"Jeez, Big Sis Abby, I've got stuff to do. I'm out."
Under "Abby's" death stare, Charlie still couldn't handle this forbidden friendship vibe.
He chose to bail.
Before he could move, Gwen suddenly picked up a phone call, her face instantly tense.
"George got hurt again. It's a fire-powered superhuman. I've gotta get to the scene."
With that, Gwen rushed off.
"You heading to the bathroom to change into your suit?" Charlie shouted.
Gwen didn't look back. "No, I got a flyer. It's faster than web-swinging."
Charlie: "..."
Under his envious gaze, Gwen hopped into a silver flyer and vanished into the sky.
"Rich kid, huh!" Charlie muttered.
All his money went into "investments." He was flat broke.
Time to beg.
He dialed Carter's number. "Yo, I'm broke. Spot me three hundred bucks."
"No time for you. I'm on a mission."
On the other end, Carter's voice was rushed, panting, with occasional booms of explosions.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Those cannon blasts sound legit?"
"Motherf—! Get your ass here, we're getting wrecked!" Carter's tone turned sharp.
Charlie smirked. "Commanders love dropping those curse words, huh?"
"No!!"
Boom!
With a massive explosion, Carter's comms cut off.
Charlie blinked. "That intense, huh?"
Carter's Avengers lineup wasn't weak, yet they were on the back foot. The opponent must be crazy strong.
With Spider-Man's central universe exposed and the Time Tablet shattered, more weirdos were popping up in this world.
But no matter what, the invincible Spider-Man could handle anything.
With that thought, Charlie tapped his wrist device, locked onto Carter's location, and an electric arc spider crawled onto his chest.
Zzzzt~
An electric arc zipped between skyscrapers, crossing paths with Gwen's flyer.
Knock knock~
The arc dispersed, and Charlie clung to the glass. "Looks like we're headed the same way."
Gwen glanced at him. "Then hold on tight."
She floored it.
A gust of wind roared past, and Charlie, stuck to the glass, muttered under his breath.
"Doesn't even invite me in. The symbiote's amplifying your rude side."
"You sure you want in?"
Gwen gave a sly smile, the eager demonic face looking ready to devour Charlie.
Charlie thought it over. "Actually, I like the breeze out here."
Boom~
As they spoke, the silver flyer dove down.
"I'm here," Charlie said.
Gwen's eyes locked on the war-torn street below, frowning. "Me too."
The silver flyer swooped over the street, and Gwen, shifting into her symbiote form, dropped from the sky.
"Hey, you okay?"
At the street corner, George's forehead bled, his hair a mess, panting heavily behind a police car.
The other officers around him were just as battered, all sporting injuries.
Seeing Gwen land, George let out a relieved breath.
"It's a fire-based mutant. He's terrifying. Good thing S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up," he said, summarizing the situation.
Gwen frowned. "If it's a mutant crime, why didn't you notify S.H.I.E.L.D. first?"
"He's just a freshly awakened Level 1 mutant. Barely stronger than a normal person," George shook his head.
"Level 1 mutant?"
Gwen's frown deepened.
Recently, a mysterious group called the Brotherhood of Mutants had emerged, recruiting only superhumans. They classified certain superhumans as mutants and set strict power tiers.
Level 1 mutants were newly awakened, with weak abilities, only slightly above average humans.
"Your new weapons can easily handle Level 1 mutants. Why are you in such bad shape?" she asked.
"Because it started as a Level 1 mutant, then another guy showed up—also fire-based."
"Oh?"
Charlie swung down, landing in front of George.
Without his nano-suit, George didn't recognize him.
"Which Spider-Man are you?" he asked.
"I'm the legendary invincible Spider-Man. My record speaks for itself."
"There's only one invincible Spider-Man."
"That's me."
"Is it? I don't buy it."
"You can check with the news station."
"They'll verify your identity?"
"Nah, I'm just saying you should host a show."
