Work Text
"Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own"
-Viva La Vida, Coldplay
I don't know why I expected this to work...
Lying on her face with her pillow over the back of her head wasn't Gwen Stacy's ideal sleeping position, but it was the only one that she had yet to try. The blonde's eyelids ached as they stayed shut, yet sleep continued to elude her as she released an uncomfortable groan.Lack of sleep was something that she'd known was associated with college. Gwen had heard all the jokes, seen all the memes online... but her sleeplessness wasn't the same as that of other college students.She tried squeezing her eyelids together as hard as she could, her fingers digging into the fluffy pillow that was pulled over her head. Gwen had tried everything... rotating the mattress, sleeping on her sides, sleeping on the ground, even. Sometimes a new position worked, but it never lasted forever. Because every time she shut her eyes, it wouldn't take long to see the faces of the ones she'd failed.BZZT!! BZZT!! BZZT!! The blare of Gwen's alarm clock pierced the silence of her dorm room, and she finally lifted her head, allowing the pillow to flop harmlessly onto her back. "You..." She rasped, grabbing the clock and staring at the time that read '7:15' in pure annoyance. "...Have GOT to be joking."But it was no joke. It was time for her to get up and get ready for class... on a Friday, no less.She jammed the alarm button with her thumb, having half a mind to throw the alarm clock across her room. But on the other side of the wall was a fellow dorm resident who would file a complaint, which was the last thing she needed right now.Gwen pushed herself up, wincing as the exhaustion of another night without a wink of sleep limited her movements-her frazzled hair settled around her shoulders, in severe need of combing. The blonde licked her dried lips, gathering the courage to sweep her feet out of the bed and walk towards her bathroom.She flicked the light switch on as she walked in, then reached for the cabinet that held everything needed for Gwen to conduct her morning routine in peace-thank goodness that Columbia had given her a dorm to herself. It was amazing what being involved in an infamous traumatic event could get a school administration to do...That, or the side effects of said traumatic event. Gwen thought to herself bitterly, opening the cabinet door to reveal a bottle of Effexor. She undid the cap before downing a pill dry, then grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste.Her grey-blue eyes studied her appearance in the mirror, paying attention to the dark bags that continued to linger under her eyes. Already Gwen could hear the small jokes her professors would say-"Looks like you studied too hard again!"; "Did you finally go out and party, Miss Stacy?"; "You know that finals aren't until December, right?" She didn't want to hear them. She was sick of hearing them...Gwen's eyes drifted, moving from the reflection of her face to the reflection of her right arm. The sleeveless tee that she still had on from her sleepless night made the scars from the Midtown Prom Incident plainly visible-four lines of pink tissue that ran across her bicep and onto her triceps. Three of them had been from the claw of a giant lizard. And the fourth gash was from an injury that she wanted to think about even less than the claw marks.Thirty minutes later, Gwen was on her way out the door-clad in a navy-blue shirt, dark denim shorts, and a grey flannel tied loosely around her waist. Her laptop bag thumped against her waist as she walked down the hall, heading down the path she'd walked almost a hundred times already. Hallway, bus stop, Chemistry Building. The routine of starting a day of classes had begun to feel like reciting a Dora the Explorer song-knowing exactly where you were headed and that it was going to be no more interesting than the last time you'd made the trip.As she stepped outside, the sun did her tired eyes no help, blinding Gwen momentarily and making her grit her teeth as she squinted. She pressed onwards, slowing down only as chatter reached her ears-two males were seated on a bench outside of the dorm halls, snickering to each other as they listened to something on a phone."No, but for real-he's spitting facts." One of them said, turning up the volume as Gwen tried to silently eavesdrop. They were listening to a podcast, one featuring an awfully familiar voice..."...I'm getting word from Jared that, for the eighteenth month in a row, there have been exactly ZERO casualties involving giant lizards attacking our city's precious schools! How's THAT for confirmation that we're better off now?" The voice of J. Jonah Jameson exclaimed. "But yet I get calls from time to time, people telling me that we don't have the full story, or that the missing camera footage from that night at Midtown High implies there's something else going on here... let me set the facts straight, you brainless nitwits!! Ghost Spider was caught red-handed by the corpses of those two poor young men, and I'd bet an arm and a leg that she somehow snagged the footage before disappearing!"Such lies. Gwen thought bitterly, finding her fists clenching at her sides as the accusations from J. Jonah Jameson piled on. She'd never known exactly why Jameson had it out for her from the beginning-maybe he was just a really miserable person-but it had unfortunately paid off. Her alter ego-the one that everyone called 'Ghost Spider' now-had been blamed for creating the giant lizard that had attacked Midtown's Prom as well as for killing two of the high school's students in an effort to cover up her tracks.
"I look at only the facts in situations like these, and the facts here are clear as day: Ghost Spider used some bio-engineering wackiness to turn a teenager into a giant lizard, then killed that kid AND a witness so that she could continue to pretend playing hero. So how can YOU people claim that this villain, this absolute demon from the fiery pits of hell, is a misunderstood victim?!!"
Gwen couldn't look away as Jameson's ranting filled her head again... his uninformed accusations taking Gwen back to that terrifying night...The sights and sounds were still in her mind-the roaring of her best friend Peter Parker, who'd turned himself into a giant lizard; the cries of her prom date Owen Octavius as he ran headfirst into danger to protect her; the sight of his eyes, devoid of the fondness for her they'd held for her as he lay dead on the ground; the harrowing, shaky last breaths of Peter as he succumbed to the injuries she'd inflicted on him; and lastly, the sound of Captain Stacy's gun firing a warning shot at Gwen's arm, unaware of just exactly who the Ghost Spider was while seemingly convinced that she'd just murdered two high schoolers."Hey, blondie!!" The voice of one of the two males on the bench made Gwen blink as she was brought back to the present, and they snickered as they looked her up and down. "Wanna' listen to this for a while? This guy knows his stuff..."Gwen's jaw tightened, and she felt that instinctual reaction to defend herself-to unleash her wit on these clowns or deck them in the mouth with her superhuman strength. But she remembered the last time she'd used her powers, and how badly that had gone. Sighing in frustration, she left them alone, heading towards the bus stop.Several months after the deaths of Owen and Peter, Gwen had begun to feel like her return to crime-fighting might arrive. As she was handed a college schedule that allowed for different moments of free time in her day, she began to think it was inevitable... but still, she couldn't do it. Every time Gwen had practiced climbing around the walls and ceiling of her dorm room or tinkered around with some gadgets to make new tools to compliment her abilities, she found herself remembering that two people were dead on account of her. There were a few other people at the bus stop when Gwen reached it, and she kept her distance from them, pulling out her phone and plugging in her earphones. Her thumb scrolled through her playlist while her other hand put the buds into her ears, none of the songs seeming appealing in this moment.Be real, Gwen... Her inner thoughts spoke to her. ...Nothing seems appealing in this moment.And it was true. Anyone that was viewing Gwen's life as an onlooker would say that she was living the dream-a full ride to Columbia University, an internship helping to advance scientific technology, and handling all of her first classes for her Chemistry Major? If Gwen had been able to tell her past self that these things would've been her reality, her past self would've pinched herself repeatedly to make sure she wasn't dreaming.She'd gotten it all... but she didn't know what it would be for anymore.As the bus finally pulled up, Gwen settled on a song, taking a deep breath before walking onto the vehicle. Thankfully there were more than enough seats to choose from since it was still fairly early. She slouched into a window seat, letting her head gently thump against the glass as she closed her eyes and tried to let the music carry her away.But even that seemed to be too much to ask for. A loud ding went off in her earbuds, signaling a text message from someone. Gwen's eyes snapped open, and she looked down at her phone screen-there was a notification ribbon at the top, displaying the name 'MJ'.For a moment, Gwen's thumb went to tap the notification ribbon, but she stopped herself. Don't leave her on read. She thought warily. It's not like you're going to actually respond, right?Among the noticeable differences in Gwen's current life was the absence of close connections with anyone. Similarly as to how Owen's death prompted her to swear off dating for good, Peter's death had likewise repelled any thought of making friends. Even her two closest friends-MJ and Felicia Hardy-might as well be labeled mere acquaintances at this point. The last time she'd seen them was while getting their pictures taken at graduation, where all of their parents took photographs to commemorate a sweet moment among the closely-knit friend group.They hadn't spoken to each other since.To be fair, they all had undergone changes in life that would be time-consuming: Gwen was at college, MJ was starting a career in journalism with the Daily Bugle, and Felicia was... who knows where, actually. Gwen had neglected to really talk about the future with Felicia during senior year, and Felica was still working through Peter's death. It was odd... Gwen and Felicia were the ones who lost prom dates on that terrible evening, but that similarity hadn't sparked any confiding in each other.Gwen probably should've known that MJ would reach out eventually... her eyes drifted back to her phone, where the red notification bubble stayed put over the texting app. She thought of what could've made MJ want to text her after all these months, and whether or not the sudden dissolution of the friend group had left MJ hurt more deeply than normal. Sure, the redhead was as vulnerable to sadness as any human, but she had a certain tenacity that helped her get over things quickly. It was a trait that Gwen admired, and one that she wished she could replicate.But no. Here she was, a completely different person because of a mistake she'd made over a year ago.Gwen again found herself looking at her reflection-this time in the bus's tinted window. She looked more well put-together now than she had in her bathroom mirror, but if Gwen were to be honest with herself, she didn't know what she was looking at anymore. She wasn't the person she'd thought she'd be by now, nor was she the person she used to be.And Gwen believed, with all her heart, that she was never going to be that person again for the rest of her life.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"And if you don't love me now, you won't ever love me again"
-The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
The evening routine began yet again for George Stacy.New York City's most renowned police captain undid his tie as he walked across the living room, heading to the kitchen after a long day of work-there hadn't been anything that required his attention today, and often those days were the most frustrating to get through.As George reached the kitchen, he carelessly tossed his tie onto the small table with three chairs placed around it-one for each member of the Stacy family.Only now, there was only one member still living in the house.The captain's burly hand pulled open the refrigerator door while his thoughts turned to the two chairs that were going to be empty from now on. For years, George had thought that the death of his wife, Helen, was going to be the most difficult thing he'd ever go through. He remembered night after night where he'd lay awake for hours, without her warm touch or soothing voice to guide him to sleep. It had felt like someone had mercilessly torn a piece of him off, and George was just left to get used to the pain on his own.But watching the liveliness and personality drain from his little girl before sending her off to college had been so much worse.George grabbed a plastic container from the box that held something-steak or porkchop, he couldn't remember-and set it on the counter before opening a kitchen cabinet to grab a plate. He grabbed two out of instinct, and the accident made his heart thrash in sorrow before he put one plate back. Eighteen years of getting dinner ready for your child wasn't a habit that you just ceased doing overnight.Their last conversation ran through his mind-a phone call that he'd made to check up on her. Columbia wasn't that far away, it was in the city, but George's time with the NYPD made it almost impossible to set aside time regularly to visit her without destroying his sleep schedule and leaving him ill-prepared for protecting the city the next day.George had hoped to hear some spark in his daughter's voice again when she'd picked up the phone, but there had been none of it. Ever since that tragic day a year and a half ago, Gwen had seemed to hold little to no interest in... well, anything. As he opened the plastic container to reveal a leftover steak, George's mind put forward the image of his little girl in the aftermath of the Midtown Prom Incident-his daughter had always looked like an angel to him, ever since she moment she was born. But no angel was supposed to have four grisly slashes on their arm... George could still feel the heartbreak in this moment at the sight of her skin ripped open so viciously. He shuddered, quickly trying to turn his attention to dinner.But there wasn't much to think about with dinner. All George could do was simply type in the time needed to reheat the steak before being left alone with his thoughts once more as it cooked.He could still remember the old Gwen... awkward, overworked, but still with that sharpness in her blue eyes that looked like pure electricity. But after Owen and Peter had been killed that night, the light had dissipated. Gwen had practically sleepwalked through her senior year, and just like that she was gone, with a full ride to Columbia to study Chemistry.There was so much pride connected to the thought of George's daughter going off to college. But with her present state of mind, there was also so much fear. And all of it had happened because of that maniacal 'Ghost Spider,' as the media referred to her now. The working theory was that the young vigilante had turned Gwen's friend Peter into a monster lizard in order to make give her an enemy that would get her onto the front page.Or was that really what had happened?The microwave dinged as it finished, and George's footsteps were the only sounds as he walked forward to retrieve his steak. But he didn't stop thinking about that night... everything certainly seemed to implicate Ghost Spider in the Incident: he'd found her right by the bodies, she hadn't outright denied any involvement, and the mysterious absence of the school's video footage left them with no better answer."I know a crime scene when I see one." George's own words echoed in his mind as the walls of the apartment began to shift, swirling away into the dark, bleak halls of a Midtown High classroom-his memory was pulling him back to that night, making him relive his last encounter with the Ghost Spider.He watched as her head turned, her body language screaming intimidation as her masked face saw the gun in his hands. George could feel the tremors in his body-the inhuman sensations of finding Owen Octavius dead after having just talked to him an hour ago mixing with the absolute feeling of confusion of why this young vigilante that he'd trusted would do such horrible things.He remembered going through standard protocol-issuing a warning and countdown as the kid tried to talk over him, almost in desperation to give an explanation as to what had happened.And then, he'd fired.George had aimed for her arm intentionally, as was standard protocol, and watched as she keeled over and locked up in response. Ghost Spider's response had been anything but normal for someone resisting arrest-most people would yell in pain and hurl curses at Captain Stacy, but Ghost Spider hadn't said a word. And despite the fact that she was wearing a mask, her body language had signaled that she was in absolute shock and disbelief that he'd shot her.Finally, before he could do anything else, she'd disarmed him and fled without harming a hair on his head.What George saw had been the sole eyewitness account that pinned the blame on Ghost Spider-all the students at prom had fled immediately after seeing the lizard. For weeks afterwards, all the media outlets labelled him a hero for 'putting a stop to the Ghost Spider,' especially that ridiculous J. Jonah Jameson. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell that he was simply using George to grow his own following.The only person that didn't think George Stacy was a hero was... well, George Stacy.He set the plate on the table before slumping into his chair, holding his head in his hands as his head began to sting from the memories-he'd shot a kid. Someone's daughter. Someone that had to have been around Gwen's age. And he'd done it all while not being fully convinced that Ghost Spider was truly responsible.It was true that he'd been able to speak and warn the vigilante in a strong tone, but George was absolutely shaken on the inside during that moment. Ghost Spider hadn't acted like a guilty murderer, but more like someone caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Captain Stacy had been working with her for months to keep the city safe, and he'd been convinced that Ghost Spider was just some dorky, awkward teen that was trying to use these insane powers she'd been gifted for kind purposes. She simply didn't fit the typical persona of someone who'd stage a multi-pronged attack on a high school prom all for the purpose of satiating her own ego.To this day, George couldn't shake the feeling that he was the villain in that situation. Even though the evidence was telling him he'd done the right thing, his instincts were screaming that he'd wounded an innocent kid. And if one believed in a higher power that would execute justice, then the fact that George's connection to his own daughter had withered away immediately seemed to be a damning sign that he'd made a mistake.Whenever he thought in-depth about that day, the thoughts were accompanied by a strange clawing in his chest-a feeling that made George feel dirty and guilty. And these feelings had been the source of the next step of his evening routine.George pushed himself up from his chair, walking to the cupboard as tears began to sting his eyes. As he opened the door, his eyes fell upon the unopened bottle of liquor he'd held onto for eighteen months now.He grabbed it, knowing that the same thing was going to happen: he was going to tell himself that this was the day he'd give in, that he'd hit the bottle just like he used to before he met Helen. But then he'd remember who he was now, and all that Helen had done to help him get out of that reckless stage of life... and he'd put the bottle right back without taking a single sip.George set the bottle on the middle of the table, staring intently at his reflection in the dark glass. His ears were starting to ring, knowing just how close he was to making all of those bad feelings go numb... He thought about Helen, who was gone forever. He thought about Ghost Spider, whom hadn't been seen again since he'd shot her arm. He thought about how crime was quietly pushing back in the vigilante's absence. And he thought about Gwen, whom George had been unable to pull out of an ongoing spiral-she was needing antidepressants, for crying out loud! His angel, his little girl... he'd failed her.Slowly, George's hand moved across the table, departing from the usual evening routine. He was going to drink it, he was giving in this time-But before he could, his phone went off. The police office was calling him. George exhaled sharply, letting out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. His trembling hands fumbled with his phone as he pulled it out of his pocket, sliding his finger on the screen before holding it up to his ear. "Captain Stacy speaking," He greeted. Immediately, the voice on the other end started babbling on and on about a bank robbery downtown. The voice kept referencing a 'she,' and how this 'she' was going to need some backup in order to be stopped.George groaned in frustration. A whole day of nothing, and now, when he was supposed to be off work, was when he'd get pulled in for action?His eyes drifted back to the bottle, and he thought about how close he'd been to giving in. George quickly realized that he probably shouldn't be complaining about an excuse to avoid the bottle, and grabbed his tie off the table before running to the door...Twenty minutes later, Captain Stacy's cruiser pulled up to the bank, with several more swerving to the curb alongside him. "Alright, we're going in!" He called out, drawing his handgun before looking over his shoulder at the officers that had already been present. "Three of you go around back in case she tries to make a break that way, I want all points of entry cut off!"As he looked at his coworkers, he noticed one of them being tended to on the ground. He was wheezing in pain, with a fellow officer applying a sanitizing wipe to his arm-something had slashed his arm, tearing through his uniform and leaving four smaller slashes in his skin. Four slashes...George Stacy froze, being teleported back into his memories again-he could see Gwen stumbling towards him, sobbing horribly and bearing four larger slashes from the lizard on her arm..."Captain Stacy!!" A voice called, and George snapped back into reality. He looked at the injured officer, studying the slashes. They were smaller than the ones that had scarred his daughter forever... cleaner cuts, looking more like knife wounds rather than animalistic clawing. But still, one could never know for sure... Please, please, anything other than a giant lizard again. George prayed in his mind before gritting his teeth and leading his squad into the bank.Once inside, they advanced towards the vaults, listening out for any movement. All the lights were off, adding an eerie atmosphere to the crime scene. When they were in the back of the bank, quick footsteps sounded off to George's right, and he turned towards it. George waved his hand at his men, telling them all to move in the other direction in case the robber was trying to flank them. Handgun still at the ready, he advanced towards where he'd heard the noise.As he kept moving forward, George kept an ear out for any movement. There was nothing for a while, getting the police captain more and more on edge. Suddenly, there was a large thud, and he heard one of his comrades yelping in pain.George moved towards the sound briskly, but stopped as he heard a similar sound-another officer was injured, in a different spot. Why are they splitting up?? He thought to himself, spinning around as he heard more and more screams go up-whatever was in the shadows was intentionally drawing them away from each other to take them down. And that meant that-A sharp pain seared George's calf, and he shouted in pain as he went down on one knee. He looked around, trying to see what had hurt him, before feeling the skin on his back get cut open. A stunned puff of air left George's lips, and he flopped onto his chest, groaning as he felt the wounds burn his flesh.
"Ooh, I see someone didn't like the scratches..."
The lights turned on, and George's eyes adjusted to the room getting lit up. Standing by the light switch was a young woman-one wearing a tight black bodysuit that hugged her curves a little too tightly, with feathery white plumage adorning the outfit's collar as well as the sections on the back of her arms and calves. Her main attire was oddly complimented by a leather jacket that bore edgy spikes lining her shoulders. George blinked at the sight, groaning as he weakly tried to work the action on his gun.The woman purred in amusement. "Did I really wear you out that badly?" She asked, her boot flying at his hands and kicking the gun out of his grasp. George looked at this robber, growing increasingly confounded by her appearance. She wore a thin mask around her eyes, and her hair had been dyed to a platinum shade of blonde. The woman chuckled softly as she noticed George trying to figure her out, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at him."Well, well..." She muttered, puckering her lips as George winced, feeling the slashes on his leg and back continue to burn. "...You're the famous Captain Stacy, aren't you?" The emphasis she put on his name was so unexpectedly forward, making George mentally add 'uncomfortable' onto the list of feelings he was experiencing in this moment.The robber began to walk around him, clicking her tongue before gingerly placing her boot on his upper back. George shut his eyes and winced from the pain, feeling her lean over to whisper in his ear. "Got anything left in the tank for me, big boy?" She purred, continuing to mess around as George's fists clenched in pain and discomfort."You know I'm old enough to be your father, right?" He growled, and the woman chuckled softly. "Don't tempt me, Captain." She said sarcastically, trailing her gloved finger along his jawline. Captain Stacy's eyes widened as he felt her finger change... becoming sharper and elongated on its own.Wait... huh?? George's eyes followed her hand as she withdrew it, watching the claw shape turn back into a normal finger. His brain couldn't process it, how did that happen? Was there some weird tech she was wearing in her gloves?"I'd love to stay and chat awhile, but you know how cats are..." She said, nudging his injured leg with her boot. "...Always doing their own thing." The young woman turned on her heels, walking over to a large duffel bag full of cash that she'd set on the ground. "Have fun nursing those love scratches, sweetheart." She cooed, smirking at George before leaping upwards. George's mouth fell open again as she reached the ceiling-which was about twenty feet off the ground-and burst through the tiles. He heard her crawling away through the ceiling, and let his head fall to the ground in defeat.What... what was that??George heard backup arriving, with his coworkers calling out for help as they found the rest of his squad, every one of them having deep, cat-like scratches in their flesh. He tried to push himself upwards, struggling to fight the pain from his injuries as he worked his way onto his knees."These crooks keep getting stranger and stranger." George muttered to himself, getting to his legs before limping towards the voices of his fellow officers.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I don't care what you say, I don't play the same games you play"
-I Don't Care Anymore, Phil Collins
The elevator doors parted as they reached the top floor, allowing Gwen Stacy to stride through while adjusting her lab coat. "Come on... get... in place-" Gwen muttered, trying to get the collar to fold properly as she strode past several tables with lab equipment.Finally, she was able to get the coat to look presentable. Gwen brushed her wavy strands of hair behind her shoulders, adjusting her nametag as she began to feel a familiar pinprick sensation on the back of her neck...She halted her movement, her heels making a sharp skrrt as Gwen's shoulders tensed. She looked up, seeing one of her coworkers-an actual scientist, not an intern like her-carrying a vial of brightly colored liquid. If Gwen's spider-sense hadn't kicked in, she would've run right into this poor guy and probably gotten both of their faces melted off."Aha ha... working hardly, or... hard at work? Wait..." Gwen's attempt to awkwardly make a joke out of the situation flopped, and the scientist shot her a confused look before walking off to continue his work on the science-y liquid he was holding.Yikes, Stacy. She told herself, cringing at how horribly she'd messed up the lighthearted saying before walking to her desk at the back of the room. As Gwen settled in her seat, she looked at the computer monitor before her, watching a stylistic 'O' that was the insignia of her company bounce around the screen while the computer remained in sleep mode. It almost landed perfectly in the corner, and Gwen sighed in disappointment.A few minutes later, she was still watching the 'O' move around the screen, now fully invested in watching it until it hit a corner. Gwen perked up as it took a certain angle, looking like it was on a direct path towards the corner-"Miss Stacy?"Gwen jumped again, her hands flying up in defense as she spun around to see her boss. "Oh... um... sorry, I-""You wanted to see it hit the corner exactly?" Dr. Octavius guessed, smiling faintly as Gwen grumbled in embarrassment, nodding to answer his question. Her boss chuckled softly, his eyes turning to the monitor. "I'm sorry for interrupting your fun time, I just noticed that you were staring at the monitor for an extended period of time and wanted to make sure you were alright.""I'm-" Gwen lifted her head, pausing to compose herself. "-Fine."
What an absolute lie.
As Gwen tried to keep a straight face on, her employer retained his sad smile. Gwen had been interning here rather than Oscorp ever since the summer before her senior year of high school-after the whole incident with Peter had gone down, Gwen just couldn't bring herself to work for the corporation whose serum he'd used. Naturally, Oscorp's biggest rival was her next option... though working for the dad of the dead guy that you were a thing with wasn't exactly something that prevented bad memories.Dr. Octavius's sad, yet encouraging visage made the blonde sigh, and she wiggled the computer mouse to make the computer wake up. "You know that I'm here for you to talk to if things aren't fine, right Gwen?" He offered, and Gwen had to bite her lip from the emotions that accompanied the scientist's sympathetic offer.Gwen's reluctance to establish new connections hadn't extended to the work she did alongside Owen's dad-the two brilliant minds had found a bit of an escape in working towards the goals of the company, mostly work to further undercut Oscorp. And that longing to get away from a sickening reality had established a bit of camaraderie between them."If..." Gwen hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek as she logged in to her computer. "...If I've got something that I need to tell you, then I will." She said, turning to look Dr. Octavius in the eye again. "I promise."Although he was still wary, the scientist nodded in response to her statement. "If you say so." He conceded, looking at her monitor. "What's on your agenda for today?""Normally my boss would be the person to ask." Gwen responded jokingly, causing Dr. Octavius to chuckle softly. "Most bosses don't have employees that want to be at work." He retorted, causing a dry smile to spread across Gwen's face. She did like being here, that was for sure."I'm taking a look at the stabilizer add-ons that I finished drawing up last week." She finally answered, pulling up the diagram for her contribution to Dr. Octavius's grand energy source project. Her boss had been experimenting with using Tritium fusion as a source of energy for quite some time now, and he had tasked Gwen with enhancing the stabilizing device. Her eyes scanned over her current diagram: rather than use one main receptor to keep the atoms stable, she had changed it to four smaller receptors to prevent overheating.Dr. Octavius studied Gwen's work, nodding his approval as he adjusted his glasses. "It looks like something you might find in the ocean." He noted with a chuckle, making Gwen smile as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He wasn't wrong, it did resemble a squid or an octopus if one looked at it closely enough."And, I..." Gwen spoke up, drumming her fingers on the table. "...I had another idea that I wanted to suggest-""Oh?" Dr. Octavius said, smiling with interest. "Tell me, what did you think up of?"Gwen shifted nervously in her seat. This was an outside-the-box idea, but there was a chance that it could work..."W-well..." She stammered, clearing her throat quickly as she looked at her boss. "...One of the bigger problems this was facing was how difficult it would be to get it to adjust as we need it to, correct?" "Correct." Dr. Octavius confirmed."So, hypothetically... if we were to develop a program that taught it to make those adjustments on its own, it would be a lot safer to work with." Gwen explained, flashing a nervous look at her current mentor.Dr. Octavius thought on her words for a few moments, until a smile began to light up his face. "You're suggesting we use-""AI." Gwen said with him, and Dr. Octavius beamed proudly."Ingenious!" He said, sounding highly impressed as Gwen chuckled softly. "Just a thought I had." Gwen added softly, shrugging her shoulders. "It will probably come with some problems of its own, but... there's a chance the positives will outweigh the negatives.""Well, I won't restrain your intellect, Miss Stacy." Dr. Octavius told her. "Keep up the good work."Gwen watched as he turned to leave, but he stopped himself. Her interest piqued as Dr. Octavius looked over his shoulder, smiling kindly at his intern."You've always been looking up to people, Miss Stacy." He noted calmly. "I think that, one day, when people hear about everything you've gone through and all the ways you still worked hard to help people... I think you'll be the one doing the inspiring."The kind words made Gwen bite her lip as emotions churned in her stomach. That was such an incredible compliment, especially from someone as highly regarded as Otto Octavius. Not only was he one of the smartest men in New York, but he'd kept pushing forward despite tragedy-losing his wife several years ago, and then Owen, his only child. For so long Gwen had gone to work with incredible guilt, knowing that she'd failed to save his son on that terrifying day. But she'd watched him continue to do what he loved while honoring his son's memory, and it had made her want to throw herself into this work to do the same.On top of that, there was the memory of her very first conversation with Otto, when her father had insisted on picking Owen up and driving him and his daughter to prom. Otto had told Gwen that she'd inspired Owen to attempt to take a new lease on life, and he was continuing to push that encouragement on her-that she had the ability to inspire with her actions, if she kept trying to do good in the world.But that train of thought led Gwen to reality... and the reality was that she wasn't helping people the way she used to. She'd given up crime-fighting after the Midtown Prom Incident, even though her powers continued to linger inside of her. Gwen wasn't even helpful as a friend, as evidenced by the unread text message from MJ on her phone. Losing Owen and Peter in such brutal fashion had taught Gwen that she couldn't balance everything that she wanted in life, and so she'd let those things fall by the wayside to devote herself to academics and science.But was that really what she was supposed to be doing?Gwen realized that she'd disappeared into her thoughts, and felt Dr. Octavius's slightly confused stare lingering on her. "Sorry... thank you." She said quickly. "I..." Gwen thought fast to think up of a good enough excuse. "...That just meant a lot, coming from you."The scientist nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. Right now, the two comrades were thinking about the same thing-they were always going to have a shared understanding in working through loss through their respective ties to Owen."I said it before: I'm a big Gwen Stacy fan." Dr. Octavius told her, a bittersweet smile on his face as he recalled that first conversation with her. "And you've done nothing but make me look like a genius for believing in you..."Later that night, Gwen was typing away on her laptop, working on another assignment whose due date was rapidly approaching. The blonde sighed, taking a break while rubbing her temples with her fingers. "You know that migraine medication is a thing, right?"Gwen rolled her eyes in amusement at the voice of the person that had been staying over at her dorm lately. She turned in her chair, meeting the gaze of the dark-haired male that was typing on his own laptop while laying on her bed. "I don't think it would mix well with the Effexor." Gwen replied, referring to the anti-depressants she'd been taking ever since the Midtown Prom Incident. Her eyes lingered on her companion, studying his outfit. "What's with the lab coat, Owen?"Owen Octavius looked down at the large white coat that he was wearing, shrugging his shoulders in response. "I think that's a 'you' problem, if I'm being honest." He teased, making Gwen scoff. "Gee, thanks for the help."She turned around to type on her laptop again, but could hear shuffling sounds behind her: Owen was getting up and walking over. "Hey..." He whispered softly, and Gwen let her eyes drift shut as she felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her shoulders from behind. The physical affection that she'd never gotten to feel made a lump well up in her throat, and she took a deep breath as she leaned into his touch."It feels so real." She whispered shakily, and Owen nodded in agreement. "I know it does." He agreed, his fingers toying with the ends of Gwen's hair as she felt tears begin to form in her eyes. "Owen..." Gwen whimpered, looking up into his eyes. "...Owen, I'm so sorry-""I know you are." Owen answered, a soothing tone in his voice as he nuzzled her in an effort to get Gwen to calm down. "You don't have to prove it to me..."Gwen hated this-she hated that life had to mock her by giving her dreams of this relationship that had been ripped away so suddenly. The hurt in her heart made her insanely desperate, and she reached up, draping her arms around Owen's neck before pulling him in for a kiss.Once again, like it did every time she kissed him in her dreams... it felt like nothing. Gwen whined in frustration, feeling her lips quivering as she kissed him, harder. Still nothing. She pulled away, shaking her head hopelessly as she looked at him. "Please..." Gwen begged him, tears in her eyes as she moved to where she was sitting on her knees in her chair. She cupped Owen's face sweetly in her hands, tilting her head before bringing her lips to his with all the longing for him that she could.
Nothing.
Gwen's head fell to Owen's shoulders, her fingers gripping the back of his shirt as she sobbed into the fabric. This was so unfair!! Everything else about this dream felt so, so real, except for what she wanted most. "O-Owen-" She choked out, lifting her head once more. But now, the sympathetic light in his eyes was gone, replaced by a sudden sternness that made her freeze. "Owen-?""Why aren't you working, Gwen?" Owen asked abruptly, making Gwen swallow nervously. "Wh...what-?""Why..." Owen growled, pointing a finger at her laptop screen. "...Aren't you working?!!"The sudden shift in his tone made her jump, letting go of him as her heart beat faster in her chest. "Owen, I don't understand..." She told him, glancing at her laptop out of the corner of her eye. But once Gwen saw what he was pointing at, she couldn't look away. Where her homework had been displaying on the screen was now aerial footage of New York, flames spreading everywhere and people racing aimlessly in sheer terror."There are people out there that need you to go back." Owen insisted, his voice growing increasingly frustrated as Gwen looked back, shaking her head rapidly. "No, I can't!! I tried it before, and it got you killed-""You have great power, Gwen!!" Owen snapped, holding his hands up in exasperation. "And with great power like that comes great responsibility!!"Gwen's tears returned, and she clutched her hands to her chest. "Owen..." She said weakly, trying to move away from him. "...Owen, let me wake up! You're scaring me, Owen!!""No..." Owen shook his head. Gwen's mouth fell open as her whole room darkened, somehow pooling into Owen and turning him into shadows while his features contorted. Where there was once a handsome, lightly freckled face, there was now a vicious, fang-laced grin with an almost evil set of glowing white eyes."...I'm not scaring you... not yet."Owen's open jaws raced at Gwen, and she screamed in terror... opening her eyes to her dorm room as she flopped out of bed, landing with a thud on the floor.Gwen's shoulder hurt from having landed directly on it, but she didn't care. The blonde hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing frantically from the mixture of heartache and fear that had been brought on by the nightmare. She'd told her doctor about these dreams she'd been having, and all they could say was that it was a side effect of the Effexor. Unless she wanted to deal with life without the anti-depressant, she was going to have to wait until she quit having nightmares.Knowing there was nothing else she could do, Gwen clutched her knees closer, weeping into her pajamas as the fresh memories of the dream continued to run through her mind.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Someone finds salvation in everyone, another only pain"
-Be Yourself, Audioslave
Even though her tears were spent by now, Gwen remained on the floor, her heart still raw from another thorough beating administered by nightmares. She couldn't get any of that out of her head-the hopelessness, the feeling of being so enticingly close to affection from Owen yet still so far, and then the fear as the young man she'd fallen for had morphed into that insidious monster and attacked.Gwen lifted her hands, running them through her wavy tangles of hair as she tried to think of something to distract herself with. Phone. Her brain thought immediately. Phone, grab it... find something to look up, watch some videos, anything but thinking back to what I just saw...She groaned as she pushed herself up, her shoulder still sore from having fallen on it once the nightmare ended. Gwen got to her feet, then promptly sat on her bed before retrieving her phone from her nightstand. But as she unlocked it, her eyes immediately went to her text messages, where the red notification bubble still remained from MJ's unread text.Maybe it was just from being emotional after the nightmare, but Gwen's stomach ached with guilt as she looked at it. Even though she was trying to disconnect from relationships to avoid a repeat of the Owen and Peter situation, she couldn't help but feel awful for outright ignoring someone she'd been close to. Especially someone as pure and caring as Mary Jane Watson.Anything but thinking back to what I just saw... Gwen thought again, and sighed to herself as she pulled up MJ's text, her eyes scanning over the words that had been sent by her friend.
"Hey Gwen!! Just wanted to ask if you were busy this week, feels like it's been FOREVER since we hung out! I really miss you, drummer girl."
Ouch. Gwen's heart panged, her mind reading every word in MJ's voice as she looked over them. After all the silence that Gwen had sent everyone's way... MJ was still reaching out to her. Why am I surprised? Gwen thought to herself. That's such an MJ thing to do."There are people out there that need you to go back." Owen's warning from Gwen's dream made the blonde's fingers tense up as she held her phone. MJ was probably just wanting to hang out with a friend... but maybe there was something else behind this text? Something that was hurting MJ, maybe something rough that she needed to confide in Gwen for?Was MJ one of those people that Gwen needed to go back to?Don't. Gwen's mind told her, but she couldn't stop herself this time. Even if MJ didn't need a helping hand in this moment, the possibility that she might was too much to ignore. Gwen's thumbs tapped her screen, sending a message that just read, "Hi MJ".That's it? Gwen scolded herself. You really have lost your social touch, Stacy.She paused, then began to type out a follow-up message. She probably won't see them until tomorrow, anyways... it's almost midnight. Gwen thought to herself, but stopped what she was doing as three dots appeared at the bottom of the screen.
"GWEN!! OMG YOU'RE THERE!!'"
MJ's text flashed on her phone, and Gwen felt her heart warming up-the familiar sensation of knowing that a close one was communicating without being there bringing a smile to the blonde's face as the three dots popped up again."I've got SO SO MUCH to talk to you about!! Are you going to have some time soon to catch up?!!" MJ's next message made Gwen chuckle to herself-again, she could practically hear MJ's overexcited voice through the texts."As soon as possible would be good lol," Gwen responded, feeling an almost forgotten tenderness stirring in her heart. MJ didn't respond right away this time, but part of Gwen felt good-surely just one hangout with MJ wouldn't lead to disaster, right?Gwen waited for a response but didn't get one. Apparently, something had grabbed MJ's attention and distracted her, even this late at night.Setting her phone back on her nightstand, Gwen sighed and walked over to her desk. Might as well get stuff done if I'm not going to sleep. She thought to herself. As she opened her laptop and pulled up a document she'd been working on, Gwen found herself continuing to smile-tomorrow, when MJ was rested and not distracted, she'd probably text another upbeat response, and they'd get a hangout session planned. She had no idea what it would look like, but Gwen couldn't help but feel hopeful that it would go well.Forty minutes of academic concentration passed by, and Gwen finally took a break, prying her eyes away from the screen and stretching her arms. Despite how heavy her eyelids felt, Gwen knew that there was no point in trying to go to sleep again-
Knock, knock, knock!!
Gwen jumped as she heard a flurry of knocks at her door, followed by someone saying her name. No way... that wasn't...She trotted over, looking through the peephole to see an all-too-familiar redhead, waving her hand with a big grin on her face."MJ?!!" Gwen said in astonishment, pulling the door open. As she did, her old friend rushed through, squeezing the blonde tightly in a hug and lifting her off her feet."AHHH, GWEN!! I missed you! I missed you!!" MJ laughed warmly, setting the Gwen down and bouncing excitedly on her toes. "How have you been? I need to see what you've done with your dorm-oh my gosh, where are your bangs??" MJ held Gwen's face in her hands, studying the blonde's hair intently. Gwen had quit trying to maintain her trademark bangs at college and was currently wearing all of her hair in a uniform shoulder-length cut. "It's so weird seeing you without bangs, Gwen!! You look fantastic though." "MJ, how..." Gwen was catching her breath from nearly being crushed by the force of MJ's hug, and she was still confused as to the whole 'MJ being here in the middle of the night' thing."...How did you come here? Why did you come here??" Gwen asked, not sounding upset due to the pure joy of seeing her good friend in person again. The redhead tilted her friend in confusion. "You said that you wanted to hang out as soon as possible." MJ told her. "So I drove here and called all the dorms until I found yours.""Oh my gosh..." Gwen laughed in disbelief at the lengths MJ had just gone to all because she'd taken Gwen's text as literal. All of the residential assistants whom she'd called were probably going to block MJ's number now, but it was still so amazing that she'd done that. "...So glad to see you haven't changed, MJ." Gwen said with a chuckle, stepping aside to let her friend in.MJ flashed her always-jovial grin at Gwen before walking past her and observing her dorm. "Oh, wow, this is very..." MJ's eyes studied the lack of decoration on Gwen's grey walls, as well as her closet that had a lack of diversified clothing colors. "...Distinct! I see you're going for the whole monotone aesthetic."Gwen took a seat on her bed, watching MJ look around. The redhead turned her attention to the shelf beside Gwen's desk, her expression turning curious as she saw the small, metal contraptions that lined the shelf. MJ tilted her head, reaching for one of them. "What are-""Don't!!" Gwen jumped up and caught MJ's arm before she grabbed one of the gadgets that Gwen had been developing in her free time. Every so often, her pondering on whether or not she should return to fighting crime was accompanied by tinkering around with ideas that she could (hypothetically) use in combat. Of course, Gwen hadn't been expecting MJ, so she hadn't thought to hide them."Those are, um..." Gwen blinked quickly as MJ looked into the blonde's nervous eyes. "...Just some things I'm working with for... work. They're just very fragile, so... don't touch. Please."In reality, MJ had been about to grab what Gwen had been calling a 'web-netter,' which would've ensnared MJ in full-body webbing had Gwen's bubbly friend accidentally activated the device."Well... if you say so!" MJ agreed, withdrawing her hand before turning to face Gwen. "So, you're doing science-y work AND science-y college classes?" She asked, smirking and folding her arms over her chest. "Always a glutton for punishment, Gwen."Gwen smiled sheepishly before sitting on her bed again. "Just trying to get a career started is all." She said, and MJ nodded, looking at Gwen's desk chair before smiling. "Ooh, a spinny chair... I bet you have lots of fun with that thing!" MJ laughed, plopping into the chair before grabbing Gwen's desk and making herself spin wildly, throwing her hands up in the air as if it was a carnival ride.Gwen snorted as she started to laugh, watching MJ's distinct red hair whip around as she spun herself as fast as possible. In that moment, Gwen found herself wondering how she could've ever forgotten how much of a breath of fresh air MJ was at all times. "Careful, you're going to scramble your brain!""Oh, you and Felicia used to say my brain was scrambled anyways." MJ retorted, her eyes glinting as she winked at Gwen. "A little more couldn't hurt-" With that, she made herself spin again, letting out a light "-Wheeeeee!!" MJ's utter silliness made Gwen fall back on her bed, laughing harder than she had in a long, long time as she clutched her stomach. The redhead stopped her spinning once she saw her friend clutching her stomach with joy, looking at Gwen as if that's all that she'd wanted to see."I think I broke your gigglebox." MJ noted, moving to sit on the end of Gwen's bed before crossing one leg over the other. "So... who is this lucky company that managed to employ you?"Gwen had to take a few deep breaths to calm down, her face flushed as she sat up. "Oh... Octavius Industries."The response made MJ's enthusiasm turn to somberness real quick. "Isn't that run by-" "Owen's dad. Yeah."Gwen's answer seemed to hang in the air forever, as the lightheartedness the two friends had been sharing died down. MJ rubbed the fabric of Gwen's comforter between her fingers nervously, while Gwen bit her lip and drummed her fingers on her thigh."It..." Gwen spoke up, wanting to get the conversation back onto better topics. "...It's a good job, really. I'm getting to work on really advanced stuff, Dr. Octavius is a great boss-the best boss ever, really." MJ nodded as Gwen spoke, then broke out into a grin again as Gwen mentioned that Dr. Octavius was the 'best boss ever.' "You should buy him a coffee mug that says that, like the one from the Office."Gwen blinked at MJ's comment, pursing her lips as she tried to think of how to respond. "Well... well, I-""Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy..." MJ said dramatically, putting a hand over her heart as a fake look of offense crossed her face. "...Don't tell me that you still haven't watched it-""-I haven't."MJ put her hands on her head, pretending to be exasperated as she mouthed 'OMG.' "Gwen!! I told you that you need to watch the Office-" "I tried! Really, I watched all of the first season, but-""-YOU CAN'T STOP AT THE FIRST SEASON, STACY!!" MJ exclaimed, her theatrics making Gwen start to crack up. "The first two seasons are a little dodgy, but after that? Pure cinema." MJ added, putting her hands on her waist and clicking her tongue. "I'm so disappointed in you." She said jokingly, a grin on her face as she continued to give Gwen a hard time.Gwen just snickered, not having a good response. She was just glad to be having some time with her friend after months apart from her.Months apart that was your own doing. Gwen's embittered inner monologue chimed in, making the blonde's smile waver.MJ noticed the lapse in happiness exuded by her friend and scooted forward. "Hey..." She asked, putting a hand on her Gwen's arm. "...What's the matter?"It took a few moments for Gwen to respond, but she let her shoulders sag as she kept looking down. "I've just felt really awful for a long time." She confessed, the vulnerability peeking through as Gwen shifted to sit cross-legged. "I felt like I shouldn't be reaching out to anyone anymore... I didn't talk to you or Felicia, haven't visited dad-""Wait, you haven't seen your dad?" MJ asked, sounding alarmed.Her tone made Gwen's head snap up, and she nodded. "Y-yeah... what about it?"MJ's sudden demeanor of alarm continued, and the redhead gave Gwen a sorrowful look. "It was in the papers... he got hurt pretty badly at a robbery." She explained, the words sending a chilling sensation down Gwen's spine. "Him and a bunch of other officers... they all got attacked by one person-that Black Cat robber that's been out and about lately.""Wh...what?" Gwen spat out, trying to process all this information at once. "He got hurt? Black Cat robber? MJ, what-" "You should go visit your dad." MJ suggested, her hand moving to Gwen's shoulder as she gave the blonde a meaningful look. "I just got all of that from the papers... I'm sure he could explain it better to you."Gwen's head was spinning and all she could do was give a blank stare."Besides..." MJ added, trying to smile in the face of her friend's sudden speechlessness. "...I'm sure he probably misses you... a lot." She said, rubbing Gwen's shoulder and getting the blonde to meet her vision again. "I bet it would mean a lot to him if you went home.""MJ, I..." Gwen nervously kneaded her fingers together in her lap, unsure of how to explain why she had some reservations about seeing her dad. "...I really don't know."For the longest time, Gwen had thought that it would've been borderline impossible to leave home for college. But after what happened a year and a half ago... Gwen felt like she was practically dying to live on her own.How am I supposed to get MJ to understand? Gwen thought to herself. 'Hey, MJ! I'm the Ghost Spider that everyone thinks killed Owen and Peter!! Not only that, but my dad caught me in my spider-suit at the scene and shot me in the arm to try to subdue me, and it's his testimony that's gotten the whole public turned against me!'It would've been ludicrous. George Stacy had no idea that the vigilante he'd wounded was his own daughter, but that didn't mean that Gwen felt safe around him anymore.MJ's expression went from encouraging, to perplexed, to resigned. "Look... I don't know what's going on in your world right now, but all I know is that I don't see the same Gwen Stacy I used to know when I look at you.""You and me both." Gwen muttered, her abrupt agreement making MJ's heart ache for her friend. As MJ pondered her next words, Gwen watched her changing facial expressions, wondering what route her friend was going to take next to convince her."Do you remember that big food fight our junior year?" MJ eventually spoke up, and Gwen tilted her head."Yeah... the one Felicia started after Miles threw a tray of food at Flash Thompson?" Gwen asked to clarify. That memory brought a halfhearted smile to Gwen's face. It had been good to watch Flash get what he deserved from Miles Morales, as well as to deal out a punch to the bully's face herself. Miles... Gwen thought to herself, her ever-active brain wandering down another train of thought. ...Whatever happened to him...?"Stacy, look here." MJ said, snapping her fingers and making Gwen jump."Huh? Got distracted-""All of that started because you were bold enough to go up to the biggest jerk in high school when you saw him being horrible to me." MJ reminded her, the words having Gwen's full attention. "That was the Gwen Stacy I knew... you risked your neck for me that day without a second thought, and now your father's been hurt by some criminal and you don't even want to go say 'hi' to him?" The statement hit Gwen like a ton of bricks. She looked down, conflicting emotions vying for control as she thought about what MJ had said. Yes, there was a scar on her arm from where George had fired a warning shot at Ghost Spider. But if Gwen was being honest with herself... she really couldn't bring herself to say that her father would ever knowingly harm her."Just... think about it, at the very least." MJ sighed, moving off of Gwen's bed. The redhead looked around the room one more time, then looked at Gwen. "I really want my best friend to be okay, that's it." She said softly, making her way to the door."Wait-"Gwen's voice made MJ look over her shoulder, her hand stopping on the door handle as Gwen took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming over, MJ."MJ slowly began to smile at Gwen, bouncing on her toes a few times as appreciation filled her eyes. "Let's not make it the last time, okay drummer girl?" MJ requested, hopefulness in her tone.A few seconds passed as Gwen gave it thought. Eventually, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I'll text you if I'm ever free." Gwen promised, causing her friend to grin eagerly."Okay... bye, Gwen." MJ said, pulling the door open and waving at Gwen. She slipped into the hallway, closing the door behind her and leaving Gwen with more thoughts than she'd had in a long time. But one thing just wouldn't settle in her mind, no matter how hard Gwen tried to push it aside... she got off of her bed and walked to her laptop, opening it back up before pulling up a search engine. Wanting some answers, Gwen typed in the words 'NYC Black Cat Robber,' causing a flurry of recently published news articles to appear...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"If you could return, don't let it burn, don't let it fade"
-Linger, The Cranberries
Gwen had been standing in front of the door for several minutes, but her nerves were still not calmed. She took another deep breath, lifting her hand to knock against the door of her home.But she couldn't.Gripping her hair in exasperation, Gwen turned around and paced in a circle while muttering incoherently to herself. "Breath. Just breathe... nothing bad is going to happen. He's your father." Her fingers had her wavy hair curled around them as she put her back to the door, nearly convincing herself that it would be best to just leave and go back to her dorm.Despite Gwen's conflicted state of mind, MJ's words continued to make their way to the forefront of her mind-not just her recommendation for Gwen to visit her dad, but also that her dad had recently been injured in a robbery.The thought of some random robber being dangerous enough to land a few wounds on Captain Stacy had caught Gwen's attention, and she'd done her research... apparently this criminal known to the public as 'Black Cat' had been hitting smaller banks for the past few weeks, but the robbery that left Gwen's father injured had been her grandest heist yet. No one knew what her ultimate goal was, and no one had any idea of who she actually was. All that anyone could tell was that Black Cat was crafty, needlessly flirtatious, and effective at what she did.A while back, such a threat to the city's well-being would've seemed like a clear-cut issue for Gwen to handle herself, but those days were in the past. She'd learned the hard way that one small lapse in decision-making was all it took to bring so much devastation in such a short period of time...The past was coming up too much. Gwen's eyelids shut tightly as the memories flashed by in her mind: flickering pictures of the raging lizard destroying the prom, Owen's ill-advised attack on Peter to defend Gwen, and then Gwen's father, looking at her down the barrel of a gun.Just as she began to move towards the steps that would take her back to the sidewalk, Gwen heard the door swing open behind her. The blonde spun on her heels, coming face-to-face with George Stacy.Seeing her father's face for the first time in months left Gwen frozen, her heart stopping inside her chest as her mouth parted slightly. George looked... rough. Her father's hair was disheveled, and the dark shading under his eyes indicated a lack of sleep. Despite his mentally and physically drained appearance, the shock that Gwen wore on her face was mirrored on his own in a way that could happen only between family."H... hi, dad." Gwen greeted softly, watching her father blink, as if to assure himself that this was happening. The girl's hands grasped the straps of her backpack, feeling the weight of her laptop and a few other items pulling on her shoulders."Gwen, I-" He said, the rasp in his tone letting Gwen know that he'd probably just woken up. Her father's eyes darted hesitantly as he gestured lightly at her with his hand. "-I wasn't expecting you... I don't think I got a text saying that you were coming over."Whoops. Gwen mentally cursed herself for forgetting such a basic step of communication. "Yeah, this..." She folded her hands behind her back, finally turning to face her dad. "...This is a little impromptu. I'm sorry that I didn't text you."George continued staring, completely caught off-guard by his daughter showing up. "Uh... come in! I-" He moved out of the doorway so that Gwen could walk in, working up a smile so that his apparent shock wouldn't take away from his daughter's return. "-I don't have anything cooking right now, but I'll get something on!" George said quickly. "Is there anything in particular you want, Gwen? French toast? Pancakes?""I'm not very hungry..." Gwen said quietly, feeling her nerves flaring up as soon as she entered her old home. The sound of the door being shut was accompanied by a familiar gunshot echoing in Gwen's memory, making her swallow nervously as she tried not to look at her father too much."Kiddo-Gwen, sorry-" Her father caught himself using the name he'd called her for so long, only to remember that Gwen wasn't a kid anymore. "-You look pretty starved." George noted, sounding concerned as Gwen slowly folded her arms over her stomach, subconsciously wanting to hide the fact that she wasn't looking particularly healthy. She'd quit wanting to eat as much as she normally did after the prom, but her father had always gotten her to eat at least most of the meals she was given. Once Gwen was on her own, the meals became far more scattered, and the blonde was on her way to an inverse version of the 'freshman 15.' She didn't like the look, but she couldn't bring herself to really enjoy a meal anymore, either. Gwen's doctor had claimed that the Effexor would help with that, but that was just something else that the medicine hadn't been able to fix yet."Just let me make you something to eat, Gwen. Please." George asked, his voice sounding calm and collected, as it always did when he was trying to appeal to her, or anyone. But Gwen knew not to focus on the voice to know what George Stacy was really thinking... she met his eyes, and she could tell right away that he wasn't just wanting to be kind and cook a meal for his daughter. He was pleading with her to finally eat something.The blonde shrugged her shoulders, still unable to close the distance she'd put between herself and her father. "I'll... I'll take some pancakes. Shouldn't be too hard to make-" "It's not about if it's hard to make," George insisted with a gentle smile, being the one to take a step closer as Gwen felt herself bristle. "It's about whether or not that's what my little girl wants."Why was she feeling so uncomfortable? Gwen could see her father's love for her in his eyes, intertwined with concern that the girl he'd raised wasn't doing well at all. But she couldn't bring herself to smile back at him. All Gwen could do was nod politely and murmur, "Thank you."George seemed to take what he could get, moving towards the kitchen. His noticeable limp from whatever injuries Black Cat had dealt him made Gwen's heart clench. The sight of her father-whom she'd grown up being convinced was invincible-being in such a weakened state was such a jarring thing to witness. Even more so was George's heavy breathing as he tried to make it to the kitchen, his leg shaking as it tried to hold him up despite the pain.Then something else happened... an old feeling, one that Gwen hadn't been attuned to for a while. She felt pinpricks on the back of her neck, which made her gasp as she felt something inside-a bad feeling, like a voice urging her to run forward and catch her father...A split second after Gwen's spider-sense made her dash forward, her father took an awkward trip and began to fall forward. His head was on a collision course with the table, but Gwen reached him just before he hit it, grabbing her father by his shoulder and arm."Are you okay?" Gwen asked quickly, helping her father get to his feet as George looked at her frantically. "How... how'd you..." He looked down the hallway, trying to figure out how his daughter had managed to close such a distance-about twenty feet-in a nanosecond."Are you okay??" Gwen asked again, and George's eyes refocused on her. The police captain nodded slowly, and Gwen let go of him with a sigh. "Here, I'll make the pancakes-""No, Gwen, I'm fine-""-This is your definition of 'fine'?""Is it yours??"George's retort made Gwen pause, and her lips pressed together in slight frustration. She really couldn't argue with him on that one. "Why don't I bring you what you need so that you can make them without falling and busting your head on something?"Her father sighed, relenting as he sat down in his chair. "Works for me." George muttered. "Pancake mix should be in-""The cupboard." Gwen finished for him, hints of a smile forming on her face. "I remember."She turned around as her father ran his hands through his hair, exhaling as he calmed down from the embarrassment of having almost hurt himself in front of his daughter. Gwen, for her part, walked to the cupboard and set her backpack on the counter. "You staying here long?" George asked, and Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I was thinking until tomorrow evening, if that's okay with you." Gwen answered, and her father nodded quickly."It'll always be okay, Gwen." George told her. "This is your home, and it's always going to be your home."Her father's assurance felt so different from what it used to be... Gwen could remember so many long speeches where her father helped to pinpoint her insecurities and offer his advice on how to handle them. Now, the broken connection had left George to simply give bits and pieces of what was surely much more that he had to say to her. She quickly turned back to the cupboard, pulling it open before reaching for the pancake mix. But before she took hold of the box, her vision caught something, something that made her feel queasy.
