26 Spider Smoothie

"So they were just keeping those top secret spiders in a fucking glass habitat?"

"Yep" replied Gwen, enunciating the p with a pop.

"After they'd already had one get loose and create a spider themed superhero?" I asked, my tone remarkably deadpan.

"Mhm. You'd think mad scientists would be a bit smarter, but they never are." She said, reading a magazine and leaning back into the chair she placed next to my hospital bed.

"Wait, what if it happens again?" I turned to her, worried we might be getting some Spider themed comrades soon.

"It probably won't. The day after the trip, I broke into Oscorp, corrupted all their data, burnt their physical copies and disposed of the Spiders" she said, not taking her eyes off the magazine.

"Oh, well, that's good. Wait, disposed of them how?"

"Flamethrower"

"…Flamethrower?"

"You want the details?" She replied, looking up at me with a tone that seemed to say 'go ahead and ask'.

"…I'm good, thanks."

Gwen went back to her magazine and we sat in comfortable silence for a moment, before I came to a realization.

"Wait a minute. There were 2 spiders missing."

"What?" She asked, looking back up from the magazine.

"That day, at Oscorp. There were 2 Spiders missing. I got bit by one, so where did the other one go?"

"It… probably crawled into some vent and died. You know how things go with these radioactive super spiders" she said, laughing nervously as I just gave her a deadpan look.

We shrugged and she went back to her magazine once again, as I reached for the TV remote and turned on the news. There were the normal reports on the damage caused by Juggernaut, but a breaking news segment soon interrupted the regular broadcast.

A man seated behind a desk with a glorious moustache immediately began to yell at the camera. Oh yes, you guessed it, this was none other than J. Jonah "The Jerk-Off" Jameson.

Gwen and I both sighed as he went on with his usual rhetoric. Although, even with all his nonsense, I couldn't really bring myself to hate him. That moustache was just too good.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, we here at the Daily Bugle are a very reputable news organization. We were the first ones to showcase to you all the true danger of the SPIDER-MENACES plaguing our city. It started out with just one criminal, Spider-woman. THEN CAME ALONG SPIDER-MAN TO MAKE IT A SPIDER-COUPLE. NEXT THING WE KNOW THERE'LL BE SPIDER BABIES RUNNING AROUND WREAKING HAVOC!" He yelled, and I'm pretty sure I saw some spittle flying at the camera.

Gwen and I both went wide eyed and glanced at each other, before quickly looking away. I swear I could feel the embarrassment emanating off of both of us like an aura.

Jameson then went on.

"Folks, we here at the Daily Bugle have heard from some very reputable and reliable sources that THERE HAS BEEN A THIRD SPIDER-MAN SIGHTING. THIS PLAGUE AMONG OUR CITY IS SPREADING! We have some video evidence to show you, so please pay close attention"

Gwen and I's heads both shot towards the TV as we watched a shaky camera recording of a man in a home-made spider suit jump off a small warehouse and try to swing, only to face-plant directly into a wall.

We both winced, remembering that time in our hero careers.

We looked at each other and both sighed. This could be dealt with later. As long as he doesn't go picking fights with super-villains immediately, it should be fine…right?

I turned off the TV and and decided to just relax and worry about it later. I looked over and saw that Gwen had decided the same.

We let the comfortable silence between us take over. I sat and looked out of the window at the city we swore to protect, the warm light of the sun gleaming through the window onto my face. I sighed as I took it all in.

New York is a city that never rests. There's always something going on, both good and bad. Mostly bad. There's a villain trying to destroy the city every week. In that regard, it's a hellhole, that's for sure.

But swinging down the street and seeing children laugh happily, walking hand in hand with their parents, without a care in the world. That's what makes it worth it. It may be a hellhole, but it's our hellhole.

However, if this event with the Juggernaut was anything to go by, protecting it with just the two of us would be difficult. The Avengers operate all across the globe. There are going to be times when they aren't here to help, and when that happens, we can't afford to be helpless. We need to establish that team, fast. And I think I know just where to start.

"Gwen, there's something I need to ask you."

I say, turning to look at her.

