Gwen hadn't meant to overhear.
She had come down to recalibrate the Mark II's left gauntlet, a tablet tucked under her arm, grease still smudged along her fingers.
But when she reached the corridor, she stopped.
She heard Ganke's voice first.
"Spider-Man don't lose, okay."
Then Peter's.
Calm. Steady.
Trying to make it lighter than it was.
Gwen didn't step in.
She stayed in the shadows near the doorway, watching.
Peter's hand on Ganke's shoulder.
Ganke's eyes carrying too much pain for someone their age.
She smiled.
But her eyes were sad.
Because she understood.
They all did.
If Peter lost…
If he died…
The symbol would shatter.
The whisper of hope spreading through the city would collapse into silence.
The chants of "Spider-Man" would turn into memorials.
And the people fighting in alleys and rooftops would start asking themselves—
What was the point?
Gwen's fingers tightened slightly around the tablet.
(That's not fair.)
It wasn't fair that a single person had to carry something that heavy.
It wasn't fair that Peter who joked too much, who still got nervous when praised, who still sometimes looked at his hands like he wasn't sure he deserved them had become the axis the universe spun on.
She stepped back before they noticed her.
Leaning against the cold wall.
Her expression softened.
(They're all looking at him like a lighthouse.)
(But even lighthouses burn out.)
She closed her eyes for a moment.
She had seen the way he trained when no one was watching.
How he pushed himself harder than necessary.
How he stayed up recalibrating suit systems long after everyone slept.
How sometimes, just sometimes, his shoulders sagged when he thought he was alone.
Hope was beautiful.
But it was lonely.
And heavy.
And terrifying.
Gwen exhaled slowly.
(He didn't ask for this.)
(None of us did.)
When she finally stepped into the light, her usual teasing tone returned, carefully stitched over concern.
"You two having a motivational speech without me?"
Peter turned, slightly startled.
Ganke wiped at his face subtly.
Peter smirked. "We were ranking best hairstyles in the rebellion. You lost."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Please. My silver braid would win any war."
Ganke actually laughed.
That was good.
Gwen looked at Peter a second longer than necessary.
Not smiling now.
Just understanding.
Peter caught it.
He didn't say anything.
But his eyes said enough.
(I'm okay.)
She didn't fully believe that.
But she nodded anyway.
Because sometimes leadership wasn't about removing the weight.
It was about standing close enough that the person carrying it didn't fall alone.
Outside, the city still trembled.
Inside, hope was still alive.
Fragile.
Human.
And very, very heavy.
Inside one of Doctor Octopus' hidden laboratories...
Chaos erupted.
Red warning lights flashed across the metallic halls.
Alarms screamed.
Mechanical arms sparked.
And at the center of it all stood a monster.
Not Norman Osborn.
Not anymore.
Only...
Green Goblin.
His glowing green eyes burned with madness.
His breathing was erratic.
His grin stretched unnaturally wide.
The serum Miles had injected into Norman had done something irreversible.
It had not strengthened the Goblin.
It had unleashed him.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The laboratory shook as Goblin hurled a steel container across the room.
BOOOOOM!!!
The container smashed into a wall of nano-machines.
Thousands of tiny robotic particles scattered like metallic dust.
Doctor Octopus watched from an observation deck above.
His mechanical arms twitched.
"Interesting..."
The scientist adjusted his glasses.
"The Goblin personality has achieved complete dominance."
Below...
The laboratory defenses activated.
Rows of nano-tech robots emerged from hidden compartments.
Their red eyes glowed.
Weapons unfolded from their arms.
Target acquired.
Eliminate hostile.
Goblin tilted his head.
Then laughed.
"More toys?"
His glider roared to life.
"Let's play!"
BOOOOOOM!!
The glider accelerated forward like a missile.
Three robots exploded instantly.
Metal fragments flew everywhere.
The remaining machines opened fire.
Hundreds of energy rounds flooded the room.
Goblin dodged.
Twisted.
Laughed.
Moved like insanity given form.
"TOO SLOW!!"
He grabbed one robot by its head.
CRACK!!
Its skull collapsed.
Then he used the machine as a club.
SMASH!!
Another robot shattered.
Then another.
Then another.
The laboratory became a battlefield.
Doctor Octopus narrowed his eyes.
"Release Unit Omega."
A massive chamber opened.
Something stepped out.
A giant humanoid robot.
Twenty feet tall.
Constructed entirely from adaptive nano-metal.
Energy cannons emerged from its shoulders.
Its fists alone were larger than a car.
Goblin looked upward.
His grin widened.
"Now that's more like it."
The giant charged.
BOOOOOM!!
Its fist slammed into the floor.
The impact created a shockwave that tore apart nearby equipment.
Goblin vanished.
A green blur.
The robot's scanners searched frantically.
Too late.
Goblin landed on its shoulder.
"Peekaboo."
A pumpkin bomb dropped.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The robot's shoulder exploded.
Nano-particles scattered.
The machine retaliated immediately.
Energy beams erupted.
Goblin danced through them.
Laughing.
Screaming.
Enjoying every second.
"YES!! YES!! MORE!!"
Doctor Octopus watched silently.
Data streamed across his screens.
Combat efficiency.
Reaction speed.
Neural instability.
Power output.
All exceeding expectations.
But something bothered him.
The Goblin was adapting.
Too quickly.
Too violently.
As if the serum was still evolving.
Below...
The giant robot finally caught Goblin.
A massive metallic hand wrapped around his body.
The machine began crushing him.
CRRRRACK!!
Bones should have broken.
Normal humans should have died.
Goblin only laughed.
"MY TURN."
Green energy exploded from his eyes.
The robot's head detonated.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The giant collapsed.
Silence followed.
Smoke filled the laboratory.
Sparks rained from the ceiling.
The remaining nano-robots froze.
Calculating.
Recalculating.
Unable to process what they had witnessed.
Goblin stood amidst the wreckage.
Uninjured.
Smiling.
His glowing eyes stared upward toward Doctor Octopus.
For a brief moment...
The entire laboratory became silent.
Then Goblin pointed directly at him.
And smiled wider.
"When I'm done with Spider-Man..."
His voice echoed through the ruined chamber.
Distorted.
Inhuman.
Terrifying.
"Maybe I'll come for you next."
Even Doctor Octopus remained silent.
Because for the first time...
He wasn't observing an experiment.
He was observing a disaster.
And somewhere in the city above...
Peter Parker had no idea that a monster far worse than Kraven was preparing to hunt him.
To Be Continued...