A bottle of liquor.
Gwen quickly yanked the pancake mix down, shutting the cupboard before she could think about the implications of that bottle any longer. She gathered the rest of what was needed before bringing everything to the table and sitting in her old seat. George studied the instructions on the box, carefully getting everything into a mixing bowl while occasionally looking up at his daughter.As Gwen sat in silence, she could practically feel her father on the cusp of saying something else several times before apparently thinking better of it. It made her eyes lift from the floor to her father's face, staring at the grey-blue irises that resembled her own."What?" Gwen's father frowned slightly at first as he caught onto Gwen staring at him, but the corner of his lip eventually raised in a smile. "Is there something on my face?"The little joke made Gwen scoff slightly, a weak smile crossing her lips as she leaned back in her chair. "I just... I thought you were about to say something." She told her father, making the older man sigh softly. George set the mixing bowl on the table before turning his attention fully to Gwen."How come you're visiting now?" He asked, a gentle tone in his voice as he finally spoke what had been on his mind. "I'm not trying to complain, Gwen, it... it just felt like it came out of nowhere." George added, his weary eyes giving his daughter a look of confusion. "I haven't heard from you in months while you were away-I understand that you're busy and all, but... it just feels weird that you popped back over all of a sudden. What happened?"There was no accusation or frustration in his tone, yet Gwen still felt like she'd been put on the spot. The blonde's shoulders tensed up, and she looked down at her hands while trying to piece together a response. "I... I saw MJ for the first time in a while." She told her dad, whose eyes lit up."Oh, that's good!" George said, smiling at Gwen. "I always thought MJ was a good friend for you to have, people like her are very hard to come by.""You're not kidding." Gwen chuckled in agreement. "We just talked for a while, and I mentioned how I haven't gone to see you in a while... and she said I should come visit. So I did." She explained, sounding nonchalant and casual as her father listened along."Well, I'm glad you decided to listen to her." Her father said, gratitude in his voice as he went back to mixing the pancake batter.Gwen had ended up spending most of the day in her room, going through articles from the past that she'd forgotten by now. Old science books by her favorite authors, CDs from music albums she'd used to love, pictures of her and MJ or Felicia... or all three of them together...But now she was seated on her bed, her unzipped backpack laying beside her as she fiddled with a small device in her hands: one of the various gadgets she'd developed at college during her spurts of wanting to go back to crime-fighting.Normally, this time of the day had been occupied by thoughts of the past returning to haunt Gwen for having failed the people she'd cared about, but today the thoughts were about something more current. Over and over again, her brain replayed the image of her dad, barely able to walk and almost hurting himself had Gwen not dashed over to his aid.Two emotions were wrestling with each other inside of Gwen's heart, one of them being the eeriness of being around the man who had unknowingly shot her arm. She'd never looked at her father the same way after he'd fired a warning shot at what had then been a nameless vigilante, even though things could've been different had George known exactly whom he'd been firing at.On the other hand was the hurt in her heart as she watched someone she'd cared about-a great man-being so weak and helpless due to criminal activity. Never once had Captain Stacy come back from fighting crime with injuries that had wounded him so heavily, but that robber that had attacked him-Black Cat-whatever she'd done had been enough to damage his leg muscles pretty severely. Unfortunately, George Stacy was far too stubborn to get a crutch or a brace for it.Gwen tossed the gadget back into her bag, then jumped as she heard something go POOF inside of her backpack. She'd accidentally tossed it too hard, and it had unleashed thick webbing that filled up the bag. Shaking her head, the blonde zipped her backpack up before heading downstairs to see what her father was up to.Once she was halfway down the stairwell, Gwen was able to lean over the banister to look into the kitchen. And what she saw made her freeze-George was seated at the table, staring lifelessly into the unopened bottle of liquor she'd seen earlier.As she felt herself begin to sweat, Gwen remembered the conversation her father had given her once she'd gone to middle school, one where he'd been honest with her about how he'd used to hit the bottle pretty hard before meeting her mother. George hadn't held back with the ramifications of abusing alcohol, all in the hopes that Gwen would learn from his mistakes. It had been successful, as even in the midst of her spiraling mental state Gwen had stayed as far away from alcohol as she could.But it seemed as if Gwen wasn't the only one teetering on the edge of falling into more pain, as George was struggling to not give in to his own demons. The sight twisted Gwen's stomach into knots, making her fingers grip the banister tightly.George's police radio-which had been set on the table by his arm-pierced the silence as it buzzed, causing Gwen's father to sigh and pick it up. He clicked a button, muttering, "Captain Stacy, over," before listening to what his fellow officers had to say.Gwen couldn't hear the garbled words that well, but she could make out the few words that mattered: Eastside, bank, and Black Cat.George nodded once his comrade was done talking, clicking the button and saying, "Tell Captain Davis not to send anyone inside. Just get the exits cut off and hope for the best, over." Captain Stacy let the radio clatter out of his hand, and he sighed deeply before eyeing the bottle once more.He was still out of commission due to his injuries... and Gwen could tell from his tone that the renowned police captain had absolutely no hope that the NYPD was able to handle this new crook. Gwen's father-her shining example of a human being displaying strength and perseverance-was dead on the inside, and she was only now beginning to see it.In that moment, a winner began to emerge between the aforementioned wrestling emotions in Gwen's heart: and it was that innate father-daughter connection. Even though it was hanging by a thread... that thread hadn't snapped just yet.Gwen felt something like a raging storm filling every inch of her soul as she turned back up the stairs, returning to her room before pressing the door shut with her back. She inhaled slowly, anticipation and a bit of fear swimming around her mind as she walked towards a certain section of the floor-a piece that always creaked whenever she'd stepped on it.Removing the board and the plywood beneath, Gwen's eyes fell upon a familiar sight-a black-and-white body suit, with a familiar mask laying on top of it.All of Gwen's brain was screaming at her for this-she was being stupid, reckless, all of the above for wanting to put that suit on and going after Black Cat.But her heart wasn't screaming... all it did was show her the image of her father staring into the bottle and fighting to not give in. And that feeling was stronger than any of the fear or anxiety she felt in that moment.
Time to get back out there...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hello, I've waited here for you"
-Everlong, the Foo Fighters
It hadn't taken long for Gwen to make it to the crime scene. Eastside, she'd remembered that from the officer contacting her father earlier. Once she had fixed up her suit and gotten it on for the first time in over a year, Gwen had crawled out of her bedroom window and swung into the air. Her movements felt a bit less coordinated due to not having done this in a while, and Gwen couldn't let herself glide and flip through the air with ease like she once did.
No acrobatics... you're trying to get something done here.
And you really shouldn't be doing this, if you're being honest.
Gwen didn't dare swing low to the bustling streets. The whole time, she slung webs from the highest buildings in the city, hoping to stay out of view. Ghost-Spider was still a wanted criminal, after all, and Gwen really didn't want to run into any more trouble than she'd already planned to.As she reached the east side of the city, she could hear a concentration of police sirens... Gwen followed the sound, eventually spotting a line of police cars parked in front of a bank. She swung her way to the tallest building nearby the bank, having to come to a running stop once she made it to the roof.Alright... Gwen thought to herself, pulling her backpack off her shoulders and unzipping it. ...Time to make use of the new tech.Her hand dug around in the backpack, feeling several of her gadgets that she'd thought up of during her time at college. Gwen hadn't ever fully convinced herself to go back to this... but that didn't keep her mind from wandering at times.At last, she felt her fingers wrap around what she was looking for. Gwen pulled out a small metal device that resembled a hockey puck, then clicked a button on the side. The device beeped, and eight small legs sprouted from it before she dropped it on the ground. "Okay..." She said softly, pulling out a small, remote-like piece of tech before strapping it to the back of her arm. "...Let's do a little eavesdropping."Gwen worked the buttons on the remote, making her 'spider-spy' crawl towards the edge of the roof, then work its way down the side of the wall until it was within hearing range of the officers at the neighboring bank. She adjusted the volume that would emanate from the remote on her arm, listening in to see if she could get any useful information.
"How many people managed to get out?"
"Almost all of them. There's one poor sap still in the building."
"Don't you think we should be going in there to help?"
"After she took down a whole unit the other day? I don't think we'd be helping very much..."
Well, that was some much-needed information. Gwen called the gadget back to her, watching as it quickly ascended up the wall and crawled back to her. The gadget beeped again, and the legs retracted into itself as it turned off. One hostage... and all the time in the world to work with since the police won't go in. Gwen thought through her options as she put the gadget and the remote in her bag, slinging it back over her shoulders before studying the exterior of the bank. Her eyes drifted to the roof, seeing her way in: the ever-trustworthy rooftop ventilation. Looking down to make sure none of the officers were looking upwards, Gwen dove off the top of the building, sailing towards the bank before performing a tuck and roll on the bank's roof. She sprang back to her feet, dusting her suit off before walking forward to pry off the front grate of the ventilation. After taking several deep breaths, Gwen proceeded to crawl inside.It felt so strange being 'out there' again. Something about wearing the suit again felt uncomfortable, despite the fact that Gwen had specifically designed it to fit her frame. The feeling had been amplified when she'd been swinging around the city to get here... it was like she felt completely exposed, wanting to cover herself up despite the fact that she was clad in the suit from head to toe.What would people do if they saw her? To the vast majority of New York City, Ghost Spider was an absolute terror, a criminal responsible for two deaths at a high school prom. Despite how pressing those thoughts were, she pushed them aside for the time being in order to concentrate on any sounds from the building around her. Eventually, a noise reached her ears... a conversation between two people.Black Cat and the hostage. Gwen deduced immediately. There was no one else in the building with her...She crawled in the direction of the conversation, slowly beginning to make out phrases between the criminal and her latest victim.
"Please, just let me go, I can't help you-"
"Oh, but I think you could be of great use to me, sweetheart..."
"-I can't open this vault!! It's against policy, I'll lose my job-"
"...Mmm, I can make up for that. Believe me, I can more than make up for it."
The flirtatious tone that Gwen was hearing-which had to be coming from Black Cat-made her brow furrow in a mix of confusion and disgust. She'd confronted a lot of abnormal minds while fighting crime, but Black Cat's use of innuendo made Gwen cringe inwardly in discomfort.Soon, the two voices were clear. Light shined upwards into the vent from a grate, and Gwen crawled towards it. Peering down through the openings, she saw the person she'd been searching for-a platinum blonde female donned in a slick, black jumpsuit with a spiked leather vest over her shoulders. Beneath her heel was a balding male, wearing glasses and shaking in discomfort and fear."So... do we have a deal?" Black Cat asked the banker, gently working her boot along the man's chest. The banker shook his head rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut and looking away."Please, just stop talking like that!! I... I have a girlfriend!!""Oh, we're both adults. What she doesn't know won't kill her..."Gwen quietly removed the grate to the vent as Black Cat continued to toy with her prey, clearly enjoying the discomfort the banker was feeling. The banker's eyes drifted upwards as he continued laying on his back, widening as he saw none other than Ghost Spider in a ventilation opening above him. Gwen quickly brought her finger to her lips to keep him from talking, then ducked away from the opening as Black Cat looked up."I need you to pay attention, to me, honey." Black Cat sneered, not having seen Gwen before turning her attention back to the banker. "This can either be the best thing that's ever happened to you... or..." She yanked the man by his collar, her eyes staring menacingly into his. "...The absolute worst."But Black Cat was so consumed by getting the banker to open the vault that she didn't notice Gwen gently lower herself from the ventilation, hanging upside down from a strand of her webbing before flipping and landing on her feet.Okay... what now? Gwen thought to herself, suddenly feeling awkward and not knowing how to get Black Cat's attention off the banker. How'd you used to start this stuff...?"Here to make a withdrawal?" Gwen asked, digging into that wit she'd used to banter with criminals before subduing them. "I think you're supposed to handle that at the front desk... I can get you in touch with customer service if you're lost!"The new voice made Black Cat's head turn quickly, her hair whipping over her shoulders before falling back into place. In unison, the two females' eyes widened and both of their jaws fell open. Black Cat was obviously stunned to see Ghost Spider, who hadn't been seen in over a year... Gwen, on the other hand, was consumed by shock and confusion. Black Cat's face simply had a thin mask around her eyes-it didn't do much to mask her identity, especially from someone who knew her well."It's you!!" Black Cat sneered, removing her boot from the banker and turning to face Gwen.It's Felicia... Gwen thought to herself, at a loss for words as the leather-clad criminal cracked her knuckles.Felicia Hardy shook her head condescendingly, snickering and beginning to stride towards the vigilante. "I always knew you'd come crawling back someday..." She hissed, having lost the smooth, seductive tone and replaced it with a sound that was far more threatening and colder. "...And that day couldn't have come soon enough."Gwen had forgotten who she was, where she was, and what she was doing. She stumbled backwards as she watched her old friend approach. A sinister, violent look was in Felicia's eyes, completely different from the tough yet endearing light her eyes had once held."W-what..." Gwen stammered, shaking her head in confusion. "...What happened to you?!!" In that moment, she wasn't Ghost Spider-she was just Gwen Stacy, having run into an old friend after so long and not knowing what to make of her. Felicia bared her teeth, her fingers wiggling at her sides. "What happened to me??" She questioned, her knees beginning to bend, like she was preparing to pounce. "You should know all about that..."Gwen quickly got her fists up in a defensive posture-she'd handled stronger people than Felicia. She should be able to subdue her pretty quickly and get some answers-What Gwen wasn't prepared for was for Felicia to spring forwards at light speed, tackling Gwen before slamming the vigilante into the ground. Huh?? What- Gwen's thoughts were cut short as she felt Felicia grab her leg and swing her like a rag doll, sending Gwen spinning like a frisbee into the wall of the bank.Gwen groaned in pain, gravity pulling her out of the newly made dent in the wall and onto the floor with a thud.
When'd she get so strong?? I thought I was the only girl around town who could do that stuff...
The tingling spider-sense spread over the back of Gwen's neck, and she let her instincts take over as she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Black Cat's boot slamming into her head. The sole of the boot made the tiled floor crack beneath the force of how hard Felicia had tried to stomp Gwen's head in, sending panic through the blonde's heart as she tried to collect herself."Pathetic." Felicia sneered, continuing her slow advance as Gwen sprang to her feet, still bewildered by the superhuman abilities that her old friend seemed to possess now. "You finally run into someone on your own level, and you just can't handle it." She taunted, one foot stepping in front of the other as her eyes burned with rage. "I never thought snapping you like a twig would be this easy... but I'll take it."Felicia pounced again, but this time Gwen was able to duck underneath the attack, having to stop herself from grabbing Felicia and pinning her to the ground-this whole effort to take down a robber was suddenly a lot more complicated. Gwen couldn't bring herself to hurt Felicia... no matter what she was doing and looked like now."You're spry, I'll give you that." Felicia commented, the two slowly pacing in a circle as they eyed each other down. "Don't have anything to say, Ghost Spider? I always heard you were such a chatterbox-""Why are you doing this?" Gwen asked, slowly beginning to come back to reality: Felicia wasn't talking to Gwen Stacy right now, she thought she was conversing with Ghost Spider. Somehow, someway, Felicia had taken up a life of crime, and gotten some powers as well."What are you asking about-the robbery, or trying to kill you?" Felicia asked, the word kill making Gwen's blood run cold. "If it's the whole 'I want you dead' thing, that's a pretty easy answer. The robbery's a bit more complicated, if I'm being honest..."Gwen took the opportunity to strike while Felicia was monologuing-the blonde sprang forward, grabbing Felicia by the shoulders and pinning her to the floor. "Let's cut this out-!!" Gwen shouted, but Felicia simply smirked, rearing back one of her hands. Gwen's eyes went wide as Felicia's gloved fingers suddenly turned to elongated, vicious-looking claws, and Gwen had to flip backwards as Felicia's claws slashed the air, narrowly missing her throat."No... you won't stop me." Felicia declared, rising to her feet and drumming her wicked claws against her hips. "I used to think that I could only get to you by doing what that stupid old man wanted me to do... but if I can take you down now?" Black Cat's fingers shrank back to their normal size-an ability that left Gwen all the more stunned. "All the better...""Can we just-" Gwen dodged as Felicia sprang at her again, rolling to the side and landing on all fours. "-Take a timeout? You're dropping a lot of info on me-""Timeout??" Black Cat snarled, swinging her boot at Gwen and making the vigilante backflip away. "Did you give anyone at Midtown a timeout?? Did you give Peter a timeout??"Peter... Gwen thought to herself, the memory of her dead friend chilling the blonde to her very core. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to that awful prom-where she'd found Felicia crying, saying that Peter wasn't there like they'd planned. That had been seconds before Peter, as the lizard, had attacked, and plunged Gwen into this ongoing cycle of remorse that she'd been locked in for months.Gwen finally saw the source of the animosity in Felicia's eyes... Felicia was under the impression that her prom date had been twisted into a monster by Ghost Spider, as the media had been claiming, and then senselessly murdered. Knowing Felicia's straightforwardness and lack of hesitation to push the norms of society, Gwen had a feeling that her old friend had been swallowed up by bloodlust in the interim."Look..." Gwen held up her hands, speaking in a pleading tone as Black Cat's veins bulged in her neck. "...You need to listen to me, there's a lot that-"Felicia didn't bother letting Gwen finish. She grabbed Gwen's neck, making the blonde cough as her airway was cut off. With relative ease, Felicia twisted her body and threw Gwen through the wall of the room, sending the masked vigilante tumbling through the air and smashing through the bank's outer wall before she rolled into a debris-covered heap in an alleyway."Ugh... thanks for the talk." Gwen croaked, fighting to get to her feet as Felicia's silhouette grew closer in the cloud of dust that poured from the hole in the wall."I've gone through too much to just sit and listen now..." Felicia growled, finally emerging from the dust as she stared Gwen down. "...There's only one thing that I want anymore... and that's crushing you like the bug you are!!"Gwen continued getting up, feeling confused as she watched Felicia rear her arm back. What's she going to do? Gwen thought to herself. She's twenty feet away from me-Out of nowhere, Felicia's arm began to shift, sprouting thick, black tendrils that surged forward and yanked Gwen off her feet.
Oh. How about that!!
Gwen's confusion (and pain) for the day reached a new high as these gooey tendrils slammed her into the ground repeatedly, holding Gwen with an iron grip and showing no mercy as she let out shouts of pain every time her back hit the ground. She fought to get the tendrils off, but Gwen couldn't get them to budge. They were too strong-Felicia was too strong.Black Cat smashed Gwen into the ground one final time, then allowed the tendrils to slowly withdraw from the aching hero and somehow disappear into her outfit. Gwen's head was spinning with both dizziness and pain as she rolled onto her side, feeling totally outmatched and flattened by Felicia's relentless onslaught."I don't know what you were thinking..." Felicia mused, her boots clicking against the ground as she strode to Gwen's crumpled form. "...I've never seen a spider beat a cat in a fight before, have you?" She squatted next to Gwen, her fingers drifting towards the white mask that covered the vigilante's face. "Now there's just one more thing to do before I break you for good..."But before Felicia could tear the mask off, blinding lights shined at the two females, making Felicia and Gwen squint and shield their faces. "NYPD!! Hands in the air!" A voice called out through a megaphone. Gwen struggled to see anything as the police shined floodlights at them, while the whole group of police that had been in front of the bank began to charge into the alley."You two better get ready for a long time in prison," The officer with the megaphone called out. "I'm all about the 2-for-1 deals when it comes to stopping crime-""NO!!" Felicia roared, the tendrils beginning to surge around both of her arms. "You're not taking this from me-she's MINE to kill!!"Gwen weakly crawled away, hearing chaos ensue behind her as the police found their hands suddenly full with a raging Black Cat. She looked behind her, watching Felicia grab fully-grown men and throw them around like toys, the powerful tendrils flipping over police cruisers and shielding her from any bullets fired her way.What is going on?!! Gwen thought to herself, finally getting to her feet before taking off down the alley. Thankfully, Felicia was nowhere near as composed or focused as she used to be... the mere thought of the police bringing Ghost Spider to justice before she could do it herself had completely unfocused Felicia and brought out the beast that lay within her now.Still mired in confusion, Gwen began to slow her pace, her lungs aching and soreness enveloping her body. The sounds of the police struggling to hold up against Black Cat's attack were long gone, and Gwen felt pretty confident that she was safe, alone from any prying eyes that would-
"Geez, you took a beating back there!! Are you okay??"
Gwen screamed in surprise as a voice spoke right beside her, and she got her fists up as she looked over... but no one was there."What... who's there??" She shouted, looking around frantically. Her spider-sense was telling her that someone was near, but Gwen couldn't see anyone."What are you talking about? I'm right here." The voice responded, coming from the exact same place. Still, Gwen couldn't see anything."Great... just... just peachy." Gwen grumbled in frustration. "The police are still on my tail... my old best friend has super strength and freaking slime powers... and now I'm talking to an actual ghost!! I LOVE BEING CONFUSED SO MUCH, CAN'T YOU TELL??""Talking to a ghost? what are you talking about... oh, wait, my bad!!" The voice said. "This happens sometimes, I haven't learned how to really get ahold of this..."Gwen hesitated, absolutely done trying to figure any of this out. Something rapidly took shape in front of her-someone just a hair taller than she was, seemingly appearing out of thin air."Sorry about that! That invisibility is an absolute pain to turn on and off." The person said, a warm, casual tone lacing their words.Gwen's eyes held a dumbfounded look behind her mask... this guy was wearing grey shorts over a set of dark leggings as well as a puffy coat. Her eyes fell to the simple black tee beneath the coat... a red, spiderlike symbol had been sloppily spraypainted on it, continuing to fill up her mind with questions. But then Gwen's eyes lifted up to the newcomer's face... it was covered in a black mask, one that was eerily reminiscent of her own."Um... mind giving me a name?" Gwen asked, her voice breathy and absolutely done with how chaotic this night had become. The stranger laughed lightly, pulling his mask up and off of his head.
No... no, it can't be.
But it is.
How?!!
As if the night couldn't become any more insane... Gwen found herself staring into the eyes of Miles Morales."Just call me Spider-Man." Miles greeted, extending a hand for Gwen to shake as he beamed with excitement. "I'm so hyped to finally meet you, Ghost Spider!!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You'll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya"
-Sunflower, Post Malone, Swae Lee
It was here-the moment he'd been waiting months for. Miles was beside himself, part of him had started to believe that this would never happen. Yet here it was.He was finally face-to-face with Ghost Spider.He had no idea if he was coming across as smooth and suave on the outside, but that certainly wasn't how Miles felt inside-his heart buzzed with electricity, and he could feel his knees shaking just a bit. Finally!! The only other person who could understand what he'd become, and what he was supposed to do with it.The alley remained quiet and dark as the two faced each other, with Miles still wearing a smile and holding his hand out for Ghost Spider to take. Yet the suited superhuman's body language seemed unenthusiastic. Or maybe it was surprised? Whatever it was, she wasn't making any moves to shake his hand."Um..." Miles said, raising an eyebrow and leaning forward to extend his hand just a little bit more.Ghost Spider's head simply tilted in response. "What?""...I mean... I'd just..." Miles cleared his throat. "...I'd just figured you'd be cool with a handshake?"Still nothing. Ghost Spider just looked ahead blankly, and the mask made it hard for Miles to tell if she was annoyed with him or not."O... okay..." The awkward tension was too much, and Miles pulled his hand back, slipping it into his coat while feeling his shoulders tense up. "So, uh... how have you been? I've been hoping you'd show back up soon, I really-""Is this some joke?" Ghost Spider asked abruptly, making Miles laugh nervously."Joke?" He reiterated. "What about this do you think is a joke?"This really wasn't how he'd pictured this encounter going down in his head. Yeah, maybe the handshake might have been a little too optimistic, but Miles's father had always described Ghost Spider as talkative, witty, and easy to get along with. So how come she was coming across as cold and entirely void of personality?"The whole-" Ghost Spider began to explain, her hands stretching outward and gesturing at Miles's outfit. "-I just can't-""Whoa, whoa, hold up-" Miles said holding up one hand. "-My outfit is not a joke, okay? I spent a lot of time painting this shirt, you know?""-I didn't mean the outfit-""And that's just the shirt! Do you have any idea how long this-" Miles held up his mask in front of his fellow superhuman. "-Took to make??""-I didn't mean the..." Ghost Spider facepalmed, letting her hand slide down the front of her mask as she sighed in exasperation. "...I didn't mean the outfit. I appreciate the hat tip to me with your mask-""Uh-huh.""-And it's got an overall casual look. Can't hate that, right?" Ghost Spider added quickly, her sudden insistence on explaining herself making Miles's expression shift in confusion. "Look..." She spoke up again, pacing just a bit to the left while Miles looked on. "...I was really talking about everything that's happened today-everything has been so crazy, and now I've run into another person with powers that wants to imitate me. It's just a lot..."As Ghost Spider trailed off and looked at her signature mint green ballet shoes, Miles let his hands slide back into his coat pockets, feeling a little less insecure about what he was wearing."So... you like the outfit?""Yeah." Ghost Spider answered, her tone lightening up a bit. "I, uh..." She held up two finger guns, and Miles could almost imagine her winking behind the mask. "...I dig the drip!"
Yikes.
"Um... Ghost Spider?" Miles said, trying to contain the internal cringing as the superhero's finger guns began to waver."What?""Please don't ever say that again.""Sorry..."A sigh left Miles's lips as he watched Ghost Spider's hands fall back to her sides, and soon his counterpart was leaning her head back and muttering about how stupid an idea it had been to say that. Eventually she was able to meet his gaze again, before her eyes dropped to look at the hand-painted spider symbol on his shirt."You mind telling me how you got the ability to turn invisible... Spider-Man?" Ghost Spider's use of the name Miles had given to himself had an odd tone-like she had to catch herself before she called him something else. It was odd, but Miles was more focused on answering her question than figuring out why the vigilante was so socially awkward."Oh, I got bitten by a spider." Miles said casually, making Ghost Spider's head move forward in surprise."I'm sorry... come again?""Yeah, I got bitten by a spider a while back." Miles said again, folding his arms and leaning against the wall of the alley. "I woke up the next morning with a knot on my hand from where it bit me, and I had gotten some really sweet abs-""Wait, wait, wait-" Ghost Spider shook her hands to get Miles to slow down, appearing to be in deep concentration. "-Go back to the part where you got bit by a spider for me. Where did that happen?""Um... I think it was at Oscorp." Miles answered plainly. "I knew someone that used to work there, and he'd asked me if I could bring him some lunch since he was real busy... somewhere between the time I got let into the building and gave my buddy his lunch, that spider got on me and bit me."The explanation seemed pretty straightforward to Miles, but Ghost Spider seemed to be having a tough time thinking through it for some reason. "The person who worked at Oscorp, the one you grabbed lunch for..." She asked, her tone having a noticeable softness as she awkwardly folded her arms over her stomach. "...Was it-""Peter Parker. Yeah..."All of a sudden, Miles was aware of just how quiet this alley was. The subject of Peter Parker was already a sensitive one for Miles, whom had been friends with Peter for a while before his untimely demise. But it was made far weightier since he was talking about Peter to the person accused of murdering him.Miles's gaze hadn't left Ghost Spider, and he could tell that her thoughts were consumed with Peter. The vigilante's body language unknowingly communicated a lot of sorrow to Miles-her shoulders were slumped, and her chin was resting above her chest. She looked absolutely crestfallen."If you used to know Peter Parker..." Ghost Spider started speaking, weakly managing to lift her head. "...Then how come you don't seem to have a problem with me?"Now there was something that he didn't talk about much. All of the conversation surrounding Ghost Spider had been framing her for the deaths of two high schoolers... but Miles didn't buy it, and he was going to tell her why."My, uh... my dad used to do some work with you. You know, before... before everything happened-""Officer Davis?""Yeah!" Miles said, smiling gleefully as Ghost Spider recalled his father's name. "But he's, uh... he goes by Captain Morales now, because-""He got promoted to Captain! That's right, I remember now..." Ghost Spider answered, and Miles shook his head."Well, yeah, but... he wanted to change his last name to my mother's surname-""How come?""Well... his first name is Jefferson."Ghost Spider's head tilted in confusion at Miles's short explanation, but soon he could hear her take a shocked breath of understanding. "Oh... yeah, that's... I don't blame him. Why would his parents even approve that name, now that I'm thinking about it?"Miles shrugged, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips. "Beats me." He answered, then lightly pushed himself off the alley wall as he continued to explain why he wasn't buying the narrative surrounding her."So my dad always used to talk about you... how much fun he had busting the bad guys and how you were always there to help when things got really bad." Miles said, now having Ghost Spider's full attention as he spoke. "And when the Midtown Prom Incident hit the news? He didn't believe it. He still doesn't believe it." His words seemed to hit Ghost Spider in an emotional spot, since the vigilante shyly folded her arms once again."My dad told me that he'd seen every criminal in the books-the thieves, the liars, the murderers, the manipulators... and he swore that you just didn't fit the bill." Miles said, taking a deep breath as he concluded his short speech. "And I'm with him. I think something else happened that night, and that people just jumped to conclusions... you were always a hero for the city, I'm not going to believe that you killed Peter Parker or Owen Octavius."The silence resumed once Miles had finished talking. His bold stance on Ghost Spider's innocence had left her with her head hung low, overwhelmed by finally having someone on her side."What..." She had to stop, as if trying to hold back tears. "...What do you want from me? Why'd you follow me here?""I mean... isn't it obvious?" Miles asked, chuckling softly and gesturing to the symbol on his shirt. "I want to be like you!!"He'd thought that Ghost Spider would be flattered that Miles had been inspired by her... he'd almost expected a heartfelt response, and had thought through how to respond time and time again over the months he'd spent waiting for her to return. But what he got instead was different: Ghost Spider's sorrowful demeanor only intensified to panic, and her body seemed to tense up. "What?" Miles asked, losing some of the upbeat sound in his voice. "Do you not-""You can't be doing this." Ghost Spider said abruptly, and Miles quirked an eyebrow in response."Uh... yes I can." He answered curtly, making the vigilante's hands turn into fists as she lifted them in exasperation."No you can't!! Don't you-" She let out a sharp groan of frustration, turning around and putting her back to him. Then the angered energy seemed to drain out of her... and she went back to having the same posture of a stray dog that was shivering in the cold. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be?" Ghost Spider finally finished.Miles took a step towards her, continuing to grow perplexed by how much of an emotional whirlwind this mystery person was. "Yeah... but I think I'd be fit for the job, don't you think?" He asked, earning a scoff from the masked female."Turning invisible might be fun, but there's some instances where it might not help." Ghost Spider told him. "Besides, you said that you can barely control it-""That's not all I can do!!" Miles said quickly, making Ghost Spider look over her shoulder. "Gimme a second..."Miles jogged back to the wall of the alley, a smile forming on his face as he pressed his palms to the cold, hard surface. Ever since he'd figured out that he could climb up walls, it had become one of his favorite things to do when he was alone. Miles made his way up the wall with ease, looking down at Ghost Spider-who seemed at least a little more intrigued now."And that's not it either, that spider bite changed me up a lot..." Miles added, dropping to the ground before looking around the alley. "Hmmm..." He spotted a large dumpster, then jogged over to it. "...Here, watch-"Miles lifted the dumpster with ease, holding it up for Ghost Spider while beaming with pride. "Ta-da!!" He said triumphantly, then spun the dumpster on his hand like a basketball-which somehow caused a cartoonish cat screech to echo from the dumpster. Miles shouted in surprise and dropped the large object.The dumpster crashed onto its front, and a small cat dashed out of it, racing into the darkness of the alley."Well," Ghost Spider said, sounding amused as she looked up at Miles. "I'm sure PETA will be coming after you for that." She commented, and Miles rolled his eyes with a begrudging smile on his face."You care to see one more power?""Go for it."Miles took a deep breath, moving in front of the dumpster again. He bounced on his toes, slowly raising his hands and wiggling his fingers. His face contorted as he concentrated on summoning that newfound energy within himself again, and Miles felt the crackling of electricity between his fingertips.Ghost Spider's mask was looking right at his hands, she was clearly stunned by the sight. Miles smirked at her, following the knowing look with a wink. "Watch this..." He slammed his hands onto the metal dumpster... but they just made a disappointing buzzing sound as a few harmless sparks shot from his fingertips.The misfire caused Ghost Spider to break out into laughter, covering her mouth as Miles grumbled in humiliation. "It... it's normally a lot cooler, I promise-" "Oh, I bet it is." Ghost Spider teased, catching her breath and placing her hands on her hips while Miles stood up to face her again."So now you know that I'm not just some random guy wanting to fight crime." Miles said, then paused. "Well, I am... but... but I've got the tools to do it!" He clarified, clapping his hands together and making a pleading motion with them. "Please... I've been wanting to figure out how to get better at all of these things for so long... I used to think they were the biggest pain-""A pain?" Ghost Spider snorted. "You were complaining about superpowers?""Yeah!!" Miles said adamantly. "These powers cost me a prom date!!"Miles let out a huff and slipped his hands back into his coat pockets, looking down at his shoes as Ghost Spider remained silent. "The spider bite happened almost right before the prom... there was this girl I'd met, and she was..." Slowly but surely, his mind recalled Gwen Stacy's face to memory, making him chuckle softly as he found himself back in the happier moments he'd spent with her. "...She was, like, the cutest dork imaginable... everyone who didn't know her just thought she was a nerdy busybody, but the truth was that she was passionate about lots of things." Miles mused, his eyes rising to look at Ghost Spider's expressionless mask. "There's just not a lot of people like her out there."Ghost Spider seemed touched by how sincere Miles sounded. Or maybe she just didn't care. The whole mask thing made it hard for Miles to tell..."And so I was still getting everything figured out-my hands would stick to everything, I was turning invisible randomly, and... and the electricity thing..." Miles shook his head, his heart feeling sore from remembering an opportunity that he couldn't take. "...I just figured that all of those problems would probably ruin that girl's prom if we went together. I mean... imagine slow dancing with a guy and then he literally can't take his hands off of you.""That... that's..." Ghost Spider tried to put together a proper response, but she couldn't. Miles couldn't see her eyes behind the mask, but part of him liked to believe that they were filled with empathy, especially since she probably went through something similar."One day at school, the girl asked me to go to prom with her... and I had to tell her no." Miles said softly, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he remembered the excitement twisting into heartbreak in Gwen Stacy's gorgeous eyes as he turned her down. "She never talked to me again... and I can't really blame her."Ugh, I hate having to relive that. Miles thought to himself. His eyes remained closed until he heard a shuffling sound and opened them up-Ghost Spider had taken a few gentle steps in his direction."So... you want to try your hand at protecting New York City?" She asked, and Miles nodded quickly. Ghost Spider's fingers drummed on her hip as she thought to herself for a few moments. "Don't you have... I don't know... college?""Nah, not this year. Decided I'd do some part time stuff for a year before trying to get a degree." Miles answered. "Besides, even if I were... I know you're probably doing all of that while still fighting crime, right?"A soft curse left Ghost Spider's lips, as if she'd been hoping he wouldn't have thought of that answer. "I just came back this once-""It's not going to be this once." Miles countered, shaking his head. "I've been hearing about these Black Cat robberies on the news, so I just decided to turn invisible and follow my dad's police cruiser when he got called to handle this one... and I saw how tough she was to take down." He paused, smiling and jamming two thumbs at himself. "Luckily for you, that's where I can come in to help. If you train me."His framing of the situation made Ghost Spider's head lean back, and he heard a sigh leaving her lips. I'm getting through to her!!"What about when the police start coming for you, too?" She asked. "They're all onto me... and they'd probably want to arrest you too if they found out we were working together.""Um..." Miles tried to think of something, but he couldn't think of an immediate response. "...Good point."He pursed his lips, trying to think of a good enough reason to make Ghost Spider's latest excuse invalid."If..." Miles spoke up again, making the female look at him once more. "...If you really are innocent... and I know that you are... then there's got to be evidence of it somewhere. The news people said that they didn't find the security footage of what happened at the prom... maybe someone has it." He suggested. "Maybe someone's hiding the footage on purpose...""And?" Ghost Spider questioned."...And maybe I can help you get the footage if you train me." Miles finished. "That way we can clear your name, and just keep the city safe without the cops on our tail."That seemed to do it. Ghost Spider grumbled in frustration, still clearly not liking this idea... but she was officially out of excuses. Her head leaned back, a begrudging "Fine," leaving her lips."Aw, yeah!! Let's GO!!" Miles exclaimed, clapping his hands and doing a little dance of joy. "This is going to be-""First lesson: keep the mask on." Ghost Spider interrupted, shooting a web at his coat pocket before yanking Miles's mask out. The fabric flew into her hands, and she tossed it at his face. Miles fumbled around as he tried to catch it, but held on as she continued speaking. "Rule number one: never, never show your real face to anyone.""Come on!! Not even you??" Miles argued, and Ghost Spider nodded. "Not even me. Secret identities are a secret for a reason."Miles's eyes narrowed for a moment as he huffed in disagreement, but then he looked up at his fellow vigilante. "You know that I wouldn't tell anyone who you were if you showed me your face, right?""No, I don't know that, actually.""Really? You're really going to be like that?!!" Miles exclaimed, confused as to why Ghost Spider was so mistrusting. "It's no big deal at all!! I promise, I wouldn't tell anyone." He insisted, watching as Ghost Spider shook her head and turned to leave. Miles started walking after her, asking, "Why can't you just take the mask off around me??""Because I follow rule number one!!" Ghost Spider yelled back, slinging a web before yanking herself off the ground and swinging into the night sky.Dang, she's so cool... Miles thought to himself, looking down at his own mask. ...I wonder if she'll ever let me have web-shooters like hers...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"This is a call to all my past resignations"
-This is a Call, the Foo Fighters
SHE'S BACK!!
The words were almost everywhere Gwen looked-every phone scrolling through social media, every stack of newspapers on the tables she passed, even leaving the mouths of her fellow Chemistry majors as they chatted in the study commons. She wouldn't have been surprised if the words were scrolling across the screen in Times Square at this rate.All that anybody was talking about was the return of the Ghost Spider.She'd seen the pictures by now, stills of the banks security recording as well as brief pictures taken by the police when they'd attempted to apprehend Ghost Spider and Felicia. Every New Yorker had seen the pictures that showed a young woman donned in a familiar black-and-white jumpsuit. And for the most part, they were all terrified.
"Why did she come back?"
"Do you think she's working together with that Black Cat person?"
"I can't wait to hear what J. Jonah Jameson has to say about this!!"
"Do you think the NYPD can keep us safe from her?"
Even though nobody paid her any attention, the fact that everybody was unknowingly talking about her made Gwen feel as if every set of eyes was bearing down on her with furious intent. She hugged her arms to her waist a little tighter, finally seeing the open door for today's class-Chemistry Lab.Ugh. That was the only noise running through Gwen's mind right now-ugh.As if it wasn't bad enough that she had the police after her, found out that her old friend was a superpowered criminal, and stupidly agreed to train someone she used to have a crush on, now she had to endure an hour of Professor Donnelly's scorched-earth teaching style...Gwen made her way into the classroom, immediately sliding into one of the seats on the end of a row. Her eyes aimlessly drifted around the room, looking at all the random pieces of lab equipment that the class would be using. Scenes like this were what Gwen had been hoping to see when she'd decided to pursue science for a career... but of course, with everything that had happened at the end of her junior year, such fascinating scenery just felt like a wash to her now.A flurry of loud footsteps made every student's head snap up, and heart rates spiked in fear as Professor Donnelly marched to her desk in the front of the room. Gwen's fingers anxiously balled into fists as she watched the professor flip through a file on her desk, muttering rapidly and angrily to herself as she looked over the submitted assignments from last week. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have the Karen-eque haircut... Gwen thought, her eyes glancing at the short hairstyle that the professor wore. While Professor Donnelly prepared to shred her students' egos, Gwen's thoughts began to drift from the present and onto the past... specifically onto a statement that Miles had made to explain why he was pursuing a vigilante lifestyle.
"I want to be like you!"
The words echoed repeatedly in Gwen's brain, occasionally harmonizing with the final words of Peter Parker as he choked on his own blood-"...Just wanted to be like you."A chill washed over Gwen's skin, accompanied with goosebumps and a faint ringing in her ears. She could still see the jovial grin on Mile's stupid, ridiculous, gorgeous face, and knowing that he had absolutely no idea what he was asking for.And you've promised to train him, Gwen scolded herself. Might as well have signed his death certificate, Stacy.But this wasn't entirely like what happened to Peter... Peter had administered a serum that turned him into a mindless monster bent on getting revenge on his bullies. Miles was fully self-aware, able to make moral judgements, and had a pretty good set of powers (even if he still didn't know how to fully control them yet.) The chilling sensations began to die down as Gwen dwelled on the differences in the two situations, her only hope for a better outcome despite the frighteningly similar statements that had come from both individuals.If you don't train him... Another part of Gwen's brain began to argue. ...Then he'll go out there on his own and get killed. This is the best way to protect him.All of the reflection made Gwen pause for a moment-why did she care about what happened to Miles so badly? The quick moment of clarity made her furrow her brow, and Gwen's lips pressed together tightly. Sure, he was a good person, but he'd hurt her pretty badly when he'd turned down her offer to go to prom together...He had a good reason to!! Gwen's mind spoke up once more. You know that now! And it wasn't even for himself, he was only thinking of you-"This..." Professor Donnelly's sharp tone cut through Gwen's latest bout of inner conflict, making the blonde snap her head up. "...Is an absolute DISGRACE of a lab report!!" Gwen's heart rate spiked immediately, and the fear that she was today's target of Professor Donnelly's criticism made her blood run cold. But no-fortunately for Gwen, someone else was going to be the sacrificial lamb to appease whatever it was that made Professor Donnelly such a miserable person."Who wrote this... Tinnifer Jones?!!" Professor Donnelly shouted, then immediately scoffed at the name. "What is that absurdity of a name? Were your parents on methamphetamines when they named you-""P-P-Professor Donnelly..." A girl in the front row, whom Gwen assumed must be Tinnifer, stammered in fear. "...My name... it's a mix between, um... Jennifer and T-T-Tiffany-""Well, I'd change my name if I were you." Professor Donnelly retorted. "And then, after I changed my name, I'd save myself some time and money and drop out of this program!!" She added, slamming the papers down furiously on her table. "There was no date at the top of this paper-see?? See this, everybody??" Professor Donnelly held up the paper and pointed at the top. Of course, no one was able to see anything from that distance. "And then these answers to our report questions... only one sentence for the first question, barely a full sentence for the third-""I... I thought that..." Tinnifer swallowed nervously. "...I thought that the questions didn't require more detail-""And I thought that all of my students didn't require any more brain cells, but here I am!!" Professor Donnelly huffed in disappointment. She picked up another lab report, her angry gaze scanning the room. "Now, where's Jeremy?!! Jeremy, I know this is your handwriting!! What kind of idiot is too sorry to put their own name at the top of the paper?!!""I hate it here." Gwen grumbled under her breath, beginning to sink into her chair and wishing that this class would end soon.That evening, Gwen was in a far more comfortable situation-sitting in front of her work computer and filling out a few forms for Dr. Octavius before calling it quits for the day. She finished up the current form before clicking 'print,' and readying a manila folder as the nearby printer began to whirr and click. Music to my ears. She thought with a smile, shutting her computer down before walking to the printer and retrieving all of today's forms Gwen made sure everything was accounted for before sliding them in the manila folder and walking towards one of the back labs.As Gwen pulled the door open, she immediately noticed her boss propped up against a worktable with some machinery on it. Dr. Octavius was in the middle of a call, his phone held up to his ear as he went over some information with an unknown third party."Yes, absolutely... the shipment will be arriving at 7:00 tonight, I'll need you to-" The older man's eyes looked over upon noticing his intern, and Gwen waved at him while mouthing, Sorry! "-Actually... can I call you back? Something important just came up." Dr. Octavius spoke into his phone, acknowledging Gwen with a smile and a nod. Whoever was on the other end gave their assent, and the scientist nodded. "Great, thank you." Dr. Octavius said, ending the phone call before sliding the rectangular device into his coat pocket."That wasn't important, was it?" Gwen asked nervously, but her boss shook his head. "It's nowhere near as important as what I wanted to show you..." Dr. Octavius said, a knowing smile on his face as he stepped to the side-revealing his latest project on his worktable. It was dome-shaped, with a bunch of wires and other small equipment running over the top."Oh, it's a..." Gwen started speaking, but trailed off as she tried to give her guess as to what that thing was. "...A... um..." She continued to stammer, her lack of an answer making Dr. Octavius grin all the more. "...Okay, I give up. What is that thing??""It's a prototype for a neural transmitter." Dr. Octavius explained, holding the device up so that Gwen could get a better look at it. The blonde nodded slowly, still unsure of where her boss was going with this. "A neural transmitter for...?""For the Tritium stabilizer you've been drawing up!" He said, smiling broadly before walking over to yet another device-this one having a white cloth over it. Dr. Octavius yanked the cloth away in a grandiose manner, revealing a rough prototype for the four-armed device Gwen had been developing for the company. It was propped up on a stand, with the four arms stretching outwards and having claw-like structures on the ends. It was so strange, seeing one of Gwen's bigger projects already coming to life like this. But still, she was unsure as to why a neural transmitter was needed."I... I think I'm confused." Gwen said, her hands sliding into the pockets of her lab coat as she looked back at Dr. Octavius. "I'd mentioned that we should use an AI system in order to run this thing, and-""AI systems need to be trained, Miss Stacy." Dr. Octavius said, his own gaze drifting to the stabilizer device. "What better way to train the system than with a human mind that understands the task at hand?"It was as if a light bulb went off in Gwen's head-the neural transmitter would relay the brain's impulses to the stabilizer, controlling and teaching the AI system until it had acquired enough information to run properly on its own."Genius!!" Gwen remarked, the uncanny intellect of her boss making her beam with excitement. Dr. Octavius chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders as he looked at his intern."You know Gwen, I was thinking... this is a product of your intelligence, after all..." Dr. Octavius said, taking a step towards Gwen and holding out the neural transmitter. "...I figured you should be the first person to test it out."
Oh. My. GOSH!!!