She puts down her magazine and looks me in my eyes, indicating for me to go on.

"There was an idea. A group of superheroes-in-training, coming together to help make a difference. To learn what it means to be a hero, and to protect this city, and eventually the world. To be taught by the Avengers themselves, and to take their place in the future. I want you to be part of that team. You're one of the most talented and courageous people I know, and the team would be all the better with you in it. Right now, we're just vigilantes with powers. We have nothing and no-one to back us up, and we can't take on everything alone. The Avengers and the X-men helped us out this time, but they won't always be there. We need allies, and we need to get stronger. What do you say? Will you join me?" I explained, my eyes never leaving hers, and my tone conveying the importance of my request.

Gwen took a moment to process everything. I could quite literally see the gears turning in her head.

"This team, did Tony Stark sign off on it?" She asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation.

"He's actually one of it's founders, as well as our main sponsor."

"So we'd quite literally be working under the Avengers, then. That sounds…pretty cool."

"If you think that's cool, wait till you see our base. It's like a mansion. It's got everything, from hotel-like rooms for each of us, to a combat training facility, jacuzzis and a sauna." I replied, chuckling.

I could tell the mention of the Jacuzzi started to entice her more and more to accept. But then the big problem with the plan came up.

"But my dad has no idea about my superhero gig. How would I even begin to explain why I'm suddenly moving into a superhero base."

"That's simple." A voice declared from outside the door. Gwen quickly pulled on her mask as the door opened, and in walked Tony Stark.

"Sorry for eavesdropping, it's just that I paid for the room and all that. Also, you can drop the mask, kid. I'm Tony Stark, I've known who you are for months. Nice suit, by the way. What is that, spandex?" He said, walking into the room, taking a seat on the couch across the room from us and putting his legs up onto the coffee table.

"Anyway, spandex or not, doesn't matter." He continued.

"I'll deal with your daddy dearest. It's a simple fix. I'll tell him that you applied to a contest I hosted while looking for interns to assist me in my research, and you won. Your grades are top notch, so should be pretty believable. I'll tell him that the internship requires you to live in our dorms, and that it comes with a rather lucrative payment package. You can go to school straight from the dorms, and can go live at home on the weekends."

Gwen took the idea into consideration, but made one request.

"Alright, that sounds like a good plan. But I think it'll be better coming from me. Can you give me a few days to try to convince him? He's pretty protective of me."

"Sure, kid. Take your time. The offer doesn't have an expiration date. Just try to be quick about it, better done sooner than later. And you." He said, changing focus from Gwen to me.

"What the hell happened to you. I thought you could take a bullet and walk it off." He said, chuckling at my many broken bones.

I glanced back at him with an unamused look.

"I can take a bullet and walk it off." Gwen turned to look at me with an expression that said 'seriously?'. I just nodded at her and continued.

"Turns out that a 10 foot Goliath with immortality hits harder than a bullet. My broken ribs are a testament to that."

"Well, you must be pretty durable. According to the X-men, the punch juggernaut threw at you would've turned a normal person into a fine paste. Like a spider-smoothie, if you will."

Gwen and I both glared at him with contempt, causing him to stop chuckling at his remark.

"Not funny? Alright, tough crowd. Anyway, sort out the stuff with your dad, and put the mask back on. We've got some guests."

Gwen did as he said, and Tony walked towards the door and opened it.

"You can come in now, they're done making googly-eyes at each other." He said out into the hall. I watched Gwen resist getting up and smacking him as two people walked into the room. Well, one walked, the other rolled.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cole. Or shall I say, Huntsman. My name is Charles Xavier."

Damn, his head is shiny as fuck.

End of Chapter 25

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Hahahahahah…it's been a while, huh, guys. Did you miss me? Please save the pitchforks for later. I had a busy schedule and then I was lazy and then I was a bit more lazy and now I'm writing 2 days before my exam. Life is crazy, huh. As you can see, I'm not the most consistent with writing, but I can promise you this. I will not drop this series until it is either finished, or I die. Whichever comes first.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please give some power stones if you did, it helps my novel reach more people, and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.