The morning air was cool when Jack stepped up to Gwen's front door and knocked, his mind only half there.
Hero Points: 22 → 37
Next Alien Unlock: 400 points
Fourteen points from last night—earned by stopping a couple of robberies. At this rate, it'll take more than a month before he unlocks the next alien.
"Man…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
The door opened.
"Ah, Jack," Helen said warmly. "Good morning."
"Good morning,Mrs. Stacy "
"Come on in. Gwen told me you all were heading over to Peter's today. She's still getting ready—give her five minutes."
"Sure, no problem."
Jack stepped inside, glancing around. It felt familiar now, less like visiting and more like just dropping by.
In the living room, George Stacy looked up from his seat.
"Morning,Mr. Stacy "
"Morning, Jack. How's the new house? Everything working out alright?"
"Yeah, it's good. Still settling in."
George nodded. "Takes time. You'll get used to it."
Footsteps sounded from upstairs.
"Jack, when'd you get here?" Gwen asked as she came down, tying her hair back.
"Just now."
"Alright, let's go."
George stood, grabbed a set of keys, and tossed them lightly. Jack caught them.
"Take the car."
Jack blinked. "You sure?"
"You've got a license, right?"
"Yeah—yeah, I do. Thanks, George"
"Drive safe."
The engine hummed to life as Jack settled into the driver's seat.
"Nice," he said, glancing around the interior. "This is a Ford Explorer, right?"
Gwen smirked. "You sound impressed."
"I am. Thinking about getting one myself, actually."
"Oh yeah? Didn't you say you made some money trading?"
"I did. Still deciding, though."
"Mm. Just don't go broke trying to look cool."
Jack laughed. "I'll try not to."
"Let's pick up MJ on the way—I'll call her," Gwen added.
"Got it."
A few minutes later, MJ slid into the back seat.
"Took you long enough," she said.
"There was no traffic," Gwen replied immediately.
A beat passed.
"Emotional traffic," she added.
Jack snorted. "That's a new one."
"Hi, Jack," MJ said, leaning forward slightly. "You're driving now? Drive safe, alright?"
"Hey, I'm a great driver."
"We'll see," she said, buckling in.
By the time they reached Peter's house, the sun had climbed higher, casting a warm light over the quiet street.
"Go ahead in," Jack said. "I'll park."
Gwen and MJ headed up the walkway while Jack pulled the car neatly into place. A moment later, he stepped inside.
"Hi, Uncle Ben."
"Jack." Ben waved him over. "Come here—I was just asking about you."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "About me?"
Peter, sprawled across the couch, grinned. "We're trying to figure out if you're secretly interesting."
MJ dropped onto the armrest. "Results are still inconclusive."
"Wow," Jack said, deadpan. "Good to know I'm being evaluated."
May appeared from the kitchen, smiling. "Ignore them. Did you eat?"
"Uh… not yet."
"Sit. I'll get you something."
Peter leaned closer. "Careful. Once she feeds you, you're officially part of the system."
"Peter," May warned.
"I'm just saying—there's no escape."
Ben chuckled. "He's not wrong."
Gwen crossed her arms. "Too late anyway. He's already driving us around."
"Ah," Ben nodded thoughtfully. "Useful. We keep him."
"Hey," Jack laughed, "I can still leave, you know."
"Not after breakfast," MJ said. "That's the rule."
Jack shook his head, smiling as he sat down.
"…yeah," he muttered quietly. "I walked right into this."
The rest of the morning passed easily.
Plates clinked, voices overlapped, and the conversation bounced from school gossip to random stories that somehow got funnier every time Peter told them. At some point, Peter dragged out a game console.
"Alright, no backing out this time," he said, handing Jack a controller.
"I already told you, I'm not that good."
"Perfect." Peter grinned. "Easy win."
Ten minutes later—
"HOW did you beat me?" Peter stared at the screen in disbelief.
Jack shrugged. "I said I wasn't good."
"You lied."
Gwen laughed. "He didn't lie. You just overestimated yourself."
MJ tossed a cushion at Peter. "Happens a lot."
From the kitchen, May called, "Everything okay in there?"
"Peter's losing," Gwen answered.
"Ah," Ben said calmly. "Character building."
It was evening, and everyone was enjoying themselves when the conversation suddenly shifted.
