The next morning Gwen showed up early.
Jack opened the door still half-asleep. She was already standing in the hallway, bag on her shoulder, looking him over.
"Your fever's gone." She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Yeah… way better than yesterday."
She was close enough that he caught the scent of her shampoo. Something light and warm. He blinked and looked past her shoulder.
Gwen caught it. She hid her smile.
"You're looking a lot less dead." She stepped inside past him. "I brought breakfast. You're eating with me."
He followed her with a helpless smile.
At the dining table he was eating quietly when he noticed her staring.
"What?"
"Nothing." She tilted her head.
"No seriously — is there something on my face?" He wiped his mouth.
"Nope."
"Then why are you staring?"
"Just… wondering if it's actually good."
"It is. Tell Aunt Helen it was amazing."
"I made it."
He stopped chewing. Looked at the plate. Then back at her.
"…Wait, really?"
"Yeah. Don't sound so shocked."
"No, I mean — it's actually really good."
He meant it. She smiled and looked away.
After eating they left for school together.
The school day was forgettable.
Boring as always. But having people who actually cared helped. Peter and MJ both asked how he was feeling.
"Yo, you good now?"
"Yeah. I'm alive."
"Barely."
That was enough.
After class they practiced for an hour. It went well.
Just as he stepped outside the practice room for a break, a guy casually walked up in front of him.
"Hey, man — that band performance at the last competition? That was seriously good. I'm kinda a fan now." He smiled, relaxed, confident. "So… you got time to grab a coffee or something?"
Jack blinked. The guy's vibe was… very direct.
"…Are you asking me out?"
The guy grinned wider. "I mean — yeah. Thought we could hang out. Maybe have some fun tonight."
He reached out, lightly brushing Jack's hand.
Jack froze like his brain just stopped working.
"Oh — whoa — hey — no, no — I'm straight. Sorry. Like… very straight. Extremely straight. Respectfully straight."
"…Got it."
The guy pulled his hand back immediately. "Yeah, that's on me. My bad."
And then he turned and walked off fast.
Like — really fast.
Jack stood there for a second.
"…Did I just get recruited?" he muttered.
He shook his head and went back into the practice room.
The moment he stepped in, Gwen looked up.
"Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
"I didn't see a ghost."
"Then why do you look panicked?"
"I'm not panicked."
"You look panicked."
Before he could respond, Peter leaned over from his guitar.
"Dude, you look like you just failed a surprise test."
MJ crossed her arms, watching him.
"No, worse. That's social panic face."
Jack sighed.
"…I just got asked out."
There was a pause.
Peter blinked.
MJ raised an eyebrow.
Gwen tilted her head.
"…Okay," MJ said slowly. "By who?"
"…A guy."
Silence.
Then —
Peter choked. "Wait — seriously?"
MJ's lips curled into a grin. "Oh, this just got interesting."
Gwen turned away, already losing it.
"You're laughing," Jack said flatly.
"I'm not —" Gwen tried. "I'm really not —"
Peter stepped closer, way too invested.
"Wait wait wait — what did you say?"
"I handled it fine."
"What did you say?" MJ pressed.
"…I said I'm extremely straight."
Dead silence.
Then Peter lost it.
"EXTREMELY?!"
MJ laughed. "What is that — a setting? Like 'ultra mode'?"
Gwen was fully laughing now. "Who says that?!"
"It sounded normal in my head!"
Peter wiped his eyes. "Nah man, you probably scared him more than rejecting him."
"I was trying to be clear!"
"Oh you were clear," MJ said. "Crystal clear. Man's never asking anyone out again."
"Great. I've traumatized someone."
Peter grinned. "Congrats, your fanbase just got complicated."
"Not helping."
Gwen smirked. "Hey, at least you're popular."
MJ nodded. "Yeah, getting asked out after one performance? That's main character energy."
"I don't want that kind of main character energy."
Peter leaned in. "Be honest — for like one second, were you flattered?"
"…No."
"Not even a little?"
"…Maybe half a second."
"HA!" Peter pointed. "I knew it!"
"Shut up."
MJ laughed. "This is never leaving this room."
Jack looked at her hopefully. "Right?"
She smiled sweetly. "Oh no. I'm remembering this forever."
"…I regret telling you people."
"Too late," Gwen said.
Peter picked up his guitar again, still grinning.
"Alright, alright — let's get back to practice."
He paused, then added —
"C'mon, extremely straight, count us in."
Jack stared at him.
"…I'm quitting the band."
"You say that every week," MJ said.
