Gwen Stacy, also known as Spider-Woman, swung through the city, her webbing effortlessly propelling her from building to building. She had just gone to pick up her dress for the homecoming dance. Suddenly, a blur of red and yellow streaked past her, catching Gwen's attention. It was Kid Flash, the speedster known for his lightning-fast reflexes. She has met him about once or twice, always battling this new Rival villain.
Intrigued, Gwen followed Kid Flash to see what he was up to. As she trailed behind, they both arrived at the scene of a chaotic battle. A new speedster, calling himself Rival, was wreaking havoc once more, leaving destruction in his wake.
Gwen swiftly joined the fray, using her agile moves and web-slinging skills to engage Rival. Kid Flash darted around the battlefield, his speed matching Rival's every move. Together, they fought bravely, attempting to subdue the destructive speedster.
Between punches and dodges, Gwen managed to catch Kid Flash's attention. "Hey, Kid Flash! Nice moves out there!" she called out, her voice slightly muffled by her mask.
Kid Flash, revealed to be Wally West, flashed her a grin, his eyes sparkling with determination. "Thanks, Spider-Woman!"
"Well, look who it is." Rival got their attention. "Spider-Woman and Kid Flash. Nice for you to join the party. But I only have enough time to have one rival. Let's see which one of you can keep up."
Gwen and Wally stood side by side, ready to face their formidable opponents. The bustling cityscape served as their battleground, with buildings towering above and the sound of traffic filling the air. Their mission was clear: stop Rival from wreaking havoc any further.
"What do you say to a little team-up, Spider-Woman?" Wally asks as he prepares to fight him.
"Sounds alright to me," Gwen stated as they prepared to fight.
Rival smirked confidently as he prepared to engage in combat. His demonic-looking suit crackled with energy, matching his electrifying speed. Gwen's Spidey-sense tingled, alerting her to the imminent danger, while Kid Flash cracked his knuckles, ready to unleash his own impressive speed.
With a sudden burst, Rival darted forward, his movements blurry as he aimed a lightning-quick punch at Gwen. But the web-slinger's agile reflexes allowed her to evade the blow, swiftly countering with a web line that ensnared Rival's leg. Gwen yanked back, sending Rival tumbling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Kid Flash accelerated, his speed causing a gust of wind that ruffled everyone's hair. He circled around Rival, creating a vortex of motion that disoriented the speedster. Kid Flash unleashed a barrage of rapid punches, each strike landing precisely.
Rival, however, was not one to be underestimated. He regained his footing, using his incredible speed to dodge and weave through Kid Flash's attacks. With lightning-infused speed, Rival retaliated, delivering a devastating blow that sent Kid Flash crashing into a nearby wall.
Gwen, witnessing her ally's setback, swung into action. She leaped from building to building, using her web-shooters to create a tangled web of obstacles in Rival's path. The speedster struggled to navigate the intricate maze, giving Gwen an opportunity to strike.
As Rival momentarily slowed down, Gwen launched herself at the speedster, landing a powerful kick that sent Rival sprawling. But before they could apprehend him, Rival vanished in a blur of speed, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake.
Gwen and Kid Flash exchanged glances, frustration, and determination evident in their eyes. They knew that capturing Rival would require even more strategy and teamwork in the future. For now, they focused on regrouping and preparing for their next encounter, knowing that the battle against the lightning-fast menace was far from over.
"That was incredible teamwork, Spider-Woman," Wally said, a sense of admiration in his voice. "Not the ending I would have liked, but we at least got him running scared. I'm glad we crossed paths today. It's always refreshing to meet another hero on the same team."
Gwen smiled, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Kid Flash. "Likewise, Kid Flash. It was an honor to fight alongside you. Maybe our paths will cross again in the future."
"Well, I gotta go," Wally said as he walked off. "Gotta see if I can find our Rival."
"Uh, no, he's all yours," Gwen promised.
With a nod, Kid Flash sped off, leaving Gwen to reflect on their encounter. She swung away, feeling inspired and grateful for the chance to meet another hero. But then she remembered she needed to get her dress and leaped back to where she webbed it to the building and raced home to see if it fits her.
