"That means you're not splitting attention properly yet. The modulation needs to be lower in the stack. More automatic. Less conscious."
"I know that. The question is how to train it lower."
"Repetition with distraction. Practice grip control while your attention is fully on something else. Not lab work. Something that genuinely occupies your mind."
Gwen thought about this. "Argument?"
"That would work. You can't half-think when you're arguing."
"Schedule a debate session then. Tonight if you have time."
"Tomorrow," Peter said. "I have something after school today."
She nodded. No follow-up question. Gwen was good at operating on a need-to-know basis. It was one of the things he respected about her.
They ate. Worked through her mechanics problem set. The spider-bond hummed between them the way it always did now. Steady. Familiar.
MJ appeared at the end of lunch with five minutes left. Dropped into the seat beside Peter. Pulled out her phone and put it face up on the table between them. The convenience store video was already playing. She'd turned the sound off but the footage was clear enough. Dark suit. Spider symbol. Four seconds of movement that didn't look real.
She watched it all the way through. Then looked up at Peter.
Peter looked back at her. Said nothing.
Gwen had gone still on the other side of the table. She looked at the phone. Then at Peter. Something moved behind her eyes. Fast. Analytical. Arriving at a conclusion and immediately running the verification.
"Oh," Gwen said quietly.
Not a question. Not an accusation. Just the sound of a calculation completing.
MJ was less quiet about it.
"Peter." Her voice was low but tight. "That's you."
"MJ."
"Don't." She picked up her phone. Watched the clip again. Her jaw was set. "The way that person moves. The suit. The webbing. It's the same material from your training sessions. I've touched that stuff. I know what it looks like." She put the phone down. "That's you."
Peter glanced around the cafeteria. Nobody near enough. He looked back at her.
He didn't confirm it. He didn't deny it either.
That was enough.
Gwen let out a slow breath. She closed her tablet. Put both hands flat on the table like she needed something to hold onto. "You went out last night. Alone. Without telling either of us."
"Yes."
"And you didn't say anything this morning."
"No."
"Why not?"
Peter picked up his water. Set it back down. "Because I wanted to see how you'd find out. Whether you'd recognize it on your own." He looked at both of them. "You did. That's actually important information."
MJ's expression said she did not find this particularly comforting. "Peter. Someone shot at you."
"They missed."
"That is not the reassuring statement you think it is."
Gwen was quieter about it. But her hands were still flat on the table and her voice when she spoke was very careful. "How long have you been planning this."
"A while."
"How long is a while."
"Long enough that last night wasn't reckless," Peter said. "I know what my abilities are. I know what my limits are. I've run the scenarios. Last night was four unpowered suspects with handguns in a confined space. The risk profile was manageable."
"Manageable," MJ repeated. Like the word tasted wrong.
"Yes."
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