Gwen could hardly contain herself from jumping up and down in excitement-now this was what she'd been dreaming of when she'd wanted to pursue a career in science. Octavius Industries had been Gwen's only happy place with all the misery in her life, and it seemed to keep getting better and better."Yes, please!! That-" The excitement in Gwen's tone made Dr. Octavius snicker, and the blonde's sentence paused. Gwen cleared her throat, trying to maintain some semblance of professionalism as she turned down the volume on her voice. "-That would be fine by me, thanks."Dr. Octavius chuckled at Gwen's sudden shift towards modesty. "I figured you would be open to the suggestion." He told her, handing the neural transmitter prototype to Gwen. "I'm hoping to get this complicated system condensed into a microchip one day... but this will have to do for now."Gwen adjusted the heavy cap on her head, tightening the fabric strap around her chin before walking over to the stabilizer. She took a deep breath as Dr. Octavius flicked a few switches on the stabilizer, then walked close to Gwen to switch the transmitter on. As soon as Gwen heard a soft beep from the metal cap on her head, the four arms of the stabilizer began to perk up, drifting aimlessly as Gwen felt her heart racing. "Is it-""It's picking up some of your brain activity, yes." Dr. Octavius confirmed. "Try thinking about moving the arms in a certain way..."Taking his advice, Gwen concentrated on the stabilizer prototype, picturing the arms all moving to her left. As her brow furrowed, she could see the arms begin to shift ever so slightly in that direction, making the blonde cover her mouth and laugh in joy. "It works!!"But her lapse in concentration caused the arms to shift back to their original position, suspended in the air and aimlessly drifting about. "Well, it... it did work..." Gwen clarified, looking at Dr. Octavius. "...I guess it needs nonstop concentration as it is currently?""Indeed." The scientist agreed, flipping a switch on her neural transmitter. Immediately, the four arms of the stabilizer ceased their movement, drooping towards the floor as they quit picking up Gwen's brainwaves. "Some further refining is needed... but I'd say this is a step in the right direction, wouldn't you?" Dr. Octavius asked, walking back to Gwen and helping her get the neural transmitter off her head.Gwen shook her head in bewilderment. "More than a step... I'd say a gigantic jump in the right direction."Her superior chuckled as he set the neural transmitter on the worktable, looking at the manila folder that Gwen was still holding. "Are those for me...?""Oh!! Right, sorry-" Gwen blurted out, jogging over to him and handing the manila folder over. "-I totally forgot about these. Thanks for pointing them out.""Too distracted by a fun advance in the field of energy production?" Dr. Octavius teased as he took the folder, and Gwen nodded. "Well, I suppose you've got some stuff to work on." He said, waving at Gwen while his other hand remained on the worktable. "Take care of yourself, Miss Stacy."The kindness in his voice was so reminiscent of his son, the similarities in tone bringing a few memories of Owen Octavius to the forefront of Gwen's mind as she nodded. Sighing softly, she pushed the memories aside for the time being to keep herself from crying in front of her boss. "Will do, sir." Gwen answered, turning towards the door before quickly making her way out of the building. Despite everything she'd done already, the day was not over yet...Perched atop one of New York City's shorter buildings, Gwen Stacy was trying her absolute best to keep a low profile. Once again donning her black-and-white bodysuit, the young woman was peering over the edge of the building as she studied people coming in and out of the NYPD headquarters. The sight of one officer-Captain Stacy-made the blonde's fingers tighten their grip on the building's edge, the sight of her father stirring up wild flurries of emotions that she couldn't quite define. But it wasn't Captain Stacy that Gwen had come here to track down...She pried her eyes away from her father, turning her attention to the entrance of the building. And she didn't do so a moment too soon, for holding the door open to laugh at a friend's comment was Officer Dav-Morales. Officer Morales. Gwen corrected herself. Calling one of the officers she'd become acquainted with by a different name was going to take some getting used to.Gwen slowly mirrored his movements from atop the building as Officer Morales made his way to the next block. Her heart warmed as the friendly policeman greeted people who recognized him, occasionally stopping to offer a handshake or fist-bump to civilians he was more familiar with. What a good guy...When Officer Morales made it to the crosswalk, Gwen fired a web at the building he was walking by, pulling herself through the air and hoping that nobody was looking up as she continued to follow him. She could already hear J. Jonah Jameson's next rant in her mind if someone called in claiming that the 'wanted murderer Ghost-Spider' was 'stalking' a police officer.Well... it's not technically stalking if you're following them to get to someone else... Gwen mused to herself as she landed on the opposing building. ...Right?She repeated this process for about fifteen minutes as Officer Morales led her to an apartment building. Gwen observed him from the neighboring building and sighed to herself as she scanned the dozens of windows, any of which could belong to the Morales apartment."Okay..." She huffed as her vision drifted from window to window. "...Which one could it be?"As Gwen's eyes looked across the top row of windows, she caught sight of someone leaning back in a chair-a college-age male with dark skin and short, curly hair.
Found him.
A flick of her wrist later, Gwen landed on the side of the apartment. She crawled along the brick wall towards Miles's window, peering in to see the male talking to someone on the phone. His words were muffled by the glass separating them, but Gwen could make out the words 'fun,' 'visit,' and 'Uncle.' Her head tilted in curiosity as Miles paused to let the other person speak, then burst into laughter in response.Watching this conversation play out made Gwen feel a prickling sensation... not the one on the back of her neck whenever danger was close, but one that stirred in her chest and slowly spread outwards. Miles was just so... wholesome. That mixture of his dimples, cheeky grin, and deep, dark brown eyes was sending Gwen's brain into a tailspin-he might've been the only person she knew that truly looked like he could do no wrong.But he did do wrong, Gwen's thoughts reminded her. Don't you remember crying your eyes out after he turned you down for prom?Despite the vivid images of that moment that continued to replay in her brain to this day, Gwen was finding it increasingly difficult to harbor any bitterness towards Miles-even when it had first gone down, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Now she'd gotten to hear his side of the story without Miles knowing it was her... and thinking about how he talked about her in such a glowing, awestruck way made Gwen's stomach do flips.He... really liked me. She thought to herself, watching as Miles continued to talk on the phone. And he liked me the right way...Gwen was so caught up in the whirlpool of emotions that she continued to stare blankly through the window... a position that made Miles shout in surprise and throw his phone up when he saw her."Oh my gosh-sorry!!" Gwen blurted, not realizing that Miles probably couldn't hear her through the glass. She held up her hands apologetically, the once-sweet moment now turned to pure awkwardness as Miles scooped up his phone."Wha? Sorry, I, um... just saw something outside my window-" Gwen could hear quick footsteps coming closer to Miles's room, and she quickly twisted away from the window, pressing her body flat against the wall she was sticking to as she heard someone barge into Miles's room.
"What's going on?"
"N-nothing!! There was just a, um... a bird that hit the window-"
"A bird? A bird made you scream like your four-year-old cousin-"
"-N-no! I mean, yes!! Yes, it was a big bird, I think it must've been a... an eagle or something."
"Me doy cuenta cuando estás mintiendo, mijo..."
Gwen was unable to follow along as the conversation between Miles and his mother (Gwen assumed) switched to Spanish, but listened anyways out of surprise that Miles was bilingual. Though the more she thought about it, the more it made sense given his last name.After a few minutes, Gwen heard the door shut, and she tilted her head to look back into the window. Miles noticed the shadow of her hooded outfit fall across the ground, and he walked over to the window before pulling it open. "Could you have found a less creepy way to pop up?""Well it's not like I could've shown up at the front door." Gwen retorted. "That kind of could've caused problems, what with the whole 'wanted for double homicide' thing.""Alright, fine." Miles grumbled, stepping back to allow Gwen to crawl through. She nimbly made her way through the window, stepping onto the floor with footsteps that were as light as a feather. Miles eyed his door, apparently wary that someone would walk in on this first training session. "Do you think you could keep it down? If my parents knew I was letting a girl in here they'd kill me-""Aren't you, like... nineteen?" Gwen interrupted, and Miles furrowed his brow. "Think it matters when your parents are letting you live in their house during a gap year from college?""Good point..."Miles nodded to reinforce his point, then sat down on his bed with a sigh. "So... with this training thing, do you think you could help me figure out how to control-""Hold up, pump the brakes." Gwen cut him off, holding up her hands. "I get that you want to be a little less 'transparent,' if you know what I mean..."Her pun was received with a disappointed groan and facepalm from Miles."...But before we even get to figuring out how to manage these abilities you have that I don't, we need to teach you some basics on fighting and self-defense." Gwen finished, folding her arms over her chest. "No use in mastering your powers if you don't know how and when to use them."Miles studied Gwen's masked expression for a few seconds, then slowly began to grin."What?""You know what, Ghost-Spider? I think you're a bit jealous."
"Jealous??"
"Just a wee bit." Miles chuckled, continuing to tease her. "And I understand... really, I do. It must be hard being the top dog in New York City, and then some young, handsome prodigy with cooler powers shows up-""Oh, you're real funny aren't you, Spider-Man?" Gwen retorted quickly. But her mask was hiding a highly amused grin as she shook her head at Miles's antics.It was a grin she remembered feeling on her face once before... a grin put there by this same guy. Well, him, and someone else..."Grab your mask, let's get going." Gwen said quickly, her lighthearted tone souring quickly as bad memories swarmed her brain.Miles clearly noticed the shift in her attitude but looked ill-prepared to do something about it. "Geez, you're a bit of an emotional rollercoaster." He muttered, walking to his dresser before pulling his mask out. "I'll tell my parents that I'm visiting some friends... I'm guessing you want me to meet you in the alley outside?"Gwen scoffed in response. "Try the roof of the apartment." She answered quickly, walking towards the window. "Bring your A-Game, you'll need it." With that, Gwen backflipped out of Miles's window, sticking her landing on the wall of the apartment before crawling up to get everything ready for Miles's first training session.You've been all over the place today... just like old times. Gwen thought to herself. I guess the papers are right... you really are back after all.But the thought was fleeting. As soon as Gwen reached the roof and turned around to look at the setting sun, the familiar hollowness that had dominated her life filled her being. Even the beautiful sight before her wasn't enough to overcome the trauma and regrets in her heart.
No... no, you're not back. And you're not going to be, either.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"There's something pulling me away, something criminal but I can't fight it"
-More, The Warning
Click, click, click...
There was only one sound in the alleyway aside from Felicia Hardy's gentle breathing-the sound of her heels clicking against the ground as she made her way towards the scene of today's heist. This was going to be different; making a hit on a delivery point rather than a bank was going to be outside of her norm. But it wouldn't matter, in the end... there was no one-no one-in New York City that could challenge Felicia at this point.Not even that miserable Ghost Spider.
Click, click, click...
Her lip twitched as she kept walking, the young woman already sensing an impending headache as the thing she'd bonded with continued to vie for total control of her mind.When did I get used to this? Felicia asked herself, trying to pin down the moment where she'd accepted this new reality of hers. It hadn't been immediate, that was for sure. She remembered how abnormal it felt on that very first mission-use Peter's access card to get into Oscorp, and get the thing... what was it called... a symbiote? Something like that.Oscorp had been too irresponsible to remove Peter's information from their personnel files after his death, and Felicia had been able to get the card he'd used to get into the building during his internship. After pulling a fire alarm in a separate room to draw everyone's attention, Felicia had opened the glass container that had been restraining the symbiote. She remembered her first contact with this piece of her-how she'd screamed in fright as it immediately lunged at Felicia and covered her body, head to toe.Then, within seconds, it was nowhere to be seen.The old man-her new ally who'd sent her on that mission, and the one she was currently on-had explained that the symbiote had bonded with her body. And, as the old man had predicted, it had endowed Felicia with unfathomable power.That was step one... He'd told her. ...All we need now is to get the machine up and running, test it on Ghost-Spider, and then she's all yours...But now, as Felicia approached the end of the alleyway, she found herself increasingly confused by the complexity of her mysterious ally's plan. She'd robbed bank after bank, dispatched hordes of New York's police... and now she was having to up her game by actually stealing parts for this machine since the money hadn't been enough?
Am I REALLY going to get to kill that murderous bit-
WE will get to kill her... follow along with his plan. If he tries anything, then WE will overwhelm him.
Felicia winced as the voice cut her thoughts short. Small, black tendrils slithered up her neck and onto her head as the thing made its latest attempt to seize control. Pain seared Felicia's skin, as if the tendrils were burrowing into her head and snaking their way to her brain."Ugh... WE... won't do anything if you keep this up." Felicia growled, pressing her fingers to her temples. This symbiote had to be the most annoying thing ever, the only times where Felicia felt like she was in her own skin anymore were when she and the symbiote had the same ideas in mind. That usually happened whenever they got into trouble and had to fight or talk their way out of a problem... but other than that, it was like Felicia was constantly arguing with an obnoxious roommate that had no respect for boundaries.Slowly, the symbiote quit resisting Felicia, and she felt the tendrils begin to slip away as she huffed in frustration. "Jerk." She grumbled, adjusting her leather jacket before striding out of the alley. She'd made it to the delivery point, where a group of men were loading boxes of expensive, high-tech equipment into a semi-trailer. The shadows kept Felicia from being spotted as she assumed a crouching position, studying the scene in front of her while her fingers tapped aimlessly on the ground.Two guys unloading the pallet... third guy stacking everything inside the container...In truth, Felicia was only planning ahead out of habit. She knew that it would take her approximately ten seconds to run over, unleash the symbiote's strength, and have all three men unconscious on the ground. But lately, brute force just hadn't been enough. Where was the fun in that?Fun... the voice inside her head muttered with a chuckle. ...He never said that we couldn't have fun on the job...Felicia's hands lifted to her face, touching around her eyes to make sure her mask was still there. The mask was more for show at this point, surely anyone who'd known Felicia well would see past the thin mask and platinum blonde hair dye to see the former guitarist for the Mary Janes.You say that, but even you don't see that person anymore. Felicia told herself. With a bitter sneer, she rose to her feet and began to stride towards the semi-trailer.She felt a familiar giddiness spread in her chest as the clicking of her heels drew the attention of her soon-to-be victims. As their eyes all widened in shock upon seeing the city's newest villain, Felicia wolf-whistled and licked her lips. "Hmm, what have we here?" She cooed, tilting her head and studying each man's face as she walked around them in a circle. "Oh, lucky me! I get a range of options to see who gets me riled up..."The looks of shock and confusion at Black Cat's innuendo made her smile all the more. She'd been a bit of a flirt back in high school (especially around Peter), but she just felt so much more free and able to work men over with her words nowadays. Maybe it was just the wisdom of a few more years being alive... or something that was already inside her that had been amplified by the symbiote..."Erm, look, honey..." One of the men said, rubbing the stubble on his chin as Felicia tilted her head in his direction. "...We know that you're that 'Black Cat' bank robber that's hit the news-""Oh, trust me, I can be whatever you want me to be if you treat me right.""-But we're almost done for the day. Calling the cops on you would just keep us here even longer, and it's not like we want them seeing what's going on here anyways."Interesting thing to add, Felicia thought to herself. Her eyes flicked to the side of one of the boxes, seeing the most familiar 'O' logo in New York City. It seemed as if Oscorp was dabbling in some extracurricular activity themselves."Awh, can't you just think it over?' Black Cat walked past the men and climbed onto the stack of boxes, crossing one leg over the other and pouting her lips. "You fella's like you could use some..." She leaned forward, her lips parting in a seductive manner to flash her pearly white teeth. "...tender loving care.""Geez... Phil, get the taser." One of the men grumbled in frustration, and his coworker walked towards the front of the semi-trailer. "We'll never get home with her screwing around like this-""Screwing around?" Black Cat winked, and the men rolled their eyes. Her own eyes began to light up as the third man approached, holding a rod with two metal prongs at the end. "Ooh, someone likes it rough." She purred, slipping off of the box she was sitting on and eyeing down the man with the taser.Her opponent pressed a button on the taser, making a thin line of electricity flicker between the two metal prongs. He stabbed forwards, but Black Cat quickly sidestepped his strike. She grabbed the taser in one hand and snapped it like a twig, making all three men curse in shock. The grin on her face grew as she backed the man up against the semi-trailer, intentionally letting her hips sway as she walked forward."My, oh, my..." Black Cat whispered, tracing a finger along the man's chest. "...Looks like you're going to be staying a little later than you expected-"Without a warning, she grabbed the man by his neck and slammed him face first into the ground. Her boot swung forward and kicked his unconscious body out of her way as his coworkers panicked and ran in different directions. Black Cat just chuckled, bending her knees before propelling herself after one of them. She flew through the air, her hair whipping around her face before she tackled the Oscorp employee and pinned him under her heel."Such a pity..." Black Cat mused, affectionately tracing her hand down the side of his face. "...You looked like the fun one-""You want some fun?" He growled, swinging his fist at her face. Black Cat quickly caught it in her palm, and slowly began to squeeze her fingers. Her eyes twinkled as she heard the man shout in pain as the pressure snapped several bones in his hand.Oh, that feels good... Felicia thought to herself, tilting her head back and basking in the clarity of mind that she only got when she was working in unison with the symbiote. It wanted to inflict pain on people so badly, and it would only shut up in her head when they both wanted the same thing. The silence in her mind was so refreshing, despite the screams of pain coming from her victim.She reveled in the peace of mind as long as she could, until she felt the symbiote's tendrils crawling along her arms-it wanted more violence. The happy moment was over...Black Cat let go of the man's fist and grabbed his collar. Twisting her body, she hurled him into the side of the semi-trailer, denting the metal with the force. The man flopped onto the ground, solidly knocked out from his failed bout with the young woman.With the fight now over, Felicia clicked her tongue as she walked over to the two unconscious bodies. "Hardly any fun at all." She muttered, searching their pockets for the keys to the semi-trailer so that she could drive it out of there. But neither man had the set of keys on them. Where...Just in that moment, she heard quick footsteps behind her-the third Oscorp employee was back. Felica ducked and rolled away as the man swung a large metal pipe where she'd been. The pipe smacked the metal side of the semi-trailer and filled the air with ringing from the impact.As soon as the ringing started, something happened: Felicia felt her body seize up and drop to the ground. The tendrils of the symbiote sprouted out of her, writhing uncontrollably as pain seared her nerves. She screeched in agony, gripping her hair as the symbiote continued to make her convulse. As the ringing finally began to die down, Felicia was left gasping for air, fighting to think clearly as she got on all fours.Unfortunately for the man that had attacked her, the sight of Black Cat incapacitated on the ground had shocked him enough to make him stare mindlessly. And now the female was pushing herself up, a terrifying glare in her eyes as the black tendrils that had been squirming in pain slowly slithered around her arms.Black Cat stretched her arm forward aggressively, causing the tendrils to swarm from her fingertips and envelop the man completely. They yanked and pulled at his joints as he was slowly brought to her, making him shout in discomfort and pain on the way. Soon, he was suspended upside-down by the tendrils, his fearful eyes meeting the angered glare of the villain. One tendril slithered down his chest and snaked into his pocket before searching for something. It retrieved the keys to the semi-trailer, then dropped them into Black Cat's open hand."Nighty-night." Black Cat snapped, having more of a cutting, sarcastic tone instead of her trademark flirtatious phrasing. She slammed the man down into the ground, then flung him into a pile of wooden crates. Splinters flew through the air as the crates were shattered, and a third Oscrop employee was knocked out from blunt force trauma.Having had enough of this, Felicia twirled the keys around her finger and spun on her heels to walk to the cab of the vehicle. Once more, there was only one sound to be heard.
Click, click, click...
Hours later, Felicia was curled on her bed, her tired eyes unable to close as she stared at her open closet. Hanging up was her Black Cat outfit, illuminated by the silver light of the moon that filed in through her apartment window.Changing out of the outfit made such a difference, even though Felicia was the same superpowered human without it. While she was wearing that suit, she felt so different-assured, strong, maybe slightly sexy as well. Without it? She felt exhausted, weak... lost.Without the Black Cat facade she was purely Felicia Hardy, left to dwell on her decisions and view them in the grander picture of the life she lived. And all she could think about was how badly she didn't want to keep making these decisions anymore.Would she be able to keep going through with this?You have to, a voice in her head, this time her own, insisted. This isn't just for you-it's for you, and for Peter.
And for Gwen.
Felicia felt a lump welling up in her throat as she thought about two of the most important figures in her life, even though neither was present anymore-all because of Ghost-Spider. Peter was dead, murdered at her hand, and Gwen Stacy was no longer the witty, passionate individual that Felicia had become best friends with. Ghost-Spider had taken that light, and a true chance at happiness, away from her. From both of them.The emotions couldn't be denied. Felicia crawled towards her nightstand and opened the drawer to reveal all the photos she'd kept from high school. She flipped through them until she found the one she'd been thinking of: a picture of Felicia, Mary-Jane, and Gwen huddling up and laughing after a band practice. She stared at the picture; a happy memory frozen in place for all of time. Then Felicia's hand lowered, and she found herself staring right at the Black Cat costume once again.Sure, Felicia had technically been the rebel of the friend group-never afraid to push norms or be brutally honest with someone. But what would MJ or Gwen think of her if they knew what she was doing now? Even if it probably was to be expected?Felicia didn't have to think on the answer for very long, it came to her quickly: They'd be disappointed... they'd be so disappointed in me.The picture fluttered out of Felicia's hand as she slumped back onto the bed again, feeling the familiar combo of her throat tightening and her eyes beginning to dampen relentlessly...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"It's only me, what you got to lose?"
-Circles, Post Malone
Ow... oh man, it still hurts.
Unfortunately, a good night's rest had done nothing to alleviate the soreness plaguing Miles's body. He groaned as he turned onto his side, flashbacks from the previous night's training session with Ghost Spider popping up in his mind.
"No, no, you're getting driven back!!" Miles heard the stern voice of his mentor as he dodged another brick that sailed at his head, flipping backwards as Ghost-Spider sighed in frustration and shook her head. "You're trying to ADVANCE as you dodge!!" The masked female continued to pick up bricks from the pile at her side and throw them at the speed of lightning, only narrowly missing Miles with every throw.
"I hate to break it to you..." Miles said in-between jumping and heavy breaths. "...But if I can barely dodge at this distance, there's no way I'll dodge if I get any closer!"
"Got it. Officially adding 'lacks confidence' to your report." Ghost-Spider quipped, not letting up as Miles gritted his teeth. He made a leap forward, and his eyes went wide as he saw a brick sail directly at his head... but, without even thinking or trying to move, his body contorted backwards and avoided the brick.
"THERE!!" Ghost-Spider finally let up, pointing a finger at Miles as he quickly looked up at her. "That's it!! Trust those reflexes."
"How... how did I do that...?" Miles panted, trying to wrap his head around how he'd been able to dodge that. Ghost-Spider chuckled at his stunned demeanor, shrugging her shoulders.
"Technically, you did it because you now have a built-in reflex system that detects potential threats due to proximity to your body rather than sight." Ghost-Spider explained. Miles could almost imagine the dorky, sarcastic smile beneath the white mask.
"Um... in English, please." Miles requested, and the female laughed softly once more.
"Just call it a 'spider-sense.'" She answered. "Now come on, you're still trying to get to where I'm at..." Ghost-Spider picked up another brick, and Miles groaned inwardly as he got ready to dodge again...
Begrudgingly, Miles began to sit up in bed, hearing his back pop a few times as he winced from the uncomfortable sensations. He looked around his room, slowly getting reoriented to the whole 'being awake' thing as the comfort of his bed continued to silently beckon him to lie down again. Nope... gotta' get ready. You told Uncle Aaron you could hang with him today.Miles swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his phone off his nightstand. As the screen lit up, he saw a few unread messages-Ganke had sent him a reel from Instagram, his mother was asking him to hurry downstairs since his dad had to leave early, and Uncle Aaron had asked if Miles wanted a Jamaican Beef Patty when he got there. A grin crept onto Miles's face-of course Uncle Aaron would remember Miles's favorite snack. Uncle Aaron always used to bring one for Miles when he'd visit way back when...First things first... Miles thought to himself, opening his mother's text before typing 'Getting ready, will be down in a bit,' and sending it. He then pulled up Uncle Aaron's message before typing, 'YESSS!!!' with a smile on his face. I'll look at Ganke's reel later... he's probably trying to get me to watch that dumb show again. Miles shook his head in amusement-he loved Ganke, but his best friend got way too overexcited about television.For the time being, reached towards his nightstand again, retrieving his air pods before slipping them in his ears and opening Spotify on his phone. Of course, the first song that came up was 'Circles'."Nah, listened to it too much." Miles muttered, skipping it and letting the playlist do its thing.Once he'd changed into a fresh set of clothes, Miles headed to his bathroom and pulled the mirror open. He pursed his lips as he saw his flattened packet of toothpaste, having once again forgotten that he needed more and now faced the challenge of getting a good amount of it onto his toothbrush. He squeezed the space below the opening, struggling mightily as only a small sliver of toothpaste was pushed out.
This might actually be harder than last night's training.
The comparison made Miles think back to last night again as he continued to battle his packet of toothpaste, dwelling on another moment that was now a memory...
"How come you're not tired?" Miles asked, panting as he lifted up his mask and took a sip from his water bottle. "You were throwing so many bricks at me, your arms must be burning." He was slumped against the short wall lining the roof alongside Ghost-Spider, who bobbed her head from side to side in response.
"Maybe you're just not accepting of the fact that a girl can be in better shape than you?" She retorted, making Miles have to contract his throat so he wouldn't laugh and choke on the water.
"Funny, real funny..." He told her, a smile on his puffed-out mouth that was still filled with water. Miles got around to swallowing it, then pulled his mask down over his face. His eyes went back to the wanted vigilante, noticing how her chin was lowered as if she was in intensive thought. "You good, Ghost-Spider?" Miles asked, earning a frustrated sigh from the female.
"I honestly hate that name; can you call me anything but that?"
"I can call you by your real name if you'd tell me-"
"Fat chance."
"-Worth a shot." Miles chuckled, looking up at the darkening sky. A few stars could already be seen, twinkling faintly as the New York City breeze picked up for a moment. Miles had always loved the sky at night... he'd been big into learning about constellations as a kid, and he could still remember some of them today. "Man, the sky's going to be really pretty later." He thought out loud, looking over as Ghost-Spider weakly nodded.
"Yeah..."
Something was definitely up with her. Miles turned to face her, finally getting Ghost-Spider to look at him. "Hey..." He said, pulling his mask completely off. If she was having something personal going on, then Miles felt like he needed to be more personal and not hide his face. Besides... it wasn't like she hadn't seen it before. "Something's up with you... you couldn't stop picking on me during the training, and now you're acting like your lips are glued shut." He told her. "My dad always told me that you can tell what a person's going through when there's nothing distracting them-when they've got nothing but their thoughts to focus on."
Something about that seemed to strike a chord with Ghost-Spider, though Miles wasn't sure if it was a good chord or a bad chord. "I... I'm just a quiet person-"
"B.S." Miles said immediately, and his mentor grumbled something unintelligible. "What?" He asked, and Ghost-Spider pinched the bridge of her nose before grumbling again. "Are you really mad at me already? Seriously, what-"
"I'm worried about my dad, okay??"
The confession made Miles forget what he'd been saying. Ghost-Spider had sounded like she'd been punched in the gut when she'd spoken, and now she was hugging her knees to her chest. The highly insecure look was not what he'd been expecting from her at all. "What's going on with your dad?" Miles asked, and she hid her face in her knees.
"He's dealing with... some dark problems that he hasn't faced in a long time." Ghost-Spider murmured, her muffled voice laden with emotional exhaustion. "And I just don't know what I can do about it."
Even thought it was a heavy thing to hear, Miles couldn't help but admire her in that moment-the world was such a busy place, and she could've been thinking of a million other things. But she was thinking about family... never before had he been more convinced that Ghost-Spider was innocent of any of the things she was being accused of, she was far too tenderhearted to be a manipulative killer.
"You know... that's really sweet of you to be thinking about him right now." Miles encouraged. Ghost-Spider seemed to bury her face in her knees even more, and Miles tilted his head. "Are you and your dad really close?"
"Used to be." Ghost-Spider sighed.
"Why not anymore?" Miles asked quickly. It took a few moments, but Ghost-Spider finally lifted her head to meet his gaze.
"It's... it's complicated, but he hurt me without knowing that he hurt me." She told him, letting her arms fall by her sides. "And I just don't know if I can ever really be myself around him anymore, no matter what he's got going on."
Man, did Miles ever relate to family drama. Even though his was different, he could still feel that same hurt inside of him-the pain accompanied by whatever mystery was behind his parents' general reluctance to approve of him hanging out with Uncle Aaron was something deeply rooted, and Miles saw no end to it in sight.
"But your dad... he didn't mean to hurt you, because he didn't know. Right?" Miles spoke, and he watched as Ghost-Spider's body began to tense up. The female's head began to shake, and her voice grew incredibly faint as she whispered a pained, confused, "I don't know..."
Once Miles had finished his morning routine, he quickly trotted down the stairs to see if he'd made it in time before his dad left. Fortunately, Jefferson Morales was propped against the kitchen counter, chatting with his wife while sipping on a cup of coffee."Dad!" Miles greeted, his sneakers making a sharp skrrt against the floor as he paused mid-jog."Look who's hustling..." His father chuckled, nudging Rio Morales with his elbow. "...You'd think he's trying to make sure you don't get mad at him-""He probably is." Rio responded, glancing at her son with a knowing smile. "I texted him to be down here before you left.""Oh..." Miles's father watched as Rio smirked before walking to the refrigerator, then shot his son a look that said, 'Yikes!'Miles tried to stifle his laugh, but the lighthearted scoff that left his lips made Rio Morales spin on her heels. Her eyes darted between the two males as she smirked at them. "No olvides que soy una mujer peligrosa." She murmured, shaking her head in amusement before pulling the orange juice carton off the refrigerator shelf."Anyways..." Jefferson spoke up, lifting his coffee to his lips. "...There's something else crazy that I've got to leave early for-someone stole a whole semi-trailer full of weird science tech! Isn't that something else?"The response that Miles felt inside of himself was... unexpected. Hearing about the wild happenings in New York City had used to make him respond with That's crazy!! or Wow, hope you can handle that! But now, all he could think about was how dangerous of a situation that was-was the person stealing the tech to make weapons out of it? Did they act alone? Should other people hear about this so they could take appropriate measures to protect themselves?Something about these new powers had caused Miles to take these things personally now. No, he hadn't been in a position to fight crime just yet, but he couldn't help but wonder if the City would be safer had he stopped this theft..."Do they know who did it?" Miles asked, and his father sighed, sipping his coffee again."There's three witnesses-they all say it was Black Cat." His father answered, the mention of the city's newest threat making Miles's blood run cold. Miles had heard so much about her-not just from his father, but from Ganke and others... claims that this robber had superhuman abilities, and was borderline unstoppable.Well, only unstoppable if she was having to take on regular humans... which Miles no longer was."Ugh, I thought she was only a bank robber?" Rio questioned, and her husband shrugged his shoulders."We thought so too." He answered. "Now we have even less of an idea of what her intentions are... it just seems like chaos to me."Jefferson's uninformative words made Rio sigh, shaking her head before looking at Miles. "Now there's another reason for you to stay away from girls... if they're crazy enough to steal from Oscorp, then they'll be crazy enough to break my little boy's heart-""Okay, I think you're generalizing a bit..." Miles spoke up, earning the look from his mother."Yeah, honey, ease up on him." Jefferson added, earning an even worse look from Rio. Miles's father shut his mouth immediately and cleared his throat before pouring the rest of his coffee into the sink. "Well, guess I better get going..." He said abruptly, setting the mug down before walking towards the door. "I'll be home for dinner, you two take care." Miles's father waved goodbye to his wife and son before leaving the apartment, headed to the other side of the city to investigate this latest crime taken by Black Cat."Thank you for coming down when I asked." Rio said quietly, continuing to prepare a small breakfast to herself. "I know that it doesn't seem like much, but your father appreciates it when you give a little extra effort for him." Seemed logical enough... Miles nodded in acknowledgement before walking to stand next to his mother. "Need a hand with that?" He asked, gesturing with his chin to the bagel that Rio was currently slicing in half."No, I'll be fine." She answered calmly, setting the food item on a plate before folding her arms over her chest. "So, what's my little man up to today?"A bit of embarrassment washed over Miles as he scratched the back of his head, kicking one leg over the other as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Well, I've got a few errands to run-""Ah, I'm guessing they're related to that 'job' of yours?" Rio responded with a teasing smile, using air quotations when she referred to Miles's current occupation."It is a job, Mama!" Miles insisted, his hand sliding down his face as a blend of frustration and amusement, signature only to his conversations with Rio Morales, filled his heart. "Lots of people are making lots of money off of what I do.""Tu 'trabajo' es solo un pasatiempo que de alguna manera paga." Rio murmured under her breath, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she watched Miles continue to grow frustrated.Miles huffed once more, unable to decide on whether to grumble or smile. "It IS a trabajo, though!! A muy bueno trabajo-" "Ah! Spanglish, Miles." Rio interrupted, holding up her finger as Miles groaned and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Si, mamá..." He muttered, causing his mother to laugh heartily as she nudged his arm."You're going to appreciate me giving you a hard time one of these days." She insisted playfully, walking over to the kitchen table to eat. "I would ask if you've got time to sit and eat, but it seems you're a bit preoccupied with getting out of the house." Rio smirked."Geez, what gave it away?" Miles retorted, making them both laugh softly. "I won't be away long, promise." He said, walking over and hugging his mother. "Bendiciones, mamá."
"Que Dios te bendiga, mijo."
Twenty minutes later, Miles was pulling open the door to his uncle's studio apartment, being hit immediately by the cool temperature that Uncle Aaron liked to keep his living space at. His eyes looked among the various pieces of postmodern artwork, trying to remember if any of them were new. Miles couldn't tell, he wasn't here often enough to have all of Uncle Aaron's artwork memorized.As he grew close to the kitchen, Miles could hear the sound of conversation grow more and more noticeable; it seemed as if his uncle was on a phone call."Right... so it's different from what you had me do before, now it's-" Uncle Aaron's smooth tone paused as the person on the other end of the phone spoke up, and he sighed, nodding along as he let his gaze drift across his kitchen. As he listened, his eyes fell upon Miles, who grinned and waved excitedly. Uncle Aaron smiled and mouthed 'Hey Miles!' before putting the phone back to his ear again. "...I know that's not asking as much, but I could sure use a bigger number than the one you offered...Probably making a sale, Miles thought to himself. Uncle Aaron's talent for art was behind this nice studio apartment, and it was just one of the many things that constantly drew Miles to him.As Uncle Aaron began to wrap up his conversation, Miles's attention turned to the fantastic view of the city through the wall of windows at the other end of the kitchen. Uncle Aaron's apartment was in a perfect spot, far enough away from the taller buildings to not have anything obstructing the view, while being close enough to soak in the details..."Pretty nice spot, isn't it?"Uncle Aaron's voice made Miles's eyes flick away from the windows, meeting the similarly dark brown eyes of his uncle. Miles chuckled softly before walking forward, his palm meeting Uncle Aaron's as they grinned at each other. "Thanks for having me over, Uncle Aaron.""You know this isn't a 'having you over' thing, Miles." Uncle Aaron insisted with a wink. "Treat the place like it's your own." He turned around to walk towards the kitchen table, his signature brown trench coat flowing with every step.Man, why can't I be as smooth as him?? Miles asked himself. I've even got super-instincts and stuff and I still can't be that cool-"You really must have a lot on your mind to have missed these." Uncle Aaron said, smiling as he took a seat at the kitchen table as Miles frowned."Missed what?" He asked, walking over. "What did I miss-" Miles cut himself off as he saw a plate on the center of the table-a plate bearing several Jamaican Beef Patties. "Oh, now we're talking!" He exclaimed with a grin, taking one immediately and munching on it, much to Uncle Aaron's joy. The older male laughed as his nephew sat next to him, tearing into the snack with reckless abandon while smiling the whole time."So, Miles, anything new with you?" Uncle Aaron asked, and Miles nodded."Yes." He answered with a smile, thinking about how much cooler life was about to be once Ghost Spider had trained him properly... then Miles immediately realized that talking about his secret outings with New York City's most wanted individual was a terrible idea. "I mean, no! No, nothing new-""Ah, I think I see..." Uncle Aaron spoke, a smirk on his face as he folded his hands on the table. "...You've got yourself one of those situations with a girl, don't you?"No... that's not it, Miles thought, smiling to himself. But thinking about it more deeply gave him pause. Wait... technically it is. Even though it's not what Uncle Aaron's meaning... is it?The moment of deep pondering served as confirmation for Uncle Aaron, who laughed lightly and leaned back in his chair. "I always knew you'd break through eventually... I'm proud of you, kid.""It's... it's not-" Miles tried to say, but the only one stopping him from finishing his sentences was himself. Maybe he hadn't intended on his training with Ghost Spider to serve as small steps towards something a little more 'personal,' but it had already shown small signs (to Miles at least) of moving in that direction. She'd opened up about her issues with her dad, and Miles had spent a while afterwards trying to talk her through everything. But all things considered... it wasn't a relationship. It was a friendship. Maybe not even a friendship, Miles told himself. You're more like an acquaintance to her than anything else."Well, I won't pry too much." Uncle Aaron said, looking out his window at the New York City skyline. "I just like hearing about you finding your way out there is all..."Something about the way Uncle Aaron said that left Miles speechless with gratitude. Why on earth would his parents not want him around someone that clearly cared a great deal about him??"That, um... that phone call-" Miles spoke up, breaking the silence. "-Was that someone wanting to buy your art?""I wish." Uncle Aaron scoffed, looking back at the random pieces of art that dotted his apartment walls. "No one's been wanting to buy any of my work for a while..." Now Uncle Aaron was the one drifting away in his thoughts, looking at the hundreds of buildings of the city with a certain anxiety in his eyes. It was almost as if he was at his wit's end for a few moments, which took Miles aback in the moment. Then Uncle Aaron looked back at Miles, and that confident smile lit up his features once more."...But I had someone that I used to work for call me up. They want me to do something that's... a little bit like a side gig I did for them." Uncle Aaron explained, making Miles's eyes light up with interest."You going to be doing artwork for them?" Miles asked, and his uncle snickered."You can put it that way, yeah... I guess it would be kind of like an art for me."Miles was so curious about what Uncle Aaron would be doing-everything that the man did was more interesting than the last, leaving Miles eager to hear everything that he possibly could.But before Miles could ask more questions, Uncle Aaron shifted in his seat to face Miles better. "Speaking of side gigs... you mind explaining to me what this little job you've got going on is?" He questioned slyly."Ugh, you and mom..." Miles groaned, making Uncle Aaron laugh softly. Laughing with him was irresistible for Miles, who picked up another Jamaican Beef Patty before taking a deep breath. He felt more comfortable explaining his current occupation to Uncle Aaron than he did to his parents-his parents were always going to worry if Miles was throwing away his future for something in the here and now. Uncle Aaron didn't think like that... he was all about someone figuring themselves out through a process rather than learning by strictly results. And Miles felt confident that what he was doing now was simply a part of the process that would direct him onwards from there.Yeah... I feel way better with talking to Uncle Aaron about it. Miles thought to himself. I feel MILES better."This job... I don't know if I want to do it forever, but I'm having so much fun with it now..." Miles began, his words making Uncle Aaron lean forward with interest as his nephew began breaking down what he was trying to accomplish.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You are not alone, dear loneliness"
-Stranger Things Have Happened, the Foo Fighters
Midway through typing the next sentence, Gwen felt her fingers begin to cramp up on her laptop keyboard. She gritted her teeth, trying to power through the pain as she typed out more and more of the paper due at midnight... but it wasn't enough. With burning finger muscles, Gwen slouched in her chair and took her hands off the keyboard. A frustrated groan left her lips as her head leaned back, allowing her blonde hair to spill down her shoulders.
How could I have let this happen?
"That procrastination is a killer, isn't it, Gwen?"The familiar voice made Gwen jolt upright in her chair, chills flowing down her spine as her memory brought the owner of the voice to mind. Was it really...?"I know you've got a lot of stuff going on, Gwen..." Peter Parker mused, fiddling with one of her spider-gadgets while sitting on her bed. "...But really? A five-page paper? That should be a piece of cake for you."Gwen began to turn in her chair, her breathing becoming uneven as her eyes fell upon her best friend. Peter was humming softly to himself, adjusting his glasses as he continued poking and prodding at the gadget that Gwen had made. For some reason, he was wearing an outfit that she wasn't accustomed to seeing him in-grey shorts with dark leggings, a puffy winter jacket, and a black shirt with a red spider on it. For a second, she almost thought he was wearing-"Miles's clothes?" Peter spoke, finishing Gwen's thoughts and making her blink in surprise. "Yeah... he's been on your mind a lot lately, so I figured I'd throw these on."It felt so surreal... somehow, despite Peter's ominous presence in her dorm room, Gwen felt a lot calmer than she probably should have seeing a dead person. Again.There were a million things that Gwen felt like saying... but one thing on her mind stood out the most in this moment."P-Pete?"Gwen's stutter made Peter look up, and he set the gadget aside as he met her gaze through his glasses. "What's up, Stacy?"The peaceful, kind expression on Peter's face made Gwen grip the armrests of her chair, and she took a shaky breath before speaking. "D-did you... did you know th-that..."Peter's eyebrows lifted expectantly as Gwen continued struggling to speak, and the blonde swallowed before beginning to nervously tap her shoes together."...Did you know that I... I didn't mean it?" She said in a whisper. "That I didn't know what I was doing when it... happened?"Her inquiry made Peter furrow his brow, and the male shifted on Gwen's bed while the blonde felt her heart threaten to fracture as she waited for an answer. Yes, Peter Parker had, in his mutated lizard state, killed Owen. But Gwen knew that he hadn't meant for that to happen... that had been his last words to her, after all. She just hoped that Peter had known that Gwen hadn't realized that he'd gone back to being a normal person as she'd delivered those final, fatal blows."I... I honestly can't answer that." Peter replied with a shrug. "That's something that only Peter Parker would be able to answer.""Wh... what?" Gwen spoke, but Peter simply lifted one of his hands. "But... that question is really one-" He paused for a split second, the hand forming a finger gun and pointing at Gwen. "-That you should be asking yourself."Gwen was totally perplexed... so many of her dreams, allegedly under the effects of her Effexor prescription, were intimate reimaginings of herself with Owen followed by a terrifying jumpscare; or they were just brutal horror sequences, with Gwen running from something or restrained and helpless as something approached. But this? This was unlike anything she'd dreamed up of before."I... I don't..." She shook her head. "...I don't understand.""Then let me help you." Peter answered, shifting his finger gun slightly, as if to aim at Gwen's arm. "Do you know that he didn't mean to hurt you?"A frigid sensation passed through Gwen's arm, and her hand subconsciously went to the gunshot wound above the three scars from the lizard. "Pete, I... I don't know.""No, I think you do." Peter replied bluntly, pulling back on his thumb. To Gwen's surprise, she heard the sound of a handgun's action being worked. "I think you're just psyching yourself out..."The voice of George Stacy echoed in Gwen's ears-Five... four... three... two... all the while, she couldn't move. Her limbs were somehow frozen in place as she stared into Peter's emotionless eyes.Then Peter's thumb dropped, and the sound of a gunshot shook Gwen from her sleep.Her hands went to her rapidly beating heart as her wide eyes darted around the room. Breathe, breathe... it was just a dream, you're home. It's Saturday, you went home for the weekend to be around your dad...Gwen rolled from her side to her back as her body began to calm down, and she inhaled slowly before rubbing her bleary eyes. Seeing as these constant dreams were allegedly a side effect of the Effexor she was taking to combat her depression that wasn't going away, Gwen was beginning to wonder if the medication was really worth it.It takes a while for the body to adjust... Gwen told herself, getting out of bed before walking to her bathroom. ...That's what the doctor told you. Just ride it out.Once she was there, she pulled open the mirror and grabbed the bottle of Effexor. One tablet slid out of the bottle and into Gwen's palm before she put the bottle back. She studied the tablet for a second, debating whether or not she should take it dry, as she usually did. But her throat felt so dry right now... Gwen felt like she might choke if she attempted to take it without water this time.Keeping the Effexor tablet in her hand, she left the bathroom and began walking down the stairs. But before she could even get halfway down, the sound of snoring made her pause. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen...Gwen began walking again, poking her head around the corner of the stairway to see George Stacy at his usual seat, slumped over and asleep on the kitchen table. Her eyebrow quirked at the random sight, but walking into the kitchen made it obvious why her father had fallen asleep here... sitting on the table right by George's face was a still-unopened liquor bottle.The sight of the bottle made Gwen stop in her tracks, and she felt her legs struggle to support herself. Her father was still feeling that push to turn back to drinking too much, and he'd fallen asleep debating whether he should dive in or put the bottle back.Nausea swarmed Gwen's stomach as she stared at the scene. To this point, George hadn't given in and taken a drink. But the fact that he'd fallen asleep with that bottle's temptation next to him made it seem as if his will was beginning to break down. And thinking about her father drowning in that much despair made Gwen's heart tear itself apart.She walked forward with an outstretched hand, moving to take his shoulder and wake him up. But her footsteps moved slower and slower as she got closer, and Gwen came to a halt as she was a few feet away from him. Her thoughts began to turn, no longer seeing her only family left in a state of misery and suffering, but rather focusing on one dark fact that had taken over everything in her life.
He shot you.
Gwen's hand began to withdraw... and she walked to the side, her throat swelling as she went to get a glass of water for her Effexor instead.Her trembling hand nearly dropped the glass when she pulled it down, and Gwen found herself staring at her father's sleeping figure again as she held the glass under the faucet and filled it with water. This sudden change in her life the past week had been to shake her father out of his current state-to her, it seemed as if his circumstances, especially the seemingly hopeless endeavor of dealing with Black Cat, had driven George Stacy back to the bottle. But now, knowing that she'd just felt the urge to reject a chance to be there for him... Gwen couldn't help but wonder if his despair was due to how distant they'd become.You should help him, she told herself. You have the power to help him-you're the only one who does!!The water began to overflow in the glass, and Gwen jumped as she unexpectedly felt the cold liquid fall onto her fingers. She cut the water off, then downed her Effexor and followed it up with a splash of cold water. The coolness seemed to be just what her throat needed, and the dry, aching sensation began to subside.Once she'd chugged the whole glass, Gwen set it down in the sink, then slipped her hands in her pockets as she walked out of the kitchen with a brisk pace. But the guilt that had begun to tug at her heartstrings brought Gwen to a stop before she'd even reached the stairs.
Help him.
Gwen's head turned slightly, and she was able to faintly see her father out of the corner of her eye. Something was burning within her, screaming for Gwen to shake her father out of his sleep and plead with him to stop walking on this path of toying with his own well-being. But through the screaming, Gwen could hear the ring of a gunshot in her mind. She couldn't intervene. Gwen was terrified that, somehow, she might make things worse.Biting her lip and feeling like the hypocrite of all hypocrites, Gwen slowly made her way up the stairs. On her way, she pulled out her phone and texted MJ, the only person she could think of to distract Gwen from all this madness...Forty-five minutes later, Gwen was seated in a coffee shop, nervously eyeing the door as fellow college-age patrons filed in around her. She'd asked MJ if she was busy today, and of course her friend had said yes and suggested they meet at the coffee shop near Gwen's apartment home. Gwen had never been much of a coffee drinker, so she had bought a bottle of water before taking a seat to wait for MJ to arrive.While her eyes stared through the window, Gwen felt her phone vibrate briefly in her pocket. She slipped it out, seeing a news update that read, Mayor of New York City to declare a State of Emergency in response to the confirmed sighting of the Ghost-Spider. All around her, Gwen heard the other coffee shop patrons begin to check their phones, with most of them showing it to their friends and beginning to murmur worriedly.
Geez... getting Miles trained just got a whole lot more difficult.
Gwen had originally agreed to train Miles in the art of fighting crime out of the hope that they could potentially work together to clear her name, but lately Gwen had been looking at it from a more big-picture perspective: maybe her name didn't have to be cleared. Maybe New York City just needed a different hero... a better hero... one that wouldn't make stupid decisions that got people killed-Something smacked against the window right by Gwen, making her jump in surprise as she came back to reality. It was just MJ, pressing her palms to the glass and saying a lot of excited things to Gwen that the blonde couldn't hear due to the window muffling MJ's words. As Gwen caught the breath that the surprise arrival of MJ had stolen, she shook her head with a gentle smile upon her lips. Never once had MJ failed to entertain, even when she wasn't trying to.The redhead made her way into the coffee shop, a grin on her face and excitement in her eyes as she walked to Gwen. "You look absolutely worn out, drummer girl!" MJ commented, giving Gwen a tight hug as the blonde wheezed while her ribs were squished under the force of MJ's friendship."Mmff... is that... supposed to be a compliment?" Gwen asked, and MJ nodded quickly."Oh, absolutely!! Only you can look that pretty while looking like you're done with everyone's crap." MJ said, pulling away and looking at the line that stretched from the cash register. "You mind waiting in line with me, Gwen?""Sure." Gwen said softly, getting up from her seat before following MJ to the line of people. Part of her felt like this hangout with MJ might be more difficult from the last time she saw her... MJ was probably going to want Gwen to talk about what might be going on, while Gwen just wanted some quality time with her friend and to not think about the new problems that had been popping up.As if on cue, MJ turned to Gwen with a friendly smile on her face. "So... any reason behind our adventure to this coffee shop?" She asked, and Gwen bit her lip. Absolutely zero part of her felt that she could effectively explain what was happening, and she similarly didn't feel like talking about it."Look, I..." Gwen trailed off, leaving MJ with wide, expectant eyes as she waited on her friend to finish. "...I just wanted to hang out with you, okay?" She finished. "There's a lot of stuff going on, and I really could use a break from it all. You're the best person I know to get away from reality with."MJ really looked like she wanted to poke the issue a little more, but she relented. With a soft nod, she let Gwen know that she wouldn't push the issue. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the two friends reached the front of the line, and MJ cleared her throat before looking at the barista. "Hi! I'd like a skinny decaf vanilla latte; give it extra cream and a double sleeve..."As MJ continued her very, very specific order, Gwen found herself thinking about Miles once again. Yes, she was really giving thought to the notion that he could be the true protector of New York City, but there was something running a little deeper than that with him as well. Ever since Miles had inadvertently dropped the bombshell that he'd turned down her invitation to prom due to his lack of control over his powers, her attitude towards him had begun to shift slightly, day by day. Just over two weeks ago, Gwen had been curious about what had become of Miles but disinterested in any reconnection with him. But crossing paths with him once again had changed things... now, Gwen was beginning to realize a truth that was very hard for her to swallow: that somewhere, deep inside of her, were some unresolved feelings that she'd never been able to put away."Stace? Yoo-hoo?" MJ waved her hand in front of Gwen's face to get the blonde out of her own head, and Gwen blinked before looking up. "Huh?"MJ scoffed playfully, rolling her eyes as she began to walk back to the table with Gwen. "It's like you've totally forgotten how to live in the moment, Stacy.""I don't think I was ever interested in living in the moment." Gwen said in return.That retort was met with laughter from MJ. "Oh, I think someone needs to remember how they used to pound their drum kit to pieces." She snickered. "How's that for living in the moment?""Fair point." Gwen murmured, showing a hint of a smile before taking a sip of her water. Drumming wasn't really something that could be done without being invested in what you were doing in that moment. "I don't think I got around to asking you this, but how's the Daily Bugle been treating you?"Gwen's question made MJ shrug her shoulders nonchalantly. "Eh, it's alright." She answered. "The job's gotten more interesting with all the crazy things happening in the city, but when there's no chaos it's kind of boring." MJ explained. "And I don't know how I feel about needing chaos for my job to be fun.""Once again, fair point." Gwen told MJ, which made her friend smile to herself. If Gwen wasn't going to talk about what was going on with her dad, she might as well hear about what was going on in MJ's world. "Has anything else fun happened for you lately?" Gwen questioned.MJ furrowed her brow as she concentrated on Gwen's words. "Like... just in general, or dating-wise...?"Just the phrase dating-wise was enough to make Gwen feel like she wanted to squirm. This whole training situation with Miles was casting a light on a massive loose end left over from the most nightmarish part of Gwen's life, and she wasn't eager to confront him about it just yet. MJ seemed to pick apart Gwen's body language immediately, but she decided to ease into it. "Well, I haven't really had anything serious with any guy... a dinner date here and there with someone I find interesting, but nothing more." She said, continuing to study Gwen's face. "I just feel like I've been on enough first dates that they've lost their charm if they're not with someone special, you get what I'm saying?"No, I'm kind of lost on that one. Gwen thought to herself. But maybe I'm lost because I'm not focused on what she's saying..."Is there..." MJ began, leaning forward slightly. "...Any 'situations' you're in that I should be aware of?""No." Gwen blurted quickly. Her attempt to cover up her uneasiness was so poorly executed that MJ's face shifted from curious to an expression that said, 'Really?'"Yeah. Okay, Stacy." MJ chuckled, leaning back in her seat. "That's totally not the tone of someone working through complex feelings. Absolutely not.""Geez... did you have to call me out like that?" Gwen complained in a soft tone, rubbing her forehead as she looked to the side. Once again, there was no way that she could lay out the specifics of what was happening to MJ, but maybe she could just piece together what was important enough to allow MJ to give her feedback.Gwen prepared herself to open up, sighing gently and sitting upright before looking MJ in the eye. "I... I ran into Miles recently... you remember him, right?""Yeah! He was friend with Peter, right?" MJ asked. An unseen dagger plunged into Gwen's heart at the mention of her deceased best friend that she'd killed, but the blonde managed to nod anyways. Her affirmation made MJ hum softly, looking at her hands before smiling at Gwen. "I always thought that you and Miles would be cute together, if I'm being honest."Gwen could vaguely remember MJ showing some excitement over Gwen's stirring feelings for Miles. That might make whatever she says slightly biased... she contemplated."Well... I hadn't spoken to him since he said no to me for prom." Gwen said, and MJ nodded understandingly. "And he kind of told me that... well..." She tapped her knuckles on the table anxiously-that whole situation had been so out of the ordinary, considering that Miles had confessed his fascination with Gwen and reasoning for turning her down without knowing it was Gwen he was talking to. "...He gave a reason that I'm kind of... sympathetic to?" She told MJ in an uncertain tone. "Like... it was all grounded in him wanting me to enjoy prom."The complexity of Gwen's issue gave MJ a lot to think about, and the redhead furrowed her brow as she contemplated what to say. "Yeah... yeah, that sounds really hard to process." She said, looking around the coffee shop for a few moments before turning her attention back to Gwen. "So, are you thinking about giving him another chance?"The question was so unlike Gwen's inner monologue-where Gwen's mind would dance around the reality of what was going on, MJ tended to get straight to the point. Another chance... was that really what Gwen was after? "I... I really can't say." She concluded. "I just feel so unsettled about everything, and I don't know if there's a right decision to make here."Again, MJ paused to give thought to what Gwen had said. "I think what you're trying to figure out is who you're dealing with." She said, folding her arms on the table. "If you had a clear picture of who Miles is, then I think you'd be able to come to a good decision. It sounds like you're not trying to figure out how you feel about what he did as much as you are what kind of person he is."Huh... wow. Gwen blinked in surprise at how much sense that made. But despite MJ's tendencies to lack focus and logistics, the former singer for the Mary-Janes had always been very emotionally intelligent. "So... what should I do to fix that?""Just be around him a bit more." MJ suggested. "I'm not saying go out with him now, but just try to be his friend. That's how 'something more' always starts anyways, right?""Right." Gwen agreed, and MJ beamed happily."Yeah, it's like science! You... you've got to crack the code before figuring out what to do with the code, right?" MJ asked, and her analogy made Gwen laugh."Sounds more like coding to me." The blonde snickered, and MJ frowned."Isn't coding science...?" MJ said with a tilt of her head.Gwen could only shake her head and laugh more at this point. Oh, MJ..."Order for Marianne?" The barista asked, setting a cup of coffee on the counter. "Ah, I think that's mine." MJ told Gwen as she began to get out of her chair. "They always get my name wrong..."As Gwen's friend left to make sure her order was prepared down to the finest detail, the blonde was left to think on MJ's suggestions alone. What kind of person he is... Gwen had thought she knew what kind of person Miles was before the whole prom fiasco. Maybe she just needed some confirmation on her thoughts.