Arriving through her window, she quickly got out of her costume fluidly as quickly as she could. She didn't want her dad to spot her in it. She knew he was going to be on duty for a few more hours, but it was better to be safe than sorry. But when she then heard what sounded like someone cooking in the kitchen, she was concerned with who was home. She sneaked her way downstairs peeked into the kitchen and saw someone she wasn't expecting.
"Uncle Warren?" Gwen was shocked to see her uncle in her home.
"Gwen." Warren greeted her warmly. "Look at you."
Gwen walked over and gave her uncle a friendly hug. "How long have you been here?"
"Ah, your dad called. He said he had to cover for a friend and asked me to drive you and your friend to the dance." Warren explained. "I was coming by anyway since I needed to grab some things, I left here last week."
"Well, actually, Peter's going to meet me at the dance," Gwen told her uncle. "He has some work to do before he meets me, so he won't arrive until half an hour after the dance starts."
Warren said, "Well, I hope I get to meet him at the event."
"Well, I gotta go and try my dress," Gwen said as she got up. "Don't want it to turn out to not fit last second."
"Yeah, alright, well, I've got an early dinner worked out for you when you're done," Warren told her as she made it upstairs.
"Thanks, Uncle Warren!" Gwen said as she made her way upstairs.
Warren smiled as he watched Gwen make her way upstairs and then made his way over to the basement stairway. When he did, he placed his palm against a small picture frame, and it revealed to be a scanner. When the frame moved, a secret compartment revealed itself, and Warren made his way downstairs.
While Gwen was preparing for the Homecoming dance, Peter was in the lab with Curtis Connors. They were working on their experiments with regenerating limbs and had finally had some successful tests. Connors created a holographic display to show them a physical model of what they had accomplished.
"What you see here is a computer simulation of a lizard," Connors said as the lizard's tail fell off and regrew. "Many of these amazing creatures have brilliantly learned to adapt so they can regenerate entire limbs at will. You can imagine my envy." He then pulled up a model of a three-legged mouse. "We've been trying to harness this capability and transfer it to our host subject, Freddy the three-legged mouse. Enter the algorithm now."
Well, let's see if we can have any success with this new decay algorithm," Peter said as he put the algorithm in and showed it to Connors. "Okay, you see what I'm trying to do?"
"Preempt the proteins?" Connors asked as he noticed the computer running the simulation.
Peter preempted the immune response, confirming as the computer ran the simulations. The simulation began with some promise, showing a stump growing back, but then ended with some sort of rash spreading across the rat and it dies.
() Pending... failed
() Pending... failed
They watched as the hologram rat began to bubble and the blood started to ooze from it, falling to the ground.
() Subject deceased
Connors sighed and turned away from the computer as it shut down once more. "Well, it was a valiant effort, Allen." He then walked over to the board to start clearing it. "Back to the drawing board."
() Peptide algorithm accepted. Regrowth complete.
"Wait!" Peter called out to him as he saw the regeneration was successful.
"Extraordinary!" Connors exclaimed as he placed his hand on Peter's shoulder. "You managed to accomplish something I haven't managed to achieve in years. Thank you."
Connors then brought him over to their mice, Lenny and George, where they were ready to inject them with the serum. Peter took notice how they indeed didn't have the normal four legs and were indeed three-legged mice.
Dr. Connors introduced Peter to his subjects, Lenny and George. "With these promising results, we can now move on to the animal testing stage."
Connors opened the cage and handed Lenny to Peter as he held the mouse down so Connors could inject it. "Hey, buddy. I got you."
"Careful," Connors warned Peter as he tried to keep a steady hand. "Wouldn't want to stick you by mistake." He then managed to inject Lenny with the serum. "Human trials aren't until next week."
Peter chuckled at that as he placed Lenny into the cage again. Closing the cage, they watched the rat to see if anything were to happen.
"This isn't likely going to happen right away," Dr. Connors said. "I'll stay behind, keep my eyes on the vitals, see if anything changes. You feel free to take the rest of the day off, Mr. Allen."