They all laughed, and a moment later they started practicing again.
When practice wrapped up MJ headed to acting class. Gwen left with George, who swung by to pick her up.
Just Jack and Peter now.
"C'mon, let's go." Peter was already in training mode before the words were out of his mouth.
"You're way too excited."
"Always."
The dojo had its usual stillness the moment they stepped inside. That quiet that hit you in the chest and slowed everything down. Jack always felt it the second he crossed the threshold.
Colleen was already mid-training when they walked in. She paused and glanced over.
"Hey, Jack. You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
She gave him a flat look.
"You always say that."
"Because I am."
"And how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Colleen."
"Got it… Colleen."
They got to work.
Peter had improved a lot since his first session. Jack noticed it during the drills. Sharper footwork. Less hesitation. He was getting better fast.
They said goodbye to Colleen and stepped outside.
It was already dark.
"Dude, there's a pizza place two blocks from here," Peter said. "Best slices around. Trust me."
"You say that about everything."
"Nah, this one's legit."
"Alright. Lead the way."
The pizza was exactly as good as promised. Jack was halfway through his second slice when something across the street made him stop.
A guy and a girl walking together. Easy pace. Clearly a date.
Chris.
Darkhawk. The guy who had pulled Jack out of the trap Tombstone had set up. Seeing him here was a surprise.
"Hey — you good?" Peter asked.
"…Yeah. Just someone I know."
"Him or her?"
Before Jack could answer, Chris looked up.
Their eyes met.
Chris grinned and jogged straight across the street.
"Yo! Man, it's been forever!" He pulled Jack into a hug. "I was gonna hit you up after last time, but things got crazy—"
"Yeah, no kidding."
"You know how it is. Same here."
"This your friend?" He nodded toward Peter.
"Yeah. Peter — this is Chris."
"Hey."
"What's up, man?"
They shook hands and talked for a bit. Meanwhile the girl Chris had come with was still standing a few feet back, watching her boyfriend deep in conversation without even a glance her way. She coughed lightly.
Chris caught it right away. "Oh — right, sorry. This is Paris. My girlfriend."
"Hi." Paris smiled.
"Hey."
Chris threw an arm around Jack's shoulders.
"We seriously gotta hang out soon, man. It's been way too long—"
Jack looked at Paris's face.
She wasn't saying anything. She didn't have to. He could read the whole situation clearly. He wasn't about to ruin someone's date.
"I would, but I gotta deal with something tonight." He clasped Chris's hand. "Soon though. For real."
Chris looked a little disappointed. "Ah, alright. Soon though."
"Yeah. Soon."
After they walked away Peter watched them go.
"He seems cool."
"Yeah."
"Talking to him felt easy… like we're kinda the same, you know?"
Jack thought about it for a second.
Not really. But close enough.
"…Yeah. I get what you mean."
They split up a few blocks later.
Jack was almost at his building when he spotted the stack of boxes outside his door. Large ones. Several of them.
Parts.
He'd placed the order yesterday and nearly forgot about it.
He hauled everything inside. After a short rest he arranged all the components in a way that gave a Galvan enough room to work properly.
Then he pressed the Omnitrix.
Katcha.
Grey Matter.
"Let's build this."
"This piece here — connects to this — routes through here—"
He got to work.
Late that night he finally set the last piece down.
The suit was finished.
The Omnitrix flashed red. Transformation over.
He wasn't sure how many hours had passed or how many times he'd cycled through the form. Didn't matter. The result was right in front of him.
He checked every section carefully. Construction was clean. Every gadget exactly where he'd placed it in the design.
Jack picked it up and pulled it on.
He turned toward the mirror.
It looked like a Plumber suit — reinforced, purpose-built — but modified. Face covered. Voice altered. Even his height and body structure looked subtly different. Nothing an AI could pin down or match to Jack Walker.
He couldn't wait to test it.
"Invisibility mode on."
[Invisibility mode on.]
He watched himself vanish completely from the mirror. Then he walked out of the apartment and stepped into the night.
"Flight mode on."
[Flight mode activated.]
He lifted off clean. Just like Iron Man. First time flying. The grin came before he could stop it.
"AI — track criminal activity."
[Tracking — tracking —]
With enough time this AI could grow like J.A.R.V.I.S. It had more potential than most people would ever guess.
[Tracking complete.]
A map lit up across his vision.
"Alright… let's go."
In the dark above New York, unknown to everyone below, a figure moved silently through the night sky.
A/N: The Patreon version is already updated with 10 advanced chapters. If you'd like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:
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