NYPD
George led Gwen and a small group of officers into the evidence room. The atmosphere inside was heavy, thick with concern. One of the agents adjusted the controls, and the surveillance footage began playing on the large screen mounted on the wall.
Unfortunately, most of the cameras installed inside the laboratory had been dismantled and taken away by Oscorp.
Only a single functional camera remained—positioned in the hallway adjacent to the main lab. It didn't capture everything, but it was enough to reveal fragments of what had happened inside.
The image shook slightly, catching the shadow of Peter injecting himself with something, the beginning of his transformation, and then a reptilian silhouette vanishing from the frame.
The silence that followed was broken by George's steady voice.
"Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "It's confirmed that Peter Parker underwent some kind of mutation after injecting himself with an experimental serum."
He paused briefly, studying the tense expressions around the room.
"At this time, we can't determine whether he poses a direct threat to civilians," he continued. "So assume the worst-case scenario."
George turned toward the whiteboard.
"Draft a response plan immediately. I want search teams ready within thirty minutes."
The officers nodded, exchanging quick remarks as they began filing out to carry out their assignments. Footsteps echoed down the hallway until, little by little, the room fell silent again.
Only George and Gwen remained.
She stood near the darkened screen, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her gaze distant. The dull reflection in the glass showed a serious—almost somber—expression.
George noticed.
He sighed and stepped closer, placing a firm, reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Gwen," he said gently. "I'll bring Peter back."
She slowly lifted her eyes.
"He's a good kid. He always has been," George went on. "I believe he just couldn't cope with what happened to his body. The fear… the shock… that kind of thing can make anyone run."
Gwen nodded, but the motion was weak, almost automatic.
"Dad…" she murmured. "You can go back to work. I… I need to be alone for a bit."
George hesitated, studying her face, but decided to respect her request.
"Alright," he replied. "If you need anything, I'll be nearby."
When he left, silence reclaimed the room.
As long as she could remember, Gwen had always considered Peter her best friend. Never—even in her worst nightmares—had she imagined something like this happening to him.
She herself had gained her powers because of that radioactive Oscorp spider. Even though the circumstances were different, Gwen understood all too well the shock, fear, and confusion that came with such drastic changes to one's body.
She closed her eyes.
Will Peter attack people?
The answer formed instantly in her mind, cold and logical.
That depends on what kind of reptile was used as the genetic base for the serum.
If it was a herbivorous reptile…
She breathed a little easier.
In that case, maybe Peter wouldn't have aggressive instincts. Maybe it was just fear and confusion.
But if it was a carnivore…
The thought made her snap her eyes open.
Without wasting another second, Gwen left George's office and moved quickly through the precinct corridors toward the detention wing.
She knew the layout like the back of her hand.
Thanks to her cooperation, Curt Connors was only being held temporarily as a suspect and wasn't under strict surveillance.
Gwen made up a quick excuse to see him. The guard, unsuspecting, opened the cell.
Inside, Connors sat in the corner, shoulders slumped, his empty gaze fixed on the floor. He looked smaller, older—crushed under the weight of guilt.
"Dr. Connors," Gwen said, stopping at the bars. "I need you to answer something for me."
He slowly raised his head.
"Gwen…" His voice was hoarse. "I've already told the police everything I know. Please… find Peter. Don't let him do something he'll regret."
The way he said it sent a chill down her spine.
"Dr. Connors," Gwen insisted, firmer now. "What reptile was used to create that serum?"
Connors took a deep breath.
The police had never asked that question. They didn't understand genetics well enough to grasp its importance. And he, trying to protect Peter until the very end, had never volunteered the information.
But Gwen asked.
"Gwen…" he murmured. "We need to convince Peter to come back. And honestly… only you can do that."
"Dr. Connors!" Her heart raced as she raised her voice. "What reptile was it?!"
Connors stepped closer to the bars.
"We used cells from several species of monitor lizards."
The ground seemed to vanish beneath Gwen's feet.
Monitor lizards were carnivores.
Predators.
The fears she had tried to suppress became reality.
She wasn't too worried about the police. They'd be armed, prepared, able to respond if Peter attacked them.
But what if he ran into ordinary people?
Innocent civilians.
Gwen turned sharply and sprinted out of the detention wing.
Back in George's office, she grabbed her backpack without a second thought and headed straight for the precinct exit.
She had to find Peter before anyone else did.
Before it was too late.
Because the worst-case scenario wasn't Peter hurting someone.
It was Peter being killed by the police.
And that… she wouldn't allow.