Good thing you're training him to use superhuman abilities to protect the city, right?
Gwen wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for from Miles... but what she was sure of was that she wanted to turn the page on that old chapter of her life, no matter what it would end up looking like.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Because everything works in your arms"
-Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson
The backdrop of today's sunset cast an orange glow over Gwen's spider-suit, the white sections of the thin material drinking in the sun's rays as she remained crouched on the roof of a building and stared at an apartment in the distance. She'd told Miles to be expecting her today after their last training session had ended, but she'd never specified an exact time. Which was good, because it allowed Gwen to stall for the time being as a mess of emotions continued to tie her stomach into knots.Her fingers kneaded the fabric of her mask as she held it in her hands, the shadows cast by her hood falling over her face and obscuring it from any potential onlookers. You're going to have to go there eventually... better now than later, Gwen thought with a sigh.Although her conversation with MJ several days ago had been a moment of peace and relaxation that she'd needed desperately, it still hadn't brought clarity to this tense situation that Gwen was caught in. She wanted to see Miles, yet she didn't... she wanted him to take up her old mantle as protector of New York City, yet she was afraid of him getting hurt or killed... she wanted to give her connection to him another shot, yet she didn't know if she was ready to move on from the past. MJ had suggested kindling a friendship with him to get a feel for what to do, but it wasn't going to be as direct as the redhead had probably imagined. Miles wasn't going to be getting Gwen Stacy as a friend for now... but maybe Gwen's alter ego becoming a friend to Miles would be a starting point for her to sort this out.Her blue eyes flicked away from the apartment as she pulled out her phone, looking at the screen to check the time. It was 5:47.
Yeah, you better get moving. If you wait any longer then you won't have time to write your papers once the training session is over.
Gwen pulled her mask over her face, then dove off the roof before firing a web through the air. Once again, she didn't swing too low so as to not draw any unneeded attention to herself. There were more police cruisers out and about now, a result of the current State of Emergency that the mayor had declared in response to the Ghost Spider's return to the city.She got to Miles's apartment in a flash, sticking to the wall and briskly climbing towards his window. Once she reached it, Gwen leaned over the window and prepared to tap her knuckles on it to get his attention. But what she saw inside was about as unexpected as it got.Miles was seated in front of his computer with another male next to him. This friend of Miles was a bit shorter than Miles but with a stouter frame, and had his own laptop seated next to Miles's keyboard. He looked to be Korean, but Gwen wasn't completely certain. Both of them were wearing headphones over their ears and had a rather expensive-looking microphone sitting between their computers.Uh... what?? Gwen blinked rapidly at the sight. She listened as the two friends chatted and jeered at each other, getting extremely invested in whatever they were doing.
"Haha!! Try going left again, Miles-"
"Fine by me, catch some of THIS!!"
"No no no, stop-AH!!"
"Serves you right, buddy..."
From what Gwen could tell, they were playing against each other in some game. The two were so lost in their virtual competition that they hadn't noticed the most infamous figure in the city right outside the window. "Boys..." Gwen muttered to herself, shaking her head in frustration before knocking on the window.The sound made Miles and his friend look over at the same time, and both of their eyes went wide immediately. "Oh my gosh dude-IT'S HER!!" Miles's friend exclaimed, sounding as elated as possible as Miles quickly went to the window and opened it."Did you have to swing by now??" Miles asked, panic in his voice as Gwen shrugged her shoulders."I mean, I hate to interrupt your gaming session..." Gwen spoke, glancing at Miles's companion before turning her attention back to the male in front of her. "...But I did tell you to be ready today.""Hold on-" Miles said, holding his hands up and taking a deep breath. "-Let's back up for just a second-""Can't really do that right now. I mean, unless you're cool with me dropping off the side of the building and painting the sidewalk.""Geez Miles, she's kind of dark." Miles's friend noted, making Gwen and Miles look over. "Nah, she's not like that, Ganke..." Miles said, glancing back at Gwen for a split second. "...She's just got a thing for sarcasm every now and then." He explained, stepping back to allow her to step inside. Gwen crawled through the window, warily eyeing Ganke as this new figure sprang to his feet and jogged over."It's such an honor to meet you, Ghost Spider!!" Ganke said quickly, holding out a hand for her. "And I hope you don't mind if I ask that you look us up on YouTube in your spare time-""Wait, time out-" Gwen cut Ganke off, her head turning to Miles. "-First, why does he know about me?""I mean... I told him that you're training me." Miles said bluntly, shrugging his shoulders as Gwen facepalmed."You've got to be kidding me... do you just not understand the concept of secrecy at all?" Gwen complained, and Miles rolled his eyes at her."Ganke's my best friend, alright?" He insisted, looking at his friend and smiling at him. "Whatever I know, he knows. And he's not going to let it get out to anyone, right?""That's right!" Ganke said with a grin. Gwen folded her arms over her chest, sighing in frustration. Just what I needed... someone else getting tangled up in this that could get hurt... or worse."Okay, I... I don't like it, but it's not like I can do anything about it now." Gwen muttered, looking at Ganke again. He seemed like a nice enough person... Gwen wasn't worried about him turning on her or Miles as much as she was him accidentally telling someone else what was going on. Ganke seemed like a bit of a chatterbox to her-kind of like MJ, in a way. If MJ had known that Gwen was Ghost Spider, Gwen would bet her life savings that the redhead would accidentally tell someone while simply trying to make conversation.She turned her attention back to Miles, meeting his gaze as she relaxed her shoulders. "Second, what was he talking about?" Gwen added, wanting some explanation as to why Ganke brought up YouTube out of nowhere."Well, I was trying to say this earlier... but we weren't just having a 'gaming session.'" Miles explained, walking over to his computer and pulling up several different screens. "I think we can cut this interruption out, but it'll take us some extra time to edit it...""We could always start a new game and upload it instead!" Ganke suggested, leaving Gwen to look between the two with her perplexed expression hidden beneath her mask. Slowly, her brain began working to figure out what she was seeing and hearing... the microphone, the headsets, Ganke asking her to look them up on YouTube..."Miles, are you-" Gwen began, her tone becoming more incredulous with every word. "-A YouTuber??""Dude, she knows your name!!" Ganke whispered, elbowing Miles as the other male's eyes widened in shock."Wait, how do you know my name??" Miles demanded, and Gwen froze."I, uh-"
Crap crap crap crap!!
Gwen's eyes darted around as she tried to think up of an excuse that didn't involve telling him who she was-her true identity needed to be kept in the dark for a number of different reasons. "-I heard your friend say it earlier." She spat out, pointing a finger at Ganke as the two males looked at each other slowly."Oh yeah... that makes sense." Miles said, his demeanor calming as Ganke gasped suddenly. "Wait, did you hear Miles say my name, too?" Ganke asked, his eyes lighting up as Gwen rolled her eyes."Yeah. It's Ganke, right?""Ghost Spider knows my name, too!!" Ganke told Miles, the two high fiving each other like excited fanboys as Gwen just stared at them. She sighed, stepping forward again and lifting a hand as she spoke up."So this is the job you told me about?" Gwen asked Miles, gesturing in the direction of his computer. "You're running a YouTube channel with Ganke?""Sure am!" Miles said proudly, putting his arm around Ganke and fist bumping his friend. "We're starting to gain traction as a sports gaming channel... look up '2K23' on YouTube and our videos are some of the first to pop up!""And... you're making money off of it?" Gwen questioned further, causing Miles and Ganke to look at each other slowly."Well... sort of." Ganke answered, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Gwen. "The ad revenue isn't all that great right now, but our subscriber count is beginning to pick up."This whole scenario felt so random that Gwen hadn't known what to make of it. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Miles had a bold and entertaining personality, which was probably needed for success in that industry. It also explained why he'd taken a gap year before starting college-everything that Gwen had heard about starting a YouTube channel had made it sound like an endeavor that required massive amounts of time and effort. Still, it was a route that she would never have guessed Miles to take, even when they were in high school."Alright... I'll be sure to like and comment, and... all that other stuff." Gwen told them, rolling her head on her neck and hearing a few bones pop as she winced. "But we really need to get through this training session now, alright?""Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." Miles said playfully, walking to his dresser and pulling his mask out again. "Ganke, I'll take you up there-""Absolutely not." Gwen spoke up immediately, and Miles threw his hands up in exasperation."Oh, come on!" Miles complained. "He already knows what I'm doing, why can't he just sit and watch?""Yeah, that's all I'll do!" Ganke promised. "Miles told me all about his last training session with you, it sounds like it would be a blast to watch-""It's not safe." Gwen told Ganke. "Miles still hasn't completely gotten a grip on his powers, and I don't want you to accidentally get caught in any crossfire.""He'll be fine, I promise!" Miles insisted. "And if you don't let him come with us, then I just won't be doing this training session."Gwen scoffed at Miles's brazen defiance. "You think that you can figure things out without my help after you were begging me to teach you the ropes?""No." Miles answered, shrugging his shoulders. "But I'll just run out there and fight crime anyway, and you'll have to live with whatever happens... all because you wouldn't let my best friend hang with us." He told her, his eyes narrowing."You think that you're calling my bluff..." Gwen tilted her head. "...But there's no bluff to be called. Ganke is not coming with us, and that's final."Thirty minutes later, Gwen was standing on the edge of the building's roof, watching as Miles and Ganke laughed at a video on Ganke's phone. Miles's mask was laying on the ground beside him as he took a break from training, his eyes locked on whatever it was that Ganke was showing him."Wait, wait, listen to this part..." Ganke said, holding up the phone so that Miles could hear it. Gwen couldn't make out what they were listening to, but whatever it was caused the two to howl with laughter once again.Gwen looked away quickly, the heartwarming scene poking at the isolation she'd been living in for months. Sure, she'd spoken to MJ twice, but their friendship was nowhere near what it used to be, and it certainly wasn't the bond that Miles and Ganke had.The blonde's blue eyes went to Miles again... he looked so happy, so unfazed by anything that could be serving as a stressor. And it wasn't like Miles had it easy-he was starting a YouTube channel while figuring out these superhuman abilities that even Gwen couldn't figure out at this point. The invisibility and electric powers were traits that Gwen hadn't gotten from her spider bite, so the two were basically figuring out how they worked together.In the middle of his laughter, Miles seemed to feel Gwen's eyes on him, as his own dark hues met her gaze. Her gut twisted in a knot when their eyes locked... there was such depth in Miles's eyes, so much compassion... enough to where Gwen just wanted to dive into them and drown in whatever comfort they would surely provide.He began to stand up and walk towards her, causing Gwen to look away quickly and fold her arms over her stomach before looking out at the city."Hey..." Miles said softly, standing next to Gwen as the blonde stood still. "...What's up with you today?""What's that supposed to mean?" Gwen said, her voice monotone and emotionless as Miles raised an eyebrow at her."I'm not trying to be mean when I say this, but... you seem pretty miserable right now." Miles told Gwen. "You were getting frustrated really easily with Ganke and I, you're not trying to talk to us..." He said, trailing off for a few moments. "...I don't know. I just thought we were cool after the last time we spoke."Gwen bristled initially, but her shoulders began to slump as she really considered what Miles was saying. She'd begun to open up to him ever so slightly during the last training session, and now she was just shutting him out completely. And yet there Miles was once again, by her side and trying to help talk her through things he couldn't see.Man... I really have been a jerk to him, haven't I? Gwen's thoughts were followed with a sigh, and she closed her eyes within the solitude of her mask. MJ said you should try being his friend... just give it a shot, Stacy."I'm sorry that I haven't been great to be around today." Gwen apologized gently, her head lowering with the guilt that accompanied such a confession. "I'm still just trying to figure a lot of things out right now-""Is it the stuff with your dad?" Miles asked, and Gwen shook her head."-Not as much of that today."She could see Miles's head tilting out of the corner of her mask, and her eyes glanced at him. Again... there was no frustration with her in this moment, only compassion. "Ghost Spider really can't catch a break, huh?" He asked playfully.Gwen chuckled softly. "Story of my life, Spider-Man." She told him, making Miles smile at her.The two stood by each other as they looked across New York City, only the occasional gust of wind breaking the silence for several moments. "I didn't tell you this last time-" Miles spoke up, making Gwen finally look over as the male took a seat on the edge of the roof. "-But there's this weird thing going on between my parents and my uncle... I have no idea what it is, my uncle's such a cool guy! He's one of the most talented artists in the city.""Is that so?" Gwen asked gently, and Miles nodded."Yeah! You've probably seen some of his stuff without knowing it." Miles told her, looking up as the female continued to stand. "And he's always been so cool with me coming to visit him... he makes the best Jamaican Beef Patties-""The best what?"Miles's gentle expression turned into one of mock offense in a flash. "Don't tell me that you've never had a Jamaican Beef Patty before-""I won't tell you that I've never had one..." Gwen said, her voice growing more lighthearted as she spoke to him. "...I'll just tell you that I've never heard of that before."Miles shook his head and clicked his tongue, pretending to be disappointed as Gwen fought the urge to grin. "I can't believe you've never heard of them... that's probably why you're so cranky!""Okay, cranky is pushing it." Gwen laughed, nudging him with one of the mint-green ballerina shoes that she still wore to remind her of happier times. "I highly doubt that some beef patty is going to fix what I've got going on.""Oh, you have no idea..." Miles insisted, grinning as he looked up at her. "Next time I swing by Uncle Aaron's, I'll hold onto one so that you can try it. Hope you're ready for your world to change forever.""Oh, I'll be prepared." Gwen promised, beginning to loosen up as she looked back at Miles. See? Being friendly isn't so hard, she thought to herself, feeling a bit more comfortable as she lifted her head to look at the skyscrapers that dotted the view of the city once again.Slowly, Gwen began to lower herself down until she was sitting next to Miles. Her gloved fingers drummed on the edge of the roof that she sat on as she talked herself into opening up to him once more."Ever since the... the Midtown Prom Incident... I've really felt like I had to be alone." Gwen told him, her voice barely above a whisper as she thought about all the connections that were on the edge of being severed-her father, MJ, and Felicia, all of whom had found their way back into her life again. "And I really don't think that I can be who I used to be after everything I learned that day.""Learned?" Miles repeated. "What did you learn from something like that?"Gwen's throat tightened, faint images of Owen and Peter's limp forms resurfacing before she pushed them away. "I learned that I wasn't capable of balancing everything I had going on... and that I wasn't strong enough to handle the consequences."Again, wind was the only sound around the two as Gwen stared at the streets below, biting her lip and holding the tears in as best she could.Miles seemed to be thinking about what she said deeply, as only now was he looking away from her. After several moments, he looked over at the wanted vigilante again. "Maybe you learned something from that... but I don't think it's supposed to be a rule of thumb.""Huh?""I'm saying that you're letting one day define the world for you." Miles explained. "Yeah, that was probably the worst thing that could've happened... maybe it's the worst thing you've ever been through... but that's one day out of three hundred and sixty-five for that year. And how old are you-?""Eighteen.""-Really?" Miles said, sounding surprised. "I thought you'd be closer to twenty.""I was always one of the youngest kids in class." Gwen acknowledged with a chuckle. "People thought I was crazy when I told them I graduated high school when I was seventeen.""Okay, so, eighteen..." Miles spoke, steering the conversation back to what he'd been saying. "...And eighteen times three hundred and sixty-five is... a whole lot." He concluded, making Gwen tilt her head as she tried to decipher where he was going with this. "You're telling me that one day, no matter how bad it was, is going to outright define all of those other days you've had?" Miles asked her. "That you're going to just say that none of the good you did even matters anymore?"His inquiry made Gwen purse her lips, and her head lowered as she dwelled on what he said. But every time she tried to weigh whatever ways she'd helped New York City against the awfulness of the Midtown Prom Incident, the bad always seemed to loom larger. "I... I screwed up. I screwed up so badly-""I wasn't there. I don't know what happened..." Miles said, his voice still calm and concerned for her. "...But I think that you've been telling yourself that the city doesn't need you anymore... and that the people around you are better off without you... and I think that's a lie." He told her. "I think that New York still needs you... and I don't think that anyone who you were close to would be better off without you. I mean, I've known you for like two weeks, and I know I'm better off knowing you." Miles admitted with a grin. "Do you know how many times I accidentally de-charged my phone with whatever electric craziness I've got inside of me before I was able to talk to you?"The humorous statement made Gwen snort, and her frown was forced back to a grin as she looked at the male beside her."Look, we're going to find a way to get the truth about you out there." Miles promised, sounding as focused and confident as ever. "I think that the world believing a lie about you is making you believe that lie, too. Once they see the truth, I think you'll start to see it, too."Gwen was still smiling, and for once she felt as if there was a ray of light shining through the storm clouds that had been swirling in her mind for so long. Not an outright end to her problems... but something like a sure sign that, eventually, everything was going to be okay. She'd gone to Miles's apartment wanting to figure out exactly who he was, like she'd discussed with MJ. And now, Gwen felt like she had that answer.
"You're a good person, Miles."
Gwen looked at Miles for just a moment, long enough for his gorgeous eyes to make her feel safer than she'd felt in eighteen months. He smiled at her, whispering, "Thanks," before breaking the eye contact."We should-" Gwen spat out awkwardly, pushing herself back to her feet. "-Get back to training-""Whoa, whoa, just a second-" Miles said, spinning around as Gwen leaned her head back. But now, she wasn't groaning in frustration... she was smiling, an expectant giddiness in her heart at whatever stupid or goofy thing he was about to say."-If you're going to call me by my name, I'm going to need to know yours." Miles told her. "It's only fair..."Gwen's hands rested on her hips, and she shifted her weight as she silently considered his proposition. Of course, there was no way she could tell him who she was for now. At least, not all of who she was..."Maxine," Gwen said, using her middle name as a compromise for the time being. "You can call me Maxine.""Maxine..." Miles said under his breath, thinking for a few moments. "'Max' for short?""Even better." Gwen agreed with a grin, watching as Miles jumped up to his feet."Alright, then let's get back to it-" Miles said, pausing to elbow her as he walked by. "-Max." Gwen laughed softly at his playful tone, following Miles as he walked over to Ganke.
"Hey, Ganke! You ready to see some real sweet moves...?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I am not your blowing wind; I am the lightning"
-I Am the Highway, Audioslave
Of all the crime sprees that the old man had sent Felicia on, this one had to be the craziest.As she passed through the revolving door of Oscorp Tower Felicia's head stayed lowered, her eyes glued to her phone as she kept her face hidden from the cameras that lined every corner of the lobby. Of course, she would still be hard to recognize even if her head was up-rather than donning her slick suit and leather jacket to let everyone know that Black Cat had arrived, she was cleverly disguised in a simple blue dress and a lab coat to give everyone the impression that she was just another college-age intern for Oscorp.Felicia walked to her right, ignoring the lobby desk while heading to a door with a sign that read 'AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY'. She stopped when she reached it, pulling out a small, laminated card from the back pocket of the bookbag slung over her shoulders. Her eyes lingered on the photograph of a dark-haired male with glasses, as well as the name above it-'Peter Benjamin Parker'. It felt eerie to know that Peter had walked this exact route time and time again... and that he'd held this card in his pocket at all times. Felicia's grip on the small ID tightened as she lost herself in memories of the months leading up to prom, where she would meet Peter at small shops after his study sessions with Gwen-the two would grab a small dinner or ice cream and just laugh together for hours on end. Pete's relative innocence and upbeat humor was refreshing to Felicia, and her own blunt communication style and cutting wit had intrigued Peter to no end.It was perfect... Felicia thought to herself. ...He was so good to you, so you need to do good by him.
Kill the spider.
This time, the inward thoughts of the symbiote spoke as one with Felicia's own mind. She took a deep breath, scanning the card that Oscorp had still neglected to remove from their database, and a noticeable click sounded from the doorhandle as it unlocked itself.Felicia ducked into the hallway that would lead to Oscorp's laboratories, glancing around for any small rooms that she could duck inside for a moment. A small broom closet was her first opportunity, and she scampered inside without anyone seeing. Once she'd locked the doors, Felicia let the bookbag fall from her shoulders before unzipping it. She slowly pulled the familiar black bodysuit from the bookbag, and immediately felt the symbiote salivating for violence inside of herself.Luckily for her 'companion', Felicia was eager for the same thing.Once Felicia had gotten her suit, boots, and mask on, the symbiote's tendrils slithered around her torso, forming the leather jacket with shoulder spikes that had become part of the outfit. There was no need to stealth her way through this endeavor... Felicia had no idea where the microchips her accomplice had requested would be, so she needed to get that information from the scientists working in the lab. Seemingly without a care in the world, Felicia strode out of the broom closet and stepped into the open air of the laboratory.She peered through her mask as Oscorp's brightest minds continued to work on their projects. They were... actually so focused on their jobs that none of them noticed that Black Cat was there. Felicia grumbled under her breath, shaking her head before letting out a loud, "Ahem?!!"All the heads in the lab turned to her immediately, and their jaws simultaneously fell as they saw who it was.
Much better...
"Oh, my..." Felicia purred, daintily lifting her hand to her forehead as if she were about to swoon. "...Am I ever so grateful that I finally found all of you..." She walked into the lab, all the scientists still at a fearful loss for words as they watched Black Cat crawl onto one of the lab tables, looking around at all the faces that stared back at her."I've got this itsy-bitsy problem, you see... and I was hoping that some brave soul would be gracious enough to lend me a hand." Felicia said, her tone dripping with a blend of seduction and sarcasm as she strutted across the table, her heels clicking ominously in the now-silent lab. "The first one to point me in the direction of where Oscorp keeps their microchips is going to get one very special reward in return..." "Someone get the police on the phone!!" One of the scientists called out, but a coworker of his shook her head rapidly. "Do you really think we need the cops looking through some of the stuff we're doing...?"That's the second time they've expressed some disdain for the police... Felicia thought to herself. ...Shame that the old man hasn't asked me to look into that."Oh, won't someone just be a doll and tell me where they are?" Felicia asked, pouting her lip and sliding her finger along her collar. "This cat won't bite, I promise... of course, unless you want me to-""Screw the police! We can take her-" "No we can't, idiot!!" Another scientist scolded with animosity in his voice. "Osborne just set up that Erasure Protocol for stuff like this!" Erasure Protocol...? Felicia tilted her head curiously. Some of Oscorp's secrets were beginning to see the light of day, but not enough for her to understand what the company was up to."Look, ladies and gentlemen..." Felicia spoke up, lifting her hands up as she spoke. "...Either someone makes this very sweet and easy for me... or I'll have to break everyone in here. And then I'll still get what I want.""Did anyone get an email sent to Osborne yet?" A scientist asked, continuing to ignore Felicia's antics. Another one of them, who was hunched over a computer, nodded and held out a thumbs-up. "Told him what's going on... whatever that Erasure Protocol is should be starting pretty soon."Felicia rolled her eyes at them. Nothing was going to stop her... all they could do was slow her down just a little bit."No one wants to see what it's like to really have their mind blown?" Felicia questioned, and was met with unimpressed stares from all of Oscorp's scientists. She chuckled at their response, shaking her head before hopping off the table. "Tough crowd..."Her arm stretched forward, and Felicia felt the symbiote swarm forward and snatch a group of scientists off the ground. The massive tendrils shook the screaming people around violently before throwing them in all directions. Sparks flew as they crashed into scientific equipment, and the rest of the scientists began to scream and run around in a panic."So much energy..." Felicia noted, clicking her tongue before grabbing a scientist by his throat. "...Why not save some for later with me...?" She hurled him across the lab, watching the man smack onto a table and roll off of it. The satisfaction of utterly dominating these people made Felicia hum with delight, and she felt the symbiote's stranglehold on her brain loosen up just a bit as they cooperated. The brief peace of mind was so addicting... she couldn't remember what it was like to have a quiet, uninterrupted thought process anymore.Out of the corner of Felicia's eye, she saw six of the scientists trying to pack themselves into the elevator. She surged forward, being propelled by the symbiote into the elevator and watching the scientists cower away from her in fear. Felicia grinned at them as the elevator dinged, and the door closed to trap them inside with her."Hmm..." She sighed, letting the black, gooey slime stretch out from her arms to delicately trace every face in the elevator with her. "...Six at once is a lot more than I've ever handled before. But I'm always down to try something new..."Two minutes later, the elevator dinged once again, and the doors opened to let Felicia out at the top floor. Around her were six unconscious, battered bodies that remained motionless as she stepped out and began to survey her surroundings.She walked forward slowly, eyeing the rather grandiose decorations of this random office she'd reached. Felicia's gaze drifted towards the large table, and she saw a nameplate that read, 'Norman Osborne'.Maybe I'll find something here... Felicia thought to herself and began pulling open all the drawers to the desk. ...Or at least I'll find a way to access the microchips. Norman's the CEO, he should have ways to access everything.She pulled open the main drawer and studied its contents for a few seconds, eventually seeing a flat, plastic case with a CD inside. Scribbled on the CD's front was the phrase 'MPI Security Footage'.MPI? Felicia frowned, puzzled as she tried to deduce the meaning of the unfamiliar acronym. Several seconds of thinking about it led to realization hitting her like a freight train.
MPI... Midtown Prom Incident...
Chills ran down Felicia's spine as she lifted the case up, her trembling hands holding it as her breathing grew uneven. What's this doing here?? I thought the Ghost Spider had stolen the security footage to cover her tracks...Felicia's commitment to destroying the person responsible for murdering Peter Parker was now faced with an uneasy truth: Ghost Spider hadn't stolen the tapes, but Oscorp did. Why would Oscorp have something to hide instead of Ghost Spider?Her eyes caught her reflection in the clear plastic of the CD case... the image of Black Cat stared back at Felicia, her confused reflection beginning to show signs of hurt in her eyes as she thought about it more and more.
Everything I am now... everything I've done...
...Did I do it all for nothing?
"The jig's up, Black Cat."A distorted voice made Felicia's head snap up, and she saw a tall figure at the other end of the office. This mystery person had light body armor from head to toe, most of it being colored black with a few patches of purple or green. The tight, purple helmet that the stranger wore had green, glowing sections over his eyes that unnerved Felicia ever so slightly as she lowered the CD case. "What are you supposed to be?" She snapped, in no mood to fool around with her prey at the moment. "Oscorp's newest mascot?""Ah, sounds like someone didn't pay attention to the urban legends growing up..." The armored stranger mocked, slowly making his way forward. He wore a heavy gauntlet on each hand, and was briskly scratching the thumb of the gauntlet over his fingers as he walked, creating a piercing metal sound and making sparks fly from his fingers as he drew near. "...They're calling me the Erasure Protocol nowadays... but when I last worked for Oscorp, they called me the Prowler."The Prowler... I've heard that name, haven't I? Felicia asked herself, walking around the desk to meet this new foe. As she strained to remember where she'd heard that name, a few faint memories of conversations about a dangerous cat burglar came to mind. Maybe a few newspaper headlines as well... Whoever he is, he's just a man. The symbiote snarled inside Felicia's mind. We will dispose of him with pleasure.Felicia tucked the CD case into a pocket on her suit, and the Prowler laughed darkly. "You know I can't let you leave with that..." "You'd be surprised," Felicia told him. "I can be very persuasive..."In a flash, the tendrils of the symbiote lunged at the Prowler, who held up his gauntlets in a defensive posture. As soon as the black slime hit the gauntlets, Felicia felt a searing pain spread from the tendrils to her body. She hissed in pain, feeling the symbiote recoil as she staggered backwards and bumped into Norman Osborne's desk."Pretty neat, huh?" The Prowler taunted, lowering his gauntlets. "The people at Oscorp call the stuff on these gloves 'Anti-Venom.' Must suck to finally face off against something specifically designed to take you out-"He swung a gauntlet at Felicia, catching her jaw and knocking her across the office. Once again, the contact from the gauntlets left her skin burning, and she clutched her face as her heart began to race. The Prowler's heavy footsteps reached her ears, making Felicia look over quickly with wide eyes. For the first time in months, she felt a sensation that had become foreign to her at this point... she felt threatened."Oscorp created that stuff that's bonded with you..." The Prowler said, making that scratching sound with his metal gauntlet that caused Felicia's skin to crawl. "...Did you really think they wouldn't be ready to wipe you off the map once you came after them?"As he monologued, Felicia sprang over his head, twisting in mid-air to wrap her arm around his throat from behind. She pulled the Prowler down with her, and both hit the ground with a heavy thud.Felicia flexed her arm as tightly as she could, hearing distorted garbling coming from the Prowler's mask as she tried to strangle him. But as she held him down, the Prowler grabbed her arm, letting the Anti-Venom on his gauntlets sear her symbiote-infused flesh. Felicia gritted her teeth as the burning sensation intensified, and she felt the Prowler begin to pry her arm away.They grappled with each other for several moments, with the Prowler eventually reaching for Felicia's face. She caught his arm as the claws of his gauntlet took aim, struggling to push them away as he simply pushed back. Soon the gauntlet had reached her face, and Felicia screamed in agony as the metal thumb of his gauntlet plunged into her eye socket.She kicked him away viciously, rolling onto her side and covering her face as she groaned loudly, the pain spreading through her whole face. Slowly, the symbiote did its work, as black slime crawled over her eye socket and began restoring her eye back to normal.Felicia paused to catch her breath, the pain from such an agonizing wound turning to numbness as the symbiote healed her. She was able to get on all fours, looking around for the Prowler before seeing him calmly make his way towards her again."I bet you felt like such a hot shot, didn't you?" He asked, the distorted voice now filling Felicia with fear rather than simple confusion. "Thinking that there was nothing out there that can stop you... believe me, I've felt the same way." The Prowler swiped his clawed gauntlet at Felicia, and she was barely able to dodge the strike before flipping onto her feet."But I'll tell you one thing: I've never felt what you're feeling now..." He added, chuckling darkly as he began to back Felicia into a corner. "...The realization that you were dead wrong about what you thought about yourself. But don't worry, you won't be wrong for too much longer..." The Prowler paused as Felicia's back finally hit the corner. "...You'll just be dead."Felicia sprang up, the strength of the symbiote helping to propel her over the Prowler's head-but she wasn't fast enough. He grabbed her ankle, which immediately began to burn, and slammed her into the ground. Felicia coughed in pain and crawled away quickly, then tried to rise to defend herself. Her burning ankle couldn't support her weight, and she stumbled upon attempting to stand upright."So long, kitty-cat..." The Prowler mocked, the claws on his gauntlet waggling as he prepared to rush her.
Yeah, screw this.
Felicia turned and ran, having finally met her match (and then some.) She bolted for the large window that formed the side wall of Norman Osborne's office and dove out immediately as she felt the Prowler's gauntlet barely miss her leg. Felicia tumbled through the air, squinting as several giant spotlights immediately flashed in her eyes-the police were surrounding the building, posing yet another obstacle for her to get by.The massive tendrils of the symbiote surged from her form, grabbing onto the side of the building to stop Felicia's fall. Now that she wasn't plummeting towards a potential death, Felicia made her way down the building-using the black, gooey arms of the symbiote to crawl downwards. The spotlights were still shining on her as she descended down the building, and she saw several officers begin to take aim...But then, something else caught their attention. The officers all quit looking at Felicia and began to retreat to their cruisers."Oh, what now?" Felicia groaned, trying to see what they were all looking at. Soon, something began to come close enough for her to see: a slender figure donned in a black-and-white bodysuit, swinging around buildings and headed in her direction.
Ghost Spider.
As the police began barking at each other to take cover in their cruisers and focus their attention on Ghost Spider, Felicia finally reached the ground. She studied the scene for a few seconds, debating on whether she should make a break for it or not.
Why not stick around? It'll be fun to watch if she dies... and if she somehow gets past them, then WE will be right there to finish the job.
Felicia looked up at the incoming vigilante, and all she could do was smile viciously at her. But then she was reminded of the CD case in her pocket-a case that had made Ghost Spider seem somewhat less responsible for the Midtown Prom Incident.
Am I really doing something good by trying to kill her?
It's all we know. The symbiote hissed at her. And it's all we're ever going to know until she's dead...Without giving Felicia time to make up her mind, the symbiote's influence intensified painfully. Felicia winced as her brain began to scramble again, and the symbiote made her put one leg in front of the other to find cover until the Ghost Spider's showdown with the police was over.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Help me become something more than just a vessel in disguise"
-Evolve, the Warning
It had started with the sound of sirens... Gwen had been working on another round of homework when she'd heard a long line of police cars barreling down the road. At first, she'd feared that they were after her; maybe someone had finally cracked the code as to Ghost Spider's secret identity. But as the police cars continued driving, she quickly realized who they were most likely going after.
Black Cat.
Gwen's conversation with Miles during the last training session still hadn't left her brain. His bold claim that she would eventually let go of her identity of failure once the truth about the Midtown Prom Incident got out was still fresh on her mind. Miles had said that New York City still needed her, even if they didn't realize it. And one of those people was Felicia Hardy.So, as Gwen made the conflicted choice to suit up and swing into the night, she wasn't thinking about trying to stop a criminal. No, this was Gwen trying to help her friend.Unfortunately, as soon as Gwen had laid eyes on Felicia, she'd run into a rather imposing obstacle: a large swathe of the NYPD, all scrambling to their cruisers and taking aim at her instead of Black Cat.
Oh, joy!!
As Gwen glided through the air, each web she spun bringing her closer and closer to Oscorp Tower, her body twisted and contorted under the guidance of her spider-sense to avoid all the bullets sent her way. "Time to test out the new toys," Gwen muttered to herself, reaching into the bookbag she had brought with her and pulling out one of the gadgets she'd been working on in her spare time. She threw it at the line of police cars, causing the officers to all jump out of the way in fear of it being a bomb. But there was no giant explosion-as soon as the spherical gadget hit the ground, it burst open and fired webs in every direction, pinning a bunch of the officers to the ground or their cars."Hit her with something else!" One of the officers shouted. Gwen's attention was drawn to a cop digging around in the back of a car before pulling out a much larger gun.Net launcher!! Her mind shouted, and Gwen watched as the officer fired a large net her way. She fired a web before it reached her, then spun her body around before hurling the net right back at the officer. He was unable to dive out of the way before the net swallowed him, leaving the officer writhing on the ground and shouting for help.Gwen spun one more web before pulling herself onto the hood of a police car. Faster than she could think, she fired a web to her left and knocked a handgun out of an officer's hand. She sprang off that car as another bullet whizzed past her head, then disarmed the next officer... again and again she did this dance, leaping over and around the police and trying to get all of the guns out of their hands without hurting them.Once again, Gwen heard the sound of sirens approaching-and they sounded way louder and more numerous than the police she was already dealing with. The State of Emergency was in full effect, and New York City had sent the whole Police Department after her now."You have got to be kidding me..." Gwen groaned, doing a backflip off of the police cruiser she'd been crouching on before bolting for the alley that she'd seen Felicia duck into. As she raced away, she heard the police shouting at one another: "Don't go into the alley! Flank her, we'll catch her by surprise!!"Not by shouting that loudly you won't. Gwen thought to herself, checking every corner that she could. As she ran, she fired webs at dumpsters, trash cans, anything she could to block the various paths into the alley. Suddenly, the pinpricks on her neck formed, and she stopped running, her feet skidding as she stopped herself as a police cruiser drove into the space she'd been racing towards. A second later, and Gwen would've been run over...The pinpricks were only intensifying, and Gwen got ready to jump over the car. But before she did, a figure stepped out and drew his gun.
Captain Stacy.
"Stay right where you are..." Gwen's father ordered, the flashing lights of his car casting eerie shadows and colors over his face. Her knees shook as she stared down the barrel of her father's weapon once again, the crushing weight of her encounter with him after Peter and Owen died bearing down on Gwen at the worst possible time.Gwen's ears were ringing, and every nerve in her body felt ice-cold as Captain Stacy stared her down, limping from the unhealed wounds left by Black Cat as he made his way around his car. "We've been given permission to shoot on sight..." Captain Stacy spoke, keeping his handgun trained on his daughter before stopping right in front of his car. "...But it doesn't have to be that way if you give up now."This wasn't like the last time that he'd held her at gunpoint... the last time, Gwen was still blissfully ignorant enough to believe that her father wouldn't shoot her, despite the fact that he had no idea that it was his daughter behind the mask. Now she knew better... and knowing that there was a very real possibility that George Stacy would put her six feet under made her heart pound violently in her chest.Gwen tried to speak, but the only thing that came out of her lips was a faint wheeze. The lump in her throat grew with each passing second, and her hands went to her knees as she lost her breath."Don't make me..." Captain Stacy spoke, shaking his head as the lights of the police cruiser continued to clothe the father and daughter in contrasting blue and red light. "...Don't make me... d-do this-"Gwen's head lifted at the sound of her father stuttering. Her eyes went to the two hands that clutched the handgun-they were trembling.
Why?
"Why are you doing this?" Gwen finally choked out, and Captain Stacy blinked in response."Wh... what?""Why are you doing this?" She repeated, beginning to stand upright again. "Why are you doing this if you don't want to??"Captain Stacy didn't speak for several moments. His eyes went to his hands as they continued to shake, and he began breathing rapidly before shaking his head. "Because... because this is my job. I'm here to keep the city safe-""Why do you think I'm here??" Gwen shouted at him, the hurt she'd been holding onto beginning to spill out as she met the police captain's gaze. "All I wanted was to do the same things you're doing, I never wanted anyone to die... and you know it's true, because you haven't shot me already! You have to know that I'm not a threat!!" She felt like she was piecing together what her father was thinking as she spoke, and the increasing conflict in George Stacy's eyes only fueled her emotional response."I... I..." Captain Stacy tried to speak, but Gwen wasn't done."All that I did... everything I wanted... I wanted it all because of you!!" Gwen yelled, unable to keep her heart from crying out to George in this moment. In her mind, his was no longer a conversation between a cop and a wanted vigilante, it was now an outburst from a daughter to her father. "I saw all that you did for so many people, and I thought that I could use what I had to do the same thing... so if you want to do your job so bad, then you're going to have to shoot me. Because I am not giving up. I am done running from you, and I am done letting this city lose its mind when I can do something about it!!"It felt like all of the events of the past few weeks had reached a boiling point. Gwen's rekindled sense of responsibility to New York City, brought on by encouragement from MJ and Miles, had left her unable to turn away from this chase. Gwen believed that she had the ability to help turn Felicia away from whatever she was doing, and she wasn't going to run from her responsibility to New York... or to her friend. They needed her.Gwen continued staring her father in the eye, her shoulders lifting and falling with every breath that she heaved from her lungs. George Stacy seemed stunned, completely overwhelmed at the notion that he was the inspiration for Ghost Spider's vigilantism. She saw his throat tighten, and Gwen braced herself for the warning shot that was to follow...But instead, his gun lowered.She blinked, watching as Captain Stacy wobbled a bit, staggering back as he took a sharp breath. He was letting her go.Gwen didn't stick around to thank him-Felicia could be escaping for all she knew. She fired a web at the wall to her left, then pulled herself onto it before jumping forward. She bounced from one side of the alley to the other, staying a good distance above the air to scan for anything below herself.The back of Gwen's neck tingled again, and she looked over to her right immediately-but even her spider-sense was not swift enough to prevent Black Cat's attack, as the leather-clad female leaped through a window and tackled Gwen in mid-air. The two crashed forcefully into the opposing wall, rolling into a heap on the floor of an abandoned apartment as dust and pieces of brick littered the floor."I've had a long evening..." Felicia snarled, rising to her feet and cracking her knuckles. "...But painting you all over the walls will be a nice way to cap off this day.""That bad, huh?" Gwen coughed, rolling away as Felicia swiped her hand at the spot she'd just been lying in. "Surely can't be worse than being the City's most wanted criminal when you didn't break any laws-""Shut up!! Shut up!!" Felicia yelled, clapping her hands over her ears. "It's loud... it's so loud, shut up!!"Gwen quirked an eyebrow as she watched Felicia continue yelling, keeping her ears covered and cringing as she shook her head violently.
Is... is she yelling at something else?
Before Gwen could react any further, Felicia lunged at her again. Gwen ducked underneath Felicia before reaching into her bookbag again and produced another small gadget. She tossed it at Felicia and watched as it sprung open-looking almost like a small, metal spider. The gadget took aim at Felicia and fired small jets of webbing at her, which Felicia tried swatting away. Although she succeeded at first, the small spider-turret fired faster and faster, soon getting her tangled up in webbing. Felicia twisted and thrashed her arms to get the webs off of herself, but she simply lost her footing and fell backwards.Felicia went to the ground, pounding it with her fist as the black ooze crawled over her arms. She looked like she was in so much pain... and it made Gwen's heart twist to see the tough girl of her old friend trio looking so weakened and helpless."F... Felicia?" Gwen spoke softly, taking a step forward."NNNOOOOOOO!!" An inhuman roar erupted from Felicia's lips, and a giant mass of black ooze stretched from her arm and swatted Gwen like a fly. The blonde was sent flying across the large space before hitting a brick wall and putting a dent in it. Gwen coughed, pushing herself out of the wall as she saw Felicia shake her head and glare in Gwen's direction."We..." The voice that left Felicia's lips sounded like her own... but there was something else there, too. Something dark and ravenous. "...Are NOT... Felicia."Gwen took a step backwards as Felicia made a loud stomp forward, her tongue flicking out and somehow reaching her jawline before she licked it hungrily.
"We... are..."
Felicia grabbed her own hair and wailed as she fell backwards, curling in a ball as the fluid tendrils continued to sprout from her body and attempt to spread all over her. The sight was horrifying, and Gwen gasped audibly as she watched her friend writhe on the ground. She felt so paralyzed... Gwen had no earthly idea what was happening to Felicia, and no inkling of a way to end it was coming to her mind.Felicia's body stopped convulsing, and she pressed her fingers to her temples. Her chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths, and the slimy tendrils began to retreat back into her body. "H...how..." She rasped, looking at Gwen with bleary eyes and messy hair. "...Do you know my name?"Part of Gwen told her to attack Felicia... she had finally lowered her guard and spend her breath on asking something rather than attacking. It was the weakest that Gwen had seen her, and it might be the only shot she got to beat her. But she couldn't do it... she looked into Felicia's eyes and didn't see the eyes of Black Cat eyeing down her ultimate prey. All she saw was her old friend's eyes in agonizing pain, physical and emotional.Against her better judgement, Gwen's hands rose to her mask. She pulled it away from her face and dropped it, feeling her hair fall into place beneath her hood.Felicia's eyelids flew open, and she sucked in a breath before crawling backwards. She was totally flabbergasted and couldn't process what she was seeing-it was Gwen Stacy, with a bloodied lip and black eye, but still the same person she'd became friends with and played alongside in Midtown High's best rock band."Felicia..." Gwen spoke again, tentatively stretching her hand out. "...You're not okay right now. I want to tell you about everything that happened, but I need to help you first."Gwen's heartfelt plea was met with silence. Felicia looked away, covering her mouth as her eyes grew glassy. She looked at Gwen again, looking her old friend up and down as a million confused thoughts raced through her mind. Eventually, Felicia just shook her head in disbelief at the sight, choking back a sob before whimpering, "G... Gwen?""In the flesh." Gwen smiled weakly, stepping closer to Felicia. "I know this is all... crazy, but-""D-did... did you-" Felicia paused to swallow thickly, still on the ground as she stared up at Gwen. "-Did you... kill... Peter?"The faint smile dropped from Gwen's lips as she listened to Felicia's question, and the slight change in the blonde's demeanor did not escape Felicia's sight."Did you kill Peter??" Felicia's voice was loud, but it wasn't a threatening yell... it was more like a heartbroken inquiry, not too dissimilar from how Gwen had sounded talking to her father not ten minutes earlier."I... I..." Gwen stammered, both young women now having tears in their eyes as this unexpected reunion progressed into a darker territory. "...I was trying to stop him... he... he'd killed Owen, and-" She blinked the tears away, biting her lip before looking at Felicia in the eye. "-I don't know how it happened, but one minute he was a giant lizard, and then he was Peter the next... I didn't know-""No..." Felicia began to shake her head. "...No, no, you-" She got back to her feet swiftly, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "-You... you killed him!! Don't try to make it sound better, you... you-" Felicia roared, the tendrils reappearing along her arms before she stretched them forward.
"-Murderer!!"
The eerie dual voice that Gwen had heard earlier was back, and so were Felicia's overwhelming powers. Gwen wasn't able to jump out of the way before thick lines of black slime wrapped around her torso and threw her across the room. She rolled for several feet before trying to get up quickly, but a foot crashed onto her back and pinned her to the ground."We're gonna' kill you, Gwen!!" The voice pierced Gwen's ears before she felt herself get lifted up and slammed into the ground violently, popping her shoulder out of place. Gwen cried out in pain, but Felicia simply repeated the process as Gwen felt the fight get beaten out of her every time her body cracked against the ground. Felicia roared violently again before throwing Gwen up in the air and grabbing her throat. Her fingers curled around Gwen's throat before the blonde felt her back get slammed into the ground once again, making her cough in misery. Gwen's gloved hands tried to pry Felicia's fingers away, but Felicia simply wrapped her other hand around Gwen's throat and began squeezing harder as the seconds ticked away."F... Felicia!!" Gwen wheezed, clawing at her friend's slimy hands as Felicia stared daggers at the blonde. The tendrils were curling around her arms, adding to the force being applied to Gwen's throat as everything began to grow dark. "P-please.. please..." Her begging was ignored by Felicia, whose stare only intensified as she watched the life begin to evaporate from Gwen's eyes.There seemed to be no way out of this-Gwen was going to die here, surrounded by darkness without any hope of being rescued. A darkly ironic way for a former hero of the city to go out...Gwen's eyes darted around in a panic as she felt the strength in her hands falter, overwhelmed by the current lack of oxygen in her body. But then her blue orbs landed on the dark vines of black ooze that were covering Felicia's body now-the source of these superhuman abilities that Gwen's old friend now possessed.
Get it off of her!!
It sounded pretty far-fetched, but there was nothing else that Gwen could think of. Her hands flew to the tendrils and attempted to pry them off of Felicia. At first, they barely budged... but slowly, Gwen felt them begin to detach from Felicia.Felicia felt it, too. Her own eyes left Gwen's dying face and darted between her arms as she saw the blonde begin to pry the symbiote off. She panicked and tried to squeeze Gwen's throat harder... but she was losing the strength that it took to kill a fellow superhuman.All of a sudden, it stopped feeling like a struggle for Gwen to get the black ooze off of Felicia. She looked at her hands, which were pulling it off with ease. But not only was that happening... but the slime was beginning to surge onto her hands, and then crawled rapidly down her arms.Gwen screamed at the sight, and shoved Felicia away from her as the ooze detached completely from its old host. She tried swatting and pulling at it, but to no avail... the slimy mass enveloped Gwen, and she shut her eyes helplessly, figuring she was finally out of luck as she felt it cover her body.But nothing more happened.Gwen slowly opened one eye, half-expecting to see an ethereal afterlife. But no, she was back in the hollow floor of the abandoned apartment... she let the tension in her body dissipate and began to crawl to her feet. But upon looking down as she used her hands to push herself up, Gwen yelped in surprise-the thin, white fabric that had covered her arms was now replaced with a slick, black substance. In fact, all of her was now covered in the ooze. She reached around to her back, pulling her bookbag off of her shoulders. Gwen reached for her phone to pull up the camera, then looked up as she remembered she'd been in a life-or-death confrontation.But Felicia was nowhere to be seen. Gwen's breathing began to even out as she realized the fight was over... and probably Black Cat's small-scale reign of terror over New York City. She reached into her bookbag again and retrieved her phone before pulling up the front camera. But Gwen didn't see the outfit she'd personally designed... what she was wearing now was similar, sure, but it was almost completely black. The ooze had morphed into a replica of Gwen's spider-suit, complete with a silver spiderlike insignia on her chest.Her face was still the same, though... Gwen sighed in relief as she studied her features, but tilted her head as she noticed that there were no visible injuries on her skin anymore. That thing that she was wearing... had it healed her? Gwen's eyes went to her mask, which was still lying on the ground where she'd dropped it before talking to Felicia. She walked over slowly before picking it up. Immediately, the slime spread from her fingers onto the mask, giving it the same sleek, black look.
All of that... and the only thing I get is a makeover?
She sighed, shaking her head before pulling her mask over her face. Gwen jogged over to the freshly formed hole in the wall that Felicia had tackled her through, checking the alley below for police before swinging out into the night once again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"But my father was a gambling man, down in New Orleans"
-House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
Despite all the sirens and commotion stirring around George Stacy, not a single sound seemed to reach his ears. The revered NYPD captain was propped against the side of his cruiser, ignoring the aching in his still-healing leg as his unexpected reunion with Ghost Spider replayed in his head. His eyes, which would normally be half-lidded and weary from having to stay up this late, were opened wide as scenes from the encounter flashed through his mind.
"You have to know that I'm not a threat!!"
The powerful accusation from the former hero of New York City would have pierced any facade that George could've mustered up in that moment. Not only was Ghost Spider incredibly powerful, but she was apparently extremely good at reading people. It was true: deep down, if George Stacy was honest with himself, he did not think that Ghost Spider was capable of the atrocities that she'd been accused of-all on account of his 'witness testimony.'His leg began to quiver, and George grunted as he shifted his weight to the other leg. Normally he wouldn't be out here due to the injuries that Black Cat had given him weeks ago, but the State of Emergency paired with the Ghost Spider sighting had left George with no choice but to drive to the scene. Part of him had been hoping that it was just a sighting, that he wouldn't have to come face-to-face with the young girl that he knew he'd let down a year and a half ago.
Nope.