"Actually, if you don't mind, sir, I'd like to hang here for a minute," Peter said to him. "I have some time to kill, and my parents are currently at work, and so is my brother. I might as well stick around here and be productive."
"By all means, feel free," Connors seemed to implore Peter to go do so.
Peter delved deeper into his research, determined to unlock the hidden potential within the lizard formula so he could finally level the playing field against his bullies. After a few trials and errors on the simulator, and tireless effort, Peter finally succeeded in synthesizing the Serum he wished to make.
Filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation, Peter hesitated, unsure of what this would do to him. Simulations showed it should grant him strength, speed, agility, and even a regenerative factor. But those were just that: simulations. He knew the risks involved in testing an unproven formula on himself, but his thirst for power and the desire to make a real difference pushed him forward. With unwavering resolve, he injected the serum into his veins, unaware of the transformation that awaited him.
As the serum coursed through his body, Peter felt a surge of energy unlike anything he had ever experienced. His muscles tensed and twitched, and he grunted and whimpered as it felt like his entire arm was now on fire.
After a few moments, he noticed nothing was happening and his arm had stopped itching, leading him to believe he had failed. That the serum had no effect on him.
Peter began to make his way home, shooting Gwen a text to let her know he was on his way over to meet her at the school. He had just an hour left before Homecoming was supposed to begin. As he was getting all dressed up, he walked downstairs and was greeted by his mother, father, and brother.
"Aw, look at my little man!" Nora exclaimed as she approached and gazed upon her son. "Aw, you even have your tie done right."
"Ah. Not so much." Henry confessed. "It's one of my clip-on ties."
"You ready for your first date?" Barry asks Peter.
Peter gave his brother an exasperated look through his glasses. "It's not a date; I'm going with Gwen."
Right, and it's not like she doesn't have a crush on you." Nora gave him the same kind of side-eye his dad had given him. "Sometimes, you have your father's denseness."
"Hey, come on, dear, if he doesn't wanna confess he doesn't have feelings for her, that's his business." Henry said as he walked over and pat Peter on the head. "But, this does bring up a old memory of mine."
"Oh, great, you see what you've done, Pete." Barry asked his brother. "Now, we're gonna be listening to this for a moment."
"Come on, listen," Henry said. "This is important." He paused for a moment, trying to recall the exact year. "Back when I was just a few years older than you, Peter... it must have been around the time of college." Henry shook his head in disbelief. "God, that was a long time ago."
"Dad." Peter and Barry got him back on track.
"Right," Henry said apologetically. "Sorry, well, she was my best friend for years before, but I started to develop feelings for her. I thought that she was the one. We got along, and I wanted to ask her out on a date." The sorrowful memory surfaced in his mind. "But she had been seeing someone else before I could even ask."
"Ouch." Peter said.
Yes, if you really like this girl, you should tell her," Henry said to his son. He then got cheerful again and gave him a pat. "You sure you want to walk?"
"Dad, it's down the street; I'll be fine. I do this every morning." Peter said as he got ready to head out. "And Gwen and I will walk back together. So, you know I'll be fine."
Nora said to him, "Okay, just remember to be home at a reasonable time." She added, "And don't drink anything spiked."
"Okay, I'm leaving," Peter stated as he closed the door.
Peter took his first step down the street, but a sudden itch began to radiate from the spot where he had injected the serum. It was unlike any sensation he had ever experienced before. As he tried to ignore it, the discomfort only intensified, growing more and more unbearable. He was on the verge of crying out when the pain suddenly transformed into something else entirely.
He could feel a strange sensation in his body, as though every cell was being reshaped and reorganized. Gradually, he realized that his body was undergoing a metamorphosis. His skin was now covered in iridescent scales, reflecting the light in a dazzling display of colors. His limbs had become longer and more flexible, and his muscles were rippling with newfound strength. As he looked around, he realized that his senses had become incredibly acute, allowing him to perceive things that had been hidden from him before: the rustle of leaves, the faintest scent on the breeze, and the sound of distant footsteps. The transformation continued, as his skin took on an earthy green hue and his body became covered in rough, scaly plates. His teeth grew into sharp, pointed fangs, and he could feel the power of his new form coursing through his veins. He was becoming something else, something primal and dangerous: he was becoming the Lizard.
