"So, when the grid finally came back online, I took a squad out to survey the localized damage," George Stacy said, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror as he navigated the morning Queens traffic. "We found a half-dozen looters laid out cold in an alleyway next to a clinic. Covered in bruises. When they finally woke up, they all swore they never saw who hit them. So, either we've got a master ninja running around Brooklyn, or we've got an invisible man with a baseball bat."
Sitting in the backseat of the cruiser, Gwen Stacy—the "invisible man" in question—offered an incredibly awkward, painfully polite smile.
Sitting next to her, Peter Parker shifted uneasily against the leather upholstery. He desperately needed to change the subject before the city's top cop started connecting the dots.
"So, Uncle George," Peter interjected smoothly, leaning forward. "Didn't you just get promoted to Police Inspector? Why are you still running around doing street patrols in the middle of a blackout?"
Within the NYPD, the rank structure drastically shifted once you hit Inspector. Frontline officers and detectives were required to hit the pavement and respond to active dispatch calls. But an Inspector was top brass. They were supposed to stay behind a mahogany desk and manage precincts.
George Stacy had earned a massive, fast-tracked promotion following his dedication during the Symbiote Frenzy, his willingness to actively coordinate with vigilantes, and his instrumental role in finally locking the Kingpin behind bars. Considering he was only in his mid-forties, becoming an Inspector made him one of the youngest and most accomplished men in the department.
"I can't just sit idle behind a desk, Peter," George sighed, tapping the steering wheel. "The paperwork is fine when the city is quiet, but if the lights go out and my people are on the street? I'm going to be out there helping them."
Inspector Stacy pulled the cruiser up to the bustling front entrance of Midtown High School. It was a rare morning when his schedule actually allowed him to personally drop the kids off.
After stepping out onto the sidewalk and waving goodbye to her father's departing cruiser, Gwen hitched her backpack higher on her shoulder and suddenly blurted out a confession.
"I still haven't told my dad that we're dating."
Peter paused, adjusting his own backpack strap. "Should I... ask why?"
"It's nothing bad," Gwen smiled, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. "It's just that our first real date feel so rush, and it feels a little embarrassing to announce it yet. Speaking of which... did you actually fight that 'Electro' guy the night before last?"
The moniker Electro had been aggressively coined by J. Jonah Jameson. The Daily Bugle publisher absolutely hated the villain for causing a two-hour blackout and blowing a crater into Times Square, and he was currently using his media empire to loudly criticize the "electric menace"—while also managing to blame Spider-Man for the property damage, naturally.
"Yeah. Overall, it went as well as it could," Peter nodded, keeping his voice low as they walked toward the front doors. "Nobody in the crowd got hurt. But the guy refused to be taken alive. He chose to self-destruct."
Gwen let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
During those two dark hours, Gwen had been out of her mind with worry. She had seen the blinding, crackling blue anomaly streaking across the New York skyline. But because Max Dillon had drained the city's grid—and consequently, the battery of every cell tower and smartphone in the boroughs—she couldn't contact Peter.
For the first time since she had known him, Gwen had experienced the suffocating, paralyzing panic of total radio silence. I had no way of knowing if he was safe. What if he fell? What if he was fighting something he couldn't handle alone? Even though Spider-Man was growing stronger and more capable with every crisis, it did absolutely nothing to quiet her anxiety.
Peter sensed the tension radiating off her. He offered a soft, reassuring smile. "Hey. Don't worry about me. I can protect myself."
Gwen couldn't help but roll her eyes. That statement held absolutely zero credibility. The mathematical probability of Peter Parker prioritizing his own physical safety during a supervillain fight was significantly lower than the probability of him letting someone get hurt.
But she didn't argue. She just accepted the lie for what it was.
"So..." Gwen hummed, bumping her shoulder against his as they entered the crowded hallway. "When is our next date?"
Peter blinked, genuinely taken aback. He stopped near a row of blue lockers. "Wait, what?"
Gwen looked at him, her brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "What's wrong? Didn't you promise a second date?"
Deep inside Peter mind, a dark, oily voice decided to chime in.
[From a purely biological standpoint, her logic is flawless,] Venom purred in Peter's head. [The female has initiated a courtship ritual to evaluate your viability as a mate. You have not yet finalized the bonding process, nor have you established dominant mating rights over your rivals. Therefore, continuing the courtship is required. It is a natural law of your planet.]