The moment she stepped out the precinct's front doors, the cold night air hit her hard—but that wasn't what made her stop abruptly on the sidewalk.
Not far away, parked discreetly, was Arthur's car.
He leaned against the driver's door, arms crossed, watching her with quiet focus. There was no urgency in his movements, no surprise in his eyes—just that solid, steady presence, as if he were exactly where he needed to be.
For a moment, the crushing weight of everything Gwen had learned finally eased.
She ran.
Without thinking, without holding back, she threw herself into his arms.
"Arthur…" Her voice trembled, muffled against his chest. "Something terrible happened to Peter."
"I know," he replied without hesitation.
Arthur wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her head, fingers moving carefully through her hair, as if trying to calm her through touch alone. He let her rest there, feeling the steady beat of his heart—a comforting contrast to the chaos inside her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Still holding him, Gwen slowly lifted her face.
"How… how did you know I was at the precinct?" she asked softly.
"Helen called me," Arthur explained casually. "As soon as I heard what was going on, I had Cortana track you immediately."
The answer was simple, direct.
And yet it warmed Gwen's chest unexpectedly. Knowing he'd come after her without hesitation—without needing to be asked—made her heart tighten in a good way.
She took a deep breath.
"I know you're not going to agree with what I'm about to do…" she said hesitantly.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, a half-smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Gwen?" he mocked lightly.
"Huh?" She blinked, confused.
The smile vanished, replaced by a serious, determined expression.
"Why would I stop you from saving your friend?"
Gwen was speechless for a moment.
"So… you agree that I should go after him?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Of course," Arthur replied without hesitation. "As a wise man once said, 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
"If you believe this is your responsibility, I won't stand in your way."
The words hit Gwen hard.
She tightened her arms around him, as if anchoring herself to that certainty.
"Then… what do I do now?" she asked quietly. "It won't be easy to find him. He escaped through the sewers…"
Arthur nodded toward the car.
"Get in. We'll talk on the way."
Gwen nodded and quickly got into the vehicle.
Before anything else, she pulled out her phone and called her father. She didn't want to worry him any more than he already was.
She said she was going to a friend's house.
George, who already knew how shaken his daughter was, didn't question it. He understood that Gwen wasn't in a state to remain at the precinct and that getting out might help her clear her head.
Next, Gwen stopped by home.
She told her mother the same thing. Helen was calmly talking with Arthur in the living room, as if nothing unusual were happening. Gwen hurried upstairs, grabbed her suit, packed it into a sturdy bag, and double-checked to make sure nothing was visible.
Less than five minutes later, she was back downstairs.
Before Helen could say anything, Gwen grabbed Arthur by the arm and practically dragged him outside.
"Bye, Mom! See you tomorrow!"
The door closed behind them.
---xXx---
Inside the car, Arthur started the engine and, before pulling away, placed a laptop in Gwen's hands.
"Cortana's already hacked into every camera in New York City," he explained. "The moment Peter appears on any of them, she'll track him immediately."
Gwen opened the laptop, eyes fixed on the interface filled with maps, code, and live feeds.
"On top of that," Arthur continued as he steered, "while she was accessing the surveillance network, I hacked into Oscorp's database."
He paused briefly.
"I got the complete files on Peter's and Curt Connors's experiments."
And a lot of other unpleasant things, he thought, but that can wait.
Gwen's eyes widened.
"It's all in there," he said, nodding at the laptop. "Maybe… you can find a way to turn him human again."
Arthur knew.
With Gwen's intellect, that wasn't an empty hope. If anyone could extract a solution from that tangled mess of genetic data, incomplete formulas, and unethical experiments, it was her.
Unfortunately, genetics wasn't exactly his strong suit.
"This is… insane…" Gwen murmured, fingers gliding across the touchpad as she studied charts, genetic sequences, and technical notes. "They went way too far…"
"As much as I'd like to help," Arthur chuckled lightly as he shifted gears, "I'm a complete idiot when it comes to genetics."
Gwen let out a small smile despite the tension.
"And what about Saeko?" Gwen asked. "Did you leave her alone at home?"
"Well… about Saeko," Arthur replied. "She went back to her own time."
"What…?" Gwen asked, stunned.
"She didn't even say goodbye to me…" Gwen murmured.
"She wanted to," Arthur explained. "But she said staying longer in this era could negatively affect the future."
"I understand…" Gwen said softly.
"Can we leave that conversation for later?" Arthur said, changing the subject as he accelerated. "I'll tell you the whole story later. Right now, we've got a giant lizard-man to catch."
"You're right," Gwen replied. "And you'd better tell me everything later."
---
(End of Chapter)