C547 Spider-Man (Patreon)
Content
In the meticulously organized CDC lab, Peter gathered the compounds and ingredients Edwin hastily provided. Each vial and flask contained a piece of the puzzle he needed to unravel the intricacies of the fungal infection. The guards, now cautiously observing from a safe distance, both wary and scarred because of their earlier encounter with the seemingly superhuman intruders.
Although nobody but MJ noticed, Peter had subtly employed the Mystic Arts to scan the fungal growth on Candace's arm. He knew that it would take far too much time if he did things the normal way.
Though he also had to make the cure in a way that the inhabitants of this world could produce without him, so in order to bypass all of the diagnoses and testing, Peter simply used magic to figure out exactly what he needed.
The lab equipment hummed with anticipation as he mixed, measured, and manipulated the substances before him. The guards, still nursing their earlier bruises, exchanged glances, uncertain of what to make of this unexpected turn of events.
In the midst of the scientific dance, Peter's hands moved with purpose. The Mystic Arts allowed him to see beyond the visible, to understand the subtle nuances of the fungus. He identified the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the fungal strands, gaining insights that no conventional virologist could fathom.
As he neared the completion of the serum, Edwin and Candace watched with a mix of hope and skepticism. Peter was working far to quickly and seemed extremely sure of himself, and this behavior made them wonder if he was just messing around, or if he was some sort of eccentric genius.
Finally, once he was finished, a light green colored serum sat securely in the vial on the table. And without a word, Peter filled a syringe and injecting the serum into Candace's other arm.
Instantly, the tension in the room skyrocketed. Edwin, unable to contain his anxiety, erupted in anger.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't just inject her without testing it first! You're playing with my wife's life!" Edwin's voice reverberated through the lab, his fear and frustration unleashed in a torrent of emotions.
Amidst Edwin's outburst, the guards shifted uneasily, torn between intervening and witnessing the potential catastrophe. Peter, however, remained composed, meeting Edwin's gaze with an unwavering confidence.
Just as tension reached its peak, a collective gasp swept through the room. Candace, her eyes widened in astonishment, felt the aching pain of the fungal infection evaporate. The guards, jaws dropped, witnessed the fungal tendrils writhing and squirming before crumbling into ash. Candace's arm, once a battleground for the invasive organism, now bore scars that promised healing.
Edwin, frozen in shock, stared at his wife in disbelief. Candace, tears streaming down her face, whispered words of gratitude and joy. “Thank you… Thank you… Thank you…” she repeated over and over.
Peter's calm demeanor persisted as he explained, "Sometimes, you just have to trust the process."
The guards, recovering from their initial shock, exchanged bewildered glances. The scene before them defied all logic and challenged the boundaries of their understanding. Edwin, emotions swirling within him, approached Peter with a mix of gratitude and skepticism.
"How did you... What did you do?" Edwin's voice wavered between awe and suspicion.
Peter, meeting Edwin's gaze, simply replied, "I did what I said I’d do. She'll be fine now."
The gravity of the moment sank in as Candace, now free from the clutches of the zombie infection, embraced her husband, who sat at her bedside, bewildered by how easily Peter succeeded in what would have required months or even years for him to accomplish.
Edwin, overwhelmed with gratitude, couldn't find the words to express the magnitude of his emotions. “I-I don’t know how you did it, but thank you… Thank you so much…” He said, tears welling up in his eyes.
In the aftermath of this miraculous intervention, Peter's unorthodox methods left a mark on everyone in the CDC. The crying couple, who refused to end their embrace even now, felt extremely indebted to Peter, but most of all, they were impressed. After all, they both studied Virology for their entire lives, so they knew how gifted he must be.
Even the guards, who were initially adversaries, now stood in respect after witnessing what appeared to be a miracle.
…
After everyone in the lab calmed down, the earlier wariness and skepticism completely gone, Edwin began to disinfect and bandaging his wife’s scarred arm. The scars served as a testament to the battle fought and won against an insidious foe. Candace, her eyes reflecting newfound hope, whispered her thanks once more.
Edwin and Candace, now convinced of the serum's efficacy, bombarded Peter with questions, excited to finally rid the world of the outbreak.
"So, your serum destroys the infected spores? What exactly does it do?" Edwin questioned, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Peter nodded, a casual smile on his face. "As you said, it targets and destroys the spores, but it should also act as a sort of vaccination, arming your body to do so once again if it has to. Candace's body should now be equipped to fend off the spores on its own. Of course, we’ll need to run some tests to be sure."