Peter stared blankly at a locker door, his brain flooding with a chaotic mix of teenage panic and alien biology.
[Of course, there is an alternative scenario,] Venom continued thoughtfully. [If an apex individual is powerful enough, they can simply dominate the mating rights of the entire local female population. We could simply claim—]
"Why on earth should I listen to your nonsense?!" Peter muttered out loud, aggressively cutting the symbiote off.
Gwen froze, her hand hovering over her locker combination. She looked at Peter, deeply hurt. "Excuse me?"
Peter's eyes went wide as he realized he had spoken out loud. "No! Not you! I was talking to V!" Peter pointed frantically at his own head. "Venom was giving me a lecture on evolutionary mating rights! I was telling him he was talking nonsense!"
Gwen stared at him for a second before a highly amused, relieved smile broke across her face.
"Right," Peter sighed, rubbing his temples to soothe the incoming headache. "Anyway, back to what Uncle George was talking about in the car... you were the invisible man with the baseball bat, weren't you?"
"Guilty," Gwen smirked, rubbing her right bicep. "My arms are actually kind of sore from swinging that bat. Thank god I play the drums; the cardio really helped."
Peter's expression turned serious. He leaned closer. "Gwen, you know that your mutation just makes people's brains ignore you, right? You aren't literally disappearing. You aren't intangible. Random bullets fired in the dark can still hit you."
"I was sneaking up behind them, Peter, not standing in front of their guns," Gwen countered easily. She flashed him a victorious, knowing grin, perfectly throwing his own words back at him. "Don't worry about me. I can protect myself."
She gave him a playful wink and headed off down the hall toward her first-period class. As she walked, her mind was already spinning with tactical ideas. Maybe if I study harder this semester, I can request a schedule transfer and get placed in the same advanced science track as Peter next year... but first, I need to figure out where we're going for Date Number Two.
Meanwhile, Peter walked into his homeroom classroom and slumped into his desk.
Between the cosmic cube crisis, getting trapped in a zombie multiverse, and fighting a living lightning bolt, he had been running on a brutal, non-stop adrenaline bender.
Harry immediately spun around in the desk in front of him, practically vibrating with excitement. Harry completely skipped over the fact that Peter had been actively dodging the romantic crossfire between Gwen and Cindy ever since the Puerto Rico trip.
"Dude! Did you see the news about the blackout?!" Harry beamed. "Tony Stark actually subsidized the grid! We're getting free electricity!"
"I thought J. Jonah Jameson already explained the whole thing on the morning broadcast..." Peter mumbled, unpacking his textbook.
"Jameson just yelled about some 'Lightning Spider-Man' showing up and causing millions in property damage," Harry dismissed. "But the Bugle's blog mentioned Spidey was rocking a brand-new suit!" Harry said while elbowing Peter
Cindy Moon, sitting one row over, leaned in with intense curiosity. She had felt the massive kinetic shockwaves of Peter breaking the sound barrier the other night, and she wanted details.
"In order to safely capture Electro, the Avengers designed a specialized, high-capacity supersonic suit for me," Peter whispered to the two of them, keeping his voice low. "It's powered entirely by my own bio-electricity. That's it."
"So, from now on, you're officially the fastest guy in New York?" Cindy whispered, her eyes wide.
"Not even close," Peter shook his head. "The new armor burns through my internal power reserves way too fast. Unless I have Thor literally standing behind me acting as a giant battery charger, I can only sustain that kind of speed for a few minutes before I completely pass out."
Peter glanced around the room as he spoke. He noticed Amadeus Cho's desk was completely empty. Just as he was about to ask Harry if the boy genius was out sick, the morning bell shrieked overhead.
Mr. Harrington walked into the classroom, clapping his hands together to quiet the chatter.
"Alright, settle down, everyone! I have some exciting news before we start today's lesson," the teacher announced cheerfully. "In December, the Oscorp Technology division has formally invited our entire first-year class to an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of their Advanced Science Center!"
Mr. Harrington beamed. "If you have any prior engagements, please make sure you request your leave in advance. You are not going to want to miss this field trip!"
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