Gwen Stacy had been eagerly waiting for the school dance, and finally, she had made her way to the dance room. As she entered, she scanned the room, looking for her friend Peter Parker. The room was filled with students, and the air was filled with excitement and anticipation. Gwen spotted a few members of her band and gave them a friendly wave. She wondered if Peter was also there, but he was nowhere to be seen. Gwen had been a little late herself, thanks to her encounter with her enemy Morbius, the Living Vampire, which had forced her to take a detour. She checked her phone for any messages from Peter, but there were none. As she continued looking around the room, she couldn't help but wonder where Peter could be and why he was late.
Gwen called out quietly to find her friend. "Peter?" She was starting to worry a little. "Where are you?"
As she was looking around, her spider senses alerted her of the danger that was approaching. She looked around the room as she wondered what the problem was at her dance. All of a sudden, it was like the roof of the gym was starting to cave in. She was starting to worry that the roof was about to cave in and everyone started to move away from the area. When the roof finally did cave in, what came crashing down looked to be a gigantic lizard.
Everyone started to evacuate the area as Gwen knew she needed to act fast and was actually glad she didn't need to worry about Peter being there. He would be in too much danger for her to care about anyone else, and she quickly ran off to get changed. As she was changing, the lizard seemed to be searching for a certain someone amongst the crowd. When it spotted Flash, it raced over apparently to tear him apart. That was where Gwen stepped in and shot several strands of webbing to cause the Lizard to trip and slam into the ground.
Gwen then swung into the middle of the scene as she picked up Flash and got him out of danger. Even though she had to admit, watching the kid that would always torment Peter getting spooked and attacked by a giant reptile brought a smug to her face. But she also knew that this wasn't the time for that, and she needed to defend them from the creature.
Gwen's heart raced as she swung into action, landing gracefully amidst the pulsating beats of the school dance. The Lizard creature, towering over her, hissed menacingly, ready to strike. With a swift flip, Gwen launched herself towards the Lizard, her agile moves matching the rhythm of the music. She weaved through his powerful strikes, relying on her acrobatics to keep her out of harm's way. Her Spider-Sense tingled, guiding her every move.
As the Lizard lunged, Gwen somersaulted over him, her web-shooters releasing a volley of adhesive webs that temporarily immobilized his massive limbs. Seizing the opportunity, she delivered a series of lightning-fast kicks, landing precise blows on the Lizard's scaly hide.
But the Lizard was relentless. Breaking free from the webs, he swung his tail, narrowly missing Gwen. She responded with a flurry of webbing, ensnaring his tail and yanking him off balance. As he stumbled, she spun a web cocoon, trapping him momentarily.
However, the Lizard's strength surged, and with a mighty roar, he shattered the webbing, lunging towards Gwen once again. Dodging his ferocious claws, she utilized her agility to scale the walls, staying out of his reach.
Gwen's mind raced, searching for a strategy. Spotting an overhead chandelier, she swung towards it, using her momentum to detach it from the ceiling. The chandelier crashed down, temporarily disorienting the Lizard. Taking advantage of the chaos, Gwen swung in, landing powerful punches and kicks.
The dance floor became their battleground, each movement a testament to their unique abilities. Gwen's quick reflexes and web-slinging skills countered the Lizard's brute strength and savage attacks. It was a clash of agility versus power, finesse against primal rage.
With a final leap, Gwen performed a gravity-defying backflip, delivering a devastating kick to the Lizard's jaw. The force sent him crashing into a nearby wall, dazed and defeated. Gwen sighed as she approached the Lizard and wondered what it was. But before her senses could alert her of it, the lizard awoke and smacked Gwen across the room and into the wall, leaving a gigantic dent. She groaned and pulled herself free and saw nothing but dust surrounding her. As she made her way to where the lizard was, all that was left was a gigantic crater in the wall.
It was gone. And something told her that it was going to be another problem to deal with another time.