Edwin couldn't contain his enthusiasm. "We need to test this, make sure it works as you say. If it does, we could save so many lives."
Peter nodded his head. "Sure, let's run some tests."
…
The CDC lab transformed into a hive of activity as the group spent the rest of the day conducting experiments. Candace, the initial patient, underwent various tests to confirm the serum's effectiveness. Alongside her, a few infected, who were captured at the beginning of the outbreak, served as unwilling subjects for scientific scrutiny.
The results were nothing short of magnificent. The serum, when administered and tested in various forms, lived up to Peter's assurances.
The gas experiment, in particular, where they locked a zombie in a sealed room, and released the serum as a gas, showcased its potent ability to eradicate the zombie infection. The once animated corpse now lay lifeless, devoid of spores and mold.
As the entire room celebrated after watching the zombie collapse into a dead body, realization dawned upon them… this serum had the potential to revolutionize the fight against the infected.
Edwin, overwhelmed by the implications, took a moment to absorb the magnitude of this breakthrough.
In the midst of the jubilation, Peter eyed the cured zombie before muttering yo himself. "… it might work…”
“What might work?” MJ asked, drawing everyone’s attention toward Peter.
Peter tend to the group before voicing his thoughts. “I’m not 100% sure, but if, and only if, for those turned recently, and we’re still alive during the process, the serum might be able to cure them.”
“Well, yeah, it’s already doing that.” One of the guards spoke.
Peter shook his head. “No, I mean they might still be able to live afterwards, like Candace but much more extreme."
A stunned silence fell upon the room. The notion that the serum could potentially revive, so you speak, the infected instead of leaving behind corpses was a game-changer. The group, once celebrating, now contemplated the profound impact this could have on their fight against the outbreak.
As the weight of this revelation settled, Edwin's expression shifted from excitement to contemplation. "If this is true, we could save countless lives. We have to act quickly, conduct more tests, and if it works, we’ll need a lot more supplies and manpower...”
“This changes everything…" Candace muttered.
Peter nodded, acknowledging the urgency of the situation. "We need to move fast. Time is of the essence. Let's gather more subjects and run tests."
————
Since they were the strongest in the CDC, Peter and MJ went out to find the right zombie for their test. And it didn’t take them long to return, dragging what appeared to be a person without any injuries, who had only turned about a couple of days ago.
Swiftly, the group locked the freshly infected man into a sealed room, tension thick in the air. The previous success with Candace fueled their hopes, but this time the stakes were higher. This man, untouched by injuries or decay, might hold the key to a breakthrough in their fight against the infected.
The room sealed, they released the gaseous serum once again, watching with bated breath as it permeated the space. The green mist curled and twisted, engulfing the man in its transformative dance. For a moment, it seemed as if time hung suspended, and then the transformation reached its crescendo.
As the mist settled, the once-infected man lay on the floor, appearing lifeless. Doubt crept into the room, faces etched with uncertainty. Was this serum truly the game changer they hoped for?
Edwin, a mix of anxiety and anticipation, rushed inside the room. Kneeling beside the man, he checked for a pulse. The room held its breath as Edwin's eyes widened with realization, “He’s alive!” The serum had not only eradicated the spores but had given life back to the recently turned.
A collective gasp swept through the room as the implications of this discovery sunk in. The infected, under the right circumstances, could be saved. Peter's conjecture had transformed into a tangible reality before their eyes.
Excitement and hope flickered in the eyes of the group as they stared at the once-infected man, now breathing and alive. The boundaries of what was believed possible in the face of the outbreak expanded, and a newfound determination settled in their hearts.
Edwin, his voice carrying a mix of awe and disbelief, broke the silence. "This changes everything. With this serum, we have the power not only to cure but to bring back those recently turned. We can save lives on a scale we never thought possible."
Peter, satisfied with his work, nodded in agreement. "We need to start mass producing the serum immediately." He said, and nobody disagreed.
Edwin frowned out of nowhere. “But we’ll need a lot more manpower. This building has the right facilities to mass produce the serum, but we’ll need people to administer it, and supplies for the serum once we eventually run out.”
Peter simply smirked as he pulled a military radio out of his jacket. “I can handle the manpower, just start producing the serum.”
A/N: 1734 words :)