Ben looked over. "I heard you say something about a field trip on Monday. Which company?"
"Oscorp," Gwen said.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. I'm actually thinking of applying for an internship there too."
Ben glanced at him. "Oscorp? Why that one? There are a lot of good companies out there."
Peter shrugged. "Come on, Oscorp's one of the best in New York. Getting an internship there would help a lot."
Across the room, Ben's expression changed.
"Best?" he repeated, his tone sharpening. "Oscorp is nothing but a bad company."
The room went quiet.
Peter frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ben shook his head slightly, irritation slipping through. "I'm saying they're not as clean as they look. People get hurt, and no one talks about it."
That edge in his voice caught everyone off guard.
From the kitchen, May called out, a little firmer than usual—
"Ben? Can you come here for a moment?"
Ben exhaled, clearly holding something back. "Yeah. Coming."
He stood and walked into the kitchen.
Peter watched him go, confused. "I've never seen him that angry about anything."
Jack stayed quiet for a second.
Must be because of Peter's parents, he thought.
A moment later, Ben came back, but he didn't say much after that. The mood had shifted, even if no one said it out loud.
Dinner was loud again.
Everyone squeezed around the table as May set down the last dish.
"Alright," she said, "no phones."
Peter slowly set his down. "This is oppression."
"You'll survive," MJ said.
Gwen glanced at Jack. "So, you coming back next time?"
Jack paused for just a moment.
"…yeah. I'd like that."
Peter pointed at him. "Good. Rematch is happening."
"You're still stuck on that?" MJ laughed.
"Absolutely."
Ben raised his glass slightly. "To rematches."
May smiled. "And to good company."
They echoed it casually, without thinking.
Later, as Jack stepped outside, the evening air felt cooler.
"Drive safe," May called from the door.
"Come by anytime," Ben added.
Peter leaned against the frame. "Next time, I'm winning."
"Sure," Jack said.
Gwen smirked. "He's not."
MJ waved. "Bye, Peter."
Jack got in the car, a small smile still on his face as he started the engine.
"…yeah," he said quietly to himself. "That was a good day."
"So, any plans tomorrow?" Gwen asked from the passenger seat.
"No plans yet—maybe shopping? Come on, let's go together," MJ called from the back.
"Yeah, let's do it." Gwen turned to look at Jack. "You in?"
"I've got plans to visit a friend," Jack said. "Already promised."
"Oh." Gwen's voice dropped just slightly. "I thought we could all spend the day together."
"What, to carry your shopping bags?" Jack replied with a dry look.
"Yep," MJ said flatly, and both she and Gwen laughed.
After dropping MJ off, Jack swung by Gwen's house and parked along the curb. The lights inside were off—no sign of George's car in the driveway.
"Looks like your dad's still not home," Jack said.
Gwen glanced at the dark windows. "Yeah, that's pretty normal when a case comes in. He's gone more often than not." She shrugged, but there was something practiced about it, like she'd said it enough times that it stopped needing a reaction. "If you saw him home every night, you'd be the one surprised."
"That's a tough job," Jack said quietly.
"It is." She pulled her bag onto her shoulder and stepped out. "Alright—see you Monday?"
"Monday," he confirmed. "Bye, Gwen."
Back at his place, Jack spread the plan across his desk—the one Grey Matter had mapped out in a single focused session. On paper it was airtight: logical, layered, each step feeding into the next. But the more he read it, the more the cracks showed.
Some of these locations… I'm not even sure they exist here. He tapped the page. The Savage Land, Atlantis—neither of those ever came up in the MCU. I can't just assume the geography carries over one-to-one.
He ran a hand through his hair, scanning further down the list. Most of it would take weeks to verify, maybe longer. But one entry near the bottom caught his eye—a decommissioned subway station, flagged and circled, marked simply as New York.
He leaned in.
I remember this. Peter used it as a hideout at some point. Jack studied the layout notes Grey Matter had attached to it. With a few upgrades, this could work as a proper base. Central location, abandoned, off the grid.
He sat back, the rest of the list temporarily forgotten.
"Since I have time, let's check it out now—and scope out New York while I'm at it. See if there are any other hidden places."
Changing into his suit, he activated the Omnitrix and transformed into XLR8.
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