"Sir," A voice called out for George, and his eyes weakly shifted to see who it was-Officer Jamie, looking like she had something important to say. "We were unable to locate Ghost Spider, but we do have Black Cat in custody."The raging conflict in George's mind left him silent, and he stared blankly at Officer Jamie as his brain failed to heed what was being said."Um... sir...?" Officer Jamie said worriedly, waving a hand to get his Captain's attention. George blinked, and finally broke out of his trance."Sorry... say that again?""Ghost Spider got away, but Captain Davis-""Morales, Jamie. Remember, he's Captain Morales now.""-Captain Morales, of course!! He's got Black Cat in the back of his cruiser. Says that she had some stuff on her that you might want to see..."Really? They got her?? George was quite surprised at the news now that he was listening-Black Cat had seemed nigh unstoppable every time the police had encountered her, even Captain Stacy's run-in with her had left him fairly convinced that they were going to need a lot of support to get her detained. "Lead the way, Jamie..."As Jamie walked briskly through the numerous parked police cruisers, George huffed and puffed as his bad leg made it difficult to keep up. Every other step was a painful limp, and by the time they made it to the police cruiser, George had beads of sweat forming on his forehead.Officer Jamie stepped aside as George made his way forward, nodding politely at Captain Morales before looking past the open door of the cruiser. Black Cat was seated in an uncomfortable position, her hands cuffed behind her back and her head turned away from the two policemen. "So you finally got her, Jeff?" George asked, his eyes shooting a look at Jefferson Morales as the fellow policeman nodded."Yeah... we found her trying to flee an abandoned apartment down the road." Jeff said, pointing past Oscorp Tower. "And when we caught up, she got overwhelmed.""Overwhelmed?" George asked curiously. "No manipulation tactics, or... strange techniques that we've been hearing reports about?""Nope. Nothing." Jeff confirmed, sounding just as perplexed as George. "She was just like any other thief on the streets."Both men shared a look for a moment... their instincts were telling them that something had to be wrong here. Black Cat was all but confirmed to be a superhuman, and the fact that she got taken down so easily by police that she'd been manhandling for weeks on end was highly suspicious.George took a step closer to the cruiser, folding his arms over his chest as Black Cat refused to look at either man. "Ready to talk yet, or are we going to have to wait until you're at the station?"No response."She hasn't been talking since I put her in the car." Jeff said with a sigh."No talking?" George repeated, his tone growing more suspicious as he looked over. "Not even any of the dirty talk she usually deals out?"Jeff shook his head in response. He paused for a few moments, then gave George a curious look. "Do you think she won't talk to me because I'm black?"George saw a hint of a smile on his partner's face, and the lighthearted comment got both men laughing softly. "We'll tack on a discrimination charge on top of all the other stuff she's done." He commented before turning his attention to Black Cat. "You hear that, ma'am?"The banter got the criminal to sigh in frustration, but she kept her back to the officers. "Sorry if I gave off that impression..."George and Jeff shot each other a surprised look upon hearing her finally talk. "Not like you to apologize for anything." George noted, sounding cautious as the criminal bristled in her seat."Yeah... yeah, it's not." She replied, huffing as her shoulders slumped.It was tough to tell if her voice was apathetic or emotionally drained. Maybe both, George considered. She's a master criminal, why should I expect her to think logically?Black Cat's shoulders turned ever so slightly, making both men stand still as they looked at her. "I know it's not worth anything to guys like you... but I can see what I've done now. I mean, really see it-""Oh, just stop." Jeff cut her off. "You're trying to sucker us now that you're in the back of a cop car-"
"No, I'm not!!"
Black Cat turned around completely, her face strained with stress and other emotions as her glassy eyes flicked between the men. Her thin mask was off-George guessed that Jeff probably had it removed when she was apprehended. It took him a few seconds, but he realized that he knew this person.
Felicia Hardy... wasn't she one of Gwen's friends?? The one from her band?
He couldn't believe it... but that was definitely her. Only someone who knew her well enough (like Gwen) would be able to recognize her with the dyed hair and mask. But seeing a close friend of his daughter stuffed in the back of a police car was enough to send chills down George's spine."Look, I get it." Felicia sniffled, shrugging her shoulders in a helpless manner. "You've done this a million times. You know that people try to play games when they get caught, but-" She paused, biting her lip and shutting her eyes. "-I just feel so sick..." Felicia spoke in a shaky whisper, trying desperately to hide the fact that she wanted to cry.Felicia wasn't the only one... George felt himself getting choked up as well. It was probably that parental instinct that was now forever seared into his mind, but there was only one question on his mind: if someone that had been so close to his little girl had ended up in this type of life, was there anything stopping the same thing from happening to Gwen?
Was it happening already??
"I just wanted her dead." Felicia choked out, trying to wipe her eyes on the cushion of the seat. "And I was willing to do anything to-""Who?" Jeff asked, remaining firm as George was left at a loss for words. "Who did you want dead?"Felicia looked up at them again, a snot bubble forming for a brief second as her shoulders heaved. She looked utterly miserable, remorseful, even. "G... Gw-" She started to speak, then her eyes went wide as she looked directly at George. Felicia bit her tongue, as if she felt the sudden urge to rephrase what she was saying. "...Ghost Spider. I wanted Ghost Spider dead for killing Pete, and I..." Felicia couldn't finish the statement, as she winced and looked away while another round of tears swarmed her eyes.Jeff's immediate response was to bristle-George knew that he was still a silent supporter of Ghost Spider despite her criminal status and didn't take kindly to people framing her as a criminal. But George's gears were turning as he stood in silence... his mind flashed back to reporting the mess of the Midtown Prom Incident, and the two casualties that had occurred. Hadn't the name 'Felicia Hardy' come up...?
It had.
They were supposed to go to the prom together, George remembered. Pieces began to fall into place... Felicia wanted revenge for the death of her prom date. She'd said that she was 'willing to do anything' to get that revenge, so this string of robberies she'd put together hadn't been her idea. Someone in the shadows was manipulating her... someone who'd want the same thing as she did. But something had happened now... whatever power Felicia had was gone, and she'd reverted back to a normal human being.Was it possible that her poor decisions were being amplified by something out of her control? Something... or someone... willing to commit crimes that Felicia otherwise wouldn't on her own?"I don't know, man..." Jeff spoke up, shaking his head and making George pause his train of thought. "...What do you think we need to do here?" He sounded like there was still more to this mystery to be solved-and he was right, of course. Maybe it was George being softer after the run-in with Ghost Spider... but he felt certain that there was only one good answer here."Let her go."His response made Jeff look over, his eyes wide and incredulous. "What?!!"Even Felicia seemed shocked, looking at George with her bleary eyes and tearstained cheeks as if the police captain was utterly insane. But in her place, George was seeing someone else-Ghost Spider, whom George was almost certain he'd wronged, and wished dearly that he could have a chance to make it right. Not only her, though... George could see Gwen as well. What wouldn't George be willing to do for her, if it was Gwen in this situation? Who wouldn't take pity on someone who'd been tormented and manipulated like this?George motioned for Jeff to turn away from Felicia so she wouldn't hear them, and he stepped closer to whisper to his friend."This girl's just a pawn, Jeff." He explained. "Her boyfriend died in about as tragic a way possible, and there's someone out there that manipulated her into doing all this. You and I know that locking her up isn't going to do anything-""But what if she's lying?" Jeff whisper-shouted. "Or what if she gets roped into doing it all again?""Well..." George shot a quick glance at Felicia. "...She certainly won't be strong enough to outmaneuver us anymore, don't you think?"Jeff closed his eyes and lowered his head, huffing to himself while thinking through his next words. "We need to keep a close eye on her for a while." He suggested. "See if whoever's behind this comes crawling back to her.""I can live with that." George conceded, and the two men nodded before turning around. George walked over to Black Cat and removed her handcuffs, leaving the young woman to stare at him in confusion. "We'll be driving you back in the cruiser, understood?" He told her.Felicia didn't nod or shake her head, she simply let her eyes get misty again as she kept staring. "Captain Stacy, I-" Her eyes shot to his injured leg, and she bit her lip roughly. Felicia couldn't muster up her voice, all she could do whimper out an "I'm so sorry."That was enough to do George in. He quickly stepped back and closed the door, then turned away from the cruiser. George took a deep breath, lifting his hand to his face and quickly drawing his hand over his eyes to dry them. "Jamie..." He began speaking, turning to face Jeff once he'd composed himself. "...Jamie told me that she'd had some stuff on her? Something you wanted me to see?"The inquiry drew a grim look from Jeff. He nodded, walking to the passenger's seat of the police cruiser and retrieving something. "Take a look at this..." Jeff said, handing a case to George... a CD case with the label 'MPI Security Footage'.A shiver ran down George's spine as he read the label... he was holding the infamous missing piece of a tragic piece of New York City's history; an affirmative answer to many of the questions that had been surrounding the Midtown Prom Incident.About an hour later, George was seated at his kitchen table, his laptop before him and the CD case in his hand. He was about to have a front-row seat to the events that had unraveled his life, the safety of New York City, and the life of his daughter. The apprehension he felt made him want to vomit.As he carefully opened the clear plastic to get the CD, his mind went back to thinking about his daughter, and the ramifications of Gwen's friend being the true identity of Black Cat. It had been quite harrowing for George to see the end result of how tragedy could corrupt a person in Gwen's shoes, and he'd been thinking about how it might apply to his daughter.On top of that was a mortifying possibility that he'd begun to consider upon running into Ghost Spider-the former vigilante had insisted that she'd been inspired by his actions as a police captain and was clearly heartbroken that he had harmed her all those months ago. While that had been eerie enough on its own, Felicia Hardy had almost let something slip that she didn't want to earlier; when asked about whom she wanted to kill, she had begun to give a name starting with "Gw-" before catching herself. George hadn't let that go unnoticed.While one could brush it off as Felicia mispronouncing 'Ghost Spider' due to her emotional state, there were too many other puzzle pieces that felt like they were falling into place, leaving George with a potential reality that chilled him to the bone.
Is Gwen Ghost Spider?
This was the first time he was truly asking himself he question... and immediately, his mind said no. That's ridiculous!! You're looking too much into everything... not all of this is detective work, she probably just misspoke.But the excuse-making was hiding another reason for George not to believe that his daughter was the wanted vigilante: There's no way that you shot your own daughter. You wouldn't do that.
Would you?
It made a scary amount of sense... Ghost Spider's dorky mannerisms when she'd been working alongside the NYPD, her emotional reaction to George firing a warning shot at her arm, and her inclination to use her powers to help others rather than for herself...George quickly shoved the CD into the slot on the laptop, wanting to think about anything other than that possibility. It wasn't that he didn't find it believable... it was just so dark that George didn't want to believe it.Words appeared on the screen, reading "Compilation of Security Footage Pertaining to the Midtown Prom Incident: Oscorp Clearance Level 1."
Oscorp? Black Cat took this from Oscorp... they're wrapped up in this mess somehow?
The screen lit up as the security footage began to play-but to George's surprise, it wasn't footage of Midtown High School. Instead, it was footage from what looked like one of Oscorp's laboratories-the insignia of one of New York's most recognizable companies was on the wall, and George recognized some of the scientific equipment from all the science fairs he'd attended for Gwen when she was growing up.He watched as a figure came into view-Peter Parker-and opened a refrigerated storage unit. The recording showed Peter retrieving a small vial before using the syringe to extract whatever that serum was, then he exited the location quickly.The screen flickered, and a similar recording played-Peter walking in and retrieving the serum before getting it into a syringe. George blinked, not understanding what this was supposed to mean at first... then he looked at the bottom left corner of the screen, where the date and time of each recording was displayed. He rewound the footage, pausing it when it went back to the first day. That date... that was around when the Lizard sightings began. George hit 'play' and watched a recording of every time Peter stole the serum from the lab... to the best of George's memory, every date lined up perfectly with each sighting of the Lizard in New York City. Peter hadn't been twisted into a monster by Ghost Spider against his will, he'd been doing it of his own volition. Yet another close friend of Gwen's who had chosen a dark path to deal with something in their life...George's mouth was agape, and his heart felt like it was taking a beating as the screen flickered, going black and displaying the date 'April 2, 2022'-the date of the Midtown Prom Incident.A lump welled up in George's throat as footage played from Midtown's gymnasium, where the prom was being held. There was no audio, adding to the dark suspense he felt. All of the students were either dancing, talking, or laughing with one another... a frozen moment of innocence before disaster.Movement towards the back of the gym in the recording caught George's attention-one student had been sitting alone near the wall, and two other students were walking over to console her. Is that-Panic surged in George's heart as he realized who they were: the student sitting alone was Felicia Hardy, and the two walking over were Mary-Jane Watson and his daughter.The recording showed Gwen walking over and taking a seat by her friend, the two sharing a short, yet heartfelt conversation. George could only watch in silence as Gwen seemed to lift her head, as if she had heard something, then tackled Felicia out of the way-it hadn't come a moment too soon, as the Lizard immediately burst through the wall where they'd been seated by.Again, the recording cut on its own, now showing Ghost Spider and the Lizard in a vicious battle. A pang ran through George's heart as he saw Owen Octavius enter the gym, shouting something while watching the two superhumans go at each other. The Lizard knocked Gwen into the bleachers with his clawed hand, but was caught off-guard by Owen, who began to smack him with a folding metal chair. Bravery... George thought, his hands balling into fists at the sight of a bystander standing up to something far stronger than himself. But it was also stupidity, and George knew exactly how it was going to end.And sure enough, the Lizard made quick work of Owen, grabbing him and slamming him into the ground hard enough to immediately snap the young man's neck. Owen did not move afterwards.George held his head in his hands as that sight kept replaying in his head... he'd just been connecting with Owen over baseball less than an hour before, and then the boy was ripped away from this world. Another myth of the Midtown Prom Incident-that Ghost Spider had killed Owen to dispose of the only witness-was debunked.The footage flashed again, cutting to the hallways of the school. Ghost Spider was on an all-out assault of the Lizard, using the full extent of her strength to take him down. Then, something strange began happening... the Lizard's form began to shrink and shift back into that of Peter Parker mid-fight. The effects of the serum he'd taken had worn off at the worst possible moment, and Ghost Spider was too caught up in fighting to notice.George watched as the footage cut again to a classroom, showing Peter get thrown violently through the door before stumbling away in an attempt to escape. Ghost Spider, her mind still lost in the heat of battle, slung a web at a desk before flinging it at Peter. The leg of the desk impaled him and pinned him to the back wall, where Peter remained until Ghost Spider seemed to come to her senses and fearfully approach him.A horde of different emotions, none of them good, were consuming George's heart. Two good kids had just died... everything that he'd assumed about the Midtown Prom Incident had been a lie, and the poor young girl who just wanted to save people had taken the fall for all of this carnage. Movement at the corner of the recording caught George's attention-a looming shadow approaching the room that initially made George tense up in fear. But then he realized the shadow was his own...And just like that, the recording ended.George was breathing heavily after witnessing the truth... Ghost Spider was truly innocent, and it had been his testimony-incomplete and uninformed as it was-that had made her this city's devil.Gwen... George remembered immediately. He remembered finding her in the aftermath of the incident, sobbing and bearing four bloody slashes on her arm. The recording had shown her right before the Lizard appeared, but George had been too caught up in watching it unfold to seen when she'd gotten hurt.George rewound the recording again, right to the part where Gwen was talking to Felicia. He watched again as she looked up at the wall, then tackled her friend away before the Lizard burst through.How had she known to do that?!!Again, the horrifying possibility of Gwen being the true identity of Ghost Spider surfaced in George's mind, but he proceeded to push it aside quickly. She could've heard him approaching... his footsteps would've been loud.
Even with all the noise going on inside the gymnasium, though?
No... no, I can't do this- George shut the laptop and stumbled out of his chair, on the verge of becoming a puddle because of this new train of thought that would not leave his mind. He staggered to the cupboard, wincing from the pain in his leg as he opened the door and pulled down the still-sealed bottle of liquor. It wasn't going to be sealed any longer. George would rather drown himself in this stuff again than face the possibility that he'd drawn the blood of his little girl.He broke the seal violently and brought the bottle to his lips before tilting his head back. As soon as the liquid reached his tongue-accompanied by that burn that he'd almost forgotten by now-he heard a voice in his mind that wasn't his own... it was Helen's voice, the cries of his long-dead wife screaming, "STOP!!"George spat out the liquor before he could swallow it, then let out a choke of anguish as he sank to the floor.Head in his hands and tears streaming down his face, the guilt of nearly having wasted everything Helen did for him seared his heart as George realized he was at the end of himself: he genuinely did not know what to do anymore.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I wanna' write her name in the sky"
-Free Fallin', Tom Petty
Gwen hadn't set her alarm last night... it was the weekend, and she had been certain that she was going to wake up in total soreness after her battle with Black Cat. She was only waking up now due to the sunlight streaming through her window blinds.The blonde felt the familiar wave of disappointment at having to wake up flow through her-another day of fighting off all the bad memories and present conflicts that threatened to swallow her whole awaited. But to Gwen's surprise, she wasn't sore. She actually felt... well-rested.Her eyes popped open, and her brow immediately furrowed at how well she felt. This wasn't how her mornings tended to start...Gwen sat up in bed, expecting to hear her back or joints popping... nothing. Man, the regenerative healing was in overdrive last night, she thought to herself, swinging her legs over the side of the bed before standing up. Her spider-suit was still carelessly slung onto her desk, exactly where she'd tossed it due to wanting to go to bed immediately last night. She picked up the suit, thinking back to the oddities that surrounded the fabric now... that black ooze that she'd ripped off of Felicia had seemed to cover the suit while Gwen had been wearing it, but once she'd gotten out of it, the suit was back to its normal appearance. Whatever that thing was... it had bonded with her physical form somehow.Something else for the to-do list: evict the sentient black goo from my body. Gwen thought to herself, folding up the suit before tucking it under her bed.She headed towards her bathroom, cutting the lights on before reaching forward to open the mirror for her Effexor medication-but Gwen stopped herself, as her current outfit was... not what she'd been expecting.Gwen could have sworn that she'd slipped into some white sweatpants and an oversized, vibrantly colored band tee before going to bed. But she was wearing sweatpants and a large shirt that were jet black, with white at the seams.
Did I seriously forget what I wore to bed? Or is the black goo just a 24/7 image consultant?
Wanting to test the theory out, Gwen began to step out of her sweatpants to see what would happen to them. She felt the slightest bit of self-consciousness creep into her system, despite the facts that she was alone and that the oversized shirt was over her thighs. Sure enough, the black color faded from the sweatpants, turning into familiar tendrils that rapidly crawled to Gwen's legs before vanishing.
Um... yuck.
She picked up the sweatpants and threw them into her laundry hamper since she was going to change later anyways. Shoving her 'fashion issues' to the side for now, Gwen opened the mirror above her sink and grabbed the bottle of Effexor. She popped the lid off and dumped a lone tablet of the antidepressant into her hand before swallowing it dry.Once she'd put the bottle back and grabbed her toothpaste and toothbrush, her hand grabbed and closed the mirror. Gwen's eyes quickly went to her reflection, staring at it for a moment. Gwen still looked pretty frail and unhealthy... eighteen months of neglecting to eat consistently tended to have those effects on a person. She stepped backwards to get a full view of herself, and the way the oversized shirt hung from her frame just looked so... terrible. Gwen felt her throat tighten, and her hand went to her arm as the insecurity over her appearance began to flare up.You used to look way better in high school, Gwen told herself, biting her lip as she looked away from her reflection. She had always been on the more lithe side, but Gwen was a lot lighter now. And she didn't like it one bit.
You think you've still got a chance to win Miles over again? What are you going to do when he finds out who you are, and that you're not as 'impressive' as you used to be?
She stepped forward, continuing to keep her eyes off the mirror as she began to brush her teeth. As Gwen went through this section of her morning routine, she tried calling to mind all the schoolwork she had to do: there were two projects due soon, a lab report, and about three other small assignments that she could finish easily but didn't want to do at the last minute tonight.But the last thought about Miles crept back into her mind, taking Gwen's thoughts away from her schoolwork... a lot of what had happened last night had been because she'd been influenced by Miles's encouragement. And, despite the fact that Gwen was going to be wearing one color palatte for the foreseeable future, she still considered her escape from her dad and victory over Black Cat as a successful night of vigilante-ism.I should swing by today... Gwen mused. ...I owe him a 'thank you', if nothing else.That whole situation felt so immensely complicated. Gwen still wasn't 100% sure if she truly 'liked' Miles again despite her current worries about her appearance making him reject her... she was balancing these undefined feelings on top of being his mentor so that he could protect the city too... and, on top of all that, she'd basically given him a fake name-even though 'Max' or Maxine was part of Gwen's full name.Despite all the worries, something inside of Gwen felt like she could work it out in the end. This isn't like what happened with Peter, she thought to herself. You're thinking ahead and handling things one step at a time... when you're ready to tell Miles the truth, you'll do it.
And you know that he's a good person for sure now... he'll understand you.
An hour later, Gwen was scaling the side of Miles's apartment, donned in her new black suit. Her eyes stayed focused on the window she'd visited last week, a nervous anticipation she hadn't felt in quite some time bubbling in her stomach.
Will he be happy to see me?
What will he think of the new suit?
Am I getting too far ahead of myself?
The answer to the last question was almost certainly 'yes', but Gwen didn't give it too much thought. It had been so long since she'd had hope of any form, and she wanted to cling to it with everything she had. For the first time since the Midtown Prom Incident, Gwen felt like it was safe to say that the worst was finally behind her.Once she reached the window, Gwen crouched on the small ledge by the glass and peered inside, hoping to see Miles right away.Sure enough, he was there. Miles was seated in his chair and looking at his computer, laughing and typing furiously on his keyboard. Must be gaming with Ganke... Gwen thought to herself, feeling a slight smile creep onto her face. Though part of her hated to cut his fun short, Gwen fired a web at the window, and the thump sound it made caused Miles to look over in confusion.Immediately, Miles jumped in his seat, nearly falling out of it as his headphones fell from his ears and into his lap.Did I really get him that good? Gwen pondered, then looked down at her outfit. Oh, right... he wasn't expecting a new suit."Hi Miles!" Gwen greeted softly, waving as Miles walked over and pulled the window down. "Are you winning that game you're playing?""What's with the new suit?" Miles asked quickly, looking Gwen up and down. "I'm not going to lie, I thought you were some evil clone of yourself when I looked out the window." Gwen's ensuing laughter at his comment brought a smile to Miles's face, and he stepped aside to allow her to get into his room."It's a really long story..." Gwen began to say, but Miles's face lit up."I'd like to hear it anyways!" He said, prompting the blonde to chuckle softly and lean against his wall."So, I ran into Black Cat last night-""I saw that on the news. Did you get her??""Yes!" Gwen answered. "Her powers all came from this weird black ooze that had bonded with her body... so I ripped it off of her. Unfortunately, the black ooze got on me, so that's why my entire wardrobe is going to be a bit 'moody' for the time being." She explained, and Miles blinked at the information overload."Oh...""Yeah..."They stayed silent as Miles took some time to think on what she'd said, but he eventually walked over, standing next to Gwen with a smile on his face and amusement in his eyes. Her heart fluttered crazily, again enraptured by the irresistible charm and comfort that gleamed in his brown irises."So, anything else been going on in your world... Max?" Miles asked, playfully nudging Gwen with his elbow. A dry smile crept onto Gwen's face at the comradery that accompanied Miles finally having a name to use for her. It felt sweet, almost... how much sweeter would it be when the craziness in New York City had settled down enough for her to tell him who she really was?Gwen shook her head in response. "Not a whole lot aside from what happened last night... which is why I wanted to come see you." She said, adjusting herself slightly before turning her head to meet his gaze. "I've spent the last year and a half running from a lot of things... there's so much that's worse in life, and I just wanted to try to walk through it without feeling anything." Gwen explained, a hand drifting to her arm again as all the insecurities and worries made their presence known in her heart. "But a lot of the stuff you've been telling me has made me think that trying to run from things... isn't exactly the best idea."Miles probably couldn't tell because of her mask, but Gwen was giving him a meaningful look. Her voice had grown soft, and her heart was beating faster at the emotions that always came with opening up to someone like this."There's a lot of stuff that's still wrong right now, and it's not exactly going away..." She paused, her head tilting ever so slightly. "...But I think I'm in a better position to deal with it now, and that's because of you. So thank you, Miles."The heartfelt words that Miles was hearing seemed to touch him deeply, and a proud smile crept onto his face. "Max..." He trailed off, the smile continuing to grow as he looked down, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "...You don't have to thank me for that. I'm really glad to hear that things are looking up for you, though. It's about time you caught a break.""Right??" Gwen agreed enthusiastically, and the two laughed in unison.As the laughter died down, Gwen was still staring at Miles. The male had begun to stare out the window, momentarily captivated by the beautiful day outside. Why was it that he'd had this hold on her, from the moment she'd first spoken to him her junior year? Anyone with a working brain could see that the guy was cute, but Gwen really couldn't look at him long enough. Those dark eyes and almost boyish smile were a deadly combination, giving him an air of joy and innocence that Gwen couldn't resist. But why?
Maybe it's because you know those are two things you can't have. Joy and innocence.
The dark thought got stuck in Gwen's mind for a second, but thankfully Miles spoke up to distract her from it: "It's a really nice day, isn't it?"Hearing the overused phrase made Gwen snort. "Really, Miles? You're down to using the cheesiest phrase ever invented to break silence?" She shook her head, clicking her tongue to tease him. "I expected more from you.""Ease up on me, Max!" Miles laughed, looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he continued to face the open window. "It's really easy to get excited by all the little things when you're usually moving too fast to notice them."
Wow, that hits deep.
Gwen sighed as she joined him in looking at the city. It really was beautiful today-one of those rare fall days in New York where the temperature rose ever so slightly so that the air wasn't bone-chilling. "Days like these were always perfect for swinging around the city..." Gwen spoke, reflecting on a time where she felt safe to wear the suit and be amongst her fellow New Yorkers. "...The city is gorgeous on a good day when you're standing still, but getting to fly through it and see different perspectives when it's nice out is a really unique experience. Or at least I think it's a unique experience.""Hmph, sounds great." Miles said, sighing dramatically and leaning his head back to look at the sky. "If only somebody could give me web-slingers like hers so that I could have that experience and know what she's talking about...""Oh, here we go again." Gwen rolled her eyes, smiling at Miles's continued theatrics that were all in an effort to obtain some web-slingers of his own. "I told you, we need to work through your powers before you can use them-that electric shock thing you've got-""'Electric shock thing'?" Miles repeated in a teasing tone. "Do you not have a better name for it??""Do you?""Fair point...""As I was saying-" Gwen continued. "-The web slingers can get shorted out very easily with a power like that. When you can get a handle on it consistently, I'll make some web-shooters that you can use.""Yes!!" Miles responded, pumping his fist with excitement. "I might have to quit YouTube so that I can use all of that time to swing around the city-""Don't do that!!" Gwen told him with a laugh. "That's your job, isn't it?""Well, I mean..." Miles spoke, his hand rubbing the back of his head for a moment. "...No one really thinks of it as a 'job'-""But you do." Gwen said plainly, frowning at the sudden, unexpected insecurity that Miles was displaying. "Don't you?"Miles stood still after Gwen spoke, his eyes looking at different things in his room-sports posters, his computer, his high school diploma-as he dwelled on what Gwen had told him. "I... I do." He answered."Then treat it like a job." Gwen told him. "And don't let the definition change because other people don't agree with you."His eyes locked onto Gwen's mask. Now that his eyes were reflecting the struggles in his heart, they had a beautifully sad puppy-dog quality to them. It was a good thing that Miles was meeting Gwen's vision, because he would've seen her knees quivering if he looked down."Thanks, Max." Miles finally said, the corner of his lip raising slightly as he decided to take hold of the one ounce of support that someone had given him on this matter."Please-" Gwen said, dramatically waving a hand and posing like a character in a drama. "-Don't thank me."The two began to chuckle, and when they had finished they found themselves locking eyes once again. At this point, Gwen's heart was tap-dancing in her chest."You know-" Gwen spoke again, looking over her shoulder at the window. "-If you really want to see what it's like to travel my way... I can definitely take you for a swing around the city." Her tone was collected and bold in this moment, taking a step in a direction that was clearly pushing whatever boundaries they had now. Thankfully, Miles seemed to eat it up, his mouth opening in surprise and his eyes widening with excitement. "Really?? You'd... you'd be cool with that?""Totally." Gwen confirmed, walking to the window before hopping onto the ledge. "Oh-you might want to get your mask on beforehand. I'd hate to see you join the list of New York's Most Wanted with me.""Hey, it's an exclusive list." Miles chuckled, walking to his dresser to retrieve his mask. "And if you're on it, then maybe it's a good thing."It was a dumb flirt, but it got Gwen cracking up and blushing. "I'm flattered." She said in a dry tone, watching as Miles pulled his mask over his head and went to his closet to grab a jacket. When he was properly disguised, Gwen stretched her hand out for him to take, her stomach doing flips from this suddenly adrenaline-filled encounter as she asked, "Ready?"Miles hesitated, looking past Gwen at the skyscrapers of the city. "Yes and no, if I'm being real.""Just think of it as a really fun roller coaster," Gwen suggested. "A really fun roller coaster where someone will always swing in and grab you if you fall."That seemed to do the trick. Miles took a deep breath and walked forward, his fingers wrapping around Gwen's outstretched hand. Immediately, the blonde felt sparks shooting from her fingertips to her wrist-whether or not that was from Miles's powers or her own emotions was unknown to Gwen."Hold on tight!!" Gwen said, then flicked her wrist and shot a web at the building across the street. Her feet pushed off the ledge, and the two swung over the street below."Aaah-ah!!" Miles shouted, both arms wrapping tightly around Gwen's arm as the blonde laughed, twisting her body when they were halfway across the road to alter their momentum. They course-corrected, swinging around the side of the building they'd been moving towards as Gwen fired another web and pulled them higher. "You hanging in there?" Gwen called out loudly over the sound of the wind rushing all around them."Not like I have a choice!!" Miles shouted back.As the two were pulled higher and higher above the city, the rush of adrenaline continued to grow in Gwen's chest-only this time, rather than paralyze her as it had for months now, it emboldened her further. "Ready for the dive??" She told Miles, who looked at her quickly."What?!!""The dive!!" Gwen said again, and Miles stared blankly at her."What's the dive-wait, I think I know..." He realized slowly, looking down at the cars and civilians that looked like ants beneath them. Gwen fired another web, then pulled as hard as she could to shoot them even higher towards the sky."Hey, you-" She paused, the thought of what she had to ask next making Gwen's face flush and her throat tighten. "-You're going to want to hang onto my shoulders for this one.""I won't argue." Miles agreed, quickly releasing one hand from Gwen's arm and grasping at her shoulder. The heat in her face rose at the inexplicable mix of firmness and gentleness that Miles's touch utilized, and the feeling of him having to crawl up her arm to get to her shoulders made her go limp as they continued their ascent.It took a few seconds for Gwen to get herself under control, but she managed to take a deep breath and still her nerves as their ascent began to slow down. "Alright..." She let go of the web, and Miles clung to her shoulders from behind as the two began to tilt forward and plummet towards the ground face-first. "...Here we go!!"Miles laughed and let out a whoop of excitement, his face inches from Gwen's as they free-fell towards the ground. His infectious energy and joy made Gwen beam, and she began to twirl as they fell, adding to the rush of energy they shared in this moment.Before they hit the ground, Gwen stretched her arm out and shot a web at the roof of a building, then yanked hard to catapult them through the air. A loud "Whoooo!!!" left Miles's lungs and echoed among the buildings as they tumbled through the air. He shifted slightly, his arms wrapping around Gwen's waist as his chin settled on her shoulder. Gwen finally shut her eyes and let herself go limp in this moment-relishing the utter joy she felt as her body twirled and contorted while she sailed through the New York air.And, the whole time, it was in the arms of Miles Morales.She fired another web, then swung her legs forward to make them turn sharply. The sudden shift in movement made Miles laugh as they changed direction, once again being flung high into the air from Gwen's expert acrobatics."Max!!" Miles said in her ear, sounding jubilant as ever. "Throw me, Max!!""Throw you?!!" Gwen repeated, shocked that he would suggest such an action. But Miles nodded eagerly, and they were close enough now for her to see his eyes through the mesh that covered them. And they were full of trust and anticipation-how could she say no to those eyes??She shrugged him off of her shoulders before grabbing him by his hand again, holding tight as they swung downwards into the city. Gwen's free hand shot another web, and as they made their turn upwards, she hurled Miles as hard as she could towards the sky.Gwen could hear him laughing and yelling with excitement as he sailed upwards, stretching and waving his limbs as his form grew smaller and smaller. For once, it seemed, Gwen was really helping someone enjoy themselves. It made her grin with delight, and she spun another web to pull herself towards him.As Miles began to descend, Gwen flung herself at him, flying like she was shot out of a cannon before catching him bridal-style."Pretty fun, huh?" She asked nonchalantly, and Miles nodded earnestly."Screw roller coasters!! This is way better AND free!!" He told Gwen, and she laughed once more as they began to fall head-over heels towards the ground, and for each other...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"What if the one thing that I missed was everything I need to pass the test?"
-Live to Rise, Soundgarden
It had been five minutes since Gwen had dropped Miles off back at his place, but the grin was still plastered on her face.The blonde, still clad in the black version of her suit, flipped and somersaulted through the air as she swung through the city to return to her dorm. It still felt slightly dangerous for her to be enjoying herself like this in the daylight, but Gwen was throwing her carefulness to the wind after such an invigorating experience.She angled her legs forward while swinging past a building, letting go of the web while letting momentum pull her through the air. Gwen let her body go limp, her eyes drifting shut as she reveled in the memory of Miles holding onto her as they sailed through the air...It had been quite the bold step for Gwen to initiate that moment with him, and now she felt like she was reaping the rewards. Almost regretfully, she opened her eyes to come back to reality, slinging another web before arching her body as she pulled on the thread to keep moving forward. Gwen could barely remember the last time she'd been able to let go and enjoy this unique method of travel, but she was making up for lost time with this enjoyable swing back to her dorm.Surely this was a moment that would last... certainly nothing could sour the good mood that Gwen was basking in...She tucked her knees and rolled towards a building, her hands and feet softly latching onto the wall as she paused to soak in the scenery and catch her breath. Gwen's fingers tugged at the now-dark mask covering her face, pulling it off and letting her smile be exposed to the sky as she shut her eyes and reveled in the wind coursing over her face.Someone had brought some joy back into her life... and Gwen felt like she was ready to lean into that joy once again.As she kept her head tilted upwards towards the sky, a dull sound from far below reached Gwen's ears... her face grew puzzled as she quickly pulled her mask over her face and looked towards the roads of New York City. Gwen's eyes darted around, trying to lock onto this sound that continued to grow in pitch and loudness.Soon, Gwen saw where it was coming from: a line of cop cars, their sirens blaring as they swerved around traffic towards the building that Gwen was perched on.
Terrific.
The excitement in Gwen's heart turned to annoyance and sarcasm quickly as she dove off the building, the wind buffeting her figure before she shot a web and began to make her escape.She glanced over her shoulder to see if she was gaining ground; unfortunately, the opposite had happened. All of the city's traffic had now pulled over to create a wide-open lane for the swarms of police cruisers to drive through, and they were approaching faster and faster with every passing second."Alright, time to-" Gwen shot a web to her left, as if to head in that direction. "-Course correct!!" As the front row of police cars began turning left, Gwen twirled and let go of the web, firing another one to her right and swinging that way as tires squealed behind her.Unfortunately, when Gwen looked back to see how her maneuver had panned out, there was still a large group of cops on her tail: even though the front row of police cruisers had been tricked and swerved to a halt, there were enough behind them that had seen Gwen's little trick and kept right. Panic flared in Gwen's nerves: it looked like every cop in the city was chasing her, how was she supposed to get away this time??You're alright, don't panic... Gwen began inhaling sharply, trying to prevent her mind from getting scrambled as she continued weaving through the city's skyscrapers. ...Even if you can't outrun them, you can take them down if need be.Even though it was true that Gwen could probably incapacitate these officers, the thought hurt her to think about-enough to where Gwen questioned if that wasn't herself doing the thinking, if that was possible.Just as Gwen twisted her wrists to change direction again, an all-too familiar sensation began to prickle the back of her neck. Gwen shot a web downwards, sensing danger coming right at her as she pulled herself closer to the ground.A forceful gust of wind nearly blew her cowl down as she looked up at what had almost hit her: it was a police helicopter, gliding with ease in her direction."You sideline the big toys for Black Cat, but not for me?!!" Gwen shouted in frustration at the helicopter, trying to get upwards before she could get cut off. Her near-collision with the helicopter had given the rest of the police cruisers to catch up, their sirens joining the deafening roar of the helicopter's blades as they raced after the city's most infamous vigilante.The chase was beginning to catch up with Gwen-even her superpowered muscles were beginning to tire from having traversed the city so much today, and she felt every breath grow deeper and needier for oxygen.They were going to catch her.Gwen felt the helicopter bearing down from behind her, and she quickly stretched her arm and pressed the button on her web-shooter. But as the line of webbing fired, the helicopter passed over Gwen to intercept it; the line got caught in the blade, which yanked Gwen off-course and flung her sharply to the right.She yelled as she crashed into an electronic billboard, feeling sparks shoot through her arm and sear her flesh before she rolled off of it and tumbled onto the sidewalk. Gwen groaned as she lifted her head, surveying the bright lights of her current location: Times Square.As Gwen got to her feet, the helicopter slowed its approach, staying out in front of her as the police cars swerved around her, keeping their distance while cutting off all points of escape.Her heart pounded as she caught her breath, dozens of police car doors flying open as the officers stepped out and took aim, each one holding a taser or net launcher as Gwen's head spun, desperately looking for a weak point. But she saw none.
I'm trapped.
A sharp noise nearly pierced Gwen's ears, making her wince as her eardrums pounded. But there was another physical reaction she had to the high-pitched frequency: something that gripped her brain, almost like tendrils fighting to keep a grip despite the pain.The noise had been coming from a megaphone, which one officer continued to adjust before lifting it to his mouth. "You're at the end of the line, Ghost Spider!" The officer called out, sounding completely confident and at ease due to the precarious position that Gwen had found herself in. "Let's just get down to it: it's over. You're done escaping the things you've done..."Gwen's eyes darted helplessly, her heart unable to accept that she'd been cornered. Her blue irises eventually locked onto the helicopter that was twenty feet in front of her, holding its position to keep Gwen from escaping through the air.Suddenly, she got an idea."...Now, just lie on the ground with your arms at your side..." The officer continued his monologue as Gwen bounced on her toes, preparing to make her move. "...And we'll put a down deposit on the best padded cell that money can buy-""Don't spend that money anytime soon, Officer Megaphone!"Gwen fired a web at the underside of the helicopter, pulling forward with blazing speed before sticking to the bottom. The officers all shouted and took aim, prepared to launch everything they had at her."Stop, hold your fire!!" Officer Megaphone shouted, making his fellow officers lower their weapons. "We don't want to risk hitting the chopper!"Haha!! Got'eeeemm!! Gwen thought to herself, feeling proud of her clever idea as she began to inch like a caterpillar towards the back of the helicopter, planning to jump off and continue her escape. But she felt the helicopter shift... and suddenly, the ground looked like it was approaching her. Wait... oh no, I just screwed myself-"Good thinking!!" Officer Megaphone called out, watching the helicopter lower towards the ground. "Trap her underneath, she'll be much easier to contain there!"Gwen's breathing sped up instantly, her eyes going wide as the helicopter settled on the ground, the landing gear leaving only inches between her face and the pavement.
There's no way out except through fighting...
You're going to have to fight them...
YOU HAVE TO FIGHT THEM.
This shouting in her mind... what was it coming from?? Gwen winced and gritted her teeth, everything inside of her wanting to find a peaceful way out. But the moment was here, and Gwen's mind was racing to fast to think of a better solution.She rolled out from under the helicopter, trusting her spider-sense as she fired off short bursts of webbing in every direction-some knocking weapons from the hands of the police, others making them have to roll out of the way. Gwen felt a hand grab her arm, and she swung her body upwards, her own strength far exceeding that of the police that had grabbed her as she harmlessly tossed him off of her.Two more police charged, one behind Gwen and one behind her. She waited until the pinpricks on her neck were too unbearable, then jumped upwards as they both fired their tasers. The lines of wire shot through the space where Gwen had just been, each officer getting inadvertently zapped before falling down and howling in frustration."Stop! Immediately!!" Officer Megaphone hollered, but his cockiness was fading as he took a step back, watching his comrades get outwitted and thrown around by the wanted vigilante.Gwen continued leaping around, newspapers and trash swirling around her from the force of the helicopter's blades as it rose back into the air to hover over her. A net flew at her face, and she had to throw herself to the side to avoid it. She reached into her backpack and threw out a spider-gadget, which landed on the ground and spun like a spinning top while shooting small jets of webbing at the officers. Several tasers fired in her direction, and Gwen had to do a backflip to avoid them-the officers continued to attempt to contain her, and Gwen was running out of room as they slowly made a circle and began to close in. She dug into her bookbag for another one of her spider-gadgets, but she was out of them."Please, this wasn't on my schedule!!" Gwen yelled at them, having to throw a reverse roundhouse kick an officer that lunged at her. "Can't I take a rain check on this??"They kept growing closer... there was nowhere to go, nowhere to even back up to... she felt like a cornered animal, shaking in terror as hopelessness gripped her heart.And it was in that hopelessness that something else filled the void in her mind to take control.Gwen's arms raised up before she slammed her fists into the ground, and she let out a vicious roar as black tendrils surged from her form, smacking every officer off their feet and launching them backwards.
What... what did I just do?!!
Gwen popped back to her feet, her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the dazed officers with fearful eyes. "I... I'm sorry... I-" She blurted out loudly, panic in her voice as she stumbled backwards, confused and afraid by what she'd just done. "-I didn't mean it!!"Now the police didn't look determined-they looked angry. They all got up quickly, training their non-lethals on her once again as they walked forward in unison.Gwen's lip quivered at the sight. The loud voice was coming back, screaming at her to fight back once again, but she couldn't do it... whatever she'd just let herself do when she'd gotten too afraid, she didn't want to do to these people again. She sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands, unwilling to inflict that type of harm on these people who simply didn't know what had really happened at the Midtown Prom-Suddenly, a chorus of new sounds reached Gwen's ears-something like dramatic music that a news channel would play whenever there was breaking news. All of the electronic billboards of Times Square were playing the same broadcast, making Gwen and the police look up in surprise."This just in, we have some Breaking News regarding the Midtown Prom Incident's mysterious lost security tapes..." A news anchor appeared on every screen, looking prim and proper as the headline 'Midtown Prom Security Tapes Revealed!' appeared near the bottom of each screen. "...This compilation of tapes shows one of the casualties of the Incident-Peter Parker-repeatedly taking a classified serum from Oscorp Industries under his own will..."Gwen's heart sank as the broadcast played the lost tapes from Oscorp, showing Peter walking into the serum storage area to retrieve the trial runs of Dr. Connors's regenerative serum.
"...It is believed that the serum he was stealing was a test run of a regenerative serum developed by Oscorp and Dr. Curtis Connors, which reportedly had side effects in rats that caused them to attain 'lizard-like' features. The tapes heavily imply that Peter Parker was using these out of his own free will, rather than being forced to by Ghost Spider as the public has assumed..."
Every single police officer's weapon began to lower as they continued watching, absolutely stunned by this bombshell of a revelation as it continued playing.
"...Furthermore, the tapes directly recording Midtown's prom show that it was Parker, not Ghost Spider, that murdered the Incident's second casualty Owen Octavius, son of New York's own Dr. Otto Octavius..."
Is... is this happening? Gwen thought to herself, watching the breaking news continue to unfold. The citizens that had been hiding in the shops and buildings around Times Square began to slowly walk out, watching the broadcast with an incredulous look on every face.It continued, with the news anchor continuing to stare intently into the camera. "...These tapes were produced to us on an Oscorp-brand disc, casting suspicion on the innovation giant as potentially having kept these tapes from the public eye, and... what's that?" The news anchor put a finger to her earpiece, then nodded after a moment. "I just received confirmation that these tapes were delivered by none other than Captain George Stacy of the NYPD, who insisted that this information is enough to clear Ghost Spider from the crimes alleged against the former hero of New York City..."Gasps went up from the crowd, that had gathered around them, and all eyes fell on Gwen. But she couldn't respond to it-her mind was racing with such a high level of information overload.
Dad... he tried to clear my name?
At first, she felt a wonderfully grateful sensation rise in her chest. But, as soon as it appeared, another feeling pushed it down-a feeling stemming from a set of questions that popped into her mind:
How long did he have this information? How long did he let you run for your life when he could've done something?
But even that wasn't something that Gwen had enough time to think about. Officer Megaphone, looking frantically at his men, waved his hands erratically before lifting the megaphone back to his lips and yelling, " What are you doing?!! We're not here to watch some propaganda-we're here to bring this creep to justice!!"The officers glanced amongst each other with uncertainty, several of them giving a hesitant look towards Ghost Spider. But before any of them stepped forward, a new voice overtook the ones that swirled around them:
"Exonerate Ghost Spider!"
The passionate cry made Gwen spin on her heels to see where it had come from, and what she saw brought tears to her eyes.Stepping out of the crowd was Mary-Jane Watson, a defiant look in her eyes as she stared down Officer Megaphone with her fist in the air."Exonerate Ghost Spider! Exonerate our hero!!" She yelled again, looking at the crowd around her as they began to all nervously nod in agreement. MJ continued to chant the words, the people around her slowly joining until their unified voices were the only thing that anyone in Times Square could hear.
"Exonerate Ghost Spider!! Exonerate our hero!!"
One by one, the police looked at Officer Megaphone with disdain, putting their weapon away and going back to their cruisers. "Wait-get back out there!!" He snapped, waving his megaphone angrily as the police cars slowly began to pull out of Times Square and drive away. Even the helicopter pilot had been inspired by the moment, and as the police cleared the area, the crowd began to cheer.Now the only two left in the strangely open streets of Times Square were Ghost Spider and Officer Megaphone, the latter looking equal parts humiliated and enraged. "Mob mentality... such a buzzkill..." He growled angrily, setting his megaphone on the hood of his cruiser before walking forward with his taser at the ready.But just as Gwen's fists clenched in anticipation of another fight, something blocked her way-it was MJ, stepping in front of the vigilante protectively and silently daring Officer Megaphone to lay a hand on a civilian.Again, Gwen felt like crying from her best friend's touching actions... but she held the tears back as she looked over MJ's shoulder, chuckling at Officer Megaphone. "Democracy..." Gwen noted, looking around at the New Yorkers that were applauding MJ's stand for justice. "...Such a buzzkill. Am I right, Officer Megaphone?"The cop sneered at Ghost Spider and MJ, jamming a finger in their direction. "That's Officer Max Dillon to you!!" He shouted, veins bulging in his neck as his face went red. After a few moments of angry staring, Officer Dillon turned around, sulking as he walked back to his police cruiser and drove off.Once it was just MJ and Gwen, the redhead turned around to face the vigilante, smiling warmly and holding up a hand for a high-five. "We sure showed that loser, huh?"Gwen was at a loss for words. MJ hadn't done that out of a desire to help a friend, since she had no idea that Gwen was Ghost Spider; she'd simply done that because she felt like it was the right thing to do. Gwen's emotional state must've been noticed by MJ, because she sighed and waved her outstretched hand."Hey... don't leave me hanging, Ghostie!" MJ encouraged sweetly, making Gwen snap out of her thoughts and give her friend a light high-five. "MJ... I can't... I can't even-" Gwen's eyes went wide, and she clapped her hand over her mouth as she realized that she'd accidentally given away that she knew MJ.Thankfully, MJ was MJ, so she didn't even think about it as she laughed heartily and shrugged her shoulders. "It's no big deal! I really didn't know what to think about you the past few months, if I'm being honest... it seemed crazy that you would do such terrible things... but now that the truth is out, I don't want to sit around and do nothing. I hate sitting around!!" She huffed, losing her train of thought for a moment before blinking and looking at Ghost Spider again. "But anyways... big takeaway from this is that if you need help, I'm in your corner. Tell me what you need, and I'll get it done." MJ promised, smiling confidently and folding her arms over her chest. "Team Ghost Spider for the win, right?"Gwen didn't know what to say... how was she supposed to let MJ know how much this meant to her? There was only one way that came to mind, but it was something that she'd sworn she'd never tell MJ.
Screw it.
"Here, just..." Gwen sighed softly, pulling her phone out of her bookbag and unlocking it. "...Just take this 'thank you' for now..." She pulled up her text thread with MJ, typed out the words 'Thank you so much', then sent it.MJ watched Gwen with a confused frown, then looked at her pocket as her phone dinged. She quirked an eyebrow upon seeing who'd texted her, then looked at Ghost Spider apologetically. "Sorry, I've got to make a quick text-it's my best friend." MJ smiled kindly, turning around as she continued to be oblivious to what was happening.Gwen shook her head in amusement, looking down as MJ's response of 'Thank you for what?' popped up on her screen. 'Turn around', Gwen texted back, and MJ quickly looked over her shoulder with a puzzled expression as she looked everywhere but at the vigilante clad in black."MJ..." Gwen said, making the redhead's eyes land on Ghost Spider."What?" MJ said, holding an expectant and confused look in her eyes for several seconds. Then her eyes went wide, and her phone slipped from her hand. MJ fumbled to catch it while spitting out noises of shock and astonishment, her brain absolutely short-circuiting as Gwen ran forward and hugged her."Keep it between us, okay?" Gwen whispered quickly, and she felt MJ nod."Y-yeah... sure thing, girlboss..." MJ stammered, her eyes still wide as she collected herself for a few moments. Gwen withdrew her arms, a wide grin on her face as she stepped away from MJ. "We'll catch up soon, right?""Yep. Mm-hmm, definitely." MJ squeaked, holding a thumbs-up as she remained lost in this shocking moment. Gwen chuckled at her friend's reaction before she turned and slung a web, exiting Times Square while her fellow New Yorkers clapped and cheered in celebration of the clearing of her name.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I'm not living what was promised; I am close, but can't enjoy"
-Angel, Pearl Jam
Gwen hadn't had a problem keeping herself busy at work today. Her fingers drummed away on the keyboard while her eyes watched the adjustments she was making to the digital map on the computer screen-the digital map that would soon compose the microchip for the Tritium stabilizer. At the same time, Gwen was doing something that she didn't do very often-listen to a podcast while on the job.She adjusted her earbuds for a moment, finding her lips curling into a smile as she listened to J. Jonah Jameson's vain attempts to reestablish her alter ego as a criminal mastermind.
"Now, I understand that much ado about nothing has been made over these alleged 'security tapes' that were promulgated three days ago. Many people have abandoned our cause since this lie was released to the masses, and the continued deceit that Ghost Spider hides behind has now plunged our city into a web of lies, if you will..."
Jameson's not wrong about one thing, Gwen thought to herself, adjusting the digital map on the screen. He's lost a lot of support. Jameson's show had been the most-listened to podcast in New York for the past year and a half. The day after the security footage was release, his views had plummeted.
"...But since I am, if nothing else, a man of the people-loyal and unwavering in my desire for Ghost Spider to be brought to justice for her misdeeds-I'm going to ask all of you sudden defectors this one question: do you even know what you saw? NO!! You haven't the slightest clue! The tapes prove nothing-we don't know if Ghost Spider was pulling strings behind the scenes to orchestrate these events... we don't even know if these videos are real!! AI is a SERIOUS problem, ladies and gentlemen, and you have no earthly idea if what we saw was computer-generated or not-"
Gwen paused her work as Jameson's ferocious ranting suddenly turned into hectic coughing. She pursed her lips as her eyebrows raised in intrigue over the ill sounds that reached her ears.
"-Ugh... Jared, can you grab me my antacids..."
