"You've screwed up. You've screwed up big time." Rick Jones leaned over the table, drinking a mojito through a straw.
"You don't need to remind me." Carlos had his face on the table, listening to his best friend go over his life mistakes.
"Seriously, don't mess with me. Cindy Moon—the prettiest girl in high school, who, by the way, had a huge crush on you—you run into her again at university, and when she asks you out, you say, 'Sorry, I have football practice'?"
"I had a football match!" he tried to explain, taking a sip of his iced tea. "Besides, she just asked if I wanted to go see a movie. That didn't mean anything."
"You're hopeless. You're more hardened than condensed milk... But enough about your romantic disasters—and there are quite a few. How are they treating you at Baxter? You know I only have to make one call, and you'd have a job waiting for you at Banner Industries."
"Thanks, Rick, but you know gamma energy isn't my field. I've always been better at building things with my own hands. Besides, things are going great at the Baxter Building. I have good colleagues, interesting projects, and even Dr. Richards likes me. I think... I can do great things there."
Rick raised his hands in surrender. "It's your life, buddy. You know best. Now that I've failed miserably to recruit you, let's talk about something useful. Anything interesting happening?"
"Well, three weeks ago, Thor came to ask Dr. Storm for a favor, and I ended up having tea with him. He's actually very nice."
"I don't mean that. That kind of thing happens all the time in our line of work. A month and a half ago, I woke up in a bar in Ibiza next to Ant-Man."
"Dr. Pym?" Carlos asked, surprised.
"No, the other one—Scott Lang. I'm talking about your life, man. You must have something else going on."
"...Well, do you remember I used to write a lot in high school?"
"Of course. You taught me everything. You were really good."
"During university, I picked it up again. Started writing about zombies—nothing serious." Carlos smiled, watching his friend's reaction.
Rick's smile slowly faded.
"You're kidding."
"It turns out my lawyers—Nelson and Murdock—know a publisher. They passed it along, and... he liked it."
"He liked it?" Rick repeated.
"He liked it."
"He liked it!" Rick burst out laughing, jumping across the table to hug him. "That's huge! You're actually getting published!"
"I know!" Carlos laughed, stepping back. "I've got a meeting next week to discuss terms."
"If you need me there, just say the word."
"Relax. My lawyer will be there. It'll be fine."
Then it hit him.
A strange tingling crawled across his skin. The hairs on his arms stood up. A cold wave rushed through his body.
"Get down!"
Carlos lunged forward, tackling Rick just as the window behind them exploded inward.
Glass shattered across the room. People coughed and groaned, some with small shards embedded in their skin.
"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.
"I think so..." Rick muttered, shaking himself. "What the hell was that?"
"I have no idea."
A distorted female voice echoed through the street.
"Bring me Spider-Man!"
They carefully peeked outside.
A woman clad in green and purple armor stood in the middle of the street, firing explosive rounds into the air. The Beetle had clearly lost control.
"Who the hell is that?" Rick asked.
"Beetle. She shows up around here sometimes... but I've never seen her like this." Carlos exhaled. "I need to get out of here and suit up. Rick, there's something important I need to tell you."
"Can it wait until we're not in a war zone?"
"No. Listen—I know Spider-Man. I'll sneak through the bathroom and call him."
"The guy in tights?"
"It's not tights, it's polymer—never mind. Do you trust me?"
Rick didn't hesitate. "Of course."
Carlos nodded and moved toward the bathroom, keeping low to avoid drawing attention. Once inside, he quickly changed into his suit, climbed out the window, and secured his bag to the wall with a web.
Then he moved. "Alright... let's go."
***********************
Explosions rocked Highway 34, with Beetle continuing its destructive spiral.
"Spider-Man! Bring him to me now!" – In his voice, a hint of desperation could be detected.
Something grabbed her from behind, pulling her until she slammed against a wall and was stuck there with webbing. When she looked up, she saw Spider-Man hanging from a lamppost.