Charlie turned to the exploded street.
"Where're the Avengers?" he asked.
George pointed to a ruined building. "Over there."
"That place is gone."
"They're underground. The fire mutant robbed a bank. We were tracking him, and so was S.H.I.E.L.D."
George took a deep breath, standing on weary legs.
"That's probably one of the Brotherhood of Mutants' hideouts. Captain Carter took her team and clashed with them."
Gwen shook her head. "George, you should've called me sooner. This is too dangerous."
George stayed silent.
With the symbiote, Gwen's suit couldn't hide her identity.
George didn't want his daughter caught up in mutant conflicts. He'd sensed the growing, irreconcilable tension between humans and superhumans.
In a way, Spider-Man counted as a mutant.
At least, that's how humans saw it.
If Gwen got involved in these incidents, she'd be in a tough spot.
Fighting mutant criminals would make her an enemy of mutants.
But as mutant issues escalated, humans would distrust Gwen as a mutant too.
Caught between both sides.
So George hoped Gwen would stay out of it.
Charlie saw through George's thoughts but was still puzzled.
"You called Gwen Spider?"
"That was me."
A chubby officer beside George raised his hand weakly. "I called Spider-Man." He looked guilty.
As George's confidant, only he knew Gwen's true identity.
Charlie shrugged. "Alright, that checks out."
He turned to the trembling ruins, eyes narrowing.
"Fight sounds intense. I'm getting pumped—ow, ow, ow!"
Mid-sentence, a strange flame flickered out from the ruins.
Charlie raised his hand to shield his face, but the flame latched onto his hand and flared up.
"Shit, what kinda fire is this?"
The burning pain seared into his bones. He frantically shook his hand to put it out.
"I got you!"
Gwen kicked open a nearby fire hydrant, water gushing toward Charlie.
Whoosh!
The water hit, but the flames on Charlie's hand didn't die—they spread up his arm.
"Damn, it loves Spider-Man more than Abby does."
In agony, Charlie's muscles bulged, raw power exploding as his fist slammed into the ground. The shockwave warped everything around him, spiderweb cracks spreading from his position.
Debris flew, and George and the others scrambled back.
Seeing the eerie flames on Spider-Man's arm finally scatter, George and the officers gasped.
"He's really Spider-Man!" one exclaimed.
"Yeah, no one but Spider-Man has that kind of power."
"But why no metal suit?"
"Bet he picked up a bad habit and lost his suit at a casino."
Amid the gasps, the ruins collapsed further under the shockwave.
Boom!!
Dust spread, and an electric arc shot into the sky.
"Good Neighbor Electro-Dragon Drill!"
Boom!
The electric drill plunged into the ruins, kicking up chunks of debris.
Seeing Charlie dive underground, Gwen moved to follow.
"Wait, don't go. That guy's terrifying—an actual demon. You could die," George pleaded, grabbing her arm.
Gwen froze, then took a deep breath.
"Sorry, with great power comes great responsibility. You agreed with that, and you've always lived by it."
"No, that's me. You're different."
"George, my father, we're the same. You taught me that."
"No!!"
Amid George's cries, Gwen charged into the underground base.
…
In the dark underground base, the walls bore bloodstains and craters.
Eerie, pale corpses littered the area.
Charlie crouched, touching one. It turned to ash instantly.
"Smells burnt. Was he incinerated?" Gwen sniffed the air, confused.
Charlie mused, thinking of the strange flame on his arm.
"It's not just burning the body—it's targeting the soul."
"Soul?"
Gwen was startled. "If that's true, how'd you escape it?"
Charlie shrugged. "Who knows?"
He stood, moving deeper into the corridor.
The deeper they went, the more strange corpses appeared.
"Look, it's the Captain!!" Gwen pointed at a figure in the rubble, horrified.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "That's Blazing Fire."
He kicked aside debris, looking at the half-dead Johnny.
"What's the deal?" he asked.