It was hard to resist the triumphant grin that formed on her lips. Jameson had been after Gwen ever since she'd started her vigilante work and had made her life miserable for his own selfish gain. "Serves you right, Triple-J." She muttered under her breath, then removed her earbuds so that she could fully concentrate on work.Several minutes passed, and Gwen eventually leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling to rest her eyes for a while. She was so close to being done with this project and wanted to see it through as soon as possible, but she also didn't want to damage her vision.Her eyelids drifted shut, and her mind began to wander off of work. For once, Gwen felt like things had been good as of late-the police weren't chasing after her anymore, Black Cat had been stripped of her powers, and Gwen was cooking up something nice in the romance department...The blonde's lips curled into a toothy grin as she thought back to the sweet memories of her swing through the city with Miles-oh, what she wouldn't give for another excuse to be wrapped up in his arms again. Gwen's feet kicked underneath her table, and she laughed softly at herself. She knew that she was being cheesy, but she hadn't allowed herself to be cheesy in so long... it felt liberating."Miss Stacy?"At the sound of her employer, Gwen shot up in her seat and spun towards Dr. Octavius, the smitten look on her face wiped away in an instant and replaced with formal respect. "D-Dr. Octavius!!" She blurted, utterly failing to not appear off-guard.The scientist stifled his laughter out of respect to his top intern, nodding politely to Gwen before looking over her shoulder at the digital map of the microchip. "You've come a long way with this project, Gwen." He noted, his eyes shifting behind his glasses to meet her vision. "You must be quite proud to see where it's at now.""Oh... I-" Gwen looked at the computer screen, simultaneously trying to relax after being caught slacking off and taking in the sight of the microchip-her microchip. "-I guess it's pretty neat to see it at this stage."Dr. Octavius's smile didn't waver, his kind eyes observing his lead intern and confidant as she admired her handiwork. Gwen looked back at him and flashed a warm smile in return. Maybe it was a bit odd, but he looked like a proud parent in this moment. That's not too weird... is it?The more Gwen thought about it, the more she felt like it wasn't that much of a stretch. They'd both experienced tragedy side-by-side when Owen was killed, and they'd stayed in step ever since then through her internship. All the hard work they'd done together, all the cutting up and kind exchange of words and support... they couldn't mean absolutely nothing.He's been more of a father to you than your own father, Gwen thought to herself. Why WOULDN'T you think this?"I've actually been meaning to show you something new, Gwen." Dr. Octavius spoke up, and Gwen snapped to attention. "Something that I've been working quite hard on, and only now am I beginning to see it come to complete fruition..." He explained, a coy expression on his face as he began to turn and gesture with his head for Gwen to follow him. She pushed her chair away from her table, getting up and striding to catch up with him.As the two meandered past the small desks of the other interns and scientists working for Octavius Industries, Gwen tried to mentally guess what exactly her boss had planned for her. Some new nanotech? A new protosthetic? Maybe-But all of the guesses went out the window as Dr. Octavius led her to one of the back labs, opening the door and allowing her to step through first. "What do you think, Gwen?"Before her was a structure that stood over ten feet tall-an arch with panels on the underside and heavy equipment on the outside. She'd seen diagrams of this project before... but Gwen couldn't have imagined that her boss would have completed it so quickly. "The fusion reactor??""Yes." Dr. Octavius said, his voice lowering slightly as he walked up beside Gwen. "Your thoughts, Miss Stacy?"She walked forward, running her hand along the cool, metal exterior of the fusion reactor. "This... is..." A laugh of astonishment left Gwen's lips, her mind properly blown from getting to witness Dr. Octavius's greatest triumph. She'd never felt prouder to be working for this company... that was, until her hand drifted across an indented label on some of the exterior machinery. Gwen's eyes went to the letters, and she read what they spelled out quickly:
Oscorp.
Her hand froze over the insignia of her boss's fiercest rival, and an odd sensation caused her stomach to tighten into knots. "Did..." Gwen began, lifting her head to look at Dr. Octavius. "...Did you buy some of this from Oscorp?"Otto stayed silent at first. After several dreadful moments had passed, he shook his head.
"No."
His response sent chills down Gwen's spine-he'd stolen it. The swift turn that this moment took had taken Gwen's breath along with it, and her electric-blue irises went back to the Oscorp machinery that supported the framework. When... how-
You know how, Gwen.
The thought of Dr. Octavius-brilliant as he was-singlehandedly getting his hands on all of this high-tech machinery that belonged to Oscorp was ludicrous. But there was someone else whom he could've gotten to do his dirty work for him."Black Cat..." Gwen said under her breath, her fingers beginning to shake as the pieces of the past few weeks that hadn't quite fit suddenly clicked into place. Felicia's hits on banks hadn't been for personal gain-they'd been to hand over to Otto. Her theft of that Oscorp shipment that had hit the news... Gwen's hand was probably resting on top of some of that equipment right now. The only thing that didn't make sense was..."Why??" Gwen spat out, her head whipping around as she stared daggers at her boss with glassy eyes. "Why would you... you... steal... all of this?? Just to make some energy supplier?!!"Hearing Gwen lash out at him like this made Otto's lip twitch, and he averted his eyes as his posture slumped. "This... this isn't going to be an energy supplier, Gwen-""Then what?!! What are you going to do with this??"As Gwen huffed and puffed from her enraged outburst, Dr. Octavius shut his eyes, trying to collect himself before reopening them.
"I'm going to bring back the dead, Gwen Stacy."
Wh... what?
The bold declaration was a curveball that Gwen was not expecting, and her anger at this tarnishing of Otto's character suddenly twisted into concentrated pondering. "Bring back the dead... and how is a fusion reactor supposed to do that?" She questioned."All humans-all living beings, truly-run on energy, right?" Otto asked, quickly walking past the tritium stabilizer device that was under its cloth to grab the neural transmitter. The scientist fastened it onto his head, then made his way towards the white cloth. "We die because the energy leaves, or because our bodies have been damaged to the point where it can no longer properly distribute the energy, correct?"
Yeah, he's right... I still don't see where this is going, or how this makes anything he did right.
"So.." Otto swept the cloth off the tritium stabilizer, revealing the lengthy metal arms of the device. He'd added two straps to the central component, and quickly slipped his arms through them, then flicked a switch on the mass of wiring that was resting on his head. The arms of the tritium stabilizer perked up, wandering aimlessly while waiting to receive a command from Otto's brainwaves. "...The world knows how to repair the components of the human body... but after death, it hasn't figured out a way to get the energy contained and controlled so that it can flow properly through the body. Not anymore." He declared, gesturing at the fusion reactor.It was insane-theoretically unproven, logistically difficult, and... and...Genius, Gwen thought to herself. The uneasiness she felt turned to awe as she looked at the fusion reactor, unable to think of a reason as to why this was impossible to do."How..." Gwen's voice cracked, overwhelmed by how enormous this moment felt. "...How do you plan on testing this out?"Otto stared back at Gwen, the stabilizer's metal arms continuing to mindlessly drift around. "I'm going to test it on Ghost Spider."White-hot panic surged through Gwen's nerves, her hands balling into fists at her sides as the scientist held up his hands in a gesture for her to listen."I know that the footage of the Midtown Prom Incident were released... but that doesn't mean she's innocent of what happened that night. The Lizard had been running around the city for weeks beforehand, and she knew about it." Dr. Octavius insisted. "She knew about it and failed to take the proper measures to protect us. Her..." His voice wavered, the scientist's eyes flicking to the ground. "...Her inaction took my son from me... and from you, Gwen. Don't forget that."Gwen felt like her legs had just been swept from underneath her-he was right. She'd been overconfident and thought that she could simply find an opportunity to talk to Peter about what was going on, and she'd been wrong. You're the reason they're both dead... Her mind snarled. ...And you'll be the reason that a lot of people might STAY dead if you don't help here."I won't ask you to help me with this," Otto told Gwen, his eyes filled with honesty and emotional distress of having to come clean to her. "I know that so much of this is... 'wrong,' but... just think of all the people we can help. Think of how you and I can change this world-because only people like us are able to change it."It was so much to think about... Gwen's mouth parted, and nothing came out. She slowly raised her hands, trying to piece together a good enough response in her mind. "Just... give me a while to think this through." She whispered, walking out of the lab and leaving her boss with his inventions.Gwen's walking turned to jogging as she raced back to her desk, pressing her palms to the table and taking several deep breaths as her lab coat settled around her waist. What was she supposed to do here? Otto had been the mastermind behind all of Felicia's crimes... memories of her bringing up an 'old man' during their recent confrontations returned to her mind, and Gwen knew now whom she'd been referring to. She was positive that he'd promised to let Felicia kill her in exchange for the string of robberies that she'd performed.
He'd brought turmoil onto the city through manipulating Felicia.
He'd built a device based on the stolen property of others.
And now, he was going to kill her to test his device!!
But, despite all of the glaringly obvious reasons to not help him... Gwen's eyes found themselves staring at the digital map of the microchip-an item that would surely enable Otto to use the metal arms with greater precision.He's the only person in the world that you truly trust... The words ran through Gwen's mind, again so contrary to her normal thought process that she wondered if they were her own. ...And if he believes he can bring back the dead... then what's the harm in letting him kill you if you're just going to come back?It was a dark logic... but, in that moment, it checked out to Gwen.Think of all the people you're going to help... maybe- Gwen's eyes widened as she realized the potential this device could unleash.
-Maybe it can bring Owen back.
Or Peter.
Anyone you miss with all your heart? Or that others miss dearly... you can be the one to begin the process of bringing them back.
Slowly, Gwen's hand drifted to her computer mouse... she eased herself into her seat and picked up where she'd left off on mapping out this microchip.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"The sun is my enemy today; I'm running from the misery like there's no tomorrow"
-Disciple, The Warning
Fall was beginning to turn to winter in New York City. Far below the Chrysler Building, the city's residents were already beginning to bundle up as the temperatures dropped-nearly every individual was donned in scarves or heavy coats as they shuffled about to reach the day's next destination. But far above them was the only citizen of the city that could manage without heavier clothing for today.So glad the new suit has built-in heating, Gwen Stacy thought to herself as she remained perched near the top of the iconic skyscraper. The dark, sleek substance of her new suit somehow managed to keep her body heated, almost like a warm hug from a living person. Gwen had her mask off and her cowl off for the time being-even though she loved the look of her suit with the mask, sometimes it felt nice to feel the air on her face when she was far enough away from any prying eyes that would try to recognize her.She was listening intently to her earbuds that were hooked up to her father's old police scanner, waiting patiently for anything that sounded like it required her intervention. Ever since the release of the Midtown Prom Incident's security tapes, Gwen had returned to her old methods of patrolling and monitoring the city for any crime that she could stop in its tracks. Her name was cleared, and she was beloved by the city once again.Same can't be said for Oscorp... Gwen mused internally, her eyes drifting to Oscorp Tower in the distance. Their shady connection to the incident via the tapes had resulted in a ton of backlash-some major corporations had publicly announced that they would no longer use Oscorp products until further notice, and the public's righteous fury over the deaths of Owen and Peter had shifted from Ghost Spider to the fat cats of the scientific research company.All the change that had followed Gwen in the last week or so had made the whole city feel different. Even though she felt safer now, there were still a lot of questions that she wanted answered...
Namely, what the heck is this thing I'm wearing??
The blonde held out her hand, looking at the dark substance that coated her old suit. Gwen had seen Felicia use this... thing... to produce attacks featuring a superpowered black ooze that surpassed even her own spider-powered strength. And, when Gwen had gotten cornered by the police recently, she'd inadvertently unleashed that power herself.She wiggled her fingers, trying to meditate on the new sensations inside-the odd feeling of not being alone that Gwen had felt ever since this mysterious substance had bonded with her form. Her brow furrowed, and she flexed her fingers. Immediately, small lines of black slime began to emerge from the suit, crawling around her fingers and hovering aimlessly off her fingertips-not too dissimilar from the metal arms of the tritium stabilizer that Gwen had developed for Dr. Octavius.I wonder... Gwen pondered, turning her hand over and studying the black tendrils. ...How much control I can have over this stuff?She stretched her fingers out, her brain constructing an image of the tendrils forming fierce claws around her fingers. As if on cue, they did just that-elongating and bonding as her gloved hand morphed into set of vicious claws-each one at least eight inches in length.Phew... Gwen thought, smiling to herself and letting her hand return back to normal. ...That's going to come in handy at some point."That's some suit of yours, isn't it?"A distorted voice made Gwen's frame lock up, and a tense breath shot from her lips as she slowly turned her head in its direction."Of course... I'm assuming a lot by saying that it is indeed yours, am I not?" About fifteen feet away was the source of the voice-an imposing figure, decked in full body armor with a black, purple, and green color scheme. An intimidating gauntlet was on either hand, and the newcomer was making a sharp, piercing metal scratch noise as he swiftly scraped the claws on his right hand against each other."Hmmph..." Gwen mumbled, picking her mask off the ground and taking her earbuds out before looking at the person. "...Am I late for the Comic-Con?"She could practically feel him scowl in annoyance beneath his purple helmet. "Let's make this quick, Ghost Spider-" He muttered, still sounding garbled by the electronic voice distorter in his helmet. "-That suit doesn't belong to you, and I'm here to bring it back to its owner. Are you going to give me trouble with my task?"That got her attention. Rather than feel any sense of fear or intimidation by the newcomer's steely tone, Gwen tilted her head and pursed her lips. "You know what this thing that I'm wearing is?"He paused, all of his body language expressing confusion as to why Gwen wasn't afraid of him. "Uh... yes, I do. It is-""Oh, where are my manners-I haven't even gotten your name!" Gwen interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Sorry about that... I'm Ghost Spider, of course. And you are...?"The way the man's shoulders stiffened let Gwen know that she was getting on his nerves with her antics and off-script communication. He'd clearly been expecting to intimidate her and it wasn't working. Normally, she would be intimidated by someone that managed to scale the building and creep up behind her like this, but Gwen just didn't feel it now. If anything, she felt inconvenienced by his arrival."The Prowler," the newcomer growled, having a menacing tone in his voice as he revealed his identity of being a the mysterious archvillain of New York's past."Prowler... Prowler, Prowler, Prowler..." Gwen said, beginning to pace back and forth as she tried to remember where she'd heard of this guy. "...I know I've heard that before, it's been a while, though..."Her total irreverence towards the villain before her was making him fume, his gauntlets curling into fists as his shoulder shook in fury."...Oh, yeah!! I know you!" Gwen finally remembered, stopping and snapping her fingers as the lightbulb went off in her head. "You're that cat burglar from the nineties!" She grinned at the Prowler, placing her hand on her hip and laughing softly. The Prowler had once been the talk of the town in New York City-sneaking into random buildings in the dead of night and taking valuables recklessly, getting spotted in his gear on every security camera while knowing that he was too swift to be caught. Anyone that had the misfortune of being stationed as security to catch him got beaten to a pulp, adding to the terrifying lore behind this former supervillain."Yeah, that's me!" The Prowler snapped. "And I'm about to-""You know..." Gwen interrupted once more, prompting a furious grumble from the Prowler that went unnoticed by the vigilante clad in black. "...Your last big moment in the spotlight was what got my dad promoted to Captain in the NYPD-he always told me that he hit you with his cruiser and scared you out of town, is that true?"Now that seemed to hit a nerve. The Prowler let out an enraged roar, his claws bared and at the ready as he took a step forward. But he stopped himself before charging, his head turning to the side as he thought on something."Your father... is Captain Stacy?"
Whoops.
"And he's still in town, is he not?"
Double whoops.
The Prowler chuckled, his irate demeanor shifting back into the braggadocios aura he'd held when he had arrived. "I suppose I'll have to look up where he's at... maybe pay him a visit and chat for a while."At first, Gwen felt her face go white with panic at her overconfident slip-up. Dad... no, not dad!!But then, right after the fear had reached its peak, the other voice in her head spoke up: It's not like he's been a father to you lately anyways! What's he done besides mope around because of his own bad decisions and try not to drink himself to death?Her stomach dropped as soon as the thought went through her brain-that was horrible!! Gwen let out an audible gasp at how dark and heartless that thought was... but as her emotions sent pain and remorse through her heart, the cold, calculated part of Gwen couldn't find anything inherently untrue about the statement. And that cold, calculated mindset began to take control again, leading to Gwen sigh and roll her eyes at the Prowler."Look... obviously, I'm not going to let you do that." She told him, her fingers drumming on her hip as she looked at him with frustration. "Why don't I cut you a deal-you don't lash out at my dad because you have some crush on him, and I'll make you a new suit that doesn't look like a dollar store power ranger. Deal?"Gwen had always enjoyed bantering with criminals, but the tone and delivery of that statement was approaching arrogance. The Prowler's head tilted forward in a brooding manner, and he began to make that ear-piercing scraping noise with the claws of his gauntlet once more. "I'm going to need that suit of yours, Ghost Spider." He said, his tone threatening violent action if she did not acquiesce.In response, Gwen simply frowned in confusion and slipped her mask over her head. "Why? It won't even fit you..."That finally set him off. The Prowler shouted in frustration as he lost his cool and charged forward. Gwen's knees bended, and she sprang at him, dropping her shoulder and burying it into the Prowler's stomach. She tackled him into the exterior wall of the building's top, hearing him grunt in pain from the violent hit.Gwen drew a fist back and threw it at his face, but the Prowler's gauntlet caught it before she could deck him in the jaw. A burning sensation seared her hand, and Gwen yelped in surprise before stumbling backwards. She clutched her wrist, noticing the black material sizzle and bubble for several seconds before restoring itself."I don't know what exactly they cooked up in this antivenom..." The Prowler stated, glancing at his gauntlets before looking at Gwen again. "...But symbiotes hate it."
Symbiote? That's what this suit is?
A random memory popped up as Gwen heard the word 'symbiote'-a glass case with living, black ooze that she'd seen at Oscorp during her walkthrough of the building during her junior year. Oscorp was continuing to permeate her life in mysterious ways... the tapes, the symbiote, and even the Prowler. He'd said he wanted to return the symbiote to its owner, so Gwen could only assume that he was working for Oscorp.She didn't have a chance to think about it any further, as the Prowler swiped his gauntlet at Gwen's face, making her lean back to avoid the attack before planting her foot in his gut. He coughed loudly as he was knocked backwards, crashing into the metal once more. Gwen stretched her wrists out and fired webbing at his wrists, but the Prowler dove to the side immediately to avoid the attack.He charged once again, his claws slashing and tearing through the air as Gwen ducked, sidestepped, and backpedaled towards the edge of the tower. Her foot slipped as she kept moving backwards, and she felt herself fall into the air.Sheesh, he doesn't let up... Gwen thought to herself as she began to plummet, not panicking since she could easily pull herself back up or shoot a web to break her fall. And it was that thinking that gave her an idea.She fired a web at the Prowler's face, knowing that he was probably gloating over making her fall off the building. Sure enough, he wasn't quick enough to dodge the web this time, and it stuck to his face before Gwen yanked hard on it and pulled him off of the ledge.The distorted, terrified shouting of the falling Prowler began to fill the air, and Gwen quickly fired a web to the side of the Chrysler Building before pulling herself onto a window. She stuck to it, waving nonchalantly at the Prowler as he fell past her.Alright, enough playing around... time to catch him and haul him to the station, Gwen thought to herself.
No...
...Let him fall.
The intrusive thought made Gwen freeze, her bones chilling at the thought of letting the Prowler splatter onto the pavement below. What was more concerning was that she was actually considering it-there was no way the NYPD was going to keep this guy contained, he would just break out and go after her again and again...If he gets his hands on you, then he might kill you, the voice warned in Gwen's mind. And then Otto won't be able to use you to save people...Her fists shook at her sides, every limb quivering at the insanely dark war going on inside her mind. Eventually, Gwen shook her head violently and pushed off of the side of the Chrysler Building, barreling towards the Prowler as he continued his descent.NO!! We must draw blood, the voice snarled, and Gwen grunted as she felt a searing pain in her head-again, like tendrils piercing into her brain in an attempt to take control."You... you want blood drawn?" Gwen growled, the symbiote's attempt for control dissipating slowly as it felt her partially acquiesce to its demands.
"I'll show you how to draw blood."
She shot a web at the Prowler before yanking him up, the sudden change in direction making him spin and flail wildly as she continued her descent in his direction. When he was close enough, Gwen did a mid-air backflip and kicked his jaw, sending the Prowler head-over-heels with a pained shout from the blow.Gwen slung a web and pulled herself in his direction, closing in on him rapidly before grabbing his arm and swinging him through a window to her left.A dark chuckle left Gwen's lips as she felt the tense hold that the symbiote had on her dissipate, her mind suddenly feeling free and quiet. Another web fired from her wrist through the shattered glass, allowing Gwen to pull herself through the hole that the Prowler had made before tucking and rolling to her feet. Gwen was in an office, with everyone stopping their jobs and shouting in fear at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Is that Ghost Spider??"
"Who's she fighting?? Is that the Prowler?!!"
"I just lost a client because of all this racket!!"
Her spider-sense made her duck her head, and she felt the Prowler's gauntlet slash above her as he grunted from the effort. She grabbed the front of his armor and hurled him across the office, then pounced onto him. Gwen snarled viciously, angrily pounding her fists on him like a gorilla beating an opponent into submission.
Yes, yes... more, we need MORE!!
Gwen flung her arms to her side, her fingers shifting into elongated claws with the help of the symbiote. She stabbed towards the Prowler's arm, but her wrist was intercepted by his gauntlet. Gwen writhed in pain as the antivenom seared her skin, making the symbiote boil and melt as the Prowler began to push her claw back."You're finished, Little Miss Muffet." The Prowler snarled, beginning to force her wrist backwards.Gwen's eyes frantically went to his gauntlet, trying to quickly study it: on the Prowler's wrist was a small, purple canister about the size of a toothpaste container. Taking a wild guess, she plunged a claw on her other hand through the canister, watching it pierce right through his wrist and send a clear liquid pouring out.As the office workers shouted in horror, both Gwen and the Prowler roared in pain-one from feeling antivenom cover her claw, the other from feeling his wrist get impaled. Gwen tore her claw out of his wrist, hissing through gritted teeth as the symbiote began to heal itself.The Prowler clutched his hand to his chest, pounding his other gauntlet against the ground as he spat out curse after curse. Gwen was able to get up, breathing heavily before firing a web at his undamaged gauntlet to pin it to the ground. She stalked over, her shoulders trembling with fury as she planted her knee on the Prowler's chest to keep him completely pinned. In that moment, the anger was too much-there was no empathy or rationality in Gwen's mind as she glared at him and wrapped her claws around his throat, beginning to squeeze without remorse.The Prowler's strangled breathing came out in distorted garbles, his legs kicking and his head spinning helplessly as the onlookers gasped at the brutal scene. As Gwen applied more pressure, ready to crush his trachea, the Prowler rapidly patted the ground with his damaged gauntlet, closing his claws around the first thing he felt. Gwen was too busy savoring his panicked state to notice him grabbing a stapler, and he whipped it into the side of her head, making her scream in pain and tumble off of him.
OW!! HE STAPLED ME, WHAT THE-
Gwen groaned sharply in pain, her hand trembling as it felt the staple lodged in the side of her head along with blood trickling down her face and neck. An unnerving tremor flowed through her nerves as she felt the metal sticking into her skull, and her stomach felt queasy. She pinched it between her fingers and yanked it out, yelping loudly and going to the ground. But then, she felt the symbiote's tendrils swarming on the side of her head, smothering the wound until all the pain was gone. Gwen patted the injury of the location-there was nothing. The symbiote had healed her as well as itself.The lapse in concentration resulted in the Prowler slashing one of her arms with his functioning gauntlet, prompting another shout from Gwen before she felt him head-butt her with his helmet. It barely fazed the Prowler while Gwen staggered backwards, flopping onto her back in a daze.There were no taunts or monologues from the Prowler as he stomped over, only enraged snarling and the clear intent to kill.Gwen's vision was double and blurry-she couldn't think fast enough about using her claws or webbing... the only thing she could think of was a defensive technique instilled in her since her childhood, something that her father had unashamedly taught her to do since she was five years old.When the Prowler was close, Gwen's leg swung upward, and her foot crashed violently into his crotch. The super-powered kick made the Prowler howl in utter agony, sending him through the roof of the office and likely through several more roofs after that.Gwen's body flattened against the ground, exhausted from that violent encounter. As she caught her breath, the employees of the office walked forward, looking at her with concerned expressions.She spent several more seconds on the ground, waiting until her breathing was even again before finally getting up. Gwen surveyed the destruction around her, then sighed. "Enjoy the paid time off while they remodel," She told the civilians around her, then fired a web above her head and pulled herself through the several holes left by the Prowler's ascent.The final level was another office, this one seemingly closed for renovations. Once Gwen reached it and landed on the ground beside the last hole, she saw the Prowler curled up on the ground, one hand protecting his (likely destroyed) groin while the other hand pressed against a small button on the side of his helmet. After being dealt so much pain by this individual, Gwen chuckled as the sound of his distorted, high-pitched whimpers reached her ears."Pretty ballsy of you to take me on, huh?" She taunted, planting one foot on his side as she loomed over him. Gwen's breathing intensified, and she felt the tendrils of the symbiote forming around her arms, eager to tear into this fresh victim.But before she could make a move, she heard a repetitive, choppy sound outside the window to her right. Gwen looked over, seeing a helicopter rising up to the window with two armored figures in the cabin. The helicopter bore the all-too-familiar 'O' emblem of Oscorp. As one of the figures lifted a weapon and aimed it at the window, Gwen dove off of the Prowler to avoid whatever projectile was headed her way. The window shattered behind her, sprinkling Gwen with small glass shards as she felt pinpricks run up the back of her neck. She looked up just in time to see the other armored figure firing his weapon-a net shot at Gwen, quickly trapping her to the ground as she yelled in frustration. She glared at the Oscorp goons, watching them lift the injured Prowler up and haul him towards the helicopter."What about Ghost Spider??" One of the men called out, looking back as Gwen screamed in rage and began to slice through the net with her claws. "DO NOT ENGAGE, we're not equipped to take her on!!" His comrade informed as they continued to jog forward. A metal platform began to stretch from the helicopter's cabin to allow them to board as Gwen continued tearing through the thick material of the net.By the time that Gwen had freed herself, the helicopter had already turned around the corner of the building, speeding away before Gwen could even attempt to shoot a web.She growled in anger, kicking an office chair through the destroyed window before taking a deep breath, putting her hands on her head and trying to regain her composure.I think... it's- the blonde looked around the office, finally spotting a clock to check the time. -It's time to get ready for class.Gwen jogged towards the opening, diving out before slinging a web to head back to her dorm to change.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Get up, get yourself together, drive your funky soul"
-People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul, James Brown
A/N: For the most optimal reading experience, it is recommended that you loop the aforementioned song in the background as you read this chapter.
Heads turned and eyes widened throughout Columbia University's Department of Chemistry. Striding through the hallway with her head high and her shoulders back was Gwen Stacy-the insecure, morbid demeanor she'd had during the whole semester now replaced with a busy attitude as she disregarded all the stares aimed at her.They're all perplexed because you've got a pep in your step again? The symbiote pondered, the unified disdain that it felt with Gwen causing a sneer to form on her lips. Sorry that you're loving life and not acting like your normally pathetic, downtrodden self, I suppose...Gwen had good reason to feel bold and confident today-not only had she practically emasculated the Prowler about thirty minutes earlier, but she also had another training session with Miles planned for this afternoon... though her version of 'planned' was just 'showing up when she had time without telling Miles'.Thinking about what an afternoon with Miles might bring about made Gwen want to leap through the air with every step. If it was anything like their last training session had been, then she was going to be left kicking her feet and twirling her hair..."Hey, it's the sad girl from Chem I!!"A slightly familiar voice made Gwen pause, annoyance prevalent in her expression as she looked to see two males, watching her with interest from a water fountain."What's gotten you in such a good mood?" The guy on the right asked, his eyes narrowed as Gwen met his gaze. Wasn't this one of the guys from Chem I that she'd noticed taking glances at her earlier in the semester? And now he was trying to pry into her personal life?
He must think that you've found a romantic interest, and is jealous that he cannot fertilize you-
Okay, gross!! Let's not go there, Gwen argued in her head, a frown of disgust forming on her lips at the way that the symbiote had to phrase a topic that she truly wasn't interested in discussing.Then again... it was pretty evident that Gwen was a lot happier now that she was connecting with Miles. The symbiote might have been right... and Gwen wasn't sure that she really liked the needless jealousy being thrown her way.She looked the guy on the left up and down, sizing him up before clearing her throat. He stood up a little straighter as Gwen did this, giving away an insecurity rather quickly that she decided to pounce on."Looks like someone can't pick up girls because he's five foot six!" She mocked, flashing a taunting wink as the male's mouth fell open."That... you... no!! That's-that's not true-" He stammered, trying to pick up the pieces of his fragile ego that Gwen had just shattered before she turned on her heels and continued walking to her Chemistry Lab class.Gwen flung the door open when she made it to the classroom, paying no heed to the way it smacked against the wall from how hard she'd opened it. Every head in the classroom turned at the abrupt sound, eyes blinking in confusion as to why the quiet girl hadn't jumped or flinched at the loud noise, or opened the door in such an aggressive manner at all."Miss Stacy..." Professor Donnelly's callous tone reverberated in Gwen's ears, but Gwen ignored her at first, humming to herself as she walked to her desk and took out her laptop."Yeah, what's up?" The casual way that Gwen responded made Professor Donnelly's nostrils flare. "...I suppose you are unaware that you are twenty-three seconds late to class?!!"Normally, Gwen would've been trembling in terror at a personal nightmare of hers coming true-no student in this class wanted to be the subject of Professor Donnelly's rage. But instead, she put a finger to her chin, glancing at the ceiling and pretending to be in deep thought."Hmm..." Gwen glanced at the clock behind Professor Donnelly, seeing that it was one-thirty with the second hand ticking past the '5'. So you arrived at 1:30:23... what a miserable person, deeming that as 'late'!! Let's add to her misery..."...You see, Professor Donnelly, I'm looking at the syllabus..." Gwen noted, pulling up the Chem Lab syllabus and looking at the Attendance section. "...And it says that we must be here at one-thirty. It is one-thirty, and I am here, so I don't think the timing of my arrival counts as 'tardy'-""Oh-ho!!" Professor Donnelly mocked, her lips curling into a vicious snarl. "Looks like someone thinks they're quite smart-""Yeah, I do. You know what helps with that assumption? A 97 in the class." Gwen cut her professor off, tilting her head with mock curiosity in her eyes. Normally she had no interest in bragging about her grades in front of others, but right now was different-both Gwen and the symbiote wanted to humiliate this arrogant person in front of her students. "Did you get a grade that high when you took this class, Professor...?"Professor Donnelly's face turned bright red, to the point that Gwen could imagine steam coming out of her ears. But she was far too proud to simply discipline a student acting like this... no, Professor Donnelly had to outwit these young adults who were half her age since she fed off of the feeling of superiority.Gwen watched the irate woman march to the whiteboard, grabbing a marker before furiously scribbling out an equation. She's going to make a mistake... Gwen heard in her mind as she sat calmly and retained the look of defiance in her eyes. ...She's going to make a mistake because she's so aggravated. And when she makes it, we will strike-Sure enough, Professor Donnelly's haste to get an overly-complicated molecular structure on the board led to her making an error-one that was barely noticeable, but Gwen was focused enough in the moment to pick up on it."So, Miss Stacy-" Professor Donnelly said in a low voice, slowly revealing her gritted teeth in a smile. "-If you're so clever, tell me what this structure is?""Oh, that's nothing." Gwen answered quickly.Professor Donnelly's ensuing laughter was equal parts mocking and obnoxious. "Look, everyone!! The Chemistry expert can't even figure out what the structure for-""No, you did it wrong." Gwen cut Professor Donnelly off. The older woman quirked an eyebrow in confusion.The blonde sighed, sounding incredibly inconvenienced as she walked up to the whiteboard, snatched the marker from Professor Donnelly's hand, and went to work."There's supposed to be two bonds for the Oxygen atom. You only drew one." Gwen explained, drawing another line to represent a bond. "Anyone who understands basic chemistry should know that Oxygen would have two bonds there."Professor Donnelly stared blankly at the board, unable to comprehend that she'd just been outwitted by a student. The rest of the class watched the scene in slack-jawed shock. Gwen had been under the impression that her growing positivity and boldness had been fueled by reconnecting with Miles... but the more she tapped into it, the more she realized that it was this other voice in her head, the voice telling her to seize the moment and not apologize for taking what she wanted."This is fentanyl, by the way." Gwen added, looking at her professor. "Maybe you should try a hit of this to help you out with your emotional problems."The despised professor hunched over her desk, thoroughly defeated and drained of any sense of pride. "Class dismissed..." Professor Donnelly mumbled weakly.Every student cheered loudly, clapping with joy as they rose from their seats and beamed at Gwen."They love me..." Gwen murmured softly to herself. It was a strange feeling-normally she'd been the odd one out in class. But now, every one of her fellow Chem Lab students were looking at her as if she was their hero.
Hero...
A smile crept onto her lips, and Gwen made a dramatic bow as her fellow students filed out of the classroom.
...If you think that they love you now... how much of a hero will you be to them when you rise from the dead?
She could hardly remember having this feeling of total control over how things went. Ever since Gwen had lost her mother, she'd fought to try to exercise some power over her situations but had been overcome by other circumstances time and time again-most recently with the Midtown Prom Incident. But now, with the symbiote... it seemed as if Gwen really could have everything that she'd ever wanted. Hours later, Gwen had made it to the apartment she'd been visiting for some time, clad in the black suit as she crawled towards Miles's window. Her mind was racing with the possibilities of what could happen later-just how far could she continue pushing this unspoken situation with Miles along?There was one possibility that she'd been considering a lot now that she was in a better mood... dropping the mask and seeing how Miles felt about it. Just the thought of Gwen removing the skin-tight fabric from her face and letting her hair fall onto her shoulders in front of Miles's rich dark eyes made her feel queasy-the good kind.I... I think I'm going to do it. Gwen thought to herself, finally reaching the window and peering inside. I'm sure this will all be a lot easier to explain than I've been making it out to be-Her thought was cut short at the unexpected sight in Miles's room-the young man was seated on his bed, having an animated discussion with a woman that Gwen could only assume to be his mother. She quickly jerked her head away from the window, breathing heavily as she remained stuck to the wall of the apartment.
"I really need to go visit him... he said he's been hurt, really bad-"
"Serves him right! I knew that your father and I should've cracked down on your communication with him."
"Please, mamá-no quiero dejar a mi familia a la intemperie-"
"No es parte de nuestra familia!! Your father and I have been very clear about that..."
The emotional, fast-paced argument continued as Gwen kept her back pressed against the wall, listening to it shift between English and Spanish. Occasionally, Miles would accidentally interweave the two languages, earning a frustrated groan from his mother.I wish I knew what they were saying. Figured that I should've taken Spanish instead of French in high school... Gwen thought to herself. Her mother, having immigrated from France to New York as a child, had taught Gwen as much as she could before her untimely death. Gwen, despite knowing that Spanish classes were likely to prove far more useful, had taken French to honor her mother's memory.Sadly, she hadn't come across a single opportunity to use the language. Gwen used to have small-scale fantasies of using the language to woo Owen a bit during the weeks leading up to the Midtown Prom Incident, but of course she'd never gotten the opportunity to make them come true.Eventually, Gwen heard Miles's mother give a halfhearted concession before the door opened and shut. She heard Miles heave out an emotional sigh, clearly conflicted by his parents' wishes and his own heart for... whomever it was he was worried about.
He can mope later. You need to train him!
Without thinking about Miles's potential need for emotional space, Gwen popped in view of the window again, knocking on it to grab his attention.Seeing his mentor made Miles perk up slightly, and the frown on his face slowly began to turn upside-down as he walked to the window. "Hey..." He greeted gently, pulling the glass panel up so that they could hear each other more clearly. "...How have you been today, Max?""Busy," Gwen chuckled, perching on the ledge of the window to be at eye level with Miles. "A really, really good type of busy, though.""I saw that you ran into the Prowler on the news." Miles spoke, a touch of concern in his tone. "I haven't heard about that guy in a long time-""Him? Pfft, child's play." Gwen cut him off, waving her hand dismissively. "I wouldn't be worrying about him anymore. And if he does show back up, with my name being cleared and me hitting my groove again? Then he's an absolute idiot."Miles blinked in surprise at the egotistical response, but Gwen didn't acknowledge the reaction. She swung her feet over the frame of the window and landed in Miles's room, folding her arms as she took some time to actually study his personal quarters. "Nets fan?" Gwen mused, recognizing the logo of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team on a poster."Yeah..." Miles said, walking over to stand next to her. "...Dad's from Philly, so he's a 76er's fan-""Uh oh." Gwen said playfully, elbowing Miles's side. "I don't even watch much basketball and I know that's not good.""We make it work... but all bets are off whenever they face each other." Miles responded, smiling softly while he watched Gwen continue to wander around his room.Eventually, her attention went to his computer, which had several windows pulled up. "Working on stuff for your job?" She asked, looking over to see Miles shake his head."No, actually! This is just a, um... hobby." Miles said quickly, jogging to his seat in front of the computer before expanding some of the windows. "I told you about how my Uncle Aaron's a really fantastic artist... it kind of inspired me to do graphic design.""Graphic design? Really?" Gwen spoke, sounding impressed as she gracefully leaned against his desk. "Show me what you've got... girls like me absolutely love artwork." She teased, prompting a chuckle from Miles."Here..." Miles murmured, pulling up one panel for Gwen to see. The blonde leaned forward, feeling her shoulder brush against Miles's shirt as she moved to get a better look. It was an image of a lone figure with a background of dark blue, red, and black clouds swirling in a rather fantastic pattern. The figure itself was wearing Miles's mask, and had a suit with the same black-and-red color pattern."I like it, Miles!" Gwen complimented, studying how he had designed the suit to fit tightly, just like her own. Hmm... Gwen pondered, her eyes scanning the tight fit of the suit against the digital figure's chest and abdomen. ...I wonder how accurate those muscles really are-"Yeah, I've been thinking about actually bringing this suit to life when I get a chance." Miles told her, leaning back in his chair and smiling fondly as she admired his artwork. "I think the color works really well, because... we'd kind of be matching now." He noted, his voice softening at the end of the statement as he looked up and down at the sleek, black material that Gwen was dressed in. "What do you think?"Gwen had lost herself in the artwork by then. It had been such a long time since someone's creative expression had captivated her like this... and of course, that someone had been Owen Octavius.Looking at the rendition of Miles's mask eventually made Gwen blink. Training!! You're supposed to be training him-how do you expect him to fall in love with you if you're just talking about stupid, small stuff??"Training." Gwen blurted out, pushing away from the desk and heading towards the window. "We've been really close to getting a grip on your shock powers-""I've been pretty close to get a grip on my shock powers.""-Whatever. But we're so close-let's just make that breakthrough today!" Gwen insisted.Every time they'd started their training sessions, Miles had always been upbeat and eager to get things going. But this time, his eyes looked at the floor, and he tapped his foot anxiously. "Max, I... I've... I've kind of been wanting to ask, if... today, you know-" Miles shrugged his shoulders. "-We could... maybe move it to another day?""What?" Gwen said immediately, her eyes narrowing behind her mask. "How come?""I..." Miles sighed, sinking into his chair a little bit. "...I really need to go check in on my Uncle Aaron. He was in some sort of accident today, and I want to make sure he's alright."Oh boy, this AGAIN?!! Gwen's positive vibes evaporated immediately as Miles voiced his feelings. Memories of a request to go to prom with him began to refresh in her mind, and she felt her stomach tightening into knots. After all you've done the past few weeks... all that work you've put in... he's going to spurn you AGAIN?!!"We-we can train some other time! Like tomorrow-Friday? I don't know!!" Miles spat out quickly, sensing Gwen's displeasure at his longing to check on his uncle. "Is what I've done for you not enough?" Gwen asked, her voice trembling-but not with fear. With something a lot more venomous..."Max, please-" Miles spoke, standing up from his chair. "-I really, really want to do this! I like training-I like hanging out with you! But I just-""'I just, I just, I just just just JUST JUST!!'" Gwen snapped mockingly, feeling her emotions bubble to the surface. "You are just an excuse-making machine, Miles Morales!! Do you have any idea-any idea-of how hard I've been trying to help you?!! Are you seriously that selfish?"She expected Miles to flinch at her angered response, but instead, his shoulders stiffened, and a glare formed in his eyes. "Look who's talking about being 'selfish'." He snapped back.
"Excuse me?!!"
"You're literally throwing a fit about moving a training session to a different day so that I can visit a hurt family member." Miles told her angrily. "Don't you understand how important family is??""All of my family is either dead, or might as well be dead." Gwen responded coldly. "Selfish... selfish..." She repeated, pacing back and forth before throwing her hands into the air. "...I can't believe you'd associate me with selfishness!! Me!! I-"Gwen shook her fists angrily, unable to comprehend how Miles just couldn't see how much of herself she gave to others on a daily basis. Hadn't that been what inspired Miles to take up his own mantle and be like her? Thinking about everything she'd given up, and everything she was planning to give up, made Gwen pace faster, stopping only to let out an angered "Ugh!!"She stared into his eyes, her fingers balling into fists at her sides. "I'm literally about to die for this City, and you've got the gall to call me selfish?!!""Whoa, whoa-" Miles spoke up, the annoyance on his face shifting to worry in a flash as the dark comment reached his ears. "-What did you just say??""You wouldn't understand! You think I'm 'selfish'!!" Gwen sneered, using air quotations before turning and walking towards the window. "Wait, Max-" Despite her clearly emotional state, Miles's fear for what she'd said was overriding his instinct to get upset at her, his emotional eyes growing glassy as he stared into the lifeless eyes of her mask. "-Please, just talk to me-""I don't need your advice... I'm the mentor." She growled, crawling up to the ledge of the window before turning her head to look at him one more time. "Congratulations, you've gotten what you wanted..." Gwen muttered, her tone equal parts miserable and angry. "...See you some other day."With that, Gwen dove off the ledge, scoffing at how ridiculous that excursion had been as she prepared to swing her way back to her dorm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Let's turn forever, you and me"
-Feel Good Inc., Gorillaz
"You sure you're good, Miles?"Ganke's concerned words were only enough to get Miles to look at his friend out of the corner of his eye. He did nothing more than look away, his mouth feeling like it was glued shut as his heart continued to feel like it was writhing within himself.Presently, he was on his way to visit the hospital where Uncle Aaron was staying, and Ganke had been nice enough to tag along on the trip.
Sure wish Mom or Dad would be alright with this...
Even though Miles's parents technically no longer had control over how he lived his life, that didn't mean they wouldn't give him as much grief as they could over any decision he made that went against their wishes. And the decision he was making now to visit his uncle was going to be one he'd be hearing about for a long time.He could remember when Uncle Aaron had been a big part of his early childhood... visiting from time to time, usually bringing some toy or other gift for Miles... for the life of him, he just couldn't understand how his parents could all of a sudden flip their opinions on such a kind human being. But as much as his family drama was on his mind, there was something far darker and more mysterious occupying his thoughts now.
"I'm about to die for this city!!"
Max's dark statement was still fresh in Mile's hearing, almost as if the girl that had thoroughly captivated him was right with them, continuing her tirade about selfishness. She'd really upset Miles with her response to him not wanting to train right then, but that comment she'd let slip had filled him with dread and eeriness. Any anger he felt towards Max was now overshadowed by the fear that she was in an emotional spot and preparing to throw her life away needlessly.It was that new suit that was causing all of her problems... Miles was certain of it. Max been somewhat reserved and reluctant to express herself, but the past two times they'd met she had quickly shifted into a more expressive, carefree personality, which had heightened into today's fiery outburst. That wasn't the Ghost Spider he'd come to admire. And it certainly wasn't the Max that he'd begun to fall for..."Earth to Miles? This is Major Ganke, do you read me?" Ganke said, waving his hand in front of Miles's face and causing him to blink."Huh?"Miles's distracted look didn't ease any of the concern that Ganke felt. "You sure you're alright enough to do this, Miles? I haven't seen you act this out of it in a while."Of course, the true answer was going to be 'No'. Miles really didn't think he was in the best spot to be visiting Uncle Aaron... but that wasn't enough to stop him from being good to family. "Relax, Gankester..." Miles told Ganke, prompting an eye roll from his best friend. "...It's just a lot to process.""Well I hope you can process quickly, cause we're almost there." Ganke said, looking up at the large hospital that was just around the corner. A knot began to form in Miles's stomach... was this really the right thing to be doing? His parents were beyond upset at him for insisting on visiting his uncle, and Max was out there somewhere, letting that living suit of hers warp her mind into being angry and planning on dying for some unknown reason...But he didn't stop himself. Miles walked at Ganke's side as they entered the hospital, making their way to the second floor where Uncle Aaron was being kept."I'll go find out what room he's in." Miles told Ganke, who nodded and found a seat in the waiting room while Miles went to the front desk. The nurse at the desk was typing slowly on her computer, her eyes half-lidded and her mouth in a frown as she filled out some forms. "Hi!" Miles greeted, making the nurse slowly look up at him. "I'm here to see Aaron Davis, he's my uncle..."The nurse grunted in response then looked back at her computer as she searched for Uncle Aaron's room. "Room 226, eighth door on the right side. Wait over there with your pal and we'll send someone to fetch you two." She said in a gravelly voice.Wazowski, you didn't file your paperwork last night, Miles thought immediately, biting back a smile as he nodded politely and walked to sit next to Ganke."Someone will let us know when we can see him," Miles told his friend, who nodded before flashing a smile."So... you were expecting to hang with Ghost Spider-"
"Max."
"-Yeah, Max... how'd it go?"Ugh... Miles's lips pressed together as the simmering mixture of frustration and worry boiled in his chest. He shook his head, dismay in his eyes as he met Ganke's vision. "Not great, Ganke. Not great...""What?!! Seriously?" Ganke exclaimed, prompting the nurse at the front desk to shush him loudly. Ganke tensed up with wide eyes in response to the nurse, then looked at Miles to continue the conversation in a more hushed tone. "But... things were going great! You said that-""She was starting to enjoy herself, yeah." Miles sighed, folding his arms over his stomach as he began to slouch in his chair. "I dunno, maybe I was reading into things too much-""Miles. Dude." Ganke spoke up, the bluntness in his tone indicating that he was not going to let his friend blow off the connection he'd felt with his mentor. "It sounded like your little swing around the city was the time of your lives... there's no way stuff like that just evaporates in someone's heart-""But... but..." Miles groaned, not wanting to relieve the nasty spat he'd gotten into with Max but knowing he had to. "...I told her about this, about wanting to visit Uncle Aaron and maybe train later today, and... she snapped at me. She was so mad, and it was so weird!! Like she's been pushy with stuff, but she seemed actually mad about this. I didn't expect it at all."That seemed to stump Ganke. Miles's best friend sat in puzzled silence for a few moments before looking at Miles. "Okay, that was definitely an overreaction on her part-""Right?!! My uncle's in the hospital, how am I not supposed to do this??"Now Miles was the one getting shushed by the nurse at the front desk, but he didn't let it bother him. Three of the most influential people in his life-his father, his mother, and Max-had all expressed varying degrees of negativity towards his insistence on being there for family, which felt like such a common-sense action to do."She said some other stuff... some... kind of dark stuff..." Miles added, a shiver going down his spine at Max's words about dying for the city-and the relative ease and flippancy that she'd mentioned it with as well. "...I just think there's something going on with her. I want to help her, but I don't know how.""What do you mean you don't know how to help her??" Ganke spoke up, laughing softly and giving Miles a playful punch on his arm. "You're Spider-Man!! If there's anyone in the city that can piece this thing together and make it turn out okay, it's you!""Man, that name just sounds weird when someone other than me or Max says it..." Miles cringed, momentarily feeling regret for telling Ganke about this alter ego of his that he'd been piecing together ever since the spider bite eighteen months ago. "...But for real, I think that whatever she's going through is the sort of stuff that powers don't fix.""Then just talk to her..." Ganke sighed, offering a cheerful smile to lift his friend's mood. "...You're always good to talk to-""Not today I wasn't.""-You're in such a foul mood." Ganke snorted, thinking to himself for a few moments before looking at Miles again. "Who was it, that girl you thought liked talking to you-""Gwen Stacy." Despite the almost knee-jerk reaction to answer, having to say her name cut Miles quite deep. Even after a year and a half, the thought of what could've been with that special girl still haunted him."Yeah, Gwen..." Ganke began speaking again. "...You told me a while back that you wanted to really try harder with Max than you did with Gwen, right?""Yep. I did say that..." Miles said, chuckling softly as he began to relent. "...I really said those things with my own two lips."He'd always dreamed of somehow getting some second chance with Gwen... somehow making his decision to turn her down for prom up to her with heartfelt apologies, bouquets and wreaths of flowers, giant stuffed teddy bears, or whatever else had suited the blonde's fancy. Miles had dated here and there, but there hadn't been a single girl that came close to having the sort of grip on him that she'd gotten when they first met. Gwen Stacy was a mystery concoction of a human being-intelligent, witty, brave, and beautiful without having to try. Just remembering her now was making him drift off into his imagination..."Gwen..." Miles trailed off, sighing to himself as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "...Gwen really changed what I thought the standard for a girl should be. I mean, she was working so hard for her dreams all the time... I thought that I was stupid for feeling so strongly about what I wanted to do with my life, but then I met her and it all changed.""Didn't you say that she punched a football player's lights out?""Yes!! She did!" Miles laughed, remembering the moment where Gwen had saved Miles from getting beaten up by Flash Thompson during a food fight. It had been so wild to see in that moment-Flash Thompson, sent flying through the air by one punch delivered courtesy of Gwen Stacy. Her strength had felt so powerful and superhuman in the moment-
-Wait.
Superhuman...