After everything that went down, Gwen went home and wondered if Peter was still at home. But she decided it was best to not bother him tonight after everything she endured tonight. She was tired after fighting that Lizard and just wanted some rest. Noticing some sort of light on in her house, she figured that meant her uncle was home and she entered the household. But what shocked her was that nobody was there. There were no lights on. Nobody was there. Then a bigger question was coming to mind: Where was that light coming from?
Gwen approached the basement and saw that there were no lights on down there but knew that there was something going on. She looked around and noticed something glowing underneath the stairway. Gwen reached over and decided to be less discrete this time and ripped the wall open revealing a steel door.
Gwen's heart raced as she descended into the dimly lit basement, her senses heightened and ready for action. Unbeknownst to her, lurking in the shadows was her uncle, the twisted scientist known as the Jackal. A tense silence hung in the air, shattered only by the sound of dripping water echoing through the room.
Gwen's eyes darted around the lab, her spider-sense tingling with anticipation.
"What the hell?" Gwen asked as she walked down the stairs and wondered what was going on. There was an entire laboratory in the basement of her home, and she never realized it. "What is this all doing here?"
She started to toss her spider suit back on since she worried that this could end in a fight of sorts with whatever this was. As soon as she sensed a strange presence behind her, she swiftly turned around to face a terrifying creature that resembled a goblin from a nightmare. The creature had an emerald, green complexion, which contrasted sharply with its piercing green eyes. Its ears were elongated and pointed, adding to the eerie appearance of the creature. The woman stood frozen in fear as she stared into the creature's piercing gaze.
"Well, look who I found down here." He said as he swiped at Gwen, who immediately jumped out of the way and dodged the swipe. "What are you doing down here, young lady?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" Gwen stated. "Where is my uncle?"
"My, Gwen, do you not recognize me when you see me?" He asks.
Gwen was shocked as she came to realize that this base belonged to her uncle. "Uncle Warren?"
"Not anymore, dear!" Warren proclaimed. "Now, I am the Jackal!"
With a swift flick of her wrist, Gwen activated her web-shooters, tendrils of webbing shot out toward her uncle. But the Jackal was no ordinary foe. He deftly dodged the webs, his movements eerily graceful despite his menacing presence.
As the battle intensified, Gwen showcased her agility, leaping and somersaulting through the lab, using the various equipment and machinery to her advantage. But the Jackal's cunning and knowledge of the lab made him a formidable adversary.
He activated a panel, causing a series of metal arms to burst from the walls, each armed with sharp, retractable claws. Gwen's spider-sense warned her just in time as she narrowly avoided the deadly assault. Determined not to let her uncle's twisted plans continue, whatever they may be, Gwen unleashed her acrobatic prowess, flipping and spinning through the air. She delivered a series of powerful kicks and punches, her enhanced strength amplified by her spider abilities.
But the Jackal's maniacal laughter filled the lab, undeterred by her assault. He unveiled a vial containing a mysterious formula, his eyes gleaming with sinister intent. With a swift motion, he hurled it towards Gwen, who instinctively dodged the projectile, but not before a small trace of the formula splashed onto her suit.
As the liquid seeped into her costume, Gwen felt her muscles weaken, her movements slowing down. The Jackal grinned triumphantly, reveling in his apparent victory. But Gwen's determination burned brightly, refusing to be defeated.
Summoning every ounce of her willpower, Gwen pushed through the effects of the formula. She spun a web cocoon around the Jackal, immobilizing him just long enough to retrieve a vial of the antidote from her utility belt. With precise accuracy, she shattered the vial, releasing the antidote into the air.
Gasping for breath, the Jackal's body convulsed as the antidote took effect. He struggled against the webbing, but it held him in its grip. Gwen approached him, her voice filled with a mix of sorrow and determination. "I'm sorry, Uncle."
With her uncle defeated, Gwen contacted the authorities to ensure his capture. As she swung away from the basement lab, leaving behind the remnants of their fierce battle, she couldn't help but reflect on the complexity of family ties and the choices that led them down different paths.
This has just not been her night.