Johnny was covered in scorch marks, face smeared with ash, weakly pointing deeper into the corridor.
"It's… a demon…"
He barely finished before his head slumped.
Charlie sighed. "Johnny, you're a hero."
He reached to close Johnny's eyes, then heard snoring.
Charlie: "..."
"He's not dead," Gwen whispered.
Charlie, deadpan, said, "I know. I was just washing his face."
A loud crash echoed from deeper in, and a rock-covered figure smashed near Charlie's feet.
"Asshole, I'll tear you apart!!"
The battered Ben stood, pounding his chest, ignoring Charlie and Gwen as he charged deeper.
They quickly followed.
Soon, a massive underground steel fortress came into view, littered with corpses.
Clank clank clank~
Steel fragments gathered on the ceiling, forming an eerie metallic cloud.
Beneath it, Erik and Charles were encased in a metal shield.
On another side, Carter and her team, shields up, stood together, their suits torn, clearly exhausted from a brutal fight.
Opposite them was a terrifying figure wreathed in blazing fire.
The flames had burned away his flesh, leaving a skeletal frame.
Weirdly, his black leather outfit was untouched by the fire.
Boom~
Under the searing flames, the metal chain in his hand glowed with eerie fire, its dangerous aura making everyone wary.
The three groups faced off in a tense triangle.
Ben Grimm's return didn't break the stalemate.
"Is Spider-Man here?" Carter asked.
Ben scratched his head. "Didn't notice."
Barton frowned. "You were yelling so loud earlier. You're up first later."
Ben shook his head. "No, I was just saving face 'cause someone was there."
"Who?"
"A man and a woman."
"Then it's not Spider-Man."
"Didn't see clearly. Got ash in my eyes."
Ben sidled up to Alexei. "You go first later," he whispered.
Alexei stared at his limp right arm, face dark. "My hand's busted. You didn't see?"
"Then you," Ben turned to Max, whose electricity was drained. "You're the newbie. Listen to me."
Max turned away. "I only listen to the Captain and Spider-Man."
His skin's electric arcs were faint, clearly out of juice.
Behind Carter, Harry gripped a green vial, conflicted.
"Captain, should I try this?"
"No, the Green Goblin serum hasn't been tested. It's too dangerous," Carter shut him down.
Reed whispered, "It could work. I helped with the research."
Susan shook her head. "That makes it more dangerous."
"Hey, Susan, what's that mean? I'm your future husband, and you're underestimating me!" Reed protested.
Susan sighed. "I know you better than they do. Your inventions are… weird."
"No, you don't get me at all."
As the Avengers bickered, Erik's side wasn't thrilled either.
"They're fighting," Charles noted.
Erik's eyes locked on the flaming skeleton. "Ignore them. This guy's the real threat."
Charles swallowed. "He's immune to my mental attacks. His head's empty—no soul."
Erik's face was grim. "My powers barely work either. His flames are weird. My metal somehow becomes his weapon."
"But he doesn't seem able to kill us."
Charles recalled earlier.
The terrifying flames devoured Erik's metal shield. In the skeleton's fiery eye sockets, Charles saw his entire life.
Then… nothing happened.
He was fine.
But other mutants who got stared at turned to ash, their bodies hollowed out by the strange flames.
He didn't know why.
But he was sure this guy had achieved his goal.
Sure enough, the leather-clad fire figure glanced at the Avengers and Erik's group, then slung his chain over his shoulder.
"That's enough for today. I've got work to do."
With that, the engine roared through the base, his flaming Harley speeding toward the exit, leaving a trail of fire.
Everyone—Charles, Carter, and the rest—froze.
The fight ended abruptly, and both sides eyed each other, debating whether to keep going.
Boom~
Suddenly, the base's corridor exploded with debris, and a high-speed electric arc zipped past Carter's group, chasing the hellfire.
"Spider-Man!" Max cheered.
Carter frowned. "Rushing in like that's gonna backfire."
"Follow him."