As Miles went on a free-fall down this freshly-opened rabbit hole, the door on the right side of the waiting room opened up and a doctor stepped out. "Who's here to see Aaron Davis?""That'd be us!" Ganke said, popping up from his seat and beginning to jog over. Miles rose at a much slower pace, the plot twist in his complicated connection to Ghost Spider making him feel light as a feather as chills flowed over every inch of his skin. It wasn't until they reached Room 226 and the door opened that Miles freed himself from his thoughts.Uncle Aaron needs you... Miles snapped at himself, blinking and trying to reset his brain. ...You can worry about Max... and Gwen... later. He took a deep breath as he lifted his head, trying to sound warm and comforting as he said, "Hi, Uncle Aaron-"Uncle Aaron hadn't exactly laid out the details of his predicament, so Miles had not braced himself properly for what he was going to see. His greeting came to a screeching halt as he saw his uncle laying in the hospital bed with various bandaging on his body... and a thick cast around his entire pelvis, with tubes poking out of it and attaching to drip bags that seemed to hold liquid painkillers of some sort."-Uh..." Miles said audibly, befuddled and mortified at the gruesome sight in front of him. Ganke stood beside him with a similar expression, trying not to make direct eye contact with Uncle Aaron as the hospital patient groaned in pain and turned his head to the two young adults."M... Miles?" Uncle Aaron croaked, his voice sounding noticeably high-pitched as he winced. "You... you got here... fast.""Y... yeah..." Miles did his best to act as if everything was normal, but it was not. Nothing about what he was seeing right now was normal. "...S-so, is... is the pain at least-""How did this happen to you?!!" Ganke exclaimed, and Miles popped his arm with a frustrated look in his eyes."Dude, shut up-!!""Got injured on the job." Uncle Aaron said, coughing and wheezing as he let his head settle onto his pillow. "Can't disclose... the specifics. Company policy."Miles mentally called B.S. on Uncle Aaron's excuse for not saying anything-this all felt very strange. His parents' insistence on not associating with Uncle Aaron was looming large in this moment, whispering in the back of Miles's mind that something about this was wrong, and that he needed to turn the other way immediately..."But... I'm glad..." Uncle Aaron spoke, pausing to cough again and groaning in pain from the effects it had on his lower region. "...I'm glad that you and your friend showed up. Such good kids...""Miles, this is the sketchiest thing I've ever seen." Ganke whispered quickly into Miles's ear with unease in his voice.Miles could do nothing but look on in this moment... what kind of job could Uncle Aaron, a renowned artist, take on that left him looking like he'd gotten castrated?!!"...I'll be out of here in no time, just you watch..." Uncle Aaron said with a chuckle. "...And then I'll get back to doing my thing, just like I always do... just like we always do, don't we, Miles?" There was something off about the way Uncle Aaron was looking at Miles-a light in his eyes that looked a little too close to desperation for Miles to feel comfortable with. This was a side of Uncle Aaron that Miles was unfamiliar with, and he was beginning to consider that he truly didn't know his uncle as well as he'd once believed after all..."Yeah... yeah, you'll be out of here soon." Miles said, trying to play along while keeping his eyes off of the cast on his uncle's pelvis. "It was good to see you, Uncle Aaron-""Wait, you're... you're leaving already?" Uncle Aaron said, his voice growing alarmed and making the hairs on Miles's neck stand up. "I... I thought you wanted to see me-""I do, Uncle Aaron... but... I think you need to heal up a bit." Every word was chosen carefully as Miles tried to work his way out of this tense, awkward moment. "It sounds like it's hurting you to talk to me-""It's your parents, isn't it?" Uncle Aaron rasped angrily, the veins in his neck beginning to show. "They... they told you what I used to do... what I'm doing again..."That did it. That officially made Miles cross the line from feeling panicked to feeling threatened."I g-gotta' go, Uncle Aaron-""Miles-""-I'll keep in touch, okay? I... I just want you to try to feel better fast is all-""-Don't leave me, Miles!! Please... I swear, being your uncle is the only good thing about me!!"Both Miles and Ganke tensed up at Uncle Aaron's voice, still high-pitched but drowning in heavy emotions as he wheezed, his head turning away from the sight of the last person who'd trusted him as the weight of his choices began to crush him."I... I'm your Uncle Aaron, ain't I?" He said softly, sniffling as he turned to look at Miles again. "We're family... and you can't change that."The plea seemed to grab Miles's heart and refuse to let go-family. Miles would go to the ends of the earth for his family... but his family wasn't just Uncle Aaron, it was also his mother and father. And Uncle Aaron had just used quite a different tone when speaking about them than he had in the past."You're right... can't change family." Miles agreed quietly. "And I'm going to try to help my family the best way I can right now."With that, he slowly made his way to the door, hearing his uncle begin to raise his voice again."Seeya, Uncle Aaron..." Miles choked out, pain in his heart as he spoke words that he truly believed would not come to fruition. His shoes felt like they had boulders in them as he stepped into the hallway, listening to his uncle's pleas to stay turn into wailing as he was left alone.Of course, Ganke was the one to break the silence. "They got your uncle on the good stuff for whatever happened to him, don't they?"Miles couldn't give a retort of any sort. He felt emptied out, his eyes stinging with tears as he turned his back on family... but he'd done it for family at the same time. Hearing that vicious edge to Uncle Aaron's words when he'd brought up Miles's parents had scared Miles enough to trust that his parents had good reasons to not want him spending time with his uncle."Well... what's next?" Ganke said, trying to get his friend to get out of his own head and come back to the real world.In response, Miles wiped his sleeve across his eyes, forcing himself to push this encounter with Uncle Aaron away for the time being. Not only did he not want to think about it and feel the horrid emotions of abandoning someone he cared about... but there was another issue that required his attention. Quite literally, a life-or-death situation.Max's laughter was in his mind-haunting him, echoing as a reminder that Miles might not ever get to hear that sound again if he didn't do something. Alongside it was the thought of someone from his past-Gwen Stacy, staring deep into Miles's eyes as he gave her news that he knew would break her heart... could it be possible that he was failing the same girl once again?Even if Max wasn't Gwen... she was still someone Miles cared about. Someone worth saving, no matter her mistakes."I need to visit someone else now..." Miles murmured, the sorrow in his eyes moving aside to let determination take its place as he walked down the hall of the hospital.Ganke groaned in frustration, his head tilting back dramatically as his shoulders sagged. "Why can't we just work on a video to post...?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Lookin' at my dreams, who I wanna' be?"
-Small Worlds, Mac Miller
Two hours after the hospital visit, the sun was dipping below the horizon, causing the formerly blue hues of the sky to shift towards a dark purple as the lights of New York City came to life. In one of the few places without light-an alleyway-Miles Morales continued peering around the corner of a building, his Spider-Man mask over his face as he watched a certain police cruiser keep watch over an apartment."How much longer?" Ganke complained, worriedly looking over his shoulder as he took cover behind a dumpster. "I think my jacket's going to smell like trash forever at this rate...""His shift's almost done." Miles whispered back, trying to stay as hidden as possible as he watched his father sit in the police cruiser, occasionally chatting on his radio or glancing at his phone. He'd heard his father mention having to monitor a certain apartment in Queens the night that Black Cat had been subdued, and he'd tucked that information away just in case it was needed.Lucky break, he told himself. But Miles would take any break he could... Max had claimed that her new suit had been bonded to Black Cat before, so if anyone could help Max break out of her weird, edgy funk that she was in, it was the former master criminal that had vanished from the headlines.Miles's father began to shift noticeable in his seat, and Miles tensed up, knowing that something was happening-a young woman, her hair dyed platinum blonde and held in a ponytail, was walking along the sidewalk towards the apartment. She glanced in the direction of the police cruiser, and Miles's father nodded in acknowledgement before making sure she went inside. When she'd returned to her abode, Captain Morales started his engine, and made a U-turn onto the street to return home."You're clear," Miles told Ganke, smiling to himself as he heard his friend exhale in relief and emerge from his hiding spot."That hiding spot was such trash.""That was a garbage joke, Ganke.""This bad joke war is a waste of time."Ganke's last retort hung awkwardly in the air as the two friends stared at each other."Yeah, that one wasn't as good-""Just hang tight for a while, okay?" Miles chuckled, looking both ways before jogging across the street to the apartment that his father had been watching. If he was going to find out where Black Cat stayed, he was going to have to sneak in without being seen.Miles took a deep breath, trying to maintain a strong focus on what he wanted, just like Max had been teaching him. He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, and when he opened them, his skin and clothing had become invisible.Alright!! He thought, doing a fist pump as he reached the apartment. I'm starting to get the hang of this...Opening the door, Miles peeked inside to see what he was going to have to navigate-there was a receptionist desk, but he seemed to be too busy watching something on his phone to notice the door getting opened by seemingly nothing. Miles kept his footsteps quiet as he jogged past the desk into an open doorway that led to the apartment rooms.Inside was a winding staircase that rose up the floors of the house, with a balcony on each level that an occupant could use to get to their room. An uncomfortable sensation made its way down the back of Miles's neck-something like pinpricks or light scratching that made his skin crawl, oddly directing him to look up...Spider-sense... Miles thought to himself, remembering what Max had told him during his training. ...Trust it.He looked up, and faintly saw a person making her way up the stairs-a flash of platinum blonde hair told Miles that this was the person he was looking for.His hands and feet went to the walls immediately, climbing up as quickly as he could to catch up with Black Cat. What I wouldn't give for web shooters to get up there more easily... Miles complained in his head, sighing to himself as he grew closer and closer to the unassuming ex-cat burglar.Just as she opened the door to her apartment, Miles caught up, crawling through the top of the doorway and onto her ceiling as Black Cat passed through underneath him.He let go of the ceiling, dropping between the door and Black Cat, who had her back to the invisible Miles. She spun around when she heard the thump of his feet hitting the ground, just in time to see Miles appear out of thin air and kick the door shut behind him."Black Cat..." Miles folded his arms over his chest as he looked at the woman through his mask. "...The name's Spider-Man. You and I need to have a little talk."Black Cat quirked an eyebrow, looking Miles up and down-her gaze lingering on his jacket, shorts, and leggings for a while before she looked into his mask. "So, superhumans have casual Fridays now, huh?"The unenthusiastic response made Miles tilt his head. He'd been expecting something a bit more angry or perhaps frightened... but Black Cat showed no signs of fear. She simply sighed, looking unbothered as she walked to her pantry."Want a snack?" Black Cat asked, her voice making it clear that she couldn't care less how Miles answered."Um...""More for me." She grumbled, pulling a purple bag of chips out and walking to her couch, where her laptop was laying. The young woman opened the laptop and typed on it for a few moments, and Miles heard the signature sound of a Netflix comedy special starting.Well... this isn't how I thought this would go down, Miles thought, watching Black Cat open her bag of chips and begin to munch on them. His eyes went to the label-Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos. "You couldn't have picked a less overrated bag of chips to munch on?" Miles asked, making Black Cat shoot a dirty look at him."Excuse me for wanting to enjoy life," She muttered sarcastically, then continued watching her Netflix comedy special.This wasn't the flirty, fiery criminal he'd heard his father talk about over dinner... this person seemed borderline depressed. It took an especially sad person to not laugh even a little bit at the jokes Miles was hearing from the computer."What are you here for, champ?" Black Cat questioned, popping another chip into her mouth as she spoke. "I'm guessing it's something to do with Ghost Spider... the mask kind of gives away your fanboy disposition-""I'm not a fanboy!!" Miles groaned. "I'm actually being trained by her at the moment, thank you very much!"Black Cat narrowed her eyes at Miles, thinking through his comment. "So... you're like her sidekick?""No!! She's training me on how to use my powers so that I can be like her-""Sounds like a sidekick to me, Spider-Man." Black Cat insisted, her voice still dry and humorless despite her continued bullying of Miles. She continued watching the special, none of the jokes able to get her to emote.Something about Black Cat's snark was familiar to Miles... he could've sworn he'd heard her voice before, somewhere. "Okay, whatever-yes, I'm here for something about Ghost Spider." Miles conceded, holding his hands up as he took a step in Black Cat's direction. Mentioning the name of her nemesis made the young woman's lip twitch, and her shoulders lowered noticeably."That new suit she's got... it's doing stuff to her. Bad stuff-really bad stuff." Miles explained, watching as the lights from the computer screen kept Black Cat's face lit up. "She told me that she got it off of you... and if you wore it, I wanted to ask what all you knew about it."Black Cat continued staring at the screen, but Miles could tell that her mind wasn't on the comedy special anymore. The lights reflected in her eyes grew more noticeable, evidence that she was beginning to tear up."How bad?" She asked, her voice finally showing an emotion-sorrow."Really bad..." Miles murmured. His mind was going to have that joyful memory of swinging around the city with Max forever-the wind in his face, her laughter in his ears, his hands holding onto her supple yet strong form as if she was made for him to cling to... but now it was tainted with the knowledge that the same person that had instigated that moment was in a place where she was planning on dying for the city in mysterious fashion very soon. "She said that she's going to 'die for the city' really soon... and she's not sad about it. It's just another thing to her."That got Black Cat to look up. Her lips trembled as she stared into Miles's eyes, and she let out a soft pant-something that sounded like she was trying to stifle a sob. "That thing... the suit..." She spoke, her voice scratchy and strained as she pulled her knees to her chest. "...I got it from Oscorp. Everything I was doing... it was all part of a plan to get back at Ghost Spider. I bought the whole story of her being behind everything that happened at the Midtown Prom Incident. I thought..." Black Cat cringed, squeezing her eyes shut as an unknown weight seemed to flood her with guilt. "...I thought she'd murdered the guy I'd been dating... Peter Parker."
Peter...
Miles always felt cold inside whenever he thought about his old friend, who'd helped him find a place at Midtown High... Miles had vehemently believed that Ghost Spider was innocent of any crimes related to the Midtown Prom Incident, and that had cast a bit of a shadow on Peter. The tapes that had been linked recently had all but confirmed that Peter Parker wasn't exactly the person that Miles thought he was-or that Black Cat had, considering her reaction in this moment.Something else clicked as he thought about Black Cat's connection to Peter: oddly enough, it was a memory from high school. A unique memory of a very special lunch period where Miles and Gwen had bonded before and after a food fight, only for the opportunity to explore that bond to be ripped away by the principal. Peter's prom date-someone he'd begun to date-had been at that lunch table..."Felicia Hardy..." Miles murmured softly, making the young woman look up."Wh...what?""...Felicia Hardy." Miles said again. "I know you... I went to high school with you."Felicia bit her lip roughly, the sound of someone calling her by her own name rather than the moniker of 'Black Cat' touching something deep in her heart. "Small world..." she muttered, hiding her face in her knees.Miles took another step forward, the initial confusion he'd felt upon seeing Black Cat's unbothered state turning to pity as he saw some fairly raw emotions in her eyes. "The suit... what is it?" He asked. "And why is it making her so... different?"Felicia wiped her eyes on her sweatpants a few times, sniffling before she willed herself to speak up. "It's called a symbiote..." She told him. "...It's this thing that Oscorp developed for medical purposes, but it somehow gained self-awareness during the process. It heals, makes you stronger, faster, more agile... but when I was wearing it, it would tap into some bad things. All of the anger I was feeling, how sad I felt about Peter being gone... it kept bringing those things to mind, and used them to convince me to do things that I would've never done before...""Like what?""Like rob banks... hurt people... seduce them for nothing other than fun... work with some angry science nerd to build a device that he wanted to test on Ghost Spider." Felicia said, hurt in her voice as she reflected on the poor decisions she'd made in her most recent chapter of life. "And it grew so loud... eventually I couldn't tell what was doing the thinking anymore, me or it."What she had described sounded legitimately horrifying... Miles couldn't imagine having something in his head that strictly used the darkness that every person had inside to bend him to its will. And Max was enduring that very process."You were working with someone," Miles said slowly, still trying to tie together all the information that Felicia had just dropped on him. "Who was it?"The young woman bristled, chewing the inside of her lip as she shut her laptop. "Someone else who got hurt by the Midtown Prom Incident... Otto Octavius. His son was the other death." Felicia told him. "He said that, once he was done with Ghost Spider, he'd let me kill her..." She pulled her legs even closer to her chest. "...I was too stupid to see that he was probably just using me the whole time..."Octavius... Miles had heard that name before. Wasn't that one of Oscorp's rivals? So a mad scientist had coaxed Felicia into doing his bidding so that he could capture Max and run some tests on it... this whole situation, everything that had been going on around Miles... all of it ran far deeper than he ever could've imagined.Otto's smart enough to know about symbiotes, Miles realized. He could've used it to influence Felicia the whole time. A second possibility, one far more frightening, surfaced in his mind: Who's to say he's not doing the same thing to Max? The thought of Maxine-a hero, his mentor, his friend... and something potentially a little more than just that lately-being unknowingly brainwashed by a scientist that wanted to use her made his blood boil. It felt eerily similar to how the sight of Gwen Stacy struggling to not break down in front of Flash Thompson had prompted Miles to take action back in high school..."You said... you said that she's planning on dying?" Felicia choked out, the words she spoke making her shake her head, as if saying them had cut something deep inside of her. "You have to stop that-I don't know what the symbiote is telling her to make her believe that, but you can't let it happen. You have to make sure she's okay!!" Her plea ended in a whimper-Felicia Hardy, once the person everyone knew as a tough girl, seemed absolutely drained and powerless after her time bonded with the symbiote.But the plea made no sense... why, all of a sudden, was someone that wanted Ghost Spider dead now so insistent on making sure she was safe? "Why do you want that now?" Miles questioned, and Felicia took in a deep breath."Because... I found out... that she's my best friend." Felicia whispered. Miles's heartbeat became erratic as he realized exactly what that meant-the connections he'd begun to make earlier at the hospital were now fully tied together.
"She's Gwen Stacy."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"It's just the beasts under your bed, in your closet, in your head"
-Enter Sandman, Alessia Cara & The Warning (Metallica)
Gwen needed to take a rest from staring at her computer. She rubbed her eyes, feeling her eyelids aching from several hours' worth of diagramming more projects for Otto. Gwen had recently finished helping him with the microchip for the tritium stabilizer (or, as Otto had been calling them lately, 'his arms') and was now onto new topics that her boss wanted to delve into.Several moments of rest passed before she let herself open her eyes once again, and the pair of light blue irises stared aimlessly at the ceiling."Are you sure this is where you wanted to be?"Gwen nearly jumped out of her seat as an unexpected voice questioned her. She spun in her chair, seeing none other than Peter Parker seated in a desk next to her. He was scrolling through something on his phone and chuckled softly as he looked at Gwen."Check this out..." Peter said, holding his phone out for Gwen to see. He'd been looking at some news articles, all of them dealing with tension between Oscorp and Octavius Industries. But the one he was showing to Gwen seemed completely made up-it detailed a literal fight between employees of the two companies."That's insane..." Gwen murmured, giving a suspicious look at Peter, who shrugged."Hey, not everything that's in your head is an absurdity." Peter responded, shrugging his shoulders before looking at something behind Gwen. "But I'd say that he certainly is."
He?
Gwen frowned, looking behind herself to see what Peter had been mentioning. Behind her was, once again, Owen Octavius. Otto's son was peering through a microscope, humming in interest as he studied samples of an unknown substance. "Interesting..." He murmured, his voice having an unexpected reverb while he continued looking through the microscope."Are you really going to keep letting him make the decisions for you?" Peter questioned, causing Gwen to shake her head."I... I don't..." She swallowed nervously, feeling her heart rate pick up as Owen glanced at her, winking playfully with a grin on his face. "I don't understand what you're saying." Gwen said, looking back at Peter again."Don't listen to him," Owen mused, finally taking his eyes away from the microscope before slipping his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "He's just jealous that he can't be like us.""Jealous?" Peter snorted. "Yeah, nice try, buddy. I'm just trying to do what I've always done, and that's keep Gwen safe."Did I overdose on Effexor last night? Gwen thought to herself, wondering if she'd accidentally taken too many of her antidepressants and caused this trippy dream."Look, um, guys..." Gwen said, slowly getting up from her chair and looking between the two apparitions. "...I get it, I get it... you're trying to teach something to my subconscious... but I'm not understanding the point. There's nothing left to learn, really, if I'm going to-""Don't say it." Peter said sternly, his eyes widening with panic. "You've let him and Otto influence you into throwing your life away-""You doubt Otto's ability to bring Gwen back after she dies?" Owen snarled, his teeth baring at Peter. "We both know that he is capable-""-And now you're losing a second chance with Miles-""We are stronger without him!" Owen added, slamming his palm on the table and staring daggers at Peter. "Miles abandoned Gwen before, and he's abandoning us now."Peter looked between Gwen and Owen in exasperation. "Miles only wanted what he thought was best for you, Gwen." He said slowly, the hard truth making Gwen's stomach churn uncomfortably. "You know it's true... you picked up on him having a good heart when you met him, trust that instinct-""No." Gwen said quickly, her heart feeling like it was on the verge of crawling into her throat. "I... I blew up at him the other day. He felt like it was more important to visit his uncle than to be with me-" The second those words left her mouth, she felt terrible. It was one thing to silently believe it, but actually saying it out loud made Gwen's throat tighten, and she covered her face in shame. "-I can't do it. Even if I wanted to... I've got something more important: Otto's experiment-""But it's not worth the risk!!" Peter insisted, standing up from his chair and going to Gwen. She tensed up as she felt her best friend take her by her shoulders, his eyes filled with desperation. "Look, Gwen, this isn't what you're supposed to be doing!! You know this experiment might not work out-""How dare you question Otto's intellect!!" Owen roared, grabbing the back of Peter's shirt and yanking him off of Gwen. "Otto Octavius is like a god to us... you know nothing of the limitless bounds of what science can accomplish-look no further than US!"Gwen was backing up, not understanding a bit of this conversation and not really wanting to. She just wanted to wake up.Suddenly, the building began to shake. Owen and Peter looked up at the ceiling, watching as dust fell from above. They looked at each other with disdain, grumbling as the anger between them began to cool off. "We'll have this discussion later..." Peter muttered."We're in agreement, then?" Owen questioned, and Peter nodded. The two looked directly at Gwen, and they spoke in unison:
"Wake up, Gwen.""Wake up, Gwen."
Everything blurred in an instant, and Gwen found herself opening her eyes. Seemed as if she had fallen asleep at work, but now the scene was much different. Rather than her surroundings being welcoming, calm, and quiet, everything around her seemed enveloped in chaos-her coworkers were racing around in terror, an alarm was blaring nonstop, and distant crashing and booming was causing the building to shake, with dust raining down from the ceiling.The intense scene hastened Gwen's process of waking up, making her stand out of her chair immediately and survey the scene-various people in body armor and bearing the Oscorp 'O' on their chests and helmets were breaking into the building.The news article in her dream... it was actually happening.
"There she is! Lock and load!!"
Gwen spun on her heels as a trio of these Oscorp soldiers charged at her, wielding futuristic-looking rifles that she did not want to be on the wrong end of. She was able to flip in the air as they fired and felt several jets of antivenom whizz past her frame before she landed.
They know who we are... the Prowler must have told them...
Gwen stretched her arm forward and pressed her middle and ring fingers to her wrist-then cursed immediately, as she remembered she wasn't wearing her web-shooters during work hours. She dodged another round of antivenom, then launched herself at one of the Oscorp soldiers and planted her heel in his jaw. His head snapped backwards, and he tumbled to the ground in a daze.As the other two took cover, Gwen raced to her work desk, grabbing her backpack and running as fast as she could to the women's room, weaving her way through the chaos that unfolded as Oscorp continued ransacking the building.Once she'd made it, Gwen pulled the door to a stall shut and started changing into her suit. The slick ooze of the symbiote began to crawl over the white fabric immediately, once again giving Gwen a sleek, dark look as she pulled her mask over her face. Once she was properly suited up, she burst out of the stall to jump back into the fight.Desks were overturned, and papers were scattered everywhere... all of the screaming and confusion had died down, and now the only people left in the building were the Oscorp soldiers. Gwen snuck towards them, feeling relieved that she wasn't seeing any of her coworkers cold on the ground-maybe they had gotten injured, but Oscorp hadn't seemed interested in killing them at the moment.An exchange began to reach her ears as she shadowed the group, and Gwen slowed her pace down so she could listen. It was two voices-one was Otto, and the other was one that she vaguely remembered from somewhere...
"We've figured out what you were up to, Otto. Did you really think that I wouldn't find a way to keep tabs on you-"
"What I'm working on is none of your concern! Do you really think I'm blind enough to believe that you're any less guilty of anything than I am-"
"Recklessness, Otto. That is the difference between you and I. You sent your little cat after our material for your fusion reactor, and now we're having to intervene."
"It was means to an end, Norman... I swear, all I'm trying to do is help people..."
Norman... Norman Osborne? Gwen crawled closer, seeing the group of Oscorp soldiers working on dismantling Otto's fusion reactor, all the while Norman Osborne, Oscorp's CEO, looked on. Otto was watching, his metal arms on his back while several soldiers were pointing stun batons at him."Be that as it may," Norman Osborne spoke, watching his men begin to unscrew several of the exterior components of the fusion reactor. "You have delved too deep into the things we've uncovered. And I'm not about to let all of Oscorp's hard work fall into the wrong hands-""A little overkill, don't you think Mr. Osborne?"Every head turned as Gwen spoke, throwing caution to the wind as she strutted towards the crowd of Oscorp scientists. "Now why don't you and your buddies go back to Oscorp Tower before I show you what real overkill looks like..." Gwen threatened, watching as the group of Oscorp soldiers turned their stun batons in her direction."Ghost Spider!!" Several of them whisper-shouted, having fear in their eyes as they all looked to Norman Osborne for direction."Well?" The pompous businessman scolded. "She's on our grocery list-bag her up and let's get her back to the building!!"
Oh, yeah... this is going to be FUN!!
Gwen felt herself salivating as the Oscorp soldiers took measly steps forward, unable to hide their intimidation at the sight of the vigilante clad in black. She held out her hands, letting her fingers stretch into claws before leaping at her new victims.She twirled and dodged every stun baton, sweeping her leg when she landed to knock several of the men off their feet. The remaining ones stumbled backwards in terror, but Gwen began to slash at them rapidly, the symbiote claws tearing into their limbs and sending them to the ground in agony.Norman Osborn scoffed at the sight and pulled a walkie-talkie from his waist. "All units to the back lab, immediately-"He let out a wimpy cry of fear as a metal arm smacked him off his feet-Otto was no longer cornered, and the scientist made his way towards his business rival as Gwen continued delivering a beatdown to the oncoming Oscorp scientists."Looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew. Again." Otto sneered, his metal claws snapping in the air as he towered above Norman. "The only question is whether you'll be of any use for what I've been working on for the past eighteen months...""Here, Otto!! Stop!!" Norman whimpered, cowering on the ground while holding his hands up defensively. "You want Ghost Spider dead!! I know you do!!" He said, his words making Otto's lip twitch. "I don't know the specifics of what you're planning, but I know it involves her being dead... let me help you with that." Norman insisted, trying to put on a trustworthy face as Otto glanced back at the fierce fighting behind them-Ghost Spider was flipping and twirling around the horde of Oscorp soldiers, pummeling them with ease as they all seemed too afraid to do anything."Show me, Norman..." Otto muttered, stepping away from Norman to give Oscorp's CEO an opportunity to prove his worth.Norman scrambled to his feet and began barking orders at his men. "Up the ante!! I don't care if you have to set your weapons to kill-don't stop until she's cold on the ground!!" He screamed frantically.As the soldiers continued their assault, with antivenom shots firing through the air, Gwen continued her rapid attacks. She would web one soldier to the ground, then tackle another before swinging him into a third. But more and more soldiers continued to pour into the back lab... Gwen found herself with less and less room to dodge their attacks.You still hold back? The voice hissed in Gwen's mind. Relinquish your doubts... let US destroy them together!!She could feel it, that urge to quit pulling her punches... but the memory of the light fading from Peter Parker's eyes served as a solemn reminder of what happened when Gwen let loose, and she couldn't do it.Antivenom splattered against her ankle, making Gwen cry out in pain and collapse. She tried crawling away, but the Oscorp soldiers continued firing, more and more of the clear liquid hitting her and causing the symbiote to boil and writhe in pain.
Stop holding back... it is OUR only chance to survive...
Gwen screamed as she felt steam rolling off of her suit, and she writhed on the ground as the Oscorp soldiers began to close in on her, ready to drag her away to their headquarters...
STOP HOLDING BACK!!
She pounded her fists into the ground, feeling a roar explode from her lungs-a terrifying blend of some deep, distorted tone and Gwen's own voice. Large, black tentacles of slime sprouted from the ground all around Gwen, smacking most of the soldiers off their feet while grabbing the others and hurling them around the lab.Gwen staggered to her feet, feeling her vision begin to go red... that awful sensation of the symbiote burrowing into her brain was there again, only this time she wanted it. She needed it, or she might as well be dead.Norman and Otto's jaws both fell open as they watched Ghost Spider's form shift, her build becoming slightly more muscular. The cowl she wore grew extensions around it, almost as if it was trying to form teeth. Spikes protruded from her shoulders, and a tongue lined with teeth of its own sprouted from where her neck met her collar.Gwen's neck craned violently, her clawed hands clenching angrily as she stepped forward, each one of her movements jerky and twitchy. Her cowl opened up, as if it truly was a mouth, and that hideous roar echoed through the lab again as her tongue lashed out, wrapping around Norman Osborne's throat and holding him up in the air."R-release... me...!!" Norman wheezed, his face going pale as Gwen stared up at him mercilessly, lowering him down so she could drag a claw down the side of his face to draw blood."Call off your dogs," She commanded, her voice having that same eerie duality as she watched Norman wince from the fresh cut on his face, and he whimpered in fear as the end of her tongue ran along his hair, as if she wanted nothing more than to bite his head off."Y-you... freak!!" Norman hissed, and coughed as Gwen's tongue tightened its hold on his throat. "CALL THEM OFF!!" She roared, pointing in the direction of the Oscorp soldiers, who were all watching in abject horror as their leader's life hung in the balance. Some of them immediately raced away out of loyalty to Norman, knowing that the only way he would survive was if they were to retreat. More followed them, and Norman finally gave the signal for the whole group to retreat.As the Oscorp soldiers jogged out of the lab to return to whatever transportation they'd used to arrive, Gwen's tongue slammed Norman into the ground, then slithered away from his neck as she stalked towards him, everything still tinged with crimson as she roughly planted her foot on his back."You will not disturb Dr. Octavius's work again..." She snarled, both Gwen and the symbiote's desires in unison as she leaned forward to scream into his ear. "...AM I UNDERSTOOD?!!""Y-yes!! Yes, I understand you!" Norman spat out, and Gwen kicked him violently towards the exit of the lab. The renowned businessman flailed about as he got to his feet and raced towards the exit, thoroughly terrified by this new monster he'd met today.Gwen nodded in satisfaction, clicking her tongue as she turned to face Otto. Dr. Octavius was still perplexed by this malevolent version of the vigilante, but Gwen couldn't think about his reactions right now... the symbiote was exercising enough influence to where all she could see was brightness, ingenuity, boldness... in that moment, Otto almost felt like more than just a father figure that she'd desperately needed these past few months......He almost felt like a god."Gh-Ghost Spider-" Otto stammered, his metal arms hovering in the air as he stared down the vicious-looking superhuman. "-I... I have waited a long time for you-""Cut the monologue," Gwen said, holding up a hand. Her vision went to the fusion reactor... it had been partially disassembled by the Oscorp soldiers, but thankfully hadn't been completely destroyed. "How long will it take you to repair this?"Otto blinked in confusion and swallowed nervously as Ghost Spider continued to stare into his soul. "Erm, um... the... the damages should be repaired by the end of the week." He answered."I know what you're planning to do with this..." Gwen told him, finally feeling the rage begin to subside. The symbiote released its grip on her brain, and her frame went back to the less monstrous version of Ghost Spider. The massive tongue retracted and disappeared, the spikes on her shoulders seemed to melt into the suit, and her cowl returned to normal. "...And I want you to know that I'm on board with your idea, Dr. Octavius."Otto remained stunned-not only was Ghost Spider's voice normal again, but she was willingly allowing him to run his 'experiment' on her? Knowing that it involved her dying?"I'll be on the roof of an apartment building on Lower East Side this Saturday." Gwen told him, still holding his gaze with no hesitation. "Find me there when the fusion reactor is finished... do we have a deal?"Otto looked skeptical. His robotic arms continued to hover mindlessly as his thought process was elsewhere. "Why?""Because this can help people." Gwen answered bluntly, placing her hands on her hips. "I know you might not believe it... but I'm in the business of helping people. And if this can make up for what happened to your son-" She looked away, biting her lip as her eyes began to sting. Eventually Otto nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "We have a deal."Gwen gave a curt nod to the scientist, then walked out of the back lab, looking around for her bookbag amidst the overturned tables and scattered papers from Oscorp's attack on the building.
How did I end up here?
Gwen's shaky breathing was the only sound in her ears as she stood on the front porch of her home-not her dorm, her home. Where she'd grown up...She was staring down the barrel of certain death, and a resurrection that the symbiote continued to insist was all but guaranteed, but Gwen wasn't sure if it truly was. In a moment without knowing a good answer or place to turn to, or maybe just total weakness... she'd run home.Gwen's hand trembled as she lifted it to the door, and she knocked twice. The only response she got inside was a weak, "It's open," that made her heart sink. That was her father. How had he gotten to the point where he was simply leaving the door unlocked for anyone to barge through?As she opened the door, her shadow stretched across the small hallway that led to the kitchen. Seated at the table was George Stacy, his eyes firmly locked onto a bottle of alcohol once again. His hair was messy, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in quite some time. The bandaging around his leg from the run-in with Black Cat was gone, so there was that... but overall, Gwen had never seen her father in such a sorry state.And it made her... suddenly angry.Why is he just sitting there moping?? Gwen thought to herself, feeling her shoulders tighten as she walked into the room. You literally just fought off an army today, and he's sitting here feeling sorry for himself?!! She truly couldn't tell if the thoughts belonged to her own brain or the symbiote... or perhaps both at this point.
His testimony made you a criminal...
He set his officers on you...
He shot you...
And now he's acting like a victim?
George hadn't looked over as Gwen arrived in the kitchen, folding her arms over her chest and frowning with disgust at the sight. "You been watching the news lately?" She asked, her attention successfully diverted from her impending death and onto the 'elephant in the room'-that Captain Stacy's testimony of Ghost Spider being a murderer hadn't been true after all. "The tapes that were missing from Midtown came out... turns out that you were wrong about Ghost Spider, weren't you?"Normally, the defiant tone would've been met with a stern look from George. But Gwen's father simply drooped his head, his fingers tightening around the neck of his liquor bottle. "I... I've seen it." He rasped, still unable to meet Gwen's gaze. "I'm the one who handed the tapes in."His daughter shook her head at him, growing increasingly agitated. "Are you going to do anything to help the situation, perhaps?" Gwen snapped, her frustration growing even more evident as she took a step closer to her father. "Maybe help Ghost Spider with whatever it is she's trying to do now?"George's eyes darted at Gwen for a second, but couldn't stay put. He looked away, his forehead now pressed against the bottle as he struggled to not take a drink. "I... I don't... I can't-""You're pathetic." Gwen hissed, the cutting words making George slump in his chair."I... I know, Gwen. I know-""You did all of that to her... to a hero... and now you're sitting here acting like you're the person that got hurt here?!!" Gwen snapped, stomping her foot as George's lips began to quiver."I screwed up... I messed things up so badly-""You shot an innocent girl!!" Gwen yelled, her teeth bared as she let all the fear she'd felt towards her father boil over into ferocity. "You shot a girl that's probably my age-you going to shoot me next, dad? Hmm? Do I need to 'watch out' whenever I see my own dad around town?""Gwen, I-" George couldn't finish his sentences, and he had no response for his daughter's hurtful words. He simply stared at her in pain, his shoulders shaking as Gwen continued her tirade."They all called you a 'hero' for what you did..." Gwen said, starting to see the red tinge everywhere she looked as she thought about all the ways her father had wronged her. "...And it turned out that you were the real monster all along... how long were you holding onto those tapes, dad? How long were you enjoying the spotlight while Ghost Spider was out there running for her life-""I-I-I just found them!!" George insisted. "I... I-I would never-""I-I I-I I just, I-I-" Gwen mocked, walking over to the table and pounding her fist on it as George flinched from this uncharacteristic display from his daughter."I spent the last year and a half in a living hell because I didn't know who I could trust anymore... because I didn't know who you were to me..." Gwen snarled, leaning in close and peering with hatred into George's eyes. "...But I know the truth now: you're not a hero. You're not a good man... and you're certainly not my father."Something inside of George seemed to collapse as Gwen spoke... she could see something unravelling in his eyes, and she watched his face contort with misery. She couldn't deny the truth: seeing this man that had held such power over her after shooting her in such a weak position was enthralling. Gwen loved seeing him like this."I..." George choked out, his eyes pleading with his daughter. "...I am your father, Gwen. There is nothing-nothing-in the world that I wouldn't do for my little girl-""Shut up." Gwen interrupted him. "You couldn't do the bare minimum of being there for me when I was broken-""I tried my best, Gwen! I tried talking to you, I tried getting you to the right doctors, I tried seeing if medication would work-""I'm never going to believe that." Gwen insisted, shaking her head as she continued glaring at George. "Not when I look back at every nightmare I woke up to, every time I didn't feel safe in my own home... and knowing that it's all because of you. Does that sound like a father to you?" She questioned, following it by shaking her head condescendingly. "No, it doesn't... you're not my father. And you have no one to blame but yourself."George couldn't hold Gwen's gaze anymore. His eyes looked away, and his head fell to the table as he broke down, gripping his hair tightly as Gwen sneered at him. "Why don't you go hit the bottle to make it go away?" She mocked. "Since that's all you seem to want to do nowadays... just give in and make both our lives a whole lot easier."Gwen stood there, waiting for him to return the vitriol, to explode at her... but it never came. There was only one noise she heard.
Sobbing.
A puzzled look crossed Gwen's face as George Stacy bawled like a baby, thoroughly broken by the venomous words spoke by his daughter. George did nothing to retaliate, he simply cried his eyes out, vainly babbling, "I'm sorry," and "Please don't hate me," as his heart continued to rip itself to shreds.It was such a jarring sight... George Stacy had been the epitome of strength and resolve, not just to her but to the city of New York as well. And now here he was, crying like a toddler without any signs of stopping.It's not like you were THAT hard on him... the symbiote tried telling Gwen. But she thought back to some of the things she'd said... especially that last comment, goading him to drink his sorrows away...
Why should you care? You said it yourself... he's not your father.
With a heart full of conflict, Gwen made her way out of the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder only as she reached the door, seeing George still slumped on the table, weeping miserably at the pain of having his connection to his daughter severed in such brutal fashion. For a split second, she felt her hand reaching out to him... but the influence of the symbiote forced her hand back to her side, pushing Gwen to the door.She grunted as her shoulder hit it against her will, gritting her teeth from the discomfort of having another living thing controlling her now. Gwen's hand grabbed the doorknob and began to turn it.
We are stronger without him... we will be stronger TOGETHER.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"My eyes are open wide; by the way, I made it through today"
-Second Chance, Shinedown
He'd been digging through the book the whole morning... Miles Morales continued flipping pages as the early hours of Saturday morning continued ticking away, waiting for his eyes to find that one specific picture he hadn't seen in forever.The rows of names let him know he was close... his finger continued moving along the pages of his high school yearbook until they finally found the name he'd been searching for: Gwendolyn Stacy.And there she was... eyes like lightning and a smile that Miles knew full well was holding back its full charm. He sat on his bed, dumbfounded all over again at how a human being could be so pretty... his fingertips traced her two-dimensional features, fantasies of doing the same in real life running amuck in his brain-
Knock, knock, knock!!
Miles inadvertently threw the yearbook in the direction of the knocking, his breath caught in his throat as he saw a familiar figure at the window: Ghost Spider... Max... Gwen... they were all one and the same."Morning, slugger!" Her familiar voice greeted, waving at Miles heartily. "Got some stuff to help add that spark to your arsenal, eh Miles?"Her loose and positive greeting made Miles frown. The last time she'd spoken to him, she'd thrown an absolute fit over his decision to postpone his training for another day. Now... she was acting like nothing had happened?"Uh... hi." Miles said, his stomach twisting nervously at how this training session was going to go... how was he supposed to break the news that he knew who she was? "You're in an oddly chipper mood today." He murmured, standing up and walking to the window."What's that supposed to mean?" She answered, sounding as if she had no clue what he was talking about.Miles quirked an eyebrow at her tone. "Um... I... I hate to bring down your good mood, but... last time you were over here, you... um... got a little frustrated that we had to move this training session back?"The masked face of the vigilante tilted, as if she was confused. "Nah, I don't remember that. You must be remembering things wrong." She said plainly, then began to pull herself upwards. "Meet you on the roof in five!"Great. So now she's outright trying to gaslight me... Miles thought to himself, sighing and walking to his dresser before digging his mask out of his sock drawer. He was certain that it was the new suit causing this change in her-and as sickening as it had been to watch before, it seemed even darker now that Miles knew who 'Max' truly was. Gwen Stacy would never get worked up like that over Miles wanting to check in on family... and she'd certainly never try to manipulate Miles into thinking his own memories were a mirage.
Or would she?
Miles stared into the eyes of his mask, beginning to question whether this dream girl truly was all he'd thought she was... Miles had spent so long dreaming and praying that, somehow, someway, he'd be given a second chance with the girl that had captivated him... he'd eventually figured that it was pipe dreaming, just in time for Ghost Spider to waltz into his life and grab his attention. As it turned out, it had just been Gwen all over again... another layer to her increasingly complex and interesting personality.That personality... it was not showing in anything that Gwen was doing now. And if Miles had to take action to bring it back?
So be it.
He slipped his mask over his face, then jogged to the window before scaling the building to get to the roof.She was already there, her arms folded as she watched the sun rising in the east. "Nice day, isn't it?" She noted, standing still as the rising sun bathed her black suit in an orange tint. "Yeah... really pretty start to the morning." Miles agreed, keeping his distance as he stared at her back.Eventually, she seemed to notice the coldness that was emanating from Miles. The masked blonde turned on her heels to face him, her body language indicating slight confusion."What?"
No games... just rip the band-aid off.
"I know, okay?" Miles said, pulling his mask up to where his face could be seen. "I don't want to beat around the bush with you-I know who you are."His mentor was left speechless by the bold claim. "I, um... of course you know who I am, Miles! We-""Gwen," Miles sighed, shaking his head gently. "I don't want this to be any more dramatic than it has to be."She seemed to tense up even more, locking up as if she'd been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. Miles could hear her swallow nervously as she took a step back. "I... I don't... I don't know what you're talking about-""For crying out loud, Gwen!!" Miles shouted, his hands raising in frustration for a brief moment. But he took a deep breath... yes, she was frustrating him. She'd handled a lot of things poorly lately... but she was still Gwen Stacy. To Miles, that counted for something. "Why did you feel like you had to hide from me?""H... hide?""Yeah. You used a fake name when you could've told me the truth-""Technically, it wasn't a fake name. Maxine is my middle name-""You know what I mean!" Miles affirmed, annoyance evident in his eyes as he began to pace while he spoke. "You deliberately pretended to be someone other than Gwen Stacy for weeks... why?" He asked. "That's what I want to know... why? I got to know you in high school... and Gwen Stacy would never be doing some of the things you're doing." Miles insisted, his words making Gwen shift her weight, as if he'd struck a nerve. "All I want to know is why you did this. Please, Gwen."Gwen stood still, as if she was processing what he'd said. For a moment, Miles thought he'd broken through to her... then she stood up straighter, and he could almost sense the condescending look on her face. "If anyone needs to be explaining themselves, it's you-"
"Me?!!"
"-Yes, you. You who turned me down for prom... you who had all these spider-powers and ran off when the prom got attacked-""I didn't go to prom!! I had to turn down the only girl I liked because I thought I'd ruin her evening-""-You're making excuses, Miles." Gwen snarled, taking a step forward. "Quit acting like you're the victim here-""There are no victims here, Gwen!" Miles insisted. "Just two people who have both been making mistakes! The difference is I see what I did wrong, and I want to make it up to you-""By getting onto me for having some nerves about broaching the elephant in the room between us?""For not being honest!" Miles told her. "You could've told me who you were... maybe not immediately, I get that. But when you started talking about your dad... you didn't tell me who you were. You told me you were Maxine." He said, a hint of disgust in his voice now at what the 'fake' name had come to mean to him.Gwen scoffed in response, folding her arms over her chest. "Like you would have been prepared to handle that anyways-""Maybe I wouldn't have." Miles agreed, trying once more to calm down as he held this conversation with her. "But you could've tried... it would've been the right thing to do."Gwen couldn't say anything. Miles saw her head turn, as if she couldn't make eye contact with him now."And you know what else...? If you had told me the right thing... you would've had all the power." Miles told her, a statement that made Gwen look up at him. "Because you're right... I did turn you down for prom. And I thought I had good reason to, but that doesn't change the fact that it hurt your feelings." He said, his voice losing a bit of its bite and replacing it with remorse. "Gwen, I'd been hoping to somehow run into you again for a long time... I just wanted a chance to make it up to you, no matter how foolish or stupid or ridiculous I had to look in order to do so."Gwen bristled at the statement. "An awful lot for some girl..." She mocked."But you weren't some girl." Miles answered gently, stepping closer to her. "You were so much more than that."His words made Gwen tense up-she wasn't the only one getting emotional, Miles had to sniffle to keep his eyes dry. "Gwen... come on..." Miles said, gesturing to her. "...You know what you're doing isn't you. That's not the person I met junior year... that's not the girl that I couldn't get out of my head for over a year..."Gwen's head began to lower until her chin was resting on her collar. Slowly, she tugged at her mask, pulling it from her face before letting it fall to the ground. Her cowl kept shadows cast over her face, but not enough to hide those sparkling eyes from being seen. Despite the conflict and turmoil etched onto her face, Miles couldn't help but smile at the sight. Sure, she was plenty attractive... but Gwen Stacy had always been aesthetically pretty as well. To Miles, she was on the same level as a snow-covered mountain range, or the trees in the fall, or even the gorgeous sunrise behind them now."Gwen..." Miles said softly, moving close and beginning to reach out a hand. "...The suit has to come off... I mean, as long as there's something under it-" He added quickly, the awkward yet humorous phrasing forcing a soft chuckle from Gwen's lips for the first time in this whole ordeal. Tears glistened in her eyes, and Miles could tell immediately that she felt trapped. "-That thing is doing something to you... I found Felicia Hardy, she told me about it." Miles's confession that he'd spoken to Felicia about this situation made Gwen's eyes widen, and she seemed to step towards Miles. He could see the internal debate in her eyes-why would he have gone to such lengths for her? Especially after the stunt she'd pulled in their last conversation? What could possibly drive a person to care so deeply despite her flaws being at their absolute worst?"She said that thing would speak to her... talk her into doing things she would've never done otherwise..." Miles explained, pausing as he saw a lump forming in Gwen's throat. "...And I think it's doing the same thing to you."A tear finally escaped the corner of Gwen's eye, and she quickly dabbed at it. The blonde bit her lip roughly, shaking her head as she refused to meet Miles's gaze. "It's too late... you don't know what I've done-""No, no it's not!!" Miles insisted, moving close to Gwen and laying his hands on her shoulders. "For any other girl, yeah... it would be too late. But not for you." He promised, the gentle words making Gwen's face contort with more sorrow. "You never had to be Ghost Spider, or Maxine... Gwen Stacy is enough. Gwen Stacy is more than enough." Miles spoke softly, not backing down as the emotions felt like they were choking him. "I wanted a second chance for so long... and now that I've got it? I'm not letting it go-"
"That's not why it's too late..."
The sound of mechanical whirring and bricks crumbling filled Miles's ears, and his head looked over his shoulder as something began to crawl onto the roof of the apartment-something with four giant metal arms..."Am I interrupting something?" The glasses-wearing stranger asked, his giant arms lowering himself onto his feet as he surveyed the emotional scene before him. Gwen quickly scooped her mask up and pulled it over her face before stepping out from behind Miles so the stranger could see her."Heh, uh, Gwe-Ghost Spider...?" Miles caught himself, watching her with confusion as she didn't give him any instructions on handling this obvious villain. "...I think this is the part where we work together to beat the bad guy...?""No," Gwen said softly, walking towards the man in an almost trancelike state. To Miles's disbelieving eyes, she lowered herself onto her knees in front of the scientist, almost in a religious posture as the newcomer stared at her. "Don't try to stop us..." She whispered solemnly to Miles, taking a deep breath before lifting her head to look into the older male's eyes.
"I'm ready, Dr. Octavius..."
Dr Octavius still had a displeased look in his eyes upon seeing the person he blamed for his son's death, but it was mingled with curiosity at her submittance to him. "Are you really ready to die?" He asked, as if questioning her commitment to his experiment.
"NO!!"
Miles roared in a myriad of emotions-shock, panic, anger, fear-and lunged at Dr. Octavius as everything fit together-this was what Gwen had been talking about when she'd said she was going to die for the city. She was agreeing to some experiment with this guy that would cost the hero her life...But Miles was swatted away immediately by a heavy metal arm, and he flew into an empty oil drum. The violent sound made Gwen flinch, and she looked at Miles with concern as he groaned, getting back to his feet and staring Dr. Octavius down."You..." Miles gasped, jamming a finger in the scientist's direction. "...Will not lay a hand on her!!" He'd almost gotten through to her earlier-he knew it!! The only thing standing between Miles and the girl of his dreams now was this crazy old man...Dr. Octavius sneered at Miles, his metal claws opening and shutting menacingly. "Go ahead to the lab, I'll be there shortly once I dispose of your sidekick." He told Gwen, who looked at him in a panic."D-don't hurt him!! Please!!" Gwen begged, and the man shook his head. "Looks like I don't have a choice... and you're in this because you want to save the lives of others, if I remember correctly?" He added quickly, his words making Gwen look like she wanted to shrink. "None of those people will have any hope if this doesn't succeed..."Gwen looked between Dr. Octavius and Miles desperately, her head moving in a panic. But suddenly, her head craned, and Gwen's fingers dug into the solid material of the apartment roof. The symbiote's tendrils sprouted in various spots as it forced her to play along, getting Gwen to her feet before making her dive off the building to swing to Dr. Octavius's lab.The sight was heartbreaking... it was true, Gwen wasn't in complete control right now. She'd made the poor decision to allow the symbiote to influence her thought process, and now she was paying the price for it."Before you fail to stop me..." Dr. Octavius spoke, staring at Miles through the lens of his glasses. "...You should know that your little girlfriend has voluntarily agreed to partake in my experiment-""What'd she call you again... Doctor... Octopus-?"
"Octavius."
"Whatever. Doctor Octopus... all I care about is that you're trying to get her killed." Miles snarled angrily, his fists clenching at his sides."Ah, but not permanently..." Dr. Octavius clarified, pacing to the side as he and Miles began to circle each other."What's that supposed to mean...?" Miles asked, not having an ounce of trust in his voice as he stared down this metal octopus-man."I've been working on a hypothesis of mine regarding energy flow in human beings..." Dr. Octavius spoke, his eyes lighting up with the faith he had in his plan. "...And I believe I've discovered a way to bring the dead back to life."
Insanity!!
"I just needed Ghost Spider to be my first subject..." Dr. Octavius said, looking at one of his arms as it hovered near his head. "...I'll make her pay for failing to protect my son during the Midtown Prom Incident... once she's paid for her sins, I will resurrect her... and then I can begin to heal this world in a way that no one ever could-""You've been reading too many textbooks..." Miles muttered, getting ready to charge at the man. "...Dead is dead!! A person can't change that.""We'll never know unless we try, will we?" Dr. Octavius suggested, chuckling as his metal claws seemed to beckon Miles forward.The young man lowered his shoulder and charged, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to focus on turning invisible to fake-out the scientist. Strong focus on what I want... strong focus on what I want... strong focus on what I want!!A tingling sensation ran down the back of Miles's neck, and he dove out of the way as a giant metal arm grabbed at him. He rolled into a crouching position, looking down at his hands and feet... he couldn't see them, it had worked!!"Ah, invisibility... the coward's way out." Dr. Octavius remarked, scanning the roof of the apartment for any sings of movement. "Someone like you would never have worked for my experiment... you wouldn't have the stomach to die for the greater good-"Something crashed into Dr. Octavius's jaw, making him stumble and fall onto his back. Miles reappeared, racing to the edge of the apartment roof before beginning to crawl down the side of the building-Gwen was already out of sight, the web-swinging was too fast for Miles to catch up to her. Once again... she really should've been letting me test the web-shooters earlier, Miles thought to himself, dropping onto the sidewalk once he was at a safe height and running in the direction that he thought Octavius Industries was located."Excuse me!! Pardon me!! Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, coming through!!" Miles shouted over the commotion of the crowd, racing as fast as he could to get to Gwen before the mad scientist could. A giant thud behind him let Miles know that Dr. Octavius had finished descending the building and was likely closing in on him.Civilians began to scream and run for cover at the sight of the octopus-man, trying to avoid the metal arms as they stomped into the sidewalk, moving faster than Dr. Octavius could have by running like a normal person."Whoa, whoa-" Miles said, grabbing the lid off a trashcan left by a building. "-I didn't order calamari-" He bantered, throwing the lid like a frisbee at Dr. Octavius. His metal arms simply swatted it out of the way, and Miles went back to running for his life.That can't be my best idea... right?? He thought to himself. At least the quip was pretty good...A shadow passed over Miles, and he stopped himself as Dr. Octavius landed in front of him, all four metal arms lifting and opening their claws. In the center of each claw was a red light, like a robot eye that peered deep into Miles's soul."You won't be going any further... Spider-Boy." Dr. Octavius snarled, causing Miles to huff in frustration."It's Spider-Man!!" Miles yelled. "I'm nineteen now, legal adulthood comes with a proper title!"The mad scientist shook his head in frustration, beginning to move forward... but before he could reach Miles, a police cruiser drove onto the sidewalk, ramming into the scientist and sending him flailing into an alleyway.
