a small peak around the corner; this cat had a coat of orange and black, it was large with dangerously sharp claws protruding from its paws that made the high-pitched scratching against the smooth floors. Two large fangs jutted out of its maw of equally razor-like teeth. When it turns it head Wolverine saw briefly the glint of intense green cat-eyes before he turned back around.

The giant cat – Zabu the files had called it – sniffed the floor thoughtfully, the growling had stopped and was replaced with a curious mewl. Stark's anti-odor clips seemed to be working though, because the cat showed no indication of smelling Wolverine. But something was unsettling to the creature; it was beginning to grunt unhappily as it scraped its claws against the floor. Maybe it had heard Wolverine; Zabu may not smell the mutant but he could still hear.

Zabu padded closer to the corner, coming up slower as it continued to sniff the ground with both curiousness and unease. It was getting dangerously close. Wolverine tried to calm his breathing, taking deep slow and quiet breathes as to know give away his position. But the cat kept coming.

It was nearly to the corner, a few more steps and Wolverine would be found. The man could always try to back up and/or make a run for it (which really wasn't his style) but the cat would still hear him and Wolverine would only give his location away sooner. As Zabu approached Wolverine slowly willed his own claws to come out; this situation might get ugly (for both of them) real soon. The titanium tips slowly peaked from Wolverines knuckles, sliding up slowly as Wolverine tensed. The cat was nothing more than a foot from the corner.

Wolverine got ready to defend himself, his claws fully out and pointed maliciously.

Zabu was a few centimeters away...

But then...the cat stopped. It glanced at the walls and ceiling, its eye following the line of silk that had stopped several feet from the corners' edge. Zabu sniffed the ground once more, growled in un-satisfaction, and padded back to the silk-woven tunnels. Wolverine waited tersely for signs that the cat was truly gone. Nothing moved, and the sounds of Zabu noisily trotting eventually faded.

Wolverine waited a few extra minutes, just to be sure. His heart had picked up a little speed, but Wolverine was used to this kind of tension. He looked around the corner to find the area once more abandoned. Wolverine glanced up and about at the webs, he too noticing how they came to an abrupt stop.

Maybe the cat didn't feel safe away from the silk....or maybe he wasn't allowed beyond it. Whatever reason, Wolverine knew he had to act fast. He picked out a spherical camera and cautiously moved to the corner of the hall, past a few yards of silk-walls and softly stuck the device in a corner that had a few bare spots. The camera hummed to life, its life-full hum dulling till it wasn't heard, as an electromagnet pulse rolled out and securely stuck the sphere to the wall. The blank dot in the middle grew a little bigger and the device gave a small, barely heard beep, signifying that it was up and running.

Somewhere up on the tricarrier, the Main Deck cheered victoriously as the first camera flashed to life on their monitors.

The sphere then blended in with its background, making it completely undetectable. Wolverine turned to look down the next hall, this one was strewn with more silvery webs giving it a haunting feels; somehow the strands seemed to make the hall even darker. Shouldering his pack, Wolverine cautiously headed into the shadows, the people on the tricarrier watched him with rising hopes.

<><><><>

And here is the part where I give you all a big ol' explanation as to why this took so long. Well, to put it simply, life took a hold of me with a white knuckled grip, and utterly refused to let go. I'm gonna try to get the last chapter done soon, but to be honest, at the least, its going to take like 2 weeks. I know, I know, I'm not happy either.

Anyway, this chapter was a bit long, so I hope you enjoyed it. One more to go and Book 1 is done.

Before I go, I have one last contest. I need a name for Tony's spherical cameras, whoever can come up with one I like, they can request another one-shot for my one-shot book (which I will be completing as soon as this book is done), put the name you come up with in the comments. There can only be one winner!!!

So excited for the "Spider Slayers" story arc in the show!! Eek I'm so excited! This chapter is going a little unedited, mistakes are my own (please excuse them).

I hope you all enjoyed!!!!!!

(also, if it says titanium instead of adamantium for Wolverine, that's my mistake. Sorry, I'll fix that later) 

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