Author's note: Comment and enjoy.
******
The sirens of the NYPD cut through the night, their blue and red lights reflecting off the sterile glass of the Aether Biotics lobby. Inside, the atmosphere was a frantic blur of heavy boots, radio static, and hushed, panicked whispers. In the center of it all stood Gwen Stacy, looking every bit the fragile, overwhelmed teenager.
Time to play, Gwen, Leo whispered. Increasing micro-tremors in the hands. Dilating pupils by four percent. Shifting breath to a shallow, rapid rhythm.
Gwen leaned against a lab bench, her hands shaking just enough to be noticed. When Dr. Vane finally approached her, his face was a mask of cold, suppressed fury. He didn't look like a man worried about his employees; he looked like a king whose treasury had been breached.
"Ms. Stacy," Vane said, his voice tight. "The guards said they found you near the West corridor. What did you see?"
Gwen looked up at him, her eyes wide and watery. "I... I just heard a crash. There was purple smoke everywhere. I couldn't see anything, I just ran for the exit but the doors were locked. I thought... I thought the building was exploding. Can you call my dad, he is captain of the NYPD."
Vane stared at her for a long second, his sharp eyes searching her face for any hint of a lie. Leo remained a silent anchor, perfectly mimicking the internal chemistry of a girl in shock. Finally, Vane let out a sharp, dismissive breath.
"It was a professional thief, Aris," a security chief interrupted, holding a tablet. "They bypassed the encryption on your private terminal. Hardware is untouched, but the shareholder directory and the offshore ledger files were accessed."
Vane's jaw tightened. He didn't even look back at Gwen as he gestured to a guard. "Get her out of here. Give her a statement form and send her home."
As the guard led her toward the exit, Gwen felt a sharp prickle of Leo's cynicism. His arrogance is a magnificent shield, Gwen. He cannot conceive that a 'useless' intern could be the only thing that actually stood in the thief's way. Let him keep his secrets; we have ours.
******
The walk home was quiet. A light New York drizzle began to fall, turning the pavement into a dark mirror. Gwen pulled her hood up, her mind replaying the brief, violent encounter in the office.
"I wasn't fast enough, Leo," she said internally, her voice heavy with frustration. "I have all this power, all these reflexes you give me, and she still danced around me like I was a statue."
You don't know how to fight or have any combat experience, her on the other hand seem to have years of training, Leo analyzed calmly. The 'Black Cat' did not possess our raw strength or speed. However, her fluidity and environmental awareness were superior. She has spent years perfecting the art of movement. You have spent three weeks, and apart from the one day of test we didn't did anything.
"I felt clumsy," Gwen admitted. "I reached for her, and she wasn't there. I blocked, and she was already behind me. It's not enough to be this strong if I don't know how to fight."
Agreed, Leo hummed, a warm, resonant vibration in her chest. We relied too heavily on my ability to compensate for your lack of experience. To face others like her—or those who are even more dangerous—we must evolve beyond simple biology. We need training.
"And the data?" she asked. "Did she really just steal corporate gossip?"
From what I saw yes but can't be sure, but from what we overheard it just there money and the crap, nothing that truly dangerous. She most likely though that it could be sold on the black market or something like that.
Once back in the safety of her bedroom, Gwen locked the door and collapsed into her chair. She looked at her hands—hands that could crush steel, yet had been styled and manicured by an alien entity that morning.
She thought back to that first night in the park. She remembered the terror, the feeling of being "infected" by a monster. She looked at herself in the mirror now. She looked healthy, vibrant, and more alive than she had ever been.
"Leo?"
I am here, Gwen.
"You've changed. At first, you just wanted to survive. You were... clinical. But today, you did my hair. You worried about my comfort. And it's been like this everyday for a while now."
There was a long silence before Leo responded. His voice was no longer just a voice. My primary goal has shifted. Survival is no longer just about maintaining a vessel. It is about the preservation of our partnership. Your success is my success. Your joy... is a data point I have grown to value.
Gwen smiled, a genuine, warm expression. "We're not just a host and a parasite anymore, are we?"
Nope, Leo replied emphasizing the 'p'. It not just you and me, it's us.
Gwen opened her laptop, but she didn't look at schoolwork. She looked at a blank document, beginning to list the things they would need.
"We can't rely on Aether Biotics," she said firmly. "Vane is too compromised, and his security is a joke. If we want to truly evolve, we need our own space. Our own equipment. A place where we don't have to hide."
A sanctuary, Leo agreed. We will need material and somewhere and the most importante money. But first, we train.
"First, we train," Gwen echoed. "I want to learn how to move like she does. I want to know how to fight so that the next time someone tries to wink at me and vanish, I'm the one holding the cards."
I don't think her style would fit you especially with me, something more like the spider and there that girl in the avengers, black widow was it? Leo said. It's not like we could ask them, but we could learn from them.
Gwen stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the sprawling, glowing labyrinth of New York City.
"You really changed my life, Leo?" she whispered.
It's only the beginning, Partner, Leo replied, his voice filled with a quiet, fierce pride.
Gwen closed her eyes, feeling the steady, powerful thrum of the entity inside of her. They were just being started.
[END OF VOLUME 1]