Oh.
"That's some good timing, Officer!" Miles chuckled, watching as someone got out of the car-as if this moment couldn't have been dramatic enough, the policeman that emerged was...
"Captain Stacy?!!"
Captain Stacy blinked in bewilderment at the sight of a second spider-powered vigilante, shaking his head as he looked into the alley at the unconscious Dr. Octavius. "I knew I should've stayed home this weekend..." He muttered, beginning to walk towards the doctor."Wait-forget him!!" Miles spoke, racing over to the officer. "Look, newbie-I know a crime scene when I see one." Captain Stacy spoke, then cringed immediately when he said that, as if he realized that was either ironic or poorly timed. "Listen... I'm going to take this guy into custody, we'll get these metal arms off of him and-""Send someone else to do it-Ghost Spider is in danger!!" Miles cut the police captain off. "She's headed to Octavius Industries to be a part of some 'experiment' for this guy... I don't know if she knows how to perform it or not, but she's going to die if she does-""Did you bother to tell her that the experiment would kill her??" Captain Stacy snapped, and Miles shook his head."Officer... she wants it to kill her." Miles said, the dark statement making Captain Stacy's face go pale. "She thinks that this guy was going to bring her back to life."Captain Stacy grabbed his walkie talkie, barking orders into it for some officers to retrieve Dr. Octavius before jogging to his cruiser. "Take shotgun!" He called out to Miles, and the younger male did as he was told, ducking into the passenger's seat before Captain Stacy turned the police sirens on and tore off down the street towards Octavius Industries.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Burn in your automatic sun; look what you're doing to me"
-Automatic Sun, The Warning
Back at Octavius Industries, Gwen had already made her way inside the empty building. It was still in a state of disrepair from Oscorp's failed attack-it seemed as if the only thing Otto had been working on in the aftermath of that event was repairing his beloved fusion reactor. And he'd succeeded.As Gwen pushed open the door to the back lab, she saw the massive metal contraption stand tall towards the back wall, looking good as new. She paced towards it slowly, each step feeling like it was taking years off of her life.
Maybe because they were...
When she approached the control panel, an exhausted breath left her lungs-Gwen wasn't physically tired, but she felt totally drained of any mental energy. She'd woken up today still under immense guilt from having gone scorched-earth on her own father earlier that week, and had planned to have one last training session with Miles-leave him with some helpful tips before she potentially departed this world for good.Gwen had expected him to be a bit weirded out by her attempts to dodge the subject of their last conversation, but whether or not the symbiote or her own pride had made her believe that she could outright fool him into believing that he was overthinking what happened was beyond her at this point. She had no idea who was truly in control anymore.And then had come the big reveal: Miles knew who she really was. Gwen's lip trembled as she thought back to that moment, her eyes locked on the control panel for the fusion reactor as she completely zoned out.She'd tried to sidestep his words, tried to dodge any accountability... but Miles had kept pushing. He'd kept pushing and insisting that he just wanted an honest answer from Gwen. Perhaps before all of this had happened, she could frame Miles as a 'bad guy' in her mind for how he'd turned down her request to go to prom with him. Now? After hearing why he'd done that, seen his kindness and bravery shine in a new way with his powers, and hearing such kind words about her spoken from the depths of his heart?The bad guy here was Gwen. She could no longer argue that fact.You can make up for it all... the symbiote spoke to Gwen. ...There's still time to lay down your life to show how much you care about doing the right thing.When the symbiote had first begun sowing the seeds of this sacrifice into Gwen's mind, she'd been quite afraid of what she heard. Sure, she'd listened and had seen the logic, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid, deep inside. But now, as the moment presented itself, she couldn't feel anything-coldness and emptiness were the prevailing sensations as Gwen operated the control panel, getting the fusion reactor fired up as she waited on Otto.I just want to get this all over with... Gwen thought to herself, her head hanging as she waited in silence. ...I made my own dad cry... I probably broke Miles's heart by doing this...The coldness felt like it was squeezing her heart now, forcing Gwen to relive the scenes of her father sobbing his eyes out as she demolished his self-worth, or the horror in Miles's voice as the symbiote prompted Gwen to bow before Otto in preparation for her sacrifice.Just as with the Midtown Prom Incident, Gwen had failed the people she was closest to.
Never again. Now, you're going to save them... WE are going to save them-
"Get away from that!!"
A piercing cry shook Gwen from her thoughts, the blonde whipping her head around to see two figures bursting through the door to the lab.
Miles.Dad.
A gasp flew from her mouth immediately, her hands freezing where they were on the control panel. It was shocking to see these two separate aspects of her life present at the same time-and it made Gwen double down on how awful she felt. Both Miles and her father were good people... good people that she'd hurt so badly..."Hey, don't look at that thing-look at me." Miles insisted, stopping Gwen as she tried to look away and focus on the task at hand. "We stopped your octopus pal... you can walk away from this, alright?"For the first time in a long time, walking away from this path of self-destruction seemed truly tempting. Gwen bit down on her lip, looking at Miles through her mask... after everything she'd done to him, he was still putting his foot down when it came to her well-being.
Surely he can't take much more of your failures... flip the switch.I don't want to!!
Gwen's knees felt like they were about to give out as she argued with the symbiote in her brain... her eyes drifted to George Stacy, and she was immediately transported back to the kitchen table: a place where there were so many fond family memories, now a place where her vitriol had brought the strongest man she knew to tears.
He shot you... remember that. He shot you and tried to put you in prison for over a year.If he'd known it was me, that wouldn't have happened. Maybe I should've just told him...
For the first time since the deaths of Owen and Peter, Gwen felt like she could think clearly. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one in her head doing the thinking now."I can't..." She sniffled, beginning to turn back to the control panel. "...I have to do this to help people-"
"You don't know if this is actually going to help people!"
George Stacy's voice cut through Gwen's statement, and her head drooped as she fought the urge to cry. He was right. Deep down, Gwen couldn't know for sure that Dr. Octavius's experiment was going to work.So why was the symbiote fighting so hard for her to do it anyway?"Look, Ghost Spider... I... I made a mistake by not trusting you." George spoke up again, his eyes pleading with her to back away from the control panel as he took slow steps in her direction. "You were the best thing to ever happen to this city, and I should've trusted you more than my gut..."Gwen felt herself tensing up as George grew closer, every breath feeling more like a tremble as her eyes began to sting with tears."I'm sorry for what I've done to you..." George said, his voice cracking as he reached out a hand to her. "...And if what I did drove you here-"The thought seemed to break him for a moment. Gwen looked on as George heaved a pained breath, covering his mouth as his eyes glistened."-Just don't be the one to pay for my mistakes... don't make this city pay by losing you forever. Please."Gwen was at an absolute loss for words. The only other time she could remember feeling so valued was at the kitchen table, seeing the smiling faces of her mother and father as they looked at their little girl like she was a treasure.He doesn't know he's speaking to you, though. The symbiote reminded Gwen. If he knew who you really were... then he wouldn't be trying to save you right now.The blonde grimaced, finally letting the tears roll. She didn't know how she could ever truly look her father in the eye again without wearing this mask... Gwen was certain that she'd burned that bridge for good, and it pushed her over the edge."I'm sorry-" Gwen choked out, hearing a unified "NO!!" from George and Miles as she turned and flipped the final switch on the control panel.The fusion reactor began to hum, sonic pulses shaking the lab as Gwen watched a panel on the bottom of the reactor open up: the reactor established a space of zero gravity within its arc reactors, and a small sphere of tritium began to rise into sight.And not a moment too soon-a loud pounding was heard on the back door of the lab, and all three heads turned to see the metal door get beaten down violently. A disheveled, angered Otto Octavius stumbled forward, his glasses cracked and his lip busted from getting run over by George Stacy earlier."Didn't you call backup?" Miles told George, whose eyes were darting between Otto and Gwen."The backup wasn't enough..." Otto informed them, turning his attention to the fusion reactor. "The reaction is starting!" He announced, glee in his voice as he watched the tritium begin to shift, glowing momentarily before rapidly expanding: a small star was now floating in the fusion reactor. "As for you, Ghost Spider, I'm going to need you to do your part rather quickly." Otto announced, eyeing down Ghost Spider. "Then, we can get a safe amount of that reaction transferred inside of you to prove my theory correct-"
"No shot, octopus!"
Otto looked over with a sneer as Miles dove at him. One of his arms swiped Miles in mid-air, sending him flying into the worktable. Miles shouted in pain as the force of the impact broke the table, and he tumbled onto the ground in a daze."Miles!!" Gwen cried out, something inside of her twisting as she saw Miles curl into a ball, groaning as he placed a hand on his side. She ran over to him, placing her hands on his side to turn him to where she could see the injury. There was no blood, but he probably had some painful internal bruising.Metallic stomping made her gut churn. She looked behind herself, seeing Otto suspended in the air by his arms with a scowl on his face."We made a deal," He warned her. "Leave him out of this-""I told you to not hurt him!" Gwen shouted, then immediately winced as she felt the symbiote's tendrils burying into her brain.Do not defy him!! It hissed. We are so close... so close to fulfilling your destiny to save people.Gwen let out a shout as she felt the symbiote begin to wrestle control of her body away from her, forcing Gwen down onto her knees before Otto once again.The scene made Otto's brow furrow in confusion at the odd conflict going on inside of her, but he shrugged it off, one of his claws reaching forward to grasp her neck-but before he could, the sound of a handgun's action being worked made him freeze, and he whipped his head around.George Stacy had his gun trained on Otto, no sign of trepidation or uncertainty as held his weapon steady. "Let her go. Now."Gwen was still on her knees, groaning as pain flared in her head-the symbiote was working overtime to keep her in place at the moment. Through the pain, she saw Otto tilt his head, as if beginning to recall something."George Stacy?" The scientist said in realization. George shifted his weight, trying to stand firm with his gun pointed at Otto. "Step away from the girl-""Do you remember me?" Otto asked softly, a smile of recognition forming as his arms lowered him to the ground. George didn't answer, though he seemed to be chewing on the inside of his lip as this unexpected encounter brought back somber memories."You do," Otto answered his own question, reading George's body language as his shoes finally touched the ground. His metal arms lifted into the air as Otto breathed in, his tone souring quickly.
"Do you remember my son?"
The inquiry made George's shoulders tense up, but he kept the gun pointed at Otto. "Yes."Otto nodded solemnly, letting out the breath he'd been holding. "I've been working on this for so long..." He said, turning his eyes to the self-sustaining orb of energy floating in the fusion reactor-an automatic sun, if you will. "...I've been hoping against hope that I could get here... and I'm so close..." Otto looked back at George once more, the scientist's tone turning emotional as he held out his hands to George. "...I don't ever want a father to have to feel the way I did that night when I found out about Owen..." He choked out. "...You can understand that, can't you? I will bring my son back!!" Otto declared, every word breathy and emotional. "And then I'll do the same for any parent who loses a child."The plea for understanding touched George, whose face grew even more pensive. Gwen watched as his eyes lifted to look at her, a million thoughts circling his electric blue irises that he had passed down to her."If you do this..." George spoke, looking back at Otto. "...Then it's going to come at the cost of someone else's child." He concluded, raising his gun once more. "And I'm not going to allow it."Otto's hands balled into fists, and he growled in disappointment as George rejected his plea. "None of you believe that I can raise the dead?" He questioned, scoffing as his metal claws snapped in a hungry fashion. "No worries... I don't need your permission to do the right thing."One of his arms lunged at George, making the police captain have to throw himself to the side to dodge the attack. He rolled onto his back, firing at Otto only for the scientist's giant metal arms to shield him from the bullets. Otto looked at the orb of energy, which was now beginning to hum as it began to radiate more power."This will be enough energy to restart a person's bodily functions! It's more than enough!" Otto insisted, his arms shielding him again as George fired several more bullets. "And if it doesn't work on Ghost Spider? I've just stumbled onto two new testing subjects!"One of his arms flew forward, knocking George's handgun from his hand before grabbing his throat. Gwen's eyes went wide, and she felt like she was falling as she watched Otto begin to strangle her father."You're a good man, George Stacy..." Otto snarled, watching as George's fingers pried in vain at the metal claw around his throat. "...But even good men must be sacrificed for great causes-"Gwen couldn't allow this to happen. Not her father.She let out a groan, fighting against the crippling pain in her mind as she pushed herself to her feet. Gwen could feel the symbiote panicking as she rose, astounded as to how she was finding the strength to resist its power. But this strength didn't come from a spider bite... it was coming from the human emotion that a daughter felt for someone that was truly her father-and that person was not Otto Octavius.Gwen stretched her arms forward, gasping in pain as the symbiote continued to fight her. She fired her web shooters, a line of super-strong silk flying at the metal arm that was strangling the life out of her father. She pulled back, crying out as she felt like her brain was unravelling-Otto looked back at her in disdain as his arm was pulled away from George, and he began to turn his full attention on her."You really think you're changing anything?" Otto told her, watching as Gwen let go of the webbing.She staggered backwards, clutching her head in agony as the symbiote tried to force her onto her knees again-Gwen resisted, pushing against the ground as Otto shook his head at her."You're just a minor inconvenience..." He grumbled, his claw lunging forward and grabbing her face. Gwen felt her mask get torn in half as Otto threw her over his head, making her slam into the wall before falling to the ground with a heavy thud."Stop!!" George cried out, scrambling towards his gun. "She's just a kid-""Maybe she should've thought of that before putting the lives of our children in her hands!!" Otto screamed, using his metal arms to stomp towards George. "If she were more capable, then my son wouldn't be dead-"Otto's head randomly snapped to the side, as if he'd been punched in the mouth. He coughed, stumbling to the side before his head snapped in the other direction. The scientist coughed out blood, looking around to see what was hitting him."Yoo-hoo! Anyone order a seafood platter?" An unseen voice taunted, and Otto was kicked in the jaw, snarling in pain as the force of the blow knocked him onto his back. Miles Morales materialized out of thin air, cracking his knuckles and staring Otto down."You looked shocked..." He commented, taking a deep breath as sparks began to fly from his hands. "...Boy, just you wait-"Miles lunged forward, diving and flipping as Otto's arms stabbed at him. Upon reaching the scientist, he slammed his palms into Otto's chest, shoving him to the ground and watching as electricity surged from his fingers into Otto's frame-making the scientist scream in pain as he was electrocuted."Let's goooo!!" Miles shouted in triumph, flipping off of Otto as the scientist attempted to swat him away with his arms. "Did you see that? I did it!!" Miles called out with glee, looking around for Gwen. "I finally did it-"He stopped upon seeing Gwen-the vigilante in black was groaning weakly, still battling the influence of the symbiote on her mind. Slowly, she rolled over, then began to rise to her feet once again. The cool air rushed onto the right side of her face and hair, which were now completely exposed from her mask getting torn by Otto.Though pain continued to flare through every nerve, Gwen found herself locking eyes with Miles... even though he was wearing his own mask, Gwen felt like she knew what was in his eyes. Pride. Pride that she was fighting to do the hard thing, like the Gwen Stacy he knew would've done.
"Gwen?"
Time stood still as George Stacy's voice shattered the silence, and she looked in his direction. Her wavy blonde strands billowed from the forceful winds generated by the fusion reactor as she met her father's eyes.A lump quickly formed in her throat. He hates you... how could he not after what you said? The symbiote reminded her. He's not to be trusted... he shot you, he made you a criminal, he was busy wanting to get drunk while you suffered... Gwen could tell that the symbiote was spitballing now, frantically trying to think of anything to manipulate Gwen into feeling weak and unworthy of her father's love.But it didn't work... because George was smiling at her. Smiling as if he'd never been prouder of his daughter in his entire life.And, for the first time in a long time, Gwen let herself smile back at him.An angry groan broke the tender moment, and everyone looked over as Otto staggered up, using his arms to lift himself into the air again. Small lines of smoke curled off his singed lab coat from Miles's electric attack, and he was staring daggers at the male in the black mask.But then his attention was drawn by familiar locks of blonde hair... he, too, found himself staring at Gwen's half-exposed face, dumbfounded at this revelation that he had not expected in the slightest."So that's how it is..." Otto mused, shaking his head as surprise, disappointment, and perhaps a tinge of regret all circled his eyes.Gwen watched as his face twisted, a frown accompanying the scientist's misty eyes as he realized the cruel irony of the moment: the person he'd been trying to kill to bring his son back had been the closest thing to a child he'd had in the interim.But as he took a step towards her, the loud humming in the room increased in pitch, and everyone looked at the fusion reactor: the massive energy sphere was increasing in size, with flares of energy bursting from it as it grew unstable.Otto raced over, his legs crawling rapidly to take him to the reactor. He set himself on his feet, then stretched the arms towards the sphere of energy. They'd been created to stabilize tritium, but it seemed as if he'd been too late to notice the instability, and all Otto could do was slow it down."It's spiking!" He shouted, looking over his shoulder at Gwen. "You're going to have to go to the control panel... listen to me, I can fix this!" Otto insisted. "We can still do this together!!"Gwen stared at Otto, her chest heaving for air from having exerted herself to fight for control of her own mind. All of Otto's insistence that he had the answers sounded familiar... it sounded like Gwen, telling herself that she could balance the competing aspects of her life eighteen months ago. And she remembered exactly how that had ended.Her gaze drifted to Miles, who was watching the scene without a clue of what he could do. Gwen's eyes settled on his hands, and she began to form an idea..."No can do, Otto..." Gwen said, firing her webbing at his back. "...I've got an experiment of my own to test."An enraged yell left Otto's lungs as Gwen yanked him away from the fusion reactor, slinging him into the wall. Sparks flew from the metal arms as Otto crumbled into a heap on the floor, and Gwen quickly turned to Miles."Miles!! You need to-agh!!" Gwen went down onto one knee, clutching her head again as the symbiote strained to take back control, slimy tentacles curling around her limbs as Miles and George looked on in abstract terror."Get to the reactor..." She groaned, lifting her head to look at Miles once more. "...You can conduct electricity on your own... I think that means you can absorb it, too." Gwen told him, wincing as her brain began to scramble in pain. "Absorb the energy, then let it out into the ground!!""Sounds like that might kill you guys!" Miles shouted over the roar of the reactor."Not if we're a safe distance away!" Gwen shouted back, gritting her teeth as she tried to stand up again. Miles looked hesitantly at the reactor. "I literally just now got a handle on the whole shocky-power thing!" He told her. "This is kind of a big jump in skill level-""Do it NOW, that thing's going to get more and more dangerous if you don't!!" She cried out, finally reaching her feet. Despite his uncertainty, Miles raced over to the reactor, slowing down the closer he got as pure energy radiated from the miniature sun. Gwen looked on as he extended his hands forward, and the flares of energy redirected themselves towards his fingertips.
It's working!!
"Dad!!" Gwen shouted over the commotion, looking at George and pointing at the back door. "Get out of the lab, now-I'm right behind you!"George didn't move at first, heaps of pain in his eyes at the sight of his little girl having to limp as she fought the symbiote's influence.
"Dad, GO!!"
Her father looked back at the miniature sun, which had shrunk noticeably now as Miles strained to contain the energy in himself-all of that power was glowing inside of him, and the eerie framework of his skeleton could be seen through his silhouette.But Gwen's insistence was enough to finally spur him on. The police captain raced towards the door, then stopped to hold it open as Gwen continued stumbling towards him. "That's it... come on, Gwen! You can make it!" He encouraged, watching as Gwen began to move faster, her limping becoming less pronounced.The symbiote's will had been worn down... she'd won."I got it!!" Miles shouted, electricity arcing from his chest as he stiffly backed away from the now-empty reactor. He'd contained the miniature sun, and was now rearing his arms back, preparing to slam his hands into the ground and disperse its energy.Gwen began to break out into a sprint, firing a web through the doorway and getting ready to quickly pull herself through.But something seemed to snatch her ankle just as she was lifting off the ground. Gwen looked back to see a metal claw grabbing her leg, and her eyes followed the arm all the way to the hateful glare of Otto Octavius on the ground.He threw Gwen in Miles's direction, and the blonde tumbled across the floor to where she was right behind him as he lunged forward to release the energy. As soon as Miles's palms hit the ground, Gwen was launched off the ground as the energy raced through her body, making every nerve feel like it was on fire.She felt her heart stop in mid-air, and everything began to fade. Aside from the ringing in her ears, the only thing Gwen could hear in that moment was the horrified cry that left her father's throat...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"There's a light that shines wherever you go"
-My Father's Daughter, Olivia Vedder
"GWEN!!"
It was like nothing George Stacy had ever seen before... and it was something he hoped he'd never see again. A wall of electricity surged outwards from Spider-Man as he dispersed the energy of the miniature sun, immediately enveloping Gwen as she landed behind him. He was left to do nothing but watch helplessly as Gwen was yanked from the ground, the high voltage making her skin translucent and making his daughter's skeleton appear in brief flashes, the horrifying scene making George scream all the louder as she finally hit the ground, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop as smoke curled off her form.George raced over, nothing else in the world existing except his little girl as he reached her, falling to his knees and holding her face. "Gwen...?"There was no movement. No breathing, not even a pulse.George's brain threw out possibilities as fast as it could to protect him-you're hyped on adrenaline and can't feel her pulse, the suit she's wearing makes it harder to detect a heartbeat... "H-hey, kiddo..." He choked out, knowing that she'd gotten a bit too old for that term of endearment but not able to think straight as he turned her face towards him again. "...Breathe, Gwen. Breathe, breathe, breathe..." George's composure unraveled as his insistence turned to begging, none of it enough to get her to respond."Gwen!!" George cried out, staring into the half-masked, lifeless face of his daughter. "Gwen, no!! Please, Gwen, breathe!"
"Breathe!!"
"Breathe in... breathe out..."
George Stacy's attention hadn't once wavered during this whole session. He watched as his seven-year-old daughter inhaled and exhaled as her gymnastics instructor advised, doing a different pose with each breath.
"Do you think she stands out too much?" The voice to his left asked. George glanced over at his wife, who was watching with similar pride in her eyes, but had a slight bit of reluctance.
"Stands out?" George chuckled. "Isn't it a good thing if she's standing out-?"
"No, no, not like that..." Helen Stacy corrected herself, still watching their little girl as she executed a twirl. "...I just meant the outfit."
A smile crept onto George's features. It was true, Gwen was the only one in her class with a mint-green ballet outfit. All of the children around her were wearing more plain shades for their outfits, and it made Gwen stick out like a sore thumb. "I like it.... and I know that she does, too." He told Helen. "That color is kind of a mother-daughter thing at this point, isn't it?"
The comment made Helen sigh, the concern dissipating as she smiled at her husband. Helen had always been a big fan of the color, and ever since Gwen was a baby, she'd been buying clothes or toys that were mint green. Luckily, Gwen had become fond of the color herself, as evidenced by the absolute confidence she radiated in her outfit.
"Okay, everyone! Let's take a break for a few minutes, go find your parents and they should have brought a snack for you..."
The instructor's words made George tense up. "A snack??" He whispered-shouted to Helen, who rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't worry about it, mon capitaine." Helen chuckled, dropping a bit of the language she'd grown up speaking as she dug into her purse. "Se souvenir des choses est la raison d'être des mères." She added, a grin on her face as she teased her husband in a language she knew he wouldn't understand.
"Thanks." George grinned, sighing in relief as he watched Gwen jog over excitedly.
"Did you see that?!! Did you see how I did?" The young girl asked her parents, hopping up and down as Helen flashed George an amused look. "I thought I was going to fall for a second, I was like-WHOA-but then I caught myself! It was so much fun!!"
"You're kicking tail, kiddo!" George told his daughter, rubbing her head affectionately as Helen finally dug the pack of yogurt out of her purse.
"Ooh-!!" Gwen exclaimed, her hands reaching for the yogurt instinctively before Helen held up a hand.
"Gwen, what are we forgetting...?" Helen asked, and the girl made an 'O' with her mouth.
"Oh, um... puis-je prendre cette collation...?" Gwen spoke the French words slowly, and her mother raised an eyebrow, as if Gwen was forgetting something. "Uh... s'il vous plaît...?"
"Close enough..." Helen murmured under her breath, flashing a smile at her daughter as she handed over the snack. Gwen made an estatic face, turned to leave, then stopped herself and faced her mother again.
"Merci, maman!" Gwen remembered, playfully doing a curtsy before jogging over to her friends and leaving her parents laughing at how adorable their daughter was.
"Remind me why we're teaching her French again?" George asked softly, still looking at Gwen as he wrapped his fingers around Helen's hand.
"Hmm," Helen said, an interested look on her face as she closed her fingers around her husband's larger hand. "I could ask you the same thing about why we're letting you fill her head with rock n' roll-"
"Okay, because it's awesome?" George answered quickly, grinning at Helen. "And because the minute I found out we were having a girl, all I could think about was headbanging to Zeppelin or Journey with her in the car."
Helen's teeth seemed to shine as she flashed her brilliant smile. "And you think having her take drum lessons will help her headbang...?"
"You get the idea..." George said, nudging Helen with her elbow as she laughed warmly.
"I had the same dreams of sharing my language with a little girl of my own... but I had them for years and years before I even knew of you." Helen mused, continuing to observe their daughter with an inexplicable fondness in her eyes. "So, you teach her to be the next John Bonham, and I'll teach her French. Fair?" She asked sternly.
"I wasn't complaining about it, Helen." George said, sounding concerned. "I didn't mean to upset you, honey-"
He stopped himself short as amusement flashed in his wife's eyes. She was unable to suppress her smile, and George realized that she was just messing with him.
"Oh, very funny." George remarked, smiling to himself as his wife leaned against his shoulder and laughed. "If we're going to teach Gwen French, then do you mind teaching me some?" He asked her. "And I mean more than what pops out on accident at night sometimes-"
Helen smacked his shoulder, a playful glare on her face as George was now the one laughing. "You're going to be the death of me, Captain Stacy." She told him, the couple sharing a warm smile before turning their attention back to their little girl. "Are we those parents that wear rose-colored glasses when looking at their child..." Helen suggested. "...Or is Gwen really just a total rockstar?"
George didn't even hesitate. It had only been seven years, but he'd seen enough out of his daughter. "She's a rockstar..."
"Gwen?!! Gwen!!"
Nothing that George said seemed to do anything. Gwen-his little girl, his rockstar-remained limp in his arms, an almost serene expression on her face. As if she was finally getting a much-needed rest...Stumbling came from behind George, and his blurred vision spotted Spider-Man pushing himself to his feet, coughing roughly and lifting his head. He exhaled and removed his mask, throwing another curveball at the police captain-it was Miles Morales, the son of George's good friend Jeff Morales. Miles scanned around himself, mouthing "Gwen?" to himself before spotting George. The second the young man's eyes fell upon the fallen hero, George saw a familiar shattering in Miles's eyes.
Heartbreak.
"No... no, no!! GWEN-" Miles raced over, disbelief in his eyes as George could only shake his head helplessly, crippled and crushed by watching the violent scene that had taken his daughter away from him.As Miles crouched over Gwen, holding her limp shoulders and pleading with her to wake up, George's eyes fell to her face... half of it was still masked by that sleek material-a new suit that faintly reminded George of what Felicia Hardy had worn when she'd taken up the alter ego of Black Cat.
The suit... that's what made her act up the other day.
Puzzle pieces began falling into place far too late for George... Felicia Hardy had been a different person when they'd finally been able to arrest her. More clearheaded, far more grieved by her wrongdoings... Gwen had displayed quite the opposite personality during her last conversation with George. He didn't know how, or why... but this suit was behind that personality shift. And it had to be behind Gwen's insistence on heading towards her death for a cause that she didn't know would work.
How could you let this happen?
Thinking about Gwen, lonely, hurt, and broken enough to be willing to face death to find a new purpose, was enough to further shatter the bits and pieces of George's heart that had already crumbled. Her final days had to have been a living hell, and he'd been too busy drowning in his own guilt to try to save her."No... we can't let this happen." Miles spoke up, his hands resting on Gwen's arms as he looked desperately at George. But George didn't meet Miles's vision-his eyes were locked on Gwen's arm, which was donned in the black suit... but now he knew that, on her arm, was a gunshot wound that he'd inflicted.George felt like he was about to throw up. Sure, he'd begun to have suspicions that Gwen was Ghost Spider. But now that it was reality, it made him stare listlessly at nothing, the memory of that awful gunshot sending chills down his spine.
You shot her. You shot your own daughter... and then you left her to die slowly for eighteen months. Gwen was right... you're not a father to her.
"Captain Stacy, give me some room." Miles said hoarsely, causing George to slowly look over. The older man's face was like a mask, the only sign that he was alive being the tears that fell freely from his eyes. "Please, give me space!!" Miles said again, holding up his hands. The lifeless look stayed in George's eyes at first but shifted once he saw the small sparks surging around Miles's fingers.
Is he going to...?
Having no better idea, George relinquished his hold on his daughter, passing her to Miles. The younger male choked back a sob as Gwen's body slouched when he held it, and he gently laid her on the ground. Miles's arms lowered by his sides, and he took a deep breath as flares of electricity swarmed around his hands. He placed one hand over the other, then firmly pressed them right above Gwen's heart.
BZZT!!
Her body arched in response, and some of her blonde hair began to rise from the static. But Gwen immediately flopped back onto the ground, remaining unresponsive.
It's not going to work.
She's gone.
She's really gone.
"Come on... come on, Gwen, just hang on-" Miles begged, pressing his hands above her heart again. BZZT!! A tear trickled down his nose as he repeated the process, and Gwen's body spasmed once more before settling roughly onto the ground. "Gwen!!"George couldn't watch... but he also couldn't look away. The visceral scene of Miles desperately trying to resuscitate Gwen made George gag, and he clutched his chest as his own heart raced out of control.A life flashed before George's eyes... but it wasn't his own. Memories of Gwen's first cry when she was born, taking her first steps in the living room, watching her show George the first song she'd learned on the drums, all the science fairs, all the academic awards, all the times she'd gone to her father in tears as she struggled to adjust to a life without her mother... what had it all been for?
You wasted it. You let this happen to her.
A father couldn't possibly be prouder of a daughter... Gwen Stacy had given of herself more than George could even imagine, and was more than just a success. She was more than just a rockstar... she was a hero. Even before Ghost Spider had been a thing, Gwen had saved someone's life... George's.If it hadn't been for the responsibility of raising Gwen, George wouldn't have survived the loss of his wife. If it hadn't been for the love he had for his little girl, George would've given in-to alcohol, or to some other dark urge. If it hadn't been for that perfect little smile that he saw when he picked her up from school, or the joy of watching his flesh and blood take on the world and leave her own mark on it... George wouldn't be here today.
But maybe Gwen would still be here if it weren't for you.
As Miles continued to use his hands as defibrillators, to no success, one more thought surfaced in George's mind, one more condemnation that was going to haunt him for the rest of his days.
You didn't tell her you were proud of her before she died...
George had almost finished his dinner, but he could tell that something was off with Gwen. She was the world's worst at hiding when she was stressing out-his daughter had a habit of picking at her food without actually eating it when her mind was elsewhere.
He took a deep breath, trying to not be a helicopter parent. Maybe she'd snap herself out of it...
But what was he supposed to do if she couldn't?
George frowned at the sight of Gwen sitting there, but not seeming to be present. She had such an ingenious, active mind... something that George didn't have. He could only imagine how easy it might be to get lost in a mind like that. What was she thinking about now? Was she beating herself up over a grade that was 'bad' by her standards? Had her band practice with her friends not gone well? What?
Then, George paused. Maybe it was none of those... maybe it was something that he wasn't doing.
He looked down, seriously considering what all he could've been doing better lately for Gwen. Paying the bills and putting a roof over her head was one thing, but making sure that his little girl was emotionally confident and safe were of utmost importance as well, and that was George's responsibility.
George furrowed his brow, trying to think... Helen had been so much better at this stuff than he was. It was a fear of his that Gwen would suffer from some type of emotional pain due to George's lesser abilities when it came to emotional intelligence.
He'd told her he loved her, he knew that... told her that he was proud of her, too. And those weren't just checklist things that George did to feel better about himself-he truly meant it. Who wouldn't love Gwen? What father wouldn't be proud of a daughter like her?
Pushing himself, George thought deeper... he knew that he meant these things, but did Gwen?
It wasn't something he'd considered before, but it struck him as something he should've been thinking about a lot more than he did. Sure, George knew that he meant it when he told Gwen that he loved her, and that he was proud of her... but a daughter as amazing as Gwen might've grown numb to hearing it all the time. How was he supposed to say it in a way that would mean more? That would make Gwen never doubt what her father thought about her?
Once again, all George could think about was how much better Helen was at this stuff than him. She'd have an idea right away-her motherly instincts would solve this problem swiftly and make George feel silly for having such trouble with it.
But Helen wasn't there anymore... the empty kitchen chair beside George served as a reminder of that every day.
His eyes went back to his daughter-Gwen's stare had become more focused, as if she was deeper in whatever rabbit hole her brain had gone down. George had to do something... anything that would give his daughter the reassurance she needed.
What would Helen do?
George's brain filtered through all the moments he could remember of Helen bonding with Gwen and offering her emotional support... part of that special connection had been through teaching Gwen how to speak some basic French, so that the mother and daughter could speak to each other in a special way that was unique to them. Maybe, just maybe, bringing some of that back could speak to Gwen in a way that George's normal communication could not.
He quickly pulled out his phone, pulling up Google translate. Rearranging it to where it would translate English into French, he quickly typed in what he thought Gwen needed to hear most.
The translator gave him what he needed to say: "Je suis si fière de toi, et ta mère aussi."
"Okay, okay..." George spoke to himself, trying to word out the phrase in his mind. He turned his attention back to Gwen, and saw that she was still picking at her food. It was so astounding that she could get so lost in thought.
Suddenly, Gwen seemed to notice that he was staring at her. She quickly looked up and shot him a smile that was clearly intended to make him not worry about her. "Sorry, I... had a question come up in class today, was... still trying to work through it..."
Seemed reasonable enough... but he knew that it wasn't the whole story. George tilted his head, the corner of his lips lifting in a knowing smile. "I see... you know that school is for... school, right? You don't have to dwell on it at the dinner table."
His comment made Gwen sigh, and she nodded in agreement. "You're right. Sorry, I just... I feel like I've got a lot to think about."
"You're telling me." George grinned. He knew all about having a lot on his mind, even if he couldn't go as in-depth on his thoughts as Gwen could. "We're about to promote Officer Davis to Captain next week, and I've got to keep him from jumping into danger to 'prove himself' in the meanwhile." He chuckled softly. "And some of the Manhattan folks are losing their minds-they're calling in reports of a dinosaur at night!"
Gwen nearly spit out her food, stifling a laugh as she held up her hand to her face. "A... what?"
"We think they've gotten ahold of some new recreational substances." George said with a sigh. "Just... something else to think about."
Gwen smiled up at him, immediately making George feel a bit better about where he was at. Nothing had changed, but at least he'd been able to make her smile.
That was everything to George... making the most wonderful person he'd ever met smile.
"I'm sure you'll handle it." Gwen said, shrugging off the thought of George facing any difficulties with this latest issue. "You are the famed 'Captain Stacy,' after all."
"'Famed' is pushing it." George chuckled, taking a bite of his food. "And I don't even think of myself as Captain Stacy, I-"
"I know." Gwen said, smiling to herself. "You think of yourself as my dad..."
That conversation had been almost eighteen months ago-just before the Midtown Prom Incident that had thrown both of their lives into upheaval. George had thought that Gwen was okay after they'd been able to have a moment of empathy. He hadn't tried saying that French phrase to her... he'd assumed that she was alright after all.He'd been wrong.As the months wore on, and as the world seemed to unravel, George had thought back to that moment time and time again. But he hadn't been able to say it to Gwen, since he'd been fighting not to give in to that stupid bottle of liquor. And now he was here, his eyes stinging with tears as he watched the most wonderful person he'd ever met remain lifeless, her body sprawled on the ground as Miles Morales's sobbing grew more and more pronounced."Miles..." George said, the lump in his throat making his voice softer than ever. Miles shook his head defiantly, not even wanting to entertain the notion of giving up as he tried again.
BZZT!!
His hands sparked, Gwen's body arched, and she went to the ground once again."Miles..." George repeated, gently taking hold of the young man's shoulder. Miles shrugged it off, and George was left looking at Gwen's motionless face.
It's over.
"I'm sorry..." George wheezed, covering his mouth as the ugly crying restarted all over again. Miles was crying too, shaking his head as he continued his vain efforts, placing his hands over Gwen's heart again. "...I'm so sorry, Gwen!!" George choked, his burly hands scooping up his daughter's lithe one and holding it as his tears blurred everything he saw. "I was always proud of you, kiddo, always-"
BZZT!!
A sob ripped itself from George's lungs at the sight of Gwen's body spasming again, but it was cut short by another sound.
A gasp.
George and Miles both froze as the electric blue eye that had been shut for far too agonizingly long fluttered open and began to look at them both in turn."M... Miles? Dad?"The two men crashed into each other on their way to pick Gwen off the ground, each one getting an arm on her before lifting her up. They all ended up in some awkward group hug, clinging to Gwen for dear life while sobbing like frightened toddlers."Mmff..." Gwen mumbled as the two men engulfed her in a hug. "...I... I'm guessing I should stay away from electrical outlets for a while..."The dark joke was enough to get George and Miles chuckling even though they hated that Gwen sounded so flippant about it. George let go of Gwen first, getting to his feet and putting his hands on his head.
You almost lost her...
As Miles helped Gwen sit up, then stood up himself to try to relax his still-frazzled nerves, George rubbed his bleary eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath before looking at Gwen. "Kiddo, listen to me-""No, dad, I need to say something first-""-This is important-""-Not as important as what I've got to say-""-Dad, please-""-Just give me a second, Gwen-"
"-I'M SO SORRY, DAD!!"
The broken shout made George pause, and he frowned in confusion. "For... what? It's not your fault that you got electrocuted-""Not for that," Gwen spat out, on the verge of tears herself now. "What I said the other day... I swear I didn't mean any of it! I was so confused and lost, and I... I thought that if I just went numb, everything could go away." She told him, shaking her head and sniffling. "I was stupid, and I've been pushing everything away so that I would stop hurting... and now all I'm doing is just hurting other people with this... this thing!!"She held up her hands, looking at the black suit in disgust. Like she loathed herself. It made George's heart twist-he never wanted his little girl looking at herself that way again."I should've never said any of that, I'm so sorry-" Gwen apologized frantically, her face beginning to contort as the tears began to fall. "-I'm so sorry, dad, please don't hate me, please-""Gwen," George shook his head, and could do nothing but smile at her. This... helping his little rockstar back onto her feet... this was enough of a reason to keep living. To fight the demons inside so he could be well enough to be a proper father. "We're going to help get that thing off of you, okay?" George promised, and Gwen nodded slowly. "I... I don't think I understand everything that's going on with you, but you're my little girl." He told her, the reassurance making Gwen's eyes well up with emotion. "Nothing that you could ever do or say will change that, Gwen. Nothing-"A vicious snarl made George look over his shoulder-Otto Octavius was rising to his feet, sparks shooting from the damage done to his metal arms. The scientist's eyes went to his empty fusion reactor, then flickered to Gwen immediately. "You..." He growled, one of the claws on his arms opening and snapping shut. "...You will not keep me from getting my son back."The arm raced at Gwen, and she was too weak to do anything but shut her eyes and hold up her hands.
SHCCK!!
Another breath flew from George's lips-he was staring at the face of his daughter, which now had blood splattered on it.But it wasn't her own..."DAD!!" Gwen shrieked in horror, looking at the blood-covered claw protruding from her father's chest... he'd stepped in front of her to take the blow. George gurgled as he felt the metallic taste of blood fill his mouth, and he sank to his knees.Behind him, Otto looked on in abject horror-he clearly hadn't meant to do that. "W-w-wait..." Otto stammered, remorse flooding his eyes as the arm yanked itself out of George, making the valiant police captain cough in pain and tumble onto his side.George's vision was double... he could hear the sound of Miles shouting in anger and going after Otto, only to get thrown over George's head by one of Otto's arms. George looked over to see the scientist fleeing the scene, giving the dying officer a look of horror as he raced out the door and turned a corner. Gwen was at George's side, begging and pleading with George to hang on, just as her father had done to her not five minutes earlier."Please, please, please stop!! No, dad!! Dad!! Please, dad!!" Gwen sobbed, her hands gripping her father's shoulders and turning him onto his back as George groaned weakly. "I'm so sorry, dad!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, dad-"
I don't want to leave her feeling guilty the rest of her life...
A pair of gentle, strong hands lifted to Gwen's face. George wheezed weakly as his palms settled on her face-one half the mask of the city's hero, the other the face of the most capable person he'd ever seen.
And they were both his daughter.
He smiled up at her, unable to think of anything but how amazing Gwen Stacy was."G-Gwen... J-Je suis-"The language shift made Gwen lock up, and George coughed before finishing the thing he needed to tell his daughter most. "- Je suis si fière de toi... et ta mère aussi." It took a few moments, but George could see Gwen work out what he was saying. He'd told her what he thought of her, despite her mistakes... and he'd done it in a way that showed it was thought-out and sincere. She began to sob again, but was no longer begging for him to forgive her. For now.
She understood... she knows that I mean it.
And that was enough for George to be at ease as the darkness consumed his vision for good.
"The man of the hour is taking his final bow; goodbye for now"
-Man of the Hour, Pearl Jam
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"When you gonna' make up your mind? When you gonna' love you as much as I do?"
-Winter, Tori Amos
Silence.
That was the only thing Gwen Stacy felt through any of her senses as she sat at the kitchen table. The young woman had removed her damaged mask, but had her cowl over her head as she stayed slouched in the chair that had become 'hers' with time. Gwen looked down at her hand as it rested beside a familiar bottle of liquor on the tabletop. Her fingers were trembling.
You're going to have to look up eventually.
Gwen shut her eyes as the symbiote spoke to her-it had survived her brush with death, and was currently working to heal the soreness in her bones from the violent electrocution that she'd suffered. But there was one thing that had happened to her that even the symbiote could not heal...
Look up.
She squeezed her eyes harder, knowing what was going to happen if she looked up. But it was right... Gwen was not going to be able to avoid reality forever.Gwen's eyes fluttered open halfheartedly, and she chewed on her lip as her head slowly tilted upwards while her fingers rattled on the table from their trembling that refused to cease. And there before her, beyond the bottle that her father had been wrestling with for so long, was the reason that she was shaking.Her father's kitchen chair. Now empty forever.The sight forced tears to her eyes, and her lips formed a pout that only came with immense pain. Dad...In the moments following the end of the showdown with Otto, Gwen had gone completely numb. No tears, no sobs... no movement at all. Miles had cleaned her father's blood from her face and tried earnestly to get her to talk, but nothing had worked. Gwen had slowly stared ahead at nothing, then left before the police came since her mask was damaged and she couldn't afford for them to figure out who she really was.She'd been forced to leave her father there after watching him die with her own eyes.So many memories had been formed at this table-memories of life lessons from her parents, conversations about silly happenings during the day, family board games on Friday nights... but only one of them was present in Gwen's mind in this moment.
"I spent the last year and a half in a living hell because I didn't know who I could trust anymore... because I didn't know who you were to me. But I know the truth now: you're not a hero. You're not a good man."
"You're not my father. And you have no one to blame but yourself."
"Why don't you go hit the bottle to make it go away? Since that's all you seem to want to do nowadays... just give in and make both our lives a whole lot easier."
Gwen pulled her legs up into her chair, hugging them to her chest and cowering as the hateful things she'd said to the person that had loved her most fired through her brain again and again. As hard as she tried to pin the animosity on the symbiote... she knew the truth: deep down, those feelings had been bubbling inside of her own heart. The symbiote had simply amplified the mistrust and betrayal she'd felt towards her father.
You were right to feel that way. Remember what he did to you-
"Shut up." Gwen growled, her fingers angrily gripping the slick suit that covered her knees. A tear trickled down her cheek as she lifted her head once again-and was met immediately with the liquor bottle. How had she been so foolish? George had been in every bit as much pain as Gwen was in since the Midtown Prom Incident. Only now, when it was too late, did Gwen realize that her father had been pushing back his demons out of guilt for what he'd done to a former ally: shooting Ghost Spider had taken its toll on him despite having no better answer as to whom had killed Peter Parker and Owen Octavius, and Gwen had failed to see that spoke volumes of his tender conscience.
What father shoots their own daughter? How can you defend him?
"A father that didn't know he was aiming at his daughter." Gwen snapped. "A father that deserved to know what I was doing so something like that didn't happen."She could still picture her father in that chair now: hunched over and breaking down at Gwen's comments rather than rightfully saying something back to put her in her place. The strongest-willed man in New York, turned into a puddle by an emotional outburst from his daughter.It had been because she was the most influential person in his life, she realized that now. All those times he'd told her that he was proud of her, that he loved her... they hadn't been simple parent-speak. He'd truly meant it.It had just taken eighteen years, and him dying to save her, for Gwen to finally understand it.All she could think about was how she could've done things differently to prevent this reality-could she have tried to face the aftermath of the Midtown Prom Incident with more strength and resolve? Could she have fought any better against Otto in the lab?
What could I have done to keep that chair from being empty?
Nothing. You are the most powerful being in New York City-maybe even the world! The symbiote reminded Gwen. If you could not prevent this, then no one could.
If he was not strong enough to survive what you have to endure, then we will be stronger without him-
"Shut up!!" Gwen shouted, feeling like a crazy person as she openly raged at a voice in her head and pounded a fist on the table. "JUST SHUT UP!!"She choked for a moment, coughing as her voice cracked from the anger. Gwen's face hid itself in her knees, and she wept for several moments. Her sobbing was interrupted by her phone going off back in her room. Gwen stumbled out of her chair, almost falling down due to her blurry vision and emotional state as she walked upstairs.Her phone was on her nightstand, showing the reminder for her to take her night dosage of Effexor. Gwen angrily cut the alarm off, then walked to her bathroom and took the bottle of antidepressants from shelf by her sink. She left her room, tearing open the cap and downing a pill as she walked downstairs, then let the bottle fall from her grasp. It hit a stair and spilled her medication everywhere as Gwen continued making her way down, not having enough willpower to care anymore as she went back to the kitchen table.Her footsteps slowed down as she reached the kitchen, her eyes darting between her mother and father's chairs. She slumped into her own chair, realizing that this death signaled that she was truly alone now. The loneliness she'd felt the past eighteen months was not going to compare to what Gwen faced now."Can you hear me?" She spoke hoarsely to the empty chair. A lump welled up in Gwen's throat as she thought back to what she'd done to her father-not just the outburst of anger, but the months spent not noticing that he was in just as bad a shape emotionally as she was. She could've spent that time trying to help him, to heal their broken connection... but instead she'd focused on how much she was hurting. No matter how legitimate and validated Gwen's hurt was, she could not forgive herself for letting her father wither away in agony."You can't hear me..." Gwen muttered, looking away and feeling stupid for even trying to reach out. She felt a tear drip onto her leg, and she took a deep breath before looking up at the chair again. "No... I-if... if you can hear me... I... I..." Gwen bit her lip, feeling her heart twisting inside her chest as she shook her head gently. "...I hate what I did to you. I don't know why I couldn't see what I'd done to you... and I hate it."
He can't hear you.
"I wasn't any help to you when you needed me most." Gwen confessed, her eyes burning as she sniffled and wiped her nose. "I said you weren't my father... I'm so sorry!!" She croaked, gazing at the chair with eyes that pleaded for forgiveness from a person that was no longer present with her. "I was wrong... you were trying to be my father, and I... I wasn't being your daughter."
He can't hear you.
Gwen felt like she was going to be sick. She held her head in her hands, releasing a strangled gasp as she tried to gain some semblance of composure. Her eyes peeked through her fingers, falling on something that still stood between herself and her father's chair.The bottle.She shuddered, thinking about how much misery that thing had brought to George-how he'd fought to not fall back into alcoholism due to his sorrow, sorrow that Gwen now knew was brought on by his love for her and the sight of his little girl crumbling under the weight of her trauma.
I just want to stop feeling anything... if anyone deserves what too much of that thing does, it's me.
It was quite the twisted thing to think about oneself, something that Gwen would expect from the symbiote. But this time, it was completely her own voice.Without thinking, she reached forward and grabbed the bottle. Desperate for release from this torment, no matter how dark a release it was, Gwen opened it and brought it to her lips. Having never tasted alcohol due to fearing what her father had gone through, the unfamiliar taste made her tongue burn. Gwen winced and gagged, all of the liquor spilling from her lips as she was unable to swallow it. But the pain in her heart was unbearable... Gwen brought the bottle back to her mouth again and took a larger sip.The burn was so intense... it made Gwen's eyes sting as she held the liquid in her mouth, preparing to swallow it. But then her eyes fell upon her father's chair.
What would he think of this? He'd be so disappointed in me.
Immediately, Gwen spat the alcohol out. She reared her arm back and hurled the bottle at the kitchen sink, the force she used pulling her out of her chair as the bottle sailed through the air and shattered for good.Gwen was shaking as she laid facedown on the ground, gripping her hair as she began to wail, unable to bear this as she was. I'm so alone... I'm such a disappointment..." Je suis si fière de toi... et ta mère aussi."Her father's final words rang through her brain in this moment, making her grow quiet as she thought about how George Stacy had used his final moments. She'd been surprised to hear him speak French-her mother's native language, and one that Gwen was also fluent in. It had taken her a few seconds, but she'd been able to translate what he'd spent his final breath trying to tell her.
"I'm so proud of you... and so is your mother."
Gwen lifted her head and was met with one of the legs of her father's chair. She thought about those final words, still crying as she considered their weight: if she truly was a disappointment, why would he tell her that? Especially when he had all the reason to be disappointed in her after Gwen had ripped his heart out several days before?She weakly crawled forward, hugging the leg of the chair and resting her cheek against it. "I'm so sorry, dad..." Gwen whispered, pain and remorse in every syllable.A distant noise echoed in the streets of New York, a sound that Gwen would recognize anywhere. Sirens.The whole city had associated that sound with George Stacy by now-he'd been a local legend for all the good things he'd done as a police captain. Now, his will to protect his neighbors was gone, all because of Gwen. Her fingers tightened their hold on the leg of her father's chair, and the sorrow that she felt deep inside forced an agonized frown onto her face.
"...I wished I could've saved you."
As soon as she said that, Gwen could feel the symbiote working in her mind-as if she'd just given it an idea.You could've saved him, it told her. You absolutely could've saved him... if you had given in.The statement made Gwen shiver-she'd already given in to the symbiote fully once when Oscorp had attacked the lab. She couldn't fully remember what had happened to her in that moment, but she knew that it had been quite scary. Was that something she wanted to become?
You may have failed your father... but you're not alone. You have US.
Gwen bit her lip, knowing that the symbiote was just trying to manipulate her so it could gain more control over her. The only issue was that Gwen didn't know what else she had left to lose by listening to it now.
Give in, and WE shall be more powerful than you could have ever dreamed... you have failed twice now by trusting yourself too much. So give in... and then we can finally be enough to make a difference. Your life will FINALLY count for something.
Gwen felt the tendrils of the symbiote crawling along her skin, digging into her as it tried to strengthen its grip. The pain was horrific... but once again, it was nothing compared to the helplessness in her heart."Dad..." Gwen whimpered, unable to think of anything but how she'd failed as a daughter. Her forehead clunked softly against the leg of her father's chair, and she clung to it with misty eyes as the sirens continued to wail in the distance.
End of Part 2